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NBA Season Preview 2014/15 Toronto Raptors
On a busy night in the NBA, the Toronto Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies ensured they stayed top of their respective conferences with wins on Wednesday.
The Raptors secured a sixth straight win after defeating the Atlanta Hawks, and Dwane Casey’s team did it with another shared scoring effort.
DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points, Lou Williams added 22 off the bench while the likes of Kyle Lowry and Grievis Vasquez also chipped in with key contributions.
The Eastern Conference leaders had their highest point total of the season and they have now won 11 of 12 to match their best stretch in franchise history.
Over in the West, the Grizzlies held off the Los Angeles Lakers to solidify their spot at the top of the standings with Marc Gasol continuing his impressive start to the season with 19 points, 11 rebounds and four assists on the night to go along with two steals and four blocks.
Memphis improve to 13-2 after securing their seventh win in eight games, but Kobe Bryant and the Lakers undoubtedly kept them honest and pushed them all the way throughout the game.
Other notable wins came for the Cleveland Cavaliers who routed the Washington Wizards behind 29 points from LeBron James who fell just shy of a triple-double with 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Kevin Love added 21 points and Kyrie Irving had 18 as Cleveland move back to a .500 record as they improve to 7-7 for the season.
The Golden State Warriors remain on the heels of the Grizzlies after their win over the Orlando Magic leaves them at 12-2, with Stephen Curry leading the charge with 28 points and eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, the defending champions were also on the winning side on Wednesday, with the San Antonio Spurs holding off the Indiana Pacers without coach Gregg Popovich on the sidelines.
Popovich was resting after a medical procedure, but Manu Ginobili enjoyed a throwback game under former coach Ettore Messina who took charge as the Argentine scored 28 points to lead the way to the win.
NBA Results
Portland Trail Blazers 105-97 Charlotte Hornets
Washington Wizards 87-113 Cleveland Cavaliers
Golden State Warriors 111-96 Orlando Magic
Brooklyn Nets 99-91 Philadelphia 76ers
New York Knicks 102-109 Dallas Mavericks
Toronto Raptors 126-115 Atlanta Hawks
Los Angeles Clippers 104-98 Detroit Pistons
Sacramento Kings 89-102 Houston Rockets
Milwaukee Bucks 103-86 Minnesota Timberwolves
Utah Jazz 82-97 Oklahoma City Thunder
Indiana Pacers 100-106 San Antonio Spurs
Denver Nuggets 112-120 Phoenix Suns
Memphis Grizzlies 99-93 Los Angeles Lakers
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