NBA Roundup: Sunday 30 January, 2011 - (Part I)
Fourteen National Basketball Association (NBA) teams faced off on Sunday, 30th January, 2011. Fortunately, the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors managed to win
their respective games. Here is a crux of the matchups.
Miami Heat 108 – Oklahoma City Thunders 103
Dwyane Wade scored a team-high 32 points and grabbed nine rebounds, as the Miami Heat edged past the Oklahoma City Thunders 108-103, at the Oklahoma City Arena.
An excited Wade said after the game, "It felt good to have guys back. It threw us off a little bit early. We had not played with each other for a while. But with Chris coming back early, to try to gut it out and go tonight, we needed just to get wins. Hopefully,
we can build on it."
LeBron James netted 23 points and handed out 13 assists for the Heat, while Chris Bosh contributed 20 points for Miami, who won their 33rd game of the season.
Kevin Durant paced Oklahoma with a game-high 20 points, while Jeff Green added 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunders, who lost their 17th game of the 2010-11 season. Russell Westbrook finished with 21 points for Oklahoma in the home defeat.
Durant said after the game, "We do not take moral victories here. We wanted to win that game. We had the game won and we just didn't. Moral victories have been out the door for two years now."
Key Moment: Trailing by one point with just 34 seconds to go, Eddie House hit the go-ahead three-pointer and then added two free-throws to seal the victory.
Boston Celtics 109 – Los Angeles Lakers 96
Paul Pierce posted a team-high 32 points to push the Boston Celtics past the Los Angeles Lakers 109 - 96 at the Staples Centre.
Ray Allen added 14 points, three assists, and two rebounds in the win. Kevin Garnett had 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Rajon Rondo tallied 10 points and 16 assists for Boston, who won their 36th game of the season.
While talking about the impact Rajon Rondo on the game, Celtics coach Doc Rivers said, "I told Rondo, in front of the team, I thought it was one of his best games of the year. I thought he called an absolutely perfect game. He is our pitcher...we kept saying
it after every timeout -- find Rondo. Stop coming back to the ball, run out and he will find you. Just trust that."
Kobe Bryan had a game-high 41 points but he could do nothing to prevent the defeat. Pau Gasol ended with 12 points and seven rebounds while Andrew Bynum provided 11 points and six boards in defeat. Lamar Odom registered 15 points and pulled down five rebounds
for the Lakers, who lost their 15th game of the 2010-11 season.
The Turning Point: The Lakers took their largest lead of the game 57-50 at half time. However, Pierce scored 14 of the team's 16 points in the third quarter, as Boston carried a 77-72 advantage into the final stanza.
Tags: