A relatively uneventful Monday of NBA action had the Cleveland Cavaliers going back to their winning ways behind a LeBron James return. the Milwaukee Bucks scorching the Defense-less Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder venting their frustrations against the Sacramento Kings.

Indiana Pacers 96  Cleveland Cavaliers 100: The problems surrounding the Cavs quell down for a day or two as LeBron James returns, scores 33 points and helps the Cavs, in a close and filled with lead-changes game, stop the losing. Matthew Dellavedova tied things up with a big three 1:13 from the finish. Then a James assist to Tristan Thompson and a block by the Cavs big man on George Hill pretty much finished the job against the sliding Pacers.

Philadelphia 76ers 108  Washington Wizards 116: It’s always an opportunity to fill up on some stats when playing the Sixers. John Wall seized the day and finished with 37 points. Marcin Gortat added 18 points and 20 rebounds, while the Sixers were led by Ish Smith (25 points), playing with the injured Jahlil Okafor.

Utah Jazz 95  Boston Celtics 100: Jae Crowder had 22 points in a big Celtics win to keep their home streak going (11 in a row), while both Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas added 18. The play of the game came with Bradley guarding Gordon Hayward in the clutch and the Celtics up by just one. Bradley showed his defensive instincts with a massive block that won the game.

Houston Rockets 121  Milwaukee Bucks 128: The Rockets continue to show how bad the situation really is there despite 30 points from Dwight Howard and 26 from James Harden, as defense simply didn’t show up. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with a triple double, while Jabari Parker (36 points) and Khris Middleton (30 points) were pretty much unstoppable.

Memphis Grizzlies 103  Denver Nuggets 96: The Grizzlies are staying afloat and on the way to the playoffs despite Marc Gasol not playing, as Zach Randolph leads the way with 22 points and Matt Barnes of all players adding 16. The Nuggets now don’t have Danilo Gallinari for a while, making things easier for their opponents.

Oklahoma City Thunder 131  Sacramento Kings 116: The Thunder played angry against the Kings, resulting in 27 points from Kevin Durant and a 20-13-15 triple double from Russell Westbrook, peppered with 7 turnovers he couldn’t avoid adding. DeMarcus Cousins scored 35 for the Kings, drifting further away from the playoffs.

Brooklyn Nets 95  Los Angeles Clippers 105: The Condor made his hideous appearance as the new Clippers mascot, but it didn’t stop them from beating the Nets behind 23 points and 12 assists by Chris Paul, who got 19 points to help him out from J.J. Redick and 26 in 25 minutes off the bench by Jamal Crawford.

Eastern Conference Standings

#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	GP
1	Cleveland Cavaliers	42	17	.712	–	59
2	Toronto Raptors	39	19	.672	2.5	58
3	Boston Celtics	36	25	.590	7.0	61
4	Miami Heat	33	26	.559	9.0	59
5	Atlanta Hawks	33	27	.550	9.5	60
6	Charlotte Hornets	30	28	.517	11.5	58
7	Chicago Bulls	30	28	.517	11.5	58
8	Indiana Pacers	31	29	.517	11.5	60
9	Detroit Pistons	31	29	.517	11.5	60
10	Washington Wizards	29	30	.492	13.0	59
11	Orlando Magic	26	32	.448	15.5	58
12	Milwaukee Bucks	25	35	.417	17.5	60
13	New York Knicks	25	36	.410	18.0	61
14	Brooklyn Nets	17	43	.283	25.5	60
15	Philadelphia 76ers	8	52	.133	34.5	60

Western Conference Standings

#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	GP
1	x – Golden State Warriors	53	5	.914	–	58
2	San Antonio Spurs	50	9	.847	3.5	59
3	Oklahoma City Thunder	42	18	.700	12.0	60
4	Los Angeles Clippers	39	20	.661	14.5	59
5	Memphis Grizzlies	35	24	.593	18.5	59
6	Dallas Mavericks	32	28	.533	22.0	60
7	Portland Trail Blazers	32	28	.533	22.0	60
8	Houston Rockets	29	31	.483	25.0	60
9	Utah Jazz	28	31	.475	25.5	59
10	Sacramento Kings	24	34	.414	29.0	58
11	New Orleans Pelicans	23	35	.397	30.0	58
12	Denver Nuggets	23	37	.383	31.0	60
13	Minnesota Timberwolves	19	41	.317	35.0	60
14	Phoenix Suns	15	44	.254	38.5	59
15	Los Angeles Lakers	11	49	.183	43.0	60

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