Monday night saw a mammoth 10 games played. Here's a roundup of all the action.
Utah Jazz 123-75 Los Angeles Lakers
Hosts Utah Jazz, playing at home in Salt Lake City, completely dominated a faltering Lakers side, taking a mammoth 17-2 lead in the first quarter. Shooting guard Rodney Hood was the star of the night, scoring 30 points and playing an unstoppable game.
It was only the Lakers' most experienced player – basketball icon Kobe Bryant – who volunteered to guard hood, a fact that peeved Lakers coach Byron Scott .
Jazz remain at 7th in the playoff race for the Western Conference, and are one game ahead of the Rockets.
Today marked the fourth straight loss for the Los Angeles Lakers and their eighth of nine games.
Miami Heat 110-99 Brooklyn Nets
Dwayne Wade was the star of the show as Miami played - and beat - the nets on home ground, despite an injured wrist. Rival coach Tony Brown acknowledged Wade’s effort, saying he got “better with age” and was “...attacking [us] all night."
Heat really took a march in the second half as they prevented the Nets from gaining many scoring opportunities to eventually take an 11-point win.
Oklahoma City Thunder 119-100 Toronto Raptors
Thunder have dominated the NBA this year, with the league’s longest current winning streak. Russell Westbrook starred in his team’s win over the Raptors in Toronto, Thunder’s eighth victory in a row.
Westbrook has been on top of his game, and his statistics speak for themselves. The player today scored his 16th triple-double of the season, and today took 26 points for Thunder, with teammate Kevin Durant scoring 34.
Minnesota Timberwolves 121-116 Phoenix Suns
The Timeberwolves had a 20-point lead over the Suns in this game, but with a late charge from the visitors, the Wolves nearly squandered it entirely. Andrew Wiggins scored 32 points, with Timberwolves teammate Karl-Anthony Towns adding 27 points to the board.
The pair took their side to its third win in four games.
Atlanta Hawks 102-100 Chicago Bulls
The Hawks’ Jeff Teague helped take his side to victory over home squad Chicago Bulls, with Atlanta taking their fourth consecutive victory. The Hawks are currently in third spot in the Eastern Conference, while the Bulls risk missing the playoffs entirely.
The Bulls, meanwhile, are on a losing streak – having bottled their fourth in a row, and are trailing Denver for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Dallas Mavericks 97-88 Denver Nuggets
Fresh off a three-game losing streak, the Mavericks, today the visiting side, will have wanted a change in forutnes - and it was Justin Anderson and Dwight Powell who gave them that chance, each scoring in the final quarter as the Mavericks took a 9-point win over the home team.
Both star players today are relatively new additions - while Powell is playing only his second NBA season, Anderson is a rookie.
San Antonio Spurs 101-87 Memphis Grizzlies
The Spurs' LaMarcus Aldridge was instrumental in helping his short-handed side triumph over home squad Grizzlies today, scoring 31 points.
It was largely due to Aldridge that the Spurs managed to pull off victory despite their star trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.being rested for the game. Kawhi Leonard, who has a contusion in his right quad, was believed to have possibly been flying down to play, but did not.
New Orleans Pelicans 99-91 New York Knicks
The Pelicans, playing at home, were aided by a recovering Jrue Holiday, who, fresh off recovery from a toe injury, today sustained a blow to the eye. Holiday scored 22 points in the game, 10 of them in the final quarter.
The home side won for the first time this season when scoring fewer than 100 points.
Los Angeles Clippers 114-90 Boston Celtics
Playing in Los Angeles, the Clippers’ Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan each pulled out the stops, Paul with 13 points and 14 assists and Jordan with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Austin Rivers led the scoring for the home team with 16 points.
The Clippers took a significant lead in the second quarter of the game, and although the Celtics fought to catch up, they remained unable to close the gap.
Guess the Lakers players!
