Chicago Bulls 107, Toronto Raptors 105
The Bulls lead by as much as 19 behind power forward Carlos Boozer’s season-high 36 points. However, the Raptors came all the way back and even took the game into overtime.
In the extra period, the Raptors were down by two but a tear drop by point guard Kyle Lowry tied up the game yet again. With three seconds left, forward Luol Deng hit a jumper that gave the Bulls the lead. Toronto had one final attempt to win it and it went to point guard Jose Calderon, who couldn’t knock down the triple as time expired.
The Bulls have now won nine out of their last 11 road games.
Orlando Magic 97, Indiana Pacers 86
Nikola Vucevic got himself another double-double for Orlando, who took control of the game in the second quarter by outscoring Indiana 29-18, which was his 20th double-double of the season. The Magic made 12-of-21 for three-point attempts, in which Indiana couldn’t stop then.
Orlando scored 97 points on the Pacers, which is high as Indiana has held opponents to just 88.9 points per game on average.
Atlanta Hawks 109, Brooklyn Nets 95
The Hawks, who were embarrassed by the Bulls on Monday, outscored Brooklyn in the first two quarters (27-20, 29-20) and played with a lot of energy right from the start (they never trailed).
They were led by point guard Jeff Teague, who had 28 points and 11 assists. Atlanta played without forward Josh Smith, who was suspended for one game for conduct detrimental to the team.
New Orleans Hornets 90, Boston Celtics 78
Austin Rivers beat Doc.
The Celtics were trailing by double figures in the third quarter before making a comeback just right before the start of the fourth, but they had a drought for more than four minutes that helped the Hornets extend a four-point lead to 16. Boston went 7-of-23 shooting in the fourth. Greivis Vasquez had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets.
Oklahoma City Thunder 117, Denver Nuggets 97
The Thunder led the game from end-to-end. The Thunder outscored the Nuggets 34-18 in the opening period and were never close to being challenged. Point guard Russell Wesbrook scored 32 points while Kevin Durant added 20. OKC has now won four games in a row.
Dallas Mavericks 105, Houston Rockets 100
James Harden tried giving the Rockets the lead late in the fourth but was blocked by Elton Brand. The Mavericks hit their free throws, something that Houston couldn't do, and that was the difference towards winning the game. Dallas have won their fourth game in a row while the Rockets have lost five straight.
San Antonio Spurs 103, Memphis Grizzlies 82
The Spurs extended their home winning-streak to 13 games by defeating the Grizzlies for the second time this season. San Antonio outscored Memphis 46-28 in the second half, including limiting them to 11 minutes without a basket. Tony Parker had 17 points and 11 assists while Tim Duncan added 19. Memphis is currently on a three-game losing-streak.
Sacramento Kings 95, Washington Wizards 94
With the game tied at 94, Kings guard Tyreke Evans was fouled with 11.4 seconds left. He made one-of-two free throws to give Sacramento a one-point lead. The Wizards had two chances of making a game-winner, but they weren’t successful.
Rookie guard Bradley Beal and star point guard John Wall each had attempts that didn’t fall. The victory by Sacramento snapped Washington's three-game winning-streak.
Cleveland Cavaliers 93, Portland Trail Blazers 88
Cleveland started off with a huge first half, leading the Blazers by 17. But the Blazers fought to the end, like they have done all year, but that’s when the reigning rookie of the year Kyrie Irving took over. Irving made a pull-up jumper and a bank-shot to prevent the Blazers from taking the lead. Portland has now lost four straight games.
Miami Heat 92, Golden State Warriors 75
This game was all about LeBron James. James became the youngest player in league history to score 20,000 career points and he didn’t stop there. The King also surpassed 5,000 assists on the milestone night.
James got his 20,000th point by making a 12-foot elbow jumper with 2:45 left in the second quarter. The Heat took care of the Warriors, who were without star point guard Stephen Curry, without any much trouble.
