Rockets strike Knicks

James Harden’s 36-point, 11-assist double-double and nine rebounds helped the Houston Rockets beat the New York Knicks, 117-95. Congolese/Angolan-Swiss center Clint Capela had 19 points and nine rebounds, Eric Gordon added 18 points, Trevor Ariza had 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and Cameroonian forward Luc Mbah a Moute finished with seven points and four rebounds.

Tim Hardaway Jr led the Knicks with 21 points, Damyean Dotson had 17 points, Michael Beasley also chipped in 17 points and four rebounds, while Enes Kanter finished the game with 14 points and eight rebounds.

Pistons stop Pacers

The Detroit Pistons held home court and defeated the Indiana Pacers 107-97. Ish Smith had 14 points and nine assists, Reggie Jackson 14 points and six assists, Roban Marjanovic 14 points and five rebounds, while Reggie Bullock and Anthony Tolliver combined for 26 with 13 points apiece.

Damien Wilkins led the Pacers with 14 points, Al Jefferson had 12 points and six rebounds, Cory Joseph 10 points, Jarrod Uthoff 11 points and seven rebounds, Joe Young 11 points and Nigerian-American center Ike Anigbogu ended the game with eight points.

Celtics down Sixers

The Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 113-96 on the back of Terry Rozier’s 15-point, 10-rebound double-double, Nigerian-American forward Semi Ojeyele had 16 points and four rebounds, Egyptian-American forward Abdel Nader had 15 points while Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart combined for 24 with 12 points each.

Ben Simmons led Philadelphia with 15 points and six rebounds, Furkan Korkmaz had 13 points and six rebounds, and Markelle Fultz finished with 12 points.

Heat singe Hornets

The Heat defeated the Charlotte Hornets 109-106 in Miami. Josh Richardson had 18 points and four rebounds, Tyler Johnson added 18 points, Dion Waiters had 14 points, four rebounds and eight assists, Kelly Olynyk contributed a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double, James Johnson had 13 points, four rebounds and four assists, and Hassan Whiteside ended the night with an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double.

The Hornets were led by Malik Monk with 19 points and four assists, Dwight Howard had 16 points and six rebounds and four steals, Dwayne Bacon 12 points and eight rebounds, Marvin Williams 12 points and Jeremy Lamb and Kemba Walker combined for 22 with 11 points apiece.

The Rest

Gambian-German guard Dennis Schroder’s 21 points led the Atlanta Hawks to a 100-88 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, the Dallas Mavericks beat the Orlando Magic 99-96 on Dennis Smith Jr’s 16 points that included a monster jam, the Utah Jazz defeated the Phoenix Suns 120-102, and a great performance by Jusuf Nurkic helped the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Sacramento Kings 97-83.

By Kaunda Chama