simmytbone
11-21-2013, 04:13 AM
Hey guys,
The Toronto Raptors TOPS the Sixers while the Clippers def. the Timberwolves
Here are the stories:
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20131120_TOR@PHI
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DeRozan, Raptors vault Sixers into first place in Atlantic
Nov. 20, 2013
PHILADELPHIA -- The Toronto Raptors are under .500 and on top of the Atlantic Division.
More games like this one and they'll get that winning record.
DeMar DeRozan scored 33 points and Rudy Gay had 18 to help Toronto beat the Philadelphia 76ers 108-98 on Wednesday night.
In a down year so far in the Atlantic Division, the Raptors (5-7) wrested away first place from the Sixers (5-8).
"It's a great accomplishment to be in that position," guard Kyle Lowry said. "But we still have to keep it up. We have to take all the good from it, learn from it and grow."
DeRozan and Gay dominated the Sixers in the second half to turn this one into a rout. Gay hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored 15 points in the third quarter, and DeRozan scored 30 points through the first three quarters to build a 16-point lead.
The Raptors may not have a winning record, but they have themselves in first place.
"We're nowhere near where we need to be," coach Dwane Casey said. "We'll take it, but it's early. We've got to continue to work and stay hungry."
The Raptors can ask Philadelphia how easy it is to lose the top spot. The Sixers were the surprise first-place team in the division thanks to 3-0 start, featuring wins over Miami and Chicago. But reality has set in for a team that was expected to rank among the worst in the NBA.
Spencer Hawes hit his first nine shots and finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds for the 76ers.
Philadelphia's fourth straight loss came on the heels of an 0-3 road trip. The Sixers started Daniel Orton and James Anderson, and a bench made up of Hollis Thompson, Brandon Davies and Lavoy Allen is one of the weakest in the league.
"Teams go on losing streaks, it happens sometimes," Allen said. "Everyone needs to fill a role and get back to what we were doing earlier."
Led by DeRozan, the Raptors pulled away to a 55-48 halftime lead. He hit three 3s in the half and scored 22 points, putting him on pace to top his career high of 37. He didn't slow down in the second half as much as it was his teammates simply taking turns dominating the ball.
"That's how we've got to play, get everybody involved, everybody going," DeRozan said.
Against a woeful defense, the Raptors shot 12 of 21 on 3-pointers through three. Terrence Ross, who had 17 points, and Steve Novak ended the quarter with consecutive 3s to close a 15-5 run. The Raptors finished with a season-high 14 -- already the eighth time the 76ers have allowed 13 or more.
Hawes was the only Sixers player who at least was able to make this one a game. He hit his first five free throws and his first three 3-pointers to keep it close. Hawes finally missed a free throw in the third, only to have Allen put it back for a bucket that cut it to 76-70. The Raptors wouldn't let the lead dip below six points the rest of the way.
DeRozan was fouled on a 3-point attempt late in the fourth and hit all three free throws to make it 107-92 in front of an almost empty arena.
The Raptors were just the latest team to put up big points against the Sixers, who have allowed 100-plus points in 11 of 13 games this season.
Michael Carter-Williams returned to Philadelphia's starting lineup after missing the previous four games with a bruised left arch. He scored 10 points. Evan Turner had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Starting forward Thaddeus Young missed the game for personal reasons.
"When you don't have Thaddeus, do you go big ball, do you go small ball?" coach Brett Brown said. "When you play that type of judgment game, it gets harder to manage those periods."
Notes: Lowry, a Philadelphia native who played at Villanova, had most of the team over for a family dinner Tuesday night. He had 13 points and 10 assists. ... The 76ers waived F Kwame Brown and G Darrius Morris. They signed free-agent guards Elliot Williams and Lorenzo Brown. ... Brett Brown was whistled for a technical. ... The Raptors had a season-high nine blocked shots.
Meanwhile....
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20131120_LAC@MIN
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb296/tnawrestlingfan/tnaimpactwrestlingfan/img24251314_zps35cd40ab.jpg
Griffin bests Love; Paul sets record, finishes big for Clips
Nov. 20, 2013
MINNEAPOLIS -- Blake Griffin and Kevin Love had been duking it out for 3½ quarters, and Chris Paul was content to watch two of the best power forwards in the game pound away at each other.
When the two big guys started to tire from the grueling duel, the little man took over and finished off the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Griffin had 20 points and 10 rebounds to win his matchup with Love and Paul scored 16 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 102-98 victory against the Timberwolves on Wednesday night.
Paul finished with 20 points and 11 assists for his 12th consecutive double-double to open the season, breaking Magic Johnson's previous mark of 11 straight in 1990-91.
"It's huge man. Magic is a mentor of mine, somebody I look up to," Paul said. "His basketball production was unbelievable so be mentioned in anything with him is huge and an honor."
He scored 12 consecutive points for the Clippers in the final 3:41 to hold off another late charge from the Wolves and break out of a six-game slump in which he was hitting only 35 percent of his shots.
"It's just cool to see the ball go through the net," Paul said. "I'll take it whenever. Fourth quarter is winning time and we're all competitive, but as the leader of the team, me and Blake, we know that's when it's time to win."
Kevin Martin had 28 points and 10 rebounds and Nikola Pekovic had 20 points and seven rebounds for the Timberwolves.
But Love managed 10 points on 2-of-14 shooting to go with 12 rebounds for the Wolves, who have lost two straight to start a tough stretch of five games in seven nights.
"We were just tired, I think, and it's not getting any easier heading forward," said Love, whose Wolves host Brooklyn on Friday night before trips to Houston and Indiana. "Nights happen like that and you just try to fight through it. I was a little frustrated. I was getting slammed out there."
Jamal Crawford scored 16 points for the Clippers, who made 12 of 24 3-pointers and held the Wolves to 37.8 percent shooting.
The Clippers led by 11 points with seven minutes to play in the game, a 12-3 surge by the Wolves cut the deficit to 84-82 with 4:34 to play.
But Griffin hit a 21-foot jumper and Paul, who had only four points in the game's first 43 minutes, converted a three-point play, hit a 3 from the wing and added a 15-foot jumper and a 19-footer to help the Clippers seal it.
"That's why he's a superstar and one of the best point guards in this league," Martin said. "He got hot at the end and he's capable of doing that. We did everything we could do to try to force him to miss shots, and unfortunately for them he didn't."
In a matchup of two of the best power forwards in the league, Griffin and Love spent the first half essentially playing each other to an underwhelming draw. They combined to shoot 4 for 17 before Griffin made his move in the third.
He scored 14 points in the quarter, often going right at Love and scoring any way he wanted. Layups, jumpers, nifty spin moves in the post.
It was all on display for a player who has put everything together in the past 10 days. Griffin came into the game averaging 25 points and 11.3 rebounds per game over his previous four, and he showed vastly improved defense on Wednesday night as well. He had two blocks and two steals, frustrating Love all the way.
"I think for the first time, I don't know if it was from being tired, shot wasn't falling or they were getting away with a lot, my emotions got the best of me," said Love, who was 0 for 4 in the second half and had eight assists. "But that happens to people every now and then. I just tried to get myself going in other ways."
Notes: Before the game, Wolves president Flip Saunders gave Clippers coach Doc Rivers a hard time about walking out to mid-court late in the Clippers' victory over the Timberwolves on Nov. 11 to call a timeout. "Flip Saunders of all people," Rivers cracked. "He coached from mid-court." ... DeAndre Jordan and Ryan Hollins each were whistled for flagrant-one fouls in the game. ... J.J. Redick scored 14 points for the Clippers.
credit: cbssports.com
The Toronto Raptors TOPS the Sixers while the Clippers def. the Timberwolves
Here are the stories:
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20131120_TOR@PHI
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb296/tnawrestlingfan/tnaimpactwrestlingfan/img24251137_zps27674d8f.jpg
DeRozan, Raptors vault Sixers into first place in Atlantic
Nov. 20, 2013
PHILADELPHIA -- The Toronto Raptors are under .500 and on top of the Atlantic Division.
More games like this one and they'll get that winning record.
DeMar DeRozan scored 33 points and Rudy Gay had 18 to help Toronto beat the Philadelphia 76ers 108-98 on Wednesday night.
In a down year so far in the Atlantic Division, the Raptors (5-7) wrested away first place from the Sixers (5-8).
"It's a great accomplishment to be in that position," guard Kyle Lowry said. "But we still have to keep it up. We have to take all the good from it, learn from it and grow."
DeRozan and Gay dominated the Sixers in the second half to turn this one into a rout. Gay hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored 15 points in the third quarter, and DeRozan scored 30 points through the first three quarters to build a 16-point lead.
The Raptors may not have a winning record, but they have themselves in first place.
"We're nowhere near where we need to be," coach Dwane Casey said. "We'll take it, but it's early. We've got to continue to work and stay hungry."
The Raptors can ask Philadelphia how easy it is to lose the top spot. The Sixers were the surprise first-place team in the division thanks to 3-0 start, featuring wins over Miami and Chicago. But reality has set in for a team that was expected to rank among the worst in the NBA.
Spencer Hawes hit his first nine shots and finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds for the 76ers.
Philadelphia's fourth straight loss came on the heels of an 0-3 road trip. The Sixers started Daniel Orton and James Anderson, and a bench made up of Hollis Thompson, Brandon Davies and Lavoy Allen is one of the weakest in the league.
"Teams go on losing streaks, it happens sometimes," Allen said. "Everyone needs to fill a role and get back to what we were doing earlier."
Led by DeRozan, the Raptors pulled away to a 55-48 halftime lead. He hit three 3s in the half and scored 22 points, putting him on pace to top his career high of 37. He didn't slow down in the second half as much as it was his teammates simply taking turns dominating the ball.
"That's how we've got to play, get everybody involved, everybody going," DeRozan said.
Against a woeful defense, the Raptors shot 12 of 21 on 3-pointers through three. Terrence Ross, who had 17 points, and Steve Novak ended the quarter with consecutive 3s to close a 15-5 run. The Raptors finished with a season-high 14 -- already the eighth time the 76ers have allowed 13 or more.
Hawes was the only Sixers player who at least was able to make this one a game. He hit his first five free throws and his first three 3-pointers to keep it close. Hawes finally missed a free throw in the third, only to have Allen put it back for a bucket that cut it to 76-70. The Raptors wouldn't let the lead dip below six points the rest of the way.
DeRozan was fouled on a 3-point attempt late in the fourth and hit all three free throws to make it 107-92 in front of an almost empty arena.
The Raptors were just the latest team to put up big points against the Sixers, who have allowed 100-plus points in 11 of 13 games this season.
Michael Carter-Williams returned to Philadelphia's starting lineup after missing the previous four games with a bruised left arch. He scored 10 points. Evan Turner had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Starting forward Thaddeus Young missed the game for personal reasons.
"When you don't have Thaddeus, do you go big ball, do you go small ball?" coach Brett Brown said. "When you play that type of judgment game, it gets harder to manage those periods."
Notes: Lowry, a Philadelphia native who played at Villanova, had most of the team over for a family dinner Tuesday night. He had 13 points and 10 assists. ... The 76ers waived F Kwame Brown and G Darrius Morris. They signed free-agent guards Elliot Williams and Lorenzo Brown. ... Brett Brown was whistled for a technical. ... The Raptors had a season-high nine blocked shots.
Meanwhile....
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20131120_LAC@MIN
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb296/tnawrestlingfan/tnaimpactwrestlingfan/img24251314_zps35cd40ab.jpg
Griffin bests Love; Paul sets record, finishes big for Clips
Nov. 20, 2013
MINNEAPOLIS -- Blake Griffin and Kevin Love had been duking it out for 3½ quarters, and Chris Paul was content to watch two of the best power forwards in the game pound away at each other.
When the two big guys started to tire from the grueling duel, the little man took over and finished off the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Griffin had 20 points and 10 rebounds to win his matchup with Love and Paul scored 16 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 102-98 victory against the Timberwolves on Wednesday night.
Paul finished with 20 points and 11 assists for his 12th consecutive double-double to open the season, breaking Magic Johnson's previous mark of 11 straight in 1990-91.
"It's huge man. Magic is a mentor of mine, somebody I look up to," Paul said. "His basketball production was unbelievable so be mentioned in anything with him is huge and an honor."
He scored 12 consecutive points for the Clippers in the final 3:41 to hold off another late charge from the Wolves and break out of a six-game slump in which he was hitting only 35 percent of his shots.
"It's just cool to see the ball go through the net," Paul said. "I'll take it whenever. Fourth quarter is winning time and we're all competitive, but as the leader of the team, me and Blake, we know that's when it's time to win."
Kevin Martin had 28 points and 10 rebounds and Nikola Pekovic had 20 points and seven rebounds for the Timberwolves.
But Love managed 10 points on 2-of-14 shooting to go with 12 rebounds for the Wolves, who have lost two straight to start a tough stretch of five games in seven nights.
"We were just tired, I think, and it's not getting any easier heading forward," said Love, whose Wolves host Brooklyn on Friday night before trips to Houston and Indiana. "Nights happen like that and you just try to fight through it. I was a little frustrated. I was getting slammed out there."
Jamal Crawford scored 16 points for the Clippers, who made 12 of 24 3-pointers and held the Wolves to 37.8 percent shooting.
The Clippers led by 11 points with seven minutes to play in the game, a 12-3 surge by the Wolves cut the deficit to 84-82 with 4:34 to play.
But Griffin hit a 21-foot jumper and Paul, who had only four points in the game's first 43 minutes, converted a three-point play, hit a 3 from the wing and added a 15-foot jumper and a 19-footer to help the Clippers seal it.
"That's why he's a superstar and one of the best point guards in this league," Martin said. "He got hot at the end and he's capable of doing that. We did everything we could do to try to force him to miss shots, and unfortunately for them he didn't."
In a matchup of two of the best power forwards in the league, Griffin and Love spent the first half essentially playing each other to an underwhelming draw. They combined to shoot 4 for 17 before Griffin made his move in the third.
He scored 14 points in the quarter, often going right at Love and scoring any way he wanted. Layups, jumpers, nifty spin moves in the post.
It was all on display for a player who has put everything together in the past 10 days. Griffin came into the game averaging 25 points and 11.3 rebounds per game over his previous four, and he showed vastly improved defense on Wednesday night as well. He had two blocks and two steals, frustrating Love all the way.
"I think for the first time, I don't know if it was from being tired, shot wasn't falling or they were getting away with a lot, my emotions got the best of me," said Love, who was 0 for 4 in the second half and had eight assists. "But that happens to people every now and then. I just tried to get myself going in other ways."
Notes: Before the game, Wolves president Flip Saunders gave Clippers coach Doc Rivers a hard time about walking out to mid-court late in the Clippers' victory over the Timberwolves on Nov. 11 to call a timeout. "Flip Saunders of all people," Rivers cracked. "He coached from mid-court." ... DeAndre Jordan and Ryan Hollins each were whistled for flagrant-one fouls in the game. ... J.J. Redick scored 14 points for the Clippers.
credit: cbssports.com