January 1,2019 at 7:00 PM
1/11/2019 7:00 PM
Hawks Shock Embiid-less Sixers, 123-121
The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 123-121, at Wells Fargo Center on Friday evening.

The Hawks (13-29) knew they were facing an uphill battle coming into the contest, given both their futile road record and the quality of their opponent. However, their chances received a boost shortly before tip-off when it was revealed that Joel Embiid (ankle) would miss the contest for the 76ers (27-16). Atlanta did come out of the gates hot and trailed just 56-54 at the half. The Hawks would then hold the lead for substantial portions of the second half, and they made an impressive comeback from a 121-118 deficit with under a minute remaining. Kevin Huerter knotted the game at 121 with 53.6 seconds remaining, a basket John Collins followed up with a 13-footer with 9.7 seconds left. Jimmy Butler then missed two free throws and both Ben Simmons and Wilson Chandler misfired on tip shots in the closing seconds to seal the wild win for the visitors.

Huerter led the way for the Hawks with 29 points, adding three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Collins contributed 25 points, nine rebounds, two assists and one steal. Dewayne Dedmon produced 19 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and one steal. Trae Young supplied 18 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals. De'Andre Bembry delivered 14 points, six boards, five assists and one steal. Alex Len and Jeremy Lin co-led the bench with nine points apiece.

Butler paced the 76ers with 30 points and supplemented them with five assists, four rebounds and three steals. Simmons finished with 23 points, 15 assists, 10 rebounds, two steals and one block. J.J. Redick poured in 20 points while also tallying two assists, one rebound and one steal. Mike Muscala started for Embiid and offered 16 points and three rebounds among his contributions. T.J. McConnell matched Muscala's scoring and also dished out six assists, pulled down three rebounds and recorded two steals.

The Hawks head back home and face the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday afternoon, while the 76ers pay a visit to the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon as well.
January 1,2019 at 7:00 PM
1/11/2019 7:00 PM
Wizards Defeat Bucks, 113-106
The Washington Wizards defeated the visiting Milwaukee Bucks, 113-106, at Capital One Arena.

While Milwaukee was the heavy favorite headed into this game, Washington was able to prevail. A 40-26 first quarter really set the tone, as the Wizards held the lead for the final three quarters. Three-point shooting was key for Washington, as they hit 18-of-33 while Milwaukee connected on 13-of-40. All of the other statistics were nearly even.

The Bucks (29-12) had to play this game without Giannis Antetokounmpo, as this may go down as their worst loss of the season. Khris Middleton led the way in his absence, as he tallied 25 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Eric Bledsoe accrued 18 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and three steals. Malcolm Brogdon finished with 15 points, six rebounds and eight assists.

The Wizards (18-25) were led by Bradley Beal, as he accumulated 32 points, five rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Trevor Ariza amassed 20 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Tomas Satoransky recorded the first triple-double of his career, as he accumulated 18 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

Both teams return to action on Sunday, with Washington playing host to the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee traveling to face the struggling Atlanta Hawks.
January 1,2019 at 7:30 PM
1/11/2019 7:30 PM
Pacers Roll Knicks, 121-106
The Indiana Pacers defeated the host New York Knicks, 121-106, at Madison Square Garden on Friday.

While this wasn't a wire-to-wire win for Indiana, they led for all but a couple minutes. In fact, Indiana won all four individual quarters, as a 31-22 first quarter really set the tone. The Pacers ended up shooting 52 percent from the field and 46 percent from three-point range while holding the Knicks to 44 percent from the field and 36 percent from long range. Rebounding was also critical, with Indiana outrebounding New York, 47-37. The Pacers also went a perfect 11-of-11 from the free-throw line.

The Pacers (28-14) were led by Domantas Sabonis, as he tallied 22 points, 15 rebounds and three assists. Victor Oladipo accrued 19 points, four rebounds six assists. Bojan Bogdanovic totaled 15 points and two boards while Darren Collison accumulated seven points, five rebounds and 10 assists. Thaddeus Young finished with 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and four steals.

The Knicks (10-32) were led by Emmanuel Mudiay, as he generated 21 points, two rebounds and three assists. Kevin Knox amassed 14 points, two rebounds and two assists. Tim Hardaway Jr. collected 12 points, six rebounds and two assists while Damyean Dotson led the bench with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists.

On deck for New York is a home matchup versus the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. As for Indiana, they return to action on Saturday when they play host to the Phoenix Suns.
January 1,2019 at 7:30 PM
1/11/2019 7:30 PM
Raptors Blast Nets, 122-105
The Toronto Raptors defeated the Brooklyn Nets, 122-105, at Scotiabank Arena on Friday night.

The Raptors (32-12) may have underestimated the improving Nets (21-23) to open the game, as they surprisingly fell behind by a 35-28 margin in the first 12 minutes. That likely served as a wake-up call, however, as Toronto went on to forge a 64-53 lead by halftime. They'd add another 13 points to their advantage in the third quarter, essentially sealing their win despite Brooklyn compiling 30 points in the final period. One of the Raptors' biggest advantages on the stat sheet was in turnovers, as they forced 17 from the visitors.

D'Angelo Russell was one of only two double-digit scorers for the Nets and led the way with 24 points, nine assists, six rebounds and one steal. Shabazz Napier followed with 15 points, adding five assists and two rebounds. Jarrett Allen mustered nine points but added 12 rebounds. Alan Williams and DeMarre Caroll had matching eight-point tallies off the bench while pulling down eight and four rebounds, respectively.

Kawhi Leonard paced the Raptors with 20 points and supplemented them with 11 rebounds, four assists and one steal. Pascal Siakam managed 16 points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal. Serge Ibaka had a near double-double with 14 points, nine rebounds, one assist and one block. O.G. Anunoby and Norman Powell had 13 points each off the bench. Delon Wright filled out the stat sheet with 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and three steals.

The Nets head back home to face the Boston Celtics on Monday night, while the Raptors travel to the Nation's Capital to face the Washington Wizards on Sunday afternoon.
January 1,2019 at 8:00 PM
1/11/2019 8:00 PM
Rockets Wallop Cavaliers, 141-113
The Houston Rockets defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, 141-113, at Toyota Center on Friday night.

The Cavaliers (8-35) may have momentarily caught the Rockets (24-17) off guard to open the game, but the good times didn't last long. Cleveland saw an early 5-0 lead get wiped out in short order, with Houston building an insurmountable 77-49 lead by halftime. The home squad enjoyed advantages across the stat sheet, which included winning the battle of the boards by a 45-39 margin.

Ante Zizic paced the Cavaliers with 18 points, adding eight rebounds and two steals. Cedi Osman supplied 15 points, three boards, one assist and one steal. Collin Sexton contributed 14 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals. Alec Burks registered 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal. Jalen Jones and Jordan Clarkson generated matching 12-point tallies.

James Harden led the Rockets with a 43-point, 12-assist, 10-rebound triple-double that also included two steals and two blocks. Clint Capela offered 19 points, four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal. Danuel House, Jr. pitched in 14 points, five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal. Austin Rivers and Brandon Knight had matching 12-point contributions.

The Cavaliers remain on the road and take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday afternoon, while the Rockets pay a visit to the Orlando Magic on Sunday evening.
January 1,2019 at 8:00 PM
1/11/2019 8:00 PM
Mavericks Defeat T'Wolves, 119-115
The Dallas Mavericks defeated the host Minnesota Timberwolves, 119-115, at Target Center on Friday.

While Dallas led for the majority of this game, it wasn't decided until the final seconds. In fact, there were six ties and 10 lead changes in total, with many of those happening in the final minutes. Turnovers really killed the Timberwolves, as they committed 13 of them while forcing just seven from the Mavericks. That allowed Dallas to outscore Minnesota in points off turnovers, 21-9. Getting to the free-throw line was also big, with the Mavericks hitting 18-of-24 and the Timberwolves connecting on 11-of-13.

The Mavericks (20-22) got a spectacular performance from Luka Doncic, as he tallied 29 points, eight rebounds, 12 assists and two steals. Harrison Barnes amassed 23 points and two boards. Maxi Kleber started and totaled 13 points, three rebounds and two blocks. DeAndre Jordan scored just eight points but grabbed 15 rebounds. J.J. Barea led the bench with 16 points, four rebounds and seven assists.

The Timberwolves (20-22) were led by Karl-Anthony Towns, as he tallied 30 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and four blocks. Andrew Wiggins finished with 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Taj Gibson generated 10 points and 15 boards while Derrick Rose led the bench with 21 points, three rebounds and five assists.

On deck for Minnesota is a home matchup versus the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday. As for Dallas, they play host to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday for their next outing.
January 1,2019 at 10:00 PM
1/11/2019 10:00 PM
Trail Blazers Control Visiting Hornets
The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the visiting Charlotte Hornets, 127-96, at Moda Center on Friday evening.

The Trail Blazers got out to a solid start at home, with a 37-27 lead after one quarter. They kept up the momentum through the second, where they outscored the visitors by 11, to take a 70-49 lead into halftime. The Hornets had no answer in the second half, as they were outscored 31-19 in the third quarter, before finally putting up a bit of resistance in the fourth. However, it was too little, too late, as the Trail Blazers cruised to their fourth straight win.

C.J. McCollum led Portland with 30 points on 12-of-20 shooting, six rebounds, two assists and one steal, in 28 minutes. Damian Lillard followed up with 20 points, five assists, four rebounds, four blocks and three steals, while Evan Turner chipped 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal, in 21 minutes off the bench.

Meanwhile, Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 18 points on 5-of-19 shooting, three rebounds, three assists and one steal, in 31 minutes. Jeremy Lamb followed up with 15 points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal, while Nicolas Batum added eight points, five rebounds and two assists. The Hornets shot 40 percent from the field, including 13-of-30 from long range.

The Hornets (19-22) will look to bounce back as they take on the Kings in Sacramento on Saturday. The Trail Blazers (26-17) take on the Nuggets in Denver on Sunday.
January 1,2019 at 10:00 PM
1/11/2019 10:00 PM
Jazz Make Easy Work Of Lakers
The Utah Jazz defeated the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 113-95, at Vivint Smart Home Arena on Friday evening.

The Jazz got out to a solid start at home with a 32-26 lead after one quarter. They doubled down on the pressure in the second, as they outscored the visitors 30-15 in the quarter, to take a 62-41 lead by halftime. The Lakers picked it up in the third and managed to trim the deficit to 15 points, entering the final frame. However, the Jazz had other plans, as they held strong through the fourth quarter, to earn their second straight win.

Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz with 33 points on 14-of-24 shooting, nine assists, four rebounds, two blocks and one steal, in 32 minutes. Derrick Favors finished with 15 points, 13 rebounds, one assist and one block, while Rudy Gobert added 12 points, 18 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. The Jazz shot 40 percent from the field, including 15-of-42 from deep.

Michael Beasley led the Lakers with 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting, three rebounds, two steals, one assist and block, in 17 minutes off the bench. Brandon Ingram followed up with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, five rebounds and one block, while Kyle Kuzma tallied 11 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one steal. The Lakers shot 36 percent from the field, including 5-of-27 from long range.

The Lakers (23-20) will look to bounce back as they play host to the Cavs on Sunday. The Jazz (22-21) play host to the Bulls on Saturday.
January 1,2019 at 10:30 PM
1/11/2019 10:30 PM
Warriors Dominate Bulls
The Golden State Warriors defeated the visiting Chicago Bulls, 146-109, at Oracle Arena on Friday evening.

The Warriors got down to business right off the jump, as they poured in 43 points in the first quarter, while holding the Bulls to just 17 points. The Bulls picked it up in the second quarter and outscored the Warriors by five, but still trailed by 21 at halftime. The Warriors got back to domination mode in the third, where they outscored the visitors 40-21 in the quarter, to take a 116-76 lead into the final frame. They were able to cruise to their third straight win, and 17th home win of the season, while the Bulls took their sixth straight loss.

Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 30 points on 10-of-18 shooting, two rebounds, two steals and one assist, in 25 minutes. Stephen Curry followed up with 28 points, eight assists and five rebounds, while Kevin Durant tallied 22 points, five assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block, in 28 minutes. The Warriors shot 58 percent from the field, including 18-of-39 from long range.

Meanwhile, Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 29 points on 10-of-16 shooting and four rebounds, in 26 minutes. Bobby Portis followed up with 16 points on 4-of-7 shooting, four rebounds, two steals and one assist, in 16 minutes off the bench, while Antonio Blakeney tallied 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting off the bench.

The Bulls (10-32) will look to bounce back as they take on the Jazz in Utah on Saturday. The Warriors (28-14) take on the Mavericks in Dallas on Sunday.