Toronto Raptors at Cleveland Cavaliers 135-115
This was the Gary Trent Jr. game! He willed the Raptors to a much-needed victory over the Cavs in Cleveland. Of course, we have to start off with Trent Jr. Last night, the man shot 17-19 (89.5%!) from the field and did not miss a single two-pointer on his way to 44 points! He also grabbed seven boards while dishing out four assists. Rookie Malachi Flynn also had a very good game scoring 20 points, handing out 11 assists, and stealing the ball twice. Chris Boucher had another excellent defensive night swatting four shots while getting one steal with his teammate OG Anunoby scored 15 points with five rebounds and three assists.
On the other side, the Cavs got 29 points from Collin Sexton, who shot 50% from the field and also handed out five dimes. Kevin Love put another 20 minutes of action under his belt scoring 18 points, grabbing in three boards, and stealing the ball once. Before exiting the game due to injury, Darius Garland put up 19 points and had eight dimes on 41.2% shooting from the field.
Los Angeles Lakers at Brooklyn Nets 126-101
The Lakers with no LeBron and no AD, on national TV, took out the team they may see in the finals. Interesting. Andre Drummond led the way for the Lakers with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and a steal while Dennis Schroder managed to score 19 points and handed out four assists before getting ejected. Ben McLemore also had an impressive outing with 17 points off the back of five triples.
For the Nets, Kevin Durant had a pretty routine game with a 22/7/5 stat line while Kyrie Irving scored 18 on 54.5% shooting before he also got ejected. LaMarcus Aldridge also contributed with 12 points, a pair of assists, and three rebounds, but besides them, nobody else really showed up. An off-night to forget for the Nets.
Philadelphia 76ers at Oklahoma City Thunder 117-93
The Sixers picked up a pretty routine win here without Tobias Harris against the Thunder in OKC. Joel Embiid had another awesome night with 27 points, nine rebounds, and four assists as well as four blocks while Furkan Korkmaz had an excellent game scoring 20 with five steals! Ben Simmons, though, had a pretty mediocre game with 13 points, three rebounds, and three assists.
As for the OKC Thunder, Darius Bazley returned and scored 17 points with nine rebounds, five assists, and a steal. Lu Dort also made his return last night, scoring 15, blocking one shot, getting one steal, and grabbing five rebounds as well. Tony Bradley also impressed with a 16/14 double-double and played 25 minutes compared to Moses Brown’s 19. Something to keep an eye on for all my Moses Brown owners.
Sacramento Kings at Utah Jazz 112-128
The Jazz picked up another win to contribute to their cause of holding onto the 1st seed against the Kings at home. For Sac Town, De’Aaron Fox had another excellent game with 30 points, eight assists, two steals, and two rebounds. Richaun Holmes posted a 25/10 double-double with a block while Buddy Hield scored 18 points, dished out seven dimes, and hit four triples. Buddy also grabbed five rebounds and had one steal.
Donovan Mitchell had another impressive outing for the Jazz last night. This time he scored 42 points with four assists, a steal, three rebounds, and a block. Rudy Gobert contributed on the boards with 11 rebounds and on the defensive end with two blocks and a steal while Mike Conley poured in 26 points, grabbed six rebounds, and had four dimes. Joe Ingles also had a solid night with 20 points on the back of five triples with six assists as well breaking out of a mini rut he was in lately.
Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors 109-125
Another non-close game from last night came in the form of the Warriors being victorious over the Rockets at home. John Wall had a good outing with 30 points, seven dimes, a steal, and a block on 57.9% shooting. Christian Wood fell three rebounds short of a double-double but scored 18 points and had three assists while Kelly Olynyk did actually post an 18/11 double-double along with three assists. Jae’Sean Tate also had a solid game with 11 rebounds, seven points, and an impressive four steals.
For the Warriors, Chef Steph Curry was cooking and triples were most definitely on the menu. Steph nailed eight threes on his way 38 points with eight rebounds and five assists. Andrew Wiggins also contributed with 25 points and six rebounds, while Jordan Poole poured in 21 points with three steals. James Wiseman only got to play six minutes, though, as he went down with an injury and had to leave the game. He will receive an MRI soon so let’s hope he is ok.
Washington Wizards at Phoenix Suns 106-134
The Suns seem hell-bent on gaining everyone’s recognition and respect this year and they added to their case last night with a blowout win over Russ and the Wizards. Russell Westbrook posted a triple-double last night. Yes I know, shock horror. He scored 17 points, dished out 14 assists, and rebounded the ball 11 times. Raul Neto had an interesting game with 24 points, a rebound, and an assist. Rui Hachimura, though, had an underwhelming night with just six points and seven rebounds.
For the Suns, Chris Paul, Mr. Point God, had a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists while also getting five rebounds and a steal. Devin Booker had 26 points with six rebounds, six assists, and two steals while DeAndre Ayton posted a 14/10 double-double while also stealing the ball twice and blocking one shot. Cameron Payne also had an impressive outing with seven assists, a steal, and 14 points.
Detroit Pistons at Portland Trailblazers 103-118
Guess what? Yep! You got it! Another blowout courtesy of Dame and the Blazers against the Detroit Pistons, who were without Jerami Grant. The Pistons did not have their best night as Josh Jackson was the highest scorer with 21 points on 58.3% efficiency. Saddiq Bey contributed with 14 points and six assists while Frank Jackson scored 14 points, had one steal, and grabbed four rebounds.
For the Blazers, Enes Kanter had an absolutely, outrageously bonkers game scoring 24 points and grabbing 30, YES 30, rebounds! Damian Lillard had a double-double with 27 points and 10 assists while his running mate CJ McCollum poured in 26 points off the back of three triples. A routine night for the Blazers, but not so much for Enes the Menace to say the least! 30 rebounds? Really?? Wow.
