News Wire

• Spurs announce they will retire Manu Ginobili’s #20 jersey on March 28, 2019.

• The Cleveland Cavaliers will host the 2022 All-Star game, (coincidentally the last season of Lebron’s current deal.)

• Derrick Rose states his intentions to win the 6th man of the year award in his newfound role.

Charlotte defeats Miami, 125-113

• Tony Parker turned back the clock with 24 points with 11 assists as he was aggressive attacking and dishing. The last time he scored 24 points in a game was two seasons ago in the second round against Memphis.

• Parker surpassed 19,000 points for his career, becoming the 7th international-born player to do so in NBA history.

• Dwyane Wade tried to spark a 4th quarter comeback but his 19 total points wasn’t enough.

• Miami lost their second game of their back-to-back and will look to regroup against the Hawks on Saturday.

Cleveland defeats Atlanta, 136-114

• In the Cavs first game post-Ty Lue era, they got their first win behind 26 points from Rodney Hood, 20 from Osman, and 17 from Sexton. J.R. Smith got the DNP-CD, as the Cavs have begun their “youth-movement” rotation that will slowl y start to phase out some of the legacy guys on the roster.

• The Cavs scored 41 points in the 3rd quarter, and seemed to have a little extra juice with their “new” coach at the helm.

• Trae Young was 9/13 from the field with 24 points, and Alex Len put up some nice numbers with 22 points and 9 rebounds.

Sacramento defeats Orlando,107-99

• In a major turn of events, the Kings have won 5 of their last 6 games and have improved to a 5-3, placing them in the top 8 of the western conference.

• Buddy Hield led the way with 25 points and 11 rebounds, while Cauley-Stein contuniued his dominnce in the paint with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

• Orlando made a lot of mistakes on both ends of the floor, especially in the fourth, with seven costly turnovers. They also shot 11-43 from 3-point land. Aaron Gordon led the Magic with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Mo Bamba added 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 blocks.

Boston defeats Detroit, 108-105

• With 10.5 seconds to goand down by 3, Blake Griffin threw an errant inbound pass, ultimately being recovered by Boston and costing Detroit the game.

• Kyrie got rid of the headband first…then he got rid of his hair as well and seemed to get his groove back. He played well all game but elevated all-around in the second half, ultimately ending the game with 31 points (season high), 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. He had 13 points in the 3rd, capped with a barrage of three pointers.

• Gordon Hayward is still going through his adjustment phase, as he finished the night with 6 points in 26 minutes.

• In 5 out of Detroit’s 6 contents, Blake Griffin has scored 20+ points. He finished the night with 24 and 15, while Andre Drummond added 17 and 12.

Toronto defeats Philadelphia, 129-112

• The Sixers have yet to win a game on the road this season (0-4 away), as they fell to the Raptors’ stifling length and defense. The Raptors seemed thirsty for this one with the bitter taste of defeat after Milwaukee handed them their first loss of the season.

• Kawhi stamped another ‘both-ends-of-the-floor’ masterpiece, as he dropped 31 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. Pascal Siakam continues to give the Raptors great minutes, amassing 15 points and 15 rebounds.

• The Sixers tried to feature Embiid in the second half, who ended the game with 31 and 11, but it ultimately wasn’t enough. Simmons added a near triple double with 11 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds, but an awful 10 turnovers.

Portland defeats Houston, 104-85

• Houston played some horrid defense in this one, allowing a bevy of clear paths to the basket, primarily orchestrated by Damian Lillard. Houston allowed 48 points in the paint and ultimately let their poor offense dictate the effort level of their defense.

• Nobody seemed to step up in Harden’s absence (his second straight game sitting); you would think this would be an opportunity Carmelo would be chomping at the bit to prove himself but he finished the night with 8 points on 2-12 shooting and some horrendous defensive efforts.

• Dame and Nurkic led the way with 22 a piece for the Blazers.

Memphis defeats Washington, 107-95

• With this loss, Washington is now 1-6, their worst start since the 2012-13 season. It’s easy to spot the talent on the floor, but they’re harboring some real chemistry issues that’s rendering the unable to pull off victories.

• Garrett Temple led the way for Memphis with 20 points and 7 rebounds, while the Grizzlies’ two main guys, Conley and Gasol had solid games with 19/3/7, and 19/5/6 respectively.

• John Wall dialed in 22, 5, and 7, but had 9 turnovers. With the departure of Marcin Gortat and the continued absence of newly acquired Dwight Howard, the Wizards are really struggling inside on both ends, but primarily on defense.

Oklahoma City defeats Los Angeles, 128-110

• This matchup was headlined by the ongoing feud between Patrick Beverley and Russell Westbrook. No hands were thrown, but there was taunting, jawing, technicals, and flagrants involved. On one play, Beverely dove for a loose ball that happened to be near Westbrook’s knees; something you can imagine Russ didn’t take to kindly to.

• The Thunder got the balance from their roster they were hoping for in this contest; Russ had 32 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds, PG added another 32 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Adams, Schroder, and Grant combined for 45 points as well.

• The Clippers allowed OKC to score 38 points off of their 25 turnovers. They were lead by Gallinari with 27 points.