Westbrook Falls Short of Triple-Double in Thunder Win
Russell Westbrook needed just one more rebound to break Oscar Robertson's single-season triple-double record, but he could not get there in Wednesday's 103-100 Thunder win over the Grizzlies. He still led the way for OKC with 45 points, including a late three-pointer, sealing the Thunder's impressive road win. With the victory, the Thunder now hold a 3.5-game lead on Memphis for the sixth-seed in the West. Westbrook's game-sealing three-pointer was his eighth of the game, as he also finished with 10 assists on the night. Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with 23 points, while Zach Randolph added 20, as Memphis was without Mike Conley due to an eye injury. OKC led by as many as 10 in the second half and held on down the stretch thanks to their star point guard scoring the team's final five points.
Cavs Roll Past Celtics in Battle for Top Seed in East
LeBron James called it "just another regular season game" on Wednesday, yet he went out in Boston and dominated to put his team back in first place in the East. James had 36 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 114-91 rout of the Boston Celtics. Kevin Love added a double-double of 15 points and 16 rebounds, as Cleveland now sits one game ahead of Boston with four games remaining. The Cavs do hold the tiebreaker over the Celtics if it is needed. The defending champs held a lead as large as 29 points despite playing without starting center Tristan Thompson, who was out with a thumb injury. They even out-rebounded Boston, 51-38, and outscored them by 16 points in the second quarter to pull away heading into the break. Isaiah Thomas had 26 points to lead the way in the Celtics' tough and rare home loss. Both teams will do battle with the Atlanta Hawks the next two days, with the Celtics up first on Thursday night.
Capitals Clinch Second Straight Presidents' Trophy
The Washington Capitals have been known as a team with plenty of regular season success as of late, but struggles in the postseason. So far this year, the first part of that trend has remained true, and they look to find some spring success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Caps shut out the New York Rangers on Wednesday night, 2-0, to clinch their second straight Presidents' Trophy. The win also officially gave them the top seed in the Eastern Conference and the Metropolitan Division title. It is their third Presidents' Trophy in eight seasons, as they sit on top of everybody with 116 points. Justin Williams tipped in the game-winning power-play goal, while Evgeny Kuzetzov also scored in the win. Braden Holtby took care of the rest with 24 saves in the shutout. New York is now locked in the first wild card spot with the loss, and will face the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the postseason.
Russell Westbrook needed just one more rebound to break Oscar Robertson's single-season triple-double record, but he could not get there in Wednesday's 103-100 Thunder win over the Grizzlies. He still led the way for OKC with 45 points, including a late three-pointer, sealing the Thunder's impressive road win. With the victory, the Thunder now hold a 3.5-game lead on Memphis for the sixth-seed in the West. Westbrook's game-sealing three-pointer was his eighth of the game, as he also finished with 10 assists on the night. Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with 23 points, while Zach Randolph added 20, as Memphis was without Mike Conley due to an eye injury. OKC led by as many as 10 in the second half and held on down the stretch thanks to their star point guard scoring the team's final five points.
Cavs Roll Past Celtics in Battle for Top Seed in East
LeBron James called it "just another regular season game" on Wednesday, yet he went out in Boston and dominated to put his team back in first place in the East. James had 36 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 114-91 rout of the Boston Celtics. Kevin Love added a double-double of 15 points and 16 rebounds, as Cleveland now sits one game ahead of Boston with four games remaining. The Cavs do hold the tiebreaker over the Celtics if it is needed. The defending champs held a lead as large as 29 points despite playing without starting center Tristan Thompson, who was out with a thumb injury. They even out-rebounded Boston, 51-38, and outscored them by 16 points in the second quarter to pull away heading into the break. Isaiah Thomas had 26 points to lead the way in the Celtics' tough and rare home loss. Both teams will do battle with the Atlanta Hawks the next two days, with the Celtics up first on Thursday night.
Capitals Clinch Second Straight Presidents' Trophy
The Washington Capitals have been known as a team with plenty of regular season success as of late, but struggles in the postseason. So far this year, the first part of that trend has remained true, and they look to find some spring success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Caps shut out the New York Rangers on Wednesday night, 2-0, to clinch their second straight Presidents' Trophy. The win also officially gave them the top seed in the Eastern Conference and the Metropolitan Division title. It is their third Presidents' Trophy in eight seasons, as they sit on top of everybody with 116 points. Justin Williams tipped in the game-winning power-play goal, while Evgeny Kuzetzov also scored in the win. Braden Holtby took care of the rest with 24 saves in the shutout. New York is now locked in the first wild card spot with the loss, and will face the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the postseason.
