The Golden State Warriors are entering their scary mode with a power demonstration against the helpless Indiana Pacers. Meanwhile the Houston Rockets escaped a close call against the Detroit Pistons, the San Antonio Spurs looked bad but still beat the Dallas Mavericks, and the Memphis Grizzlies remain the impressive team they’ve always been without too much flash.
Miami Heat 94 Philadelphia 76ers 101: The Heat are in trouble, looking bad even in a full lineup. Joel Embiid scored 22 points as the Sixers won back to back games for the first time in almost two years. Gerald Henderson scored 19 points.
Phoenix Suns 101 Washington Wizards 106: A big night for Bradley Beal with 42 points was too much for the awful Suns, who do have some nice numbers coming from Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker (combining to score 59 points), but overall look like a team that’s not quite sure if it’s rebuilding or contending.
Memphis Grizzlies 105 Charlotte Hornets 90: There are a lot of similarities between the two teams, but the Grizzlies, even without a scoring star like Kemba Walker, are far better. They held the Hornets to 29% from beyond the arc while Mike Conley had himself a big night, scoring 31 points. Marc Gasol did everything with 13 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists.
Golden State Warriors 120 Indiana Pacers 83: Tired from their overtime win in Oklahoma City, the injured Pacers couldn’t really do anything against the Warriors, who are getting scary again. Kevin Durant scored just 14 points and it still was an easy game, with 25 points from Klay Thompson leading the way.
Houston Rockets 99 Detroit Pistons 96: A big 3-pointer from Trevor Ariza helped the Rockets grab a 93-91 lead and hold on to it, finishing the game from the line. James Harden shot poorly and even missed five free throws, but he did finish with 28 points and 11 assists. Clint Capela helped out with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Orlando Magic 89 Milwaukee Bucks 93: Two teams trying to break through the ceiling holding them back, with the Bucks having the edge thanks to their fantastic duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker, combining to score 43 points. The Magic turned the ball over 24 times.
Boston Celtics 99 Minnesota Timberwolves 93: The Timberwolves blew a 13-point lead entering the fourth quarter, not scoring a single point for 7 consecutive minutes. Isaiah Thomas led Boston with 29 points, Al Horford finished with 20. Andrew Wiggins disappointed with just 14 points on 5-of-18 from the field.
Dallas Mavericks 91 San Antonio Spurs 96: The Mavs are establishing themselves as the worst team in the NBA right now, getting nothing from their bench all season so far. The Spurs had Gregg Popovich screaming at them for playing poorly, but they still won. Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points, Patty Mills helped out from the bench with 17.
Eastern Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 10 | 2 | .833 | – | 12 |
| 2 | Atlanta Hawks | 9 | 4 | .692 | 1.5 | 13 |
| 3 | Chicago Bulls | 9 | 5 | .643 | 2.0 | 14 |
| 4 | Charlotte Hornets | 8 | 5 | .615 | 2.5 | 13 |
| 5 | Toronto Raptors | 8 | 6 | .571 | 3.0 | 14 |
| 6 | Boston Celtics | 8 | 6 | .571 | 3.0 | 14 |
| 7 | Indiana Pacers | 7 | 8 | .467 | 4.5 | 15 |
| 8 | New York Knicks | 6 | 7 | .462 | 4.5 | 13 |
| 9 | Milwaukee Bucks | 6 | 7 | .462 | 4.5 | 13 |
| 10 | Orlando Magic | 6 | 8 | .429 | 5.0 | 14 |
| 11 | Detroit Pistons | 6 | 9 | .400 | 5.5 | 15 |
| 12 | Miami Heat | 4 | 9 | .308 | 6.5 | 13 |
| 13 | Washington Wizards | 4 | 9 | .308 | 6.5 | 13 |
| 14 | Brooklyn Nets | 4 | 9 | .308 | 6.5 | 13 |
| 15 | Philadelphia 76ers | 4 | 10 | .286 | 7.0 | 14 |
Western Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles Clippers | 13 | 2 | .867 | – | 15 |
| 2 | Golden State Warriors | 12 | 2 | .857 | 0.5 | 14 |
| 3 | San Antonio Spurs | 11 | 3 | .786 | 1.5 | 14 |
| 4 | Memphis Grizzlies | 9 | 5 | .643 | 3.5 | 14 |
| 5 | Houston Rockets | 9 | 5 | .643 | 3.5 | 14 |
| 6 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 8 | 6 | .571 | 4.5 | 14 |
| 7 | Portland Trail Blazers | 8 | 7 | .533 | 5.0 | 15 |
| 8 | Los Angeles Lakers | 7 | 7 | .500 | 5.5 | 14 |
| 9 | Utah Jazz | 7 | 8 | .467 | 6.0 | 15 |
| 10 | Denver Nuggets | 5 | 8 | .385 | 7.0 | 13 |
| 11 | Sacramento Kings | 5 | 9 | .357 | 7.5 | 14 |
| 12 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 4 | 9 | .308 | 8.0 | 13 |
| 13 | New Orleans Pelicans | 4 | 10 | .286 | 8.5 | 14 |
| 14 | Phoenix Suns | 4 | 11 | .267 | 9.0 | 15 |
| 15 | Dallas Mavericks | 2 | 11 | .154 | 10.0 | 13 |