Chris Paul's huge game ends with ball thrown at his head

Jordan Heck

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Chris Paul's huge game ends with ball thrown at his head image

For a while it looked like the Kings might upset the Clippers, but a strong third quarter by Los Angeles killed any chance of that happening.

The Clippers' 117-107 win came in large part because of Chris Paul's outstanding night. He was 13 of 20 from the field, 10 of 10 from the free throw line and finished with 40 points as well as 13 assists and eight rebounds.

On the other side, DeMarcus Cousins got off to a fast start, but foul trouble kept him from giving it his all later in the game. He still finished with 26 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, but his seven turnovers proved costly.

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Cousins' temper also got the best of him as he ended up chucking the ball at Paul's head late in the fourth quarter.

The rest of Friday night's slate of NBA games featured a couple of exciting finishes, highlighted by the Raptors' 99-97 win over the Cavs. 

Kyle Lowry scored a career-high 43 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter to bring the Raptors back from 14 down. He also hit the eventual game-winning shot with 3.8 seconds remaining. When the Cavaliers got the ball back, they let LeBron James take the final shot and he air-balled the attempt.

Per ESPN stats, James is now 1 of 5 this season on game-tying/go-ahead shots in the final 5 seconds and 5 of 47 over the past 10 seasons.

The Cavs hold just a two-game lead in the standings over the Raptors. Also closing the gap in the standings were the Hornets with a 96-95 win over the Pacers. Kemba Walker scored 22 points and hit the game-winning shot with 2.4 seconds left.

Later in the night, the Nuggets fell apart in a 122-116 overtime loss to the Mavericks. At one point Denver held a 23-point lead, including a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter, but blew it and allowed Dallas back in the game. A missed shot at the end of regulation sent the game into overtime and the Mavs took over from there.

Highlights:

Paul George knocks down a contested near-halfcourt shot right at the end of the first half.

Kemba Walker hits the game-winning layup with 2.4 seconds remaining.

Kyle Lowry drills the game-winner with 3.8 seconds remaining.

Stud of the night:

Hornets forward Marvin Williams really excelled against the Pacers. He scored 26 points and finished with 13 rebounds, both of which are about double his season average.

His numbers aren't flashy, but it's just another case of the veteran playing really well. He's been a top 20 player in February, averaging 14.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.9 blocks.

Dud of the night:

Nuggets forward Will Barton missed the potential game-winning shot at the end of regulation and continued his poor shooting into overtime. He finished the game 9-of-24 shooting, including 0-of-7 from 3-point range. He wasn't just missing shots, he was also choosing poor shots.

What's next:

Warriors (52-5) at Thunder (41-17), 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC — This is clearly the best game of the day. The historically great Warriors team will get a tough road test from the Thunder as these teams face off for the second time this season. The first matchup stayed close for the majority of the game and ended with Golden State winning 116-108. 

Heat (32-25) at Celtics (34-25), 3 p.m. — This should be a good matchup between two strong Eastern Conference teams. The Heat and Celtics hold the third and fourth seeds in the conference and have been playing well of late. There should be plenty of competition in this one.

Jordan Heck

Jordan Heck Photo

Jordan Heck is a Social Media Producer at Sporting News. Before working here, he was a Digital Content Producer at The Indianapolis Star. He graduated with a degree from Indiana University.