The NBA served up a full platter of action on Saturday (December 16) with 10 games tipping off on the night.

Damian Lillard had a fast start for the Milwaukee Bucks against the Detroit Pistons and made sure the Pistons did not conjure any hope of beating the former champions. Lillard scored 33 points on the night, with Bobby Portis helped with a season-high 31, to help the home team to a 146-114 blowout of their visitors. This is Detroit’s 23rd loss in a row and adds further adds to their woes this season.

The Philadelphia 76ers clearly felt no ill-effects of playing back-to-back and dished out another thrashing against the Charlotte Hornets. Joel Embiid led the way again with a monster night that included 42 points and 15 rebounds. The Hornets lost 135-82 for the worst loss in franchise history.

The Atlanta Hawks would not recover from their back-to-back as well as their conference rivals and suffered a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Trae Young’s double-double of 35 points and 10 assists could not lift his team against the Cavs and they lost 119-127. The Cavaliers now sit at 14-12 and eighth in the Eastern Conference.

A stunning 40-point effort from forward Karl-Anthony Towns led the Minnesota Timberwolves against the Indiana Pacers, who were another team that played a back-to-back. Towns also grabbed 15 rebounds for a double-double and Anthony Edwards also had an impressive night with 37 points. Minnesota shot a season-high 55.8% from the field, including a season-best 60% with a season-high 18 makes from beyond the arc.

In one of the few close games of the night, Miami heat battled to a two-point victory over Chicago Bulls. Superstar Jimmy Butler led the way for the Heat with 28 points while Kevin Love contributed a commendable 22 points on the night. It was a perfectly executed final play by Miami that saw Butler beat the buzzer for the win. With a solid screen set by Love, Butler let the ball go in the dying moments and saw the ball go in as time expired. The Heat now sit at 15-11 and 5 games behind conference leaders Boston Celtics.

The Golden State Warriors got a morale-boosting win to end their recent losing skid, with an incredible fourth quarter from iconic guard Stephen Curry. He scored 12 straight fourth-quarter points on the way to 37, Klay Thompson added 24 points with back-to-back timely 3-pointers in the closing minutes and the former champions saw the buzzer sound with them on the winning side. Curry would extend his lead at the top of all 3-point list, while Thompson moved into ninth on the same list wits Saturday’s effort. he now sits just six 3 pointers away from NBA legend Vince Carter.

The Dallas Mavericks registered an 11-point victory over the Portland Trailblazers on the road. Led by a dominant triple-double from Luka Dončić, the Mavs got their 16th win of the season. Dončić scored 40 points, plus had 12 rebounds and 10 assists on the night, including a 30-point first quarter to put the game away early. The Mavericks now have great momentum going into their matchup against defending champions Denver Nuggets, who they face on Monday.

Speaking of the champs, the Denver Nuggets were on the losing end of their matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Finals MVP Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 24 points and 12 rebounds but his Nuggets lost due a last minute play that saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit a turnaround jumper with a second left, and the Thunder rallied to beat the Nuggets.

Keegan Murray added his name to the list of stellar performances on the night with a 40-point effort to lead the Sacramento Kings against the Utah Jazz. The breakout team from last season has continued their good form and have won two games on the trot for a 15-9 record and fifth in the Western Conference.

The New York Knicks was the final time to bow into action for a back-to-back and could not repeat their good fortune from their previous match up. Kawhi Leonard has 36 points to lead his Los Angeles Clippers against Jalen Brunson’s Knicks. The Clippers seem to be finding their stride after suffering from a recent six-game slide, which included a loss to the Knicks earlier in November. The Clippers are now on a seven-game winning streak and fins themselves in 6th place in the conference.

A less-eventful five-match Sunday tips off with Boston Celtics hosting the Orlando Magic as the Celtics look to remain unbeaten at home in the TD Garden.