Post Up: Peak Freak

Thunder 112 (21-15), Hornets 123 (20-16)

The Hornets had a one-point led with less than four minutes to play, and closed out the game on an 18-8 run. Kemba Walker led the way with 20 points and 9 assists. Russell Westbrook (33 points, 15 rebounds, 8 assists) picked up his 10th technical foul of the season after hitting a ref in the head (perhaps inadvertently) with the ball.

https://vine.co/v/5VOehxJ5J6g

Hawks 111 (19-16), Magic 92 (16-21)

Atlanta has now strung together four wins for just the second time all season, and they’ve done it against some good competition. They’ve beaten the Knicks, Pistons, Spurs (double-OT) and now Orlando, and seem to have turned the page after a rocky several weeks. Dennis Schroder had a game-high 18 points with 6 rebounds and 7 assists.

Bucks 105 (18-16), Knicks 104 (16-19)

Milwaukee came back from a 16-point defect in the third quarter to beat the Knicks in epic fashion at the Garden. Giannis Antetokounmpo (27 points, 13 boards) was magical the whole night, and ended up hitting a step-back game-winner over New York’s Lance Thomas. Kind of surprisingly, it was his first game-winner of his career, and promises not to be the last for the 22-year-old star.

https://vine.co/v/5VehLDIEpjP

Bulls 106 (18-18), Cavs 94 (26-8)

Chicago made a season-high 13 threes, more than doubling their season average of 6.3 per game. Jimmy Butler took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 straight points during a critical stretch. He finished with 20 points, 14 of which came in the fourth. LeBron (31 points, 8 boards, 7 dimes) did his thing, but without Kyrie Irving (hamstring) and Kevin Love (illness), Cleveland didn’t have enough fire power.

https://vine.co/v/5VeWWgIF5lI

Grizzlies 106 (22-16), Clippers 115 (24-14)

The Clippers have been utterly abysmal without Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Although they’ve now won two in a row, including this nice W over the Grizzlies behind Austin Rivers’ 28 points, L.A. had dropped its previous six in disappointing fashion. DeAndre Jordan put up 18 points with 20 rebounds, just the second time he’s had at least 18 and 20 this season (he had 21 and 23 at Brooklyn on November 29).

Blazers 117 (15-22), Warriors 125 (31-5)

Portland put up a good fight after being blown out by 45 points the last time they faced the Warriors. CJ McCollum was on fire in the first half, dropping 26 points and essentially out-dueling Stephen Curry through the first two quarters. But Steph turned it up in the second half, finishing with 35 points on the night. Kevin Durant added 30 points on 9-16 shooting. McCollum only managed 9 points in the second half, finishing with 35 points on 31 shots.

https://vine.co/v/5ViizFZxeQd

Heat 107 (11-26), Kings 102 (15-20)

Tough loss for Sacramento, who had some momentum going after claiming sole possession of the 8-spot in the West. The Kings have now lost three of their last four, but play their next six games at home (albeit against mostly very good teams). DeMarcus Cousins had a sub-par game with 13 points on 4-15 shooting, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, and when Boogie isn’t going, the Kings certainly aren’t. Sacramento has not won a game when Cousins has scored under 19 points this season.