A short day of NBA action delivered three very dramatic games: The New York Knicks leaned on Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick Rose to beat the Portland Trail Blazers, Will Barton and Jamal Murray lifted the Denver Nuggets over the Chicago Bulls and Nick Young showed how much he’s changed this season with some clutch shooting in the Los Angeles Lakers victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Portland Trail Blazers 103 New York Knicks 107: For the first time this season, Derrick Rose came through big time in crunch time, hitting a huge 3-pointer. Most of the credit in general goes to Kristaps Porzingis, scoring 31 points in 40 minutes.
New Orleans Pelicans 112 Atlanta Hawks 95: A season going nowhere has really turned around for the Pelicans, winning four of their last five. The game was a blowout, but Davis knee has obviously got them worried. Tim Frazier led the Pelicans with 21 points, Terrence Jones helped with 17 off the bench, but there’s no doubt that the return of Jrue Holiday has put this team on the map.
Chicago Bulls 107 Denver Nuggets 110: Two free throws from Will Barton lifted the Nuggets over the Bulls after Jimmy Butler made it a tied game at 107 all. Jamal Murray once again stood out for the Nuggets with 24 points off the bench, frankly looking like the leading candidate at the moment for rookie of the year. Jimmy Butler scored 35 points and is incredibly hot at the moment, but it wasn’t enough with the bench giving the team close to nothing.
Oklahoma City Thunder 109 Los Angeles Lakers 111: The game came down to Nick Young hitting a 3-pointer to put his team on top with 5 seconds to go, finishing with 17 points, while Jordan Clarkson added 18 off the bench. The Lakers managed, just barely, without D’Angelo Russell. In the meantime, the Thunder had their usual dose of Russell Westbrook (34 points, 13 assists) carry them, but not leave a whole lot of others to step up.
Eastern Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 10 | 2 | .833 | – | 12 |
| 2 | Atlanta Hawks | 9 | 5 | .643 | 2.0 | 14 |
| 3 | Charlotte Hornets | 8 | 5 | .615 | 2.5 | 13 |
| 4 | Chicago Bulls | 9 | 6 | .600 | 2.5 | 15 |
| 5 | Toronto Raptors | 8 | 6 | .571 | 3.0 | 14 |
| 6 | Boston Celtics | 8 | 6 | .571 | 3.0 | 14 |
| 7 | New York Knicks | 7 | 7 | .500 | 4.0 | 14 |
| 8 | Indiana Pacers | 7 | 8 | .467 | 4.5 | 15 |
| 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 | 7 | .533 | 5.0 | 15 |
| 7 | Los Angeles Lakers | 8 | 7 | .533 | 5.0 | 15 |
| 8 | Portland Trail Blazers | 8 | 8 | .500 | 5.5 | 16 |
| 9 | Utah Jazz | 7 | 8 | .467 | 6.0 | 15 |
| 10 | Denver Nuggets | 6 | 8 | .429 | 6.5 | 14 |
| 11 | Sacramento Kings | 5 | 9 | .357 | 7.5 | 14 |
| 12 | New Orleans Pelicans | 5 | 10 | .333 | 8.0 | 15 |
| 13 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 4 | 9 | .308 | 8.0 | 13 |
| 14 | Phoenix Suns | 4 | 11 | .267 | 9.0 | 15 |
| 15 | Dallas Mavericks | 2 | 11 | .154 | 10.0 | 13 |