Post Up: Making History

Pacers 115 (24-22), Kings 111 (18-28)

Sac-Town led for most of the game, building a 16-point lead in the third quarter. Indiana began to fight back, though, behind six straight points from Paul George to finish regulation. George led the charge but he didn’t do it alone. Jeff Teague had 17 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and the two game-sealing free throws with 2 seconds remaining in overtime.

Cavs 124 (31-14), Nets 116 (9-37)

The Cavs used a 39-point second quarter to break this one open. Kyrie Irving scored 20 in the frame and made three buckets to end the third that got the crowd into the game. Irving finished with 28. LeBron James had 31 points and 11 assists and Kevin Love had 13 points and 14 rebounds. The Cavs had lost their last three games.

Celtics 128 (28-18), Magic 98 (18-30)

Boston built a 40-point lead tonight. They made 16 three-pointers and shot 56% from the floor, dishing out a season-high 39 assists on a season-high 50 field goals. Every Celtic scored, led by Isaiah Thomas’ 21 points, Marcus Smart’s 11 assists and Jaylen Brown’s 8 rebounds.

Raptors 102 (29-18), Bucks 86 (21-25)

DeMar DeRozan sat with a nagging right ankle injury tonight, but Kyle Lowry didn’t need his help. The Raptors made sure to get Giannis Antetokounmpo in foul trouble and took advantage of his absence. Lowry had 12 points and 3 assists in the game’s first eight minutes. He ended up with 32 and the Raptors led from the middle of the first quarter, holding Milwaukee to 38% shooting.

Knicks 110 (21-27), Hornets 107 (23-24)

With trade rumors and boos swirling around Carmelo Anthony, the superstar stepped up to deliver a big-time clutch bucket. He and Kristaps Porzingis both had 18 points, Courtney Lee had 16, Brandon Jennings had 15 and Derrick Rose had 13. The ‘Bockers outscored Charlotte by nine over the last 8 minutes of the game, overcoming five ties and six lead changes.

Rockets 123 (35-15), Sixers 118 (17-28)

James Harden stands alone as the only player in NBA history to ever have two 50-point triple-doubles. TWO. His last 50-point triple-double came on New Year’s Eve against the Knicks.

Tonight, Harden scored 36 points in the second half, winding up with 2 steals, 1 block and 13 rebounds and 13 assists. He shot 16-28 from the field, 6-11 from three and 13-14 from the foul line.

Despite a big game from Joel Embiid (32 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks), Harden was never fazed by a raucous Philly crowd that included Allen Iverson and Kevin Hart.

The Rockets shot 27-28 from the line and won the rebounding battle 41-29. The Sixers had their six-game home winning streak snapped.

Heat 100 (17-30), Bulls 88 (23-25)

The Bulls are spiraling outta control. Fred Hoiberg didn’t start Jimmy Butler or Dwyane Wade after their comments from earlier this week. Then they went out to shoot 3-13 from distance, 42% from the field, turn the ball over 20 times, and trail to the lowly Heat by 20 at home.

Miami’s won six in a row. Tonight, they were led by Goran Dragic’s 26 points, 11 assists and 3 steals. Wade had 15 and Butler shot just 1-13 for 3 points.

”We obviously had a very emotional day,” Hoiberg said. ”It’s not an excuse for how we played. It’s the worst game we’ve played all year, in my opinion.”

Pelicans 119 (19-28), Spurs 103 (36-10)

The Pels built a 21-point lead late in the game thanks to a 34-19 fourth quarter. Jrue Holiday had 23 points, 11 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks and Anthony Davis tied a career-high with 22 boards. Terrence Jones came off the bench for 21 points. San Antonio shot 38%, the second lowest of the season.

Wizards 112 (26-20), Hawks 86 (27-20)

The Wizards led for the whole game, by as much as 30. They won the rebound, steal, assist and block battles. Otto Porter shot 5-7 from distance for his 21 points and he also had 11 boards. John Wall added 19 points and 9 dimes. Bradley Beal, Marcin Gortat and Markieff Morris all scored 15 points.

Blazers 112 (21-27), Grizzlies 109 (27-21)

Damian Lillard scored 13 straight points late in the fourth quarter to save the game for Portland. The Blazers were up by as much as 18, but the Grizz fought back to take a 3 point advantage. Portland made 16 three-pointers. Allen Crabbe shot 6-8 from outside off the bench and CJ McCollum had 18. Marc Gasol scored 32, his third straight game of at least 30 points, tying a franchise record.