Bucks Cruise Past Bulls
(Chicago, IL) — Giannis Antetokounmpo led the charge as the Bucks crushed the Bulls 95-69 at the United Center. Antetokounmpo finished with 22 points and 11 assists as they beat Chicago for the second straight night. Greg Monroe added 14 points and 12 rebounds off the bench in the winning effort. The Bucks improved to 13-and-12. Dwyane Wade led the Bulls with 12 points in defeat. Chicago shot just 30.4-percent as a team and has now lost six-of-eight.
Wizards Surge Past Pistons
(Washington, DC) — The Wizards extended their lead after halftime and surged past the Pistons, 122-108, in Washington, D.C. John Wall finished with 29 points, 11 assists, and three steals in the win. Bradley Beal added 25 points as the Wizards won their fourth game in five tries. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope keyed Detroit with 24 points in defeat. The Pistons are 6-and-10 on the road this year.
Kings Bounce Grizzlies
(Memphis, TN) — The Kings held off a late rally from the Grizzlies to earn a 96-92 win in Memphis. DeMarcus Cousins posted 22 points and nine rebounds, while Kosta Koufos added 16 points, 13 boards and three blocks. The Kings saw their double-digit lead whittled down to four late in the game, but held on for the win. Sacramento head coach Dave Joerger picked up a victory against Memphis, which fired him after last season. Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with 20 points. Memphis has lost two of three after winning their previous six games.
Lakers Drop 76ers, End Skid
(Philadelphia, PA) — The Lakers put a stop to an eight-game losing streak by dropping the 76ers, 100-89, in Philadelphia. L.A. led by a dozen after the first quarter and never looked back. Julius Randle finished with 25 points and nine rebounds, while Lou Williams added 18 points off the bench against his former team. The Lakers are now 11-and-18. Joel Embiid scored a team-high 15 points for Philly. The Sixers fell to 6-and-20.
Clippers Hang On, Top Heat
(Miami, FL) — Blake Griffin dropped 20 points to lead a balanced attack as the Clippers held off the Heat 102-98 at American Airlines Arena. J.J. Redick and Chris Paul scored 17 apiece as L.A. won its fourth straight. DeAndre Jordan pulled down 19 boards to go along with 12 points in the winning effort. The Clippers improved to 20-and-7. Goran Dragic paced Miami with 21 points and 11 assists in defeat. Hassan Whiteside contributed 11 points with 17 rebounds as the Heat fell to 9-and-18.
Rockets Sink Pelicans
(Houston, TX) — Houston made an NBA-record 24 three-pointers as the Rockets downed the Pelicans, 122-100, at the Toyota Center. James Harden led the way with a triple-double, finishing with 29 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds. Patrick Beverley added 13 points and 11 rebounds as the Rockets won their ninth straight game to improve to 20-and-7 on the season. Anthony Davis scored a team-high 19 points for New Orleans, which dropped to 9-and-19 with the loss.
Hawks Edge Raptors
(Toronto, Ontario) — Dwight Howard scored 27 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as the Hawks downed the Raptors, 125-121, at the Air Canada Centre. Howard joined the 16-thousand point club with a pair of free throws late in the second quarter. Dennis Schroder added 24 points as Atlanta evened its record at 13-and-13. DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with 34 points, and Kyle Lowry added 27 points in defeat. The Raptors had won four straight but fall to 18-and-8 with the loss.
Celtics Storm Back, Clip Hornets
(Boston, MA) — Isaiah Thomas scored 26 points as the Celtics overcame a nine-point halftime deficit to top the Hornets, 96-88, at the TD Garden. Al Horford contributed 18 and eight rebounds as Boston snapped a three-game slide. Jae Crowder and Avery Bradley each scored 12 points in the winning effort, and the Celtics improved to 14-and-12. Nicolas Batum paced Charlotte with 22 points and ten boards. Kemba Walker was not with the team for personal reasons. They Hornets dropped their fourth straight game.
Fournier, Magic Slip Away From Nets
(Orlando, FL) — Evan Fournier scored 11 of his 21 points in the final 2:26 as the Magic slipped away from the Nets, 118-111 at the Amway Center. Fournier went eight-for-eight form the charity stripe during the stretch to help Orlando pull away. Nikola Vucevic added 21 points and 10 boards as the Magic ended a six-game home losing streak. Brook Lopez led the Nets with 22 points and five blocks. Jeremy Lin scored 17 points off the bench as Brooklyn dropped to 1-and-11 in road games.
Jazz Top Mavericks With Late Three
(Salt Lake City, UT) — Rodney Hood nailed the game-winning three-pointer with less than one second remaining as the Jazz topped the Mavericks, 103-100, in Salt Lake City. Rudy Gobert added 16 points and 10 boards as the Jazz won their third straight game. Utah is first in the Northwest Division at 17-and-10. Harrison Barnes led the Mavs with 21 points but couldn’t control the inbounds pass for a chance at a game-tying shot. Deron Williams added 18 points and seven assists in defeat. Dallas is 1-and-12 on the road.
Kings Finish Penguins In Overtime
(Pittsburgh, PA) — Tyler Toffoli broke a scoreless tie a minute into overtime as the Kings finished off the Penguins, 1-0, in Pittsburgh. Peter Budaj racked up 39 saves in the victory. Los Angeles is 7-and-2 in games that have gone into extra time. Matt Murray made 27 saves for the Penguins. Their seven-game win streak is over.
Sharks Jump Out Early, Cruise Past Canadiens
(Montreal, Quebec) — Four unanswered goals chased Montreal goalie Carey Price as the Sharks topped the Canadiens 4-2 at the Bell Centre. David Schlemko, Patrick Marleau, and Timo Meier lit the lamp in the first-period for San Jose. Meier’s goal was the first of his NHL career. Melker Karlsson also found the back of the net for the Sharks as they won their fourth straight. Price was pulled after surrendering four goals on 18 shots. Brian Flynn and Jeff Petry scored for Montreal as it lost its second straight home contest.
Capitals Edge Hurricanes
(Raleigh, NC) — Evgeny Kuznetsov scored the game-winning shootout goal to push the Capitals past the Hurricanes, 4-3, at PNC Arena. Matt Niskanen dished out a pair of assists as Washington won its sixth straight game. Goalie Philipp Grubauer made 27 saves in the win, and the Caps improved to 19-7-and-3 on the season. Carolina’s Sebastian Aho dished out a pair of assists, and Teuvo Teravainen collected a goal and an assist in defeat. The Hurricanes dropped to 12-11-and-7 in the loss.
Sabres Sink Islanders In Overtime
(Buffalo, NY) — Rasmus Ristolainen scored the winning goal 42 seconds into overtime as the Sabres sank the Islanders, 3-2, in Buffalo. Ristolainen added an assist, and Robin Lehner made 33 saves. Matt Moulson and Johan Larsson also lit the lamp for the Sabres, who improved to 12-11-and-6. Ryan Strome and Alan Quine scored for New York, which led 2-1 entering the final period. The Isles are on a four-game skid.
Panthers Down Avalanche
(Denver, CO) — Jason Demers tallied a goal and an assist as the Panthers downed the Avalanche, 3-1, at the Pepsi Center. Reilly Smith scored a shorthanded goal in the third period and Michael Matheson provided some insurance less than five minutes later. Goalie James Reimer stopped 30 shots in the win, and the Panthers improved to 14-13-and-5. Fedor Tyutin scored the lone goal for Colorado. The Avs dropped to 11-17-and-1 with the loss.
Blue Jackets Thump Flames
(Calgary, Alberta) — Zach Werenski dished out a pair of assists as the Blue Jackets thumped the Flames, 4-1, at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Columbus won its eighth straight game to improve to 19-5-and-4 on the season. Sergei Bobrovsky made 22 saves in the winning effort. Sean Monahan scored the lone goal for Calgary. The Flames have dropped two in a row to fall to 16-15-and-2 on the season.
Canucks Double Up Lightning
(Vancouver, British Columbia) — Bo Horvat scored the game-winner and added an assist as the Canucks topped the Lightning, 4-2, at Rogers Arena. Brandon Sutter, Luca Sbisa, and Alex Burrows also lit the lamp in the winning effort. Ryan Miller made 25 saves, and Vancouver snapped a three-game slide. Victor Hedman and Cory Conacher found the back of the net for Tampa Bay in the losing effort. The Lightning have lost eight of their last 10 contests.