Clippers 114 (25-13), Pelicans 111 (11-25) OT
Anthony Davis sat this one out with a sore back, but it still took a serious effort from LAC to extend its winning streak to nine straight games. Led by Chris Paul (25 points, 11 dimes), Jamal Crawford (21 points) and DeAndre Jordan (12 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks), Lob City still let the Pels outscore them in the paint and gave up 55 points combined to Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans. Funny, since NOLA is 2-6 since trading away Ish Smith to Philly.
Mavericks 93 (22-16), Timberwolves 87 (12-26)
It’s getting lost in all the other storylines of this NBA season but man, how fucking dope is Dirk Nowitzki? He’s 37 years old and still turning in performances like this one on Sunday: game-high 29 points, a clutch three-point play, grabbing loose balls when it matters and more. As Deron Williams dubbed it, “Classic Dirk.” (Meanwhile, Kevin Garnett started but scored just 2 points in 7 minutes of action.)
Cavaliers 95 (26-9), Sixers 85 (4-36)
Things started off a little rough for LeBron James…
https://vine.co/v/iMm2OdgxwAK
…but he finished with a ho-hum 37 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds and the Cavs took home the W, their 13th in the last 15 games they’ve played. Jahlil Okafor had 21 and 7, and Ish Smith had 18 points and 10 dimes, but after pulling to within 2 with about 8 minutes left, the Sixers couldn’t get any closer. This was simply a case of best vs. worst in the East.
Grizzlies 101 (21-18), Celtics 98 (19-18)
Boston was up by 21 in the second half and should have cruised to a dub, but the Grizzlies came all the way back to hang on (barely) to win. The final minute of this game was super sketchy by both teams, especially Memphis, whose entire team apparently forgot how to do simple things like inbound the ball. The top performers for each team were familiar: Isaiah Thomas (35 points, 8 dimes) and Zach Randolph (25 points, 13 boards).
Rockets 107 (19-19), Pacers 103 (21-16) OT
Trevor Ariza scored a season-high 24 points including a top-of-the-key three-pointer with 17 seconds left to send this game into overtime. In OT, Corey Brewer hit a huge corner three for the lead, and Houston hung on for what’s arguably its biggest victory of the 2015-16 season so far.
Knicks 100 (19-20), Bucks 88 (15-24)
Wait—are the Knicks—*gasp*—kinda good? Melo came up just two assists short of a triple-double (24, 10 and 8) and this kid wasn’t half-bad either, turning in 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 blocks and 2 assists:
first time the fake ID works pic.twitter.com/DvVHTlgy4S
— jason c. (@netw3rk) January 11, 2016
Nuggets 95 (14-24), Hornets 92 (17-20)
Marvin Williams drilled a transition long-ball to pull within 3 points with under a minute to play, but it was too little too late for Charlotte. The Hornets had the ball with 11 seconds left, and actually got a couple potential game-tying threes up, but they clanked. Low key, Charlotte has now lost 7 straight games…
Blazers 115 (16-24), Thunder 110 (26-12)
Some nights, there is simply no stopping this guy Damian Lillard in the clutch. Sunday night was one of those nights. The man with his own hashtag (#LillardTime) went for 31 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds.
https://vine.co/v/iMqOH3m03Xd
Right on time, Dame scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, the six most thrilling on back-to-back threes that turned the game from a 110-107 OKC advantage to a 113-110 Blazers lead. It’s hard to call this a “bad” loss for OKC since, you know, DAME, but they did give up a late lead, despite 25 points, 9 boards and 15 dimes for Russ and 28/6/4 for KD.
Jazz 86 (17-20), Lakers 74 (8-31)
Gordon Hayward (25 points) was just far and away the best player on the floor vs. the Lakers, and he would have been even if the likes of Russell, Bryant and Bass had suited up for LA. As a team, the Lakers made just 3 of 19 three-point attempts on the night in this low-scoring affair. Utah snapped a seven-game road losing streak.
