Day 18 of the delayed/cancelled NBA simulation season as it was originally scheduled:
Cleveland got another shot at LeBron while Portland tried to stave off the worst record in the league.
Charlotte Bobcats 82, Philadelphia 76ers 86
Philly got just its second win of the year, but still has the worst record in the league. Jrue Holiday had a nice all-around game with 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists. Boris Diaw led Charlotte with 19 points.
Milwaukee Bucks 98, Toronto Raptors 96
Milwaukee continues to win at a surprising rate behind Captain Jack. Stephen Jackson had 21 points to lead the offense while the defense got the stops necessary to win close. Toronto was led by the frontcourt with Andrea Bargnani, Amir Johnson, and DeMar DeRozan combining for 50 points.
Portland Trail Blazers 81, Indiana Pacers 89
It’s been nearly three weeks into the season and Portland is tied with Philadelphia for the worst record in the league. Danny Granger led the way with 24 points while A.J. Price chipped in with 14. LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 for the Blazers in a losing effort.
Miami Heat 101, Cleveland Cavaliers 99
Buoyed by the “We Hate LeBron” campaign of 2011, the Cavs almost pulled out a win in Miami but in the end didn’t have enough. LeBron only had 13 points, but luckily he has two All-Star teammates in Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. They combined for 56 points. Rookie Tristan Thompson had 15 points and 7 rebounds for Cleveland.
New Jersey Nets 106, New Orleans Hornets 111
The Hornets are really getting team-wide contributions these days. Last game it was Jarrett Jack. Tonight it was Trevor Arizona and Marco Bellinelli combining for 47 points. Brook Lopez was big for New Jersey with 26 points in the loss. Chris Paul won the point guard duel with Deron Williams outscoring him 21 to 15 and getting the win.
Denver Nuggets 110, Oklahoma City 121
Andre Miller and Al Harrington combined for 52 points, but their guard-forward duo was no match for the All-Star pair playing for Oklahoma City. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined for 54 points and had plenty of help as well. James Harden scored 19 while Serge Ibaka had 15 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
Atlanta Hawks 95, Detroit Pistons 94
The Hawks evened up their record at 4-4 with the win. Joe Johnson and Rip Hamilton had a big-time scoring duel with each player scoring 39 points.
San Antonio Spurs 128, Minnesota Timberwolves 99
Now this is the Minnesota team we’ve come to know and love. After winning their first five games, the Wolves have lost their last three. The Spurs blitzed the Wolves led by Tony Parkers 31 points and 6 assists. DeJuan Blair and Kawhi Leonard combined to score 29 shooting 13 for 20 from the field.
Sacramento Kings 99, Dallas Mavericks 105
Sacramento was able to hold Dallas to just 40.7 percent shooting, but shot just 39.3 percent itself. Dallas was able to beat the young and athletic Kings by playing some solid defense. Dirk Nowitzki had 26 while Shawn Marion scored 18. The Kings were led by 15 points from John Salmons.
Los Angeles Clippers 101, Utah Jazz 106
After missing a game with an injury, Blake Griffin came back with 33 points and 12 rebounds. It still wasn’t enough to get the win however. Devin Harris scored 20 points despite shooting 5 for 17 by hitting all 10 of his free throws. C.J. Miles added 15 points for the Jazz while rookie Enes Kanter had 13.
Chicago Bulls 110, Phoenix 105
Both Carlos Boozer and Taj Gibson didn’t have great offensive nights, but grabbed double figure rebounds to overwhelm Phoenix’s frontcourt. The two combined for just 15 points but also 24 rebounds. They left the scoring to Derrick Rose as he had 32 points. Phoenix was led by Aaron Brooks who had 21 points off the bench.
Washington Wizards 103, Golden State Warriors 91
Golden State shot just 38 percent from the field with only Stephen Curry and David Lee showing up offensively. The pair scored 50 points combined, but no other Warrior had more than 9. John Wall had 19 points and 8 assists for the victorious Wizards.
