Eastern Conference
Toronto Raptors 101-94 Indiana Pacers
Venue: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Led by 28 points each from Kyle Lowry and DeMar Derozan the Toronto Raptors beat the Indiana Pacers by 7 points on their home turf. The duo were well supported by Bismack Biyombo, who chipped in with 25 points on the night.
Paul George was once again the star for the hosts, netting in 18 points on what proved to be a disappointing night for the players and the fans.
Washington Wizards 99-94 Philadelphia 76ers
Venue: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia
An all-round performance of 16 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds by John Wall saw the Washington Wizards cross the line by 5 points against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. He was ably supported by Marcin Fortat who also scored the same number of points as Wall while Marcus Thornton and Markieff Morris chipped in with 18 points and 14 points respectively.
Even though they finished on the losing side, it was Ish Smith, who scored the maximum number of points from either side with 20 but those exploits didn't prove to be enough in the end.
Charlotte Hornets 109-106 Miami Heat
Venue: AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami
In what proved to be the most thrilling encounter of the night, the Horners pulled off a nerve-wracking 3 point win over the Heat, something that looked at the end of the 1st half with the former trailing the latter by 15 points, on their home turf.
But led by Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker, each of whom scored 21 points apiece, the Hornets registered their 15th win in their last 18 games to further heat up the race to the Playoffs.
For the hosts, it was Luol Dong, Josh Richardson and Hassan Whiteside who starred on the night with 22, 18 and 17 points on the night, but it went in vain as a spirited Horners pulled off a terrific win to stun the home crowd.
Denver Nuggets 98-116 Atlanta Hawks
Venue: Phillips Arena, Atlanta
In his maiden start of the season Tim Hardaway Jr. showed what the future could hold for the Hawks, scoring 21 points as the visitors pulled off a convincing 18-point win on Thursday night. Giving the young turk company were Paul Millsap and Jeff Teagu, who scored 16 points apiece to help their side romp home to a win.
Speaking after the win, Hardaway Jr. said that it wasn't the easiest of tasks to come right into the side after having had just played two matches in the NBA’s D-League.
"It's tough, but at the same time you've got to be ready for any situation," Hardaway said.
Brooklyn Nets 102-118 Chicago Bulls
Venue: United Center, Chicago
Led by a superb 25-point performance from Doug McDermott, the Bulls eased past the Nets by 16 points at theUnited Center on Thursday night. Jimmy Buttler gave good support to his teammate, with 22 points.
While it was a heavy loss for the visitors, there were a few bright spots, courtesy Bojan Bogdanovic who netted in 26 points on the night and was well supported by Thaddeus Young who scored 16.
Western Conference
Memphis Grizzlies 86-96 Milwaukee Bucks
Venue: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee
Led by Giannis Antetokounmpo 15 points and Tyler Ennis’s 13 points, the Bucks handed the Grizzlies their 4th straight loss in the Western Conference at the Harris Bradley Center on Thursday night.
Despite the loss, however, Matt Barnes provided the hosts some cheer with 20 points on the night but it couldn't prevent his side from losing their 11th match on home turf this season.
Portland Trailblazers 110 - San Antonio Spurs 118
Venue: AT&T Center, San Antonio
The Spurs continued their match on home turf on Thursday night, registering their 34th win after inflicting an 118-110 defeat on the Portland Trailblazers at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.
LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawahi Leonard were the stars on the night, scoring 22 points each and were well supported by Tony Parker, who scored 18 points on the night to make it the second-best home start to a season in NBA history, with only Chicago Bulls, with 37 consecutive wins at home during the 1995-96 season, ahead of them.
For the visitors, it was C.J McCollum who was the star with 26 points but it proved to be futile in the end as the Trailblazers crashed to their second straight defeat and 22nd one away from home this season.
Phoenix Suns 69-103 Utah Jazz
Venue: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City
In the most one-sided contest across both conferences, the Utah Jazz thrashed the Phoenix Suns by a whopping 34 points on home turf to record a 4th straight win on the trot.
In the absence of Gordon Hayward, it was Trey Lyles who started for the hosts scoring 17 points while Joe Angles gave him solid company with 15 points of his own to help their side romp home to a convincing win.
Guess the Lakers players!
