NBA Thursday Roundup: Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers win
Six teams of the National Basketball Association (NBA) went head-to-head on 17 March, 2011. The Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers came out on top in their respective matches.
Here are the highlights from the action on Thursday night
Chicago Bulls 84 – New Jersey Nets 73
The Chicago Bulls extended their winning streak to eight games, as they cruised past the New Jersey Nets 84-73 at the Prudential Centre on Thursday night. The victory snapped the Nets four-game winning streak; their longest in the last three years.
Derrick Rose once again led the Bulls with a game-high 21 points while Luol Deng chipped in with 19 points.
Brook Lopez scored a team-high 22 points and pulled down eight rebounds for New Jersey in the defeat. Kris Humphries did all he could as he finished with 13 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks in the losing effort.
New Jersey got off to a good start as they went on a 10-3 run early in the game to take the initial lead. The Bulls were back in the game halfway through the opening stanza as they cut the deficit to 20-16 with two minutes to go in the quarter. Chicago then
scored eight unanswered points in the last minute, taking a 24-20 lead into the second.
Both teams played sloppy basketball in the second and third quarters. However, the Bulls managed to take a 60-50 advantage, heading into the final stanza.
The Nets came out strongly in the fourth quarter as they bridged the 10-point gap and tied the game at 69 with four and a half minutes remaining. The Bulls put the game out of the reach of New Jersey as they went on a 15-4 run in the last two minutes.
New York Knicks 120 – Memphis Grizzlies 99
The New York Knicks thrashed the Memphis Grizzlies 120-99 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night. The victory marks a franchise-record first time that the Knicks have had 20 three-pointers in a game. New Jersey guard Toney Douglas individually scored
nine of them, tying another franchise record.
Douglas scored 29 points while Carmelo Anthony posted 28 points in the victory. Mike Conley led the Grizzlies with 16 points and six assists, who have lost three of their last four games. New York and Memphis started the game at crisp pace, scoring 29 possessions
apiece in the first quarter.
The Knicks hammered the Grizzlies in the second quarter, taking a 59-51 lead into the locker room. New York then extended their offensive play to the third quarter and carried a 92-74 advantage into the fourth. Memphis fought hard in the final stanza to
spark a comeback but the Knicks maintained a double-digit lead throughout the quarter.
Portland Trail Blazers 111 – Cleveland Cavaliers 70
The Portland Trail Blazers extended their winning streak to two games, defeating the woeful Cleveland Cavaliers 111-70 at Rose Garden on Thursday night.
LaMarcus Aldridge contributed 20 points and 11 rebounds in the victory. While Gerald Wallace registered 17 points, six rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks for the victors.
Ramon Sessions had 14 points while guard Daniel Gibson scored 12 points for Cleveland in the defeat. The Blazers shot a blistering 70 percent from the field in the first quarter, taking a decisive 37-12 lead after 12 minutes.
Portland continued their hot shooting in the second quarter and took a 64-34 edge at half time. The Trail Blazers outscored the Cavilers 25-11 in the third quarter and extended their lead 89-45 heading into the fourth. The 44-point margin after three quarters
was too much for Cleveland to overcome as Portland held on for a comfortable win.
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