Pacers 88 (5-6), Magic 69 (4-7)
The struggling Pacers clamped down on defense tonight, holding Orlando to 32 percent shooting from the field. Their offensive game was evenly distributed, with five guys scoring in double figures. CJ Miles led all players with 16 points, despite having a bucket erased by Bismack Biyombo at the rim:
Knicks 93 (4-6), Mavericks 77 (2-7)
Trailing by 3 at halftime, the Knicks opted to bench Joakim Noah and start Justin Holiday. The new lineup dominated both sides of the floor, winning the third quarter 31-12. Porzingis had 24 points and 11 boards, and did his best Dirk impression:
Nowitzki himself sat out his fifth consecutive game with an Achilles injury.
Pistons 104 (6-5), Thunder 88 (6-5)
Westbrook went off again, dropping 33 points, 15 boards, and 8 assists, and throwing down one of his patented thunderous jams. But Detroit’s balanced attack helped them secure the 16-point victory. Tobias Harris scored 22, Aron Baynes had 20, and KCP added 17, including one wild circus shot:
Pelicans 106 (2-9), Celtics 105 (5-5)
Tim Frazier nailed the game-winning free throw with 2.5 seconds remaining in this one, as the Pels grabbed their second victory. It was another spectacular showing from AD, who had 25 points, 16 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks.
Solomon Hill elevated for one of the dunks of the season in the second quarter, but he was called for the charge. Looked like a flop from Marcus Smart…
Isaiah Thomas posted 37 points and 7 assists for Boston.
Rockets 115 (6-4), 76ers 88 (1-9)
Can anyone stop James Harden? The Beard put together another masterpiece tonight: 33 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, and a win. He scored 23 in the first quarter alone (a career-high for points in a period), shooting 8/8 from the field. The Sixers were led by Embiid, who had 13 points and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes of action.
Spurs 94 (8-3), Heat 90 (2-7)
For the Heat, Hassan Whiteside had an impressive double-double (23 p, 17r) and Dion Waiters added 27 points of his own. But there was too much Kawhi Leonard (24p, 12r) and LeMarcus Aldridge (18p) to overcome, as the Spurs held on to get the win.
Grizzlies 102 (5-5), Jazz 96 (7-5)
Marc Gasol and Vinsanity combined for 42 points (22 and 20 respectively), and the Grizz used a late 9-2 run to get a nice win at home. Utah was led by Joe Ingles, who dropped a career-high 20 points on 7/11 from the field.
Clippers 127 (10-1), Nets 95 (4-6)
This one was over quickly. The Clippers held a staggering 39-14 lead after the first quarter and did not look back. CP3 recorded 21 points and 9 dimes and Griffin pitched in 20 points of his own. Here’s a quick taste of what the game was like:
