Jazz Knock Off Nets
(Salt Lake City, UT) — George Hill piled up a season-high 34 points as the Jazz knocked off the Nets, 112-97, in Salt Lake City. Hill shot 10-of-12 from the field and 11-of-12 from the charity stripe, and also dished out seven assists. Derrick Favors added 19 points and 12 boards as Utah led by a dozen after the first quarter and never looked back. The Jazz ended a two-game slide. Quincy Acy scored 18 points in 18 minutes off the bench for Brooklyn. The Nets are just 3-and-26 away from home.
Bucks Start Strong, Whip Clippers
(Milwaukee, WI) — Greg Monroe and Giannis Antetokounmpo each scored 24 points as the Bucks held off the Clippers 112-101 in Milwaukee. The Bucks led by 19 at halftime. Milwaukee is 5-and-3 in its past eight games. Blake Griffin and Chris Paul each finished with 21 points to pace LA. The Clippers lost for the fourth time in five games.
Mavericks Survive Grizzlies
(Dallas, TX) — The Mavericks overcame a late cold stretch as they survived the Grizzlies, 104-100, in Dallas. The Mavs had a five-minute stretch in the final quarter in which they didn’t score, but maintained the lead and earned the win. Seth Curry led Dallas with 24 points and Nerlens Noel added 15 points and 17 rebounds. The Mavs have won three of their past four games. Mike Conley piled up 30 points for Memphis and Zach Randolph added 24 points and 10 boards off the bench. The Grizzlies fell to 36-and-26.
Cavaliers Set Record In Win Over Hawks
(Atlanta, GA) — The Cavaliers set the NBA-record for most three-pointers in a game as they fended off the Hawks, 135-130, in Atlanta. The Cavs made 25-of-46 threes in the game, breaking the record set by Houston in December. The Cavs led by 18 entering the final quarter, and had to hold off a Hawks rally. James posted 38 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists while Irving scored 43 plus had nine dimes. Cleveland improved 42-and-18. Tim Hardaway Junior went off for 36 points in 35 minutes for Atlanta. Paul Millsap added 27 points as the Hawks fell to 34-and-27.
Sixers Hang On, Clip Knicks
(Philadelphia, PA) — Justin Anderson knocked down the go-ahead basket with 24.3-seconds left to lift the Sixers past the Knicks 105-102 in Philadelphia. Anderson finished with a career high 19 points. Dario Saric led the team in scoring with 21 to go along with 10 rebounds. Philly snapped a three game slide and improved to 23-and-38. Lance Thomas paced New York with 21 points in defeat. The Knicks bench was outscored 40-9 as they fell to 25-and-37.
Magic Finish Off Heat
(Orlando, FL) — The Magic took the lead less than three minutes into the game and never trailed again as they finished off the Heat, 110-99, in Orlando. Nikola Vucevic finished with 25 points and nine rebounds in the win. Elfrid Payton flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists as Orlando improved to 23-and-39. James Johnson led the Heat with 19 points off the bench. Hassan Whiteside added 15 points and 18 boards as Miami fell to 28-and-34.
Suns’ Balanced Attack Overpowers Thunder
(Phoenix, AZ) — Eric Bledsoe scored 18 points and Devin Booker 17 as the Suns defeated the Thunder 118-111 in Phoenix. Alan Williams contributed 14 points and 13 rebounds as six Phoenix players scored in double figures. The Suns won their third straight home game. Russell Westbrook had 48 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists for the Thunder. Westbrook has scored 40 or more points in four straight games. Oklahoma City has dropped two straight.
Spurs Clip Pelicans In Overtime
(New Orleans, LA) — Kawhi Leonard scored 31 with seven rebounds and six assists to help the Spurs clip the Pelicans in overtime, 101-98, in New Orleans. Patty Mills hit two clutch three pointers in OT and finished with 15 points. LaMarcus Aldridge dropped 21 and pulled down 15 boards. San Antonio improved its NBA-best road record to 27-and-7. DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis combined for 48 points and 32 rebounds in defeat. Jrue Holiday added 26 points, The Pelicans lost for the fourth time in five games.
Celtics Hammer Lakers
(Los Angeles, CA) — The Celtics put up 70 points in the first half as they hammered the Lakers, 115-95, at the Staples Center. Six Boston players scored in double-figures, led by 18 from Isaiah Thomas. The C’s led by 25 at halftime and held off a late Lakers run to get their 40th win. Jordan Clarkson led the Lakers with 20 points, doing all of his scoring in the third quarter. L.A.’s losing streak is now up to six games.
Coyotes Win On Road, Beat Hurricanes
(Raleigh, NC) — Shane Doan had a goal and two assists as the Coyotes defeated the Hurricanes 4-2 in Raleigh. Jordan Martinook, Christian Dvorak and Alex Goligoski had the other Arizona goals. The Coyotes won for only the second time in six games. Lee Stempniak and Jordan Staal found the back of the net for Carolina. The Hurricanes have one victory in their last 10 games.
Penguins Pound Lightning
(Pittsburgh, PA) — Evgeni Malkin scored twice and assisted on the go-ahead goal as the Penguins pounded the Lightning, 5-2, in Pittsburgh. Malkin hit Mark Streit for the tie-breaking goal in the final period. Sidney Crosby had two assists as the Pens swept their season series with the Lightning. Adam Erne scored his first career goal and Nikita Kucherov added a power play goal for Tampa. The Bolts dropped to 29-26-and-8.
Jets Blank Blues
(Winnipeg, Manitoba) — Connor Hellebuyck stopped all 29 shots sent his way to help the Jets blank the Blues 3-0 in Winnipeg. Blake Wheeler scored twice, including one-of-two late empty netters to ice the game. Bryan Little deposited the other. The Jets have earned at least one point in six of their last seven outings. Carter Hutton was solid in defeat, surrendering just one goal on 38 shots. Saint Louis has lost five straight on the heels of its season long six game winning streak.
Blackhawks Clip Islanders In Shootout
(Chicago, IL) — Artemi Panarin played the hero for the Blackhawks as they topped the Islanders in a shootout, 2-1, in Chicago. Panarin tied the game with just over a minute left in regulation and scored the deciding goal in the shootout. Corey Crawford stopped 31-of-32 attempts sent his way. The Blackhawks have won six-straight and 11-of-12 overall. Brock Nelson scored the lone New York goal in defeat. Thomas Greiss made 30 saves, the Islanders fell to 30-22-and-10.
Flames Handle Red Wings In OT
(Calgary, Alberta) — Mikael Backlund nailed the winning goal in overtime as the Flames handled the Red Wings, 3-2, in Calgary. Kris Versteeg and Matthew Tkachuk each scored in the first for the Flames. Brian Elliott finished with 35 saves as Calgary won its sixth straight game. Darren Helm and Tomas Tatar each scored for Detroit. Petr Mrazek made 28 saves as the Red Wings fell to 25-26-and-11.