Post Up: Rockets Keep Soaring

Pacers 110 (13-12), Hornets 94 (14-11)

Paul George and Myles Turner dropped 22 each as the Pacers won their second straight. Jeff Teague was the catalyst in the fourth quarter, scoring or assisting on 19 of Indiana’s last 23. Charlotte was led by Marco Belinelli’s 14 off the bench.

Raptors 122 (17-7), Bucks 100 (11-12)

DeMar DeRozan put up 30 for the 12th time this season (15-15 FT), and Terrence Ross pitched in 25 in 21 minutes to help the Raptors take down the Bucks. Ross could have had two more though:

For Milwaukee, Giannis had 30 and Jabari Parker had 27.

Heat 112 (8-17), Wizards 101 (9-14)

Goran Dragic had himself a game against Washington, scoring a season-high 34 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter. Whiteside added 17 and 16 boards and even hit a eurostep (might have gotten away with a travel though…):

Miami overcame a combined 59 from Wall and Beal to snap their five-game losing streak.

Rockets 122 (18-7), Nets 118 (6-17)

That’s seven straight wins for Houston. Harden cooked once again, putting up 36 points, 11 assists, and 8 boards:

Brooklyn trailed for most of the game but rallied late to make things interesting. Despite their overall struggles on defense, Houston came away with a big steal in the final seconds to close it out. Brook Lopez led the Nets in scoring with 26, and Jeremy Lin returned to action, posting 10 points in 20 minutes.

Mavericks 112 (6-18), Nuggets 92 (9-16)

Dallas was red hot in this one, shooting 65% in the first half and season-high 58% for the game. Wesley Mathews connected on his first five 3-pointers and finished with a team-high 25. Big man Nikola Jokic did his thing for Denver,r recording 27 points and 11 rebounds.

Kings 116 (9-15), Lakers 92 (10-17)

Lakers’ head coach Luke Walton got ejected early on, and his team unraveled in the second half. Leading by nine at the break, Los Angeles lost the third quarter 39-13. Boogie was a monster, dropping 31 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 assists. D’Angelo Russell had 17 in 20 minutes for the Lakers.

Clippers 121 (18-7), Trail Blazers 120 (12-14)

It was a hard fought game at Staples Center (12 ties, 12 lead changes), but the Clippers escaped with their 18th win. Dame made some big plays late, including this ridiculous scoop shot:

But it just wasn’t enough to overcome impressive performances from Blake (26p, 12r, 6a) and CP3 (21p, 14a, 5r).