The Golden State Warriors pick up win number 50 without too much trouble from another rival to step on, the Cleveland Cavaliers lose after their huge road win in Oklahoma City, the Miami Heat remain red hot since the All-Star break and the Minnesota Timberwolves get themselves a nice confidence booster after beating the Boston Celtics.
Detroit Pistons 96 Cleveland Cavaliers 88: The come down from the big win in Oklahoma City was rough for the Cavaliers, getting very little from LeBron James (12 points) and nothing from Tristan Thompson (0 points) as they lose for the third time at home under Tyronn Lue. Reggie Jackson finished with 23 points, Andre Drummond had 16-15 double double. Kyrie Irving with 30 points and Kevin Love with 24 led the Cavaliers.
Indiana Pacers 93 Miami Heat 101: A nice piece of overtime from the Miami Heat gives them a third straight win since the All-Star break, and who remembers the 11-0 start by the Pacers? Goran Dragic led the Heat with 24 points, Hassan Whiteside added 19 off the bench with 18 rebounds. Paul George scored 31 for the Pacers, but Monta Ellis was terrible, shooting 2-of-17 from the field.
Toronto Raptors 122 New York Knicks 95: The Raptors took advantage of the Cavaliers losing to get a little bit closer (still three losses behind). Kyle Lowry had a 22-11-11 triple double, DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points while becoming the player with the most wins in Raptors history, and Jonas Valanciunas added 20. Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 23 points.
Golden State Warriors 102 Toronto Raptors 92: Back to business from the Warriors, with Stephen Curry scoring 36 points and Klay Thompson finishing with 27, both hitting five times from beyond the arc. The Warriors reach 50 wins faster than any other team in the NBA, not looking like any of the five losses so far this season are an indication of some weakness.
Los Angeles Lakers 101 Milwaukee Bucks 108: Kobe Bryant, with 15 points and 3-of-12 from the field, dragged the Lakers down with him to shoot 36.8% from the field while Giannis Antetokounmpo had himself a big night with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, with six more Bucks players finishing in double figures.
Boston Celtics 122 Minnesota Timberwolves 124: A loss that should be unacceptable to an ambitious team like the Celtics. Karl-Anthony Towns led six ‘Wolves players in double figures with 28 points and 13 rebounds. The Timberwolves almost lost the game after big leads all throughout the contest. Marcus Smart missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have won it for the Celtics.
Phoenix Suns 84 Los Angeles Clippers 124: The Suns had one of their worst games of the season (and there are plenty to choose from), shooting just 35.2% from the field. The Clippers, still without Blake Griffin, had a very easy time, led by J.J. Redick with 22 points and Jeff Green, scoring 18 off the bench.
Eastern Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 40 | 15 | .727 | – | 55 |
| 2 | Toronto Raptors | 37 | 18 | .673 | 3.0 | 55 |
| 3 | Miami Heat | 32 | 24 | .571 | 8.5 | 56 |
| 4 | Boston Celtics | 33 | 25 | .569 | 8.5 | 58 |
| 5 | Indiana Pacers | 30 | 26 | .536 | 10.5 | 56 |
| 6 | Atlanta Hawks | 31 | 27 | .534 | 10.5 | 58 |
| 7 | Charlotte Hornets | 29 | 26 | .527 | 11.0 | 55 |
| 8 | Chicago Bulls | 29 | 26 | .527 | 11.0 | 55 |
| 9 | Detroit Pistons | 28 | 29 | .491 | 13.0 | 57 |
| 10 | Washington Wizards | 25 | 29 | .463 | 14.5 | 54 |
| 11 | Orlando Magic | 24 | 30 | .444 | 15.5 | 54 |
| 12 | Milwaukee Bucks | 24 | 33 | .421 | 17.0 | 57 |
| 13 | New York Knicks | 24 | 34 | .414 | 17.5 | 58 |
| 14 | Brooklyn Nets | 15 | 41 | .268 | 25.5 | 56 |
| 15 | Philadelphia 76ers | 8 | 47 | .145 | 32.0 | 55 |
Western Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden State Warriors | 50 | 5 | .909 | – | 55 |
| 2 | San Antonio Spurs | 47 | 9 | .839 | 3.5 | 56 |
| 3 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 40 | 16 | .714 | 10.5 | 56 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Clippers | 36 | 19 | .655 | 14.0 | 55 |
| 5 | Memphis Grizzlies | 32 | 23 | .582 | 18.0 | 55 |
| 6 | Dallas Mavericks | 30 | 27 | .526 | 21.0 | 57 |
| 7 | Portland Trail Blazers | 29 | 27 | .518 | 21.5 | 56 |
| 8 | Houston Rockets | 28 | 28 | .500 | 22.5 | 56 |
| 9 | Utah Jazz | 27 | 28 | .491 | 23.0 | 55 |
| 10 | Sacramento Kings | 23 | 31 | .426 | 26.5 | 54 |
| 11 | New Orleans Pelicans | 22 | 33 | .400 | 28.0 | 55 |
| 12 | Denver Nuggets | 22 | 34 | .393 | 28.5 | 56 |
| 13 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 18 | 39 | .316 | 33.0 | 57 |
| 14 | Phoenix Suns | 14 | 42 | .250 | 36.5 | 56 |
| 15 | Los Angeles Lakers | 11 | 47 | .190 | 40.5 | 58 |