San Antonio defeat Wizards, but Atlanta stun Trail Blazers at home…
Chicago Bulls star Pau Gasol put up big numbers on Saturday night as he helped his team to a gruelling overtime win over the Boston Celtics.
Gasol had 29 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots as he helped make up for the absence of the likes of Mike Dunleavy and Jimmy Butler, and he insisted after the game that he has overcome troublesome knee injuries and feels in great shape.
“The last couple years, I had issues with my knees. I couldn’t really jump as much as I’m jumping now,” said Gasol, who had a career-high nine blocked shots in his previous game. “Not that I’m jumping super high, maybe an inch more.”
Aaron Brooks added 19 points while Taj Gibson and Derrick Rose had 12 points apiece as Chicago won for the ninth time in their last 10 games. Nikola Mirotic scored 10 points in his first start as the Bulls found a way to win despite the line-up changes.
In response, Evan Turner scored 24 of his 29 points after half-time, but Boston were unable to avoid dropping to 2-6 since trading Rajon Rondo to Dallas on December 18.
Meanwhile, Chicago’s Eastern Conference rivals were also in action on Saturday night, with the Washington Wizards losing to the San Antonio Spurs.
It was the 17th straight loss in the series for the Wiz, as Cory Joseph scored 19 points with the star names either out or struggling.
Tiago Splitter scored 16 points, Patty Mills added 15 while Boris Diaw put up 14 points for San Antonio as Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan struggled while Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard remained out.
However, there was no slowing down the Atlanta Hawks who won their fourth straight game with an impressive road victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Paul Millsap had 27 points as he led the Hawks to the win while point guard Jeff Teague added 22 points as the Hawks improved to 11-5 on the road and 25-8 overall.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 30 points and 12 rebounds on the night, but it wasn’t enough to help Portland avoid a defeat as they slip to 26-8.
NBA Results
Charlotte Hornets 98-90 Orlando Magic
Boston Celtics 104-109 Chicago Bulls
Miami Heat 79-115 Houston Rockets
Utah Jazz 101-89 Minnesota Timberwolves
Washington Wizards 92-101 San Antonio Spurs
Memphis Grizzlies 85-114 Denver Nuggets
Atlanta Hawks 115-107 Portland Trail Blazers
Philadelphia 76ers 91-127 Los Angeles Clippers
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