So just another regular night of NBA basketball. What happened? The Golden State Warriors cruised at home, the Oklahoma City Thunder did the same in Boston, the Cleveland Cavaliers won without LeBron James and the Charlotte Hornets went back to their winning ways, at least when playing on their home court.
Oklahoma City Thunder 130 Boston Celtics 109: In a statement win for the Thunder and something of a reality check for the Celtics, Kevin Durant scored 28 points and Russell Westbrook helped out with 24, in a game that was as much about the Celtics crowd courting Durant than anything else.
Orlando Magic 99 Charlotte Hornets 107: The Hornets complete their 7-game homestand with sixth win, led by 26 points from Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams, shooting quite poorly the entire game but thanks to 15 offensive rebounds had enough opportunities to skim over those misses.
Dallas Mavericks 98 Cleveland Cavaliers 99: Since the 2011 NBA finals, LeBron James has had his way with the Mavs. This time, he wasn’t even playing, but 33 points from Kyrie Irving, including a big steal in the closing seconds, kept Cleveland with an impressive 28-6 record at home. Kevin Love scored 23 points in a very important win for the Cavaliers.
Chicago Bulls 96 Washington Wizards 117: Ups & downs for the Bulls, and it isn’t stopping. The downs continue to be very low, as Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler shot just 11-of-31 from the field, while Doug McDermott scoring 20 points didn’t help. John Wall had a 29-10-12 triple double while Bradley Beal helped out with 20 points, as the Wizards get closer to the Bulls and Pistons.
Atlanta Hawks 118 Detroit Pistons 114: The Hawks win their sixth game out of seven to keep the Pistons out of the top 8 in the East, with Jeff Teague scoring 22 points, including the key free throws with 18 seconds left on the clock. Al Horford, the other player the Hawks tried moving at the deadline, added 20 points. The struggling Pistons were led by 24 points from Reggie Jackson.
Minnesota Timberwolves 114 Memphis Grizzlies 108: The Grizzlies can’t keep shuffling with these injuries, losing to one of the worst in the league. Zach LaVine led six players in double figures with 28 points in one of those feel good moments Minnesota have been missing this season. Lance Stephenson led Memphis with 24 points.
Los Angeles Clippers 122 Houston Rockets 106: The Clippers were beaten badly by the Spurs, but not all teams in Texas are that unfriendly. Chris Paul scored 25 points and DeAndre Jordan dominated the paint with 23 points as the no-defense the Rockets proudly present was at its finest on the night. James Harden scored 33 points but also turned the ball over 8 times and added more to his no-defense highlight reel.
New Orleans Pelicans 123 Sacramento Kings 108: The Pelicans stop the losing with a win against another disappointing, no-playoffs team. Ryan Anderson led the Pelicans for a change with 29 points while Anthony Davis helped out with 27. Darren Collison had 23 points to make it two consecutive 20-plus games, but it didn’t help the disjointed Kings.
New York Knicks 85 Golden State Warriors 121: The most boring team in the league (in an exciting way) had their way with the visiting Knicks. Stephen Curry scored 34 points while hitting 8-for-13 from downtown, and the Warriors finished with 18 three-pointers. Carmelo Anthony (18 points) was the only Knicks lineup player in double figures, as they shot just 39.6% from the field.
Eastern Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 48 | 19 | .716 | – | 67 |
| 2 | Toronto Raptors | 45 | 21 | .682 | 2.5 | 66 |
| 3 | Miami Heat | 39 | 28 | .582 | 9.0 | 67 |
| 4 | Atlanta Hawks | 39 | 29 | .574 | 9.5 | 68 |
| 5 | Boston Celtics | 39 | 29 | .574 | 9.5 | 68 |
| 6 | Charlotte Hornets | 38 | 29 | .567 | 10.0 | 67 |
| 7 | Indiana Pacers | 36 | 31 | .537 | 12.0 | 67 |
| 8 | Detroit Pistons | 34 | 34 | .500 | 14.5 | 68 |
| 9 | Chicago Bulls | 33 | 33 | .500 | 14.5 | 66 |
| 10 | Washington Wizards | 32 | 35 | .478 | 16.0 | 67 |
| 11 | Orlando Magic | 29 | 38 | .433 | 19.0 | 67 |
| 12 | Milwaukee Bucks | 29 | 40 | .420 | 20.0 | 69 |
| 13 | New York Knicks | 28 | 41 | .406 | 21.0 | 69 |
| 14 | Brooklyn Nets | 19 | 48 | .284 | 29.0 | 67 |
| 15 | Philadelphia 76ers | 9 | 58 | .134 | 39.0 | 67 |
Western Conference Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden State Warriors | 61 | 6 | .910 | – | 67 |
| 2 | San Antonio Spurs | 57 | 10 | .851 | 4.0 | 67 |
| 3 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 46 | 22 | .676 | 15.5 | 68 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Clippers | 43 | 24 | .642 | 18.0 | 67 |
| 5 | Memphis Grizzlies | 39 | 29 | .574 | 22.5 | 68 |
| 6 | Portland Trail Blazers | 35 | 33 | .515 | 26.5 | 68 |
| 7 | Houston Rockets | 34 | 34 | .500 | 27.5 | 68 |
| 8 | Dallas Mavericks | 34 | 34 | .500 | 27.5 | 68 |
| 9 | Utah Jazz | 32 | 35 | .478 | 29.0 | 67 |
| 10 | Denver Nuggets | 28 | 40 | .412 | 33.5 | 68 |
| 11 | Sacramento Kings | 26 | 41 | .388 | 35.0 | 67 |
| 12 | New Orleans Pelicans | 25 | 42 | .373 | 36.0 | 67 |
| 13 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 22 | 46 | .324 | 39.5 | 68 |
| 14 | Phoenix Suns | 18 | 49 | .269 | 43.0 | 67 |
| 15 | Los Angeles Lakers | 14 | 54 | .206 | 47.5 | 68 |