Whiteside, Heat Extend Streak to a Dozen
The Miami Heat still currently find themselves on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, but they remain red hot as we near the All-Star break. That hot streak continued on Wednesday night, as Hassan Whiteside's 23 points and 16 rebounds led them to their 12th straight win, 106-88, over the Bucks. James Johnson added 20 points off the bench for Miami, who was without the recently-hot Dion Waiters. Miami got off to a quick 15-2 start, holding the Bucks to just 33 percent shooting in the first. They never looked back from there, although improved to just 23-30 on the season, two games behind the Pistons for the eighth seed in the East. For the Bucks, they lost young star, Jabari Parker, to a sprained left knee, the same knee he injured during his rookie campaign. Milwaukee is now virtually tied with Miami in the Eastern Conference standings.
Griffin, Clippers Come Back on Knicks
The dramatic struggles continue for Phil Jackson's New York Knicks, as on the same night as former Knick, Charles Oakley, was arrested for a sideline altercation, the team dropped another close contest. The Los Angeles Clippers rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to take out the Knicks in MSG, 119-115, on Wednesday. Blake Griffin had a season-high 32 points, as L.A. snapped a three-game losing streak with the win. DeAndre Jordan added a double-double of 28 points and 15 rebounds, helping the Clippers improve to 11 games over .500 on the year. They are just two games over on the road, though, at 15-13. Griffin's free throws in the final 10 seconds sealed the win, as well as the Knicks' third consecutive defeat. Carmelo Anthony had 28 points, while Kristaps Porzingis added 27 for New York, who fell to 10 games under .500, including 13-14 at the World's Most Famous Arena.
Blackhawks Get Past First-Place Wild in OT
The Chicago Blackhawks continue to chase the Minnesota Wild in the Central Division, and gained some ground on Wednesday, as Jonathan Toews' game-winning goal gave Chicago a 4-3 overtime win. Toews' goal came 3:09 into the extra period, as Chicago pulled within five point of Minnesota for first place. The winning goal was with the man-advantage after Ryan Suter was called for a crucial holding penalty. Corey Crawford had 35 saves on 38 shot attempts, helping his team snap an eight-game regular-season losing streak against their division rival. The Blackhawks got out to a 2-0 lead, before the Wild scored two of their own in the second period to make a game of it. Erik Haula forced overtime for Minnesota by finding the back of the net with 3:03 left in regulation. Both teams will be back in action Friday night, as the Blackhawks visit the Winnipeg Jets, while the Wild play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Miami Heat still currently find themselves on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, but they remain red hot as we near the All-Star break. That hot streak continued on Wednesday night, as Hassan Whiteside's 23 points and 16 rebounds led them to their 12th straight win, 106-88, over the Bucks. James Johnson added 20 points off the bench for Miami, who was without the recently-hot Dion Waiters. Miami got off to a quick 15-2 start, holding the Bucks to just 33 percent shooting in the first. They never looked back from there, although improved to just 23-30 on the season, two games behind the Pistons for the eighth seed in the East. For the Bucks, they lost young star, Jabari Parker, to a sprained left knee, the same knee he injured during his rookie campaign. Milwaukee is now virtually tied with Miami in the Eastern Conference standings.
Griffin, Clippers Come Back on Knicks
The dramatic struggles continue for Phil Jackson's New York Knicks, as on the same night as former Knick, Charles Oakley, was arrested for a sideline altercation, the team dropped another close contest. The Los Angeles Clippers rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to take out the Knicks in MSG, 119-115, on Wednesday. Blake Griffin had a season-high 32 points, as L.A. snapped a three-game losing streak with the win. DeAndre Jordan added a double-double of 28 points and 15 rebounds, helping the Clippers improve to 11 games over .500 on the year. They are just two games over on the road, though, at 15-13. Griffin's free throws in the final 10 seconds sealed the win, as well as the Knicks' third consecutive defeat. Carmelo Anthony had 28 points, while Kristaps Porzingis added 27 for New York, who fell to 10 games under .500, including 13-14 at the World's Most Famous Arena.
Blackhawks Get Past First-Place Wild in OT
The Chicago Blackhawks continue to chase the Minnesota Wild in the Central Division, and gained some ground on Wednesday, as Jonathan Toews' game-winning goal gave Chicago a 4-3 overtime win. Toews' goal came 3:09 into the extra period, as Chicago pulled within five point of Minnesota for first place. The winning goal was with the man-advantage after Ryan Suter was called for a crucial holding penalty. Corey Crawford had 35 saves on 38 shot attempts, helping his team snap an eight-game regular-season losing streak against their division rival. The Blackhawks got out to a 2-0 lead, before the Wild scored two of their own in the second period to make a game of it. Erik Haula forced overtime for Minnesota by finding the back of the net with 3:03 left in regulation. Both teams will be back in action Friday night, as the Blackhawks visit the Winnipeg Jets, while the Wild play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
