Three of the top players in the NBA all put up MVP-type performances Saturday (Dec. 9) night. While James Harden and LeBron James led their teams to fourth-quarter comebacks, Giannis Antetokounmpo dominated early to help the Bucks earn an easy victory.
Rockets (20-4) vs Trail Blazers (13-12) 124-117
James Harden and Damian Lillard put on a show in the first half. Harden poured in 28 points on an array of slick jumpers, easy floaters, and drives to the basket. Lillard scored from deep, stepping back and pulling up from behind-the-arc to score 22 points as the two teams went into halftime tied 62-62.
The Rockets were down just one with 5:19 in the third, that's when the Trail Blazers unleashed an 18-5 run to take a 14-point lead into the fourth. But Houston stormed back. Harden nailed a three-pointer halfway through the quarter to make it a one-point game; Trevor Ariza put the Rockets ahead two possessions later. With 3:40 remaining, Houston outscored Portland 14-8 to secure the seven-point win. Harden had 48 points on 16-29 shooting. Lillard led the Trail Blazers with 35 points, hitting nine three-pointers.
Cavs (19-8) defeat 76ers (13-12)- 105-98
The Cavs had their 13-game winning streak snapped versus the Pacers Friday (Dec. 8) night and were playing minus Kevin Love against Philadelphia.
However, the Sixers were without the services of budding superstar Joel Embiid, but still managed to take a one-point edge by the end of the first quarter. The Cleveland bench stepped up in the second, going on a 13-2 run to give the Cavs the lead.
Cleveland remained up by six at halftime and five following the third quarter.
At the start of the fourth, Sixers' guard J.J. Redick lit up the arena, scoring eight points in the span of a minute to put Philly ahead. But LeBron James wasn't going down easy. James got a basket or assisted on the Cavs' final nine scoring possessions to give Cleveland back the lead and win the game. James finished with 30 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists.
Ben Simmons had 14 points, six rebounds, and 10 assists for Philly.
Clippers (9-15) defeat Wizards (14-12) - 113-112
The Wizards raced out to an early 13-0 lead; the Clippers didn't score until the 7:48 mark in the first quarter. But Lou Williams came off-the-bench for Los Angeles and quickly dropped nine points to help the Clippers comeback and to go up three after one. Los Angeles continued its scoring prowess in the second quarter and extended their lead to 62-49 at the half.
Wizards' guard Bradley Beal has been on a scoring binge of his own and helped propel Washington back into the game. Beal had 16 points in the third quarter to cut the deficit to four. Mike Scott also found the hot hand for Washington and put the Wizards ahead early in the fourth quarter.
The two teams battled, trading leads until the final moments. After Bradley Beal made a bucket and foul shot with eight seconds to go up two, Lou Williams nailed a shot from deep to give the Clippers the victory.
Lou Williams had a game-high 35 points for Los Angeles. Otto Porter led the Wizards with 27 points and 11 rebounds; Beal added 25 points on 8-21 shooting.
Thunder (12-13) vs Grizzlies (8-18) - 102-101 OT
The Thunder blew a second-half lead against the Nets on Thursday (Dec. 7), but wouldn't have that chance versus the Grizzlies. Oklahoma City got themselves into a 20-point hole halfway through the second quarter, but managed to cut that number to 11 by halftime. The Thunder finally discovered their game in the third and blitzed the Grizzlies 21-9 to go ahead by one.
The score remained tight until the final seconds of the fourth, but each team missed key free throws to ultimately send the game into overtime.
After Memphis went up three points late in overtime, Russell Westbrook came down the court and knocked down a bucket with 13 seconds left to pull Oklahoma City within one. The Thunder immediately fouled JaMychal Green who missed both of his free throw attempts. With five seconds left, Westbrook got fouled and nailed go-ahead free throws for the win. Westbrook had a triple-double that consisted of 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 assists.
Heat (12-13) defeat Nets (10-15) - 101-89
Despite 18 first-half points by Heat reserve Tyler Johnson, the Nets were able to take a three-point lead into halftime.
Brooklyn pushed that number to seven in the third quarter before the Heat ripped off 10-2 run to jump ahead. Miami was up three in the fourth and went on another run to go ahead double-digits. The Nets worked their way back to cut the lead to four with 3:03 remaining, but couldn't get any closer than that. Goran Dragic and Tyler Johnson each had 20 points for the Heat.
Lakers (10-15) defeat Hornets (9-16) - 110-99
The Hornets suffered a terrible loss in overtime on Friday (Dec. 8) to the Chicago Bulls, but Dwight Howard and Kemba Walker came to play against the Lakers. The two combined for 29 points in the first half as Charlotte took a four-point halftime lead.
But the Hornets regressed in the third.
Los Angeles went on a 7-0 to claim the lead toward the end of the period and held a one-point advantage going into the fourth. That's where Charlotte completely collapsed. While it was just a one-point game with 6:51 remaining, the Lakers went on an 18-5 run to cruise to an 11-point win. Jordan Clarkson came off-the-bench to score 22 points for Los Angeles.
Hawks (6-19) defeat Magic (11-17) - 117-110
The Hawks lost to the Magic last Wednesday (Dec. 6) in overtime, but jumped out to a 10-point first quarter lead. Orlando center Nikola Vucevic help spark a comeback in the second, scoring 12 points to propel the Magic back in the game. Atlanta held a three-point lead at halftime, but the Magic trimmed it to two by the end of the third quarter.
Orlando finally grabbed the lead with 4:50 remaining on a Mario Hezonja three-pointer. But the Hawks jetted back ahead, and the two teams traded baskets until Atlanta went up for good on a Kent Bazemore steal and dunk with 36 seconds left. Ersan Ilyasova was 9-9 from the field and 5-5 from the three-point line to lead the Hawks with 26 points.
Bulls (5-20) defeat Knicks (12-13) - 104-102
After defeating the Hornets Friday (Dec. 8) night, the Bulls were attempting to win back-to-back games for the first time all season. A strong start gave Chicago a nine-point lead after one, but the Knicks reduced the deficit to five by halftime. Kristaps Porzingis scored eight points in the third to help New York take a two-point lead.
But the Bulls came back in the fourth. David Nwaba scored seven straight to give Chicago an eight-point lead.
The Bulls were up 102-92 with just two minutes remaining, but the Knicks went on a 10-0 run to tie the score. With a chance to win, Bulls' point guard Kris Dunn drove hard to the basket and got fouled by Courtney Lee. Dunn calmly knocked down the two shots for the Chicago win. Nikola Mirotic came off-the-bench to lead the Bulls with 19 points. It's his second game of the season since returning from a broken jaw after getting hit my teammate Bobby Portis in the pre-season.
Bucks (15-10) defeat Jazz (13-14) - 117-100
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 16 points, six rebounds, and six assists in the first half as the Bucks outscored the Jazz 51-42.
Milwaukee's nine-point lead swelled to 17 in the third quarter and 22 in the fourth. The Jazz cut the deficit to nine at one point in the final quarter, but the outcome was never in doubt. Antetokounmpo dropped 37 points on Utah, along with 13 rebounds and seven assists.
Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe each added 20 for Milwaukee in the rout.
Spurs (19-8) vs Suns (9-19) - 104-101
After the defeating the Celtics Friday (Dec. 8), night, San Antonio veterans Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker got the night off versus the Suns. The Spurs didn't need them to start, taking a 13-point lead into halftime. Phoenix chipped away at that number in the third quarter, but the Spurs remained up eight.
The San Antonio lead was 10 halfway through the final quarter, but the Suns went on a 14-4 run to tie the score at the 3:44 mark. The teams exchanged baskets until Spurs' guard Bryn Forbes drilled a three with 21 seconds remaining to give San Antonio a one-point edge and secure the victory.
