Wizards 109 (24-20), Hornets 99 (23-22)
Washington grabbed their fifth win in the last six games behind impressive performances from John Wall (24p/7a) and Markieff Morris (23p/8r). As a team, the Wiz shot 53.8% from the field, while holding Charlotte to just 38.9%. Kemba was their top man with 21.
Spurs 112 (35-9), Nets 86 (9-35)
No Pau. No Tony. No Manu. No Kawhi. No problem for the Spurs. San Antonio cruised to their 35th win of the season, as seven players scored in double figures. Isaiah Whitehead led the Nets with 19 points off the bench.
Clippers 115 (30-16), Hawks 105 (26-19)
The Clips led by 18 at halftime, but Atlanta stayed with it, eventually cutting the deficit to 5 in the fourth quarter. But there was just too much Austin Rivers (27p) and Jamal Crawford (19p) to handle. Kent Bazemore dropped 25 for the Hawks.
Heat 105 (15-30), Warriors 102 (38-7)
In one of the games of the year, the Miami Heat handed the Golden State Warriors their 7th loss of the season. Dion Waiters scored 33 points for the second straight time and hit the game-winning three-pointer with 0.6 seconds remaining:
.@dionwaiters3 FTW. pic.twitter.com/C2aVlN10GJ
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) January 24, 2017
Durant led Golden State with 27 points on 12/23 shooting, and had a highlight slam. Don’t look now, but Miami has won four in a row.
Kings 109 (17-27), Pistons 104 (21-25)
Boogie posted 22 points and 14 rebounds and the Kings snapped a five-game losing streak against Detroit. Ty Lawson provided a much-needed boost off the bench with 19 points and 6 assists on 7/11 shooting. For the Pistons, Reggie Jackson (18p/11a) and Andre Drummond (14p/12r) had double-doubles.
Bucks 127 (21-23), Rockets 114 (34-14)
The Greek Freak did it again. Giannis had 31 points on 11/17 from the field, including one ridiculous alley-oop from Jason Terry. Jabari Parker pitched in 28 as well. For Houston, Harden flirted with a triple-double (26p/12a/9r). The Milwaukee win snapped a five-game skid, while the Rockets have lost three of their last five.
Pelicans 124 (18-27), Cavaliers 122 (30-13)
This was a crazy one, to say the least. Kyrie Irving dropped 49 points. LeBron James had a triple-double (26p/12a/10r). Anthony Davis didn’t play. And the Pelicans still topped the Cavaliers. It was the Terrence Jones (36p/11r) and Jrue Holiday (33p/10a) show for New Orleans. Trailing by 20 at the half, Cleveland fought their way back, thanks in large part to Kyrie’s eruption:
How, @KyrieIrving?? pic.twitter.com/6kCd0Fs2ZS
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) January 24, 2017
But it still wasn’t enough to get the W. The Cavs have now lost back-to-back games.
Knicks 109 (20-26), Pacers 103 (22-22)
The Knicks were finally able to close out a tight game, beating the Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. This one felt like it was going to be another New York heartbreaker, as Indiana erased a 17-point third quarter deficit and tied the game late. But Carmelo helped secure the W, scoring 26 points and hitting a big jumper with 23.4 seconds to break the tie. Paul George had 31 points in the loss.
Thunder 97 (26-19), Jazz 95 (29-17)
Russell Westbrook did it all against the Jazz, notching his 22nd triple-double (38p/10a/10r) and hitting the game-winning jumper with 1.4 seconds remaining:
Russell. Westbrook. Game-winner. pic.twitter.com/82Bxg2AAh2
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) January 24, 2017
Russ also scored 11 of OKC’s final 13 points. His heroics helped halt a six-game winning streak for Utah.
