Pacers 121 (19-18), Nets 109 (8-26)
Jeff Teague’s been on a tear lately. He continued his stellar play tonight, finishing with 21 points (9-13 shooting), 15 assists, 7 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block in 30 minutes of work. Myles Turner was also on fire. The youngin’ had 25 points and 15 rebounds. Paul George rounded out the night with 26 points. Indy led for most of the game and has now won four in a row.
Raptors 101 (24-11), Jazz 93 (22-15)
Somebody gotta double-team Kyle Lowry once the fourth quarter starts. He scored 16 of his 33 points in the final frame. He led an 11-point comeback after trailing for the first 44 minutes of this one. DeMar DeRozan’s jumper to make it 89-88 with 3:44 left was the game’s final lead change. Toronto held on from there.
Pistons 115 (17-21), Hornets 114 (20-17)
With the Hornets down by 19 in the fourth, Kemba Walker stepped up for 20 of his 32 points in the game’s last 12 minutes. Reggie Jackson’s free throws with 1.9 seconds left put Detroit up 115-113. Marcus Morris was called for a foul while Charlotte was trying to inbound at the other end, giving the Hornets one free throw and the ball. Marco Belinelli made it to pull Charlotte within one and setup what should’ve been one of the League’s best game-winners ever. It didn’t count though.
If only this had counted. https://t.co/OY2SfR8Gtn
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) January 6, 2017
Tobias Harris had 25 points, Reggie Jackson had 22 points and 11 assists, Andre Drummond had 16 points and 9 rebounds and Boban Marjanovic had 15 points and a career-best 19 rebounds.
Hawks 99 (20-16), Pelicans 94 (14-23)
The Hawks won their fifth straight game with Dennis Schroder’s game-high 23 points and Paul Millsap’s 17 and 10 rebounds. Dwight Howard scored 12 points and pulled down 11 boards. Anthony Davis had 19 rebounds, but had to take 20 shots to score 20 points. Schroder and Millsap combined to hit the deciding buckets within the last minute of the game. In his final game as a Hawk, Kyle Korver sat on the bench in his uniform and cheered on his teammates.
Rockets 118 (28-9), Thunder 116 (21-16)
There was no way the Thunder could’ve known what they had with James Harden and Russell Westbrook. Nobody thought they’d become what they are. You can’t blame Sam Presti, Clay Bennett or Scott Brooks for that trade.
The good thing that came out of that trade is that Harden and Westbrook are still close as ever. The bonds formed when nobody gives you a chance are pretty strong.
Facts https://t.co/uQe10fdMaf
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) January 6, 2017
During tonight’s game, Russ caught fire from distance. He nailed 8 three-pointers, the most he’s ever hit in one game. He finished with 49 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. He also led the comeback from an 18-point third quarter deficit.
In the first half, though, Harden led the Rockets back from a 14-point disadvantage. He didn’t shoot the ball all that well tonight (6-16, 2-7 from outside), but he dictated the pace and his 26 points, 12 assists and 8 rebounds helped the Rockets win what became a one-possession game late in the fourth.
Harden was double-teamed up near the right side of the three-point line. He found a diving Nene, who got fouled with 0.7 seconds left. He hit the pair of freebies and Enes Kanter missed a prayer of layup on the other end. Harden and Russ embraced after the game because they’re still brothers.
Russ x James https://t.co/LMqJLr6LRh
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) January 6, 2017
Suns 102 (12-25), Mavs 95 (11-25)
Eric Bledsoe scored 7 straight points in the last two minutes of the game to help the Suns pull away with the W. He had 26 on the game and 11 overall in the fourth and 7 assists. Devin Booker scored 22 and Brandon Knight had 17 off the bench. Tyson Chandler popped up for a game-high 18 rebounds. Deron Williams led the Mavs with 20 points, and was backed up by at least 12 points from Devin Harris, Dirk Nowitzki, Seth Curry and Harrison Barnes. But the Mavs didn’t have an answer for Bledsoe. Phoenix has their first winning streak since early November.
Spurs 127 (29-7), Nuggets 99 (14-22)
The Spurs led by as many as 31 thanks to 28 points from LaMarcus Aldridge. They made 51 baskets on 56% shooting and had 34 assists as a team. Kawhi Leonard scored 24, Tony Parker had 21 points and 9 assists. Nikola Jokic led Denver with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists.
Kawhi crushes one with the left. https://t.co/LLZ9BdoZkJ
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) January 6, 2017
Blazers 118 (16-22), Lakers 109 (13-26)
The Lakers built another double-digit lead and eventually lost it because of CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard. McCollum had 27 points and 7 assists, Lillard had 21 and 10, Evan Turner had 15 of his 20 in the fourth, Mason Plumlee added 15 points, 7 rebounds and 5 helpers. Trailing 103-99 with 6 minutes left, Lillard hit a three, then McCollum had a floater and a three and it was over from there.
