Warriors, Cavs Suffer Upset Losses
The Golden State Warriors are coming off a challenging week, and are in the middle of an east coast road trip, and showed signs of slowing down on Monday night. In a game that was close from start to finish in Miami, Dion Waiters played the role of hero with a game-winning three with 0.6 seconds left in the Heat's 105-102 upset of the Warriors. Waiters finished the night with 33 points, helping his team snap Golden State's seven-game win streak. Miami did lead by as many as 10 in the game, but Golden State would not go away, despite Waiters tying a career-high in points for a second straight game. Goran Dragic had 19 points for the 15-30 Heat, who went 4-0 on their homestand. Kevin Durant scored 27 points in the losing effort.
Meanwhile, the other half of last year's NBA Finals went down on Monday as well, as the Cleveland Cavaliers spoiled a 49-point effort from Kyrie Irving in a 124-122 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans were without Anthony Davis, as Terrence Jones stepped in to record 36 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Jrue Holiday added 33 points and 10 assists for New Orleans, who led by as many as 22. Irving had 35 of his 49 points in the second half, while LeBron James had a triple-double of 26 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds in the loss. The Pelicans tied a season high with 16 three-pointers, shooting 49.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Westbrook Hits Game-Winner in Thunder Victory
Russell Westbrook claims that he is not bothered by the All-Star starting snub he received last week, as he is just worried about getting wins. He made sure his team got a big one Monday night, hitting the game-winner with 1.4 seconds left in a 97-95 Thunder victory over the Jazz. Westbrook did finish with his 22nd triple-double of 38 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, as OKC snapped Utah's six-game win streak. Alec Burks missed the potential game-winning shot for the Jazz, who were led by Gordon Hayward's 17 points. The Thunder's star went off to score 11 of the team's final 13 points in the win. Victor Oladipo added 18 for Oklahoma City, who now sits at 26-19 on the year.
NC State Earns Rare Road Win Against Duke
There is no doubt that the Duke Blue Devils are just not the same team without Coach K on the sidelines, and there was proof of that on Monday night. The 17th-ranked Blue Devils dropped a home game to NC State, 84-82, for the first time since 1995. That last home loss to the Wolfpack was also without Coach K leading the team. Dennis Smith Jr. had a career-high 32 points in the upset win, as NC State rallied from a 12-point deficit. Smith shot 10-of-18 from the floor, while also finishing with six assists. The Wolfpack had lost four of five, including a 51-point loss to North Carolina, and are now just 3-5 in ACC play. The Blue Devils also dropped under .500 in conference play with a record of 3-4.
The Golden State Warriors are coming off a challenging week, and are in the middle of an east coast road trip, and showed signs of slowing down on Monday night. In a game that was close from start to finish in Miami, Dion Waiters played the role of hero with a game-winning three with 0.6 seconds left in the Heat's 105-102 upset of the Warriors. Waiters finished the night with 33 points, helping his team snap Golden State's seven-game win streak. Miami did lead by as many as 10 in the game, but Golden State would not go away, despite Waiters tying a career-high in points for a second straight game. Goran Dragic had 19 points for the 15-30 Heat, who went 4-0 on their homestand. Kevin Durant scored 27 points in the losing effort.
Meanwhile, the other half of last year's NBA Finals went down on Monday as well, as the Cleveland Cavaliers spoiled a 49-point effort from Kyrie Irving in a 124-122 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans were without Anthony Davis, as Terrence Jones stepped in to record 36 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Jrue Holiday added 33 points and 10 assists for New Orleans, who led by as many as 22. Irving had 35 of his 49 points in the second half, while LeBron James had a triple-double of 26 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds in the loss. The Pelicans tied a season high with 16 three-pointers, shooting 49.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Westbrook Hits Game-Winner in Thunder Victory
Russell Westbrook claims that he is not bothered by the All-Star starting snub he received last week, as he is just worried about getting wins. He made sure his team got a big one Monday night, hitting the game-winner with 1.4 seconds left in a 97-95 Thunder victory over the Jazz. Westbrook did finish with his 22nd triple-double of 38 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, as OKC snapped Utah's six-game win streak. Alec Burks missed the potential game-winning shot for the Jazz, who were led by Gordon Hayward's 17 points. The Thunder's star went off to score 11 of the team's final 13 points in the win. Victor Oladipo added 18 for Oklahoma City, who now sits at 26-19 on the year.
NC State Earns Rare Road Win Against Duke
There is no doubt that the Duke Blue Devils are just not the same team without Coach K on the sidelines, and there was proof of that on Monday night. The 17th-ranked Blue Devils dropped a home game to NC State, 84-82, for the first time since 1995. That last home loss to the Wolfpack was also without Coach K leading the team. Dennis Smith Jr. had a career-high 32 points in the upset win, as NC State rallied from a 12-point deficit. Smith shot 10-of-18 from the floor, while also finishing with six assists. The Wolfpack had lost four of five, including a 51-point loss to North Carolina, and are now just 3-5 in ACC play. The Blue Devils also dropped under .500 in conference play with a record of 3-4.
