Post Up: Keep Cooking

Mavericks 98 (13-27), Timberwolves 87 (14-27)

It was a complete team effort for the Mavs, with six players scoring in double figures, led by Wesley Matthews’ 19.

The Wolves, who had won three in a row prior to today’s matchup, struggled mightily from three-point range (23.8%). Big man Gorgui Dieng had a good game, posting 21 points on an impressive 10/12 shooting.

Raptors 116 (27-13), Knicks 101 (18-23)

New York lost this one in the third quarter when they were outscored 27-8. At one point, Toronto held a 38-point lead. DeMar DeRozan led all scorers with 23. The Raptors have won three straight, while the Knicks are 2-10 in their last twelve.

After the game, Carmelo Anthony responded to a line from Charley Rosen’s article for FanRag Sportsclaiming that Anthony had “outlived his usefulness in New York” – in a rather startling manner:

Check here for more on the subject.

Hawks 111 (23-17), Bucks 98 (20-19)

This game was lit before it even began, as Atlanta got a choir to sing player intros for MLK Day. Kent Bazemore (24 points) and recent acquisition Mike Dunleavy (20 points) took it from there. Giannis did his thing for Milwaukee, posting 33 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals.

But it wasn’t enough to overcome the Hawks’ red hot shooting from deep (13/26). Atlanta has won eight of their last nine.

Rockets 137 (32-11), Nets 112 (8-32)

The Beard notched his 12th triple-double of the season (22p/11a/11r), as the Rockets halted a two-game skid. They shot a scorching 47.7% from long range for the game. The 88 combined three-point attempts from the two teams tied the NBA record. Trevor Booker led Brooklyn with 18 points.

Thunder 122 (25-17), Kings 118 (16-24)

The Brodie did it again. With another ridiculous stat line (36p/11r/10a), Russell became the 3rd player in NBA history with 20 triple-doubles in a season. Enes Kanter pitched in 29 points and 12 boards. For Sacramento, Boogie had another monster performance (31p/11r/7a).

Bulls 108 (21-21), Grizzlies 104 (25-18)

This one featured 16 lead changes and 11 ties. Jimmy Butler (16p/8r/6a) came up huge in the clutch, knocking down two jumpers in the final minute and making the steal that iced the game.

It was Doug McDermott’s night, however, as the sharpshooter dropped a career-high 31 off the bench (including 22 in the first half). Mike Conley led Memphis with 28 points and 8 dimes.

Pistons 102 (19-24), Lakers 97 (15-30)

Detroit trailed early, but fought their way back and took a halftime lead on Andre Drummond’s 62-foot heave. The big fella had 15 points and 17 rebounds for the game. Louis Williams (26 points) and D’Angelo Russell (20 points) had it going, but overall Los Angeles shot just 43% from the field and 23% from three.