Wolves 102 (10-7), Hornets 118 (7-9)
Let’s get this out of the way immediately: Dwight Howard thoroughly outplayed Karl-Anthony Towns tonight.
Dwight finished with 25 points, 20 rebounds and 4 blocks as Charlotte was able to pull away in the fourth quarter.
Cavs 116 (10-7), Pistons 88 (11-6)
Five straight wins for the Cavs, but you still have to wonder if they’ve officially turned the corner.
LeBron (18 points, 8 dimes) only needed to play 27 minutes in the blowout. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin summed this win up perfectly:
Good: LeBron James played a season-low 27 minutes tonight. Better: Cavs shot 16-for-33 from 3 as a team. Best: Cleveland held Detroit to 88 points, a season-low for an opponent.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 21, 2017
Pacers 105 (10-8), Magic 97 (8-9)
Victor Oladipo was outstanding in his return to Orlando and, along with Kristaps Porzingis, has to be a frontrunner for Most Improved Player this season.
Oladipo (29 points, 9 boards, 5 dimes, 7 steals) led Indiana to their fourth straight win (handing Orlando their fifth-straight loss).
.@VicOladipo is back in Orlando, putting on a show (via @NBATV) pic.twitter.com/MvvkC6SsAJ
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) November 21, 2017
Jazz 86 (7-11), 76ers 107 (9-7)
There’s little to no doubt that the Sixers will be a playoff team if they stay healthy and continue to play the way they’ve been playing.
Ben Simmons had 27 points and 10 rebounds while Joel Embiid had 15 and 11 in 27 minutes.
Embiid also had an exchange with Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell in the fourth quarter, which… well, you’ll have to see for yourself:
Processed 😱😂 (via @BleacherReport) pic.twitter.com/76S6R2nivn
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) November 21, 2017
Clippers 85 (5-11), Knicks 107 (9-7)
The Knicks looked good on offense—ball whipping around—and Kristaps Porzingis (25 points, 7 boards) continues to make so many good things happen on both ends.
New York played a good ballgame, but here’s the bigger issue for the Clippers: They just didn’t look competitive.
Losers of 9 straight, L.A. will have a chance to bounce back against ATL on Wednesday.
Blazers 100 (10-7), Grizzlies 92 (7-9)
Damian Lillard came down awkwardly on Chandler Parsons’ foot in the second quarter. But no ankle sprain is going to keep Lillard out of a game.
Lillard finished with 21 points and CJ McCollum added 24 as Portland handed the Grizz their fifth consecutive L.
Wizards 99 (10-7), Bucks 88 (8-8)
It was a two-point game with 2 minutes left in the third when Washington ripped off a 20-6 run.
Less than four minutes into the fourth quarter, Washington had a 16-point lead, and they never looked back.
Bradley Beal led the way with 23 points on 10-16 shooting.
Thunder 107 (7-9), Pelicans 114 (9-8)
OKC jumped out to a 19-point lead in the first quarter and had lost it all by the middle of the second.
The Pelicans lost DeMarcus Cousins in their third quarter after he elbowed Russell Westbrook in the dome, but New Orleans was able to hold on for the win.
Should Boogie have been ejected? 🤔 (via @Ballislife) https://t.co/Mlunj5q1Va
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) November 21, 2017
Anthony Davis had 36 and 15 in the win.
Celtics 110 (16-2), Mavs 102 (3-15) (OT)
There’s a ton of remarkable stuff going on with the Celtics right now.
Sure, they’ve got 16 straight wins, and an MVP candidate in Kyrie Irving, who just dropped a season-high 47 points (16-22 FG, 10 points in OT) to defeat the Mavs.
But they’re doing it by the slimmest of margins. Over the last two weeks, their net rating of 3.4 ranks ninth in the League.
They had to claw their way out of a 13-point hole in the fourth, and thankfully, had Kyrie on their side.
Kyrie has 25 points (9-10 FG) at the HALF! (via @celtics) https://t.co/ouw3cF3BJd
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) November 21, 2017
Hawks 85 (3-14), Spurs 96 (11-6)
While they never blew the Hawks away, San Antonio was in control for the vast majority of the game.
The Spurs have been quietly playing solid basketball without Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, ranking third in net rating (10.7) over the past two weeks.
Nuggets 114 (10-7), Kings 98 (4-13)
Denver is starting to put things together. Even without Paul Millsap (wrist) and Wilson Chandler (back), the Nuggets cruised to an easy win.
Their offense has been humming, and their defense hasn’t been terrible of late either.
BONUS: LaVar Ball was interviewed on CNN during tonight’s busy slate of games, and I spent far too much time listening to what he had to say instead of watching basketball.
That said, I wouldn’t trade back a minute. Here’s the entire segment:
https://youtu.be/pca-BHt8VsU
