In the early NBA games Monday night, LeBron James led the Cavs to their 12th straight win. Devin Booker got the better of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, while the Warriors made an incredible second-half comeback to beat the Pelicans.
Cavaliers (17-7) defeat Bulls (3-19) - 113-91
Cleveland started out a bit sluggish versus Chicago, but then LeBron James woke everyone up with this thunderous dunk.
The Cavs were up just seven after one, but shifted their offense into another gear and flexed their muscle in the second. LeBron James had 15 points in the first half as the Cavs took a 61-45 lead.
Chicago was able to trim the lead by one in the third, but Cleveland put the game away in the final period. James had 23 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, while Dwyane Wade added 24 off-the-bench.
Celtics (21-4) defeat Bucks (12-9) - 111-10
Rookie Jayson Tatum continues to impress, scoring 14 first-quarter points as the Celtics raced out to a 34-26 lead. Boston stayed in control for much of the second, upping their lead to 13 at halftime. But Giannis Antetokounmpo came out in the third quarter and did everything in his power to keep Milwaukee in the game. The Greek Freak poured in 16 points in the third quarter, but the Celtics still held a seven-point advantage.
Every time the Bucks attempted to make a run in the fourth, Boston answered with a bucket to secure the 11-point victory.
Kyrie Irving had 32 points for the Celtics, while Bucks' star Antetokounmpo dropped 40.
Suns (9-16) defeat 76ers (13-10) - 115-101
Phoenix came into the game having lost five of their last six but gave Philadelphia everything they could handle in the first half. The score was tied after one, but Devin Booker and T.J. Warren combined for 18 points in the second quarter to boost the Suns to a 60-47 halftime lead.
Joel Embiid had 14 points and seven rebounds for the Sixers and a monster block on Alex Len in the first half.
Philadelphia cut the lead to 10 after the third quarter and reduced the margin down to five after a J.J. Redick three-pointer with 4:49 left in the game. But Phoenix drained three shots straight from deep to push the lead up to 14.
Booker was dynamite for the Suns, pouring in 46 points and grabbing eight boards. Embiid had 22 points and 12 rebounds for Philly, while Ben Simmons added 20 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.
Warriors (19-6) defeat Pelicans (12-12) - 125-115
No Anthony Davis would normally be a big problem against any team, but especially the Warriors. However, New Orleans held a seven-point lead in the first quarter with 11 points from Jrue Holiday. A Golden State 11-3 run to open the second briefly put the Warriors ahead, but Holiday continued his hot shooting, propelling the Pelicans to a 20-point halftime lead. Holiday had 23 points on 9-11 shooting in the first half.
Golden State came out in the third quarter and clowned the Pelicans, scoring 15 straight points to quickly slash the deficit to five.
But it wasn't until the final period that the Warriors claimed the lead. A Klay Thompson four-point play at 7:31 mark finally put Golden State ahead. From there, the Warriors ran away with the game. Steph Curry led Golden State with 31 points and 11 assists. Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins were ejected late in the fourth quarter after exchanging heated words.
Nets (9-14) defeat Hawks (5-18) - 110-90
The Hawks bested the Nets in Brooklyn on Saturday (Dec. 2), so the Nets had the chance to enact revenge on Monday (Dec. 4). Brooklyn had a one-point lead after the first quarter, but the Hawks turned-the-tables in the second to go up by one at halftime.
But even with the lead, Atlanta didn't bother showing up in the second half.
The Nets took apart the Hawks on both ends of the court, outscoring Atlanta 57-36 in the third and fourth quarters of the 20-point win.
Grizzlies (8-15) defeat Timberwolves (14-11) - 95-92
Memphis can't lose every game. Coming into this matchup, the Grizzlies were on an 11-game losing streak. But despite Jimmy Butler dropping 17 points in the first half for Minnesota, Memphis had a three-point lead at the break. The score remained close in the second half, and the Grizzlies held tight to a one-point edge going into the fourth.
Butler put Minnesota ahead at the 6:47 mark; however, Memphis grabbed it right back, scoring five straight points. With 26 seconds left, the Grizzlies remained up just one, but the Timberwolves turned-the-ball-over to give Memphis the victory and end the losing streak.
Pacers (13-11) defeat Knicks (11-12) - 115-97
The Knicks are still playing without Kristaps Porzingis, who is out with an ankle injury. New York had a game on Sunday (Dec. 3) and played like a team with heavy legs against the Pacers. The Knicks were down 12 after the first quarter and 24 by halftime. Thaddeus Young had 16 points for the Pacers, and New York shot just 1-8 from behind-the-arc.
If the game wasn't already over, Indiana scored the first 12 points of the third quarter to go up by 38. The Pacers cruised in the second half to an easy 18-point victory. Young finished with 20 points and six rebounds.
Hornets (9-13) defeat Magic (10-15) - 104-94
The Magic found themselves down by three after the opening frame but jumped ahead of Charlotte with an 11-0 run to start the second period.
The Hornets battled back though, outscoring Orlando 28-11 the rest of the quarter to reclaim a nine-point halftime lead. It was just a one-point game at the end of the third, but an early 9-0 run put the Hornets up double-digits. Orlando couldn't get any closer than six before losing by 10. Kemba Walker led Charlotte with 29 points and seven rebounds.
