Post Up: 18 Straight

Sixers 103 (10-37), Timberwolves 94 (8-38)

Reigning Rookie of the Year, Michael Carter-Williams, is a bright spot in this dark, dark season for the Philadelphia 76ers. Last night at home, MCW dropped a triple-double—his third of the season—with 17 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds.

The game between the 76ers and the visiting Timberwolves remained close throughout, with no lead exceeding 10 points. In the fourth, Minnesota committed 9 of their total 21 turnovers while shooting just 33 percent from the field. Philly held Kevin Martin (19 points) and the Wolves to 17 in that final period, and finally hit double-digits in the wins column.

Hawks 105 (39-8), Trail Blazers 99 (32-15)

How ‘bout them Hawks, right? Like really…last night’s win over the Trail Blazers earned Atlanta its eighteenth consecutive victory. That team is having a blast on the court, and on Twitter too. Just look:

The Hawks had six players in double-figures, led by Paul Millsap with 21 points and a solid performance from Kent Bazemore (12 points on 5-6 shooting), who played nearly 40 minutes to fill in for injured players. The balanced scoring from Atlanta (despite missing DeMarre Carroll and Shelvin Mack as well as Thabo Sefolosha for most of the game) outdid the double-doubles from LaMarcus Aldridge (37 points and 11 rebounds) and Damian Lillard (13 points and 11 assists). A close game throughout, it was in the final period that Atlanta went off for 36 points, outscoring the Blazers by 11. Also in that period, Jeff Teague (13 points and 8 assists) did this:

Rockets 93 (33-14), Celtics 87 (16-29)

There’s that #3rdQofDoom again. The victim this time, the Houston Rockets, who scored just 9 points on 4-20 shooting in the third period. But despite the poor quarter which wiped away their 18-point halftime lead, the Rockets still managed to get the W over the Celtics. Credit goes to the team of course, but Donatas Motiejunas was the standout with a season-high 12 rebounds and a career-high 26 points, 10 of which came in the fourth to help recover from that ugly third quarter.

Raptors 127 (32-15), Nets 122 (18-28) OT

Despite blowing their 17-point third quarter lead, the Toronto Raptors managed to get the W in Brooklyn last night. Jarrett Jack and Brook Lopez each scored 35 points to go along with 13 assists and 12 boards respectively to keep the Nets in the contest. After outscoring the Raps by 9 in the fourth, the game headed to OT. The teams went back and fourth, until the final 40 seconds when Amir Johnson (24 points and 7 rebounds) put back DeMar DeRozan’s (26 points and 9 assists) shot that was blocked by Mason Plumlee (12 points and 9 rebounds). After that, the Raps hit their FTs, and the Atlantic Divsion battle ended.

Cavaliers 101 (28-20), Kings 90 (16-29)

After missing Cleveland’s previous game with an injury, LeBron James returned to the lineup last night as the Cavaliers hosted the Sacramento Kings at the Q. Though he said he’s not a hundred percent fine, he was able to pull off a move like this in the fourth:

That, and score a respectable 19 points and dish 7 assists. Kevin Love was the headline man for the Cavs, as he scored 16 points in the first quarter alone and finished with 23 in the game. He grabbed 10 boards too. Kyrie Irving followed his 55-point performance with a solid 21-point, 6-assist game. After taking a 10 point lead at the end of the first quarter, the Cavs stayed on top throughout, despite newly appointed All-Star, DeMarcus Cousins’ 21 points and 12 boards and Rudy Gay’s (20 points) in-game Dunk Contest-esque slam:

Pelicans 108 (25-22), Clippers 103 (32-15)

Not having Anthony Davis in the lineup last night was not a problem for the Pelicans. When the Los Angeles Clippers came to town, a number of guys stepped up to make sure their home team would come out victorious. Eric Gordon scored a season-high 28 points, Tyreke Evans posted a 11-point, 12-assist double-double, and Ryan Anderson dropped 24 points in the win. Alexis Ajinca had a sweet stat line too, with 17 points, 9 boards, and 3 blocks. After New Orleans outscored LA by 13 in the third quarter, Chris Paul (24 points, 8 boards, 7 assists) led the Clippers on a 12-0 run in the fourth. Even with an additional five Clips in double-figs, the Pelicans took care of the win at home.

Mavericks 93 (31-17), Heat 72 (20-26)

Well this game was…interesting. A tad unusual, but hey, a little weird is refreshing. Hassan Whiteside cleaned that glass real well in the first quarter. Working off poor shooting from both teams, he brought down 14 boards by the end of the opening period. He had 24 rebounds on the night to go along with 16 points. Up 45-33 at the half, Miami built up a 16-point lead in the third quarter. That’s when Dallas woke up. Led by veteran Charlie Villanueva (20 points), the Mavs went on a 21-0 run to tie the game at 60 heading into the fourth. In that last period, Dallas pounded the Heat 33-12, as if that 16-point lead was all in their imagination.

Jazz 110 (17-30), Warriors 100 (36-8)

The Golden State Warriors never led during last night’s game in Salt Lake City. Six of the nine Jazz players who saw minutes scored double-figs to overcome Stephen Curry (32 points) and the top team in the West. Gordon Hayward led Utah with 26 points and 15 assists.

The Jazz bench outscored the Warriors’ bench by 10 points, and that’s the margin by which Utah earned their win.

Suns 99 (28-20), Bulls 93 (30-19)

The Phoenix Suns led by as many as 16 in last night’s match-up versus the Bulls. But in the third quarter, Chicago came storming back, outscoring the Suns 25-13. The fourth quarter was a close one, with the Bulls coming within two points of the Suns. But Eric Bledsoe (23 points), Goran Dragic (21 points) and the rest of the hometown squad was not ready to let this one slip. They held off the team from the Windy City to earn their second win in a row.