Friday night didn’t deliver any sensational results, just overall good basketball. The Warriors walked all over the Orlando Magic despite the Durant ejection, the San Antonio Spurs spanked the sorry Memphis Grizzlies and the Oklahoma City Thunder, led by Paul George and Steven Adams, finally looked like a happy group of players.
Golden State Warriors 133 Orlando Magic 112: Kevin Durant got tossed, but before that he managed to score 25 points, while Stephen Curry was at his most efficient, hitting 11-of-14 from the field for 27 points to go with 10 assists. Jordan Bell had a nice performance off the bench too, scoring 16 points in 16 minutes.
Detroit Pistons 91 Washington Wizards 109: The Wizards held the Pistons to just 39 points in the second half as they pulled away. Markieff Morris led the way with 23 points, while Tomas Satoransky added 17 from the bench. Tobias Harris led Detroit with 15 points.
Indiana Pacers 115 Toronto Raptors 120: The Raptors won their 6th straight at home, enjoying 26 points from DeMar DeRozan, although the really good minutes came when the bench unit came on, especially Jakob Poeltl, who was a perfect 8-for-8 from the field, scoring 18 points. Victor Oladipo led the Pacers with 36.
Charlotte Hornets 100 Miami Heat 105: The Hornets fall to 1-10 away from home, as the Heat pulled away in the final minutes. Josh Richardson led Miami with a career-best 27 points and Dion Waiters helped out scoring 19. The Hornets shot just 25% from beyond the arc, with Marvin Williams leading them, scoring 16.
Sacramento Kings 107 Chicago Bulls 106: Another close loss for the Bulls, now 8 straight down the hole. Zach Randolph showed he can still dominate down low, scoring 25 to go with 13 rebounds. Chicago were led by Jerian Grant, scoring 17 off the bench.
San Antonio Spurs 95 Memphis Grizzlies 79: An ugly game of basketball, as the Griz continue to fall apart, while the Spurs make things look good despite the absence of Leonard. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 22 points and Rudy Gay helped against his former team with 18 off the bench.
Minnesota Timberwolves 107 Oklahoma City Thunder 111: A sigh of relief for the struggling Thunder, who went with Paul George, scoring 36 points (11-for-11 from the line) and got huge help from Steven Adams, finishing with 27 on a perfect 11-for-11 from the field. Carmelo Anthony took just 7 shots and scored 9, Russell Westbrook was an awful 6-for-21 (0-for-8 from three), missing the triple double by 1, and turning the ball over by 7.
New Orleans Pelicans 108 Utah Jazz 114: The rise of Donovan Mitchell, and the wisdom of the Jazz for making the trade that got him, will be told to future generations, or maybe I’m a bit exaggerating. Bottom line? Mitchell scored 41 points, and Utah are in 7th out West, winning 5 in a row, despite being without Rudy Gobert.
Eastern Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Celtics | 19 | 4 | .826 | – | 23 |
| 2 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 15 | 7 | .682 | 3.5 | 22 |
| 3 | Toronto Raptors | 14 | 7 | .667 | 4.0 | 21 |
| 4 | Detroit Pistons | 14 | 7 | .667 | 4.0 | 21 |
| 5 | Philadelphia 76ers | 12 | 9 | .571 | 6.0 | 21 |
| 6 | Milwaukee Bucks | 11 | 9 | .550 | 6.5 | 20 |
| 7 | Washington Wizards | 12 | 10 | .545 | 6.5 | 22 |
| 8 | New York Knicks | 11 | 10 | .524 | 7.0 | 21 |
| 9 | Indiana Pacers | 12 | 11 | .522 | 7.0 | 23 |
| 10 | Miami Heat | 11 | 11 | .500 | 7.5 | 22 |
| 11 | Orlando Magic | 9 | 14 | .391 | 10.0 | 23 |
| 12 | Charlotte Hornets | 8 | 13 | .381 | 10.0 | 21 |
| 13 | Brooklyn Nets | 8 | 13 | .381 | 10.0 | 21 |
| 14 | Atlanta Hawks | 4 | 17 | .190 | 14.0 | 21 |
| 15 | Chicago Bulls | 3 | 18 | .143 | 15.0 | 21 |
Western Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston Rockets | 17 | 4 | .810 | – | 21 |
| 2 | Golden State Warriors | 17 | 6 | .739 | 1.0 | 23 |
| 3 | San Antonio Spurs | 15 | 7 | .682 | 2.5 | 22 |
| 4 | Portland Trail Blazers | 13 | 9 | .591 | 4.5 | 22 |
| 5 | Denver Nuggets | 12 | 9 | .571 | 5.0 | 21 |
| 6 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 13 | 10 | .565 | 5.0 | 23 |
| 7 | Utah Jazz | 12 | 11 | .522 | 6.0 | 23 |
| 8 | New Orleans Pelicans | 11 | 11 | .500 | 6.5 | 22 |
| 9 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 9 | 12 | .429 | 8.0 | 21 |
| 10 | Los Angeles Clippers | 8 | 12 | .400 | 8.5 | 20 |
| 11 | Los Angeles Lakers | 8 | 13 | .381 | 9.0 | 21 |
| 12 | Phoenix Suns | 8 | 15 | .348 | 10.0 | 23 |
| 13 | Memphis Grizzlies | 7 | 14 | .333 | 10.0 | 21 |
| 14 | Sacramento Kings | 7 | 15 | .318 | 10.5 | 22 |
| 15 | Dallas Mavericks | 5 | 17 | .227 | 12.5 | 22 |
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