Big wins of OKC and Cavaliers in earlier games on Sunday…
The Chicago Bulls made it two wins in a row on Sunday night as they were able to hold off the Orlando Magic to claim a narrow win at the Amway Center.
Pau Gasol’s late dunk off a Derrick Rose miss ensured that the Bulls rally was complete, with the Spaniard ending the game with 25 points and 15 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler led Chicago with 27 points while Joakim Noah added 18 points and nine rebounds in a closely fought game with their Eastern Conference rivals.
The win moves the Bulls to 32-20 for the season while the Cleveland Cavaliers sit narrowly behind them after their big win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kyrie Irving put up 28 points and 10 assists while Kevin Love added a season-high 32 points. However, LeBron James flirted with a triple-double in the game but ended with 22 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
The Oklahoma City Thunder ensured it was a miserable day all round for Los Angeles basketball as they sealed a blowout win over the Clippers.
Kevin Durant scored 29 points as the Clippers struggled without the injured Blake Griffin while they also lost Glen Davis to injury too.
Elsewhere, the Memphis Grizzlies were winners over the Eastern Conference leaders, the Atlanta Hawks. Mike Conley had 21 points and six assists while Marc Gasol finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
The Portland Trail Blazers were able to deal with a 45-point night from James Harden to beat the Houston Rockets behind Damian Lillard’s 23 points and LaMarcus Aldridge adding 24.
However, it wasn’t all good news for the West as Gregg Popovich was denied a 1,000th win as a coach with the Toronto Raptors defeating his San Antonio Spurs.
Meanwhile, DeMarcus Cousins produced a thrilling buzzer-beater to end the Sacramento Kings’ six-game losing streak as the star big man ended the game with 28 points and 12 rebounds.
NBA Results
Los Angeles Clippers 108-131 Oklahoma City Thunder
Los Angeles Lakers 105-120 Cleveland Cavaliers
Atlanta Hawks 88-94 Memphis Grizzlies
Indiana Pacers 103-102 Charlotte Hornets
Minnesota Timberwolves 112-101 Detroit Pistons
Chicago Bulls 98-97 Orlando Magic
Portland Trail Blazers 109-98 Houston Rockets
San Antonio Spurs 82-87 Toronto Raptors
Phoenix Suns 83-85 Sacramento Kings
COMMENTS