L-R: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets, Zach Lavine #8 of the Chicago Bulls and Chris Paul #3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Three thrilling comeback games added to the excitement of the NBA on Wednesday.
Memphis Grizzlies 122-126 Oklahoma City Thunder
Dennis Schroder #17 of the Oklahoma City Thunder shoots in the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, December 18, 2019.
Though Memphis only ranked No. 13 in the Western Conference, the gave OKC a head-on blow at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. After Jaren Jackson buried a 3-pointer in the middle of the third quarter, Memphis already led by 24 points (89-65).
Fortunately for the home fans, Chris Paul and Dennis Schroder stood out for their team. Having come off the bench, Schroder dropped 31 points, including 22 in the second half alone. Paul made all his three shots in the last quarter to get nine points, three assists and two steals in the last quarter. Thanks to their efforts, OKC managed to turn the tide and claim their second straight victory.
Having defeated the Chicago Bulls in a comeback win of 109-106 on Monday, the Thunder again managed to come back from at least 24-point-trail in the second consecutive game, the first team to do so in 20 years.
Orlando Magic 104-113 Denver Nuggets
Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets celebrates after burying a 3-pointer in the game against the Orlando Magic at the Pepsi Center, December 18, 2019.
Having pocketed three consecutive wins at home, Denver reverted to their old habit of losing focus in Wednesday's game. As a result, Orlando launched a 28-18 run in the second quarter and expanded their lead to 19 points (69-50) after Evan Fournier made it from the 3-point line in the third quarter.
Nonetheless, the Nuggets soon found their game back and responded with a ridiculous 31-2 run in the next 7 minutes, not only wiping the score difference, but also establishing their own 10-point lead before claiming the team's fourth win in a row.
Nikola Jokic missed one rebound to get a triple double with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 12 assists. Jamal Murray played the best game so far in this season by burying 11 of 19 shots to score 33 points.
Chicago Bulls 110-109 Washington Wizards
Zach Lavine #8 of the Chicago Bulls celebrates after earning a 3-point foul in the game against the Washington Wizards at the Capital One Arena, December 18, 2019.
Neither team really carried any weight in the Eastern Conference but the game at the Capital One Arena was quite dramatic. First Davis Bertans went on fire to bury seven 3-pointers in the game. His crazy performance helped Washington establish an 18-point lead (93-75) in the fourth quarter.
Though Chicago launched large-scale counter-strike later, Washington still had the chance of winning the game because they led by three points when there were only 3.3 seconds left. However, Zach Lavine stood out to save his team again. First he earned a 3-point foul on Bertans and made all three free throws. Though Bradley Beal then dropped a valuable perimeter shot to help Washington lead by two, Isaac Bonga, for no acceptable reason, fouled on Lavine in the last 0.5 seconds, giving Chicago the opportunity to tie the game on the free throw line again and Lavine took it.
In the overtime, Wendall Carter first made the game-winning layup, assisted by Lavine for the Bulls, and then denied Beal's decisive shot to help the Bulls take their first win during a four-game road trip.
Miami Heat 108-104 Philadelphia 76ers
Kendrick Nunn #25 of the Miami Heat tries to slash in the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center, December 18, 2019.
Before Wednesday, the 76ers were the league's only team that kept a perfect record at home. Nonetheless, it was over as the Wells Fargo Center fell under the assault of the Heat.
Surprisingly, the Heat's success did not come from Jimmy Butler. ESPN's Bobby Marks revealed that when Kendrick Nunn (minimum deal), Derrick Jones Jr. (minimum deal), Duncan Robinson (minimum deal), Tyler Herro (rookie contract) and Bam Adebayo (rookie contract) were on the court, the Heat were up by 16. By the way, the total sum of the five's salaries is only 11.55 million U.S. dollars.
By contrast, when Joel Embiid, who receives 27.5 million this season, was on court, the 76ers were down by 11. Embiid's also the only one of the team's starting-lineup to have negative contributions. His problems, as we have spoken over and over, were clear: Embiid lacks strong enough lower body to go deep enough in the paint, which leads him to shoot more from outside, which is neither efficient nor steady enough; and when Embiid cannot contribute enough offensively, his giant size and slow movement will become liability in defense.
Boston Celtics 109-103 Dallas Mavericks
Kemba Walker #8 of the Boston Celtics tries to penetrate in the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airline Center, December 18, 2019.
Though Boston had some key players – Gordon Hayward, Marcus Smart – sidelined for the game, it did not stop them from claiming a victory at the American Airlines Center. Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum together shot down 82 points. Walker showed dominance at the beginning and in the end of the game by putting down 16 and 13 points respectively.
Though the Mavericks suffered a loss at home, the team still had good news – 20,181 fans watched the game at the arena on Wednesday, making it the 800th straight sold-out home game of the team, the longest record in today's NBA. The rise of Luka Doncic continued to make the Mavericks one of people's favorite on TV. When he comes back in two weeks, the team will have their insurance for both box office and performance.
Other games on Wednesday included (home teams in bold):
Charlotte Hornets 98-100 Cleveland Cavaliers
Toronto Raptors 112-99 Detroit Pistons
New Orleans Pelicans 107-99 Minnesota Timberwolves
Golden State Warriors 112-122 Portland Trail Blazers