Scoreboard
Hawks 125, Hornets 106
Kings 122, Pistons 113
Magic 117, Celtics 109
Cavaliers 118, Pacers 112
76ers 118, Warriors 106
Nets 119, Raptors 116
Knicks 114, Bulls 91
Timberwolves 112, Thunder 110
Mavericks 130, Trail Blazers 110
Lakers 126, Nuggets 108
What went down
A lot hasn’t been going Kyrie Irving’s way this season. The outspoken point guard has been plagued by controversy which saw him suspended by the team and dropped by Nike. Lost in all that drama is the fact that Irving is still a supremely talented player. He’s been playing well this month, averaging 27.0 points and 5.4 assists on 49 percent shooting. Those numbers translated to wins as the Brooklyn Nets are 6-1 so far in December.
Irving starred once again in the Nets’ win today against the always-tough Toronto Raptors.
Tied at 116 with less than four seconds on the clock, the Nets could have gone to Kevin Durant for the game-winner. Instead, they went with the hot hand. They inbounded the ball to Irving and he went to work against Fred VanVleet.
He got to the top of the key and then shrugged off VanVleet with a stepback and had a wide-open look at the basket. That was all Irving needed. He sank the 3-pointer at the buzzer to cap Brooklyn’s 18-point comeback.
BUZZER. BEATER.#TissotBuzzerBeater #TimingEmotions pic.twitter.com/rOOnlgR2Dk
— NBA (@NBA) December 17, 2022
Irving finished with 32 points on 59 percent shooting. Durant added 28 to back Irving up, while Yuta Watanabe and Nick Claxton combined for 32 points. The Nets are now on a four-game winning streak and have won eight of their last 10.
Big-time baller
Putting Luka Doncic (33 points, six rebounds, nine assists) would have been a cop-out.
That’s why today’s big-time baller is his teammate, Christian Wood, who exploded for 32 points on 11-of-17 shooting. Wood has struggled so far this season and hasn’t lived up to the lofty expectations that were placed on him when the Dallas Mavericks acquired him in the offseason. Wood hasn’t secured a spot in the starting lineup because of his shoddy defense. His offense hasn’t been up to par as well. He’s averaging only 16.6 points, far from the 20-point average the Mavs wanted from him.
Big energy guy 🔋 @Chriswood_5 | #MFFL pic.twitter.com/aAgMeCZslB
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) December 17, 2022
Wood will need more big-time baller games like this to help the Mavs rise back into playoff contention.
What he said
“He’s unguardable.”@DeAnthonyMelton on @JoelEmbiid. @PennMedicine pic.twitter.com/aO4Ro8lO4J
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 17, 2022
De’Anthony Melton summed up the Joel Embiid experience pretty well. The NBA’s scoring leader once again had a big game. He scored 34 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, dished out four assists, stole the ball four times, and blocked two shots.
Embiid is averaging 39.2 points on 60 percent shooting in December so far. He’s hitting 1.4 3-pointers, shooting at a 53.4 percent clip.
Like Melton said: “Unguardable.”
Did you see that?
Pat Riley fears no one. Not even the league itself.
Oh the Heat are being PETTY PETTY
— Danny Marang (@DannyMarang) December 16, 2022
After being fined by the NBA for "violating league injury reporting rules" - they've now listed EVERY SINGLE PLAYER on the injury report. pic.twitter.com/OU6S4EKYgl
