NBA Roundup 30th March: New York Knicks, Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls win (Part-3)
New York Knicks 120 – New Jersey Nets 116
All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony sustained his flawless shooting from the last game and posted a game-high 39 points, leading the Knicks to an electrifying 120-116 victory against New Jersey Nets.
Anthony landed 20 points in the third quarter to wipe out the 10 points deficit that was constructed by the visiting team over the first two quarters. Chauncey Billups carried the action with Carmelo and scored 33 points in a hard fought encounter.
The Nets didn’t make the life easy for Knicks at all as their three superstars Anthony Morrow, Deron Williams and Brook Lopez combined for 78 points. New Jersey started the night with confidence and managed to outplay New York convincingly in the first two quarters, taking a 68-58 advantage into the halftime.
Anthony and Billups however lifted the momentum for Knicks in the third quarter as they converted a 10-point deficit into a lead. The see-saw battle ensued till the very last minute of the game. However, the Knicks got the advantage of the free throws in the defining moments of the game to seal a magnificent 120-116 victory.
Memphis Grizzlies 110 – Golden State Warriors 91
On Wednesday night, the Memphis Grizzlies won their fifth straight home game by overshadowing Golden State Warriors with a comprehensive 110-91 win.
Tony Allen landed a game-high 21 points for Grizzlies while Zach Randolph had another impressive night with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Darrell Arthur also came off the bench with 17 points.
Warriors leading scorer Monta Ellis and the star forward Dorell Wright scored 16 points apiece. Golden State were far too obsessed with the long range shooting on the night. They only managed to land 6-of-21 from 3-point range and that proved to be the difference in the end.
Grizzlies picked the momentum early to take five points lead in the first period. The Warriors were quite successful from beyond the arc in the second quarter, which helped them reel off a 29-19 run and they managed to take a 5 point advantage into the halftime.
The Grizzlies shored up their defence in the second half of the game, restricting the opposition to 19 points in the last two periods. They continued their up-tempo offensive assault on the other end though as they sprinted to a 110-91 victory.
Chicago Bulls 108 – Minnesota Timberwolves 91
Boosted by the exceptional play of their All-Star guard Derrick Rose, the Chicago Bulls are showing no signs of retreat. On Wednesday night, they crushed the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves with a comprehensive 108-91 victory.
Rose landed 23 points and handed out 10 assists to put his team on the frontline. Carlos Boozer was the top performer of the night though. He scored 24 points and gathered 14 rebounds to spearhead his team to victory.
Minnesota’s star forward-centre Kevin Love had a team-high 16 points while Anthony Randolph provided some support off the bench with his 15 points.
The Bulls entirely dominated the first half of the game leaving few options for Timberwolves to gain any sort of momentum. Rose scored 18 points before the halftime as the visiting team clinched a massive 57-44 lead.
Luol Deng and Boozer carried the action for Chicago in the third quarter and amplified the lead 86-66 before entering the final period. Minnesota showed some aggression in the fourth quarter with a couple of scorching blows from downtown but it only helped in reducing the deficit. Taj Gibson’s finished the night with a slam dunk shot.
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