While most people were still busy tracking down information on all of the trades and transactions that occurred prior to the trade deadline on Thursday, four contending teams played in prime time on TNT. Tony Parker (31 points) and LeBron James (26 points) were the only players to score 20-plus points on the night. The Spurs and Heat both earned quiet blowout victories on the road. Here's a breakdown of what happened in each game.
NBA scores: Spurs pound Clippers, Heat stifle Bulls
The NBA trade deadline dominated the discussion on Thursday night, but four teams actually did play some basketball as well. Unfortunately, LeBron James and the Miami Heat and the red-hot San Antonio Spurs turned both contests into quiet blowouts.
USA TODAY Sports
Heat 86, Bulls 67
The Heat smothered the Bulls with excellent defense all night long and held Chicago to a season-low 67 points on 37.3 percent shooting. Chicago scored 13 points in both the second and fourth quarters. Every Chicago player who hit the floor for more than five minutes committed at least one turnover, and every Bulls starter committed multiple turnovers as the team gave the ball away 26 times.
LeBron James scored 15 of his game-high 26 points and pulled down seven of his game-high 12 rebounds in the second half as Miami pushed its lead as high as 20 points. The Heat never trailed at any point during the final two periods. Bulls fans looked restless and a bit uncomfortable during the beatdown, and they made a bad move by cheering when LeBron pulled up a bit lame after a play.
Thibs was not pleased with the effort.
Don't worry, Chicago. It's not like Miami was on the tail end of a back-to-back and the Bulls weren't. No wait, that's exactly what it was.
— SBNation NBA (@SBNationNBA) February 22, 2013
Spurs 116, Clippers 90
The San Antonio Spurs are doing it again, folks. They ripped through the Clippers at Staples Center on Thursday night and recorded their 16th win in the last 17 games. Tony Parker outscored Chris Paul 31-4 and the Spurs shot 58.9 percent from the field. San Antonio shot 60 percent from the field in the third quarter and lowered its team shooting numbers for the night. They never trailed at any point during the contest, and in the third period the lead swelled to 34 points. That's how you do a road game in L.A.
Parker torched the Clippers’ defense in every conceivable way and bolstered his sneaky MVP resume for the season.
Tony Parker: 10th game this season w/ 30+ points. Only had one season w/ more such games (2008-09, 13)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 22, 2013
As for the whole “Rodeo Road Trip” thing, it appears the Spurs have it covered. They are now 64-25 in Rodeo Road Trip games since 2003, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
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