Stephen Curry scored 46 points including eight three-pointers as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 113-104 on Thursday.
Curry fell four points shy of his season-high 50-point haul but dominated throughout for the Warriors, shooting eight-of-14 from beyond the arc with four rebounds and four assists. The two-time MVP brought up his third return of 45 points or more this season.
Gary Payton II played a key role in the starting rotation with 22 points with four triples including a clutch three-pointer in the fourth quarter.
Curry's haul marked a return to form as Golden State improved to 26-6, remain one-half game behind the Phoenix Suns (26-5) for the best record in the NBA ahead of their Christmas Day match-up.
LeBron, Kemba and Jokic heroics fall short
LeBron James scored 36 points with nine rebounds, six assists and two blocks but it was not enough to prevent the Los Angeles Lakers from going down 138-110 to the San Antonio Spurs. The result leaves the Lakers with a record below .500 at 16-17 after four straight defeats.
Kemba Walker produced a vintage display with a season-high 44 points with nine rebounds and eight assists as the New York Knicks went down 124-117 to the Washington Wizards.
Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic's heroics were also in vain as the Denver Nuggets lost 115-107 to the Charlotte Hornets despite the Serbian's 29 points, 21 rebounds and five assists.
Devin Booker (30 points, seven rebounds, seven assists) and Deandre Ayton (19 points, 12 rebounds) led the way as the Suns stayed top and claimed their fifth straight win in a 113-101 triumph over the Oklahoma City Thunder, while Khris Middleton (26 points, five rebounds, seven assists) and Jrue Holiday (24 points, seven rebounds, seven assists) delivered again in Giannis Antetokounmpo's absence as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Dallas Mavericks 102-95.
Embiid loses his radar
Joel Embiid shot six-of-17 from the field as the Philadelphia 76ers lost 98-96 to the depleted Atlanta Hawks. Embiid finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and two assists.
Joe Johnson celebrated his return to the NBA in style on Wednesday, marking a two-minute appearance with the final two points of the game as the Boston Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-101.
Johnson, a seven-time All-Star, was signed up by the Celtics on Wednesday on a 10-day contract, after the league granted the team a hardship waiver due to the rising amount of COVID-19 cases across the competition.
The 40-year-old has now played in 1,277 career NBA games over what is now an 18-season career, though he had last featured for the Houston Rockets in 2018.
Having joined the Celtics in the 2001 Draft as the 10th overall pick, he was let go after his rookie season, but still enjoyed a stellar career.
Across 17 seasons from 2001 to 2018, Johnson averaged 16.0 points per game, 4.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists.
He also recorded five successive campaigns of averaging over 20.0 points per game, during a seven-season stint with the Atlanta Hawks.
When he came on for his cameo against the Cavaliers, Johnson became the second-oldest player currently in the NBA, behind Udonis Haslem of the Miami Heat.
Johnson was dubbed "Iso Joe" due to his prowess in one-v-one situations throughout his career, and the veteran showed that skill had not gone away as he outjumped Justin Anderson to add the final two points onto Boston's score on Wednesday.
"It's amazing to be back here 20 years later," Johnson, who is the only current NBA player to have played against the legendary Michael Jordan, told reporters.
"It's still surreal to me. To come into the game and be somewhat effective, that's fun.
"At my age you try to relish every moment, enjoy the process and live in the moment. That's kind of what I'm doing right now, living in the moment and it's fun."
Johnson knows, however, that he has been given an unlikely opportunity.
"I wouldn't say give up, but I didn't have high hopes," Johnson added.
"My son's 14, so he keeps me in the gym. We work and work and work, and I always talk to him [and say], "just work". Even when you can't see what's next, you just gotta continue to work."
Johnson was only notified of the possible deal with the Celtics on Tuesday, and shortly after was on a flight to Boston.
"It was a no-brainer for me," he said. "I'm a guy who really takes care of his body. I'm in pretty good shape. So I felt like I was ready to take on that challenge.
"So [my agent] asked me what I thought, and we just kept moving. I'm ready for whatever comes my way."
"He's still got a lot in the tank if you ask me," said Jaylen Brown, who scored a team-leading 34 points for Boston.
"I've watched him in the Big3, I've watched him before that, and I watched him growing up and he still looks like he's got something left in the tank so I'm happy to have him on board, to hear his voice, his advice. I think it's great."
Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer praised Khris Middleton after returning from injury with 23 points and six assists in Wednesday's 126-106 win over the Houston Rockets.
Middleton had missed the Bucks' past three games after a knee hyperextension but helped the reigning champions snap a two-game skid.
The Bucks had been missing Middleton along with reigning NBA Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo over their past three games, with the Greek star entering the league's health and safety protocols last week.
"I thought [Middleton] had a good bounce in practice yesterday," Budenholzer told reporters. "I think he's excited to be back and playing and healthy.
"I thought he gives us some confidence. I thought he had a good pop tonight."
The Bucks had beaten the Indiana Pacers 114-99 without the pair before losses to the New Orleans Pelicans and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jrue Holiday played a key role alongside Middleton in ending their run of defeats with 24 points, 10 assists and four rebounds.
Eight of Middleton's 23 points came from the stripe, as he showed intent to get into the paint in Antetokounmpo's absence.
"I think he felt good and he thought that's where he could be most effective," Budenholzer said. "We need some guys to get to the paint. I thought he did that.
"The free throws are indicative of that. It's not his norm but we need a little bit of that. It's good for him to get to the line and get those easy ones."
The Bucks will need to front up again on Thursday with a back-to-back against the Dallas Mavericks with Budenholzer stating he expects Middleton to play after only being used for 28 minutes against the Rockets.
"We're expecting him to be able to play," the Bucks head coach said. "We'll see how he responds tonight. We probably had a bit more in the bank tonight if we needed it."
Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton rose in the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Houston Rockets 126-106 on Wednesday.
The reigning champions were without Antetokounmpo for the fourth straight game after he entered the NBA's health and safety protocols last week.
The Bucks had lost their last two without their Greek star but Holiday finished with 24 points, 10 assists and four rebounds, while Middleton added 23 points and six assists on his return from a knee injury.
Young small forward Jordan Nwora hit four triples in his 18-point haul, while center Christian Wood had a double-double for the Rockets with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
The win improves the Bucks to a 20-13 record and third spot in the Eastern Conference.
Brown shines for Celtics
Jaylen Brown scored 16 first-quarter points to finish with 34 for the game including five three-pointers as the Boston Celtics got past the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-101. Darius Garland had 28 points and six assists for the Cavs.
Paul George recorded five steals along with 17 points and six assists as the Los Angeles Clippers finished strong to beat the Sacramento Kings 105-89.
The depleted Atlanta Hawks went down 104-98 to the Orlando Magic, despite Cam Reddish's season-high 34 points.
Jokic silenced by the Thunder
Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic had a rare quiet night with only 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists as well as three turnovers as the Denver Nuggets went down 108-94 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (27 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists) had a second career triple-double for OKC.
All-Star guard Luka Doncic has entered the NBA's health and safety protocols following several Dallas Mavericks.
Doncic had been sidelined with an ankle issue, missing the Mavericks' past five games, but he had been close to returning for Thursday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Mavericks are also scheduled to play the Utah Jazz on Saturday.
The Slovenian is now a major doubt for the upcoming slate of Dallas games, with players needing to return consecutive negative tests in a 24-hour period or be sidelined for 10 days before they can return to play.
The Mavericks have already lost Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr, Maxi Kleber and Josh Green in protocols. Dallas center Kristaps Porzingis was listed as questionable for the Bucks game due to a toe complaint.
Doncic is averaging 25.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.5 assists this season. The 22-year-old had a career-best scoring return in the 2019-20 season with 28.8 points per game.
LeBron James is bullish that he will be fine for the Los Angeles Lakers' next game on Thursday despite an injury scare in Tuesday's 108-90 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
James went down writhing in pain in the third quarter after landing awkwardly on his left ankle when driving to the basket.
The 36-year-old, who has had ankle issues this season, punched the floor at the time, but eventually got up to play on, finishing with 34 points and seven rebounds.
The four-time MVP was benched late but was confident he would be fine to play the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, brushing off questions about the ankle concern.
"I stepped on Jae Crowder's foot," James snapped at the post-game news conference when asked about what happened.
When pressed on the severity of the injury, he added: "Yeah, I'll be ready for the next game."
James clearly was not in a mood to discuss the concern as the Lakers' frustrating season continued, slipping to a 16-16 record after being dispatched by the Western Conference leaders.
The Suns and the Golden State Warriors continue to streak ahead in the west, boasting 25-5 and 25-6 records respectively.
"The Western Conference has got some really good teams right now, obviously Phoenix and Golden State are playing extremely good basketball," James added.
"For the majority of the season they've been extremely healthy. That definitely helps in terms of their chemistry."
The defeat comes with Anthony Davis sidelined with a knee injury for the next four weeks and leaves James uncertain about their status as genuine title contenders.
"I feel like that's a question I ask myself after every game," James said when asked if the Lakers were only good on paper rather than reality. "I don’t know, I don’t think so.
"We don’t know. We have no idea what this team could be. We haven’t been whole. February was the last time we played the same starting lineup or had the same rotation off the bench, it's been a long time so it's hard to assess that."
LeBron James hurt his ankle but played on as the Los Angeles Lakers were humbled by the in-form Phoenix Suns 108-88 led by Devin Booker with 24 points on Tuesday.
The Lakers had a major injury scare, with All-Star forward Anthony Davis already sidelined, after James rolled his left ankle driving to the basket in the third quarter, leaving him punching the floor.
The four-time MVP soldiered on, finishing with 34 points and seven rebounds, but spent the final few minutes on the bench as the Lakers were brushed aside by the Suns who improve to 25-5.
Phoenix have four straight and won six of their past seven games, having started the season 1-3. The Suns had seven different players in double figures on Tuesday.
Booker starred in his second game back after a hamstring injury with 24 points including six three-pointers, along with nine rebounds and seven assists. Suns center Deandre Ayton had 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Talen Horton-Tucker had a nightmare game for the Lakers, shooting one of 13 from the field and none of eight from beyond the arc, while Russell Westbrook had 22 points and 10 rebounds but also seven turnovers.
Lillard's heroics in vain as Blazers lose
Damian Lillard's 39 points, including six triples, were not enough to lift the Portland Trail Blazers past the New Orleans Pelicans, going down 111-97. Brandon Ingram finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, while Jonas Valanciunas had 10 points with 16 rebounds.
Jalen Brunson stepped up in Luka Doncic's absence with 28 points including three triples in the Dallas Mavericks' 114-102 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 26 points with 12 rebounds and seven assists for the Wolves.
Julius Randle had 21 points and 11 rebounds as the New York Knicks overcame the Detroit Pistons 105-91.
Brogdon injured as Pacers burnt by Heat
The Indiana Pacers' starting five combined for a measly 46 points in their 125-96 defeat to the Miami Heat. The Pacers were not helped by a sore right Achilles to Malcolm Brogdon which forced him off after eight minutes.
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