Bucks 120 (43-7), Pelicans 108 (20-31)
In the first installment of Giannis vs. Zion, the Bucks took over in the third quarter, outscoring the Pelicans 42-24 en route to their 43rd win of the season. The Greek Freak went off for 34 points, 17 rebounds, and 6 assists on 12-17 shooting. Khris Middleton added 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists in the win. New Orleans was led by Brandon Ingram, who dropped 32 points in the loss. After a slow start and a big fourth quarter, Zion finished with 20 points and 7 rebounds. Lonzo Ball added 11 points and 14 rebounds in the loss.
Rockets 125 (32-18), Hornets 110 (16-35)
James Harden went off for 40 points, 9 rebounds, and 12 assists as the Rockets cruised to the home win over the Hornets. Danuel House finished with 22 points and 9 rebounds, and Eric Gordon added 16 for Houston. Charlotte was led by Miles Bridges, who finished with 20 points and 15 rebounds in the loss. Terry Rozier added 20 points, and Malik Monk dropped 19 off the bench.
Nuggets 127 (35-16), Trail Blazers 99 (23-28)
The Nuggets outscored the Blazers 27-10 in the second quarter and built on their lead in the second half to pick up the easy win at home. Nikola Jokic dominated, finishing with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 assists in 31 minutes. In his first game back after missing the last 10 with an ankle injury, Jamal Murray dropped 20 points on 6-9 shooting. Denver was able to slow down the red hot Damian Lillard, holding him to 21 points and 9 assists.
Lakers 129 (38-11), Spurs 102 (22-28)
The Lakers went crazy for 42 points in the fourth thanks to LeBron James, who splashed 5 straight threes in the first 4 minutes of the quarter to blow open the Los Angeles lead. The King finished with a monster stat line of 36 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, and 6 3PM. Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma each added 18 points for the Lakers. San Antonio was led by DeMar DeRozan, who stuffed the stat sheet himself with 28 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists in the loss.
