Knicks 91 (16-14), Hornets 109 (11-19)
Charlotte took care of business against a Knicks team without Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr.
The Hornets opened up a 25-point lead in the second quarter and never took their foot off the pedal.
Frank Kaminsky had a game-high 24 points on 10-13 FG.
Celtics 112 (26-7), Pacers 111 (17-14)
Indiana valiantly battled back from a 19-point deficit to take a 5-point lead with 30 seconds remaining.
A Kyrie Irving (30 points) three-pointer cut the lead to 1 with 9 seconds left, and then… Indiana turned the ball over on the final possession.
Terry Rozier picked off a pass by Bojan Bogdanovic and slammed home the game-winning bucket with a second left on the clock.
ROZIER WITH THE STEAL! (via @NBATV) pic.twitter.com/msfyWOGFqh
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) December 19, 2017
Heat 104 (15-15), Hawks 110 (7-23)
After dropping their last four games, Atlanta held on to beat a severely undermanned Heat squad.
Miami was without Hassan Whiteside, Goran Dragic, James Johnson and Justise Winslow, but managed to cut a 14-point fourth quarter deficit to just 1 with a minute remaining.
The Hawks, however, rattled off 8 points in the final 50 seconds and get the win. Kent Bazemore had 16, 7 dimes and 5 steals.
Sixers 115 (14-15), Bulls 117 (9-20)
Since the return of Nikola Mirotic, Chicago has ripped off six straight wins. Coincidence?
Mirotic has been on an offensive tear, averaging 20 points on 65.1 true shooting.
He went for 22 and 13 in 26 minutes off the bench and had no problem dicing up whatever defender Philly threw at him.
Niko put Saric in a blender 🌪 (via @chicagobulls) pic.twitter.com/YEYWw7FRcx
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) December 19, 2017
Jazz 99 (14-17), Rockets 120 (25-4)
Utah had a 5-point lead with 9 minutes left in the game when the Rockets went nuclear.
Houston ripped off 41 points in the quarter to finish the game with a 21-point lead. Their offense is literally that potent.
Clint Capela had 24 points (10-12 FG) and 20 boards as the Rockets won their 14th straight.
Harden got ‘em dancing already (via @HoustonRockets) https://t.co/enrXHrcaAo
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) December 19, 2017
Blazers 107 (16-14), Wolves 108 (18-13)
Portland held a 10-point lead with just over 7 minutes left in the fourth, only to lose it all later in the game.
Jimmy Butler had a game-high 37 points as Minnesota finished their 5-game homestand with a record of 3-2.
Nuggets 94 (16-14), Thunder 95 (15-15)
OKC may not be winning pretty, but they’re winning.
The Thunder had a 15-point lead in the second quarter, but fell down by 10 points in the fourth.
Russell Westbrook, however, wouldn’t be denied. He scored 16 of his game-high 38 points in the final 9:41 to will OKC to victory.
Suns 97 (11-21), Mavs 91 (8-23)
Phoenix outscored the Mavs by 13 points in the fourth quarter to earn their second straight road win.
The Mavs shot just 36.4 percent in a game that could have lottery implications down the line.
Clippers 91 (11-18), Spurs 109 (21-10)
Even with Kawhi Leonard playing just 16 minutes and Tony Parker just 23, San Antonio had no problem beating the Clippers.
The Spurs went on an 18-4 run in the third quarter to essentially put the game out of reach.
The loss was the third straight for the Clippers.
Warriors 116 (24-6), Lakers 114 (10-18) (OT)
While the game itself was overshadowed by Kobe Bryant’s jersey retirement ceremony, the Lakers and Warriors finished the night strong with an OT thriller.
Kevin Durant (36 points) couldn’t find his shot all night until overtime—when he scored 12 of the Warriors’ 14 points.
He hit a game-winning pull-up with 6.4 seconds left to give Golden State their ninth straight W.
KD IS NOT NICE
(via @NBATV) pic.twitter.com/zYm8r3LMFB
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) December 19, 2017
BONUS: You can watch Kobe’s full jersey(s) enshrinement speech here, but I found this quote the most interesting.
It’s not a new revelation from Kobe, but it was well-delivered and heartfelt—a direct message to his daughters.
Kobe: "Those times when you get up early and you work hard. Those times you stay up late and you work hard. Those times when you don't feel like working. You're too tired. You don't want to push yourself, but you do it anyway… That is actually the dream." 🔥 #Ko8e24
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) December 19, 2017
