The San Antonio Spurs spoiled the long awaited debut of No. 1 NBA Draft pick Zion Williamson last night, in the most anticipated game of the 12 games scheduled for the night.
The Rockets got back on the winning track behind Russell Westbrook’s inspired playmaking, the Thunder continue to roll, Memphis lost another after their seven game, feel good win streak, and the Jazz and Pacers both bounce back strong after Indiana’s 30 point loss to the Jazz two days ago.
Meanwhile, load management costs the Los Angeles Clippers again and the Philadelphia 76ers continue to play Jekyll and Hyde …
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Sacramento Kings 106
Detroit Pistons 127
The Detroit Pistons used the second and third quarters to pass the Sacramento Kings and position themselves on the heels of the eighth place Brooklyn Nets in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Pistons shot 53 percent from the field, led by Christian Wood’s 23 points on 100 percent shooting from the field. Derrick ‘Everybody’s Trying to Trade for Me’ Rose hit for 22 points on 47.1 percent and Reggie ‘Hey, Don’t Forget Me, I Want Out of Detroit, Too’ Jackson matched Rose with another 22, on 57.1 percent from the field.
| KINGS (15-29) 14th in the West | PISTONS (17-28) 9th in the East |
| De’Aaron Fox 22 points – three rebounds – three assists – three steals | Christian Wood 23 points – three rebounds – one assist – one steal |
| Nemanja Bjelica 14 points – nine rebounds – five assists – one steal | Derrick Rose 22 points – six rebounds – 11 assists |
| Buddy Hield 14 points – four rebounds – five assists – two steals | Reggie Jackson 22 points – three rebounds – four assists – two steals |
NEXT GAMES
Grizzlies at Pistons – Friday
Kings at Bulls – Friday
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Oklahoma City Thunder 120
Orlando Magic 114
The Oklahoma City Thunder shot a blistering 60 percent on the road at the Amway Center last night to defeat the host Orlando Magic as both teams maintained their seventh place spots in their respective Conferences. Oklahoma City’s trio of guards assaulted the Magic, combining for 68 points, was led by Dennis Schroder’s game high 31. Schroder had his way all night, including one move that broke Markelle Fultz’s ankles so hard he went skidding on his butt while Schroder scored.
| THUNDER (26-19) 7th in the West | MAGIC (21-24) 7th in the East |
| Dennis Schroder 31 points – three rebounds – nine assists | Terrence Ross 26 points – three rebounds – two assists – two steals |
| Chris Paul 19 points – three rebounds – six assists – three steals | Nikola Vucevic 24 points – 11 rebounds – five assists – three steals – one block |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 18 points – 12 rebounds – one assist – three steals – three blocks | Michael Carter-Williams 15 points – two rebounds – three assists – one steal – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Celtics at Magic – Friday
Hawks at Thunder – Friday
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Philadelphia 76ers 95
Toronto Raptors 107
The Philadelphia 76ers are going to have a difficult time getting out of the mud that is the six place spot they’ve been mired in this month, especially with 38 percent shooting, 15 point quarters, and #VFL Josh Richardson going down with a hamstring issue. Also, if you’re not playing championship level basketball going up against the reigning NBA Champs, getting eaten alive on the boards, 53-45, and committing 13 turnovers, it’s going to be a tough row to hoe. The Sixers truly miss Joel Embiid.
| SIXERS (29-16) 6th place in the East | RAPTORS (30-14) 3rd in the East |
| #VFL Tobias Harris 22 points – six rebounds – four assists – one steal – two blocks | Fred VanVleet 22 points – five rebounds – eight assists – one steal |
| Ben Simmons 17 points – 10 rebounds – eight assists – two steals | Pascal Siakam 18 points – 15 rebounds – three assists – one steal |
| Furkan Korkmaz 17 points – two rebounds – one assist – two blocks | Norman Powell 18 points – eight rebounds – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Raptors at Knicks – Friday
Lakers at Sixers – Saturday
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Los Angeles Clippers 95
Atlanta Hawks 102
After a 32-16 shellacking in the first quarter by the Los Angeles Clippers, one figured this game was over and the Atlanta Hawks would be stuck in neutral at 10 wins once again. Instead, the Hawks held L.A. to 35 points in the second half while they poured on 61 to humble the Clippers at State Farm Arena, sending 14,338 home very happy despite paying all that money to come to a game and expect to see a Kawhi Leonard – Trae Young battle and got neither player. John Collins and Brandon Goodwin combined for 27 of the Hawks’ 33 points in the fourth quarter to salt the game away. Load management is costing the Clippers games – cannot believe they are pleased with all 14 losses, many of which have been caused by a simple decision not to play.
| CLIPPERS (31-14) 3rd in the West | HAWKS (11-34) 15th in the East |
| Montrezl Harrell 30 points – seven rebounds – one steal – three blocks | John Collins 33 points – 16 rebounds – two assists – one steal |
| Lou Williams 18 points – six rebounds – seven assists | Brandon Goodwin 19 points – three rebounds – three assists |
| Landry Shamet 13 points – two rebounds – two steals – one block | Kevin Huerter 12 points – seven rebounds – three assists – one steal |
NEXT GAMES
Clippers at Heat – Friday
Hawks at Thunder – Friday
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Memphis Grizzlies 95
Boston Celtics 119
The Boston Celtics put together a 74-36 run over the dormant Memphis Grizzlies to bounce the visitors out of the Western Conference playoff picture, and to notch their 29th win of the season last night in Boston spoiling Dillon Brooks’ birthday. Jayson Tatum suffered a groin injury in the third quarter, but not before he dumped a game high 23 points on the Grizzlies. Boston won its second straight game while handing Memphis their second straight defeat after they’d ripped off seven consecutive wins.
| GRIZZLIES (20-24) 9th in the West | CELTICS (29-14) 4th in the East |
| Jonas Valanciunas 16 points – 13 rebounds – one assist – two steals – two blocks | Jayson Tatum 23 points – seven rebounds – four assists – two steals – one block |
| Jaren Jackson, Jr. 13 points – five rebounds – one assist – four blocks | Daniel Thies 14 points – four rebounds – two assists – two steals – three blocks |
| Solomon Hill 13 points – two rebounds – two assists – one steal | Enes Kanter 13 points – eight rebounds – three assists – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Grizzlies at Pistons – Friday
Celtics at Magic – Friday
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Washington Wizards 129
Miami Heat 134 (OT)
An awful lot of teams in the NBA seem to be able to push the Miami Heat to overtime games this season – teams that shouldn’t even be close to a tie after four quarters, and while Miami seems to come out of those with wins, that should be concerning to the Heat as we approach the February 6th trade deadline. Adding a solid veteran like LaMarcus Aldridge may be the answer, but the Heat have to look within and decide if they’re going to finish games in the fourth quarter or in extra quarters. Work smarter, not harder.
| WIZARDS (14-29) 12th in the East | HEAT (31-13) 2nd in the East |
| Bradley Beal 38 points – nine rebounds – five assists – one steal | Tyler Herro 25 points – three rebounds – two assists – one steal |
| Davis Bertans 24 points – one rebound – four assists – one steal – one block | Jimmy Butler 24 points – seven rebounds – 10 assists – one block |
| Isaiah Thomas 14 points – four rebounds – three assists – one steal | Goran Dragic 22 points – six rebounds – 10 assists – one steal |
NEXT GAMES
Wizards at Cavaliers – Tonight
Clippers at Heat – Friday
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Los Angeles Lakers 100
New York Knicks 92
After playing the visiting Los Angeles Lakers to a 48-48 tie in the first half, the New York Knicks had to have some hope going into the locker room. But they couldn’t back it up, scoring only 44 in two 22 point quarters and fell to a Lakers team that clearly played down to the level of its competition. Despite having cornered the market on forwards, the Knicks could not stop Anthony Davis, who led all scorers with 28 points on 50 percent shooting.
| LAKERS (35-9) 1st in the West | KNICKS (12-33) 14th in the East |
| Anthony Davis 28 points – five rebounds – five assists – one steal – two blocks | Marcus Morris 20 points – six rebounds – one assist |
| LeBron James 21 points – six rebounds – five assists – five steals | Damyean Dotson 17 points – two rebounds – one steal |
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 13 points – four rebounds – two assists | Julius Randle 16 points – eight rebounds – six assists – one steal |
NEXT GAMES
Lakers at Nets – Tonight
Raptors at Knicks – Friday
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Minnesota Timberwolves 110
Chicago Bulls 117
The Chicago Bulls used strong first quarter and fourth quarter performances to overcome 40 points from Karl-Anthony Towns as the Bulls sent Minnesota to their 29th loss while picking up their 17th win last night in the Windy City. It took half a season, but Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen as an on court pairing finally came to fruition, if only for one game. Head coach Jim Boylen needs to take a more active role in making sure this happens game after game for the next 36 games if the Bulls hope to crack the Eastern Conference playoff rotation.
| TIMBERWOLVES (15-29) 13th in the West | BULLS (17-29) 10th in the East |
| Karl-Anthony Towns 40 points – six rebounds – two assists | Zach LaVine 25 points – five rebounds – one assist – one block |
| Andrew Wiggins 25 points – five rebounds – nine assists – one steal | Lauri Markkanen 21 points – six rebounds – one assist – one steal |
| Shabazz Napier 16 points – seven rebounds – five assists – two steals | Luke Kornet 15 points – three rebounds – two assists – one steal – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Kings at Bulls – Friday
Rockets at Timberwolves – Friday
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Denver Nuggets 105
Houston Rockets 121
The Denver Nuggets lost their foothold on the second seed in the Western Conference with their loss to the Houston Rockets on the road last night. With the Los Angeles Clippers losing in Atlanta, Denver could have hung tight with a win over the Rockets, but it wasn’t to be, despite a triple double performance from Nikola Jokic. Russell Westbrook led the Rockets for the third consecutive game with a near triple double of his own, albeit more impressive. Also, Westbrook played alongside Jerami Grant last year in Oklahoma City, so if and when you use Grant as your back up center, things like this will happen – a 16 point loss.
| NUGGETS (30-14) 4th in the West | ROCKETS (27-16) 6th in the West |
| Nikola Jokic 19 points – 12 rebounds – 10 assists – one steal | Russell Westbrook 28 points – 16 rebounds – eight assists – four steals – one block |
| Jerami Grant 17 points – seven rebounds – one assist – three steals – two blocks | James Harden 27 points – five rebounds – five assists – two steals |
| P.J. Dozier 15 points – three rebounds – two assists | Eric Gordon 25 points – two assists – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Nuggets at Pelicans – Friday
Rockets at Timberwolves – Friday
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Indiana Pacers 112
Phoenix Suns 87
For every game since the re-integration of Deandre Ayton to the roster that has been as beautiful as expected for Monty Williams’ Phoenix Suns, last night was the kind of nightmare that makes one wake up in night sweats and question the purpose and existence in life. The Indiana Pacers followed up a 30 point loss to the Utah Jazz with a 25 point bombing of the Suns last night in Phoenix. That’s how you respond, folks. Meanwhile, in Williams’ real life nightmare game, Devin Booker only scored 16, Ricky Rubio had seven, Ayton 10 and eight, and the high scoring Phoenix Suns don’t reach 100 points.
| PACERS (29-16) 5th in the East | SUNS (18-26) 11th in the West |
| T.J. Warren 25 points – three rebounds – three steals – one block | Kelly Oubre, Jr. 17 points – nine rebounds – one block |
| Domantas Sabonis 24 points – 13 rebounds – four assists – one block | Devin Booker 16 points – two rebounds – three assists – one steal |
| Doug McDermott 12 points – three rebounds – two assists | Elie Okobo 11 points – five rebounds – three assists – one steal – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Suns at Spurs – Friday
Pacers at Warriors – Friday
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San Antonio Spurs 121
New Orleans Pelicans 117
Zion Williamson made his NBA debut last night, playing for the first time since October 13th … and just like that, the San Antonio Spurs are back in the Western Conference playoff picture. LaMarcus Aldridge took the opportunity to school Williamson on how it’s done in the low post and mid-range, shooting 60 percent from the field on New Orleans’ floor to net a game high 32 points and 14 rebounds, while Williamson finished with 22 points, matched by Brandon Ingram’s 22 points. Lost in the loss and all the hullabaloo is the fact that Lonzo Ball is having a ‘most improved’ type season and no one is taking note. Williamson gets another chance to learn when Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets come to town tomorrow night.
| SPURS (20-23) 8th in the West | PELICANS (17-28) 12th in the West |
| LaMarcus Aldridge 32 points – 14 rebounds – two assists – one steal – two blocks | Zion Williamson 22 points – seven rebounds – three assists |
| DeMar DeRozan 20 points – five rebounds – one assist – one steal | Brandon Ingram 22 points – three rebounds – two assists – one steal |
| Dejounte Murray 13 points – five rebounds – two assists – one steal | Lonzo Ball 14 points – eight rebounds – 12 assists – three steals |
NEXT GAMES
Suns at Spurs – Friday
Nuggets at Pelicans – Friday
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Utah Jazz 129
Golden State Warriors 96
The Utah Jazz followed up a 30 point win over the Indiana Pacers by thumping the league worst Golden State Warriors by 33 points last night in San Francisco. Los Angeles Lakers, take note – this is how it’s done. Utah shot 53 percent while Golden State could only muster 39 percent on their home floor. It’s the Warriors’ 11th loss in their last 12 games. The Jazz hit 13 of their first 20 shots in the game, racing out to a 31-17 first quarter advantage, and a 65-46 first half. Stephen Curry is targeting a March 1 return, but that just may be semantics or a test run on the hand. Hopefully it doesn’t end as ugly as the Warriors’ test run on Kevin Durant.
| JAZZ (31-13) 2nd in the West | WARRIORS (10-36) 15th in the West |
| Donovan Mitchell 23 points – four rebounds – three assists – one steal | D’Angelo Russell 26 points – three rebounds – three assists |
| Rudy Gobert 22 points – 15 rebounds – two assists – one steal – three blocks | Omari Spellman 12 points – two rebounds – one steal |
| Bojan Bogdanovic 18 points – four rebounds – three assists – one steal | Marquese Chriss 11 points – eight rebounds – one assist |
NEXT GAMES
Pacers at Warriors – Friday
Mavericks at Jazz – Saturday
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THURSDAY’S LINEUP
(All Times Eastern)
| 7 p.m. Washington Wizards Cleveland Cavaliers NBC Sports Washington | 8 p.m. Los Angeles Lakers Brooklyn Nets TNT | 10:30 p.m. Dallas Mavericks Portland Trailblazers TNT |
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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
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