Magic (17-39) 89, Knicks (10-42) 83
Orlando beat a Carmelo-less Knicks squad and put an end to its two-game losing streak in the process. Nikola Vucevic was an animal. The big man posted 28 points and 16 rebounds in 41 minutes of play. Victor Oladipo added 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists as he gears up for the dunk contest on Saturday night. The Knicks’ Jason Smith continued his strong play as of late with 25 points and 7 rebounds. The Magic are now 2-2 under interim coach James Borrego. In case you missed it, former head coach Jacque Vaughn was fired last week.
Celtics (20-31) 89, Hawks (43-11) 88
Who saw this one coming?
The Hawks led for 47 minutes and 59.8 seconds of this game. Evan Turner hit a floater with 0.2 seconds left to lift Boston. The Celtics trailed by 14 in the fourth quarter but clawed their way back thanks to big buckets from Jared Sullinger (17 points, 15 rebounds), Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley. Al Horford (22 points, 12 rebounds) and DeMarre Carroll (14 points, 7 rebounds) were bright spots for Atlanta, who still enter the break with the most wins in the NBA but have now lost three games over the past 10 days. Kyle Korver shot just 1-5 from the field (all three-pointers) for 4 points after being named an All-Star replacement. Boston managed to get the W despite shooting only 32 percent from the field.
Spurs (34-19) 104, Pistons (21-33) 87
What’s next for Coach Pop to accomplish after win No. 1,000? Well, No. 1,001 of course!
The Spurs cruised to victory against the Pistons on Wednesday night. Tony Parker scored 17 points and dished out 6 assists. Danny Green contributed with 19 points, 8 boards, 2 steals and 2 blocks. San Antonio held Detroit to just 12 first-quarter points. DJ Augustin dropped 22 points and 6 assists in the loss while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope finished with 20. This one’s gotta feel especially good for the defending champs, as they fell at home to the Pistons 105-104 on Jan. 6. In that one, a then-healthy Brandon Jennings sank a game-winning bank shot.
Raptors (36-17) 95, Wizards (33-21) 93
DeMar DeRozan (23 points, 3 steals) hit a jumper with 12 seconds left to break the tie and give Toronto the win.
Lou Williams lit it up, going for 27 points on 8-16 shooting including 4-8 from beyond the arc. Kyle Lowry put up 13 and 6. John Wall (21 points, 8 assists, 5 turnovers) drove to the cup on the possession following DeRozan’s game-winner. However, his layup attempt was blocked, and his ensuing three-point attempt was off-target. Paul Pierce (17 points) and Nene (14 points, 4 steals) were solid.
Bucks (30-23) 111, Kings (18-34) 103
Sad vibes in Sac-town right now. Tyrone Corbin is on his way out, George Karl is in, Boogie is unhappy, and the team is losing. The Bucks easily dismantled the Kings for their 30th win of the season. Giannis Antetikounmpo posted 13 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals.
Check out the video below of Reggie Evans and the Greek Freak sharing a few words …
Reggie: “How old are you?”
Giannis: “20.”
Reggie: “Damn!”
Brandon Knight had an all-star caliber game with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Khris Middleton scored 15 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and nabbed 2 steals. OJ Mayo dropped 21 off the bench. DeMarcus Cousins was unstoppable — he scored 28 points, grabbed 19 rebounds, dished out 5 dimes and swatted 4 shots — but Sacramento struggled on the defensive end.
Warriors (42-9) 94, Timberwolves (11-42) 91
The T-Wolves nearly pulled off the upset, but Andre Iguodala and Leandro Barbosa were clutch down the stretch as Golden State earned its 42nd win.
Steph Curry (25 pts, 8 asts, 5 reb, 3 steals) was sensational. Klay Thompson (14 points, 2 blocks) hit an important three-ball in crunch time. Ricky Rubio did a little bit of everything, finishing with 18 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Kevin Martin scored 21, Nikola Pekovic had 17 and 13, and Thaddeus Young posted 15 and 7.
Rubio found Young for this insane dime:
Pacers (21-33) 106, Pelicans (27-26) 93
Anthony Davis missed his second straight outing with a sprained right shoulder, and the Pacers took advantage by picking apart the Pelicans, 106-93. It was also announced that the Brow will have to sit out Sunday’s All-Star Game.
George Hill, David West and Rodney Stuckey combined for 50 points. A playoff spot seemed completely out of reach earlier in the season, but the Pacers might actually get there if they can keep up this style of basketball post-All Star break. For New Orleans, Alexis Ajinca (14 points, 7 rebounds), Luke Babbitt (15 points, 8 rebounds) and Toney Douglas (14 points, 7 dimes) kept things respectable.
Thunder (28-25) 105, Grizzlies (39-14) 89
KD posted 26 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks, Russell Westbrook nearly triple-doubled with 24 points, 9 assists and 9 boards, and OKC capitalized on an off-night from Marc Gasol (2-10 from the field, 8 points). The Thunder have now won five of six games heading into the break and are within a half-game of the eighth spot in the West.
Nick Collision added 15 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks off the bench. Serge Ibaka had 7 points, 7 boards and 3 blocks. Zach Randolph (16 points, 11 rebounds) was the only offensive threat for Memphis.
Cavaliers (33-21) 113, Heat (22-30) 93
The Cavs are rolling.
LeBron had 18 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists against his former team. Timofey Mozgov (what a pickup!) was a force inside with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. Dude’s got some hops — he was on the receiving end of some pretty alley-oops. Kyrie Irving scored 15 points, dropped 6 dimes and committed 2 robberies, Kevin Love had 12 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals, and Tristan Thompson hustled his way to 17 points and 9 boards. Four heat starters — Luol Deng, Chris Bosh, Hassan Whiteside and Mario Chalmers — combined for 67 points. The rest of the team failed to get much going in the way of offense. Cleveland’s win makes up for its loss to Miami on Christmas.
Mavericks (36-19) 87, Jazz (19-34) 82
The Mavs edged the Jazz thanks to JJ Barea’s 22 points and Dirk’s 15 points and 14 rebounds. Barea stepped up nicely in Rajon Rondo’s sixth game out due to a broken orbital bone. Dallas was also without Tyson Chandler, who sprained his ankle in a loss to the Clippers on Monday night.
The Jazz had the rock in the closing seconds down three. Gordon Hayward (12 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists) turned it over and the Mavs extended their lead to five.
Trail Blazers (36-17) 102, Lakers (13-40) 86
Let’s be real: the Lakers are an ugly bunch to watch.
On the other hand, the Blazers’ play is aesthetically pleasing thanks in large part to LaMarcus Aldridge (18 points, 12 rebounds), Damian Lillard (15 points, 8 assists) and Wes Matthews (20 points, 5 boards, 2 steals). Portland dealt Los Angeles its sixth straight loss and 11th straight on the road. The Lake “Show” is buried in second-to-last place in the West.
Matthews hustled for one of his two steals and found Lillard for the sweet finish:
And in a rare bright spot for LA, Swaggy P left Steve Blake in the dust:
Clippers (34-19) 110, Rockets (36-16) 95
The Clippers relied heavily on their remaining healthy big man en route to a big win in the second of ESPN’s Wednesday night double-header. DeAndre Jordan went for 24 points, 20 boards, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Yep, I’d say that’s a pretty decent statline — despite shooting only 12-26 from the line. LAC’s center has now recorded 20/20 in three of his last six outings.
Chris Paul controlled the tempo and finished with 12 points, 12 dimes and 2 steals. He found JJ Redick and Jamal Crawford — who scored 20 apiece — for many of those assists. An off-night for James Harden spelled bad news for Houston. The bearded baller shot just 3-12 for 9 points. Teammates Josh Smith (21 points, 13 rebounds), Corey Brewer (22 points) and Trevor Ariza (13 points, 7 boards) picked up some of the slack, but it wasn’t enough.
Kostas Papanikolaou made a ridiculous one-handed assist:
Was it better than Rubio’s?
