The NBA served up 12 games for a full slate of action on January 3. 

Two-time league MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, scored 26 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for Milwaukee Bucks, falling just short of his fourth triple-double this season. His heroics could not save his Bucks from the Indiana Pacers, who seem to have the antidote for the Bucks this season.

Tyrese Haliburton had 31 points and 12 assists and helped spur a 47-point third quarter to lead the Pacers past the Bucks 142-130 for Indiana’s fifth consecutive victory. The Bucks have lost two games in a row and are losing touch with the Boston Celtics for the top of the conference.  

Max Strus scored 24 points and made his first six 3-pointers as the Cleveland Cavaliers had their highest-scoring game and most-lopsided victory of the season, routing the Washington Wizards 140-101. Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points in 24 minutes to help Cleveland snap a two-game losing streak. Caris LeVert added 21 points in 23 minutes, and Jarrett Allen secured 17 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists for a complete team contribution.  

The Oklahoma City Thunder had their five-game winning streak snapped as Jalen Johnson scored a career-high 28 points and the Atlanta Hawks held them off for a final score of 141-138. Trae Young had 24 points and 11 assists, one of four Hawks players who scored more than 20. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 23 points and Dejounte Murray contributed 22 points towards the tight victory.  

Conference leaders Minnesota Timberwolves was dealt their second straight loss at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans. Zion Williamson scored 27 points, while also adding six assists and four rebounds. CJ McCollum added 24 points with Brandon Ingram’s 19 points as the Pelicans registered their fourth win in a row.  

A mid-season trade saw Immanuel Quickley join the Toronto Raptors from the New York Knicks, which saw making an impact in the Raptors’ victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in last night’s action. Quickley score 26 points while Pascal Siakam added 24 points, as the Raptors survived a late push to hold off the Grizzlies. The Raptors have now won two in a row and sit in 12th place in the Eastern Conference.  

The Brooklyn Nets suffered an 11-point loss at the hands of the Houston Rockets and are now experiencing a losing skid that currently sits at five games straight. Meanwhile, the Rockets have won two on the trot and improved to 17-15 on the season. Alperen Sengun top-scored with 30 points while Fred VanVleet added 21 points and 10 assists to the effort. Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson led the Nets with 15 points each.  

Luka Doncic scored 30 of his 41 points in the first half, Kyrie Irving added 29 in his second game back from a heel injury as the Dallas Mavericks made easy work of the Portland Trailblazers with a blowout victory that ended 126-97. Both All-Stars were able to rest the entire fourth quarter after combining for 24 out of 40 field goals in the first three quarters.  

Jalen Brunson had a double-double to help the New York Knicks to a 16-point win over the Chicago Bulls, at home in Madison Square Garden. Brunson scored 31 points with 13 assists, while Julius Randle top-scored for the Knicks with 35 points on the night. OG Anunoby and Donte DiVincenzo each scored 11 points for New York, and Isaiah Hartenstein had a career-high 20 rebounds along with 10 points and five blocks. The Bulls have now lost two games on the trot, while the Knicks are on the positive end of a two-game streak.  

The Detroit Pistons narrowly avoided breaking the NBA record for most consecutive losses ever recorded in the regular season, but have since gone on to lose twice in a row with the second coming in crushing fashion in an overtime loss to the Utah Jazz. Jordan Clarkson scored 29 of his 36 points after halftime and Lauri Markkanen added 31 points to the board as the Jazz outlasted their opponents.  

Devin Booker, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George would all have 30-point nights as the Los Angeles Clippers took on the Phoenix Suns on the road. Paul and Leonard would have 33 and 30 points respectively and the Clips would improve their win streak to four. Booker led the Suns with 35 points on 11-of-15 shooting, as the Suns were without the services of two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant, for the second straight game.  

A double-overtime thriller between the Orlando Magic and Sacramento Kings saw the latter team narrowly escaping with a three-point victory. Domantas Sabonis fetched 22 points, 23 rebounds and 12 assists, while Malik Monk scored 37 off the bench and the Kings were able to barely outlast the Magic at home. The Magic broke the franchise record for made three-pointers on the night with 25 makes from beyond the arc. Paolo Banchero had an incredible career-high 43 points to lead the Magic while Jalen Suggs scored 24 points in a losing effort for Orlando.  

The second Los Angeles team was in action at home on the night but were not as fortunate as their city rivals and fell by 14 points to the Miami Heat. Anthony Davis registered yet another double-double with 29 points and17 rebounds as the Lakers faced their third straight loss. The Heat was the sum of their parts and relied on their well-balanced offence to beat the former champions. Tyler Herro scored 21 points, Duncan Robinson had 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter. Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 16 points and Nikola Jovic and Bam Adebayo scored 15 apiece as all eight Miami players who saw action scored in double figures. Miami improved to 20-14 and now sit in fourth in the Eastern Conference.