Plenty of action around the Association on Wednesday, including the Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns putting an offensive show (Atlanta won, 122-117). But, for this roundup, we chose these three notables:
Cavs Get Back at Pacers After Rare Defeat
Donovan Mitchell fired 35 points, including 24 in the first half, to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers (34-5) to a 127-117 victory over the Indiana Pacers (22-19) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Mitchell added 9 boards, 3 assists, and 2 steals for the Cavs, who went on a 10-0 run near the end of the third quarter to extend an 82-77 lead to 15. The Pacers cut the lead down to 111-106 in the fourth but couldn’t get any closer. Evan Mobley added 22 points and 13 boards, while Darius Garland 24 points and 7 assists.
Pascal Siakam had 23 points and 7 boards for the Pacers, who beat the Cavs on Tuesday in Cleveland. Benedict Mathurin added 19 but was ejected at the 3:58 mark for incurring a second technical for bumping a referee.
Up next:
Cavs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder on January 17
Pacers vs. Detroit Pistons on January 17
Bucks Stymie Kings Behind Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Big Game
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks (21-17) ran all over the Sacramento Kings (20-20) right from the get-go, building a 47-26 lead in the first en route to a 130-115 victory at Fiserv Forum.
Antekounmpo led the way for the Bucks with 33 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists for his fifth triple-double of the season and 50th overall in his career. Damian Lillard added 24 points and 7 dimes, while Brook Lopez fired 21.
DeMar DeRozan had 28 markers for the Kings, who had won six straight coming to Milwaukee. De’Aaron Fox added 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists but was just 9-for-23 from the field.
Up next:
Bucks vs. Orlando Magic on January 16
Kings vs. Houston Rockets on January 17
Nuggets Rout Mavs in Historic Night for Nikola Jokic
It was just another night in the office for Nikola Jokic as he once again led the charge for the Denver Nuggets (24-15), who built a big lead in the first against the Dallas Mavericks (22-18) on their way to a 118-99 victory at American Airlines Center.
Jokic finished with another triple-double of 10 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists. Jokic, with his 10 assists, joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only centers in NBA history to amass at least 5,000 dimes. The Nuggets were energized by Jamal Murray’s electric 45-point explosion—including 32 in the first half alone.
Daniel Gafford led Dallas with 13 points off the bench. Not even Kyrie Irving’s return from a five-game absence could spark the Mavs as he finished with only 11 points on 4-for-18 shooting.
Up next:
Nuggets vs. Houston Rockets on January 16
Mavs vs. New Orleans Pelicans on January 16
