76ers 105 (10-25), Nets 95 (8-28)
After trailing by 11 at the half, Philly went on a 30-9 run to start the third. Brooklyn briefly reclaimed the lead in the final period, but the Sixers used another big spurt (13-0) to grab their tenth victory of the season – the same amount of wins they had ALL of last season. Joel Embiid posted 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in just 24 minutes of action. The Nets, who have lost six in a row, were led by Brook Lopez (26 points).
Wizards 107 (18-18), Bucks 101 (18-18)
Giannis was out with an illness, so Jabari Parker (28p, 8r, 7a) and Malcolm Brogan (career-high 22 points) picked up the slack. But it wasn’t enough to overcome another impressive performance from Bradley Beal (26 points) and a double-double from Markieff Morris (20p, 10r).
Clippers 98 (26-14), Heat 86 (11-28)
This was the CP3 show. The star PG became the 10th player in NBA history to surpass 8,000 career assists, posting 18 dimes in the contest. None were sweeter than this one, however. And check the handles on this highlight:
J.J. Redick led the Clippers in scoring with 25. They have now won four straight.
Rockets 129 (30-9), Raptors 122 (24-13)
Behind another monster performance from James Harden (40p, 11a, 10r), the Rockets came from behind to secure their 30th win. This was the Beard’s second 40-point triple-double of the season. Montrezl Harrell pitched in 28 points on 12/13 shooting off the bench. The Raptors got 36 points from DeMar DeRozan and 26 from DeMarre Carroll (tied career-high), but just couldn’t contain the Houston offense.
Grizzlies 88 (24-16), Jazz 79 (23-16)
Grind and grit. The Grizzlies got the job done on defense tonight, holding Utah to 38.9% shooting from the field. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Jazz had scored just 51 points. Mike Conley did his thing, posting 19 points and 9 assists.
Cavaliers 120 (28-8), Suns 116 (12-26)
Cleveland’s big three came to play, combining for 80 total points:
The Suns refused to give in though, clawing their way back from a 20-point deficit. LeBron drilled two clutch 3-pointers to help the Cavs pull away in the fourth. Eric Bledsoe (31p) and Devin Booker (28p) led Phoenix.
Warriors 117 (32-6), Kings 106 (15-22)
Golden State was down seven at the half, but used a 39-22 third quarter to take control. Stephen Curry had the hot hand throughout, knocking down five treys and dropping 30 total points on 11/22 from the field:
Boogie had 17 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and one crazy technical for Sacramento.
Pistons 125 (18-21), Trail Blazers 124 (16-23)
It was a battle in Portland, with CJ McCollum sinking two clutch threes (one at the end of regulation, and one at the end of OT) to gift fans with more basketball:
It was Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who had the last laugh, however, as he nailed the game-winner in the second overtime period. Reggie Jackson led Detroit with 31, while CJ finished with 35 for the Blazers. What a game.
Lakers 111 (15-26), Magic 95 (16-23)
Julius Randle posted 19 points and the rook Brandon Ingram tied his career-high with 17 as the Lakers claimed their 15th victory. Orlando scored just 9 points in the third quarter and shot 37.8% from the field for the game. Not exactly a recipe for success.
