With six games on the slate last night, we saw Hassan Whiteside hit the first 20/20 of 2020, a Heat-wave end in the land of Elsa and Anna, Philadelphia lose their fourth straight, and Anthony Davis further distance himself from the New Orleans Pelicans and their fans.
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Atlanta Hawks 106
Boston Celtics 109
The Atlanta Hawks went to Boston and soared to a 32-19 first quarter performance, but it was all flapping after that as the Celtics took over and controlled quarters two, three, and four last night to notch their 23rd win of the season. Kemba Walker was out with the flu, which opened the door for Marcus Smart to have a very good all around night statistically. The Hawks are still the worst team in the NBA and look to stay that way as the Indiana Pacers visit State Farm tonight.
| HAWKS (7-27) 15th in the East | CELTICS (23-8) 2nd in the East |
| Trae Young 28 points – five rebounds – 10 assists | Jaylen Brown 24 points – 10 rebounds – two assists – two steals |
| Kevin Huerter17 points – six rebounds – five assists – one steal – one block | Gordon Hayward 18 points – six rebounds – one assist – one steal |
| John Collins 16 points – eight rebounds – one assist – one steal | Marcus Smart 15 points – six rebounds – nine assists – three steals – two blocks |
NEXT GAMES
Pacers at Hawks – Tonight
Celtics at Bulls – Tonight
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Miami Heat 85
Orlando Magic 105
The Miami Heat took a 20 point beating last night in the Happiest Place on Earth, after scoring only six points in the fourth quarter, while the Orlando Magic piled on 21 to steal a win against one of the top tier teams in the Eastern Conference. It was the lowest point total in a quarter by any NBA team in the past two years. The Heat cut their own throat in the final stanza by missing all 10 three pointers, and shooting a frigid three for 19 in the period.
| HEAT (25-9) 3rd in the East | MAGIC (15-19) 8th in the East |
| Jimmy Butler 23 points – 10 rebounds – seven assists – three steals | Terrence Ross 25 points – two rebounds – two steals |
| Bam Adebayo 14 points – 10 rebounds – one assist – one steal – two blocks | Nikola Vucevic 20 points – 11 rebounds – seven assists – one block |
| Duncan Robinson Nine points – three rebounds – one assist | Aaron Gordon 16 points – eight rebounds – three assists |
NEXT GAMES
Jazz at Magic – Saturday
Blazers at Heat – Sunday
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Portland Trailblazers 122
Washington Wizards 103
Hassan Whiteside is the first person to go 20 and 20 in 2020, helping the Portland Trailblazers to get back on track in the win column in our nation’s capital last night. Whiteside finished with 23 points and 21 rebounds, while Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum combined for 59 in the win. #VFL Jordan McRae had a season high for the Washington Wizards as he tied Lillard for game high honors at 35, but got little help. The win snaps a five game skid for the Blazers. Bradley Beal missed the game with day to day leg soreness. Carmelo Anthony shot 77.8 percent en route to 16 points and six rebounds.
| BLAZERS (14-21) 9th in the West | WIZARDS (10-23) 12th in the East |
| Damian Lillard 35 points – three rebounds – three assists – one steal | #VFL Jordan McRae 35 points – five rebounds – four assists – one block |
| C.J. McCollum 24 points – four rebounds – six assists – one steal | Garrison Mathews 18 points – two rebounds – one assist |
| Hassan Whiteside 23 points – 21 rebounds – one assist – five blocks | Ish Smith 16 points – two rebounds – five assists – one steal |
NEXT GAMES
Nuggets at Wizards – Tonight
Blazers at Heat – Sunday
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Philadelphia 76ers 108
Houston Rockets 118
It was a triple double duel won by James Harden over Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers last night at the Toyota Center. Clint Capela flirted with his career high of 31, missing it by a point in his monstrous performance, while Russell Westbrook and Eric Gordon chimed in with solid efforts of their own. It just was never meant to be for the Sixers – after they opened with a 27-20 first quarter, Houston answered with a 40-26 second quarter and never let their foot off the gas.
| SIXERS (23-14) 6th in the East | ROCKETS (24-11) 4th in the West |
| Ben Simmons 29 points – 13 rebounds – 11 assists – three steals – four blocks | James Harden 44 points – 11 rebounds – 11 assists – one steal – one block |
| #VFL Tobias Harris 24 points – two rebounds – two assists – one block | Clint Capela 30 points – 14 rebounds – three assists – two steals – one block |
| Joel Embiid 20 points – 12 rebounds – three assists – two steals – one block | Russell Westbrook 20 points – seven rebounds – four assists – three steals |
NEXT GAMES
Thunder at Sixers – Monday
Rockets at Hawks – Wednesday
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New York Knicks 112
Phoenix Suns 120
After being outscored 37-29 in the opening period, the Phoenix Suns protected the home hardwood at Talking Stick Resort Arena by outdoing the visiting New York Knicks 91-75 to snatch an 11th win from New York and give themselves their lucky 13th. Kelly Oubre Jr. shot 68.8 percent from the field and Devin Booker hit 51.9 percent from the field and 100 percent from the line to lead the Suns to victory.
| KNICKS (10-24) 13th in the East | SUNS (13-21) 10th in the West |
| Marcus Morris 25 points – three rebounds – two assists – two steals – one block | Devin Booker 38 points – three rebounds – seven assists |
| Bobby Portis 20 points – four rebounds – two assists | Kelly Oubre, Jr. 29 points – five rebounds – one assist – three steals |
| Elfrid Payton 15 points – five rebounds – six assists | Aron Baynes 20 points – 12 rebounds – two assists – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Knicks at Clippers – Sunday
Grizzlies at Suns – Sunday
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New Orleans Pelicans 113
Los Angeles Lakers 123
If the New Orleans Pelicans had it their way, they’d likely be satisfied if they never had to play the Los Angeles Lakers again this season. Unfortunately, there’s still February 25th on national TV and March 1st to close out the season series, where the Pelicans sit at 0-2 thus far. Former Pelican Anthony Davis seems to relish taking things out on his former teammates – first with a 41 points performance in New Orleans on November 27th, then with a 46 point performance last night in L.A. No one on the Pelicans is looking forward to 50 in February on TNT … except Anthony Davis.
| PELICANS (11-24) 14th in the West | LAKERS (28-7) 1st in the West |
| Lonzo Ball 23 points – two rebounds – five assists – two steals | Anthony Davis 46 points – 13 rebounds – one assist – three steals – one block |
| Brandon Ingram 22 points – three rebounds – three assists – two blocks | Danny Green 25 points – five rebounds – five assists – two steals |
| E’Twaun Moore 16 points – three rebounds – two assists – one block | LeBron James 17 points – eight rebounds – 15 assists – two steals |
NEXT GAMES
Pelicans at Kings – Tonight
Pistons at Lakers – Sunday
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SATURDAY’S LINEUP
Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Clippers – 3:30 p.m. EST – Fox Sports Southeast
Toronto Raptors at Brooklyn Nets – 6 p.m. EST – YES
Utah Jazz at Orlando Magic – 7 p.m. EST – AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain
Indiana Pacers at Atlanta Hawks – 7:30 p.m. EST – Fox Sports Midwest-Indiana
Oklahoma City Thunder at Cleveland Cavaliers – 7:30 p.m. EST – Fox Sports Ohio
Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls – 8 p.m. EST – NBC Sports Boston
Denver Nuggets at Washington Wizards – 8 p.m. EST – Altitude
Charlotte Hornets at Dallas Mavericks – 8:30 p.m. EST – Fox Sports Southeast
Detroit Pistons at Golden State Warriors – 8:30 p.m. EST – Fox Sports Detroit
San Antonio Spurs at Milwaukee Bucks – 8:30 p.m. EST – KENS (San Antonio)
New Orleans Pelicans at Sacramento Kings – 10 p.m. EST – NBC Sports California
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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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