A 10-game slate comprised the NBA schedule for Friday night.
Things tipped off early on as the Dallas Mavericks visited the TD Garden to face the Boston Celtics. Even without Kyrie Irving, the Celtics easily handled the Mavs thanks to big games from Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown.
The schedule got more interesting as the night finished off. The Oklahoma City Thunder continued their winning streak as they came back to beat the Portland Trail Blazers in Portland. And out in Los Angeles, the Knicks picked up a surprising victory over the shorthanded Lakers at Staples Center.
Here's everything you need to know about Friday night's action, along with Saturday's schedule.
NBA scores for Friday, Jan. 4
- Utah Jazz 117, Cleveland Cavaliers 91 (Box Score)
- Boston Celtics 114, Dallas Mavericks 93 (Box Score)
- Miami Heat 115, Washington Wizards 109 (Box Score)
- Indiana Pacers 119, Chicago Bulls 116 -- OT (Box Score)
- Brooklyn Nets 109, Memphis Grizzlies 100 (Box Score)
- Minnesota Timberwolves 120, Orlando Magic 103 (Box Score)
- Milwaukee Bucks 144, Atlanta Hawks 112 (Box Score)
- Los Angeles Clippers 121, Phoenix Suns 111 (Box Score)
- New York Knicks 119, Los Angeles Lakers 112 (Box Score)
- Oklahoma City Thunder 111, Portland Trail Blazers 109 (Box Score)
NBA schedule for Saturday, Jan. 5
*All times Eastern
- Charlotte Hornets at Denver Nuggets, 5 p.m. (GameTracker) -- Watch on fuboTV with NBA League Pass extension
- Utah Jazz at Detroit Pistons, 7 p.m. (GameTracker) -- Watch on fuboTV with NBA League Pass extension
- Dallas Mavericks at Philadelphia 76ers, 7:30 p.m. (GameTracker) -- Watch on fuboTV with NBA League Pass extension
- New Orleans Pelicans at Cleveland Cavaliers, 8 p.m. (GameTracker) -- Watch on fuboTV with NBA League Pass extension
- Toronto Raptors at Milwaukee Bucks, 8:30 p.m. (GameTracker) -- TV: NBA TV Streaming: fubo TV (try it free)
- Memphis Grizzlies at San Antonio Spurs, 8:30 p.m. (GameTracker) -- Watch on fuboTV with NBA League Pass extension
- Houston Rockets at Portland Trail Blazers, 10 p.m. (GameTracker) -- Watch on fuboTV with NBA League Pass extension
- Golden State Warriors at Sacramento Kings, 10 p.m. (GameTracker) -- Watch on fuboTV with NBA League Pass extension
PG goes off again
Huge games are becoming a nightly occurrence for Paul George. He helped take down the Blazers by putting up 37 points and eight rebounds on Friday night.
Paul George had himself a night to lead the @okcthunder past the Trail Blazers! ⚡️
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 5, 2019
📊: 37 PTS | 5 3PM | 8 REB#ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/BBBr2xzDuy
Oladipo hits game-winner
The Pacers were up by eight points with 32 seconds left in the fourth quarter, but the Bulls launched a remarkable comeback, capped by Zach LaVine's game-tying 3-pointer to force overtime.
#LeaguePassAlert
— NBA (@NBA) January 5, 2019
Zach LaVine sends the game to OT in Chicago!#BullsNation 105#Pacers 105
💻📱: https://t.co/L3VurkatG8 pic.twitter.com/fXKrvGDSv3
Not to be outdone, however, Victor Oladipo banked in a 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds left to give the Pacers the road win.
VICTOR OLADIPO FOR THE WIN! #Pacers pic.twitter.com/dAG9sRIVV3
— NBA (@NBA) January 5, 2019
Lance gets tricky
You always have to keep your head up if you're playing with Lance Stephenson. He hit Ivica Zubac with a behind-the-back dish for an easy bucket in the third quarter against the Knicks.
Lance goes behind-the-back again and finds Zu for two!#LakeShow (📺: @SpectrumSN) pic.twitter.com/e2UNBWjhcu
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 5, 2019
Luka beats the buzzer
Luka Doncic is only three months into his NBA career, but he's already assembling a nice collection of highlights. His latest came on this fall-away 3-pointer to beat the halftime buzzer against the Celtics on Friday.
Luka's beating buzzers in Boston! 🚨#MFFL pic.twitter.com/oxK2H49JfX
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 5, 2019
Celtics crowd shows Dirk love
In what will likely be his last game at the Garden, Dirk Nowitzki received a standing ovation from the Boston crowd when he entered the game on Friday night.
Boston fans gave Dirk Nowitzki a standing ovation 🙏 pic.twitter.com/zii4NlFzIR
— ESPN (@espn) January 5, 2019
Kuzma out vs. Knicks
The Lakers, already without LeBron James, will be even more shorthanded on Friday. Forward Kyle Kuzma won't play against the Knicks due to a back contusion.
Kyle Kuzma is out tonight due to the lower back contusion.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) January 5, 2019
Irving out for matchup versus Mavericks
Kyrie Irving didn't suit up on Friday versus the Mavericks. The 26-year-old point guard sat out his second straight game due to an inflamed eye injury.
