Basketball Tips

New York left it late to seal their win over Toronto on Wednesday, but they did so with a bang, as a 16-2 run in the final five minutes iced the game. Leading just 95-93, the game hung in the balance in clutch time, but New York resorted to their defence which has earned them a lot of wins lately to limit the hosts to just two points in the final 5:30 of play to earn a 111-95 win. Jalen Brunson came up big in the clutch, scoring 10 points in just six minutes of play in the fourth, finishing…

Cleveland squeezed past the lowly Brooklyn on Monday, in a 106-102 win. James Harden returned in this game, while Donovan Mitchell (groin) remained out, and The Beard’s return to play was a strong one with 22 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to help Cleveland to the win. Evan Mobley was also important, with 17 points, including nine in the fourth quarter, 13 rebounds and one block to finish a +24, while Jarrett Allen had 20 points to make for a strong night for Cleveland’s twin towers. It was another shaky offensive game without Mitchell to lean on, with just…

Milwaukee let a 15-point halftime lead slip in embarrassing fashion in Chicago on Monday, with a 66-51 lead turning into a 97-120 loss. Their 23-36 third quarter was bad enough, but an 8-33 fourth quarter was simply unacceptable from this squad. Even with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the sidelines, there have been some encouraging flashes from Doc Rivers’ men in recent weeks, but that looked like a decent memory in Monday’s fourth quarter, as the visitors faded away. Bobby Portis was the best of a bad bunch, with 18 points and five rebounds, and Ryan Rollins had his moments with 11…

Denver played out an incredibly physical and chippy clash against Oklahoma City on Saturday, but ultimately fell 121-127 in overtime. It was a hot start to the game from Denver, with a 33-19 quarter time lead, but OKC came back early in the fourth and then went on a 2-8 run to end, resulting in overtime. Denver’s offence didn’t have much more to give from there, scoring just five points in the first 4:30 of OT, before Jamal Murray caught fire to make it a close final scoreline. The Canadian finished the night with 39 points, eight rebounds and six…

Miami came up winless in their two-game road trip, first losing to Milwaukee on Wednesday before a 117-124 loss in Philadelphia on Friday. It was very much a game of runs, with the hosts building a 16-point lead in a 22-37 second quarter, but Miami came back to hit the lead midway through the third quarter. However, Philly responded with a 2-10 run of their own and they kept their noses in front for the rest of the game, bringing Miami down to a 31-29 record. Bam Adebayo was excellent in this contest, with 29 points, 14 rebounds and three…

It was an underwhelming top of the league showdown on Wednesday, as Detroit defeated and undermanned Oklahoma City 124-116. Missing six key rotation players, the defending champions were always a step slower than Detroit, as the Eastern Conference leaders recorded a relatively straightforward victory, despite OKC bringing it to within single figures in the final minutes. A 2-15 run from Oklahoma City at the end of the first quarter put them up 12 points, indicating that the second-string squad were up for the fight, but Detroit were quick to bounce back and took the lead before halftime. It was a…

Philadelphia have bounced back from a four-game losing skid to record a pair of 20+ point wins. First was a 135-108 thumping of Minnesota before heading to Indiana and recording a 135-114 victory on Wednesday, in a game that was all smooth sailing in the second half. Philly found themselves down 30-38 at the end of the first quarter but a monster 45-point second quarter gave them a 10-points halftime lead, and before long the margin was in the 20s as their defence locked down the hosts for just 20 third quarter points to guide Philadelphia to victory. Tyrese Maxey…

Detroit were made to look mediocre on Tuesday, as they fell to a 103-114 loss to San Antonio. With all of their key names other than Isaiah Stewart, Detroit would have been hoping to leave Little Caesars Arena with a statement-making win, but instead their offence repeatedly faltered, as Cade Cunningham had a horror shooting night. The star guard went a woeful 5/26 from the floor for 16 points, six rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and three blocks and Jalen Duren led the way with 25 points, 14 rebounds and two steals. Ron Holland II added plenty of punch off…

Cleveland had their seven-game win streak come to an end in Oklahoma City on Monday, in a 113-121 defeat. It was a disastrous start to the game for the visitors, as Oklahoma City hit three after three and forced Cleveland into an embarrassing number of turnovers for a 5-28 lead less than eight minutes into the game. They finished the first quarter with 10 turnovers and a 25-40 deficit, but they made it a single-digit margin at halftime and hit the lead just three minutes into the second half. However, OKC got their noses back in front by 3QT and…

Detroit picked up where they left off after the All-Star break, with a couple of wins on the trot since their return to action. Most recently was a 126-110 thumping of Chicago, running away with the win on the back of a 44-26 third quarter. That made for a lead as big as 28 points in the fourth, as they turned on the jets with Jalen Duren looking particularly sharp in his first game back from suspension. The big man had 26 points and 13 rebounds in his 29 minutes on the floor, while Cade Cunningham needed just one more…