Post Up: Big-Time Upsets

Bucks 117 (4-2), Hawks 106 (1-6)

The Bucks led for the entire game thanks to the performances of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. Antetokounmpo had another huge stat line, putting up 33 points and 11 rebounds. It’s the fifth time he’s scored 30+ in the Bucks’ six games. Middleton had a season-high 27 points.

Pacers 97 (3-3), Spurs 94 (4-2)

Victor Oladipo and Domas Sabonis sparked the Pacers late-game win over San Antonio. Sure, it was Oladipo who hit the go-ahead three-pointer from waaay deep but young Sabonis was 9-9, scoring 22 points and getting 12 rebounds.

”We try to come in every night and prove that we’re not just those players who were in the Paul George trade and that we actually mean something,” Sabonis said after the game.

Nuggets 124 (3-3), Nets 111 (3-4)

Denver used a quickstrike offense in the third quarter to blow the Nets out. They won the frame 40-21 and kept Brooklyn at arm’s length for the rest of the game.

Six Nuggets scored in double figures. Jamal Murray had 26 points and Nikola Jokic put up 21 points and 14 rebounds.

Hornets 120 (3-3), Magic 113 (4-2)

Kemba Walker’s shotmaking was the difference. The seven-year pro registered 11 of his 34 points in the fourth when the young Magic refused to go away. Walker also had 10 assists and 6 rebounds. He was backed up by 22 and 10 from Dwight Howard and 20 points from Jeremy Lamb.

Jonathon Simmons led the charge for Orlando. He had 27 points. But Charlotte owned the inside. They had 68 points in the paint and 59 total rebounds, easily outrebounding Orlando’s 40 boards.

Wizards 110 (4-2), Kings 83 (1-5)

This game was never close. The Wizards came out with a 35-16 first quarter and led by as many as 37. John Wall had 19 points and 9 assists and four other Wizards scored at least 11 points. Washington had 28 assists on 40 field goals, too.

Knicks 114 (2-3), Cavs 95 (3-4)

The Knicks got an immediate boost from Tim Hardaway Jr, who scored 24 of his 34 points in the first half. They built up a lead by hitting the glass, pulling down 51 rebounds as a team, including 12 boards each from Enes Kanter and Kristaps Porzingis. KP had 32 points, with 8 of them coming after the Cavs made a run in the fourth quarter.

Porzingis and Hardaway helped the blue and orange snap a 10-game losing streak to LeBron James. Tonight marks KP’s first career victory against the King.

Pistons 115 (5-2), Warriors 107 (4-3)

Though the Warriors had a 14-point advantage, they were incredibly sloppy with the ball, surrendering 25 turnovers to the Pistons. Detroit made full use of all those miscues, getting 31 points off those turnovers.

Detroit’s balanced scoring effort lifted them to 63 second half points, helping them build a 13-point fourth quarter lead. Avery Bradley had 23 points, Reggie Jackson had 22, Ish Smith came off the bench for 16 and Tobias Harris and Stanley Johnson added 16 and 15 points, respectively. Andre Drummond inhaled 18 rebounds to go along with his 5 steals and 5 assists.

The Pistons have the best record in the East, winning their last three games, including an impressive road win over the Clippers on Saturday night.