By Luther Jefferson
WASHINGTON, United States (TheSportsNEXT) December 13, 2012: The top NBA franchises witnessed mixed fortunes on Wednesday night as reigning champions Miami Heat were stunned in front of their home crowd by Golden State Warriors while former champions Dallas Mavericks were outdid by Boston Celtics in double overtime.
Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Milwaukee Bucks, and Phoenix Suns also ended up as victors in the other games on Wednesday night.
Following are the final scores from the 13 NBA 2012-13 games played Wednesday night.
1-Golden State Warriors defeated Miami Heat by 97-95
2-Boston Celtics defeated Dallas Mavericks by 117-115 (2OT)
3-Chicago Bulls defeated Philadelphia 76ers by 96-89
4-Los Angeles Clippers defeated Charlotte Bobcats by 100-94
5-Oklahoma City Thunder defeated New Orleans Hornets by 92-88
6-Atlanta Hawks defeated Orlando Magic by 86-80
7-Brooklyn Nets defeated Toronto Raptors by 94-88
8-Indiana Pacers defeated Cleveland Cavaliers by 96-81
9-Houston Rockets defeated Washington Wizards by 99-93
10-Minnesota Timberwolves defeated Denver Nuggets by 108-105
11-Milwaukee Bucks defeated Sacramento Kings by 98-85
12-Phoenix Suns defeated Memphis Grizzlies by 82-80
13-Utah Jazz defeated San Antonio Spurs by 99-96
13-Utah Jazz defeated San Antonio Spurs by 99-96
Golden State Warriors vs Miami HeatIn Miami, Draymond Green finished off a late rally Wednesday with a layup in the final second that gave Golden State a 97-95 win over Miami.
The surprising Warriors won their fifth straight and handed Miami only its second home loss of the season.
Miami took a 95-91 lead on a jump shot by Dwyane Wade with 3:51 to play and the Heat did not score another point.
Stephen Curry brought the Warriors within two by hitting a jumper with 2:35 to go and David Lee tied it with a pair of free throws 39 seconds later.
Shane Battier had a chance to put Miami in front with 15 seconds to go, but his 3-point attempt misfired. Green then came through with a layup that went through the basket with nine-tenths of a second showing on the clock.
The Warriors have won 12 of their last 15 games and improved to 9-4 on the road.
Klay Thompson led Golden State with 27 points, Lee finished with 22 and 13 rebounds and Jarrett Jack added a season-best 20 points.
LeBron James had 31 points for Miami, but the Heat lost for the third time in five games.
Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks
In Boston, Paul Pierce and Courtney Lee combined for six free throws late in the second overtime Wednesday, sending Boston to a marathon117-115 win over Dallas.
Boston could not put the game away after opening a 15-point lead in the third period and although the Celtics never trailed, they did not clinch it until Lee hit two foul shots with 4.1 seconds left for a five-point advantage.
O.J. Mayo scored the final point of regulation from the free throw line with 52 seconds left and his layup with 11 seconds to go in the first overtime again created a tie.
The game took almost 3 1/2 hours to play and included 192 field goal attempts. Dallas hit 51 percent of its shots, but the Mavericks were thwarted by 27 turnovers that included 16 steals from the Celtics.
Dallas had a three-game winning streak snapped.
Pierce scored 34 points, but he missed 14 of his 25 shots from the field. Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo both had 16 for Boston.
The Mavericks put seven players in double figures and Mayo led the way with 24 points. Darren Collision had 20, but the last of his seven turnovers prevented Dallas from getting off a potential game-tying 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the second overtime.
Chicago Bulls vs Philadelphia 76ers
In Philadelphia, Joakim Noah helped ignite a 22-9 run that closed out the game Wednesday and brought Chicago a 96-89 win over Philadelphia.
The Bulls won for the fourth time in five games and needed a late surge to do it after falling behind by as many as 10 points in the third period.
Noah scored 21 points, hitting 7-of-10 from the field and all seven of his attempts from the foul line. Luol Deng added 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Bulls while Marco Belinelli had 16 points.
Jrue Holiday delivered 26 points and nine assists for the 76ers. Evan Turner contributed 16 points and eight rebounds.
Philadelphia made only 2-of-14 from the 3-point arc and reached the free throw line a mere 11 times while making just five.
Los Angeles Clippers vs Charlotte Bobcats
In Charlotte, Matt Barnes came off the bench to become one of three Los Angeles players with 19 points Wednesday in the Clippers' 100-94 triumph over Charlotte.
Los Angeles won its eighth straight game and the Clippers dealt the Bobcats their ninth consecutive loss. The Bobcats' slump has come after they climbed two games over .500 during their first 12 outings of the season.
Barnes hit 8-of-13 from the field to provide a spark in an otherwise poor shooting night for the Clippers. They hit just 43 percent of their field goal efforts, but maintained a narrow lead throughout the second half.
Blake Griffin and Chris Paul also scored 19 points for Los Angeles while Eric Bledsoe added 13 and eight rebounds.
Charlotte got 19 points and eight rebounds from Byron Mullens. Jamal Crawford, who had delivered double-digit points in 28 straight games for the Bobcats, went 2-of-12 from the field and scored just nine.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs New Orleans Hornets
In Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant keyed a hot second-half shooting effort Wednesday that rallied Oklahoma City to a 92-88 victory over New Orleans.
The Thunder won their ninth straight, their longest such streak in three seasons, but had to hold on at the end to down the Hornets.
Greivis Vasquez missed a 3-point try for New Orleans in the final seconds would have put the Hornets in front by one and two free throws by Oklahoma City's Thabo Sefolosha put the game away.
Durant scored 35 points and Oklahoma City hit 57 percent of its shots in the second half. New Orleans led by a dozen points late in the third period, but the Thunder took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Kevin Martin with 6:21 to play.
Martin scored 17 points off the bench and Russell Westbrook added 14 while hitting just 4-of-14 from the field.
The Hornets, who have lost five in a row, were led by 16 points from Brian Roberts and 14 from Ryan Anderson.
Atlanta Hawks vs Orlando Magic
In Orlando, Al Horford ran his streak of consecutive double-doubles to seven Wednesday while leading Atlanta to an 86-80 decision over Orlando.
The Hawks won for the 10th time in 12 games, building a 12-point lead heading into the fourth quarter and then holding on against a team that was meeting a division opponent for only the second time this year.
Horford scored 13 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while Josh Smith produced 16 points, 11 boards and five blocks. It was Atlanta's eighth straight victory over the Magic.
Arron Afflalo scored 16 points to pace Orlando, which has dropped three out of four. J.J. Redick added 13 for the Magic.
Orlando's only other game against a Southeast Division foe this season was also against Atlanta. The Hawks won that one by nine on Nov. 19.
Brooklyn Nets vs Toronto Raptors
In Toronto, C.J. Watson hit all four of his 3-point tries Wednesday and scored 16 points in the second half to rally Brooklyn Nets to a 94-88 win over Toronto Raptors.
Watson did not score a single point in the opening half, during which the Nets fell behind by eight, but he led a third-period surge that allowed Brooklyn to snap a five-game losing streak.
Joe Johnson paced Brooklyn in scoring with 23 points while Andray Blatche had 14 points and nine rebounds. The Nets took 18 more free throws than did Toronto and made 16 more than the Raptors.
Toronto was playing shorthanded with injuries to starters Andrea Bargnani (elbow) and Kyle Lowry (triceps).
Ed Davis scored 24 points and claimed 12 rebounds for Toronto, which was outscored 31-19 in the third period.
Indiana Pacers vs Cleveland Cavaliers
In Indianapolis, Paul George continued his recent hot streak Wednesday and Indiana allowed only 23 second-half points in storming past Cleveland 96-81.
The Cavaliers were trying to back up their surprising win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday and they inched in front by six at halftime against the Pacers.
Indiana then outscored Cleveland by 16 in the third period and rolled on from there to end a two-game skid.
After being held scoreless by Golden State on Dec. 1, George has averaged 24.4 points over his last five outings. That streak included a career-high 34 points against Chicago on Dec. 4.
He produced 27 points Wednesday and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Pacers, who trailed Cleveland 58-52 at the break. Indiana then dominated the second half 44-23.
David West added 18 points for the Pacers, grabbed nine rebounds and handed out seven assists.
C.J. Miles, who scored 28 points against Los Angeles on Tuesday, had 28 again for the Cavaliers. Miles went 6-of-9 from 3-point range.
Cleveland has lost six out of seven.
Houston Rockets vs Washington Wizards
In Houston, James Harden shook off an ankle sprain Wednesday to score 31 points that pushed Houston to a 99-93 triumph over Washington.
The Rockets ended a three-game losing streak, the most recent of those setbacks having come with Harden out of action with his ankle injury.
He returned from a one-game absence to hit 10-of-20 shots from the field and all nine of his attempts from the foul line.
Houston led by as many as 10 points in the third period, but had to hold off the Wizards down the stretch. A 3-pointer by Chandler Parsons with 1:15 to play put the Rockets back in front by nine.
Parsons scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth period. Houston guard Jeremy Lin, who produced a 38-point effort that equaled a career best in his previous outing against San Antonio, settled for 10 points on Wednesday.
Washington had gone 3-3 in his last six games after starting the season with an 0-12 mark. Bradley Beal paced the Wizards with 20 points.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets
In Minneapolis, J.J. Barea and Dante Cunningham teamed for three foul shots in the final 14 seconds Wednesday and Minnesota survived a last-second miss to down Denver 108-105.
The Timberwolves fought off the Nuggets after leading by as many as 14 in the fourth period. It was the fourth win in five games for Minnesota while the Nuggets' struggles continued with their sixth loss in nine outings.
Barea gave Minnesota a five-point cushion by making two free throws with 14 seconds left, but Corey Brewer hit a 3-pointer for the Nuggets with 7.8 seconds remaining.
Cunningham was then fouled, but he could make just 1-of-2 with 5.4 seconds to play. That gave Ty Lawson a chance to tie it with a 3-pointer, but he could not convert as time expired.
Nikola Pekovic scored 22 points and had 11 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who made 16 more free throws than did the Nuggets. Andrei Kirilenko contributed 18 points and Barea produced 17 to go with eight assists and five rebounds.
Minnesota star Kevin Love, who was quoted Wednesday as saying he was disappointed by the front office's inability to improve the team, made just 3-of-17 shots from the field and scored eight points.
Denver got 26 points and 14 rebounds from Kenneth Faried and 24 points from Danilo Gallinari.
Milwaukee Bucks vs Sacramento Kings
In Milwaukee, Monta Ellis flirted with a triple-double Wednesday in carrying Milwaukee to its third straight victory, a 98-85 decision over Sacramento.
The Bucks pulled away in the fourth quarter after leading by six heading into the final 12 minutes.
Ellis had 17 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. His night was highlighted by a 43-foot desperation shot that went in as time expired in the opening period.
Brandon Jennings produced 19 points for the Bucks. Milwaukee won despite making only 40 percent of its shots from the field. The Bucks had eight fewer turnovers than did Sacramento and 10 more rebounds.
Luc Mbah a Moute pitched in 17 points for Milwaukee and Ersan Ilyasova had 16.
Sacramento lost its second straight after winning three in a row. The Kings were led by 17 points by Tyreke Evans.
The Kings played without center DeMarcus Cousins, who was serving a one-game suspension.
Phoenix Suns vs Memphis Grizzlies
In Phoenix, Goran Dragic rolled in a short shot off his fingertips with a half second remaining Wednesday, giving Phoenix an 82-80 victory over Memphis.
The Suns ended a seven-game losing streak in a dramatic contest that saw both teams struggle to score down the stretch.
Memphis tied it at 76-76 with 5:43 to play and the clubs combined to miss eight of their next 11 shots.
Rudy Gay missed a jumper with 8 seconds left that would have given Memphis the lead and that led to Dragic's layup
Memphis lost its second in a row after winning 14 of its first 17 contests this season.
Shannon Brown and Jared Dudley scored 15 points each to lead the Suns, who had not won since a 13-point decision over Cleveland on Nov. 27. Five of the seven straight losses had come on the road and this was the second encounter in a five-game homestand.
Gay had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Grizzlies. Zach Randolph added 18 points and 10 boards.
Utah Jazz vs San Antonio Spurs
In Salt Lake City, Mo Williams hit a 3-point shot with a second remaining Wednesday that gave Utah a 99-96 victory over San Antonio.
The Spurs let a six-point lead slip away over the final 3:30 and saw their five-game winning streak come to an end.
San Antonio lost for only the fifth time this season and dropped to 11-3 on the road. Utah, which has the Western Conference's best home record at 9-1, captured its fourth straight.
Danny Green put the Spurs in front at 96-94 by hitting a jumper with 1:27 to play and Utah then scored the game's final five points.
Tim Duncan missed a shot for San Antonio with 54 seconds left that would have given the Spurs a four-point advantage and Paul Millsap then tied it on a jumper with 40 seconds remaining.
Tony Parker missed an attempt for the Spurs and Williams put up a 3-point attempt with 9 seconds left that failed to go. Millsap, however, grabbed the offensive rebound and Utah called a time out to set up a potential game-winning shot.
That attempt was made by Williams, whose shot from beyond the arc gave him eight points for the game.
Millsap made 10-of-15 from the field and led the Jazz with 24 points. Al Jefferson added 21 and Gordon Hayward had 19.
Both Duncan and Parker produced 22 San Antonio points.
