NBA
January 4, 2018

Post Up: All Green

Celtics 102 (31-10), Cavaliers 88 (25-13)

The Celtics spoiled Isaiah Thomas’s return to Boston thanks to 20 points from Terry Rozier and 15 each from Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart. Thomas played his first game of the season for Cleveland on Tuesday night and rested on Wednesday as he watched his current team battle his former team. LeBron James had 19 to lead Cleveland, but the Cavs shot just 35 percent for the game.

Wizards 121 (22-16), Knicks 103 (18-20)

Bradley Beal scored 27 points and John Wall had 25 as the Wizards handed the Knicks their sixth loss in seven games. The Wizards led by one at halftime before a 26-14 third quarter opened things up. Michael Beasley scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half, but the Knicks never drew closer than 15 points in the final quarter. Marcin Gortat also had 21 for Washington on 9-10 shooting.

Rockets 116 (27-9), Magic 98 (12-27)

Gerald Green scored 27 points to help the James Harden-less Rockets to their second straight win. Green hit his first five three-point attempts and finished the game 7-10 from deep in a game that was never really close. The Magic scored just 12 points in the first quarter and were led by Aaron Gordon, who had 16.

76ers 112 (18-19), Spurs 106 (26-13)

The 76ers initially ruled Joel Embiid out of this one, but Embiid played through it and Philly was glad he did. He scored 21 to go with 11 rebounds while Ben Simmons had 26 more in the win. Patty Mills led the Spurs with 26 points.

Nets 98 (15-23), Timberwolves 97 (24-15)

Spencer Dinwiddie‘s basket with 10 seconds to go gave the Nets a thrilling win in Brooklyn. Dinwiddie finished with 26 points to go with nine assists as the Nets won their second straight. Joe Harris also had 17 off the bench. Jimmy Butler led all scorers with 30 points.

Heat 111 (20-17), Pistons 104 (20-16)

The Heat didn’t trail in the fourth quarter, despite going into the final frame tied, thanks to a few key buckets from Kelly Olynyk. Olynyk finished with game highs in points (25) and rebounds (13) to help get the Heat to three games over .500 for the first time since April 2016. Tobias Harris had 19 to lead the Pistons.

Raptors 124 (26-10), Bulls 115 (13-25)

Two days after his career-high 52-point performance, DeMar DeRozan scored 35 more to lead the Raptors over the Bulls. Toronto trailed by 10 after the first quarter as DeRozan got off to a slow start, but his 18-point third-quarter proved to be the difference. Justin Holiday shot 7-10 and scored 26 points for the Bulls.

Bucks 122 (20-16), Pacers 101 (19-19)

Giannis Antetokounmpo set the tone early, scoring 21 of his game-high 31 points in the first half to help Milwaukee build a 10-point lead at the break. The Bucks shot 59 percent for the game en route to their third win in four tries. Domantas Sabonis led the Pacers with 24 on 10-13 shooting. Indiana was playing without Victor Oladipo, who missed his fourth-straight game with a knee injury.

Warriors 125 (30-8), Mavericks 122 (13-26)

Steph Curry‘s three with three seconds to go lifted the Warriors to a thrilling win on the road. It came seconds after a Harrison Barnes layup tied it, completing a late comeback for Dallas. Curry finished with 32 points, while Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson had 25 each. Wesley Matthews had 22 and Dwight Powell had 21 for Dallas.

Nuggets 134 (20-17), Suns 111 (15-25)

Gary Harris‘s 36 points on 14-17 shooting was more than enough for a Nuggets team that shot 62 percent and held Phoenix to just 42 percent. In total, seven Denver players scored in double figures, including Trey Lyles, who had 16 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. Devin Booker had 17 to lead the Suns.

Pelicans 108 (19-18), Jazz 98 (16-22)

Jrue Holiday scored 18 points in the first half and Anthony Davis finished with 29-and-15 to lead the Pelicans over Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz. Mitchell had 24 points but it was not enough to overcome 14 made threes from New Orleans. DeMarcus Cousins chipped in a double-double for the Pelicans (19 points, 11 rebounds) while Joe Johnson had 20 for Utah.

Thunder 133 (20-17), Lakers 96 (11-25)

A 37-18 second quarter was all Oklahoma City needed to get going and run away with the win in the evening’s final contest. Four Thunder players scored 20-or-more points, led by Paul George and Terrance Ferguson, who had 24 each. As a team, OKC shot 60 percent from the field and went 14-30 from three. Kyle Kuzma had 18 to lead the Lakers, who also committed 17 turnovers.

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