Blazers Hold Off Magic
(Orlando, FL) — The Blazers held off a late rally attempt to stop the Magic, 95-88, in Orlando. Portland led by as many as 17 in the fourth quarter, but the Magic trimmed the deficit to five before the Blazers put them away. Damian Lillard led the charge with 21 points and C.J. McCollum scored 20. The Blazers improved to 15-and-13. Nikola Vucevic put up 26 points and 14 rebounds for the Magic. Their losing streak is up to four games.
Heat Hold Off Hornets
(Charlotte, NC) — Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington led a balanced attack as the Heat held off the Hornets 104-98 in Charlotte. Ellington and Johnson were a combined 9-of-14 from three and finished with 16 points apiece off the bench. Seven Miami players scored in double-figures including Dion Waiters who pitched in 12 points. The Heat have won three-of-four. Kemba Walker paced the Hornets with 25 points. Dwight Howard added 15 point and 16 rebounds. Charlotte is 2-and-9 in its last 11.
Wizards Escape Clippers
(Washington, DC) — The Wizards used a 15-3 run late in the fourth quarter to escape the Clippers, 100-91, in Washington, DC. Mike Scott led Washington in scoring with 22 points off the bench. Bradley Beal finished with 20 points and 11 boards as the Wizards won their second straight game. Lou Williams scored a team-high 23 points for the Clips. DeAndre Jordan finished with 12 points and 16 rebounds as L.A.’s three-game win streak came to an end.
Pistons Pull Past Pacers
(Indianapolis, IN) — The Pistons survived a late scare as they pulled past the Pacers, 104-98, in Indianapolis. Detroit led by as many as 16 in the final quarter, but the Pacers were able to whittle the lead down to two. Reggie Jackson and Stanley Johnson each nailed late free throws to put the game out of reach. Andre Drummond led the Pistons with 23 points and 13 rebounds in the win. Victor Oladipo put up 26 points in defeat, and Myles Turner added 24 for Indiana. The Pacers are on a two-game slide since ending a four-game win streak.
Jazz Hold Off Celtics
(Boston,MA) — The Jazz overcame the loss of Rudy Gobert to hold off the Celtics 107-95 in Boston. Gobert went down with a knee injury two-minutes into the game and never returned. Ricky Rubio led the way with 22 points as Utah snapped a four-game slide. Donovan Mitchell, Jonas Jerebko, and Rodney Hood pitched in 17 points apiece in the winning effort. Kyrie Irving paced the Celtics with 33 points and Al Horford added 21 in defeat. No other C’s player scored in double-figures as they fell to 24-and-7.
Raptors Clobber Nets
(Toronto, Ontario) — DeMar DeRozan scored a game-high 31 points as the Raptors clobbered the Nets 120-87 in Toronto. DeRozan single-handedly outscored the Brooklyn starting five by three points. Kyle Lowry pitched in 10 points with 12 assists and 10 rebounds in the winning effort. The Raptors have won eight-of-10 and improved to 19-and-8 overall. Nik Stauskas paced Brooklyn with 22 points off the bench in his debut with the team. Jahlil Okafor scored 10 in his first action with the Nets as they lost for the third time in four games.
Grizzlies Nip Hawks, Snap Skid
(Memphis, TN) — Tyreke Evans scored the go-ahead lay-up with 1:03 left as the Grizzlies nipped the Hawks, 96-94, in Memphis. Evans led the Grizzlies with 22 points on the night as they snapped a five-game skid. Mario Chalmers poured in 16 points off the bench for Memphis, which jumped to 9-and-20. The Hawks missed three shots in the final three-and-a-half seconds in the close loss. Dennis Schroder finished with 18 points and 11 assists for Atlanta, which holds the league’s worst record at 6-and-23.
Bulls Rock Bucks, Win Fifth Straight
(Milwaukee, WI) — Bobby Portis scored a career-high 27 points as the streaking Bulls rocked the Bucks, 115-109, in Milwaukee. Portis also grabbed a dozen rebounds for Chicago, which is on a five-game winning streak after starting the season 3-and-20. Niko Mirotic added 22 points as the Bulls closed the game on an 11-5 run to pull away. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 29 points and 16 rebounds in defeat. Khris Middleton also scored 29 points as Milwaukee fell to 15-and-12.
Nuggets Outlast Pelicans In Overtime
(Denver, CO) — Will Barton scored 11 of Denver’s 13 points in overtime as the Nuggets outlasted the Pelicans, 117-111, at the Pepsi Center. Barton finished with 19 points overall as Denver improved to 11-and-2 on its home floor. Gary Harris put up 21 points for the Nuggets, and Trey Lyles added 19. DeMarcus Cousins posted 29 points for New Orleans, and Anthony Davis added 28. Jrue Holiday was the only other Pelican in double figures with 25 points as they dropped to 15-and-15.
Rockets Rip Spurs
(Houston, TX) — James Harden and Chris Paul poured in 28 points apiece as the Rockets clobbered the Spurs 124-109 in Houston. The Rockets are unbeaten this season in games Chris Paul plays in. Clint Capela added 18 points and 10 rebounds for Houston and Eric Gordon scored 14 off the bench. Houston has won 12-straight and improved to 23-and-4 overall. LaMarcus Aldridge paced San Antonio with 16 points and Kawhi Leonard added 12 in defeat. The Spurs fell to 19-and-10 including 6-and-8 away from home.
Rangers Upend Kings
(New York, NY) — Rick Nash scored the go-ahead goal with 3:27 left in the game as the Rangers upended the Kings, 4-2, at Madison Square Garden. J.T. Miller padded the lead in the final minute for New York. Kevin Hayes and Chris Kreider also scored as the Rangers ended a brief two-game slide. Henrik Lundqvist racked up 33 saves in the win. Marion Gaborik had a goal and assist for the Kings, who have now dropped two straight games following an eight-game win streak. L.A. still leads the Pacific Division with 43 points, one ahead of expansion Vegas.
Boyle, Devils Dump Stars
(Newark, NJ) — Brian Boyle scored twice and added an assist as the Devils dumped the Stars, 5-2, in Newark. Boyle scored the tie-breaking goal in the second period, and padded the lead in the third with an assist and another goal. Steve Santini and Blake Coleman tallied in the first for New Jersey, which bounced back from an overtime loss in Montreal on Thursday. The Devils are 18-9-and-5. Martin Hanzal and Alexander Radulov scored for Dallas, which failed to keep up in the third. The Stars had won five of their previous six road games before this matchup.
Hurricanes Clip Sabres In OT
(Buffalo, NY) — Jaccob Slavin scored the overtime game-winner to lift the Hurricanes past the Sabres 5-4 in Buffalo. Elias Lindholm, Derek Ryan, and Jordan Staal scored over a four-minute span in the third period to give the Canes a short-lived lead. Justin Williams also found the back of the net in the winning effort. Carolina has won two-straight. Jack Eichel notched a hat trick for Buffalo, including two goals in 10 seconds to tie the game at four in the third period. The Sabres have dropped eight-of-10.
Canucks Clip Sharks In OT
(Vancouver, British Columbia) — Sam Gagner scored the game-winner with 26-seconds left in overtime to lift the Canucks past the Sharks 4-3 in Vancouver. Markus Granlund had a pair of first period goals and Brock Boeser added another in the second for the Canucks. Jacob Markstrom made 34 saves in the winning effort. Vancouver snapped a four-game slide. Brent Burns notched two goals and Martin Jones made 36 saves in defeat. San Jose is 3-0-and-2 in its last five games.