LeBron Ties Jordan as Cavaliers Top Hornets
The Cleveland Cavaliers luckily had a quick turnaround following a tough performance in Miami, and they took advantage of that in Charlotte Wednesday night. LeBron James tied Michael Jordan for most consecutive games in double digits in what was a 118-105 win over the Charlotte Hornets. James was well into double digits with 41 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists, as he finished in double figures for the 866th consecutive game. The 33-year-old is expected to demolish that record streak, as his team remains in third place in the Eastern Conference, but he was not the only one with a record night. Kemba Walker overcame a slow start to score 11 points in the fourth quarter, passing Dell Curry as the franchise's all-time scoring leader, passing Dell Curry's mark of 9,839 points. He finished the night with 21 points, but that was not enough, as his team trailed by as many as 20 points on their home floor. The Cavaliers did this without Kevin Love, who is dealing with a concussion after taking an elbow to the head in Tuesday's loss to the Heat. There is now word whether or not he will be available on Friday night, when James can break Jordan's record, as the Cavaliers battle the New Orleans Pelicans. The Hornets will visit the Washington Wizards on Saturday night.
Sixers, Celtics Stay Hot in the East
Two teams that have been playing well as of late earned impressive wins on Wednesday night, despite being down a star. First, the Philadelphia 76ers overcame losing Joel Embiid to win their eighth straight game, 118-101, over the New York Knicks. Embiid suffered a facial contusion after colliding with Markelle Fultz in the second quarter. He would not return to the game and there is no word on the severity of the injury. Meanwhile, Dario Saric stepped up in the star's absence with a double-double of 26 points and 14 rebounds, as the Sixers have now won eight in a row for the first time since 2003. They also have the franchise's most win in a season since the 2002-2003 team won 48. J.J. Redick chipped in with 21 points, while Ben Simmons had a double-double of 13 points and 10 assists, helping the Sixers remain a half game behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for third in the Eastern Conference. Elsewhere, the Boston Celtics, still playing without start point guard, Kyrie Irving, won their fifth straight game, 97-94, over the Utah Jazz. Jaylen Brown hit the game-winning three-pointer with 0.3 seconds left for Boston, who swept their four-game, west coast trip. Brown had 21 points to lead the Celtics, Jayson Tatum added 16 points, and Terry Rozier had 13 for the short-handed Celtics. Boston was also without Al Horford, Marcus Morris, and of course, Gordon Hayward, who is a former member of the Jazz. Utah got 22 points from Donovan Mitchell, as well as 14 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds from Ricky Rubio in the loss. After being held to just 15 points in the second quarter, the Jazz went off for 32 points in the third to make the final 12 minutes interesting. Utah remains a game ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers for the final playoff spot in the West. The Celtics hold the two-seed in the East, three games behind the Toronto Raptors.
Towns Sets Franchise Record in Timberwolves' Win
Karl-Anthony Towns is hoping to get the Minnesota Timberwolves back to their winnings ways as we inch closer to the postseason, and he led the charge on Wednesday night. Towns set a franchise record with 56 points in the Timberwolves' 126-114 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Towns added 15 rebounds for his league-leading 63rd double-double of the season, helping Minnesota to the victory, despite both teams shooting 53 percent on the night. Towns finished at 19-of-32 from the floor, 6-for-8 from three-point range, and 12-of-15 from the free throw line, pulling Minnesota to seventh place in the Western Conference. The big man even had a double-double of 30 points and 11 rebounds in the second half alone, while Andrew Wiggins chipped in 17 points, and Jeff Teague had 11 points and eight assists. The win helped the T'wolves overcome a tough loss to the lowly Memphis Grizzlies, as they capitalized on the Jazz's home loss to the Boston Celtics. Mike Muscala had a career-high 24 points off the bench to lead the Hawks, who also got double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds from the Dwayne Dedmon. They did go an impressive 13-of-27 from three-point range, but have now dropped 10 of their past 11 games overall. They will return home on Friday to host the red hot Philadelphia 76ers. The Timberwolves look to continue to climb in the Western Conference standings when they visit the Dallas Mavericks on Friday.
The Cleveland Cavaliers luckily had a quick turnaround following a tough performance in Miami, and they took advantage of that in Charlotte Wednesday night. LeBron James tied Michael Jordan for most consecutive games in double digits in what was a 118-105 win over the Charlotte Hornets. James was well into double digits with 41 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists, as he finished in double figures for the 866th consecutive game. The 33-year-old is expected to demolish that record streak, as his team remains in third place in the Eastern Conference, but he was not the only one with a record night. Kemba Walker overcame a slow start to score 11 points in the fourth quarter, passing Dell Curry as the franchise's all-time scoring leader, passing Dell Curry's mark of 9,839 points. He finished the night with 21 points, but that was not enough, as his team trailed by as many as 20 points on their home floor. The Cavaliers did this without Kevin Love, who is dealing with a concussion after taking an elbow to the head in Tuesday's loss to the Heat. There is now word whether or not he will be available on Friday night, when James can break Jordan's record, as the Cavaliers battle the New Orleans Pelicans. The Hornets will visit the Washington Wizards on Saturday night.
Sixers, Celtics Stay Hot in the East
Two teams that have been playing well as of late earned impressive wins on Wednesday night, despite being down a star. First, the Philadelphia 76ers overcame losing Joel Embiid to win their eighth straight game, 118-101, over the New York Knicks. Embiid suffered a facial contusion after colliding with Markelle Fultz in the second quarter. He would not return to the game and there is no word on the severity of the injury. Meanwhile, Dario Saric stepped up in the star's absence with a double-double of 26 points and 14 rebounds, as the Sixers have now won eight in a row for the first time since 2003. They also have the franchise's most win in a season since the 2002-2003 team won 48. J.J. Redick chipped in with 21 points, while Ben Simmons had a double-double of 13 points and 10 assists, helping the Sixers remain a half game behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for third in the Eastern Conference. Elsewhere, the Boston Celtics, still playing without start point guard, Kyrie Irving, won their fifth straight game, 97-94, over the Utah Jazz. Jaylen Brown hit the game-winning three-pointer with 0.3 seconds left for Boston, who swept their four-game, west coast trip. Brown had 21 points to lead the Celtics, Jayson Tatum added 16 points, and Terry Rozier had 13 for the short-handed Celtics. Boston was also without Al Horford, Marcus Morris, and of course, Gordon Hayward, who is a former member of the Jazz. Utah got 22 points from Donovan Mitchell, as well as 14 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds from Ricky Rubio in the loss. After being held to just 15 points in the second quarter, the Jazz went off for 32 points in the third to make the final 12 minutes interesting. Utah remains a game ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers for the final playoff spot in the West. The Celtics hold the two-seed in the East, three games behind the Toronto Raptors.
Towns Sets Franchise Record in Timberwolves' Win
Karl-Anthony Towns is hoping to get the Minnesota Timberwolves back to their winnings ways as we inch closer to the postseason, and he led the charge on Wednesday night. Towns set a franchise record with 56 points in the Timberwolves' 126-114 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Towns added 15 rebounds for his league-leading 63rd double-double of the season, helping Minnesota to the victory, despite both teams shooting 53 percent on the night. Towns finished at 19-of-32 from the floor, 6-for-8 from three-point range, and 12-of-15 from the free throw line, pulling Minnesota to seventh place in the Western Conference. The big man even had a double-double of 30 points and 11 rebounds in the second half alone, while Andrew Wiggins chipped in 17 points, and Jeff Teague had 11 points and eight assists. The win helped the T'wolves overcome a tough loss to the lowly Memphis Grizzlies, as they capitalized on the Jazz's home loss to the Boston Celtics. Mike Muscala had a career-high 24 points off the bench to lead the Hawks, who also got double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds from the Dwayne Dedmon. They did go an impressive 13-of-27 from three-point range, but have now dropped 10 of their past 11 games overall. They will return home on Friday to host the red hot Philadelphia 76ers. The Timberwolves look to continue to climb in the Western Conference standings when they visit the Dallas Mavericks on Friday.
