NBA wRap: Butler is clutch as Bulls win 7th straight

MANILA, Philippines – The Chicago Bulls put away the pesky Indiana Pacers and won their seventh straight game thanks to a clutch shot by Jimmy Butler. That and more on the Tuesday, December 30 edition of the NBA wRap:

Milwaukee Bucks (16-16) 104 – 94 Charlotte Hornets (10-22)
MIL: Giannis Antetokounmpo: 16 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks
CHA: Kemba Walker: 28 points, 4 assists, 4 blocks

The Hornets bounced back from a 21-point deficit and forced OT, but was outscored by 10 in the extra period thanks to strong performances from The Greek Freak, Jared Dudley, and Brandon Knight. Making matters worse, Charlotte lost Al Jefferson to a groin injury that could put him out of action for a while.

Sounds like Hornets might shut down Al Jefferson for a bit. He’s really hurting with that groin strain.

— Rick Bonnell (@rick_bonnell) December 30, 2014

Chicago Bulls (22-9) 92 – 90 Indiana Pacers (11-21)
CHI: Jimmy Butler: 27 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals
IND: Chris Copeland: 17 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block

Chicago blew a 21-point lead by going a number of minutes in the fourth quarter without a basket, but held on to win their 7th straight game. They have to thank Jimmy Butler, who hit a wide open shot in the corner with 1:07 left that essentially served as the game-winner.

Brooklyn Nets (14-16) 107 – 99 Sacramento Kings (13-18)
BKN: Mason Plumlee: 22 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals
SAC: DeMarcus Cousins: 24 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks

Kevin Garnett dunked against the Kings. He used to do that way more in the past.

Kevin Garnett: "This is a low moment for me. Everyone is like, ‘Oooh, you dunked!!’"

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) December 30, 2014

Check it out at around the 1:40 mark:

Speaking of dunks, Cousins had a pretty nice one over Plumlee:

BOOGIE COUSINS STRONGEST HULK THERE IS. (Dunks all over Plumlee. ALL OVER.) http://t.co/ksGiR84iYC

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) December 30, 2014

Orlando Magic (13-21) 102 – 101 Miami Heat (14-18)
ORL: Nikola Vucevic: 26 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists
MIA: Dwyane Wade: 25 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds

Chris Bosh returned from an 8-game absence and finished with 20 points and 8 rebounds, but the Heat still lost their 12th out of 18 home game this season. Victor Oladipo also played well, putting up 22 points and 4 assists.

Washington Wizards (22-8) 104 – 103 Houston Rockets (21-9)
WAS: Bradley Beal: 33 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
HOU: James Harden: 33 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists

It was a battle between two high scoring guards as James Harden and Bradley Beal both dropped 30 for their respective teams. Beal had the last laugh as the Wizards came away with the win:

Los Angeles Clippers (21-11) 101 – 97 Utah Jazz (10-21)
LAC: Blake Griffin: 24 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals
UTA: Gordon Hayward: 22 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds

The Clips beat the Jazz for a 12th straight game. Chris Paul aided Blake Griffin well in this one, putting up 20 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals.

Fantasy Stud of the Day: Griffin finished with 24 points on 10-of-20 shooting, made 4 of his 6 free throws, grabbed 6 boards, dished out 7 dimes, had 3 blocks and 2 steals. His 6 turnovers were the only blemish.

– Rappler.com