In a 10-game Sunday, the Cleveland Cavaliers rebounded from two consecutive losses to defeat the Boston Celtics, the New York Knicks won an easy affair at Madison Square Garden, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz in a close contest from Delta Center, and Victor Wembanyama posted his third career triple-double, leading a big road effort for the San Antonio Spurs.
The Cavaliers were down 84-72 going into the fourth quarter, but outscored the Celtics 23-14 over the final 3:37 to secure the win. Donovan Mitchell scored 20 of his 35 in the final frame, including 11 consecutive points from the 3:13 to 1:07 mark, which gave the Cavaliers a 103-101 advantage. Leading by two with five seconds to go, Evan Mobley fouled Payton Pritchard, who missed on his second free-throw. The Cavaliers got the rebound and Mitchell iced the game with free-throws of his own.
Darius Garland had a strong performance for the 18-3 Cavaliers, with 22 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds. Mobley and Jarrett Allen both contributed 10 rebounds apiece.
The 16-4 Celtics were led by Jayson Tatum’s 33 points and 8 rebounds (12-for-27) while Pritchard scored 24 off the bench. Kristaps Porzingis added 21 points and 8 rebounds for a Celtic team that was playing without Jaylen Brown and Derrick White.
In New York, the Knicks dominated the Pelicans 118-85 to improve to 12-8. Mikal Bridges led the charge with 31 points on 12-for-19 shooting (7-for-12 from deep) while Karl-Anthony Towns, who shot just 4-for-12 and scored 14 points, corralled 19 rebounds. Jericho Sims added 13 rebounds off the bench.
For the Pelicans, C.J. McCollum (6-for-16) and Brandon Boston Jr. (3-for-8 off the bench) both registered a team-high 13. Trey Murphy III (3-for-14) scored 11 and Dejounte Murray 10 (5-for-17). Collectively, the Pelicans shot just 37 percent and 4-for-27 from downtown while the Knicks shot 46 percent and made 20-of-45 from long range. The Knicks led 33–10 after one quarter.
In Salt Lake City, the visiting Lakers escaped with a 105-104 win.
After LeBron James narrowly missed on a top of the arc triple over Lauri Markkanen, the Jazz’s Collin Sexton raced up the floor, maneuvered up the left side and made his way to the hoop, finishing with a layup. However, play was interrupted as Jazz coach Will Hardy called for time. Out of the timeout, Sexton was met by three Laker defenders (James, Anthony Davis, and Christian Koloko) and did not get his shot attempt off on the left wing.
The Lakers, 12-8, were led by Davis’ 33 points and 11 rebounds, while James put up 27 points, 14 assists, and 5 rebounds on 13-of-28. He missed all nine of his attempts from downtown. Markkanen’s 22 points and 7 rebounds (8-for-17, 5-for-11 from deep) led the Jazz, while John Collins put up 21 points and 9 rebounds on 7-for-14.
The Jazz dropped to 4-16, while the Lakers’ mark of 12-8 is the same record they had through 20 games last season.
With 34 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists, Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs to a comeback win over the Sacramento Kings 127-125 at the Golden 1 Center. Wembanyama was an efficient 11-for-17 from the field and 5-for-9 from downtown.
The Spurs, down 42-28 after one quarter, outscored the Kings by seven in both the second and fourth quarters. Devin Vassell scored 21 points in 24 minutes off the bench (8-for-12), while Keldon Johnson also added to the team’s bench output with 17 points on 6-for-10. Julian Champagne put up 19 points and 8 rebounds on 5-for-10 out of the starting group. The Spurs improved to 11-9 with the victory.
DeMar DeRozan’s 28 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds (10-for-20) led the way for the Kings, while Domantas Sabonis’ 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 assists provided a complete effort. De’Aaron Fox struggled, going 9-for-23 from the field, but he did register 23 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds. Malik Monk added 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists (7-for-14) for the now 9-12 Kings.
Wembanyama’s triple-double was the third of his career, adding to the 27 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 blocks that he posted on February 12 of last season against the Toronto Raptors, and his 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists against the Detroit Pistons on January 10 of last season.
Around the League
Magic 100 (15-7)
Nets 92 (9-12)
Franz Wagner: 20 PTS, 9 REB, 8 AST (4-for-17 FG)
Caldwell-Pope: 16 PTS (6-for-11 FG, 4-for-9 3PT)
Bitadze: 12 PTS, 13 REB
Johnson: 26 PTS (9-for-17 FG)
Schroder: 20 PTS, 7 AST (6-for-19 FG)
ORL: won 12 of last 13 games
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Grizzlies 136 (14-7)
Pacers 121 (9-12)
Jackson Jr.: 25 PTS, 8 REB (8-for-14 FG)
Morant: 19 PTS, 8 AST (6-for-13 FG)
Smart, LaRavia, Aldama: 42 combined points off bench
Mathurin: 19 PTS, 9 REB (5-for-13 FG)
Siakam: 17 PTS, 6 AST (7-for-15 FG)
Toppin: 16 PTS, 8 REB (7-for-10 FG)
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Raptors 119 (6-15)
Heat 116 (9-9)
Barrett: 37 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST (15-for-20 FG)
Barnes: 23 PTS, 10 REB, 9 AST (9-for-17 FG)
Poeltl: 17 PTS, 11 REB (6-for-12 FG)
Herro: 31 PTS (9-for-16 FG, 6-for-12 3PT)
Butler: 17 PTS (6-for-9 FG)
Adebayo: 13 PTS, 20 REB, 7 AST (5-for-13 FG)
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Rockets 119 (15-6)
Thunder 116 (15-5)
VanVleet: 38 PTS (10-for-19 FG, 5-for-9 3PT)
Sengun: 20 PTS, 14 REB, 9 AST (7-for-17 FG)
Smith Jr.: 15 PTS, 14 REB (6-for-15 FG)
Gilgeous-Alexander: 32 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST (10-for-19 FG)
Jalen Williams: 22 PTS, 7 AST, 5 REB (7-for-21 FG)
Hartenstein: 19 PTS, 13 REB (9-for-12 FG)
OKC: 4-3 in last seven games after 11-2 start
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Mavericks 137 (13-8)
Trail Blazers 131 (8-13)
Doncic: 36 PTS, 13 AST, 7 REB (15-for-24 FG, 4-for-10 3PT)
Grimes: 28 PTS (9-for-13 FG, 5-for-7 3PT)
Dinwiddie: 20 PTS (5-for-9 FG, 8-for-8 FT) off bench
Doncic: first game since November 19
Irving: DNP (shoulder)
Thompson: DNP (foot)
Marshall: DNP (illness)
Simons: 27 PTS (9-for-11 FG)
Sharpe: 22 PTS (10-for-20 FG)
Avdija: 21 PTS (7-for-12 FG) off bench
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Clippers 126 (13-9)
Nuggets 122 (10-8)
Harden: 39 PTS, 11 AST, 9 REB (10-for-26 FG, 6-for-15 3PT)
Powell: 28 PTS (9-for-17 FG)
Jokic: 28 PTS, 14 REB, 11 AST (12-for-24 FG)
Porter Jr., Murray: 18 PTS, 15-for-23 FG
Strawther: 15 PTS off bench
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