Hawks also win to go 17-0 in January…
The Cleveland Cavaliers extended their winning streak to 10 games after they defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night as Kevin Love made a winning return.
LeBron James scored 16 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter to win a duel with rookie Andrew Wiggins, whom the Cavaliers traded for Love last summer.
Love finished with 14 points on 6-for-14 shooting and 17 rebounds as he was booed by his former fans, while Wiggins ended the game with 33 points and four steals as the Timberwolves threatened to make it an all-round miserable return for their former hero.
“Truth be told, I thought it was a pretty good reception, especially from people with familiar faces,” Love said.
The most important aspect of the night was that the Cavs extended their winning streak to 10 games and they are now 29-20 for the season.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, the Toronto Raptors outlasted the Washington Wizards in overtime with Amir Johnson putting up 17 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Kyle Lowry was key as he scored seven of his 23 points in the extra period as the Raptors made it six straight victories to move to 33-15 and put some daylight between them and their rivals in the East as the Wiz dropped to 31-17.
However, there is seemingly no catching the Atlanta Hawks who defeated the Philadelphia 76ers to make it 19 straight wins as well as going 17-0 across January.
Al Horford scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Hawks continue to take it in turns to see which player dominates, as Atlanta produced the best undefeated record in a calendar month in NBA history.
Over in the West, things aren’t quite as rosy for the struggling Oklahoma City Thunder who lost to the Memphis Grizzlies despite Kevin Durant returning to action after injury.
Zach Randolph had 21 points and 18 rebounds for the hosts while Marc Gasol added 15 points and 12 rebounds as the Thunder struggled.
Durant led the Thunder with just 15 points while Russell Westbrook added only 14. The loss leaves OKC at 23-24 for the season and again in a precarious position in terms of chasing down a playoff spot.
Fortunately the Phoenix Suns also lost on Saturday night as the Golden State Warriors ended a two-game losing skid with a comfortable win at home with Stephen Curry scoring 25 points and dishing out seven assists.
NBA Results
Sacramento Kings 99-94 Indiana Pacers
Dallas Mavericks 108-93 Orlando Magic
Toronto Raptors 120-116 Washington Wizards
Philadelphia 76ers 85-91 Atlanta Hawks
Houston Rockets 101-114 Detroit Pistons
Oklahoma City Thunder 74-85 Memphis Grizzlies
Cleveland Cavaliers 106-90 Minnesota Timberwolves
Portland Trail Blazers 88-95 Milwaukee Bucks
Charlotte Hornets 104-86 Denver Nuggets
Los Angeles Clippers 105-85 San Antonio Spurs
Phoenix Suns 87-106 Golden State Warriors
COMMENTS