Young Buck: Jennings leaving Milwaukee for Detroit (Getty Images)
Brandon Jennings is set to become Detroit’s second high-profile signing of the off season after the Pistons were able to strike a trade deal with Milwaukee.
The 23 year-old will join Josh Smith a.k.a J-Smoove in the Motor City this season with both players leaving play-off teams to make the switch to the 2004 Champions, Detroit.
As part of the reported deal, Milwaukee will receive Brandon Knight and two other players after finally conceding defeat in their attempts to re-sign their star man.
STUNNING COMEBACK KEEPS STREAK GOING; MEMPHIS EDGE OUT OKC & LOPEZ LEADS NETS TO WIN ON ESPN
Memphis Grizzlies (46-21) kept up their chances of catching OKC (50-19) after beating their Western rivals 90-89 in an overtime battle. The home side looked in control during the first half before the Thunder fought back to take the lead and it needed a late triple from to force the game beyond regulation.
During the extra period, it was the visitors who edged ahead once more before Marc Gasol snatched the victory with the tip-in just before the final buzzer. The Spaniard and All-Star team-mate Zach Randolph combined for 29 points and 33 rebounds in the win with Mike Conley top scoring with 24 points while Kevin Durant had a game-high 32.
Conley: “It’s always good to win a game like that especially against one of the best teams in the league! This says a lot about our confidence as a team; believing we can win regardless.”
Miami Heat (53-14) pulled off an unbelievable comeback from 27 points down to take their win streak to 24 games after beating Cleveland (22-46) 98-95. LeBron James continues to demonstrate his MVP potential with a vital triple-double with 25 points, 12 rebounds and ten assists and had a personal 8-0 run to give Miami the lead at the start of the fourth while Mario Chalmers contributed a further 17 points as the visitors netted TWELVE triples during the win.
The Cavs (still without Kyrie Irving) used a 19-0 run in the second quarter to assert their authority and opened up a commanding lead at 67-40 in the third quarter. Shane Battier nailed two three’s in the middle of a 15-1 burst before Daniel Gibson‘s late triple gave the hosts a 77-68 lead going into the fourth,where Miami took over. However, despite the nine-point lead being reversed, the home side kept battling and closed to within a point in the final minute after seven unanswered points before James sunk two crucial free throws and Miami held on.
LeBron: “It was one of the best comebacks I’ve been a part of. The streak wasn’t on my mind but getting blown out was!”
The New York Knicks (40-26) closed in on second place in the East after a comfortable 106-94 win at home to Orlando (18-51) as Carmelo Anthony added 21 points and 8 rebounds on his return to the team. Anthony Davis tipped in the game winner in New Orleans as the Hornets (23-46) recorded a narrow 87-86 victory over the Boston Celtics (36-31) despite a 28 point haul from Paul Pierce. Brook Lopezled Brooklyn (40-28) to a 113-96 win over Dallas (32-36) after an impressive 38 points and 11 rebounds while Deron Williams added 31 in the ESPN fixture and Reggie Evans pulled down 22 boards.
San Antonio (52-16) used a dominant second quarter display to propel them to a 104-93 success at home to the Golden State Warriors (39-31) with Tim Duncan stepping up with 25 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. LA Clippers (47-22) eased to a 101-72 victory against Philadelphia (26-41) while Washington (24-43) collected an 88-79 win on the road against the Phoenix Suns (23-46).
Houston Rockets (37-31) earned a vital win in a play-off battle at home to Utah Jazz (34-34) with James Harden‘s 29 points leading the way. Atlanta Hawks (38-30) were guided to a 98-90 win against the Milwaukee Bucks (34-33) by Jeff Teague‘s double-double of 27 points and 11 assists. In the final game, the Charlotte Bobcats (16-52) defeated the Toronto Raptors (26-42) 107-101 for their second win in a row.
Check-out highlights of Miami‘s historic win in Cleveland (NBA):
HACK-A-HOWARD BACKFIRES; RUBIO SHINES TO DEFEAT SAN ANTONIO & MIAMI MAKE IT 19 STRAIGHT
Dwight Howard produced a 39p-16r double-double on his return to Orlando (18-47) as the LA Lakers (34-31) reclaimed 8th spot in the play-offs race with a 106-97 win over the Magic. Jameer Nelson had 21 points for Orlando as they were on the receiving end of a 15-2 burst from the Lakers in the third quarter which inspired their victory charge. Magic had recovered from an ELEVEN point deficit to take a slender lead at 57-56 before Kobe Bryant (11p/7r/8a) led the immediate response from the visitors. Having won their last four games, the Lakers are a game ahead of the Utah Jazz and now only half a game behind the Houston Rockets, who are in seventh place.
STAT:
Howard tied his own NBA record for FTAs at 39 as ORL went to the Hack-a-Howard. Made 21 last time, 25 tonight (16/20 on intentional fouls).
Miami Heat (48-14) eased their way to a 98-91 victory over the Atlanta Hawks (34-29) after being paced by a 15/7/7 display by LeBron James. Last week’s Eastern conference player of the week Dwyane Wade, top scored with a game high 23 points while Mario Chalmers and Chris Bosh added 14 points each and Udonis Haslem pulled down 11 boards. Meanwhile, the Charlotte Bobcats (14-50) ended their TEN game losing streak with a 100-74 home win against the Boston Celtics (34-29) after Gerald Henderson posted a career-high 35 points.
Memphis (43-19) withheld a fourth quarter fightback from the Portland Trail Blazers (29-34) after securing a 102-97 victory. Dallas Mavericks (30-33) enjoyed a 115-108 victory against the Milwaukee Bucks (32-30) on the road despite a 32 point haul from Monta Ellis while Brooklyn Nets (38-27) claimed a 108-98 win over the New Orleans Hornets (22-43) with Brook Lopeztop scoring with 26 points and earned bragging rights over his twin brother Robin with a posterizing dunk.
Despite the absence of Kyrie Irving(out 3-4 wks w/shoulder injury) Cleveland recorded a 95-90 victory over the Washington Wizards (20-42) after a 20 point haul from Dion Waiters. John Wall had 27 points and 14 assists for the visiting Wizards, who had raced into a 33-20 lead after the first quarter before the Cavs mounted their comeback to take control. Ricky Rubio inspired the Minnesota Timberwolves (22-39) to a huge victory against the San Antonio Spurs (49-16) with his first career triple-double in the 107-83 success. The visiting Spurs were without Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard as they joined Tony Parker on the sidelines.
#RubioWatch 21 points; 13 rebounds; 12 assists and a block!! #NBA
NOT QUITE SWEET 16 FOR MIAMI BUT THEY GET THE WIN; LAKERS FIGHT BACK ON KOBE’S 42 WHILE THE KNICKS & SPURS SURVIVE WITHOUT LOSS OF KEY PLAYERS
Miami Heat (45-14) needed a late LeBron James basket to keep their win streak alive after scraping to a 97-96 victory at home to the Orlando Magic (17-45). James top scored with 26 points as a seemingly comfortable victory for Erik Spoelstra‘s side almost turned disastrous after a lax opening to the fourth quarter. Nikola Vucevic led the visitors with an incredible 25 points and 21 rebounds in his second 20-20 game of the season (both against Miami) while Jameer Nelson added 14 assists to a 16 point haul.
Norris Cole nailed consecutive triples at the start of the second as Miami soon opened up a 55-40 advantage at half-time in complete control. The lead peaked at 19 points at the start of the third but Orlando rallied and hauled themselves to within three points heading into the fourth. Magic took the lead and held a 96-93 advantage with around 90 seconds remaining before Chris Bosh (17pts/10rbs) nailed a pair of free throws and Dwyane Wade (20pts) had a block to leave the game in the hands of the reigning MVP, who duly stepped up with the game winning drive to the hoop.
LA Lakers (31-31) battled back from 25 points down to defeat the New Orleans Hornets (21-41) 108-102 after a 42 point haul from Kobe Bryant. The visitors finished with a 20-0 run to bounce back from their defeat to the OKC Thunder the previous night despite finding themselves trailing 63-38 at one stage in the first half. Dwight Howard impressed with 20 points combined with 15 rebounds while Jodie Meeks stepped up off of the bench with 19 points. Meanwhile their rivals, the LA Clippers (44-19) enjoyed a 117-101 win at home to the Milwaukee Bucks (30-29) after Blake Griffin powered his way to a triple-double of 23 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high 11 assists.
STAT: Kobe tied his season-high points haul with his 5th 40+ performance of the campaign.
San Antonio (48-14) overturned a first half deficit to defeat the Chicago Bulls (34-27) 101-83 as the Spurs made it two wins out of two in the absence of Tony Parker. Manu Ginobili led the Spurs with 18 points, a feat that was matched by Tim Duncan who added 10 rebounds and five blocked shots to his stat-line. Marco Belinelli led the Bulls with a game-high 21 points while Joakim Noah pulled down 13 rebounds. Chicago led by as many as 14 in the first half but the visitors were unable to keep up with the hosts in the second and San Antonio steadily began to pull away with Tiago Splitter, Kawhi Leonard and Patty Mills all contributing points in double figures.
New York (37-21) survived a third quarter blip to see off the Detroit Pistons (23-40) 87-77 as they coped without the missing Carmelo Anthony. Amar’e Stoudemire and JR Smith combined for 42 points off the bench while Ray Felton had a game-high 26 points. The hosts had led by ten points by the end of the third quarter with Jose Calderon the orchestrator before finishing with SIXTEEN assists. In another all-Eastern clash, Boston (23-27) used a strong fourth quarter to overcome the Indiana Pacers (38-23) 83-81 on the road. Kevin Garnett had an 18-10 double-double for the visitors whilst providing the game winning assist in the dying seconds for Jeff Green to clinch the victory.
Memphis (40-19) became the fifth team in the West to record 40 wins on the season after a hard-fought 91-85 success against the Portland Trail Blazers (28-32). Marc Gasol had a game-high 23 points along with 12 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies to their NINTH win in their last ten, in the absence of All-Star Zach Randolph. Dallas (27-33) kept their alive their previously fading play-off hopes with a 112-108 home win over the Houston Rockets (33-29) who will now be looking over their shoulder at the chasing pack. The Mavericks jumped out to an early advantage and survived a late surge from the Rockets, who were fueled by James Harden‘s 28 points and 9 assists.
STAT: League rookie, Damian Lillard scored 20+ points in a game for the 30th time this season.
Cleveland (21-40) were another team to fight back from a significant deficit as they defeated theUtah Jazz(32-29) 104-101 afterKyrie Irvingled the way with 20 points and 10 assists. Toronto Raptors (24-38) enjoyed a comfortable 98-71 win against the Phoenix Suns (21-40) while the Brooklyn Nets (35-26) recovered from a slow start to impose a defensive stranglehold on the Charlotte Bobcats (13-48) to come away with a 98-78 win. Joe Johnson led the way with 22 points as the Nets outscored their opponents 56-25 in the second half.
STAT: It was only Irving‘s third double-double of the season for the Cavs.
Golden State (35-27) used a strong third quarter display as a platform for their 87-83 win against the Sacramento Kings (21-42) as Klay Thompson nailed a crucial 3-pointer late on to finish with 20 points. Atlanta (34-26) survived a fourth quarter resistance from the Philadelphia 76ers (23-37) to win 107-96 after 27 points and 11 assists from Jeff Teague. Minnesota Timberwolves (21-37) were led by Derrick Williams (16pts/8rbs) and Ricky Rubio (15pts/11as/7rbs/6st) as they held on to an 87-82 home win against the Washington Wizards (19-40), who were led by John Wall‘s 19 points.
Check-out the amazing play of the day as Jamal Crawford provides the fancy alley-oop for Blake Griffin to jam home: (NBA)
WARRIORS LATE SURGE HELPS THEM PAST THE RAPTORS & MIAMI SET FRANCHISE WIN STREAK RECORD
An incredible final quarter effort took the Golden State Warriors (34-27) to a 125-118 win against the Toronto Raptors (23-38) to further dent their opponent’s play-off hopes. David Lee (29pts/11rbs/5as), Stephen Curry (26pts/12as) and Klay Thompson (22pts) combined for 77 POINTS as the Warriors look to cement their play-off position. The home side had opened up a double digit lead during the first half but a third quarter blip allowed Toronto back in and the visitors outscored their opponents 36-21 to take a 90-83 advantage into the final quarter. Thompson contributed eight points in a 10-2 start to the fourth as the Warriors regained the lead. The Raptors tied the game on three occasions but a 9-0 spell from the home side proved decisive and Golden State maintained their advantage to record a 125-118 victory after a 42-28 quarter.
STAT: It was the 40th time this season that All-Star David Lee posted double figures in points and rebounds in a game.
Miami Heat (44-14) set a new franchise record after claiming their 15th straight win after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves (20-37) 97-81 on the road. Dwyane Wade top scored with 32 points whilst providing 10 assists with LeBron James adding a 20p-10r double-double. Ricky Rubio was at the heart of several plays for the hosts, finishing with 14pts/8as/6st while Derrick Williams had 25 points and 10 rebounds in their sixth consecutive loss. Despite losing Carmelo Anthony to injury before half-time, the NY Knicks (36-21) battled back from a TWENTY-TWO point deficit to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers (20-40) 102-97. Amar’e Stoudemire matched his season high with 22 points while the game-high honours went to Marreese Speights with 23 having had 21 points at the half on 10-10 FG shooting.
STAT: It was the first time this season that Wade dished out 10 assists in a game.
Orlando Magic (17-44) picked up a 105-102 win in New Orleans (21-40) despite a 17p-15r double-double from Anthony Davis while the Portland Trail Blazers (28-31) powered their way to a 122-105 victory against the Charlotte Bobcats (13-47) in search for the play-offs. Denver (39-22) took their win streak to five games after easing past Atlanta (33-26) 122-104 while Milwaukee (30-28) needed overtime to beat the Utah Jazz (32-28) 109-108 with Monta Ellis scoring 34 points and Larry Sanders collecting 16 boards and six swats during the win.
Check-out Monta Ellis going ‘360’ to the hoop: (NBA)
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