Oklahoma City had a week of reunions. Paul George made his return to Indiana on Wednesday (Dec. 13), and it was Carmelo Anthony's turn on Saturday (Dec. 16). LeBron James and James Harden both had MVP-type performances, leading their teams to victory, while the Celtics and Spurs needed fourth-quarter comebacks to secure wins.
Knicks (16-13) defeat Thunder (14-15) 111-96
Carmelo Anthony was greeted with a highlight video as he was introduced to the Madison Square Garden crowd.
Playing against his former team, Anthony hit a three-pointer on the Thunder's first possession of the game. The Knicks were playing without star Kristaps Porzingis but got early production from his replacement, Michael Beasley. Beasley knocked down 3-of-3 shots for eight points in the first, however, the Thunder held a 26-23 lead with seven points from Anthony.
Oklahoma City got a combined 28 points from Anthony and Russell Westbrook in the first half, but Beasley poured in six more in the second to boost the Knicks to a six-point halftime lead. New York made another move in the third, and Beasley was the driving force again.
The former No. 2 overall pick poured in 12 more points to nudge the Knicks' lead to seven.
After playing in a triple-overtime game on Friday (Dec. 15), the Thunder just didn't have the legs to make a fourth-quarter comeback. They got as close as six, but New York answered to earn the 15-point win. Beasley led the Knicks with 30 points on 11-of-16 shooting. Westbrook had 25 points for Oklahoma City, while Anthony went scoreless in the second half.
Cavaliers (22-8) defeat Jazz (14-16) 109-100
Despite an injured frontcourt (Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors), the Jazz managed to withstand LeBron James' 11-point, six-rebound first quarter to take an early 24-23 lead.
But reserve Jeff Green provided valuable minutes in the second, knocking down two three-pointers and scoring eights to put Cleveland ahead 51-48 at the break.
The Cavaliers pushed their lead to seven in the third quarter. Kevin Love played strong around the basket, scoring eight points on a variety of post moves. Twice the Jazz would cut the deficit to five in the fourth, but Utah couldn't gain any more traction than that. James finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Rookie Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz with 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting.
Rockets (24-4) defeat Bucks (15-13) 115-111
The Rockets dominated the Spurs on Friday (Dec. 15) and came out ready to play on the second night of a back-to-back, going up 28-25 after one. Trevor Ariza dropped nine points in the quarter on 3of--5 shooting. But Milwaukee came back in the second to tie the game; Malcolm Brogdon scored 13 points off the bench in the first half to help make it 49-49 at halftime.
After struggling in the first two quarters, Chris Paul nailed three straight from deep and scored 13 points to put the Rockets up by five in the third. Houston built a double-digit lead halfway through the final quarter, but a Khris Middleton three-pointer cut the deficit to three with 14 seconds left. The Bucks never had a chance to get any closer; Paul made two subsequent free throws to put the game out of reach. James Harden had a game-high 31 points, while Paul added 25. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 28 points and nine rebounds.
Celtics (25-7) defeat Grizzlies (9-21) 102-93
The Celtics just about ran away with this game in the first quarter, outscoring the Grizzlies 31-12. But Memphis turned the tables on Boston in the second; Tyreke Evans scored 15 points as the Grizzlies outscored the Celtics 28-17 to slash the deficit to eight.
Memphis came out of the break and continued to impose their will on Boston. Marc Gasol completely dominated the Celtics, dropping 21 points in the third as Grizzlies went ahead by two. But Boston finally got their groove back to start the fourth. The Celtics opened the quarter on a 16-0 run. Memphis would get back within six, but five quick points by Boston put the lead back in double-digits. Irving led the Celtics with 20 points. Gasol had a game-high 30 points, while Evans added 25.
Suns (10-21) defeat Timberwolves (17-13) 108-106
The Timberwolves raced out to an initial 19-6 lead over the Suns, but Phoenix came back to cut the deficit to three by the end of the first quarter. A 14-2 Minnesota run in the second helped propel the Timberwolves to an eight-point halftime lead.
Taj Gibson led Minnesota with 12 points and five rebounds.
But the Suns' bench was the story in the second half. While the Timberwolves' lead reached 13 points in the third quarter, Phoenix made it a four-point game by the start of the fourth. With 7:31 left, the Suns finally went ahead on an Alex Len tipped shot. The two teams exchanged baskets until Jimmy Butler put the Timberwolves up one with just over a minute remaining.
Each team missed shots on their next possessions, but with just six seconds in the game, Suns' guard Isaiah Cannon was fouled on a three-point attempt. Calmly, Cannon stepped up to the line and drilled all three free throws to give Phoenix the win. The Suns' bench had four players in double figures and scored 69 points.
Heat (15-14) defeat Clippers (11-17) 90-85
With so many Clippers' players injured, if the Heat could shut down Lou Williams they'd be in good shape. In the first quarter, Miami held Williams to 0-of-5 shooting to jump out to a 24-17 lead. But Los Angeles trimmed the deficit to six in the second quarter and continued to chip away at the lead following halftime.
After making it a four-point game in the third, the Clippers finally took the lead on a Milos Teodosic three-pointer at the 6:11 mark. The two teams traded shots and the lead until the final 19 seconds of the game; four straight free throws secured the Heat victory. Richardson had a game-high 28 points for Miami, while Williams went just 4-of-16 for 13 points.
Trail Blazers (16-13) defeat Hornets (10-19) 93-91
Portland's backcourt came out ready to ball. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum combined for 16 points in the first quarter as the Trail Blazers shot ahead 24-20. Lillard continued to play lights out in the second quarter, finishing the first half with 16 points, four rebounds, and seven assists to push the Portland lead to 12.
Hornets' guard Nicolas Batum stepped on the court following intermission with something to prove. Batum hit four triples in the third and scored 18 points to pull Charlotte within seven heading into the fourth. However, the Trail Blazers immediately extended the lead to double digits, going on a 9-0 run to start the quarter.
But the Hornets answered again with a 20-4 run to tie the game 87-87 with 4:38 remaining. Two quick buckets put the Trail Blazers back ahead by four, and while Kemba Walker would cut the lead to one at the 1:18 mark, Charlotte would never take the lead. McCollum led Portland with 25 points.
Spurs (20-10) defeat Mavericks (8-22) 98-96
Kawhi Leonard made his return on Tuesday (Dec. 12) to the San Antonio lineup. But after the Spurs lost to the Rockets on Friday (Dec. 15), Leonard sat out against the Mavericks. Dallas stormed out to a 31-18 lead after one, but San Antonio came back somewhat in the second; Manu Ginobili scored six points in the final 3:04 of the quarter to make it a 10-point game.
The Spurs trimmed the deficit to nine in the third quarter, and for most of the fourth, the Mavericks remained in control. With 4:11 in the game, Dallas went up 11 on a Maximilian Kleber three-pointer, but from there the Spurs locked-down the Mavericks. San Antonio held Dallas scoreless for the remainder of the game and went on a 13-0 run to clinch the victory. Ginobili hit the game-winning layup with three seconds on the clock.