A busy night of NBA action included another home win for the Miami Heat, the Los Angeles Lakers unable to cope with the Orlando Magic, and a comfortable Denver Nuggets win, once again showcasing the talents of Michael Porter Jr.
Detroit Pistons 116 Boston Celtics 103
A nearly flawless performance by Derrick Rose (22 points in 29 minutes, 11-of-13 from the field), aided by 24 from Doumbouya, 23 by Marcus Morris and 21 by Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, dealing the Celtics their 4th home loss of the season.
Brooklyn Nets 106 Philadelphia 76ers 117
The pairing of Kyrie Irving and Spencer Dinwiddie wasn’t enough for the Nets in Philly (Irving was especially awful in his 37 minutes). Meanwhile, Tobias Harris caught fire (34 points) and Ben Simmons added 20, making up for the absence of Joel Embiid.
San Antonio Spurs 100 Miami Heat 106
The Spurs are streaking right now, but the Heat have just one home loss this season. DeMar DeRozan tried to rectify that with 30 points for the visitors, but rookie Kendrick Nunn bested him with 33 of his own, leading a group of five players in double figures.
Toronto Raptors 130 Oklahoma City Thunder 121
The Raps have had their share of problems with Western teams this season, but a strong performance from the bench (especially Norman Powell with 23 points) elevated them in OKC against a red-hot Thunder team that fell behind too far in the first half to catch up.
Washington Wizards 106 Chicago Bulls 115
Zach LaVine added another 25+ game, finishing with 30 points to extend his streak. Tomas Satoransky helped out in the backcourt with 18 points of his own, as the Bulls remain 4 games behind 8th in the East.
Indiana Pacers 104 Minnesota Timberwolves 99
Need to boost your away record? A visit to Minneapolis always helps. The Pacers are back at .500 on the road behind a 29-10 double by Damonatas Sabonis, helped by 21 from Malcolm Brogdon. Jarrett Culver led the Timberwolves with 17 points.
Charlotte Hornets 86 Denver Nuggets 100
A big first half from Michael Porter (finished with 19 points) paved the way for a comfortable home win, despite poor shooting beyond the arc and from the line. Terry Rozier led the Hornets with 20 points.
Portland Trail Blazers 117 Houston Rockets 107
In a chippy game (who isn’t chippy with the Rockets?), a combined 49 points from Damian Lillard & C.J. McCollum led Portland to a rare road win. Carmelo Anthony added 18 against his former team. Russell Westbrook led the Rockets with 31 points; James Harden, the league’s leading scorer, was held to only 13.
Dallas Mavericks 127 Sacramento Kings 123
The most fun game of the night ended up being another opportunity for Luka Doncic to cement his superstar status, posting 25 points, 15 rebounds and 17 assists. De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 27 points, as they fell to 4 games behind the 8th in the West.
Orlando Magic 119 Los Angeles Lakers 118
No Anthony Davis isn’t an excuse, but it explains why the Magic got to the basket so easily, even without Evan Fournier playing. Aaron Gordon (one incredible dunk) and Markelle Fultz led Orlando with 21 apiece. LeBron James scored 19 to go with 19 assists but also shot just 2-for-9 from three.
Eastern Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee Bucks | 36 | 6 | .857 | – | 42 |
| 2 | Miami Heat | 28 | 12 | .700 | 7.0 | 40 |
| 3 | Boston Celtics | 27 | 12 | .692 | 7.5 | 39 |
| 4 | Toronto Raptors | 26 | 14 | .650 | 9.0 | 40 |
| 5 | Indiana Pacers | 26 | 15 | .634 | 9.5 | 41 |
| 6 | Philadelphia 76ers | 26 | 16 | .619 | 10.0 | 42 |
| 7 | Orlando Magic | 20 | 21 | .488 | 15.5 | 41 |
| 8 | Brooklyn Nets | 18 | 22 | .450 | 17.0 | 40 |
| 9 | Chicago Bulls | 15 | 27 | .357 | 21.0 | 42 |
| 10 | Detroit Pistons | 15 | 27 | .357 | 21.0 | 42 |
| 11 | Charlotte Hornets | 15 | 29 | .341 | 22.0 | 44 |
| 12 | Washington Wizards | 13 | 27 | .325 | 22.0 | 40 |
| 13 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 12 | 29 | .293 | 23.5 | 41 |
| 14 | New York Knicks | 11 | 30 | .268 | 24.5 | 41 |
| 15 | Atlanta Hawks | 9 | 32 | .220 | 26.5 | 41 |
Western Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles Lakers | 33 | 8 | .805 | – | 41 |
| 2 | Denver Nuggets | 28 | 12 | .700 | 4.5 | 40 |
| 3 | Utah Jazz | 28 | 12 | .700 | 4.5 | 40 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Clippers | 28 | 13 | .683 | 5.0 | 41 |
| 5 | Houston Rockets | 26 | 14 | .650 | 6.5 | 40 |
| 6 | Dallas Mavericks | 26 | 15 | .634 | 7.0 | 41 |
| 7 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 23 | 18 | .561 | 10.0 | 41 |
| 8 | Memphis Grizzlies | 19 | 22 | .463 | 14.0 | 41 |
| 9 | San Antonio Spurs | 17 | 22 | .436 | 15.0 | 39 |
| 10 | Portland Trail Blazers | 18 | 24 | .429 | 15.5 | 42 |
| 11 | Phoenix Suns | 16 | 24 | .400 | 16.5 | 40 |
| 12 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 15 | 25 | .375 | 17.5 | 40 |
| 13 | New Orleans Pelicans | 15 | 26 | .366 | 18.0 | 41 |
| 14 | Sacramento Kings | 15 | 26 | .366 | 18.0 | 41 |
| 15 | Golden State Warriors | 9 | 33 | .214 | 24.5 | 42 |
Standings via Wikipedia