By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Kristaps Porzingis put the Dallas Mavericks back on the winning track Monday with a 132-117 victory against the Portland Trail Blazers on the road.
Porzingis posted a season-high performance with 34 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists and the Mavs recovered from their two-game skid.
Adding up to Porzingis’ efforts, Dwight Powell had 22 points, Brandon Knight posted 18 coming from the bench and Frank Ntilikina had 8 points.
Damian Lillard led the way for Portland with 26 points and Nassir Little had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The Trail Blazers returned to action Monday after their game against the Brooklyn Nets was postponed and suffered their second consecutive defeat.
Nikola Vucevic made history in Chicago Bulls‘ 130-118 victory against the Atlanta Hawks with a stat line that has never been recorded in NBA history. Vucevic poured 24 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 blocks to help the Bulls reach their fourth consecutive win despite COVID-19 struggles.
DeMar DeRozan paced the winners with 35 points and 10 assists and Zach LaVine followed with 30 points and 9 assists.
Cam Reddish dropped 33 points for the Hawks, Trae Young added 29 points, while Bogdan Bogdanovic tapped 20 points and 4 rebounds.
James Harden is back from the NBA’s health and safety protocols stronger than ever and made a statement in Brooklyn Nets‘ 124-108 win over the LA Clippers. Harden tied his season-high performance with 39 points and he also handed out 15 assists.
Patty Mills and Nic Claxton tapped 18 points apiece for the Nets that grabbed their second consecutive victory after having three of their games postponed.
Marcus Morris had 24 points to lead the Clippers, Eric Bledsoe posted 15 and Ivica Zubac had 9 points and 9 rebounds.
The Utah Jazz got the job done against the San Antonio Spurs with a 110-104 win on the road, with Bojan Bogdanovic being among the key contributors with 19 points. Rudy Gobert added a double-double of 16 points, 13 rebounds, while Jordan Clarkson led all scorers with 23 points.
Derrick White had 21 points for the Spurs and Jakob Poeltl posted 10 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists.
Terry Rozier had 27 points on seven three-pointers and the Charlotte Hornets made short work of the Houston Rockets 123-99 to win their second straight game. Kelly Oubre contributed 18 points and Lamelo Ball had 16 for the Hornets, while on the other end of the court, Eric Gordon and Christian Wood both had 16 points to pace the Rockets.
Jaylen Nowell posted 29 points and Nathan Knight added 20 points and 11 rebounds to help the short-staffed Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Boston Celtics 108-103. Jaden McDaniels added 17 points and Malik Beasley had 15 for the Timberwolves which lacked all five of their regular starters due to COVID-19 protocols. Greg Monroe made his return to the NBA and helped the team with 11 points and nine rebounds in 25 minutes.
Jaylen Brown paced the Celtics with 26 points and Payton Pritchard had 22.
Ja Morant lifted the Memphis Grizzlies to a 114-113 victory against the Phoenix Suns with a game-winning layup in the final 0.5 seconds of regulation. Morant finished the game with a total of 33 points, while Desmond Bane went off with a new career-high of 32 points for the Grizzlies.
Devin Booker had 30 points for the Suns and Chris Paul contributed a double-double with 13 points and 13 assists.
NBA December 27 results:
Charlotte Hornets – Houston Rockets 123-99
Atlanta Hawks – Chicago Bulls 118-130
Minnesota Timberwolves – Boston Celtics 108-103
San Antonio Spurs – Utah Jazz 104-110
Phoenix Suns – Memphis Grizzlies 113-114
Portland Trail Blazers – Dallas Mavericks 117-132
LA Clippers – Brooklyn Nets 108-124
NBA Standings:
Eastern Conference
| TEAM | W | L | WIN% | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | OT | LAST 10 | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. Brooklyn Nets |
23 | 9 | .719 | — | 17-6 | 6-0 | 10-6 | 13-3 | 1-0 | 7-3 | W 2 |
|
2. Chicago Bulls |
21 | 10 | .677 | 1.5 | 12-7 | 3-2 | 11-4 | 10-6 | 0-0 | 8-2 | W 4 |
| 22 | 13 | .629 | 2.5 | 15-9 | 6-1 | 12-5 | 10-8 | 0-2 | 6-4 | W 3 | |
|
4. Miami Heat |
21 | 13 | .618 | 3 | 15-7 | 5-1 | 11-4 | 10-9 | 0-2 | 7-3 | W 3 |
| 20 | 13 | .606 | 3.5 | 13-7 | 3-1 | 10-7 | 10-6 | 0-0 | 7-3 | W 1 | |
| 17 | 16 | .515 | 6.5 | 11-10 | 1-6 | 6-8 | 11-8 | 1-1 | 5-5 | W 1 | |
| 17 | 16 | .515 | 6.5 | 11-10 | 3-4 | 8-5 | 9-11 | 3-0 | 3-7 | L 1 | |
|
8. Charlotte Hornets |
18 | 17 | .514 | 6.5 | 10-8 | 5-2 | 9-4 | 9-13 | 0-4 | 4-6 | W 2 |
|
9. Boston Celtics |
16 | 18 | .471 | 8 | 11-10 | 4-4 | 9-6 | 7-12 | 2-2 | 3-7 | L 2 |
|
10. Toronto Raptors |
14 | 16 | .467 | 8 | 10-10 | 4-4 | 7-9 | 7-7 | 0-1 | 5-5 | L 1 |
|
11. New York Knicks |
15 | 18 | .455 | 8.5 | 10-15 | 3-4 | 7-11 | 8-7 | 1-0 | 4-6 | W 1 |
|
12. Atlanta Hawks |
15 | 18 | .455 | 8.5 | 9-11 | 4-3 | 8-9 | 7-9 | 0-0 | 3-7 | L 2 |
|
13. Indiana Pacers |
14 | 20 | .412 | 10 | 8-15 | 2-5 | 11-7 | 3-13 | 1-2 | 5-5 | L 1 |
|
14. Orlando Magic |
7 | 27 | .206 | 17 | 4-19 | 1-8 | 2-11 | 5-16 | 0-0 | 2-8 | L 2 |
|
15. Detroit Pistons |
5 | 27 | .156 | 18 | 4-16 | 1-6 | 3-12 | 2-15 | 0-1 | 1-9 | L 3 |
Western Conference
| TEAM | W | L | WIN% | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | OT | LAST 10 | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 6 | .818 | — | 15-3 | 7-1 | 16-2 | 11-4 | 0-1 | 8-2 | W 3 | |
|
2. Phoenix Suns |
26 | 7 | .788 | 1 | 17-7 | 4-4 | 15-4 | 11-3 | 1-0 | 7-3 | L 2 |
|
3. Utah Jazz |
24 | 9 | .727 | 3 | 14-3 | 6-0 | 13-6 | 11-3 | 0-0 | 8-2 | W 4 |
|
4. Memphis Grizzlies |
21 | 14 | .600 | 7 | 17-9 | 3-2 | 11-8 | 10-6 | 2-0 | 7-3 | W 2 |
| 16 | 16 | .500 | 10.5 | 9-9 | 2-4 | 8-6 | 8-10 | 1-0 | 5-5 | W 1 | |
|
6. LA Clippers |
17 | 17 | .500 | 10.5 | 12-14 | 3-4 | 12-10 | 5-7 | 0-1 | 5-5 | L 2 |
|
7. Dallas Mavericks |
16 | 17 | .485 | 11 | 13-9 | 7-2 | 8-8 | 8-9 | 1-1 | 5-5 | W 1 |
|
8. Minnesota Timberwolves |
16 | 17 | .485 | 11 | 11-11 | 2-3 | 10-9 | 6-8 | 1-1 | 5-5 | W 1 |
| 16 | 18 | .471 | 11.5 | 8-12 | 1-5 | 10-10 | 6-8 | 5-1 | 4-6 | L 5 | |
|
10. San Antonio Spurs |
14 | 19 | .424 | 13 | 8-14 | 1-3 | 7-10 | 7-9 | 0-1 | 6-4 | L 1 |
|
11. Portland Trail Blazers |
13 | 20 | .394 | 14 | 7-16 | 1-3 | 11-8 | 2-12 | 0-1 | 2-8 | L 2 |
|
12. Sacramento Kings |
13 | 21 | .382 | 14.5 | 9-15 | 4-5 | 7-11 | 6-10 | 1-0 | 3-7 | L 3 |
| 12 | 20 | .375 | 14.5 | 10-13 | 1-2 | 7-10 | 5-10 | 0-0 | 6-4 | W 1 | |
| 12 | 22 | .353 | 15.5 | 8-14 | 2-4 | 6-9 | 6-13 | 1-1 | 6-4 | L 1 | |
|
15. Houston Rockets |
10 | 24 | .294 | 17.5 | 4-13 | 1-3 | 7-7 | 3-17 | 1-0 | 2-8 | L 4 |
Photo: Getty Images