Just when the Nets needed a win, they dropped an easy one at home to a cross-town rival, 109-98. Brooklyn came out flat on defense, allowing the Knicks to score 28 points in the first period despite Carmelo Anthony sitting out with a torn labrum in his right shoulder. The Nets tried for a surge at the end, but it wasn't enough as the Knicks got the better of the playoff-bound Nets.
2014 NBA scores: Knicks edge faltering Nets in Brooklyn
New York got out to a hot start and dominated Brooklyn on Tuesday night.
Bruce Bennett
via @HPBasketball
Scoring was balanced for New York. Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with 16 points off the bench, while Cole Aldrich added 13 points and 13 rebounds. Marcus Thornton was the lone spark for Brooklyn, pouring in 24 points on 7-of-15 shooting in 30 minutes of play. If Brooklyn loses again on Wednesday and the Wizards beat the Celtics, the Nets will lose their No. 5 seed and fall to No. 6.
Los Angeles Clippers 117, Denver Nuggets 105
Los Angeles was in complete control of this one from the start. Too bad Blake Griffin wasn't. The Clippers forward let his emotions get the best of him and was hit with his 16th technical foul on the season, earning him an automatic one-game suspension from the NBA. That will rule out Griffin for Wednesday night's game against the Portland Trail Blazers, a win the Clippers desperately need in order to try and claim the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference playoff standings.
via @CJZero
Griffin finished the night with 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting, adding five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. DeAndre Jordan had a game-high 16 rebounds to go with 13 points, three assists, two steals and two blocks. Chris Paul added 21 points and 10 assists. For the Nuggets, every starter was in double-digit scoring but none stood out more than Mozgov. The big man had 18 points and 11 rebounds.
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