NBA wRap: Rose and Gasol return as Bulls escape Jazz

MANILA, Philippines – Chicago’s starting point guard and power forward were back in action on Tuesday, November 25, as they took on the Utah Jazz on the road. In Cleveland, the Cavs managed to snap their losing streak against the Magic, with LeBron James leading the way. All that and more in Tuesday’s NBA wRap:

Los Angeles Clippers (8-5) 113 – 92 Charlotte Hornets (4-11)

LAC: Blake Griffin 22 points, 16 rebounds, 9 assists

CHA: Kemba Walker 15 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals

The Clippers were dominant on defense against the Hornets, who made just 41.3% of their shots and went a horrible 2-of-20 from 3-point range. 

On offense, Los Angeles shot 51.1% from the floor and made 46.9% of their attempts from downtown. Six guys scored in double figures, with Griffin and Chris Paul each putting up 22 points. Paul also had 5 assists. 

But while Paul had a great game on the stat sheet, here’s one highlight he may want to forget:

 

Cleveland Cavaliers (6-7) 106 – 74 Orlando Magic (6-10)

CLE: LeBron James 29 points, 11 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals

ORL: Victor Oladipo 22 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals

The Cavaliers snapped a four-game losing streak by coming out of the gates on fire against the Magic and sustaining their great play throughout the rest of the game. Cleveland outscored Orlando in every quarter, led by James’ 29 points.

Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving finished with 12 points each, while Anderson Varejao had 14 points. Outside of Oladipo, Nikola Vucevic was Orlando’s lone scorer in double figures, finishing with 18 points and 13 rebounds.

 

Portland Trail Blazers (11-3) 114 – 104 Philadelphia 76ers (0-14)

POR: LaMarcus Aldridge 33 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists

PHI: Tony Wroten 20 points, 9 assists, 3 steals, 2 rebounds 

Portland won their eighth straight game on Tuesday against Philadelphia, who are now one loss shy of tying their franchise record for consecutive losses to start the season. The 76ers are also four more losses from tying the 2009-2010 New Jersey (now Brooklyn) Nets for the longest losing streak to start an NBA season at 0-18.

 

Toronto Raptors (12-2) 104 – 100 Phoenix Suns (9-6)

TOR: Jonas Valanciunas 27 points, 11 rebounds, 1 block

PHX: Eric Bledsoe 25 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks

Phoenix trailed by 17 at one point in the game but rallied thanks to a barrage of 3-pointers (they finished with 14 as a team) in the fourth quarter. However, the Suns failed to tie the game at 100-all late in the fourth period when Isaiah Thomas (who had 16 points and 3 assists) lost control of the ball, leading to a jump ball that the Raptors won.

Goran Dragic struggled with 6 points on 3-of-9 shooting. Kyle Lowry had a near triple-double with 14 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds, while DeMar DeRozan put up 23 points. However, it was Valanciunas and his career-high in points that earned him the best player of the game honor.

 

Houston Rockets (11-3) 91 – 86 New York Knicks (4-11)

HOU: James Harden 36 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists

NYK: Carmelo Anthony 14 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block

Anthony left the game in the first half due to back spasms and didn’t return, while Dwight Howard sat out another game due to his troublesome knee.

Here’s another hilarious episode to James Harden’s compilation of horrid defensive plays:

Harden, nonetheless, hit the game-clinching 3-ball with under three minutes to go in the fourth quarter and made all seven of his attempts from the FT line.

Speaking of Harden and FTs, here’s the Tweet of the Day:

Amar’e Stoudemire: "James Harden was getting miraculous calls down the stretch, as if an angel came down and started calling calls for him."

— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) November 25, 2014

 

Indiana Pacers (6-8) 111 – 100 Dallas Mavericks (10-5)

IND: Donald Sloan 29 points 5 assists, 2 rebounds

DAL: Dirk Nowitzki 22 points, 11 rebounds, 1 block

Indiana played without Paul George, David West, Roy Hibbert, and George Hill yet somehow still escaped with a win on the road against the streaking Mavericks, who shot 50% from the field. The Pacers did that by going red hot from downtown, where they made 13 3-balls.

Highlight of the Day:

 

Chicago Bulls (9-5) 97 – 95 Utah Jazz (5-10)

CHI: Pau Gasol 23 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks

UTA: Derrick Favors 21 points, 15 rebounds, 1 steal

The Bulls, up by 13 at the half, surrendered their double digit lead and barely escaped the Jazz thanks to a missed 3-pointer at the buzzer by Gordon Hayward, who struggled with 6 points on 2-of-11 shooting.

Derrick Rose returned after missing his team’s games last week with 18 points (5-of-10 shooting), 5 assists, and 3 rebounds. Jimmy Butler topscored for Chicago, putting up 25 markers while also collecting 4 steals. 

Fantasy Line of the Day: Paul Gasol’s fantasy owners must be happy to have him back in their lineups. Gasol put up 23 points on 11-of-20 shooting against the Jazz, went 1-of-3 from the foul line, grabbed 9 rebounds, dished 4 assists, took away 3 steals, blocked 2 shots, and turned the ball over just twice in 37 minutes.

– Rappler.com