Hornets Knock Off Hawks
(Charlotte, NC) — Dwight Howard’s ejection keyed a run for the Hornets, who knocked off the Hawks 100-96 in Charlotte. Kemba Walker scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half as the Hornets improved to 8-and-3. Nic Batum posted 24 points and 10 boards as they ended Atlanta’s six-game win streak. The Hawks were up by three late in the fourth quarter before Howard got ejected for elbowing Cody Zeller. Paul Millsap had 22 points and 13 boards for the 9-and-3 Hawks.
Suns Stump Pacers
(Indianapolis, IN) — The Suns limited the Pacers to 14 points in the final quarter as they took a 116-96 victory in Indianapolis. Brandon Knight scored 17 points off the bench, and Alan Williams posted 15 points and 15 rebounds for the Suns. Jared Dudley added 16 points as Phoenix improved to 4-and-9. Myles Turner led the Pacers with 22 points as they played without Paul George, who is dealing with a sore ankle. Indiana is now 6-and-7.
Cavaliers Dump Pistons
(Cleveland, OH) — Kyrie Irving’s double-double helped power the Cavaliers past the Pistons, 104-81, at Quicken Loans Arena. Irving finished with a game-high 25 points and 11 assists. LeBron James added 21 points, and Kevin Love contributed 12 points and 13 rebounds. Cleveland improved to 10-and-2 with the win. Jon Leuer led Detroit with 15 points off the bench. The Pistons fell to 6-and-7 with the loss.
Westbrook, Thunder Crush Nets
(Oklahoma City, OK) — Russell Westbrook recorded his fourth triple-double of the year as the Thunder pounded the Nets 124-105 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Westbrook finished with 30 points, 11 boards, and 13 assists as Oklahoma City improved to 8-and-5. Victor Oladipo contributed 26 and the Thunder shot better than 55-percent as a team in the winning effort. Brook Lopez led the way with 22 points for Brooklyn as it lost its third straight and fell to 4-and-8. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Bojan Bogdanovic each dropped 13 points in defeat.
Raptors Edge Nuggets In OT
(Denver, CO) — DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points to help push the Raptors past the Nuggets, 113-111, in overtime at the Pepsi Center. Kyle Lowry added 18 points and 13 assists. Toronto snapped a two-game losing streak to improve to 8-and-4. Emmanuel Mudiay and Wilson Chandler each scored 25 points in defeat. Denver has dropped five of six to fall to 4-and-8 on the year.
Grizzlies Down Mavericks In Defensive Battle
(Dallas, TX) — The Grizzlies held the Mavericks to under 29-percent shooting from the field in a 80-64 win in Dallas. Chandler Parsons scored a team-high 12 points against his former team. Tony Allen and Marc Gasol each scored 11 points as Memphis led 36-29 at halftime. The Grizz moved to 7-and-5. Harrison Barnes shot 5-of-17 from the field en-route to a game-high 15 points for Dallas. Seth Curry had 11 points in the loss.
Pelicans Down Trail Blazers
(New Orleans, LA) — Anthony Davis scored 38 points and grabbed nine rebounds to help power the Pelicans past the Trail Blazers, 113-101, at the Smoothie King Center. Jrue Holiday added 21 points off the bench in his season debut. New Orleans improved to 3-and-10 with the win. Damian Lillard scored 27 points in defeat. The Blazers have dropped three straight to fall to 7-and-7 on the year.
Warriors Crush Celtics
(Boston, MA) — The Warriors held the Celtics to just nine points in the third quarter and left Boston with a 104-88 victory. Klay Thompson led the Dubs with 28 points, and Kevin Durant finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. Draymond Green had 11 points, eight boards, and eight dimes in Golden State’s sixth straight win. Avery Bradley posted 17 points and 10 rebounds for Boston. Isaiah Thomas scored 18 as the Celtics dropped to 6-and-6.
Clippers Hold On, Top Kings
(Sacramento, CA) — The Clippers had a 19-point fourth quarter lead cut down to two but held on the beat the Kings 121-115 in Sacramento. Blake Griffin led the way with a season high 29 points in the winning effort. J.J. Reddick was 6-of-8 from three and finished with 26 as L.A. improved its franchise best start to 11-and-2. DeAndre Jordan recorded his third double-double with 16 point and 12 boards in victory. DeMarcus Cousins paced the Kings with 38 points and 13 rebounds and seven assists in defeat. Sacramento trailed by as much as 21 in the game as it fell to 4-and-9.
Spurs Fend Off Pesky Lakers
(Los Angeles, CA) — The Spurs fended off the pesky Lakers and came away with a 116-107 win in Los Angeles. Kawhi Leonard had 23 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists for San Antonio, which is now 7-and-0 on the road. LaMarcus Aldridge also had 23, and Pau Gasol scored 16 points against his former team. D’Angelo Russell sat out with a sore knee for the Lakers. Lou Williams scored 24 points, and Nick Young added 22 in defeat. L.A. is now 7-and-6.
Blue Jackets Bury Rangers
(Columbus, OH) — Matt Calvert scored the shorthanded, go-ahead goal in the final period as the Blue Jackets buried the Rangers, 4-2, in Columbus. Calvert needed about 30 stitches after being hit in the face with a slap shot but returned to make the winning goal. William Karlsson and Sam Gagner lit the lamp as the Jackets won their third straight game. Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 saves. Mika Zibanejad tied the game with a goal in the third for New York. Michael Grabner also scored as the Rangers’ three-game win streak ended.
Capitals Blank Red Wings
(Washington, DC) — Braden Holtby stopped all 25 shots he faced to help the Capitals defeat the Red Wings 1-0 at the Verizon Center. It was the first shutout of the season for Holtby and the 24th of his career as Washington improved to 11-4-and-2. Jay Beagle netted the game-winner with 5:11 remaining in regulation, and Dmitry Orlov was credited with the assist. Detroit was unable to get anything going offensively and was 0-for-4 on the power play. Jimmy Howard stopped 27 shots in defeat as the Wings fell to 8-9-and-1.
Penguins Edge Islanders In OT
(Brooklyn, NY) — Kris Letang scored the game-winner less than 90 seconds into overtime as the Penguins edged the Islanders, 3-2, at the Barclays Center. Letang and Sidney Crosby each finished with a goal and an assist, and Chris Kunitz added a pair of assists in the win. Pittsburgh improved to 11-4-and-2. Brock Nelson and Anthony Beauvillier each lit the lamp for New York. The Islanders have dropped four straight and seven of their past eight games.
Blackhawks Clip Flames
(Calgary, Alberta) — Marian Hossa scored with less than three minutes left to lift the Blackhawks over the Flames, 3-2, in Calgary. Ryan Hartman and Brent Seabrook also lit the lamp in the victory as Chicago moved to 12-4-and-2. Corey Crawford made 28 saves, and the Hawks won for the ninth time in their last 11 games. Sam Bennett and Sean Monahan each lit the lamp for the Flames in defeat. Troy Brouwer helped with two assists, and Chad Johnson made 21 saves as Calgary dropped to 7-11-and-1.
Michigan Pummels SMU To Win 2K Classic
(New York, NY) — Derrick Walton Junior nailed 7-of-12 three-pointers as Michigan pummelled Southern Methodist, 76-54, to win the 2K Classic at Madison Square Garden. Walton finished with 23 points and the Wolverines shot 13-of-31 from downtown. Zak Irvin posted 16 points for 4-and-0 Michigan. Semi Ojeyele led the Mustangs with 13 points and nine boards. SMU’s first loss dropped them to 3-and-1.
Panthers Rally Past Golden Eagles
(New York, NY) — Michael Young scored 30 points to help the Pittsburgh Panthers rally past the Marquette Golden Eagles, 78-75, at Madison Square Garden. With the win, Pitt claimed third place in the 2K Classic benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project. The Panthers trailed by as many as 15 points in the second half before rallying for the win. Pittsburgh is 3-and-1 on the season. Andrew Rowsey led Marquette with 20 points off the bench. The Golden Eagles fell to 2-and-2 on the year.