Hawks Hang On, Top Bulls
(Atlanta, GA) — Dennis Schroder led all scorers with 25 points to help the Hawks past the Bulls 102-93 in Atlanta. The Hawks opened a 29-point halftime advantage and cruised to win for the 10th time in the last 12 games. Paul Millsap added 14 points and nine rebounds. Atlanta’s balanced attack had 12-of-13 players score in the winning effort. Jimmy Butler led the way for Chicago, with 19 in defeat. The Bulls had no scorer over 20 points and lost their second-straight falling to 21-and-23 overall.
Sixers Top Blazers In Thriller
(Philadelphia, PA) — Robert Covington hit a three-pointer with four seconds left to lift the Sixers past the Trail Blazers 93-92 in Philadelphia. Covington finished with 22 points as the 76ers won for the eighth time in the last 10 games. Ersan Ilyasova had a team high 24 points and was five-of-six from distance. Joel Embiid scored 18 and pulled down 10 rebounds in the winning effort. Damian Lillard paced Portland with 30 points in defeat. Mason Plumlee scored 14 with 11 boards but missed the would-be game winner as time expired. The Blazers have lost four-straight.
Magic Ends Losing Skid, Beat Bucks
(Orlando, FL) — Seven Magic scored in double-figures, led by Elfrid Payton’s 20 points, in a 112-96 victory over the Bucks in Orlando. Reserve Jeff Green contributed 18 points as the Orlando bench outscored the Milwaukee bench 44-to-28. Bucks forward Jabari Parker led all scorers with 25 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Bucks. The Magic snapped a three-game losing streak, while Milwaukee has lost four straight.
Hornets Destroy Raptors
(Charlotte, NC) — The Hornets gave up just 30 second half points as they destroyed the Raptors, 113-78, in Charlotte. Kemba Walker keyed the Hornets with 32 points and eight assists. Frank Kaminsky the Third added 16 points and eight boards as Charlotte cruised to its second straight win. Kyle Lowry led the Raptors with 24 points and DeMar DeRozan added 23 in defeat. Toronto has dropped four of its past five road games.
Warriors Handle Rockets
(Houston, TX) — The Warriors handled the sharp-shooting Rockets in a 125-108 win from Houston. Kevin Durant put up 32 points and Steph Curry added 24 as Golden State built a 20-point lead after three quarters. Draymond Green had 15 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks. The Dubs have won six straight games. Houston shot just 7-of-35 from beyond the arc. James Harden had 17 points and 11 assists, while Clint Capela posted 22 points and 12 rebounds. The Rockets fell to 33-and-13.
Grizzlies Cruise Past Kings
(Memphis, TN) — The Grizzlies led by 19 after three quarters and cruised past the Kings, 107-91, in Memphis. Marc Gasol led the way with 28 points and nine rebounds, and Zach Randolph added 20 points and 10 boards off the bench. Mike Conley flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 16 points, eight rebounds and eight dimes. Memphis moved to 26-and-19. DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings with 19 points and 10 boards. Sacramento has lost seven of its past eight games.
Nets Blow Out Pelicans
(New Orleans, LA) — The Nets ended an 11-game losing streak in emphatic fashion as they blew out the Pelicans, 143-114, in New Orleans. Brook Lopez and Bojan Bogdanovic each scored 23 points to lead the Nets in just their second road win of the season. Caris LeVert scored 17 as eight Brooklyn players reached double-figures. The Nets shot 15-of-30 from beyond the arc. Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 22 points and nine boards. New Orleans has dropped three of its past four games.
Jazz Stay Hot, Beat Mavericks In Overtime
(Dallas, TX) — Rudy Gobert had career highs 27 points and 25 rebounds as the Jazz outlasted the Mavericks 112-107 in overtime at Dallas. Gobert has hauled down double-figure rebounds in 29 consecutive games. Gordon Hayward scored 26 points for the Jazz, who won their fifth straight. Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki missed 12 of 13 field goal attempts and finished with three points. Harrison Barnes led Dallas with 19 points. The Mavericks have lost two in a row after their season-best three-game winning streak was snapped.
Lakers Get Past Pacers
(Los Angeles, CA) — The Lakers lost D’Angelo Russell early, but still got past the Pacers, 108-96, in Los Angeles. Russell sprained his knee on L.A.’s second possession and didn’t return. Lou Williams scored 27 off the bench and Julius Randle added 16 for the Lakers. Nick Young nailed five three-pointers for 15 points as L.A. ended a five-game skid. The Pacers got 21 points from Paul George and Al Jefferson added 20 off the bench. Indiana fell to 22-and-20.
Canadiens Stymie Devils
(Newark, NJ) — The Canadiens scored a pair of power play goals in the third period to squeeze past the Devils 3-1 in Newark. Shea Weber and Max Pacioretty cashed in 1:22 apart in the final frame as Montreal snapped a two-game slide. Alex Galchenyuk lit the lamp in the first, also on the man advantage. Alexander Radulov assisted on all three goals in the winning effort. Steven Santini scored the lone New Jersey goal in defeat. The Devils had a three game winning streak snapped falling to 19-19-and-9 overall.
Penguins Rout Hurricanes
(Raleigh, NC) — Conor Sheary had two of Pittsburgh’s seven goals in a 7-1 rout of the Hurricanes in Raleigh. A four-goal second period blew the game open as the Penguins earned their third straight win. Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin had a goal and assist while Matt Murray made 27 saves. Viktor Stalberg notched a shorthanded goal in the third period for Carolina to prevent the shutout. The ‘Canes have lost their past two games by a combined scored of 11-2.
Sabres Beat Red Wings In Overtime
(Buffalo, NY) — Kyle Okposo’s power-play goal 4:34 into overtime lifted the Sabres to a 3-2 victory over the Red Wings at Buffalo. Ryan O’Reilly had a third period goal with just more than four minutes left to tie the score and added an assist on the overtime goal. The Sabres are 5-3-and-1 in January. After missing 29 games with a shoulder injury, Darren Helm scored in his first game back for Detroit. The Red Wings had their three-game winning streak snapped.
Predators Clip Oilers In Shootout
(Edmonton, Alberta) — Ryan Ellis and James Neal netted the deciding shootout goals to lift the Predators past the Oilers 3-2 in Edmonton. Ellis and Viktor Arvidsson found the back of the net in regulation. Nashville has won five-of-six to improve to 22-17-and-7 overall. Pekka Rinne made 30 saves in the winning effort. Milan Lucic and Matt Hendricks scored in defeat. The Oilers’ Connor McDavid notched his 39th assist, which leads the league, he also has a league best 54 points on the year. Edmonton had won four-straight.
Blackhawks Slip Past Bruins
(Boston, MA) — Marian Hossa broke a scoreless tie with 1:26 left to play as the Blackhawks slipped the Bruins, 1-0, in Boston. Tanner Kero and Vinnie Hinostroza were credited with assists on the winning goal. Scott Darling stopped all 30 shots sent his way. Chicago has won six of its past eight games. The Bruins had 17 shots on goal in the first period, but ended the game scoreless. Tuukka Rask made 21 saves in the loss. Boston has lost three in a row.
Canucks Clip Panthers
(Vancouver, British Columbia) — Ryan Miller stopped 34-of-35 shots to help lift the Canucks past the Panthers 2-1 in Vancouver. Henrik Sedin and Luca Sbisa found the back of the net in the winning effort. Sedin’s goal was the 1,000th point of his NHL career. The Canucks have won two-straight on the heels of a four-game losing streak. Jaromir Jagr scored the lone goal for Florida and Roberto Luongo made 30 saves against his former team. The Panthers lost for the fourth time in five games.