There was no shortage of NBA action on Sunday, with eight games populating the league's schedule. It was highlighted by a battle between two teams with championship aspirations, as the Boston Celtics could not get the job done against the Houston Rockets at TD Garden. The season has been underwhelming for both teams, but with the playoffs approaching, this loss just further raises the stakes for the Celtics from here on out.
The meeting between the two teams was the second - and final - of the season. The Rockets took the first match-up 127-113 in late December.
Aside from that game, the Trail Blazers got a nice win over the Hornets thanks to a big night from Rodney Hood, the Clippers crushed the Knicks to strengthen their playoff chances out West and the Pistons snuck past the Raptors in overtime in a potential playoff preview.
NBA schedule for Sunday, March 3NBA schedule for Monday, March 4
*All times Eastern
Harden drops 42 in Rockets win
James Harden is well on his way to another streak of 30-point games. He got hot early and helped the Rockets pick up a big road win over the Celtics by dropping 42 points in the victory.
Westbrook comes up clutch for Thunder
Russell Westbrook and the Thunder struggled early against the Grizzlies, but they turned things around when it mattered. Westbrook shot just 7-of-20 from the field for 22 points, but scored 12 of them in the fourth quarter, including a couple of huge jumpers in the closing minutes. His play down the stretch was instrumental in the Thunder's big comeback win without Paul George.
Young ejected for staring down Dunn after deep three
Trae Young saw his streak of 30-point performances come to an end on Sunday as he was forced to hit the showers early after picking up his second technical foul of the game in the early portion of the third quarter.
Lowry shines in defeat
The Raptors were once again playing without Kawhi Leonard on Sunday, as their All-Star sat out to rest. They weren't able to get a victory in his absence, though it was through no fault of Kyle Lowry's. The veteran point guard put together an excellent game, finishing with 35 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Portis and Beal lead Wizards
The Wizards pulled away from the Timberwolves in the fourth quarter for a victory on Sunday night, and did so thanks to Bobby Portis and Bradley Beal. The big man finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds in yet another nice performance since coming over from the Bulls, while Beal continued to play well, registering 22 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
Cavs use team effort to take down Magic
The Cavaliers picked up a rare victory on Sunday evening and used a team effort to do so. Six different players scored in double figures, and none had more than Jordan Clarkson's 18 points.
Stauskas goes baseline for the slam
Nik Stauskas had a tough few days back at the trade deadline, getting traded a number of times in just a few days. But now he finally has a team to play for, which is good, because it allows him to do things like this.
Shamet makes Clippers history
Landry Shamet is enjoying his increased playing time with the Clippers, and on Sunday he used it to make history. The youngster hit seven 3-pointers to set a Clippers rookie record.
Hood leads Trail Blazers to victory
On Sunday afternoon, Rodney Hood showed why the Trail Blazers acquired him ahead of the trade deadline. The swingman took over in the second half, pouring in 25 of his 27 points after the break. During one stretch, he scored 20 out of 22 points for the Blazers.
Bridges starts off the game with a bang
It didn't take long for the Charlotte Hornets to provide their fans with a reason to get out of their seats and cheer on Sunday as Kemba Walker opened up the action by tossing an alley-oop to Miles Bridges which he finished in style.
