Two More Top-10 Teams Go Down in CBK
A day after three top-10 teams fell on Tuesday night, two more joined the list on Wednesday. Beginning with No. 6 Florida State, who was blown out by Georgia Tech, 78-56. Josh Okogie went off for 35 points and 14 rebounds, while Ben Lammers added 18 in the Yellow Jackets second home upset of a top-10 team. Georgia Tech was off from the beginning to lead by 26 at halftime, as the Seminoles never got closer than 18 points in the second half. It is now the first time since 2003-04 that the Yellow Jackets defeated two top-10 opponents in one season. Florida State had gone 5-1 in their last six games, all of which were against ranked opponents.
Meanwhile, No. 8 UCLA suffered their second consecutive loss, falling to in-state rival, USC, 84-76. The Trojans hit a season-high 14 three-pointers in the win, as Shaqquan Aaron recorded a career-high 23 points on the night. Elijah Stewart added 15 points for the Trojans, who moved over .500 in conference play at 5-4. This is the fourth straight win for USC in the rivalry, as they took all three meetings last season, including one in the conference tournament. It is the first time that the Bruins have lost two in a row this season, as they fell to No. 7 Arizona, 96-85, last week. Isaac Hamilton had 20 points, while Lonzo Ball had a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds in a losing effort.
Warriors Pull Away From Hornets in Curry's Homecoming
The Golden State Warriors heated up in the fourth quarter, including Kevin Durant scoring 16 of his 33 points in the final frame, in Golden State's 113-103 win over the Charlotte Hornets. Steph Curry had 28 points, including six three-pointers, in his annual homecoming, as his team extended their record streak of 132 games without suffering back-to-back losses. Golden State avenged a tough 105-102 loss to the Heat on Monday, as Klay Thompson had 19 points of his own. The Hornets used an impressive 19-4 run to lead by five heading into the fourth, but the Warriors outscored them by 15 in the final 12 minutes in the win. Curry himself had two three-pointers in the final three minutes to seal the victory.
Cavs Drop Third Straight Despite James' Triple-Double
The Cleveland Cavaliers' struggles continued on Wednesday night, as LeBron James' strong comments still had no effect on the team. James had himself a triple-double of 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 116-112 overtime loss to the Kings. It is their third straight defeat, and their sixth in eight games. Arron Afflalo hit the game-winning three with 17.3 seconds left, as the Kings recorded their second straight road win. DeMarcus Cousins had himself a double-double of 28 points and 11 rebounds, including the game-tying field goal with three seconds left in regulation. The Cavs dropped theirs second straight when holding a lead heading into the fourth, as they missed 17 of 34 free throw attempts. Sacramento trailed by as many as 10 in the final quarter, as Darren Collison contributed 23 points in the comeback victory.
A day after three top-10 teams fell on Tuesday night, two more joined the list on Wednesday. Beginning with No. 6 Florida State, who was blown out by Georgia Tech, 78-56. Josh Okogie went off for 35 points and 14 rebounds, while Ben Lammers added 18 in the Yellow Jackets second home upset of a top-10 team. Georgia Tech was off from the beginning to lead by 26 at halftime, as the Seminoles never got closer than 18 points in the second half. It is now the first time since 2003-04 that the Yellow Jackets defeated two top-10 opponents in one season. Florida State had gone 5-1 in their last six games, all of which were against ranked opponents.
Meanwhile, No. 8 UCLA suffered their second consecutive loss, falling to in-state rival, USC, 84-76. The Trojans hit a season-high 14 three-pointers in the win, as Shaqquan Aaron recorded a career-high 23 points on the night. Elijah Stewart added 15 points for the Trojans, who moved over .500 in conference play at 5-4. This is the fourth straight win for USC in the rivalry, as they took all three meetings last season, including one in the conference tournament. It is the first time that the Bruins have lost two in a row this season, as they fell to No. 7 Arizona, 96-85, last week. Isaac Hamilton had 20 points, while Lonzo Ball had a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds in a losing effort.
Warriors Pull Away From Hornets in Curry's Homecoming
The Golden State Warriors heated up in the fourth quarter, including Kevin Durant scoring 16 of his 33 points in the final frame, in Golden State's 113-103 win over the Charlotte Hornets. Steph Curry had 28 points, including six three-pointers, in his annual homecoming, as his team extended their record streak of 132 games without suffering back-to-back losses. Golden State avenged a tough 105-102 loss to the Heat on Monday, as Klay Thompson had 19 points of his own. The Hornets used an impressive 19-4 run to lead by five heading into the fourth, but the Warriors outscored them by 15 in the final 12 minutes in the win. Curry himself had two three-pointers in the final three minutes to seal the victory.
Cavs Drop Third Straight Despite James' Triple-Double
The Cleveland Cavaliers' struggles continued on Wednesday night, as LeBron James' strong comments still had no effect on the team. James had himself a triple-double of 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 116-112 overtime loss to the Kings. It is their third straight defeat, and their sixth in eight games. Arron Afflalo hit the game-winning three with 17.3 seconds left, as the Kings recorded their second straight road win. DeMarcus Cousins had himself a double-double of 28 points and 11 rebounds, including the game-tying field goal with three seconds left in regulation. The Cavs dropped theirs second straight when holding a lead heading into the fourth, as they missed 17 of 34 free throw attempts. Sacramento trailed by as many as 10 in the final quarter, as Darren Collison contributed 23 points in the comeback victory.
