NBA Weekend Roundup: Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons win - (Part 1)
Eighteen National Basketball Association (NBA) teams went head-to-head on 6 March, 2011.
The Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, New Orleans Hornets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies and Boston Celtics came out on top in their matches.
Here is the review of the matchups:
Chicago Bulls edge past Miami Heat 87-86
The Chicago Bulls completed a sweep of the season series with a narrow 87-86 win over the Miami Heat at the American Airlines Arena on Sunday night. The win meant that the Bulls moved into second place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Derrick Rose and Luol Deng once again stepped up for the Bulls, as they rallied from a 12-point half time deficit to make it two wins in a row. Rose contributed 27 points while Deng came off the bench with 18 points in the victory.
Forward Carlos Boozer added 12 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, while center Joakim Noah posted 11 points for the Bulls, who won their 17th road game of the season. Lebron James did all he could as he had 26 points, six assists and eight rebounds
in the defeat.
Chris Bosh scored 23 points and Dwyane Wade chipped in 20 points for the Heat, who lost their fourth consecutive game. James and Wade were unstoppable during the first half of the game, as they combined for 47 points. Miami held a 49-40 lead at half time.
The Bulls got themselves back into the contest in the third quarter, as they fought hard to trail by just two points going into the final stanza.
Both teams stayed close in the fourth quarter. Deng made one of two free throws to tie the game at 86 with just 15 seconds to go. He then made one of two free throws in the dying seconds to seal the hard-fought victory by one-point.
Los Angeles Lakers thrash San Antonio Spurs 99-83
The Los Angeles Lakers registered their seventh straight win of the 2010-11 season with a 99-83 victory over the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Centre on Sunday night. The victory snapped the Spurs 22-game home winning streak.
Kobe Bryant had one of his finest games against San Antonio with 26 points, seven boards and five assists, as he dominated both ends of the court with his athleticism. Pau Gasol scored 21 points, while Andrew Bynum had 17 rebounds for the Lakers, who won
their 23rd road game of the season.
Guard Gary Neal added 15 points while George Hill and Tony Parker scored 14 points apiece for the Spurs, who lost only their third home game of the 2010-11 season.
The Lakers led 34-13 after the first quarter and kept playing some solid defence in the second quarter to take a 65-37 lead into the locker room.
Los Angeles and San Antonio played the third quarter at a crisp pace but the Lakers once again found a way to maintain an 81-52 advantage after three quarters.
Trailing by 31 points, the Lakers fought hard early in the fourth quarter to make the score a respectable one. However, Los Angeles went on an 11-6 run, as the Lakers began to pull away.
Detroit Pistons overcome Washington Wizards 113-102
The Detroit Pistons snapped their two-game losing streak, defeating the Washington Wizards 113-102 at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Sunday night.
Forward Tayshaun Prince re-joined the Pistons squad after missing the last four games with a back injury. He contributed 20 points and six rebounds in the win. Rodney Stuckey scored 19 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for the Pistons, who won their
23rd game of the season.
Greg Monroe and Austin Daye contributed 12 points each in Detroit's eighth straight win against the Wizards. John Wall finished with a game-high 24 points coupled with seven assists and five boards in the Wizard’s eighth defeat in their last nine games.
Nick Young and Andray Blatche finished with 21 points each in Washington’s 46th defeat of the season. The Pistons played offensively in the first two quarters as they took a 60-51 lead at half time. Both teams scored 22 points each in the third
quarter but Detroit maintained an 82-73 margin, heading into the final stanza.
The Wizards were able to trim the nine-point half time deficit to 89-86 midway through the fourth quarter. However, the Pistons restored and maintained a double-digit lead until the end.
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