Sonics Beat Blazers, Extend Streak to 9
The Sonics once again got sweet revenge against the Blazers, with a 107-95 win in Portland.
Dion Waiters led the Sonics with 20 points, while Otto Porter added 15. The Andrews were also a key factor in the game, as Bogut (14 points, 18 rebounds, 6 blocks) and Nicholson (14 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists) proved dominant in the paint. Patty Mills also had a decent game, with 12 points and 7 assists.
The Blazers once again got great service out of C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard, with each player scoring 31 and 21 respectively. Festus Ezeli (11 points, 6 rebounds) and Ed Davis (11 points, 10 rebounds) both had solid outings, but couldn’t equal the Andrews intensity on the boards.
Rebounding proved to be a key factor in the game, as the Sonics managed to be +11 on overall rebounds.
Sonics Win Ugly Against the Bulls
The Sonics ground out a 77-75 win against the Bulls, extending their streak to 10. The game narrowly missed an overtime period after Jimmy Butler missed a running contested layup at the buzzer.
It wasn’t a game for people who love the usual free-flowing offence of the Sonics, as Andrew Nicholson was the only player who looked convincing for the home team. He had 20 points and 8 rebounds on the night. Dion Waiters (5-14) struggled for his 13 points, while Otto Porter scored 10 off 4-9 from the field.
Jimmy Butler was the high-point man for the Bulls, with 20 points. But even Mr Buckets had his struggles from the floor, hitting 9-26 overall. Cody Zeller (12 rebounds) and Nikola Mirotic both added 12 points each, while Matthew Dellavedova registered a double-double, with 10 points and 13 assists.
Sonics Regain Offensive Groove Against Mavs
In a contrast from their previous game against the Bulls, the Sonics had a fine offensive outing in their 113-91 win against the Mavericks.
Otto Porter bounced back in style, leading all scorers with 33 points. The bulk of the other scoring was fairly evenly matched, with Patty Mills, Andrew Nicholson and Dion Waiters all scoring 16 points each.
The never-aging Dirk Nowitzki led the way for the Mavs, with 23 points and 9 rebounds. Alex Len proved to be a good foil for German Jesus, with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Harrison Barnes (14 points), Wesley Matthews (12 points) and Dennis Smith (10 points) all had meaningful contributions.
With both teams getting solid production offensively, it was simply the question of who would score the most points (thanks, Magic Johnson).
Rush Hour: Sonics Annihilate Blakeless Clippers
The Sonics made the most of playing the Clippers without Blake Griffin, as they tallied an impressive 124-98 win.
This time around, the top scorer for the Sonics came from Brandon Rush. Rush was just one point shy of his career high in points, scoring 28 points off 11-19 from the field. Otto Porter once again proved to be effective, with 21 points, while Dion Waiters had 13 points on the night. With the game won early, Nick Young was able to make the most of his time, scoring 11 points. However, with the game Brandon Rush had, Swaggy P doesn’t appear to be any closer to being a regular part of the rotation.
For the Clippers, J.J. Redick top scored with 20 points. Brice Johnson (16 points, 6 rebounds) did an admirable job in Blake’s absence, but Jamal Crawford proved to be erratic. Crawford scored his 15 points from an inefficient 5-19. Along with Chris Paul’s 10 points from 5-14, the Clippers were ultimately hurt by the Ineffectiveness from their usual offensive stars.
Sonics Keep Rolling Against the Grizzlies
The Sonics managed to come away with a 102-96 win against the Grizzlies. With a narrow 2-point lead at the start of the 4th quarter, the Sonics closed the game with a 23-19 final period.
Otto Porter led the way once again, with 22 points. Dion Waiters was also effective, with 18 points, while Patty Mills (14 points, 9 assists) and Shaun Livingston (11 points, 4 assists) both provided good service at the point. Brandon Rush and Jarnell Stokes both scored 10 points each off the bench.
Gerald Green and Chandler Parsons shared the lead scoring honours for the Grizzlies, with 17 points each. Marc Gasol (14 points, 11 rebounds) provided a solid presence in the paint, while Kelly Olynyk (13 points) and Wade Baldwin (11 points) both provided sparks for the Grizzlies off the bench.
Last 5 Games
@POR: 107-95 W
CHI: 77-75 W
@DAL: 113-91 W
LAC: 124-98 W
MEM: 102-96 W
Overall: 18-7
Injury List
Arron Afflalo – Torn Right MCL – 4-6 Weeks (Out)
Boban Marjanovic – Spinal Injury – 2-4 weeks (Out)