Post Up: Numbers On The Board

Wizards 101 (19-18), Bulls 99 (19-20)

Rajon Rondo made sure to provide plenty of pregame entertainment. Then he came out and performed, helping Chi-City establish an 18-point lead. He had 12 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals and was a leader in the absence of Dwyane Wade (rest) and Jimmy Butler (illness).

Then John Wall decided to show up. Wall finished with 26 points and 14 dimes. He drilled the game-winner with 5.9 seconds left to lift the Wizards above .500.

Raptors 114 (25-13), Celtics 106 (23-15)

The Celtics came out firing. They led by as many as 16. Isaiah Thomas had 27 points and 7 assists. Marcus Smart, who started for Avery Bradley (strained right Achilles), had 16 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals and Al Horford added 14 points and 9 rebounds.

DeMar DeRozan fueled a furious late surge. The Raptors went on a 19-4 run in the final 5 minutes. DeRozan got backup from Kyle Lowry and Jonas Valanciunas. Lowry had a 4-point play with 2:41 left in the fourth, finishing with 24 points and 9 assists. Valanciunas rotated across the lane to block a Thomas layup attempt with 1:21 remaining. Valanciunas went off for 18 points and 23 rebounds.

DeRozan’s 41 points mark his third 40-point effort of the season and his third straight game of at least 35 or more points. Tonight, he shot 16-29 from the field and was the one Toronto called on to nail the daggers. He also had a career-high 13 rebounds. Just a general warning to the rest of the League–don’t let the Raptors hang around until late in the fourth. DeRozan or Lowry will beat you.

Hawks 117 (22-16), Nets 97 (8-29)

The Hawks won their seventh in a row tonight, holding the Nets to 40% shooting and forcing 17 turnovers. Atlanta led for the whole game, up by 27 late in the fourth. Dennis Schroder had 19 points and 10 assists, Dwight Howard had 14 points and 16 boards and four other Hawks scored in double-figures. The Nets have now lost seven straight games. Their last win came on December 26.

Rockets 121 (31-9), Hornets 114 (20-19)

Man, James Harden’s good at basketball. He led the Rockets to their ninth consecutive victory on the strength of his second straight 40-point triple-double. Following only Russell Westbrook, Michael Jordan and Pete Maravich as the only players to have consecutive 40-point triple-doubles, Harden’s etching his place in history as one of the game’s most legendary producers. His 40 points, 15 rebounds and 10 dimes gave him his eleventh trip-dub of the year.

The Hornets hung tough late in the fourth quarter, overcoming an 18-point deficit. The Rockets led 115-111 with just over a minute remaining. Kemba Walker (25 points, 10 assists) cut the deficit to one with a 3-pointer, but another layup by Harden made it 117-114 with 28.6 seconds left. Charlotte missed three 3-point tries in the final seconds.

Bucks 109 (19-18), Spurs 107 (30-8)

With the Greek Freak only able to play nine minutes because of the flu, Michael Beasley and Jabari Parker led the way for the Bucks. ‘Bari had 22 points, but it was B-Easy’s 28 off the pine that were the difference. It was a flashback game for the 28-year-old. He shot 11-18, had 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals. All that potential he had back in the day found its way to the surface.

San Antonio blew a 13-point lead, losing the fourth quarter 26-18. Kawhi Leonard had 30 points in the loss.

Jazz 100 (24-16), Cavs 92 (28-9)

Utah’s finally getting healthy and their true starting five is getting some to gel. The Jazz went blow for blow with the defending champs, holding them to 36% shooting and only 9-31 from three-point range. The Jazz won the rebound, assist, steal and block battles and opened up a 16-point lead in the fourth.

Gordon Hayward led Utah with 28 and the rest of the starting five scored at least 11 points, along with Trey Lyles’ 12 points off the bench. George Hill had a game-high 7 helpers and Rudy Gobert had a game-high 14 ‘bounds.

Blazers 108 (17-23), Lakers 87 (15-27)

The Blazers held the Lakers to 5-23 shooting in the third quarter en route to their tenth straight W over the purple and gold. CJ McCollum had 25 and Damian Lillard had 20. Portland shot 50% for the game.

Warriors 107 (33-6), Heat 95 (11-29)

The Heat gave the Warriors a scare in this one. They hung around until the fourth quarter, trailing 85-80 with 7:15 left to play. The Dubs turned it on after that and busted open a 17-point lead. Klay Thompson got the night off for rest, but Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant couldn’t quite find the range for themselves. They combined to shoot 7-17 from outside. Durant eventually scored 28 and Curry wound up with 24 and 9 assists, but they had to earn this win.

Kings 100 (16-22), Pistons 94 (18-22)

DeMarcus Cousins had 24 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists and shot 4-5 from three-point range. The Kings owned the fourth quarter, turning around a 9-point disadvantage with a 32-17 run. Boogie was everywhere. The Kings closed the game with an 11-2 run, and Detroit went scoreless over the final 1:15. Sacramento made 4 three-pointers in the fourth and was 13-24 overall from beyond the arc.