The Bucks win fifth straight and remain the NBA's best, Kawhi Leonard hits 30+ for fourth straight time, Malik Beasley boosts the Nuggets, Brandon Ingram hits a career high 49, and Deandre Ayton and the Suns play their best game yet.
A couple of tight overtime games last night saw the Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Pelicans rise to the occasion, the Phoenix Suns got their best game of the season out of their boys, and Milwaukee continued its streak of being the NBA’s best team.
Last night also showed New York’s flaws front and center, how critical Jaylen Brown is to Boston’s success, and what a machine Kawhi Leonard is … is he even human? That would explain the laugh.
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Phoenix Suns 121 New York Knicks 98
Last night’s game against the New York Knicks was the kind of game(s) that Phoenix head coach Monty Williams likely envisioned when he accepted the job as head coach last summer. Devin Booker had already established himself as a well rounded scorer, Deandre Ayton was entering his second season, and Ricky Rubio had a chance to resurrect himself as he began the journey into the twilight of his career. Ayton’s suspension at the beginning of the season threw a kink into that vision, but with Ayton back and the team jelling, the Suns may have a nice run in the second half of the season. I optimistically (yet foolishly) gave the Knicks a 40 win season in my predictions, so they’d better step on the gas before I end up wrong. A glut of forwards isn’t getting the job done. Trade deadline is less than three weeks away.
SUNS (17-24) 11th in the West
KNICKS (11-31) 14th in the East
Devin Booker 29 points – four rebounds – four assists – one steal
Julius Randle 28 points – six rebounds – three assists – three steals
Deandre Ayton 26 points – 21 rebounds – two assists – two blocks
Marcus Morris 17 points – three rebounds – one assist – one steal
Ricky Rubio 25 points – eight rebounds – 13 assists – four steals – one block
Mitchell Robinson 12 points – eight rebounds – three steals – two blocks
NEXT GAMES Suns at Celtics – Saturday Sixers at Knicks – Saturday
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Utah Jazz 132 New Orleans Pelicans 138 (OT)
The 10 game win streak is over. The thing about being close to the top? People want you to fall. They work to make you fall. Earlier in the week, the Utah Jazz had displaced the Denver Nuggets at the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. What a difference a couple of days make. And a hungry New Orleans Pelicans team facing a squad that stole their nickname in a move to Salt Lake City 40 years ago. Brandon Ingram notched a career high 49 points, including five in the overtime period, and the Jazz were cornered by an old friend in Derrick Favors (21 and 11), who the Pelicans seemed to have shelved and dusted off, just for this game. New Orleans didn’t need Zion Williamson, who will now reportedly debut against San Antonio on January 22nd. Could you imagine how this might have ended if they had Zion? No overtime, likely.
JAZZ (28-13) 4th in the West
PELICANS (16-26) 12th in the West
Donovan Mitchell 46 points – six rebounds – two assists – two steals
Brandon Ingram 49 points – eight rebounds – six assists – one block
Bojan Bogdanovic 26 points – three rebounds – four assists
Derrick Favors 21 points – 11 rebounds – three assists – two steals – three blocks
Rudy Gobert 17 points – 14 rebounds – four assists – three blocks
E’Twaun Moore 16 points – two rebounds – one assist – one steal
NEXT GAMES Kings at Jazz – Saturday Clippers at Pelicans – Saturday
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Boston Celtics 123 Milwaukee Bucks 128
A 76-58 jump in the first half meant the Milwaukee Bucks could cruise right past Kemba Walker’s 40 points night and win their fifth consecutive game and third in a row over the Boston Celtics last night in Milwaukee. Once Giannis Antetokuonmpo scored the first basket of the game, the Bucks never trailed. Gordon Hayward also scored one bucket – overall. The loss is Boston’s second straight.
CELTICS (27-13) 3rd in the East
BUCKS (37-6) 1st in the East, NBA
Kemba Walker 40 points – 11 rebounds – three assists – one block
Marcus Smart 24 points – four rebounds – two assists – two steals – one block
Khris Middleton 23 points – six rebounds – four assists – two steals
Jayson Tatum 17 points – seven rebounds – three assists – one block
Donte DiVincenzo 19 points – three rebounds – one assist – two steals
NEXT GAMES Suns at Celtics – Saturday Bucks at Nets – Saturday
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Denver Nuggets 134 Golden State Warriors 131 (OT)
The Golden State Warriors surprisingly jumped out to a 34-19 first quarter and the Denver Nuggets scratched and clawed their way back the rest of the game to even things up at 113-113 by the end of regulation, finishing with a 40-28 fourth quarter. Missing Jamal Murray, Paul Millsap, and Gary Harris left a lot of sneakers to be filled, and Will Barton and Malik Beasley rose to the occasion last night. Barton finished with a game high 31, and Beasley hit the game winning free throws in overtime with 8.9 seconds remaining to send Golden State to their 10th consecutive loss and keep the Jazz and Clippers at bay in the suddenly contested second spot in the West.
NUGGETS (29-12) 2nd in the West
WARRIORS (9-34) 15th in the West
Will Barton 31 points – five rebounds – seven assists – one steal – one block
Alec Burks 25 points – four rebounds – one assist – one steal
Malik Beasley 27 points – four rebounds – one assist – three steals
Damion Lee 21 points – four rebounds – six assists – one steal – one block
Nikola Jokic 23 points – 12 rebounds – eight assists – two blocks
D’Angelo Russell 19 points – three rebounds – one assist – three steals
NEXT GAMES Magic at Warriors – Saturday Pacers at Nuggets – Sunday
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Orlando Magic 95 Los Angeles Clippers 122
Last night’s win versus the Orlando Magic was Kawhi Leonard’s fourth consecutive game of 30+ points, proving his worth when he’s playing and justifying his load management whenever he requests it. The man is a machine, especially with Paul George sitting out with the hamstring issue. The Los Angeles Clippers are 11-1 when Kawhi scores 30+ points and they took full advantage of the ennui and fatigue of the Orlando Magic’s win over the Los Angeles Lakers the night before. The Clippers will need Leonard as they embark on a six game roadie beginning this weekend at New Orleans.
MAGIC (20-22) 7th in the East
CLIPPERS (29-13) 3rd in the West
Nikola Vucevic 22 points – nine rebounds – four assists – one steal
Kawhi Leonard 32 points – five rebounds – five assists – one steal – one block
Aaron Gordon 20 points – five assists
Montrezl Harrell 21 points – five rebounds – two assists – one block
Terrence Ross 16 points – five rebounds – three assists – one steal – one block
Landry Shamet 13 points – three rebounds – two assists
NEXT GAMES Magic at Warriors – Saturday Clippers at Pelicans – Saturday
Tracy Graven is a Senior NBA Analyst for BackSportsPage.com. He has written the NBA, and done NBA radio, for the last two decades for HoopsWorld, Swish Magazine, and HoopsHype, the Coach Scott Fields Show and NBARadioShow.com, and is also tackling the NFL, NCAA, and will be pinch-hitting on some Major League Baseball coverage for BackSportsPage. He’s spent 20 years in locker rooms in Orlando, Boise (G League), San Antonio, Phoenix, and Oklahoma City. A corporate trainer by day, he currently resides in Tennessee. Reach him on Twitter at @RealTMoneyMedia
