Pelicans 108 (10-20), 76ers 93 (7-21)
In the clash of The Brow and The Process, The Brow came out on top. Davis finished with 31 points and 16 rebounds as the Pelicans used a monster second quarter (42-21) to propel them to victory. Embiid had 11 points and 6 boards in 25 minutes.
Hornets 117 (16-13), Lakers 113 (11-19)
After trailing by 19 points, the Hornets climbed their way back into this one. Nicolas Batum, who had 23 points and 10 assists, nailed the game-winning bank shot with 13 seconds remaining. Kemba flirted with a triple-double (28p, 10a, 8r) and Belinelli dropped 11 of his 13 in the final period. The Lakers were led by Jordan Clarkson, who scored 25 off the bench on 9/13 shooting.
Raptors 116 (20-8), Nets 104 (7-20)
Toronto never trailed as they cruised to a 12-point victory over Brooklyn. Six players scored in double figures, led by Kyle Lowry’s 23. DeMar scored just 15, but got two of them on this ridiculous slam:
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 19 points in just 20 minutes for the Nets, who have lost 10 consecutive on the road.
Knicks 118 (15-13), Pacers 111 (15-15)
New York fell behind by 15 in the third quarter, but Carmelo Anthony (35 points) fueled a massive comeback doing stuff like this:
The Knicks shot 50% from the field and an even hotter 56.5% from three. Derrick Rose pitched in 24 and Porzingis finished with 21 and 8 rebounds. Myles Turner had 21 and 9 boards for Indiana.
Magic 136 (13-17), Heat 130 (9-20)
What a battle it was in Miami. The double OT game consisted of 10 ties and 27 lead changes. Hassan Whiteside (32p, 15r) and Tyler Johnson (career-high 32p, most any Heat reserve has ever scored) had monster games for the Heat, but it still wasn’t enough. Fournier and Vucevic were the top scorers for Orlando, posting 26 points a piece.
Cavaliers 114 (20-6), 108 Bucks (13-13)
The Bucks put up a great fight in this one, scoring the final seven points of regulation to send it to OT. But LeBron James (34p, 12r, 7a) proved too much to handle down the stretch, knocking down the biggest shot of the game from the parking lot:
For Milwaukee, Jabari and Giannis combined for 55 (30 and 25 respectively), and Malcolm Brogdon introduced himself to Kyrie and The King:
The two teams square off again tomorrow night.
Celtics 112 (16-12), Grizzlies 109 (18-12)
It was the Isaiah Thomas show in Memphis. The little fella dropped a career-high 44 points on just 16 shots, helping Boston to overcome a 17-point deficit and get the OT victory. Marc Gasol and Troy Daniels had 24 points each for Memphis.
Spurs 102 (23-5), Rockets 100 (21-8)
Patty Mills knocked down the clutch three with 12.9 seconds remaining and the Rockets failed to convert on their final two possessions, giving the Spurs the narrow victory. Kawhi Leonard led the way with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals. For Houston, James Harden did his thing again: 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists. The tough loss snapped Houston’s 10-game winning streak.
Clippers 119 (21-8), Nuggets 102 (12-17)
The Clippers claimed the opening period 36-26 and didn’t look back, halting Denver’s three-game winning streak. Redick had the hot hand for LA, scoring 27 on 10/16 from the field and 7/9 from deep. Will Barton led the Nuggets with 22 points off the bench.
Warriors 104 (25-4), Jazz 74 (18-11)
Golden State held the Jazz to just 35.5% shooting from the field and 30% from three and cruised to a victory at home. Stephen Curry had 25 points and Durant contributed 22.
Kings 126 (11-17), Trail Blazers 121 (13-17)
It was Boogie’s night in Sacramento. The big fella hung 55 points (17/28 shooting) and 13 rebounds on the Blazers. There was a crazy sequence down the stretch in which Cousins scored a crucial bucket, got ejected for spitting his mouthguard, then was un-ejected and returned to the floor. Nonetheless, his incredible effort helped the Kings overcome a 36-point outing from McCollum and get the exciting comeback victory.
