Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls, Cavs Win 103-102
Top Performers:
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 23 | 7 | 4 | 10/19 | 3/9 | 0/2 | 1 | 0 |
Demar DeRozan
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 21 | 4 | 3 | 7/17 | 0/1 | 7/7 | 3 | 1 |
Key Takeaways:
- On this day a year ago, DeMar DeRozan knocked down a clutch buzzer-beater to steal the victory over the Indiana Pacers. Unfortunately, this time around, he was not so lucky. Despite finishing with 21 points, DeRozan fell just short of yet another heroic moment as he missed the go-ahead turnaround fadeaway jumper that would’ve stolen the victory.
- After dropping an emphatic 43 points in the win over the Detroit Pistons, Zach LaVine cooled off, finishing the game with only 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting. But Ayo Dosunmu helped make up for LaVine’s rough shooting night as he finished with 19 points. This was the first time Dosunmu has put together back-to-back double-digit scoring performances since mid-November.
- Caris LeVert and Kevin Love came to play as they combined for 43 points in the absence of Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. Tough night for the two remaining All Stars though. Donovan Mitchell finished with 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting while missing all three of his threes. Jarrett Allen had six points but did grab ten boards along with two steals and two blocks. Definitely more of a defensive night for Allen.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, Sixers win 115-96
Top Performers:
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 16 | 13 | 10 | 6/17 | 0/3 | 4/6 | 1 | 4 |
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 20 | 9 | 2 | 9/15 | 1/3 | 1/1 | 1 | 1 |
Key Takeaways:
- Joel Embiid brought his duffle bag in this one as he showed off the entire arsenal en route to recording his 5th career-triple double.
- The Philadelphia 76ers were fully locked in as they never trailed in this game and with James Harden and Tyrese Maxey out, Tobias Harris took over with a game-high 23 points. Not to mention the backcourt of De’Anthony Melton and Shake Milton held the fort down as they combined for 35 points.
- The OKC Thunder struggled as their All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shot a mere 4-of-15 from the field and ended the game with 14 points in 32 minutes. Jalen Williams was impressive in his time on the floor as he was second on the team with 17 points and hit 3-of-4 threes.
LA Clippers vs. Indiana Pacers, Pacers win 131-130
Top Performers:
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 45 | 9 | 4 | 15/25 | 7/13 | 8/8 | 3 | 0 |
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 24 | 7 | 10 | 8/13 | 2/6 | 6/7 | 4 | 1 |
Key Takeaways:
- Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner were in a different kind of mode last night. The two combined for 60 points and, honestly, it was pretty difficult picking Indiana’s top performer between the two. Of course, Haliburton had a near triple-double along with four steals. But then you have Turner scored 34 points in 33 minutes while going a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line while still chipping in a steal and two blocks. You guys let me know who think is more deserving of the player of the game: Turner or Haliburton?
- Paul George backpacked the Clippers through this game and was a big reason why the game was even close. George and Kawhi Leonard combined for 69 of the team’s 130 points and George led the team by far in shot attempts with 25. But hey, that had to keep feeding that hot hand because the man was hitting big threes down the stretch including the go-ahead three in the closing seconds that helped make look the score look a little better.
New York Knicks vs. Houston Rockets, Knicks win 108-88
Top Performers:
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 35 | 12 | 6 | 9/20 | 5/13 | 12/16 | 0 | 1 |
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 23 | 10 | 8 | 7/12 | 4/8 | 5/5 | 0 | 0 |
Key Takeaways:
- After a rough start to the game where the Knicks allowed 35 points to the Houston Rockets, they put on a defensive clinic the rest of the game. In the second quarter, the Rockets were held to only 14 points and in the second half, they scored 39 points total. New York had them locked up and it led to a big blowout victory.
- The Knicks got a big performance from their young backcourt as Quentin Grimes and Immanuel Quickley combined for 46 points and they each had a few steals.
- Houston’s backcourt played solid as well with a combined 39 points between Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green. But their third leading scorer was Eric Gordon with 16. I’ve said it in plenty of these recaps: If Houston’s backcourt does not match or outplay the opposing team’s backcourt, it’s curtains.
Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs, 126-125
Top Performers:
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 51 | 6 | 9 | 18/29 | 6/10 | 9/15 | 4 | 1 |
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 30 | 4 | 0 | 10/19 | 4/5 | 6/7 | 0 | 0 |
Key Takeaways:
- The Luka Magic tour continues as he recorded his third 50+-point game in the last five games. He is now the first player in NBA history with 250 points, 50 rebounds, and 50 assists over a five-game span. Sensational (in my Future voice).
- The final seconds of this game felt like an eternity with all the free throws, but the Mavs pulled it out with some help from Christian Wood who scored 25 points along with seven rebounds in 28 minutes. It might not be a coincidence that Wood has been balling out over the last week considering that his date for becoming extension-eligible has now passed. Guess someone is chasing the bag.
- The Spurs had solid performances across the board. 19 points and 15 rebounds for Jakob Poeltl. 20 points from Jeremy Sochan. 18 points, five rebounds, and six assists for Tre Jones. Even Zach Collins had 13 points and five rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench. But it’s just been that kind of week for Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, so the Spurs just didn’t have enough.
Brooklyn Nets vs. Charlotte Hornets, Nets win 123-106
Top Performers:
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 28 | 6 | 4 | 11/19 | 4/9 | 2/2 | 1 | 0 |
Lamelo Ball
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 23 | 7 | 11 | 7/19 | 5/14 | 4/5 | 2 | 0 |
Key Takeaways:
- Kyrie Irving went into takeover mode in the early portion game as he had 18 of his 28 in the first half to set the tone for a game where they got out to an early ten-point lead and never trailed. Kevin Durant also chipped in 23 points (and cost me some money on DraftKings) as the Brooklyn Nets extend their winning streak into the new year with 11 straight victories.
- One guy to keep an eye on is Nicolas Claxton. Throughout this win streak, Claxton has had eight double-digit scoring games along with three games where he had six blocks. He has been coming along really well over the last month and is starting to become the big-time defensive Center they are going to need if the Nets want to go on a championship run.
- LaMelo Ball continues to impress since his return from injury with yet another near-tiple double, but the biggest surprise came from Mason Plumlee. Plumlee was second on the Hornets in scoring with 22 points along with ten rebounds and a steal in 29 minutes.
Detroit Pistons vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, Pistons win 116-104
Top Performers:
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 28 | 6 | 5 | 10/14 | 3/4 | 5/5 | 1 | 0 |
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 30 | 7 | 5 | 10/21 | 4/10 | 6/7 | 1 | 0 |
Key Takeaways:
- Talk about having a bench mob. For the Detroit Pistons, all five guys that played off the bench played 20+ minutes and all scored in double figures. Marvin Bagley led the charge with 18 points and ten rounds with Alec Burks next on the list with 13 points and seven rebounds.
- But the man of the hour was Bojan Bogdanovic who was hyper-efficient across the board on his way to 28 points in 31 minutes.
- Forget the stats when it comes to the Timberwolves. We have to talk about the absolute free fall they have been on over the last two weeks or so. They are currently on six-game losing streak and are 6-9 in the month of December. As a team with high expectations, they have not lived up to the hype that came with the Rudy Gobert acquisition. Even with Karl-Anthony Towns out, this team still has the talent to be formidable in the West. Hopefully for their sake, the New Year gives them a clean slate to get things back on track. They’ve got the reigning MVP Nikola Jokic next on the schedule. Good luck.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Memphis Grizzlies, Grizzlies win 116-101
Top Performers:
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 20 | 9 | 1 | 6/16 | 0/0 | 8/10 | 0 | 0 |
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 32 | 3 | 8 | 13/22 | 0/6 | 6/7 | 2 | 0 |
Key Takeaways:
- After getting back-to-back- 40-balls from Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum, they both cooled off a bit in this one. Williamson had an okay night with 20 points but started the game 1-of-5 and seemed to have a hard time getting a rhythm going. McCollum completely came back down to Earth as he only had ten points in 30 minutes on 4-of-16 shooting from the field and 1-of-7 from three.
- The Grizzlies on the other hand were full throttle. Ja Morant led the team with 32 points despite missing all six of his three-point attempts. Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. combined for 35 points and 13 rebounds. Jackson Jr. was a menace defensively as he had three steals and six blocks while being one of the primary defenders to slow down Zion Williamson.
- Can’t forget Steven Adams who had ten points, 21 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks in 27 minutes. The Grizzlies came to play.
Miami Heat vs. Utah Jazz, Heat win 126-123
Top Performers:
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 29 | 9 | 6 | 10/20 | 3/11 | 6/7 | 2 | 0 |
| PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% | STL | BLK |
| 29 | 14 | 0 | 7/15 | 3/7 | 12/12 | 1 | 0 |
Key Takeaways:
- Tyler Herro for three! It was the heroics (all puns intended) from Herro who hit the biggest three of the game as time expired to give the Miami Heat the victory. Herro was second on the team with 29 points alongside Bam Adebayo who had 32 points and eight rebounds. Victor Oladipo even got in on the fun with 23 points, five rebounds, and five assists in 34 minutes off the bench.
- This is the kind of aggressiveness Heat fans want to see from Adebayo. His 17 shot attempts were second most of either team behind only Herro. He also led all players in free throw attempts with 13. To re-unlock the champion aspirations of this Miami Heat team, Adebayo is going to have to start taking more charge. Good things happen when Bam plays assertively.
- Is anyone else on the “Lauri Markkanen All-Star” train? Because I definitely am. Not just because he is a former Chicago Bull (although there is some bias), but more so because the guy has just really found himself in Utah. He finished this game with yet another double-double and hit the three closing free throws that should’ve sealed the victory for the Jazz. Utah may slowly be working towards a full-on tank job, but that should not dismiss the ridiculous play of Markkanen this season as he revives his career.
