Scoreboard
Wizards 116, Knicks 105
Hawks 130, Mavericks 122
Hornets 122, Rockets 117
Grizzlies 115, Cavaliers 114
Heat 124, Pelicans 98
Thunder 126, Pacers 106
Jazz 126, Clippers 103
Nuggets 122, Timberwolves 118
Kings 116, Lakers 111
What went down
The Atlanta Hawks and the Dallas Mavericks played for the first time this season, so of course talks of Trae Young versus Luka Doncic come alive. The two teams don’t have a rivalry to speak of, yet the Trae-Luka connection just won’t go away.
For today, Young and the Hawks got the better end of the deal. Finally finding some sort of groove the past few games, the Hawks played good basketball for 48 minutes, something the team has been struggling with all season. Everyone chipped in. Eight of the nine players fielded in by head coach Nate McMillan scored in double figures.
Leading the way in points was Dejounte Murray, who scored 30 on 66 percent shooting.
For the Mavericks, Luka Doncic got his own 30 points and the same help from the same people: Christian Wood, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Reggie Bullock. It still wasn’t enough.
The Hawks were hanging on to a four-point lead with less than a minute left when Young, who wasn’t having a particularly spectacular game, put matters into his own hands. He drove to the heart of the Dallas defense and coolly sank a floater to give the Hawks a six-point lead–just enough to come away with the win.
There were no endgame heroics for Doncic, who’s been averaging 33.8 points a game this season. Dallas has now lost three straight games, after dropping back-to-back games to Portland. They’ve lost five of their last six games, but still firmly hold the fifth spot in the West.
The Hawks, on the other hand, are rolling with four straight wins and are finally enjoying the full effect of their roster with the return of Clint Capela. They got the Knicks and the Hornets next.
Big-time ballers
Jalen Green came out firing (as always) for the Houston Rockets in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Green dropped a season-high 41 points to add to his ever-growing mixtape:
Jalen Green tonight:
— NBA (@NBA) January 19, 2023
41 PTS (ties career-high)
5 REB
7 AST
4 Threes
67% FGM pic.twitter.com/Sr81AHSlaP
Kristaps Porzingis played against his former team, the New York Knicks, and looked to be in attack mode. He finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds in the win. But as has been the trend so far this season, it’s Kyle Kuzma who’s been carrying the Wizards’ scoring load with Bradley Beal struggling to stay oncourt. Kuz led Washington with 27 points and 13 rebounds.
Another day, another triple-double for Nikola Jokic. The reigning MVP put up a 31-point, 11-rebound, and 13-assist game, in the process becoming the Nuggets’ all-time assist leader.
What a night for Nikola Jokic:
— NBA (@NBA) January 19, 2023
🃏 31 PTS, 11 REB, 13 AST
🃏 8th straight win
🃏 90th career triple-double
🃏 Becomes Nuggets all-time assist leader pic.twitter.com/5xEi70PKvb
What he said
The Sacramento Kings are on a five-game winning streak, including winning back-to-backs in San Antonio and LA. The beam is lighting up everywhere:
"We got the best fans in the league."
— NBA (@NBA) January 19, 2023
Mike Brown shouts out Kings fans for traveling and supporting them on the road 👏💜 pic.twitter.com/Is9Y0F8stF
Did you see that?
The bad news for the Cavs was that they didn’t have Donovan Mitchell to take the game-winning attempt, so a perfectly capable Darius Garland had to force one up. Worse news: Dillon Brooks won’t let him:
What a stop from Dillon Brooks 🔒🔥 pic.twitter.com/oz8Sb0eP6N
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 19, 2023
Also, how about a Lauri Markkanen poster:
LAURI ON ZUBAC 😳 pic.twitter.com/0LLFFXsghE
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 19, 2023
