Post Up: Mr. Efficiency

Raptors 89 (28-14), Sixers 94 (14-26)

Don’t look now, but the Sixers are 7-2 in their last nine. Wednesday’s win against Toronto was their first W against a plus-.500 squad in that span (not counting the Bucks and Hornets who were both 20-19).

Despite committing 11 more TOs in the game, Philly willed themselves to yet another win. Joel Embiid continued his ROY campaign with his 10th straight 20-point game and a game-sealing block on Kyle Lowry.

Grizzlies 101 (25-19), Wizards 104 (22-19)

Washington has not lost at home since December 6, and Wednesday’s win makes it 13 in a row at the Phone Booth. Washington has been one of the hotter teams in the League over the past two weeks (with a record of 6-1), but they’ve benefitted from a relatively easy schedule.

We’re really starting to see what John Wall, Brad Beal and Otto Porter can do together, and it’s promising. When those three share the floor, the Wizards are +9.3 points per 100 possessions this season. That’s 8.7 points better than the team’s overall net rating.

Wall had his 24th double-double of the season with 25 points and 13 assists, and had a couple crucial buckets down the stretch.

Blazers 85 (18-26), Hornets 107 (21-21)

Charlotte really needed this one. Entering this game, the Hornets were 1-7 in their previous eight games. They had dipped under .500 for the first time this season.

Kemba Walker led the way with 23 points and 5 assists, as Charlotte dominated the fourth quarter.

Knicks 117 (19-24), Celtics 106 (26-16)

New York got the win they desperately needed to stay in the playoff race. Derrick Rose had perhaps his best game of the season with 30 points, 10 rebounds and 5 dimes, while Willy Hernangomez and Mindaugas Kuzminskas stepped up in the absence of Joakim Noah and Kristaps Porzingis.

The Celtics cut the deficit to 97-96 with just under eight minutes to play, but New York eventually built their lead back up to 14.

Magic 98 (17-27), Pelicans 118 (17-26)

Orlando’s offensive struggles continued, as their six-game road trip mercifully ended with 1-5 record. The Magic played their third straight game without leading scorer Evan Fournier, who’s out with a bruised right heel.

Anthony Davis went to the locker room to get X-rays on his left hand, but returned to lead the team with 21 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists. AD has been banged up a lot recently, and a rest day here and there might serve him well. The team can’t afford it, though.

Bucks 92 (20-21), Rockets 111 (33-12)

Giannis Antetokounmpo vs James Harden was a sight to behold, with Harden eventually dropping a game-high 38 points in the win. The Bucks cut the lead to 7 with just under 7 minutes to play, but Houston went on a run to open up a 22-point lead.

Houston had one of its better defensive performances, holding the Bucks to 39.8 percent shooting and 25 percent from three.

Hawks 95 (24-18), Pistons 118 (20-24)

Atlanta and Detroit were heading in polar opposite directions before Wednesday night. The Hawks were 9-1 in their last 10, while the Pistons were 5-11 in their previous 16.

But this game was all Detroit, as the Pistons opened up a 42-18 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. Andre Drummond’s 13 points and 17 rebounds was his 28th double-double of the season.

Thunder 100 (25-19), Warriors 121 (36-6)

It was a tale of two halfs. The score was tied at 56-56 at halftime, and then Golden State began to do what they do best: score a lot of points in a hurry.

Kevin Durant dropped a season-high 40 points on just 16 attempts, winning the matchup against Russell Westbrook who had 27 points, 15 rebounds, 13 assists and 10 TOs.

On the Thunder’s final possession of the first half, Zaza Pachulia decked Westbrook and stood over Russ for a few seconds, staring him down.

Russ was livid after the game, saying, “I’ll get his ass back.”

Russ also provided this wonderful blooper for the all-time #Shaqtin reel.

Pacers 106 (22-19), Kings 100 (16-25)

Wednesday night could prove to be a turning point for Sacramento. The Kings had a 19-point lead at halftime, and blew the entire lead in the second half to close out a 1-6 homestand.

To make matters worse, Rudy Gay went down with an apparent torn left Achilles in the third quarter. If Kings’ doctors’ initial prognosis is true, Sacramento will be without Gay for the rest of the season, and will likely lose him in free agency this summer.

Jeff Teague had 22 points, 7 rebounds and 11 assists. Paul George added 24 points and this nasty poster on Cousins.