Scoreboard
Nets 110, Clippers 95
Wizards 121, Jazz 112
Celtics 117, Pistons 108
Pacers 118, Raptors 104
76ers 121, Hawks 109
Heat 132, Hornets 115
Mavericks 117, Trail Blazers 112
Pelicans 119, Rockets 106
What went down
The Dallas Mavericks versus Portland Trail Blazers game was rightly billed as Luka Magic versus Dame Time – the kind of matchup that persuades you to attend Sunday afternoon mass. For the most part, the pair delivered, but it was ultimately the other guys that swung the win for the Mavericks.
Luka Doncic finished the game with a monster triple-double of 42 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. He didn’t score in the final three minutes of the game, but he did create space for his team to win it for him.
He drove and kicked to the perimeter on four straight possessions, which produced three Spencer Dinwiddie triples and the Dorian Finney-Smith dagger from deep. The Mavs finished with a gnarly all-guard lineup of Doncic, Dinwiddie, Finney-Smith, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Reggie Bullock, and somehow, it worked for the Mavericks’ seventh win in 12 games.
Damian Lillard also had a gaudy line with 29 points, 12 assists, and seven boards. He also got some assistance from the red-hot Jerami Grant, who topped the Blazers with 37 points on 13-for-22 shooting. Despite the loss, the Blazers are still in a pretty good spot to start the season at 9-4; impressive, considering Lillard has missed five games this season.
In Philadelphia, the 76ers leaned on Joel Embiid to carry them past the Atlanta Hawks. Embiid hung 42 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks on the Hawks, leading a late run that put the game away.
The Sixers are figuring it out. After a rough start, Philly is now at 6-7 for the season, playing the last two weeks without James Harden.
Big-time baller
Jayson Tatum was on fire heading into today and he continued to scorch defenders against the Detroit Pistons.
? Jayson Tatum was UNGUARDABLE as he dropped 43 PTS to lead the @celtics to their 6th straight win! #BleedGreen@jaytatum0: 43 PTS, 10 REB, 7 3PM pic.twitter.com/KZxWTHcdfm
— NBA (@NBA) November 13, 2022
Deuce's dad dropped 43 points in Detroit on 14-for-28 shooting with seven 3-pointers and 10 rebounds. He passed John Havlicek for third most 40+ point games as a Celtic with 13.
Over his last four games, Tatum has averaged 36.8 points on 50.0 percent shooting. He already took quite a leap last season, leading the Celtics to the Finals. This year could be his true breakout as an MVP candidate.
What he said
The Los Angeles Lakers stumbled into the worst start in franchise history yesterday, dropping to 2-10 after losing to the Sacramento Kings.
Takes have inevitably flown about the demise of the 2020 champions. Anthony Davis chimed in yesterday.
Anthony Davis on the Lakers' overall level of personal accountability: "The thing is, there’s a lot of, like, ‘My bads.’ Which is good. But we can’t have a lot of, ‘My bads.’ ... A couple ‘My bads’ down at the end of the first half and they go on a 14-5 run."
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 12, 2022
Did you see that?
LaMelo Ball finally made his season debut today after being sidelined for the first month of the season due to an ankle sprain.
Talk about TEAMWORK 🤝 @MELOD1P x @jalenmcdaniels5 x @iamnickrichards | @HornetsOnBally pic.twitter.com/SdSPeMajC6
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) November 13, 2022
Ball finished with 15 points, six rebounds, and six assists in 28 minutes in the loss to the Miami Heat, so it seemed there wasn’t a lot of rust to shake off. That’s good news for a Charlotte Hornets team struggling to get anything going on either side of the ball.
