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The Pistons trail the Lions by only one win in 2024.
No Case of the Mondays
Yesterday made for a fun NBA showcase
The NBA has been the best sports league, by far, at celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday with its game. The Association always does a fantastic job of setting up a great slate throughout the day and really putting their stamp on commemorating such a brilliant and special figure in our nation’s history. Yesterday’s action was well-delivered and then some. Let’s run through what you need to know:
76ers 124, Rockets 115: Even though he’s missed 10 games during this stretch, Joel Embiid had his 16th straight game of at least 30 points and 10 rebounds. The Sixers (25-13, third in East) star put up 41 points and 10 rebounds in just 31 minutes against Houston (19-20, 11th in West). Nobody is scoring like him, but Embiid can only miss seven more games this season to remain eligible to defend his MVP award.
Mavericks 125, Pelicans 120: Couple days ago, the Pelicans (24-17, seventh in West) missed four of their best players and beat the Mavs by double digits. Yesterday, they had everybody, the Mavs (24-17, 6th in West) were missing Luka Dončić, and the Pelicans lost to Dallas. Big part of that loss was Kyrie Irving (42) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (41) combined for 83 points on 24-of-51 from the field and 23-of-25 from the line.
Magic 98, Knicks 94: Without Jalen Brunson playing, the Knicks (23-17, 7th in East) couldn’t survive a good, old-fashioned rock fight against the Magic (22-18, 8th in East). This was Tom Thibodeau’s kind of game, with defense winning out, but Paolo Banchero (20 points tied for game high, six rebounds) and Orlando were just too much at Madison Square Garden.
Pistons 129, Wizards 117: Remember a couple weeks ago, when Kyle Kuzma made a joke about not losing to the Pistons (4-36, last in East)? Well, the Pistons — without Cade Cunningham — beat the Wizards (7-32, 14th in East) in D.C. by 12. The Wizards currently have the worst defense in NBA history.
Hawks 109, Spurs 99: The Hawks (16-23, 11th in East) were up 35 at half, and Victor Wembanyama hadn’t scored yet. San Antonio (7-32, last in West) cut its deficit to six with four minutes left, thanks to Wemby dunking everything. He finished with 26 points, 13 boards and five blocks, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a game-high 36 points and 13 assists from Trae Young.
Grizzlies 116, Warriors 107: Draymond Green returned from his 16 games away. Memphis (15-25, 13th in West) didn’t have Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Steven Adams, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Brandon Clarke, Marcus Smart, Tony Allen or Bryant “Big Country” Reeves. Nineteen-year-old GG Jackson had 23 points off the Grizzlies’ bench as Memphis handed the Warriors (18-22, 12th in West) their worst loss of the season.
Cavs 109, Bulls 91: The Cavs (23-15, fourth in East) held the Bulls (19-23, 9th in East) to 14 points and scored 13 points off turnovers in the fourth quarter to beat Chicago. Cleveland’s defense is back.
Heat 96, Nets 95 in OT: The Heat (24-16, fifth in East) got 60 combined points from Jimmy Butler (31) and Tyler Herro (29) to survive an overtime thriller in Brooklyn (16-23, 10th in East).
Celtics 105, Raptors 96: Boston (31-9, first in East) held Scottie Barnes to his second-lowest point total (10) this season and won on the road despite no Jaylen Brown. Toronto (15-25) is 1.5 games out of Play-In territory.
Jazz 132, Pacers 105: Nobody can stop Lauri Markkanen (32) and Collin Sexton (30) right now, including the Pacers (23-17, sixth in East). The Jazz (22-20, 9th in West) have won 15 of their last 19 👀.
Lakers 112, Thunder 105: The Lakers (20-21, 10th in West) defense and nightlife held the Thunder (27-12, second in West) to 41 percent from the field, as…
This article was originally published by a theathletic.com . Read the Original article here. .