Heat Hold Off Celtics, NBA Roundup

Heat Hold Off Celtics

(Miami, FL) -- It's no longer one of the premier rivalries in the NBA, but the Heat still had to battle to take down the Celtics 93-86 at AmericanAirlines Arena behind 29 points, eight rebounds and four assists from LeBron James.  Miami was without Dwyane Wade for a third straight game. Chris Bosh tallied 16 points and six boards as the Heat have won three of four. Brandon Bass paced Boston with 15 points off the bench. In 26 minutes Rajon Rondo was 0-for-8 from the field with one point, five assists and three rebounds. Avery Bradley left with a sprained ankle at the start of the second quarter. The Celtics have lost three in-a-row.

Nets Scorch Magic

(Brooklyn, NY) -- A blizzard in the metropolitan area couldn't cool off the Nets as they crushed the Magic, 101-90, at the Barclays Center behind a balanced scoring effort. Andray Blatche led the way off the bench with 18 points for Brooklyn, which has won seven-of-eight. Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson each chipped in 15 points. Orlando was paced by Kyle O'Quinn's 15 points and eight rebounds. The Magic allowed the Nets to pull away when the were held to 14 points in the third quarter on the way to their 11th loss in the last 12 games.

Thunder Outlast Blazers

(Oklahoma City, OK) -- It took another monster effort from Kevin Durant to lead the Thunder past the Trail Blazers, 105-97, in Oklahoma City. Durant scored a game-high 46 points on 17-of-25 shooting and knocked down six from behind the arc. In his last 10 games, he is averaging 36 points. Reggie Jackson added 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Thunder, who have won four in-a-row. LaMarcus Aldridge posted 29 points and 16 rebounds, but was 1-of-9 in the fourth quarter in the loss. Wesley Matthews chipped in 21 points and four assists. Portland has dropped two consecutive games.

Gay, Kings Trounce Pelicans

(New Orleans, LA) -- Rudy Gay dropped in a season-high-tying 41 points as the Kings crushed the Pelicans 114-97 at New Orleans Arena. Isaiah Thomas totaled 20 points and 11 assists, while DeMarcus Cousins posted 18 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for Sacramento, which had lost three-of-four coming in.  Tyreke Evans scored 17 points against his former team, while Anthony Davis added 16 for the Pelicans, who have dropped nine of their last 10 games  Brian Roberts netted 15 points and Jeff Withy had 14 in defeat.

Timberwolves Crush Jazz

(Salt Lake City, UT) -- The Timberwolves jumped out to an 18-point lead after one quarter and cruised to a 112-97 win over the Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. Kevin Love scored 19 points and pulled down 13 rebounds for the winners. Corey Brewer added 19 points and Ricky Rubio finished with 11 points and 13 assists. The Wolves finished off a back-to-back sweep of the Jazz at home and away. They are 20-21. Gordon Hayward finished with 27 points for Utah. Alec Burks added 18 in the loss. The Jazz have dropped three of their last four games.

Bulls Meet Deng, Cavs

(Cleveland, OH) -- The Bulls hook up with Luol Deng and the Cavaliers in Cleveland tonight. It's the first meeting between the teams since Chicago traded Deng.  The Bulls enter the game at 20-and-20 while the Cavs are 15-26. Tip from Quicken Loans Arena is set for 6:00.

The Bulls have finalized a deal with the Nets that sends guard Marquis Teague to Brooklyn. Chicago will acquire Toko Shengelia in the trade. The six-foot-nine Shengelia has played in 17 games for the Nets this season, averaging just 1.5 points in just over eight minutes.

 

Tuesday, January 21 Scoreboard

NBA

Miami Heat 93, Boston Celtics 86

Brooklyn Nets 101, Orlando Magic 90

Oklahoma City Thunder 105, Portland Trail Blazers 97

Sacramento Kings 114, New Orleans Pelicans 97

Minnesota Timberwolves 112, Utah Jazz 97

Wednesday, January 22 Schedule (All Times Central)

NBA

6:00 p.m. - Atlanta Hawks at Orlando Magic

6:00 p.m. - Boston Celtics at Washington Wizards

6:00 p.m. - Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers

6:00 p.m. - Dallas Mavericks at Toronto Raptors

6:00 p.m. - Los Angeles Clippers at Charlotte Bobcats

6:30 p.m. - Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks

7:00 p.m. - Detroit Pistons at Milwaukee Bucks

7:00 p.m. - Sacramento Kings at Houston Rockets

7:00 p.m. - Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs

9:30 p.m. - Indiana Pacers at Phoenix Suns