A busier than usual Saturday of NBA action included the Los Angeles Lakers looking great in New Orleans, DeMar DeRozan carrying the Toronto Raptors to another big win, the Chicago Bulls getting a season-best kind of night from Jimmy Butler to string consecutive wins, and the San Antonio Spurs relying on their bench to deliver a mini-revenge win over the Houston Rockets.
Los Angeles Lakers 126 New Orleans Pelicans 99: The Pelicans revert to their Anthony Davis on his own state, torched by 66 points from the Lakers guard trio of D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Lou Williams. The Lakers are two games above .500, something that hasn’t happened to them in a very long time.
Boston Celtics 105 Indiana Pacers 99: The Pacers played without Paul George and looked bad on both ends of the floor, led by 20 points from Jeff Teague. Isaiah Thomas scored 23 points to lead the Celtics, getting 14 of his points from the line.
New York Knicks 107 Toronto Raptors 118: The Knicks are the next team to find it impossible to slow down the storm of DeMar DeRozan, scoring 33 points, his 8th 30+ game in nine outings. The Knicks big three scored 73 points including 31 for Carmelo Anthony, but their defense is a complete mess at this point.
Philadelphia 76ers 96 Atlanta Hawks 117: The Hawks continue to play terrific, balanced basketball. Tim Hardaway led them with 20 points off the bench, while Kent Bazemore added 17. Jahlil Okafor led the Sixers with 18 points in 24 minutes.
Washington Wizards 95 Chicago Bulls 106: The Bulls win their second game in a row, not letting Rajon Rondo held to 0 points or Dwyane Wade shooting 5-for-17 again stop them. Jimmy Butler scored a season high of 37 points, adding 8 rebounds and 9 assists, as the Wizards played without John Wall or Bradley Beal.
San Antonio Spurs 106 Houston Rockets 100: The Spurs get revenge for their loss to the Rockets last week, playing with their full roster for the first time this season. Kawhi Leonard scored 20 to lead San Antonio, who were at their best when the Manu Ginobili bench unit was on. Jonathon Simmons scored 12 points, James Harden had a triple double, and Eric Gordon led the Rockets with 27 points.
Los Angeles Clippers 119 Minnesota Timberwolves 105: Another very impressive performance by the Clippers, who are 5-0 on the road this season. The entire starting lineup scored in double figures, led by 20 points and 11 rebounds from Blake Griffin. Karl-Anthony Towns led the Timberwolves with 24 points, but their defense has been terrible so far.
Utah Jazz 102 Miami Heat 91: The Jazz defensive clinic is doing well on its Eastern tour, led by 25 points from Gordon Hayward who shot well for a change, while Rodney Hood scored 17 points and Rudy Gobert made life difficult for Hassan Whiteside. The Heat are only 2-6 to start the season, confirming their worst fears after the disappointing offseason they had.
Memphis Grizzlies 96 Milwaukee Bucks 106: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 27 points to lead the Bucks against a Grizzlies team that remains without a win when playing on the road.
Detroit Pistons 106 Denver Nuggets 95: The Nuggets are beginning to make changes in their lineups, disappointed with not finding more consistency. They’re still without a win at home, this time succumbing to six Pistons in double figures, including 19 from Tobias Harris.
Brooklyn Nets 122 Phoenix Suns 104: On one hand, these are the Suns. But the Nets, still without Jeremy Lin, played possibly their best game of the season, holding Phoenix to 37% from the field, led by 20 points from Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, his best game of the season, as he’s suddenly looking more aggressive and confident with his jumper.
Eastern Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 7 | 1 | .875 | – | 8 |
| 2 | Atlanta Hawks | 7 | 2 | .778 | 0.5 | 9 |
| 3 | Toronto Raptors | 7 | 2 | .778 | 0.5 | 9 |
| 4 | Charlotte Hornets | 6 | 2 | .750 | 1.0 | 8 |
| 5 | Chicago Bulls | 6 | 4 | .600 | 2.0 | 10 |
| 6 | Boston Celtics | 5 | 4 | .556 | 2.5 | 9 |
| 7 | Milwaukee Bucks | 5 | 4 | .556 | 2.5 | 9 |
| 8 | Detroit Pistons | 5 | 5 | .500 | 3.0 | 10 |
| 9 | Brooklyn Nets | 4 | 5 | .444 | 3.5 | 9 |
| 10 | Indiana Pacers | 4 | 6 | .400 | 4.0 | 10 |
| 11 | New York Knicks | 3 | 6 | .333 | 4.5 | 9 |
| 12 | Orlando Magic | 3 | 6 | .333 | 4.5 | 9 |
| 13 | Miami Heat | 2 | 6 | .250 | 5.0 | 8 |
| 14 | Washington Wizards | 2 | 7 | .222 | 5.5 | 9 |
| 15 | Philadelphia 76ers | 1 | 8 | .111 | 6.5 | 9 |
Western Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles Clippers | 9 | 1 | .900 | – | 10 |
| 2 | Golden State Warriors | 7 | 2 | .778 | 1.5 | 9 |
| 3 | San Antonio Spurs | 7 | 3 | .700 | 2.0 | 10 |
| 4 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 6 | 3 | .667 | 2.5 | 9 |
| 5 | Utah Jazz | 7 | 4 | .636 | 2.5 | 11 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Lakers | 6 | 4 | .600 | 3.0 | 10 |
| 7 | Portland Trail Blazers | 6 | 4 | .600 | 3.0 | 10 |
| 8 | Houston Rockets | 5 | 4 | .556 | 3.5 | 9 |
| 9 | Memphis Grizzlies | 4 | 5 | .444 | 4.5 | 9 |
| 10 | Sacramento Kings | 4 | 7 | .364 | 5.5 | 11 |
| 11 | Denver Nuggets | 3 | 6 | .333 | 5.5 | 9 |
| 12 | Phoenix Suns | 3 | 7 | .300 | 6.0 | 10 |
| 13 | Dallas Mavericks | 2 | 6 | .250 | 6.0 | 8 |
| 14 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 2 | 6 | .250 | 6.0 | 8 |
| 15 | New Orleans Pelicans | 1 | 9 | .100 | 8.0 | 10 |