With the basketball universe focused on college basketball, the NBA only had three games on the docket. Boston saw the return of Kyrie Irving in their victory, while the Raptors outgunned the Rockets in Houston. Dallas managed to stay with San Antonio in a game where offense was optional.
Celtics (13-2) defeat Net (5-9) - 109-102
Kyrie Irving returned to the Celtics after suffering a facial fracture last Friday night. He wore a protective mask for precautionary reasons against the Nets. And whether it was the mask or rust from missing multiple games, Irving struggled with his shot.
He led Boston in scoring in the first half but made just 4-11 shots for 14 points. The Celtics shot out the gate to a 30-21 first quarter lead, but Brooklyn battled back in the second quarter, outscoring Boston 31-22. Five Nets had seven points or more heading into halftime.
Jaylen Brown's dunk early in the game was an ode to Dominque Wilkens.
The Celtics recaptured their first quarter game following intermission. After Spencer Dinwiddie scored to give Brooklyn a 65-61 lead, Boston went on a 19-6 run to go up by nine heading into the fourth quarter. The Nets cut the deficit to one but were never able to reclaim the lead. Irving led the Celtics with 25 points, while Marcus Morris added 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Joe Harris came off-the-bench to score a team-high 19 for Brooklyn. This was Boston's 13th win in a row since opening their season 0-2.
Raptors (8-5) defeat Rockets (11-4) - 129-113
James Harden has been on a tear recently. He’s scored 35 or more points in three of his last four games heading into the matchup against Toronto.
He continued with his torrid shooting in the first quarter, scoring 16 points as the Rockets took a 33-31 lead. But if a team is going to beat Houston, they have to outscore them and that’s what the Raptors did. Toronto put up 45 points in the second quarter to take a 12-point lead into halftime. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan combined for 29 points and 10 assists in the first half.
The Raptors led by as much as 20 points in the third quarter, but two Harden free throws cut that margin to nine by the end of the period. It was a five-point game with 7:23 left, but that was as close as it got, as Toronto finished off Houston for the win. DeRozan had 27 points for Toronto, and Harden finished with 38 points and 11 rebounds.
Spurs (9-5) defeat Mavericks (2-13) - 97-91
There is no way to sugar coat some things; this game was ugly. After three quarters the score was just 62-60 San Antonio. But an offensive explosion by both teams in the final period made the score respectable. The Mavericks jumped out to a 9-2 start, but the Spurs took the lead by the end of the first quarter 17-16.
San Antonio guard Patty Mills got hot in the second quarter; his 13 points helped the Spurs extend their lead to five by halftime.
With just two points separating the teams heading into the fourth quarter, both erupted for over 30 points. Mavericks’ rookie point guard, Dennis Smith Jr., did everything he could to keep Dallas in the game, scoring 18 points in the quarter, but it wasn’t enough. Smith Jr. led Dallas with 27 points, while LaMarcus Aldridge had 32 points for the Spurs. San Antonio forward Kawhi Leonard is still out with an injury, and according to ESPN, there is no timetable for his return.
