Dallas Mavericks vs. Sacramento Kings, Kings win 133-128 (OT)
Top Performers
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 28 | 7 | 7 | 11/21 | 4/10 | 2/2 | 1 | 1 |
De’Aaron Fox
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 36 | 4 | 5 | 12/23 | 0/4 | 12/14 | 2 | 0 |
Key Takeaways
- After being elevated to the All-Star team as an injury reserve, De’Aaron Fox helped the Sacramento Kings play spoiler to the debut of the Dallas Mavericks’ new dynamic duo. After missing his last two shots in regulation, Fox went into takeover mode in overtime, scoring 14 of the Kings’ 19 points.
- Domantas Sabonis chipped in 22 points and 14 rebounds for his NBA-leading 44th double-double of the season before fouling out with 1:27 remaining in overtime. The unsung hero for Sacramento was Terence Davis, who scored 17 points at halftime and finished with 22. He kept this team in it until Fox was able to ramp things up in the latter portion of the game.
- Although the Mavericks didn’t get the W, the duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving surely put the league on notice by showing what they are capable of. The two combined for 55 points and each hit 11 shots apiece.
- But what came unexpectedly was the outstanding play of Josh Green, who started at Power Forward mainly to inject some much-needed defense into the starting lineup and, in the process, dropped 23 points while hitting five threes. This was only the second time Green has scored 20+ this season and five or more made threes. With the departure of Dorian Finney-Smith, look for Josh Green to have a breakout second half of the season as he sees a serious uptick in minutes
Indiana Pacers vs. Washington Wizards, Wizards win 127-113
Top Performers
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 21 | 6 | 7 | 8/16 | 5/8 | 0/0 | 2 | 0 |
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 32 | 4 | 6 | 13/18 | 4/5 | 2/2 | 1 | 1 |
Key Takeaways
- The Washington Wizards dropped 80 points in the first half and shot 64% as a team in route to easily handling the Indiana Pacers. 13 players got minutes for the Wizards and seven of them scored in double-figures including Kristaps Porzingis and Monte Morris, whom each finished with 17 points apiece.
- Bradley Beal is also slowly starting to ramp up as he has had two 30+-point performances in his last three games after previously only having one 30+-point game all season heading into February. The play of Beal is a real x-factor for a Washington team that seems committed to pushing for the postseason currently 9th in the East.
- Rough night offensively for the Indiana Pacers, but Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner did combine for 41. Buddy Hield and Ben Mathurin also had 16 points apiece. Their main guys came to play, but their depth just could not hang with the Wizards last night. Something notable is to watch Mathurin closely after the All-Star break. Rookie guards with a high shot tendency seem to surge in the second half of the season. We’ve seen it with Jalen Green last season and Coby White a few seasons prior. If Mathurin plans on getting atop the Rookie of the Year leaderboard over Paolo Banchero, he is going to need a convincing hot streak ASAP.
San Antonio Spurs vs. Atlanta Hawks, Hawks win 125-106
Top Performers
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 18 | 9 | 5 | 7/15 | 2/7 | 2/2 | 1 | 1 |
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 24 | 4 | 17 | 9/19 | 2/5 | 4/4 | 1 | 1 |
Key Takeaways
- Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks handed the San Antonio Spurs their 13th straight loss, which is the longest losing streak for the franchise since the 1988-89 season. Young hit a layup early in the third quarter to go up 65-64 and then proceeded to never trail the rest of the game. Deandre Hunter had a solid performance with 24 points of his own and Dejounte Murray added 18 points.
- The sick joke about this Hawks team is that they continue to hold this man John Collins hostage despite having him in trade rumors for the third straight season. #FreeJohnCollins. He had 17 points, two blocks, and two steals in this one for anyone who was wondering.
- This is how bad the Spurs were on offense: Keldon Johnson (25 points), Jeremy Sochan (18 points), and Malaki Branham (10 points). Those are the only three to score in double figures. Pair this with allowing 25 points on 19 turnovers and you have the perfect formula to get blown out.
Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, Cavs win 97-89
Top Performers
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 14 | 14 | 4 | 7/13 | 0/4 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 |
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 29 | 10 | 6 | 10/18 | 3/7 | 6/6 | 1 | 2 |
Key Takeaways
- The Cleveland Cavaliers push their win streak to six straight as Donovan Mitchell scored 19 of his 29 points in the second half. This team was down 61-48 in the third quarter before heating up and going on a 43-17 run to go up by 13. Jarrett Allen finished with 23 points and ten rebounds along with Darius Garland who added 19 points.
- The Cavs are now 24-6 at home. Note to self: Bet the over on Cleveland when they play at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
- Same ‘ol Chicago Bulls man…39 combined points between Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. A double-double from Nikola Vucevic. They led by as much as 13 points for 60% of the game. Then proceed to be outscored 28 to 15 in the 4th quarter and sold the game. Now they’re in discussions to potentially sign Russell Westbrook off the buyout market…#FML
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Brooklyn Nets, Sixers win 101-98
Top Performers
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 37 | 13 | 2 | 12/18 | 1/2 | 12/13 | 2 | 0 |
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 23 | 6 | 1 | 8/18 | 3/5 | 4/4 | 2 | 0 |
Key Takeaways
- Boy oh, boy did the Philadelphia 76ers get away with one in this one. The Brooklyn Nets’ prodigal son, Spencer Dinwiddie has returned and was only less than a second shy of hitting a three-point heave that would’ve sent this game to overtime. Instead, he was late by less than a second and Brooklyn left with the L. Dinwiddie had a rough shooting night going 2-of-10 from the field with nine points but did have six rebounds and six assists.
- The Sixers were carried by 37 points from Joel Embiid and 29 points in James Harden’s first game in Brooklyn since requesting to be traded from the Nets. Their next highest scorer was Tyrese Maxey with 12 points.
- Brooklyn got a big-time debut from Mikal Bridges who led the team with 23 points and six rebounds. Cam Thomas has cooled off since his 40-ball trifecta earlier this week but did have 14 points on an efficient 7-of-12 shooting in 18 minutes off the bench. Thomas is still a guy to keep an eye on because is due for another crazy scoring stretch.
Denver Nuggets vs. Charlotte Hornets, Hornets win 119-105
Top Performers
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 30 | 16 | 10 | 11/22 | 0/0 | 8/9 | 0 | 2 |
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 18 | 9 | 12 | 6/16 | 3/10 | 3/5 | 2 | 0 |
Key Takeaways
- Without two starters in Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic carries the Denver Nuggets to their 7th straight victory with his league-leading 20th triple-double.
- Of the eight Nuggets’ players to play 20+ minutes, all but Ish Smith scored in double figures including Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who was second on the team with 15 points despite shooting 0-of-4 from three.
- The Charlotte Hornets get a near triple-double from LaMelo Ball and 43 combined points from PJ Washington (21) and Gordon Hayward (22). But they were outrebounded 51-37 and outscored in the paint 78-52. Despite winning the first quarter 34-27, Charlotte never felt in control of this game and proceeded to lose the remaining three quarters.
Miami Heat vs. Orlando Magic, Heat win 107-103 (OT)
Top Performers
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 13 | 17 | 6 | 5/10 | 0/1 | 3/4 | 2 | 1 |
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 16 | 13 | 1 | 6/16 | 0/4 | 4/4 | 0 | 0 |
Key Takeaways
- Bam Adebayo with the game-saving contest! Paolo Banchero had a chance to steal the victory in regulation but missed the layup due to an elite-level contest from Adebayo. From there, momentum swung in favor of Miami.
- The Heat got 23 from Jimmy Butler, 22 from Tyler Herro, and 20 from Gabe Vincent including a big three to open overtime.
- Markelle Fultz led the team with 17 points followed by Banchero who had 16 points and 13 rebounds. The Magic also had a trio of Wendell Carter, Jalen Suggs, and Mo Wagner all score 14 points apiece. This felt like a game that the Magic should’ve won, but they just ran out of gas in overtime. Conditioning is a Miami Heat specialty.
Utah Jazz vs. New York Knicks, Knicks win 126-120
Top Performers
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 29 | 5 | 3 | 9/23 | 3/10 | 8/10 | 0 | 3 |
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 38 | 3 | 5 | 11/22 | 2/5 | 14/15 | 1 | 0 |
Key Takeaways
- Jalen Brunson was snubbed from the All-Star team and has responded by choosing violence. The man has had 30+ in four of his last six games played including 38 points in this one with a season-high 15 free throw attempts. Brunson is on a mission.
- Julius Randle, who did make the team, finished with 31 points and RJ Barrett had 20 points before fouling out. I like Barrett so I hate to say this, but it may be smart to pull back from the RJ stock. He’s been regulated to now being the third option on this team and hasn’t sufficiently improved as a three-point shooter (33.3% this season) to thrive in the roll.
- Here’s a funny stat line: Quentin Grimes had 1 point, 1 rebound, 1 assist, hit 1 free throw, 1 block, and 1 turnover with a plus/minus of +1. Just found that interesting.
- Lauri Markkanen continues his reign of terror with a near 30-ball along with Jordan Clarkson who added 24 points. Yet another pleasant surprise from Talen Horton-Tucker who finished with 23 points and seven assists in 27 minutes off the bench.
- Lite night for Walker Kessler who had four points, 15 rebounds, and two blocks. This guy is just a dirty work fantasy points demon. Honestly having Markkanen for points and Kessler for rebounds and blocks as a combo on fantasy might be a good budget strategy.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors, Lakers win 109-103
Top Performers
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 13 | 16 | 1 | 5/19 | 0/1 | 3/4 | 0 | 3 |
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 29 | 5 | 6 | 11/25 | 3/10 | 4/4 | 1 | 2 |
Key Takeaways
- The new-look Los Angeles Lakers figuring things out early without LeBron James (left ankle soreness) as D’Angelo Russell finishes with 15 points, five rebounds, and six assists in his return to the Lakeshow.
- Anthony Davis was solid with 13 points, 16 rebounds, and three blocks. He wasn’t very effective offensively (5-of-19 from the field), but he was felt on the defensive end. But the star of the night for the Lakers was Dennis Schroder who led the team with 26 points.
- Jordan Poole led the charge with 29 points, but the Lakers were just too much for them. Los Angeles had 26 free throw attempts while Golden State only had 12. Also, Klay Thompson was abysmal from three going 3-of-13 and finishing with 15 points. Every night without Curry puts the defending champions deeper in the hole of potentially missing the playoffs. They are currently in 9th place only a game ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers who are 13th.
