NBA
December 18, 2016

Post Up: Thank You TD

Spurs 113 (22-5), Pelicans 100 (9-20)

The Spurs took care of business prior to Tim Duncan’s jersey retirement ceremony, scoring 61 first half points in a comfortable win over the Pelicans. Anthony Davis scored just 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting, while Alexis Ajinca notched a team-high 16 points with eight boards. LaMarcus Aldridge scored a game-high 22 points and Manu Ginobili added 17 off the bench.

After the victory, all focus shifted to Duncan’s ceremony. Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Dave Odom (Duncan’s coach at Wake Forest University) and Gregg Popovich all gave touching speeches before Timmy addressed the crowd.

Wizards 117 (12-14), Clippers 110 (20-8)

John Wall wasn’t tasked with carrying Washington’s offense in this match-up, as Bradley Beal (41 points) and Markieff Morris (23 points, nine boards) lifted the Wizards to an upset victory. The Clippers enjoyed solid performances from their regulars- Chris Paul double-doubled and Blake Griffin scored 26- but Washington closed the game on a 22-8 run to wrap up the W.

Mavericks 99 (7-20), Kings 79 (10-17)

The Kings have reached their nadir, getting handled by a league-worst Mavericks team. On the bright side, DeMarcus Cousins’ off-court antics haven’t affected his performance; scoring 33 points with six boards. The rest of his team, however, shot an abysmal 18-for-52 from the field, sealing their fate against Dorian Finney-Smith (team-high 17 points) and the Mavs.

Celtics 105 (15-12), Heat 95 (9-19)

Goran Dragic (31 points) and Hassan Whiteside (23 points, 17 boards) did their thing, yet Miami continued their slide with a frustrating loss to the Celtics. Boston set the tone early on, emerging from the first quarter with a 37-19 lead. Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas had 20 and 23 points, respectively, while Al Horford contributed 17 points with eight rebounds. With Sunday’s W, Boston moves past Charlotte for third place overall in the Eastern Conference.

https://twitter.com/CelticsJunkies/status/810661705265070080

Raptors 109 (19-8), Magic 79 (12-17)

Bismack Biyombo managed 12 rebounds with three blocks against his former team, but it was otherwise all Toronto in Sunday’s 30-point drubbing. DeMar DeRozan scored a game-high 31 points, Jonas Valanciunas and Kyle Lowry each double-doubled, and Pascal Siakam swatted four shots- including this gem:

76ers 108 (7-20), Nets 107 (7-19)

Joel Embiid’s career-high 33 points were the difference in Philly’s narrow victory over Brook Lopez (two dimes, one board shy of a triple-double) and the Nets. Ersan Ilyasova poured in 22 points off the bench, while Robert Covington scored 15. Jeremy Lin scored 16 in limited minutes, but bricked a potentially game-tying three in Brooklyn’s final possession.

Philadelphia’s crowded depth chart at the 5 continues to be a pressing issue. Jahlil Okafor received the start on Sunday, and went 0-for-10 from the field. It’s no secret that Nerlens Noel isn’t long for the team, as the former Kentucky Wildcat sat out all of Sunday’s game and continues to be mentioned in trade talks.

Jazz 82 (18-10), Grizzlies 73 (18-11)

Utah bested Memphis in a low-scoring affair, improving to 7-1 over their last eight games. Rudy Gobert and Gordon Hayward scored 21 and 22 points, respectively, while Derrick Favors swatted four shots in 13 minutes of court time. Memphis, meanwhile, received a team-high 14 points from Mike Conley while shooting a cumulative 30.1% from the field…yikes. The Grizzlies will look to regroup against the Celtics on Tuesday.

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