National Basketball Association Game Capsules

Published: January 4, 2013 

Kyrie Irving scored the deciding basket with one second left as the Cleveland Cavaliers edged the Charlotte Bobcats, 106-104, at Time Warner Cable Arena. Cleveland blew an 18-point third-quarter lead but still managed to halt a three-game losing streak mostly because of Irving, with the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year recording 14 of his game-high 33 points over the final 4 1/2 minutes. Tristan Thompson also helped the Cavs notch only their fourth win in 18 games by compiling a season-best 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting and pulling down 13 rebounds. C.J. Miles contributed 18 points to the triumph.

Final Score: Sacramento 105, Toronto 96

Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - DeMarcus Cousins poured in a game-high 31 points and tied a career-high with 20 rebounds to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 105-96 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday. John Salmons added 20 points and Jason Thompson chipped in 14 points and six rebounds for the Kings. They have won four of their last five games since Cousins returned to the lineup following a two-game suspension for unprofessional behavior and conduct detrimental to the team. Since his suspension, Cousins is averaging 19.2 points and 14.0 rebounds per game. Kyle Lowry scored 24 points and Alan Anderson added 20 for the Raptors, who lost for just the second time in 10 games.

Final Score: Brooklyn 115, Washington 113 (2OT)

Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Joe Johnson made a jumper with 0.7 seconds remaining in the second overtime to lift the Brooklyn Nets over the Washington Wizards, 115-113, on Friday. Johnson ended with 18 points for the Nets, who improved to 4-1 under interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo. Brook Lopez had 27 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks. Deron Williams added 24 points and 10 assists for Brooklyn, which went 25- of-36 from the foul line. Andray Blatche tallied 13 points and 12 boards against his former team. Bradley Beal finished with 24 points and six rebounds for the Wizards, who have lost four in a row and 12 of 13 games. Jordan Crawford and Nene added 23 and 20 points, respectively.

Final Score: Detroit 85, Atlanta 84

Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) - Despite a sluggish fourth quarter, the Detroit Pistons rolled to their fourth consecutive win by holding off the Atlanta Hawks, 85-84, at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Friday. After taking an 83-66 lead four minutes into the fourth, the Pistons scored just two more points the rest of the way on what turned out to be the deciding basket on a layup from Rodney Stuckey, who returned to the lineup after a three-game absence from an ankle injury. With just seconds remaining, Al Horford passed to an open Lou Williams in the corner, but Andre Drummond leaped in to get just enough of the ball to deflect it away from its trajectory, allowing Detroit to hold on for the win.

Final Score: Boston 94, Indiana 75

Boston, MA (Sports Network) - The Boston Celtics snapped their recent skid with the aid of their struggling defense. Rajon Rondo tallied 18 points and seven assists, while Kevin Garnett added 18 points and seven boards in Boston's 94-75 rout of the Indiana Pacers. Over their four-game slide, the Celtics had been outscored by 19.7 points per game and allowed their opponents to register 104.5 points a contest while only holding them to a 50.5 percent clip from the floor. It was a different story for the defense in this one. Indiana, which had won 9-of-11 coming in, shot just 31.8 percent (27-of-85) from the field. David West and Paul George shot a combined 8-of-36 from the floor. Tyler Hansbrough led the Pacers with 19 points.

Final Score: Portland 86, Memphis 84

Memphis, TN (Sports Network) - J.J. Hickson registered his 19th double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers escaped with an 86-84 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday at FedEx Forum. Wesley Matthews shot 8-of-14 from the floor for a team-high 21 points, while LaMarcus Aldridge added 15 points and 12 boards for the Blazers, who have won three of their last four. Damian Lillard contributed 11 points and eight assists, and Nicolas Batum gave 11 points, five rebounds and four assists in the victory. Marreese Speights scored a game-high 22 points and ripped down 13 rebounds, while Marc Gasol netted 12 points to go with six rebounds and eight blocks for the Grizzlies, who were coming off a 10-point win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. Rudy Gay dropped 19 points and snatched nine rebounds, but missed the potential game-tying shot at the buzzer.

Final Score: Chicago 96, Miami 89

Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Carlos Boozer tallied 27 points and 12 rebounds and the Chicago Bulls limited the Miami Heat to a season-low scoring total at home during a 96-89 triumph over the defending world champions at American Airlines Arena. Joakim Noah, returning from a one-game absence due to illness, amassed 13 points and 12 rebounds to help the Bulls to a third victory in their last four games. Nate Robinson also finished with 13 points for Chicago, while Kirk Hinrich had 10 along with eight assists. LeBron James, who battled through a bruised right knee, led all players with 30 points, but the Heat went just 5-of-20 from 3-point range. They were outrebounded by a 48-28 margin and were held under the 90-point mark for the first time at home and only the fourth overall this season. They are 0-4 in those outings. Miami, which had a five-game home winning streak snapped, also received 22 points from Dwyane Wade and 14 out of Chris Bosh.

Final Score: Oklahoma City 109, Philadelphia 85

Oklahoma City, OK (Sports Network) - Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant had 27 and 26 points, respectively, and the Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back with a 109-85 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. Kevin Martin added 16 points for the Thunder, who had a 12-game home winning streak snapped Wednesday with a loss to the Nets. Serge Ibaka donated 15 points, 10 rebounds and three steals. Nick Young ended with 21 points for the Sixers, who fell to 2-5 on an eight- game road trip. Jrue Holiday, coming off a triple-double against the Suns on Wednesday, had 15 points and nine assists.

Final Score: Houston 115, Milwaukee 101

Milwaukee, WI (Sports Network) - James Harden reached the 20-point plateau for the 15th straight game, posting 29 points to go with seven assists, as the Houston Rockets used a strong second half to take a 115-101 decision over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday. Harden shot 11-of-18 for the game and scored 16 in the second half, where the Rockets outscored the Bucks 68-43 to overcome an 11-point halftime deficit. Houston got solid efforts off the bench from Carlos Delfino, Patrick Patterson and Toney Douglas in capturing their eighth win in 10 games. Delfino knocked down 6-of-7 from long range en route to 22 points while Patterson and Douglas each netted 18 in the victory. Brandon Jennings' 16 points led seven Milwaukee players in double-figures. Monta Ellis followed with 12, but shot a horrid 5-for-19 from the field. John Henson tallied 11 points and 15 boards, while Ersan Ilyasova and Beno Udrih scored 11 apiece in the Bucks' third straight setback.

Final Score: Utah 87, Phoenix 80

Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Al Jefferson poured in 21 points and pulled down eight rebounds and Paul Millsap added 19 points to go with 10 boards as the Utah Jazz cruised past the Phoenix Suns, 87-80, on Friday. Gordon Hayward scored 14 points, Randy Foye dropped in 13 and Derrick Favors finished with 10 points and nine rebounds for the Jazz, who have won two straight following a three-game skid. Marcin Gortat posted a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, Goran Dragic scored 18 points and dished out six assists and Luis Scola added 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists for the Suns, who have dropped seven of their last eight.

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