The NBA has drama every night. While it looked like the Cavs were heading to certain defeat, LeBron James led Cleveland to an amazing fourth quarter victory. Both the Pelicans and Bucks were down at halftime, but came back in the second half to win their games.

Wizards (8-5) defeat Kings (3-10) - 110-92

Sacramento headed into the matchup against the Wizards winning two of their previous three games and jumped out to a 32-25 first quarter edge. Kings’ point guard George Hill, who is averaging about eight points per game (ppg), had 13 in the opening frame.

But Washington stormed back in the second quarter to take a 57-51 halftime lead. John Wall shot 6-6 from the field in the first half and scored 16 points. Reserve forward Mike Scott chipped in 10 points on 4-4 shooting.

The Wizards continued their second quarter domination following intermission. Washington extended their lead to 86-71 in the third quarter and cruised to an 18-point victory. Six Wizards’ players scored in double-figures, and Wall led the way with 21 points and nine assists. After his hot start, George Hill finished with 16 points for Sacramento.

Cavaliers (7-7) defeat Knicks (7-7) - 104-101

LeBron James created some waves heading into the Cavs’ game against New York. According to ESPN, in an attempt to troll former Knicks’ president of basketball operations, Phil Jackson, James made a comment about how New York screwed up their 2017 lottery pick.

He said that the Knicks’ front office should have chosen Mavericks’ point guard Dennis Smith over Frank Ntilikina. Some of that pre-game drama seeped into the game when Ntilikina got into a minor shoving match with LeBron James toward the end of the first quarter. After the two were separated, Knicks' forward Enes Kanter also had something to say.

All things being equal, props to the rookie from France for standing up to LeBron James. Ntilikina certainly earned the respect of Knicks’ fans in that moment. There was also some basketball in the opening period. The Cavs raced out to a 25-22 lead in the first quarter. But the Knicks out-hustled, out-worked, and out-manned Cleveland in the second period, outscoring them by 16 points to take a 13-point half-time lead.

New York had a 15-point lead heading into the final period. But the Cavs methodically chipped away at that number. Finally, with 1:23 left in the game, LeBron James hit a three-pointer to give Cleveland the lead and help earn them the victory. James continued to do everything for the Cavs with 23 points, nine rebounds, and 12 assists. Tim Hardaway Jr finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Porzingis has 20 points on 7-21 shooting.

Pelicans (8-6) defeat Hawks (2-12) - 106-105

The Atlanta Hawks are thin down low and had their hands full with Pelicans’ big men Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. But the Hawks didn’t allow New Orleans' size and strength to intimidate them, shooting 56.5% from the field in the first quarter on their way to a 32-23 advantage.

With four players scoring at least eight points, Atlanta held on to a five-point lead at halftime. But the Pelicans cut the number to one heading into the fourth quarter behind nine points from E’Twaun Moore and seven from Cousins in the third.

The lead changed hands multiple times in the final frame, but a three-pointer by hot-shooting Darius Miller, with under a minute left, put New Orleans in the lead for good. Moore led the Pelicans with 24 points, and Cousins had 22 points and 16 rebounds. Kent Bazemore had 22 points for Atlanta.

Bucks (7-6) defeat Grizzlies (7-6) - 110-103

The Bucks are 2-0 since acquiring Eric Bledsoe in a trade from the Phoenix Suns. But while Milwaukee held a five-point lead after the first quarter, the Bucks found themselves down five at halftime.

The Grizzlies got strong play off-the-bench from Mario Chalmers and Brandan Wright; the two combined for 23 first half points.

However, the Bucks came out and dominated Memphis in the third quarter, outscoring them 24-12. Milwaukee’s seven-point lead heading into the final quarter didn’t budge as they played their way to over .500 on the season. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 27 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists for Milwaukee, while Grizzlies’ reserve, Tyreke Evans, led Memphis with 27 points.
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