15 Most Heartbreaking Losses of the NBA's First Quarter

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A quarter of the way through the NBA season, we've seen a great deal of highlight-reel plays, spectacular individual performances and big wins.

But what about the teams on the other side of the ledger?

For every team that gets to celebrate a big win, there is a team that experiences heartbreak, a team that's seen victory snatched from their hands.

Here's a look at the 15 most heartbreaking losses so far this season.

Jan. 23: Memphis at Golden State

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This won't be the only time Mark Jackson's Warriors experience heartbreak this season.

Despite holding a 63-43 lead with 3:23 remaining in the third quarter, the Warriors couldn't close out Rudy Gay and the Memphis Grizzlies.

Golden State allowed Memphis only 35 first half points, but allowed 39 in the fourth quarter alone.

Gay scored 23 points, three in the final 23 seconds, as the Grizzlies took advantage of 24 Golden State turnovers and the Warriors blew a 20-point lead and fell, 91-90.

Jan. 23: San Antonio at New Orleans

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You have to feel bad for Monty Williams.

Not only did he lose his two best players from a season ago, but Eric Gordon has only been in uniform for two games all season.

The Hornets have had problems scoring all season and hit the 100-point mark for the first time all season, but they left the Spurs a little time left on the clock, and that's all that Tim Duncan needed.

Duncan drained a hook shot with 1.4 seconds left to give the Spurs a rare 104-102 road win and send the Hornets to their 14th loss of the season.

Jan. 20: Indiana at Golden State

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Monta Ellis nearly rallied the Warriors to a win over the Pacers, but George Hill sent Golden State to yet another tough loss.

Hill knocked the ball away from Ellis when it bounced off his foot, then scored on a three-point play with 1.8 seconds remaining, and the Pacers held off a late charge to beat the Warriors, 94-91.

The lead changed hands 25 times in this game, and the biggest play was a missed call by the refs, as on the deciding play of the game, the ball actually bounced off Hill's foot instead of Ellis', but the officials blew the call and the Warriors lose another tough one.

Jan. 18: Indiana at Sacramento

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Just a few days before the Pacers stole one against Golden State, they had one stolen from them by the Sacramento Kings as Indiana blew a 14-point fourth quarter lead and lost, 92-88.

What was worse for the Pacers is that they lost despite holding the Kings to only 30 percent shooting from the floor for the evening, which turned out to be the lowest shooting percentage for a team to win a game since 2003.

Jan. 18: Dallas at Los Angeles Clippers

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Where would the Mavericks be without experiencing a trio of heart breaking losses?

The latest came on Jan. 18, when Chauncey Billups sank the game-winning jumper with only one second left on the clock to give the Clippers a 91-89 win without Chris Paul in the lineup.

It was the third time already this season that the Mavs lost on a three-pointer with less than 3.1 seconds to go.

Jan. 16: Dallas at Los Angeles Lakers

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Just two days before Billups did the Mavs in, it was Derek Fisher's turn, as he sank a three-pointer with only 3.1 seconds remaining to defeat Dallas, 73-70.

Fisher scored nine of his 13 points in the fourth quarter, leading a 10-0 run midway through the period before the Mavericks rallied to tie it on Jason Terry's running jumper at the top of the key with 9.9 seconds left.

But Fisher's dagger put an end to a dismal offensive game from both teams.

Jan. 11: Los Angeles Lakers at Utah

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Kobe Bryant scored 40 points to lead the Lakers, including a pair of free throws with 0.7 seconds remaining, but it was a big block by Andrew Bynum of an Al Jefferson jumper that turned out to be the difference in this nail biting win.

Bynum also made a tip-in with 51 seconds left in the overtime period to put the Lakers ahead 88-87, but it was his block that saved the day for the Lakers and sent the Jazz to a very tough loss.

Jan. 7: Oklahoma City at Houston

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Luis Scola had 28 points for Houston in a good effort by the Rockets, but Kevin Durant continued to thrive in late-game situations.

Durant came through in the clutch Saturday night, hitting a jumper with 22 seconds left and nailing two free throws to give the Oklahoma City Thunder a 98-95 win over the Rockets.

Jan. 5: Miami at Atlanta

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The Hawks couldn't close out the Heat despite Miami playing without both Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.

Chris Bosh scored 33 points and Mario Chalmers had 29, and the Heat beat the Atlanta Hawks, 116-109, in triple overtime with James and Wade cheering from the sideline in street clothes.

Bosh hit a game-tying desperation three-point attempt at the buzzer to force a first overtime, and the Hawks went scoreless in the third overtime, dropping a game in heartbreaking fashion that they probably should have won.

Dec. 30: Miami at Minnesota

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Minnesota has been an exciting team to watch so far, but they have to learn how to win the close games.

Miami's Dwyane Wade taught them a lesson in a late December contest.

Wade hit a jumper from the wing, then scored on an inbounds pass from LeBron James with 4.6 seconds to play to lift the Heat to a 103-101 victory over Minnesota.

Ricky Rubio had 12 points, 12 assists and six rebounds, and Kevin Love had 25 points and 12 boards for the Timberwolves, who led 100-99 with 55 seconds to play, but Wade took over in the last minute and hit his second game-winner in consecutive games for the Heat.

Dec. 29: Dallas at Oklahoma City

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Here's the Mavericks again, and here's Kevin Durant providing another dagger to an opposing team.

Dallas wiped away a five-point deficit in the games final 40 seconds and took a one-point lead on a Vince Carter three-pointer with 1.4 seconds left to play, but they left Durant just enough time to catch and bury a three-pointer as the buzzer went off to give the Thunder a 104-102 win.

Dec. 28: Miami at Charlotte

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Dwyane Wade buried a last-second jumper as Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton watched on, and the Miami Heat took care of the Charlotte Bobcats, 96-95.

Charlotte nearly survived big games from both LeBron James and Chris Bosh, but couldn't survive Wade at the end of the game.

Wade, who missed almost the entire third quarter with a bruised foot, only had 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting, but as usual, came through for the Heat when it mattered the most.

Dec. 26: New Orleans at Phoenix

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Eric Gordon hasn't had the opportunity to make much of impression for his new team, but he made one on the Phoenix Suns during the season opener for both teams.

Gordon sank a 20-footer from the top of the key with 4.2 seconds to play in his New Orleans debut to give the Hornets an 85-84 victory.

The Suns held the lead throughout, with the Hornets getting within one seven times in the final seven minutes before finally breaking through with Gordon's game-winning shot.

Dec. 25: Chicago Bulls at Los Angeles Lakers

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Derrick Rose made it a Merry Christmas for the Chicago Bulls, showing the Lakers why he's the reigning league MVP.

The Lakers blew an 11-point lead with a little over three minutes left in the game, and Rose provided the final dagger with only 4.8 seconds left in the game.

Dec. 25: Boston at New York

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The NBA season kicked off with a classic between the Knicks and Celtics.

The Celtics lost a heartbreaker after a fantastic performance from New York's Carmelo Anthony.

Anthony scored 37 points, including a pair of free throws with the game tied and 16 seconds left, and New York survived a seesaw season opener to edge the Celtics, 106-104. Seventeen of Anthony's 37 points came in the fourth quarter.

Rajon Rondo led the Celtics back from a 17-point first half deficit, and Boston had a double-digit lead before Anthony and a questionable call ripped victory away from the Celtics.