Last night’s NBA action was really needed to start the week with extra motivation. A lot of games by awesome teams facing each other gave fans enough reason get over the Monday blues.

Nets Have Little Trouble With Minnesota

It took just 32 games for James Harden to record his 12th triple-double. Harden’s 38 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds helped the Brooklyn Nets roll over the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-107 on Monday night. Kyrie Irving also did his part. After missing three games due to personal reasons, he came back inspired after scoring a total of 27 points. Even with the absence of Kevin Durant, the Nets have managed to win for the 18th time in 21 games.

The Timberwolves definitely had a better performance than Saturday, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 31 points and 12 rebounds. The Timberwolves stay at home to host another New York team, the Knicks, tomorrow night, while the Nets prepare to face the Houston Rockets on the same night.

Saben Lee definitely made the difference in the first half, scoring 14 of his 19 points to help the Detroit Pistons beat the Toronto Raptors 118-104. Detroit’s rookies seemingly owned the night, as Saddiq Bey also contributed 19 points in the win while teammate Hamidou Diallo chipped in with the same number. Detroit led 35-27 after one quarter, then without any problems, scored the first 11 points of the second.

Fred VanVleet tried his best, but his 22 points were not enough to stop the Raptors from losing for the 12th time in 13 games. Both teams will rest today and resume play tomorrow night. The Raptors visit Oklahoma City to face the Thunder, while the Pistons stay home to host the Portland Trail Blazers.

Clippers Start The Week Easy

The LA Clippers had an easy night against the Milwaukee Bucks. Marcus Morris was a big contributor in the win, scoring 25 points as the Clippers rolled over the Bucks 129-105 on Monday night. Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points while Luke Kennard scored a season-high 21 points for the Clippers, who won their sixth straight victory.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 32 points, while teammate Jrue Holiday scored 24 points, but it was not enough and the Bucks’ four-game winning streak against LA ended. Minnesota stays in LA to face the Lakers tomorrow night, while the Clippers stay at home to host the Orlando Magic.

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ performance fell extremely short against a great night by the Utah Jazz. Donovan Mitchell scored 19 points and Rudy Gobert added 18 points and 17 rebounds to give Utah enough momentum to beat Cleveland 114-75 on Monday night. Mike Conley contributed 18 points for the Jazz, who seem to be unbeatable at home, as they have not lost in 20 consecutive games on their home court.

Collin Sexton and Darius Garland scored 20 and 18 points, respectively, for the Cavs, who lost their last three of a four-game road stretch. As part of the upcoming schedule, the Jazz visit the Memphis Grizzlies tomorrow night, while the Cavaliers host the Philadelphia 76ers tonight.

Heat Find Some Relief

The Miami Heat snapped a six-game losing streak after defeating the New York Knicks 98-88 on Monday night. Jimmy Butler, who scored 27 total points, had a big hand in the win.

The New Orleans Pelicans and the great performance of Zion Williamson were able to beat the Boston Celtics 115-109 on Monday night. It was a bitter pill to swallow for Celtics fans, who were able to visit the court since the pandemic started to attack.

The on-fire Russell Westbrook had a great night after scoring 35 points, a season-high 21 assists, and 14 rebounds for his NBA-leading 16th triple-double, helping the Washington Wizards beat the Indiana Pacers 132-124 on Monday night.