Seven players hit double figures as the Philadelphia 76ers surged to 6-1 while Malcolm Brogdon landed an overtime winner as the Indiana Pacers take up chase in the East.
Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia remain ahead of the pack after a second-quarter flurry helped to sink the Charlotte Hornets, 118-101, with Tobias Harris leading the scoring on 22 points.
Joel Embiid (14 points and 11 rebounds) and Ben Simmons (12 points and 10 rebounds) played key supporting roles with double-doubles as the 76ers continue to fly high.
Indiana improved to 5-2 in a 118-116 thriller against the New Orleans Pelicans after Brogdon capped his double-double with the clutch OT winner, while Victor Oladipo top scored for the Pacers with 25 points.
In-form Pelicans duo Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson combined for 55 points in the loss, as Ingram scored 31 and Williamson recorded a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
Orlando also stayed in the hunt for top spot as Aaron Gordon (24 points, 11 rebounds) and Nikola Vucevic (23 points) inspired the Magic to move to 5-3 with a 103-83 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Malcolm Brogdon hits the game-winning floater in OT as the @Pacers pick up their 5th W of the season!
— NBA (@NBA) January 5, 2021
Brogdon: 21 PTS, 7 REB, 11 AST
Victor Oladipo: 25 PTS, 6 AST
Brandon Ingram: 31 PTS, 8 AST
Zion Williamson: 24 PTS, 10 REB pic.twitter.com/XfWbcMXemJ
Doncic, Giannis go off as Mavs and Bucks win
Luka Doncic dominated with 33 points and a triple-double as the Dallas Mavericks ended the Houston Rockets’ winning streak with a 113-100 win.
Doncic added 16 rebounds and 11 assists, while Tim Hardaway Jr shot for 30 points to boost the Mavs. Houston's Christian Wood, Eric Gordon and a returning James Harden all put up more than 20 points.
Luka Doncic is the 4th fastest player in NBA history to reach 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists (games played). pic.twitter.com/9NfeNZSbdU
— NBA (@NBA) January 5, 2021
Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the scoring across the NBA for the day with a season-high 43 points in the Milwaukee Bucks’ 125-115 triumph over the struggling Detroit Pistons.
Tatum out guns VanVleet in shootout
Jayson Tatum exploded to out-shoot Fred VanVleet as the Boston Celtics held on to win 126-114 against the Toronto Raptors.
Tatum went off with 40 points to fire Boston to a 5-3 record while VanVleet led the comeback charge with 35 points as the 1-5 Raps once again came up short.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown become the first @celtics teammates to both score 200+ points in the first 8 games of a season since Larry Bird and Kevin McHale in 1986-87. pic.twitter.com/invaxZ3ewS
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) January 5, 2021
Steph Curry kept up his fine form with 30 points as the Golden State Warriors moved to 4-3 with a 137-106 win over the Sacramento Kings.
Julius Randle posted a big performance with 28 points and 17 rebounds in the New York Knicks 113-108 win against the Atlanta Hawks, while Bam Adebayo’s 20 points inspired the Miami Heat to a 118-90 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Monday's results
Philadelphia 76ers 118-101 Charlotte Hornets
Orlando Magic 103-83 Cleveland Cavaliers
Atlanta Hawks 108-113 New York Knicks
Miami Heat 118-90 Oklahoma City Thunder
Toronto Raptors 114-126 Boston Celtics
Milwaukee Bucks 125-115 Detroit Pistons
New Orleans Pelicans 116-118 Indiana Pacers
Houston Rockets 100-113 Dallas Mavericks
Golden State Warriors 137-106 Sacramento Kings
Spurs at Clippers
Paul George and Kawhi Leonard aim to keep the 5-2 LA Clippers firing at the top of the West against the 2-4 San Antonio Spurs and the in-form DeMar DeRozan.
