The final stretch of NBA games is building up to get even more intense after today’s results that saw the betting odds turn upside down.
In the East, Charlotte beat Chicago to push themselves into playoff contention, and Miami got a boost with a big win over online gambling darlings Philadelphia. It also helped the two that Milwaukee lost to Washington.
Out West, Portland have the Spurs in sight for fourth, while the Clips moved to one game behind the Nuggets after taking them down in a closely contested live betting affair.
Brooklyn Nets 123-129 Cleveland Cavaliers
It was an eventful month for LeBron James—following the Cavs’ trade deadline splash and the All-Star Game—and the King made sure to end it on a high note against the Nets.
LeBron finished with a triple-double of 31 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, ensuring that he would average a triple-double for February. It was the first time the Cavs star hit the statistical milestone for an entire month.
The win was important for the Cavs too as they increased the chances of Brooklyn finishing at the bottom, thereby boosting the odds that the Nets pick they own would end up in the top eight at least.
Chicago Bulls 103-118 Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets won their fifth in a row and are suddenly in contention for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Kemba Walker and Dwight Howard led the charge for Charlotte, with the former scoring 31 points on an efficient 57.9 percent shooting. Nicolas Batum was also pivotal with his double-double as the Hornets stymied the Bulls who had seven players scoring in double figures.
Philadelphia 76ers 101-102 Miami Heat
Dwyane Wade returned to Miami for the nostalgia, but he is already 36 years old and is no longer capable of leading a team to the playoffs. However, he can still take over games from time to time, just like what he did against the Sixers.
Wade stepped up for the Heat and scored 15 of their last 17 points, including the step-back jumper that gave them the lead with 5.9 seconds left. He finished with 27 points as Miami handed Philly their second loss in a row.
Washington Wizards 107-104 Milwaukee Bucks
Washington jumped to a 40-22 lead in the first quarter and never looked back despite a big third quarter from Milwaukee. Beal sparked the Wizards to victory, tallying 21 points, eight assists and seven boards, while Giannis Antetokounmpo had a near triple-double of 23 points, 13 rebounds and eight dimes in a losing effort for the Bucks.
The glaring differences between the two teams, however, are their assists and turnovers. Washington distributed and took care of the ball better (30 assists, 11 turnovers) compared to Milwaukee (20 assists, 16 turnovers).
Sacramento Kings 99-116 Portland Trail Blazers
It’s tank season for Sacramento, so they weren’t expected to win from here on out. Portland took advantage of that as they blew out the Kings at home behind Damian Lillard’s 26 points and 12 rebounds.
One positive takeaway for Sacramento, though, is that their young core has shown great potential, with the likes of Willie Cauley-Stein, Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Aaron Fox reaching double figures.
LA Clippers 122-120 Denver Nuggets
Denver led by as much as 19 points in the game, but the Clips clawed their way back and capped the game with a huge fourth-quarter run to win.
The Clippers’ bench—led by Williams who scored 25 points—made the difference as they outscored the Nuggets’ reserves, 74-24.
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