The Atlanta Hawks played the Golden State Warriors close but couldn’t get out with more than a moral victory, which means nothing. Meanwhile, triple-double machine Russell Westbrook dominated against the New York Knicks, while the Charlotte Hornets impressed with a 19-point win on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Sacramento Kings 95 Washington Wizards 101: An overtime win for the Wizards, who got 31 points out of Bradley Beal. John Wall had the wrong kind of triple double with 19 points, 11 assists and 11 turnovers, while missing out by two rebounds on a “historic” performance. DeMarcus Cousins finished with 36 points on the Kings.
Philadelphia 76ers 95 Toronto Raptors 122: A big shooting night for Kyle Lowry, scoring 24 points while making 6-for-6 from beyond the arc, leading six Raptors players in double figures. Terrence Ross scored 22 off the bench in the easy win, while Robert Covington led the Sixers with 20 points, while Joel Embiid rested.
Oklahoma City Thunder 112 New York Knicks 103: An impressive all-around performance for Russell Westbrook, who stat padded his way to currently averaging a triple double through 19 games. He finished with 27 points, 18 rebounds, 14 assists and 7 turnovers, while Enes Kanter was a lot more efficient with 27 points and 10 rebounds in 28 minutes. Derrick Rose led the Knicks with 30 points, while Carmelo Anthony struggled with 4-for-19 from the field.
Boston Celtics 112 Miami Heat 104: The Celtics didn’t have trouble holding off the Heat after opening an early, comfortable lead. Six Celtics players scored in double figures, including 25 from Isaiah Thomas and added 8 assists. Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside were all alone on the Heat, combining for 52 points.
Charlotte Hornets 104 Memphis Grizzlies 85: An impressive win for the Hornets against a tough Memphis team, although one that was missing Zach Randolph. Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb shared the scoring burden, each finishing with 21 points. Marc Gasol led the flat Grizzlies with 19 points.
Utah Jazz 112 Minnesota Timberwolves 103: The Timberwolves defense continues to be an easy unit to get big numbers against. Both Gordon Hayward and George Hill finished with 24 points, with the team shooting a rare (for them) 50.6% from the field. Zach LaVine led the inconsistent Timberwolves with 28 points.
Atlanta Hawks 100 Golden State Warriors 105: The Hawks stayed as close as they could with the Warriors, but the defense of Draymond Green, like it has many times in the past, meant the difference between a stunning lose and a close win. Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry both scored 25 points, Klay Thompson added 20. Dennis Schroder led the Hawks with 24 points.
Eastern Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 13 | 2 | .867 | – | 15 |
| 2 | Toronto Raptors | 11 | 6 | .647 | 3.0 | 17 |
| 3 | Chicago Bulls | 10 | 6 | .625 | 3.5 | 16 |
| 4 | Charlotte Hornets | 10 | 7 | .588 | 4.0 | 17 |
| 5 | Boston Celtics | 10 | 7 | .588 | 4.0 | 17 |
| 6 | Atlanta Hawks | 10 | 8 | .556 | 4.5 | 18 |
| 7 | Indiana Pacers | 9 | 9 | .500 | 5.5 | 18 |
| 8 | New York Knicks | 8 | 9 | .471 | 6.0 | 17 |
| 9 | Milwaukee Bucks | 7 | 8 | .467 | 6.0 | 15 |
| 10 | Detroit Pistons | 8 | 10 | .444 | 6.5 | 18 |
| 11 | Washington Wizards | 6 | 10 | .375 | 7.5 | 16 |
| 12 | Orlando Magic | 6 | 11 | .353 | 8.0 | 17 |
| 13 | Miami Heat | 5 | 12 | .294 | 9.0 | 17 |
| 14 | Brooklyn Nets | 4 | 12 | .250 | 9.5 | 16 |
| 15 | Philadelphia 76ers | 4 | 14 | .222 | 10.5 | 18 |
Western Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden State Warriors | 16 | 2 | .889 | – | 18 |
| 2 | San Antonio Spurs | 14 | 3 | .824 | 1.5 | 17 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Clippers | 14 | 4 | .778 | 2.0 | 18 |
| 4 | Houston Rockets | 11 | 6 | .647 | 4.5 | 17 |
| 5 | Memphis Grizzlies | 11 | 7 | .611 | 5.0 | 18 |
| 6 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 11 | 8 | .579 | 5.5 | 19 |
| 7 | Utah Jazz | 10 | 8 | .556 | 6.0 | 18 |
| 8 | Los Angeles Lakers | 9 | 9 | .500 | 7.0 | 18 |
| 9 | Portland Trail Blazers | 9 | 10 | .474 | 7.5 | 19 |
| 10 | Denver Nuggets | 7 | 10 | .412 | 8.5 | 17 |
| 11 | Sacramento Kings | 7 | 11 | .389 | 9.0 | 18 |
| 12 | New Orleans Pelicans | 6 | 12 | .333 | 10.0 | 18 |
| 13 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 5 | 12 | .294 | 10.5 | 17 |
| 14 | Phoenix Suns | 5 | 13 | .278 | 11.0 | 18 |
| 15 | Dallas Mavericks | 3 | 13 | .188 | 12.0 | 16 |