On a night that featured 10 games, redemption was in order for Markelle Fultz, as he led the Orlando Magic in a takedown of the Los Angeles Lakers in L.A.
Domantas Sabonis took advantage of Karl-Anthony Towns’ absence and can do it again tomorrow night, and Luka Doncic and Russell Westbrook continue their triple double antics.
And, wait a minute, the Bulls are winning?
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Detroit Pistons 116
Boston Celtics 103
The Detroit Pistons hit the NOS in the third quarter, screaming past the Boston Celtics on the parquet with a 34-23 third quarter and a 15-point second half advantage to steal a win in Beantown last night. Sekou Doumbouya, the No. 15 pick who has polished his skills through stints on Poitiers and Limoges BSP in Europe, as well as the G League’s Grand Rapids Drive here in the states, has worked his way into head coach Dwane Casey’s rotation, stepped up to lead the Pistons with a season high 24 points as the Pistons snapped a three game skid.
| PISTONS (15-27) 10th in the East | CELTICS (27-12) 3rd in the East |
| Sekou Doumbouya 24 points – two rebounds – one assist – one steal | Gordon Hayward 25 points – seven rebounds – one assist – two steals |
| Markieff Morris 23 points – two rebounds – two assists – two steals – one block | Jaylen Brown 24 points – 12 rebounds – two assists |
| Derrick Rose 22 points – two rebounds – six assists – one block | Kemba Walker 19 points – two rebounds – two assists – two steals |
NEXT GAMES
Celtics at Bucks – Tonight
Pistons at Hawks – Saturday
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Brooklyn Nets 106
Philadelphia 76ers 117
Six of 23 shooting in the fourth quarter didn’t help the Brooklyn Nets last night in the City of Brotherly Love, as they came up dry with only 16 points to Philadelphia’s 31, as the Sixers pulled away for win No. 26 last night. A couple of former Tennessee Volunteers led the Sixers, #VFL Tobias Harris with 34 and 10, while #VFL Josh Richardson added 15 points, five rebounds and three blocks. Kyrie Irving only scored 14 points in 37 minutes of play, shooting a meager 28.6 percent.
| NETS (18-22) 8th in the East | SIXERS (26-16) 6th in the East |
| Spencer Dinwiddie 26 points – two rebounds – eight assists | #VFL Tobias Harris 34 points – 10 rebounds – three assists – one steal |
| Jarrett Allen 17 points – 10 rebounds – one assist | Ben Simmons 20 points – six rebounds – 11 assists – one steal – one block |
| Taurean Prince 15 points – seven assists – three steals | #VFL Josh Richardson 15 points – five rebounds – two assists – one steal – three blocks |
NEXT GAMES
Bulls at Sixers – Friday
Bucks at Nets – Saturday
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San Antonio Spurs 100
Miami Heat 106
The Miami Heat are now 18-1 at American Airlines Arena after coming back in the fourth quarter last night to put away the visiting San Antonio Spurs. The Heat put together a 31-23 fourth quarter performance to take the win after being down two after three. Rookie Kendrick Nunn was spectacular with a game high 33 points against veterans like DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge. Nunn shot 72.2 percent overall and five of seven from downtown. Jimmy Butler added 12 points in the win.
| SPURS (17-22) 9th in the West | HEAT (28-12) 2nd in the East |
| DeMar DeRozan 30 points – five rebounds – seven assists – two steals | Kendrick Nunn 33 points – three rebounds – four assists – two steals |
| Patty Mills 21 points – one rebound – one assist | Goran Dragic 17 points – one rebound – five assists |
| LaMarcus Aldridge 12 points – five rebounds – one assist | Bam Adebayo 14 points – three rebounds – seven assists – two blocks |
NEXT GAMES
Heat at Thunder – Friday
Hawks at Spurs – Friday
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Washington Wizards 106
Chicago Bulls 115
If the Chicago Bulls don’t knock it off, they might just mess around and end up in the Eastern Conference playoff picture by season’s end. After putting together a 60-46 second half performance last night against the Washington Wizards, the Bulls are within four games of the eighth seed in the East, though the Wizards are within a game of Chicago themselves. It’s nice to finally see some contribution from Thaddeus Young, who should have been bringing a presence all along.
| WIZARDS (13-27) 12th in the East | BULLS (15-27) 9th in the East |
| Bradley Beal 23 points – four rebounds – four assists | Zach LaVine 30 points – seven rebounds – seven assists – one steal |
| #VFL Jordan McRae 16 points – four rebounds – three assists – one steal | Thaddeus Young 18 points – eight rebounds – two steals – one block |
| Davis Bertans 12 points – five rebounds – two assists – two steals | Tomas Satoransky 18 points – three rebounds – five assists – one steal |
NEXT GAMES
Bulls at Sixers – Friday
Wizards at Raptors – Friday
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Indiana Pacers 104
Minnesota Timberwolves 99
A 50-40 second half pushed the Indiana Pacers ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who’ve started the second half of the season flailing without Karl-Anthony Towns. Without Towns, Indiana took advantage in the paint, scoring 30 points in the paint in the first half behind Domantas Sabonis, who led all scorers with 29 points in the game. It was Towns’ 15th straight game missed with a knee sprain. It was also Sabonis’ fifth career 25 and 10 game. These two teams go at it again in Indianapolis on Friday night.
| PACERS (26-15) 5th in the East | TIMBERWOLVES (15-25) 12th in the West |
| Domantas Sabonis 29 points – 13 rebounds – six assists – one steal – one block | Jarrett Culver 17 points – five rebounds – one assist – two steals – one block |
| Malcolm Brogdon 21 points – six rebounds – six assists | Gorgui Dieng 15 points – 11 rebounds – three assists – one block |
| Doug McDermott 14 points – two rebounds – two assists – one steal | Keita Bates-Diop 15 points – six rebounds – three assists – one block |
NEXT GAME
Timberwolves at Pacers – Friday
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Toronto Raptors 130
Oklahoma City Thunder 121
A 73 point first half was all the Toronto Raptors needed last night in Oklahoma City. Pascal Siakam looks like he is getting comfortable again after returning from injury as he and O.G. Anunoby combined for 42 points at 21 apiece. The Raptors’ top three failed to outscore the Oklahoma City Thunder’s top three (OKC 69, TOR 65), but the Raptors having seven players in deep double digits is what pushed the visitors past the Thunder.
| RAPTORS (26-14) 4th in the East | THUNDER (23-18) 7th in the West |
| Norman Powell 23 points – two rebounds | Dennis Schroder 25 points – three rebounds – six assists – two steals |
| O.G. Anunoby 21 points – five rebounds – five assists – three steals | Danilo Gallinari 23 points – four rebounds – three assists |
| Pascal Siakam 21 points – four rebounds – four assists – two steals – one block | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 21 points – six rebounds – six assists – three steals – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Wizards at Raptors – Friday
Heat at Thunder – Friday
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Charlotte Hornets 86
Denver Nuggets 100
The Denver Nuggets reclaimed their No. 2 spot in the Western Conference last night, scooting past the idle Utah Jazz with a 14 point win over the visiting Charlotte Hornets. And they did it without players like Nikola Jokic (12, eight, eight) or Jamal Murray (five points, injured) leading the way. Trying to work Michael Porter, Jr. into the rotation and into a role as a leading man hasn’t been easy, but Porter had a solid 19 and eight last night to lead the Nuggets to the win. P.J. Dozier also had 12 points in 13 minutes, spelling Murray, who rolled his ankle earlier in the game.
| HORNETS (15-29) 11th in the East | NUGGETS (28-12) 2nd in the West |
| Terry Rozier 20 points – three rebounds – nine assists – one steal | Michael Porter, Jr. 19 points – eight rebounds – one assist – two steals – one block |
| Miles Bridges 14 points – eight rebounds – one block | Mason Plumlee 15 points – five rebounds – two assists |
| P.J. Washington 14 points – four rebounds – four assists – two steals | Jerami Grant 14 points – five rebounds – two assists – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Nuggets at Warriors – Tonight
Magic at Hornets – Monday
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Portland Trailblazers 117
Houston Rockets 107
Are the Portland Trailblazers finally for real? Or are the Houston Rockets simply being exposed? A 60-47 first half provided the buffer the Blazers needed to pull off what was thought to be an improbable win in Houston last night. Both questions are difficult to put a finger on, as James Harden had an off night, shooting 25 percent for a 13-8-7 evening while Russell Westbrook led the team with yet another triple double. Portland is over halfway through the season at 42 games played and going for only 36 wins won’t cut it with all the talent they have on their payroll. It can’t be on Damian Lillard’s shoulders all the time. Carmelo Anthony finished with 18 and 12, and while the Blazers caused the Rockets to lose two straight for the first time since late November, they still need to work on their chemistry to replicate games like last night’s.
| TRAILBLAZERS (18-24) 10th in the West | ROCKETS (26-14) 5th in the West |
| Damian Lillard 25 points – seven rebounds – seven assists – two steals | Russell Westbrook 31 points – 11 rebounds – 12 assists – one steal |
| C.J. McCollum 24 points – one rebounds – six assists – two steals – one block | Eric Gordon 20 points – two rebounds – one assist |
| Hassan Whiteside 18 points – 18 rebounds – two blocks | Ben McLemore 17 points – two rebounds – one steal – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Blazers at Mavericks – Friday
Lakers at Rockets – Saturday
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Dallas Mavericks 127
Sacramento Kings 123
Despite a 30-19 fourth quarter and a combined 77 points from De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, and Harrison Barnes, the Sacramento Kings still came up short against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks at Golden 1 Center last night. The Mavericks got solid performances from their starting five, led by Doncic’s more than impressive triple double, and another combined 38 points off the bench, led by Seth Curry’s 21 points.
| MAVERICKS (26-15) 6th in the West | KINGS (15-26) 14th in the West |
| Luka Doncic 25 points – 15 rebounds – 17 assists | De’Aaron Fox 27 points – seven rebounds – 12 assists – one steal |
| Tim Hardaway, Jr. 18 points – six rebounds – two assists – one steal | Harrison Barnes 25 points – eight rebounds – two assists – one steal |
| Dwight Powell 17 points – nine rebounds – one assist | Buddy Hield 25 points – three rebounds – two assists |
NEXT GAMES
Blazers at Mavericks – Friday
Kings at Jazz – Saturday
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Orlando Magic 119
Los Angeles Lakers 118
Sometimes the magic of magic is simply doing the unimaginable right before people’s very eyes. That’s what happened last night in L.A. as the Orlando Magic pulled some sleight of hand and stole a win at the expense of the Los Angeles Lakers. The greatest part of the night was that it was a guy who Philadelphia gave up on who came through for the Magic – Markelle Fultz, who may feel like redemption came full circle last night. Fults has overcome adversity to get his name back in the rotation and spotlight, especially last night, after hitting two critical layups late in the game and even outscoring the great LeBron James to give Orlando the win and a move up to seventh in the Eastern Conference standings.
| MAGIC (20-21) 7th in the East | LAKERS (33-8) 1st in the West |
| Markelle Fultz 21 points – 11 rebounds – 10 assists – one steal | Quinn Cook 22 points – four rebounds – one assist – one steal |
| Aaron Gordon 21 points – six rebounds – three assists – two steals | LeBron James 19 points – three re bounds – 19 assists – one steal |
| Wes Iwundu 19 points – four rebounds – two assists – two steals | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 17 points – six rebounds – three assists – one steal |
NEXT GAMES
Magic at Clippers – Tonight
Lakers at Rockets – Saturday
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THURSDAY’S LINEUP
(All Times Eastern)
| 7:30 p.m. Phoenix Suns New York Knicks Fox Sports Arizona | 8 p.m. Utah Jazz New Orleans Pelicans AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain |
| 8 p.m. Boston Celtics Milwaukee Bucks TNT | 10:30 p.m. Denver Nuggets Golden State Warriors TNT |
| 10:30 p.m. Orlando Magic Los Angeles Clippers FSN Prime Ticket |
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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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