Post Up: Photo Finish

Warriors 108 (43-4), 76ers 105 (7-41)

Opening Saturday’s game with lofty -5000 odds, the Warriors were given a serious run for their money by the 7-41 76ers. Ish Smith, who has emerged into a team since since his acquisition from the Pelicans, dropped 16 on Golden State, including a game-tying slam with 30 seconds left in regulation. The Warriors would be undeterred from squandering a 24-point lead, however, and eventually pick up the W thanks to a clutch trey from Harrison Barnes. As Timothy Burke of Deadspin pointed out, coming this close to victory against a historically-good team is its own reward for the 76ers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThoaDHDJ3hc&ab_channel=HighlightsNBAHD

Nets 103 (12-36), Pelicans 105 (18-28)

Not to be outdone by Harrison Barnes, Jrue Holiday of the Pelicans provided some late game heroics of his own; draining this fadeaway jumper with a hand in his face to secure victory for New Orleans. His team may have dropped three straight, but Brook Lopez continues to produce — posting double-doubles in each of his last six games, with 33 coming tonight at the Smoothie King Center (Editor’s note: can we all pitch in a few bucks to change the name back to ‘New Orleans Arena’?).

Nuggets 105 (18-30), Pacers 109 (25-22)

Monta Ellis (32 points) put the finishing touches on Denver in OT, notching a clutch and-one to put Indiana up for good. With Ian Mahinmi on the sidelines, Myles Turner and Jordan Hill stepped up to counter Nikola Jokic and Kenneth Faried (32 combined points) of Denver’s frontcourt. With Saturday’s victory, the Pacers snapped a four-game overtime skid.

Pistons 107 (25-23), Raptors 111 (32-15)

Once again, Andre Drummond’s presence (or lack thereof) has loomed large in a close loss for the Pistons. Drummond posted his 39th double-double of the season, but went 1-for-9 from the charity stripe and fouled out with over half of the fourth quarter remaining. The Raptors received a game-high 29 points from DeMar DeRozan, and fellow All-Star Kyle Lowry helped the cause with 18 points and eight boards.

Wizards 123 (21-24), Rockets 122 (25-25)

Despite the loss, James Harden posted one of the better stat lines you’ll see all season: scoring 40 points, with 11 dimes, seven boards, and four steals over 37 minutes. John Wall helped the Wizards snap a three-game skid 19 points and 13 assists, while Marcin Gortat posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 boards. Wizards head coach Randy Wittman coached despite receiving news of his brother’s death on Friday. Wittman, who enjoyed a nine-year playing career in the NBA, should be lauded for his team commitment during a personal tragedy.

Kings 117 (20-27), Grizzlies 121 (28-20)

The Grizzlies received 29 points from Jeff Green in a reserve role, as the journeyman came off the bench to shoot 68.75 percent from the field. This simply wasn’t the sharpest night for Sacramento — Boogie Cousins shot just 3-for-17 while committing six turnovers (before leaving due to an ankle injury), while Rajon Rondo fouled out in the fourth quarter. Vince Carter, meanwhile, is still capable of elevating at 39 years old.

Spurs 103 (39-8), Cavaliers 117 (34-12)

LeBron James may not have been on the same page with his teammates as far as uniforms are concerned, but he was on point the rest of the night- posting a well-rounded 29/7/5/2/2 stat sheet. It wasn’t the best night for the Tim Duncan-less Spurs, as Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love posted a combined 42 points with little resistance.