With nine games on the slate last night, we were treated to some tight competitive games with playoff positioning a factor as we approach mid-season.
There were also a good number of blowouts from teams you might not have expected to see do that, and we got to see a Washington team fully implode as their starters combined for 28 points …
Let’s take a look:
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San Antonio Spurs 129
Boston Celtics 114
The San Antonio Spurs jumped out with a purpose on the Boston Celtics last night in Beantown, scoring 30+ points in all four quarters to snuff the Celtics with a 15 points win. Kemba Walker must have still been affected from flu-like symptoms, because his judgment on whether to challenge NBA officiating got him tossed with double techs after returning from a three game absence. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 30, as much as DeMar DeRozan put up on his own.
| SPURS (16-20) 8th in the West | CELTICS (25-10) 3rd in the East |
| DeMar DeRozan 30 points – six rebounds – four assists – one steal | Gordon Hayward 18 points – three rebounds – three assists – one steal – one block |
| Lonnie Walker IV19 points – three rebounds – one assist – one steal | Jaylen Brown 16 points – three rebounds – two steals |
| Bryn Forbes 15 points – three rebounds – six assists – two steals | Daniel Thies 15 points – five rebounds – one assist – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Celtics at Sixers – Tonight
Spurs at Grizzlies – Friday
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Miami Heat 122
Indiana Pacers 108
Miami spent the first three quarters running the score up on the Indiana Pacers that the Pacers’ 36-22 fourth quarter simply made the final score look palatable for the home team last night. The Heat ended up with seven players in double digits, led by rookie Tyler Herro. Indiana had an impressive game from Domantas Sabonis, but other than 28 combined points from the Holiday Brothers (Aaron, Justin), he got little help.
| HEAT (27-10) 2nd in the East | PACERS (23-15) 6th in the East |
| Tyler Herro 19 points – seven rebounds – two assists | Domantas Sabonis 27 points – 14 rebounds – six assists |
| Bam Adebayo 18 points – nine rebounds – four assists – one block | Justin Holiday 14 points – four rebounds – two assists – one steal |
| Derrick Jones, Jr. 18 points – seven rebounds – two assists – two blocks | Aaron Holiday 14 points – five assists – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Heat at Nets – Friday
Pacers at Bulls – Friday
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Washington Wizards 89
Orlando Magic 123
If you thought the Orlando Magic making the Washington Wizards disappear on New Years Day (122-101) was a nice trick, you should have seen the vanishing act they performed last night in front of 16,013 at the Amway Center. Orlando dusted the Wizards in every quarter to glide to an easy 34 point win, with Washington’s starting lineup combining for a meager 28 total points.
| WIZARDS (12-25) 12th in the East | MAGIC (18-20) 7th in the East |
| Troy Brown, Jr. 18 points – 11 rebounds – five assists – two steals | Nikola Vucevic 29 points – nine rebounds – two assists – two steals – one block |
| #VFL Admiral Schofield 18 points – six rebounds – two assists | Evan Fournier 19 points – two rebounds – five assists – two steals |
| Anzejs Pacecniks 16 points – five rebounds – three assists – two blocks | D.J. Augustin 18 points – two rebounds – three assists |
NEXT GAMES
Hawks at Wizards – Friday
Magic at Suns – Friday
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Toronto Raptors 112
Charlotte Hornets 110 (OT)
The Charlotte Hornets gave it everything they had against the reigning NBA champions last night, in what was arguably their best team performance of the season. Things got testy at the end of the overtime period, one in which Terence Davis had two three point hits to help the Raptors to the win. He and Terry Rozier had to be separated as both teams tried to head to their respective locker rooms. If the Hornets can only keep that intensity the rest of the season.
| RAPTORS (25-13) 4th in the East | HORNETS (15-25) 9th in the East |
| Terence Davis 23 points – 11 rebounds – five assists – one steal | Terry Rozier 27 points – three assists – three steals |
| Serge Ibaka 23 points – 11 rebounds – two assists – two blocks | Miles Bridges 26 points – nine rebounds – one assist – one steal – one block |
| O.G. Anunoby 19 points – seven rebounds – one assist – one steal | Cody Zeller 14 points – eight rebounds – two assists |
NEXT GAMES
Hornets at Jazz – Friday
Spurs at Raptors – Sunday
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Houston Rockets 122
Atlanta Hawks 115
Trae Young did his best to outdo James Harden … and he did. Unfortunately, the rest of the Atlanta Hawks didn’t step up as well as Harden’s teammates did on a night when Russell Westbrook took the night off. Clint Capela was spectacular with 22 points and 22 rebounds, while the Rockets took flight early on, blasting off with a 45-29 first quarter that set the tone for the entire night last night. Young and Harden were the first players to have 40 point triple doubles in the same game.
| ROCKETS (25-11) 3rd in the West | HAWKS (8-30) 15th in the East |
| James Harden 41 points – 10 rebounds – 10 assists – two steals – three blocks | Trae Young 42 points – 13 rebounds – 10 assists – one block |
| Clint Capela 22 points – 22 rebounds – two steals – two blocks | John Collins 17 points – 14 rebounds – one steal – four blocks |
| Ben McLemore 18 points – three rebounds – one assist | Alex Len 14 points – 10 rebounds – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Rockets at Thunder – Tonight
Hawks at Wizards – Friday
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Denver Nuggets 107
Dallas Mavericks 106
In the most competitive game of the night, Nikola Jokic got the best of Luka Doncic as the Denver Nuggets edged the Dallas Mavericks in their own crib. Jokic led all scorers with 33 points overall, but scored 26 of those in the second half, where the Nuggets outscored the Mavericks, 51-47, to take the win and keep themselves four places and three games ahead of Dallas in the Western Conference standings.
| NUGGETS (26-11) 2nd in the West | MAVERICKS (23-14) 6th in the West |
| Nikola Jokic 33 points – six rebounds – seven assists – one steal – one block | Luka Doncic 27 points – nine rebounds – 10 assists |
| Jerami Grant 15 points – five rebounds – two assists – one steal – three blocks | Dwight Powell 16 points – eight rebounds – three assists – one steal – two blocks |
| Jamal Murray 14 points – three rebounds – five assists | Tim Hardaway, Jr. 15 points – two assists |
NEXT GAMES
Lakers at Mavericks – Friday
Cavaliers at Nuggets – Saturday
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Chicago Bulls 108
New Orleans Pelicans 123
The irony in last night’s game in New Orleans is that both the Pelicans and the Chicago Bulls ended the night at 13-25, with the Bulls at 11th in the East and New Orleans at 14th in the West. But it’s Chicago languishing with little to no more direction than they had a year ago, while the Pelicans see light at the end of the tunnel. New Orleans has gone 7-3 in their last 10 games with Zion Williamson very active in five-on-five scrimmages in practice and a possible January debut.
| BULLS (13-25) 11th in the East | PELICANS (13-25) 14th in the West |
| Zach LaVine 32 points – five rebounds – six assists – two steals | Brandon Ingram 29 points – eight rebounds – 11 assists – two blocks |
| Thaddeus Young 18 points – six rebounds – two assists – three steals | J.J. Redick 24 points – four rebounds – four assists – one steal |
| Kris Dunn 15 points – four rebounds – seven assists – five steals | Jaxson Hayes 14 points – 12 rebounds – four blocks |
NEXT GAMES
Pelicans at Knicks – Friday
Pacers at Bulls – Friday
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New York Knicks 104
Utah Jazz 128
Julius Randle was called to the coaches offices and was visibly upset when he walked out of said office; you knew then that things weren’t going to look good for the New York Knicks, if you even had a sniff that they might pull an upset in Salt Lake City last night. Randle had a DNP for personal reasons. Instead, Jazz fans were treated to a guard battle between former New York guard Emmanuel Mudiay and his former understudy, Frank Ntilikina, which Mudiay and the Jazz won handily. Utah outscored the Knicks in every quarter but the fourth, where the game was already out of reach.
| KNICKS (10-28) 14th in the East | JAZZ (25-12) 5th in the West |
| Frank Ntilikina 16 points – four rebounds – three assists – one steal | Emmanuel Mudiay 20 points – three rebounds – four assists – one steal – one block |
| Bobby Portis 13 points – 13 rebounds – six assists | Bojan Bogdanovic 20 points – three rebounds – three assists – one block |
| Elfrid Payton 13 points – two rebounds | Rudy Gobert 16 points – 16 rebounds – four assists – one steal – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Pelicans at Knicks – Friday
Hornets at Jazz – Friday
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Milwaukee Bucks 107
Golden State Warriors 98
Since their Christmas Day loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, which halted an 18 game win streak, the Milwaukee Bucks once again look unstoppable, winning their sixth game in their last seven (the only other loss was to a hungry and frustrated San Antonio Spurs team on Monday night, avenging a loss to Milwaukee two nights earlier). The NBA’s best team did “just enough” to beat the Golden State Warriors in the Chase Center last night in front of 18,064 that are accustomed to seeing their Warriors with a 33-6 record at this time of year, not the visiting team.
| BUCKS (33-6) 1st in the East | WARRIORS (9-30) 15th in the West |
| Giannis Antetokuonmpo 30 points – 13 rebounds – four assists – one steal | Alec Burks 19 points – five rebounds – seven assists – one block |
| Khris Middleton 21 points – seven rebounds – six assists – one steal | Glenn Robinson III 15 points – seven rebounds – one assist – one steal |
| Eric Bledsoe 16 points – three rebounds – two assists – three steals – one block | Damion Lee 15 points – four rebounds – four assists – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Bucks at Kings – Friday
Warriors at Clippers – Friday
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THURSDAY’S LINEUP
(all times Eastern)
| 7 p.m. Cleveland Cavaliers Detroit Pistons Fox Sports Detroit | 7 p.m. Boston Celtics Philadelphia 76ers TNT |
| 8 p.m. Portland Trailblazers Minnesota Timberwolves FSN | 9:30 p.m. Houston Rockets Oklahoma City Thunder 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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