Welcome back to another night of NBA action. It was a busy one, with 10 games on Wednesday's docket.
The early games turned out to be a bit anticlimactic, as the Celtics ran the Pacers out of the gym with a 27-point victory, and the Wizards got some revenge on the Sixers by beating them by 17.
Later, in a highly intriguing contest, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks past James Harden and the Rockets. Luka Doncic and the Mavericks also beat Deandre Ayton and the Suns in a battle of two of the league's top rookies.
In the late games, the Bulls traveled to Portland and lost to the Trail Blazers, while the Pistons took the loss in a matchup with the Lakers.
Here's everything you need to know about Wednesday night in the NBA, along with Thursday's schedule.
NBA scores for Wednesday, Jan. 9
- Boston Celtics 135, Indiana Pacers 108 (Box Score)
- Washington Wizards 123, Philadelphia 76ers 106 (Box Score)
- Brooklyn Nets 116, Atlanta Hawks 100 (Box Score)
- Milwaukee Bucks 116, Houston Rockets 109 (Box Score)
- Memphis Grizzlies 96, San Antonio Spurs 86 (Box Score)
- New Orleans Pelicans 140, Cleveland Cavaliers 124 (Box Score)
- Dallas Mavericks 104, Phoenix Suns 94 (Box Score)
- Utah Jazz 106, Orlando Magic 93 (Box Score)
- Portland Trail Blazers 124, Chicago Bulls 112 (Box Score)
- Los Angeles Lakers 113, Detroit Pistons 100 (Box Score)
NBA schedule for Thursday, Jan. 10
*All times Eastern
- Boston Celtics at Miami Heat, 7 p.m. (GameTracker) | TV: TNT Streaming: fubo TV (try it free)
- Los Angeles Clippers at Denver Nuggets, 9 p.m. (GameTracker) -- Watch on fuboTV with NBA League Pass extension
- Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs, 9:30 p.m. (GameTracker) | TV: TNT Streaming: fubo TV (try it free)
- Detroit Pistons at Sacramento Kings, 10 p.m. (GameTracker) -- Watch on fuboTV with NBA League Pass extension
Kuzma drops 41 in three quarters
Needless to say, Kyle Kuzma was feeling it on Wednesday. He lit up the Pistons for 41 points, and didn't even have to play the fourth quarter.
Kuz dropped a career-high 41 in just 3 quarters tonight! 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/Z9x9T5yGCF
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 10, 2019
Giannis, Bucks get best of Harden, Rockets
James Harden scored 42 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, but it wasn't enough for the shorthanded Rockets against Giannis Antetokounmpo's Bucks. The Greek Freak had 27 points and a career-high 21 rebounds as Milwaukee pulled off the win. The funniest moment of the game came when Giannis attempted to fire a cross-court pass, but the ball went directly into Harden's ear.
Double Doink!!#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/riGVNhskIb
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 10, 2019
James Harden notched his 14th straight 30+ point game but the Rockets came up short against the Bucks.
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 10, 2019
📊: 42 PTS | 6 3PM | 11 REB#Rockets pic.twitter.com/KRzzkaKKZv
🦌 @Giannis_An34 patrols the paint in the @Bucks road win, finishing with 27 PTS, 5 AST & a career-high 21 REB! #FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/vbyV6WB1c0
— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2019
Davis gets two big blocks in a row, then shows off his handles
Anthony Davis showed off his versatility against the Cavaliers. First, he proved he can protect the rim with two fantastic blocks on the same possession. After arriving to deny Jordan Clarkson at the rim, then he recovered to reject Ante Zizic. Then, he showed what he can do on offense, using some fancy dribbling to get to the rim. Davis finished the game with an insane line of 38 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and four blocks.
It's a BLOCK PARTY and @AntDavis23 is hosting! @PelicansNBA | #DoitBIG pic.twitter.com/FgpSGGNK8N
— FOXSports NewOrleans (@FOXSportsNOLA) January 10, 2019
😮 Those Anthony Davis handles! #doitBIG
— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2019
WATCH on #NBA League Pass pic.twitter.com/oJ39mw3nXD
Beal, Embiid duel as Wizards get revenge on Sixers
The Wizards lost by 17 points to the Sixers on Tuesday night, then turned around and beat the Sixers by 17 points on Wednesday night. Bradley Beal led the way for the Wizards, going for 34 points and five assists. The Wizards needed all of those points to withstand a strong game from Joel Embiid. The Sixers big man put up 35 points and 14 rebounds.
Brown, Tatum lead Celtics to big win over Pacers
The Celtics kept up their strong play as of late with a dominant win over the visiting Pacers. They crushed them by 27 points to earn their fourth win in a row, and seventh in their last nine games. Their two youngsters, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum led the way, combining for 42 points and 11 rebounds. Brown also led a 73-point bench effort from the Celtics.
Harden cooks Bucks in first half
James Harden kept up his hot streak with a big first half against the Bucks. He drained three triples and went for 23 points, four rebounds and four assists.
James Harden gets out to 23 1st half PTS for the @HoustonRockets on @ESPN! #Rockets pic.twitter.com/6x7qdJAfPN
— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2019
Simmons finds Embiid with a fancy pass
Ben Simmons showed off his passing skills with a fancy feed to Joel Embiid. Driving inside, Simmons faked the dish initially, then found Embiid with the wraparound.
Ben Simmons fakes and feeds Embiid underneath! #HereTheyCome #NBA League Pass: https://t.co/L3VurkatG8 pic.twitter.com/gGHLns0ydc
— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2019
Nets honor Carter with tribute video
A day after getting to play in Toronto, Vince Carter was playing another of his old teams on Wednesday, the Nets. They're in Brooklyn now, but they still honored Carter with a cool tribute video.
For Vince! #ThisIsWhyWePlay pic.twitter.com/9r1fQ2AbFi
— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2019
Cavs catch fire from deep
The Cavaliers got off to an excellent start in their game against the Pelicans. They knocked down all eight of their 3-point tries in the first quarter.
EIGHT THREES IN TWELVE MINUTES.
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) January 10, 2019
Watch the squad go 8-8 from deep in the bayou on @FOXSportsOH.#CavsPelicans #BeTheFight pic.twitter.com/lHq1NMqETu
Kyrie crosses and scores
Kyrie Irving broke out some of his fancy dribbling moves early on Wednesday night. Using a couple of quick between-the-legs crossovers, Irving got past Cory Joseph for an easy layup.
Kyrie with the quick crossover and lay-in!
— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2019
End of Q1 on NBALP:#CUsRise 29#Pacers 23
💻📱: https://t.co/L3VurkatG8 pic.twitter.com/FdifvoKhVB
Marc puts Pau in the spin cycle
Marc Gasol and Pau Gasol have been going at it for decades now, both before and after they made it to the NBA. Even as veterans, they're still out there battling each other. This time, Marc got the better of his older brother.
.@MarcGasol putting his brother in the spin cycle. pic.twitter.com/wc9TJiZk1B
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) January 10, 2019
MVP showdown in Houston
Two of the league's leading MVP candidates will meet on Wednesday night in Houston. Giannis Antetokounmpo will lead his revamped Bucks against James Harden and the surging Rockets. Thanks to new head coach Mike Budenholzer's offensive system, Giannis has taken his game to a new level this season, and taken the Bucks along with him. Harden, meanwhile, took a while to get going this season, but now that he's in gear he's putting up historic numbers to turn the Rockets' campaign around.