The NBA schedule picks up on Thursday with the TNT set of games and they are good ones, as Doc Rivers visits his old friends Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in Brooklyn to take on the Nets, while the Houston Rockets will travel to play the Portland Trail Blazers in a battle between two solid western conference teams as the Blazers lead their division in the standings.
The Clippers come into the matchup with the Nets leading the Pacific division by two games, while the Nets are in the middle of the Atlantic after winning two in a row. The team has struggled greatly despite trading for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in the offseason and one of the main reasons has to do with injuries and the fact that the team has not been able to play consistent ball.
The Blazers come in as the surprise team in the league with an 18-4 record and they are leaders in the Northwest division, while the Houston Rockets are right there in the Southwest. All four teams in action on Thursday have playoff hopes and as the standings sit now, everyone but the Nets would be in the postseason.
Reuters.com run down of the NBA schedule on Wednesday:
Clippers 96, Celtics 88
Former Celtics coach and current Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers earned a win in his emotional return to Boston.
Veteran backup guard Jamal Crawford led the way with 21 points for Los Angeles (15-8), and hit back-to-back 3-pointers, the second with 2:11 left to seal the game.
Rivers, who coached for nine years and won a world championship in Boston, received standing ovations as his team held off the Celtics (10-14) despite 20 points and nine assists from Jordan Crawford.
Thunder 116, Grizzlies 100
Russell Westbrook had 27 points and nine assists, Kevin Durant added 18 and the Oklahoma City Thunder won for the 12th time in 13 games.
The Thunder (17-4) pushed the lead to 24 points in the third quarter and the Grizzlies did not recover.
Mike Conley led Memphis (10-11) with 20 points and nine assists.
Spurs 109, Bucks 77
Tim Duncan scored 21 points with 16 rebounds and the San Antonio Spurs rolled to a victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
San Antonio (16-4) never trailed in the contest and led by as many 38 points. Spurs coach Greg Popovich was even able to give his reserves extended minutes while the starters still racked up some impressive numbers.
Milwaukee (5-17) had won two of its last three.
Knicks 83, Bulls 78
Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks in scoring for the 21st time in as many games, pouring in 30 points in New York's win over the Chicago Bulls.
The Knicks (6-15) forward is the only player to lead his team in scoring in every game this season.
Chicago (8-12) received 20 points from forward Mike Dunleavy but lost their third straight and fell for the ninth time in 11 games.
Timberwolves 106, 76ers 99
Kevin Love (26 points, 15 rebounds) and Nikola Pekovic (20 and 10) produced double-doubles, and the Minnesota Timberwolves overcame a 19-point deficit in the first half to win.
Minnesota trimmed Philadelphia's lead to 86-81 early in the fourth quarter, before the Wolves (11-11) went on a 10-0 run to take control.
Tony Wroten and Spencer Hawes each finished with 20 points but Philadelphia (7-16) scored just 38 points in the second half to lose for the eighth time in nine games.
Magic 92, Bobcats 83
Glen Davis and guard Jameer Nelson led a balanced attack with 17 points each and the Orlando Magic snapped a six-game losing streak.
Charlotte shot just 36.9 percent from the field, and fell to 10-12 as their two-game winning streak was snapped.
Pelicans 111, Pistons 106 (Overtime)
Ryan Anderson overcame an ice-cold shooting night by hitting two 3-pointers and a two free throws in overtime, leading the New Orleans Pelicans to a victory over the Detroit Pistons.
Anderson had missed 12 of 16 shots before he finally made a game-tying, and go-ahead three-pointer to fall in overtime.
Anderson finished with 22 points, and center Jason Smith added 22 points and a season-high 16 rebounds for the Pelicans (10-10).
Warriors 95, Mavericks 93
Stephen Curry capped a 33-point night by sinking a tie-breaking 15-footer with 1.5 seconds remaining that gave the Golden State Warriors a victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Despite trailing throughout the second and third quarters, the win allowed the Warriors (13-10) to move into a tie with the Mavericks (13-10) in the Western Conference standings.
Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis each had 21 points for the Mavericks.
Jazz 122, Kings 101
Richard Jefferson scored 20 points, and five Jazz players finished in double figures in Utah's rout of the Sacramento Kings.
The Jazz (5-19) posted a season-high points total and led by as many as 28 points in the second half.
The game was expected to mark the Sacramento (6-14) debuts of Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray, all three of whom were acquired from the Toronto Raptors, but none featured because of a delayed player physical.
(Reuters)
