December 14th NBA Game Boxscore Breakdowns

Boston came into this game as a monster favorite and a 21-point win shows just why. A 42-19 first quarter really set the tone, as the Celtics held a double-digit lead for the entirety of the second half. The Celtics did most of their damage down low, outscoring the Hawks in the paint, 48-32. Free-throw shooting was also key, with Boston hitting 18-of-20 and Atlanta connecting on just 20-of-32. Kevin Huerter led the Hawks with 19 points, three assists and three steals. Kent Bazemore accrued 13 points, three rebounds and seven assists. John Collins totaled 11 points and 14 rebounds. Kyrie Irving was the player of the game, as he tallied 24 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Jayson Tatum totaled 22 points, three rebounds and two steals. Marcus Morris amassed 20 points and six boards while Gordon Hayward led the bench with 19 points and five assists.

The Hornets took a 33-16 first-quarter lead, but the Knicks posted a 37-point second quarter and added 48 in the second half to force overtime. In the extra period, New York took a 126-121 lead with 17 seconds remaining, and Kemba Walker's misfire on a jumper at the buzzer sealed the win for the Knicks. Emmanuel Mudiay's 34 points, a total he partly supplemented with eight assists, led the Knicks. Kevin Knox provided 20 points. Noah Vonleh generated a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double. Enes Kanter matched Vonleh's scoring and hauled in eight boards. Luke Kornet had a bench-leading 13 points, while Tim Hardaway, Jr. turned in 12 points. Nicolas Batum and Cody Zeller co-led the Hornets with 21 points apiece, with Zeller also supplying 13 boards. Marvin Williams posted 20 points. Walker had a 16-point, 10-assist double-double.

The Bucks took a 27-16 first-quarter lead, which they'd extended to a 61-47 by halftime. That allowed them to essentially tread water in the second half and secure a double-digit win, despite missing both Malcolm Brogdon (hamstring) and Khris Middleton (finger). Giannis Antetokounmpo's 44-point, 14-rebound double-double, which also included eight assists, led the Bucks. Brook Lopez provided 19 points and five rebounds. Eric Bledsoe went for 16 points, six assists and five rebounds. Ersan Ilyasova led the bench with 11 points. Jordan Clarkson paced the Cavaliers with 23 points and added five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Rodney Hood poured in 19 points. Larry Nance, Jr. produced a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double that also included six assists and three steals. Alec Burks managed 12 points and nine rebounds. Matthew Dellavedova had a bench-leading 10 points.

The second quarter really set the tone in this game, as Brooklyn outscored Washington, 43-28. That allowed them to hold the lead for the entirety of the second half. Free-throw shooting was critical, with the Nets connecting on 26-of-31 and the Wizards hitting just 9-of-16. Rebounding was huge as well, with Brooklyn outrebounding Washington, 46-25. Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 31 points and nine assists. John Wall amassed 17 points and 13 assists. Markieff Morris totaled 15 points, three rebounds and two assists. Austin Rivers played his last game in Washington and tallied 14 points, three rebounds and three assists. Spencer Dinwiddie was the player of the game, as he provided 27 points, four rebounds and six assists off the bench. Joe Harris led the starters with 19 points, two rebounds and six assists. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson accumulated 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

The Pacers trailed by 10 at halftime, but a prolific third quarter where they outscored Philadelphia by a 31-18 margin turned the game around. The Pacers then kept the heat on in the fourth by adding nine points to their advantage and sealing a hard-fought road victory. Thaddeus Young's 26-point, 10-rebound double-double led the Pacers. Bojan Bogdanovic provided 18 points. Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis and Cory Joseph generated matching 14-point tallies. Oladipo added nine assists, and Sabonis also pulled down 16 rebounds, Darren Collison mustered eight points but also dished out 10 assists. Joel Embiid paced the Sixers with a 40-point, 21-rebound double-double. J.J. Redick contributed 22 points. Ben Simmons' line included 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Furkan Korkmaz started for Jimmy Butler (groin) once again but only totaled six points and two rebounds.

There were 11 lead changes in this game, as neither club led by more than 11 points. Miami's bench led them to victory, as they outscored Memphis' bench, 52-23. Rebounding was also huge, with the Heat outrebounding the Grizzlies, 50-34. Miami also dominated through ball movement, out-assisting Memphis, 30-21. Josh Richardson led the Heat's starters with 18 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Kelly Olynyk led the bench with 18 points, five rebounds and five assists. Tyler Johnson also played well off the bench, providing 17 points, five rebounds and four assists. Mike Conley led the Grizzlies with 22 points, three rebounds, eight assists, two steals and three blocks. Marc Gasol finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Garrett Temple amassed 15 points, four rebounds and three assists. Jaren Jackson Jr. totaled 15 points, four rebounds and two steals.

Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets, with 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting, 15 rebounds, nine assists and three steals, in 35 minutes. Jamal Murray followed up with 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting, nine assists and one rebound, in 33 minutes. Juancho Hernangomez added 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal, in 33 minutes, while Torrey Craig chipped in 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and one block. Meanwhile, Paul George led the Thunder, with 32 points on 12-of-24 shooting, five rebounds, two assists and one steal, in 39 minutes. Russell Westbrook tallied 13 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal, in 36 minutes. Steven Adams finished with 26 points on 12-of-20 shooting, 14 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal, in 37 minutes. Dennis Schroder chipped in 11 points, two assists and one rebound, off the bench.

Damian Lillard led the Trail Blazers with 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting, four assists, two rebounds, one steal and one block, in 29 minutes. C.J. McCollum followed up with 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting, four assists, three steals and one rebound, in 28 minutes. Al-Farouq Aminu added 13 points and seven rebounds. Zach Collins chipped in 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, in 31 minutes off the bench. The Trail Blazers had eight players score in double digits. Meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard led the Raptors with 28 points on 8-of-17 shooting, six rebounds, four assists and a steal, in 37 minutes. Serge Ibaka finished with 18 points, six rebounds, one assist and one block. Fred Van Vleet tallied 21 points, eight assists and four rebounds, in 37 minutes, while Danny Green finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks.

Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 35 points on 11-of-23 shooting, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals, in 36 minutes. Kevin Durant followed up with 33 points on 9-of-20 shooting, eight rebounds and eight assists, in 36 minutes. Klay Thompson tallied 27 points on 10-of-27 shooting, nine rebounds, three assists and one steal, in 37 minutes. Draymond Green finished with two points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists and one steal. Meanwhile, De'Aaron Fox led the Kings with 25 points on 9-of-19 shooting, nine assists, six rebounds and two steals, in 34 minutes. Buddy Hield followed up with 27 points on 11-of-21 shooting, four rebounds and two assists, in 32 minutes. Willie Cauley-Stein tallied 22 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and one block, while Nemaja Bjelica chipped in 18 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal, in 21 minutes.