James and Cavs beaten, 76ers remain winless
The Toronto Raptors staked their claim as a serious Eastern Conference contender after upsetting the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-99 in the NBA on Wednesday.
Kyle Lowry led the way, posting a game-high 27 points as the Raptors made a statement in their third successive win.
Lowry, who scored 20 of his points in the second half, had six assists and four steals in Toronto.
But it was not just Lowry troubling the Cavaliers as all five of Toronto’s starters – DeMar DeRozan (20), Luis Scola (15), DeMarre Carroll (12) and Bismack Biyombo (11) – reached double-digit points.
LeBron James led the Cavs, who fell to 11-4, with 24 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
The offense, though, was once again was run through team-mate Kevin Love’s 21 points and 13 rebounds.
It was another day and another loss for the winless Philadelphia 76ers, who were beaten 84-80 by the Boston Celtics.
The sorry Sixers led by nine points midway through the fourth quarter and looked like they were finally going to win a game this season.
But then the Sixers stalled and the Celtics went on an 18-3 run to condemn the Philadelphia franchise to a 0-16 win-loss record.
The Sixers are now dangerously close to surpassing the 2009-10 New Jersey Nets (0-18) for the worst start to a season in NBA history. Wednesday’s defeat, the Sixers’ 26th straight dating to last campaign, also tied a record for the longest losing streak, a mark they already tied last season in joining the 2010-11 Cavaliers.
In other results, Kevin Durant (30) and Russell Westbrook (27) combined for 57 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder accounted for the Brooklyn Nets 110-99.
The Charlotte Hornets limited the Washington Wizards to just six fourth-quarter points in their 101-87 win, the Utah Jazz upstaged the Los Angeles Clippers 102-91, the Detroit Pistons saw off the Miami Heat 104-81, the Atlanta Hawks lost 99-95 to the Minnesota Timberwolves and the San Antonio Spurs edged the Dallas Mavericks 88-83.
Rudy Gay scored a game-high 36 points to help the Sacramento Kings hold on late to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 129-118, the Memphis Grizzlies were 102-93 winners over the Houston Rockets, the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Phoenix Suns 120-114 and the Orlando Magic trumped the New York Knicks 100-91.
