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NBA Tuesday round-up: Pacers win big at home against the Celtics, Spurs win 42nd straight at home

Paul George during the post-game interview on the court. 

Indiana Pacers vs Boston Celtics

Paul George did a little bit of everything, recording 25 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, as he led his Indiana Pacers to a much-needed 103-98 win at home over the third-seeded Boston Celtics. The Pacers have now won five of their last six games at home over the C’s. Indiana guard Monta Ellis also had important contributions with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals.

With 7 minutes remaining in the game, the scores were tied at 77 and the Pacers went on a 15-4 run which later on gave them breathing room to withstand a late Celtics surge. Missing a key player in Jae Crowder, the C’s started the game with a small ball line-up having 6’9” Jared Sullinger at center. Sullinger delivered for the team with 15 points and 11 rebounds but the team clearly missed Crowder on defense as they eventually dropped the game.

Playoff implications were huge in this game. The Pacers win gives them some breathing room to hold on to the seventh spot in the East. Also, ten of the remaining fifteen games for Indiana are at home where they have so far had a record of 20-11. Meanwhile, the Celtics loss ties them for third with the Miami Heat. 

San Antonio Spurs vs Los Angeles Clippers

For the second game in a row, the Spurs put together a strong fourth quarter to seal the game. After the match-up against the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio outscored the Los Angeles Clippers 37-17 in the final period to eventually to win the game 108-87. Despite missing All-Star power forward Blake Griffin, the Clippers kept the game competitive through three-quarters with the help of their starters, who scored 67 of the team’s 87 points.

Chris Paul dropped 22 points and dished out 8 assists while athletic center DeAndre Jordan had 16 points and 14 rebounds. The biggest talking point of this game was the battle of the benches. The Spurs second unit outscored their counterparts 51-20. 

Apart from their bench, the new age stars did deliver for the Spurs. Kawhi Leonard had an all round game with 20 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals while LaMarcus Aldridge continued his strong form in March with 17 points and 6 rebounds in 29 minutes. Tim Duncan had a quiet game 6 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists in 22 minutes but he made some ground on the NBA’s all-time scoring list:

Toronto Raptors vs Milwaukee Bucks

Second-seeded in the East, the Toronto Raptors bounced back from a loss to win big at Milwaukee without key starters in DeMar Derozan and Jonas Valanciunas. Point Guard Kyle Lowry had 25 points, 11 assists and 4 rebounds while backup center Bismack Biyombo had 12 points and 13 rebounds as the Raptors won 107-89. 

Ever since Milwaukee’s two primary ball handlers fell prey to injuries and Giannis Antetokounmpo was given the ball handling duties, he has been a triple double machine. Although they lost to the Raptors, Antetokounmpo had a near triple-double performance of 18 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 blocks. 

After the first quarter the Raptors were trailing 28-22 but over the next two-quarters outscored their opponents 59-38 to ice the game even before the beginning of the final period. While the Bucks are practically already eliminated from the post-season, this win helped the Raptors maintain the big lead for second seed over the Boston, courtesy of the latter’s loss.

Orlando Magic vs Denver Nuggets

Jason Smith (ORL) (25 pts, 13 rebs)

Brandon Jennings (ORL) (12 pts, 13 asts)

Philadelphia 76ers vs Brooklyn Nets

Bojan Bogdanovic (BKN) (44 pts, 8 rebs) [Career high]

Thaddeus Young (BKN) (14 pts, 16 rebs, 4 asts, 3 blks)

Sacramento Kings vs Los Angeles Lakers

 

DeMarcus Cousins (SAC) (22 pts, 8 rebs, 3 asts, 3 stls 4 blks)

Julius Randle (LAL) (14 pts, 11 rebs)

Plays of the Night:

Dunks and rejections are a huge part of Tuesday’s top 10 plays. Watch here:

 

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