Timberwolves 110 (6-31), Pacers 101 (15-25)
He did it. Mo Williams. Did. It. He scored a personal career-high of 52 points in the Timberwolves’ win (!!), which is a new franchise record and a League best this season so far.
The 15-game losing streak is over for the Wolves, and it’s finally official—the Knicks are the absolute worst, as their 15-game losing streak is still going strong.
The rook Andrew Wiggins added 20 points for the Wolves, and Gorgui Dieng had 10 points and 10 boards. Indiana’s Roy Hibbert fouled Dieng with 5:47 left in the third, and was subsequently ejected after the officials ruled it a Flagrant 2. Although the hometown Pacers had six players in double-figs, Mo was clearly in a zone that couldn’t be tampered with.
Hawks 105 (30-8), Sixers 87 (7-30)
Every night the Hawks are putting more and more critics to rest. Out of their last 25 games, the Hawks won 23. Last night’s victory was their ninth win in a row. Al Horford recorded his first career triple-double in the dub over the 76ers with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Four more Hawks contributed double-figures to maintain a comfortable lead for the majority of the game in Philly last night. So yeah, #ATLshawty.
Wizards 101 (26-12), Spurs 93 (23-16)
A losing streak longer than the Wolves’ saw its death last night. For the first time in nearly a decade, the Washington Wizards beat the San Antonio Spurs, snapping a losing streak that persisted for 17 games.
John Wall (25 points and 8 assists) and Kevin Seraphin (17 points and 8 boards) beat the Spurs for the very first time in their lives. The Wiz had a 51-48 lead at halftime, but the Spurs remained close throughout. In the final period, Washington outscored San Antonio by five and claimed the W at home.
Suns 107 (23-18), Cavaliers 100 (19-20)
With LeBron James back in the lineup after missing eight games with an injury, the Cavaliers hoped to get things going again. Cleveland went 1-7 without King James, but his return still couldn’t get them a dub.
James scored 33 points in his first game back, and JR Smith added a season-high 29 points with 15 in the third to get the Cavs back into the game after trailing by 19. But despite the Cavs taking the lead in the fourth, the Suns weren’t about to let the game slip away. Markieff Morris scored a career-high 35 points, and all of Phoenix’s starters scored double-figures to get the win at home.
Warriors 116 (30-5), Jazz 105 (13-26)
Them Warriors sure are golden, like sheesh. They extended their winning streak to seven with their victory over the Utah Jazz last night and improved to a 30-5 record. Steph Curry continues to make a strong argument for MVP considerations. He put up a double-double in the Dubs’ road win last night with 27 points and 11 assists, doing this kind of ridiculousness all the time:
Three of the Jazz recorded double-doubles including Derrick Favors (22 points and 11 assists), Enes Kanter (13 points and 10 boards) and Rudy Gobert (16 points and 11 boards), but a 44-point third quarter performance from the Warriors and their 50.5 percent shooting night proved to be too much.
Mavericks 108 (27-12), Kings 104 (16-22) OT
The Dallas Mavericks came to town last night looking for a win against the Sacramento Kings, and that’s exactly what they left with. ‘Twas a close one in Sactown, as no lead grew more than 10 and the game was decided in OT. That biggest 10-point lead was in favor of DeMarcus Cousins (32 points, 16 boards, 9 assists) and his Kings—in the fourth quarter no less—but the Mavs rallied to get back in the game.
After Monta Ellis missed the game-winner, the match headed to OT. The Kings were without Boogie, who fouled out just seconds before the regulation buzzer sounded. The Mavs’ backcourt took over the game in the extra period. Ellis scored 6 of his 28 in OT, and Rajon Rondo (21 points and 7 assists) sank the Mavs’ remaining 3 points to lift the visiting team over the home one. Ellis also had 10 assists, and Tyson Chandler added 16 points and 17 boards in the dub.
Heat 78 (17-21), Lakers 75 (12-27)
The Miami Heat came into Los Angeles last night like they owned the place and opened the game 20-4. By the end of the first quarter, the Heat were up by 10, and they maintained some form of a lead for the entire game. Mario Chalmers had 19 points and 8 assists in the victory, and Hassan Whiteside contributed 15 points and 9 boards to lead the Heat. Dwyane Wade headed to the locker room in the first half with a strained hamstring and did not return. The Heat held the Lakers to a 31.5 percent shooting night from the field, and no Laker was able to score more than 12 points.
