It was a busy night of NBA action with nine games on the docket Saturday.
Early on, the Milwaukee Bucks took down the Brooklyn Nets in a high-scoring game thanks to a triple-double from Giannis Antetokounmpo. Then, the Washington Wizards won their first game since they learned John Wall will miss the rest of the season.
Later on, the Utah Jazz crushed the New York Knicks in historic fashion, while the Boston Celtics made a 19-point comeback to get an impressive win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Plus, Jamal Murray dropped 46 points to get the Denver Nuggets past the Phoenix Suns.
In the late night games, Klay Thompson broke out of his slump to lead the Golden State Warriors past the Portland Trail Blazers, while LaMarcus Aldridge went off in the San Antonio Spurs‘ triumph over the Los Angeles Clippers.
NBA schedule for Saturday, Dec. 29
NBA schedule for Sunday, Dec. 30
All times Eastern
Harden gets third straight 40-point game
James Harden is in an incredible zone right now. Against the Pelicans, he finished with 41 points, nine rebounds and six assists to lead the Rockets to their fourth straight win. On a personal level, this is the third straight 40-point game for Harden, and the ninth straight game with at least 32 points. In that span he has games of 50, 47, 45, 41 and 41 points.
Irving leads Celtics’ 19-point comeback over Grizzlies
The Celtics were having a rough time against the Grizzlies on Saturday night, getting down by as much as 19 points. After a tough loss against the Rockets a few days ago, it looked like they were heading toward another defeat. Instead, Kyrie Irving led the Celtics all the way back, scoring 26 points and dishing out 13 assists.
Murray pours in 46 in Nuggets’ win
Jamal Murray had himself a night in Phoenix on Saturday. The Nuggets guard was automatic, shooting 9-of-11 from 3-point land en route to a 46-point night. He also finished with six rebounds and eight assists in the Nuggets’ win over the Suns.
Giannis’ triple-double leads Bucks past Nets
Giannis Antetokounmpo continued his MVP campaign with another strong performance. He finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists on a highly efficient 13-of-17 shooting to lead the Bucks past the pesky Nets. This was Giannis’ third triple-double of the season.
Aldridge and DeRozan shine for Spurs
The Spurs got back in the win column on Saturday night, and did so thanks to their two leading stars: DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge. The duo combined for 63 points, 20 rebounds, eight assists and four steals in the Spurs’ win over the Clippers.
Walker goes off, but Wizards win without Wall
Kemba Walker had another incredible night, finishing with 47 points, four rebounds and four assists. But it wasn’t enough for the Hornets, who lost a close one to the Wizards, 130-126. Seven different Wizards scored in double figures, as they won their first game since the team announced that John Wall will miss the rest of the season due to heel surgery.
Thompson breaks out of slump; Warriors win despite Lillard’s 40
Klay Thompson has been struggling lately, but the Warriors star broke out of his slump on Saturday night. He went for 32 points in the Warriors’ win, recording his first game with more than 20 points in over two weeks. This was his first 30-point game in over a month. On the other side, Damian Lillard went for 40 points, but it wasn’t enough for the Blazers.
DeRozan rocks the rim
DeMar DeRozan got busy early against the Clippers. In the middle of the first quarter, he drove inside, avoided the defense and threw down an impressive slam.
Ayton ties career-high with 33
Deandre Ayton was almost perfect on Saturday night. The Suns didn’t get the win, but it was through no fault of Ayton’s. The No. 1 overall pick tied his career-high with 33 points on 16-of-20 shooting and also grabbed 14 rebounds.
Ntilikina slams on countryman Gobert
Rudy Gobert is a shot-blocking machine, but not on Saturday night. It turns out the key to dunking on the Jazz big man is to be a Frenchman as well, as Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina put one down right in Gobert’s face.
Tatum flies in for a crazy put-back
Jayson Tatum got the Celtics’ game against the Grizzlies off to an exciting start with this high-flying put-back slam off a missed 3-pointer by Al Horford.
Allen rejects Giannis
Jarrett Allen has made a name for himself this season with some big time rejections on elite stars like Blake Griffin and LeBron James. Now, Allen has added Giannis Antetokounmpo to his list.
Giannis responds with a poster of his own
Giannis Antetokounmpo may have come up short on his previous attempt at finishing at the rim but nothing was going to stop him on this attempt as he went through a Nets defender on his way to a one-handed slam dunk.
Collins dunks on the entire Cavaliers roster
John Collins has been a highlight machine for the Hawks since entering the NBA and he did it again on Saturday night with this impressive putback dunk against the Cavaliers.
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