Post Up: Night of the Spida

Jazz 120 (18-26), Kings 105 (13-31)

True to his form, Donovan Mitchell put on a show to lead the Jazz over the Kings. A sampling:

Mitchell finished with a game-high 34 points on 14-19 shooting. Willie Cauley-Stein countered with 26 points and 10 boards for the Kings.

Hornets 133 (18-25), Wizards 109 (25-20)

The Hornets put on their best first-half performance in franchise history to run away from the Wizards Wednesday night. Charlotte made its first 10 shots and scored an all-time best 77 points in the first half. In total, seven Hornets scored in double figures, led by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (21 points). Dwight Howard had a double-double with 18 points and 15 boards, while Kemba Walker had 19 points and seven assists. Bradley Beal had 26 to lead the Wizards.

Spurs 100 (30-16), Nets 95 (16-29)

The Spurs held off a late Nets surge behind 34 points from LaMarcus Aldridge and 25 from Patty Mills, who did his work on a career-high seven made threes. San Antonio led by 15 early in the fourth quarter, but a flurry of threes from Joe Harris (18 points) and Allen Crabbe (20 points) cut into the deficit. The Nets eventually climbed to within three with 2:16 left, but an Aldridge and-one restored order.

Hawks 94 (13-31), Pelicans 93 (23-21)

Kent Bazemore‘s jumper with two seconds left gave the Hawks a thrilling win in Atlanta. That shot came after DeMarcus Cousins split a pair or free throws that broke a tie and for a moment looked like it might give the Pelicans the win. Bazemore had 20 to lead the Hawks, while Jrue Holiday led New Orleans with 22. The loss snaps New Orleans’ three-game win streak, but it was the team’s sixth consecutive game decided by six points or fewer.

Grizzlies 105 (15-28), Knicks 99 (20-25)

The Knicks made a late comeback, pulling to within three with 47 seconds left, but timely free throws from Tyreke Evans secured a win for Memphis. The Grizzlies, playing without Marc Gasol, got 23 points from Evans and 18 from JaMychal Green, including the loudest basket of the night:

Kristaps Porzingis had 21 and Enes Kanter had 20 to lead the Knicks, who remain in free-fall.

Raptors 96 (30-13), Pistons 91 (22-21)

It’s been almost a year since Toronto lost back-to-back home games, and that streak didn’t stop on Wednesday. CJ Miles had 21 points on five threes and Jonas Valanciunas had 17  points and 16 rebounds to lead the Raptors through a game in which they committed 20 turnovers. Andre Drummond had 25-and-17 for the Pistons. Detroit has now lost three straight.

Warriors 119 (37-9), Bulls 112 (17-28)

The Warriors used a 32-12 third quarter to pull away from the Bulls on the road and notch their ninth win in 10 games. Klay Thompson had 38 and Steph Curry had 30 more to lead the way, while Nikola Mirotic had 24 for the Bulls. Thompson and Curry also combined to shoot 13-24 from three.

Heat 106 (26-18), Bucks 101 (23-21)

Hassan Whiteside‘s dunk with 3:38 left put the Heat up for good in a game that was tight throughout. He led all scorers with 27 points, doing his damage on 10-12 shooting to go with 13 rebounds and six blocks. Khris Middleton had 25 and Giannis Antetokounmpo had 22 to lead the Bucks. The Heat have now won eight out of nine overall and eight out of 10 on the road.

Thunder 114 (25-20), Lakers 90 (15-29)

Carmelo Anthony had 27 points and Steven Adams had 21-and-10 to lead the Thunder over the Lakers. Kyle Kuzma put it best after the game: “They just big-boyed us,” he said. “Steven Adams, we couldn’t stop him from getting rebounds today. He was the head of the snake in that department.” In fact, the Thunder out-rebounded the Lakers 54-30. Julius Randle led the Lakers with 16 points.

Clippers 109 (23-21), Nuggets 104 (23-22)

The Clippers came dangerously close to letting a lead slip away in the final seconds, but a strong defensive stand made the difference. L.A. led by six with 42 seconds left, but a few missed free throws on its end a few made free throws for the Nuggets gave Denver a shot to win. But the Nuggets never got a clean look on its final real possession. Blake Griffin had 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers, and Gary Harris had 19 points for Denver.