Scoreboard
Nets 118, Pistons 112
Magic 127, Wizards 119
Bulls 118, Hawks 113
Pacers 123, Rockets 117
Grizzlies 116, Pelicans 115
Thunder 129, Timberwolves 106
Jazz 130, Spurs 118
Trail Blazers 130, Kings 113
Clippers 113, Hornets 104
What went down
Cade Cunningham went down swinging, but his 41 points still wasn’t enough to course correct the downward spiral that the Detroit Pistons are in the middle of.
The Pistons headed into their matchup versus the Brooklyn Nets having lost 26 straight games and were looking to finally end the misery at their home floor. They started the game with that energy, building a 14-point lead early in the game.
The Nets, however, quickly figured it out and took the lead by halftime. They pulled away late in the fourth, but the Pistons had one last run left in them, getting as close as two points with less than a minute left in the game.
A Dorian Finney-Smith corner 3 came at the next Brooklyn possession, sealing the unfortunate fate of the Pistons. Detroit has now lost 27 straight games, a new season record for most consecutive games lost.
They got the Boston Celtics next at the TD Garden.
Out West, the Memphis Grizzlies kept on rolling to their fourth straight win since the return of Ja Morant. It didn’t come without drama.
The Grizzlies had a chance to win the game in regulation, but Jaren Jackson Jr. missed the potential game-winning free throw with 0.4 left on the clock. Five extra minutes were needed to keep the Grizzlies’ winning streak alive.
Morant has been absolutely on fire since his return from a 25-game suspension, scoring 31, 30, 20, and 34 in four games. Watch out for the Grizzlies; send prayers to the Pistons.
Big-time ballers
League vet Andre Drummond showed there’s still a lot of dog left in him, coming up with a monster 24-point, 25-rebound game against the Hawks.
Pacers superstar Tyrese Haliburton also continued his mean streak with another double-double (33 points, 10 assists) in the win versus the Rockets.
Tyrese Haliburton took over in the Pacers down-to-the-wire W in Houston!
— NBA (@NBA) December 27, 2023
🔥 33 PTS
🔥 10 AST
🔥 7 3PM pic.twitter.com/oZKXsqT9zG
Portland rookie Duop Reath made history for the Trail Blazers, scoring 25 points and grabbing nine rebounds in an unexpected win versus the Kings.
Even more unexpected were Reath’s numbers, which made him the first Blazers rookie since Arvydas Sabonis to get those stats.
These numbers both came off losses, but it’s still worth noting that De’Aaron Fox and Cade Cunningham each scored 41 points for their respective teams.
What he said
What it’s about:
Tyrese Haliburton met a young fan in the locker room tonight and signed his jersey 💙
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) December 27, 2023
“Tyrese Haliburton. That’s my favorite player.” pic.twitter.com/BhBu1g1w0r
Did you see that?
This fourth quarter ending of Grizzlie-Pelicans:
...and we're heading to OT 🍿 https://t.co/lJgIqyBSu0 pic.twitter.com/NMhH9aSuo4
— NBA (@NBA) December 27, 2023
Extra pass
These two teams had a bit of short-lived rivalry in the East, but are now on entirely different paths.
The Brooklyn Nets are in rebuild mode and trying to pick up the pieces from the KD-Kyrie-Harden era while the Milwaukee Bucks are on the hunt back to the top.
The Nets and the Bucks go into battle at 8:30AM tomorrow on NBA TV Philippines.
