Despite the fact that it was a Super Bowl night, the NBA’s Sunday night’s lineup was more than enough for basketball fans.  It contained a lot of awesome games and great offensive moves, giving sports fans a boost after a rather disappointing Super Bowl.

Mitchell Pulls Double Duty For The Jazz

With Mike Conley sidelined due to a hamstring injury last night for the Utah Jazz, the fans got to see Donovan Mitchell multitasking during the game.  Mitchell missed just one rebound to get a triple-double last night, but his performance was still great after scoring 27 points, 11 assists, and 9 boards, helping the Jazz to achieve their 15th victory in 16 games. They overcame the Indiana Pacers 103-95 on Sunday night.

Despite missing Conley, the Jazz improved their NBA-best record 19-5, and a fast start was ensured by Mitchell, who scored 11 points in the first quarter. As part of the contribution to the Jazz, former Pacer Bojan Bogdanovic finished with 18 points and Jordan Clarkson and Rudy Gober scored 17 and 16 points, respectively.   The Indiana Pacers have now lost five of six, and the 20 points scored by Domantas Sabonis were not enough. Malcolm Brogdon got 15 points and seven assists.  The Jazz is going to host the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, while the Pacers are visiting Brooklyn on Wednesday.

Suns Shine, Just Not Brightly

Although the Phoenix Suns secured a victory last night, head coach Monty William wasn’t really happy.  That was obvious when he called a timeout to chide forward Deandre Ayton. It was surprising, as the coach normally isn’t demonstrative on the sideline, and he said, “He didn’t like me getting on him but he took it the right way.”

Ayton responded then with a few buckets that were supported by Devin Booker, who scored a total of 18 points and added 11 assists, leading the Suns to a victory after beating the Boston Celtics 100-91.  Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson also contributed to the team after scoring 19 and 17 points while Ayton finished with a total of 16 points and 11 rebounds. Phoenix has now won five of its past six games, improving to 13-9 this season.  On the other hand, Boston stayed fairly close during almost all the game, but they couldn’t keep it up.  Jayson Tatum helped the cause with 23 points and Kemba Walker added 14.

Kings Comes Up Aces

The Sacramento Kings achieved their fourth straight victory last night after winning against the LA Clippers 113-110. De’Aaron Fox helped to get that victory after being on fire and scoring 36 points, while Buddy Hield also added 22 points. Since 2006, the last time the team made the playoffs, the Kings hadn’t achieved seven victories out of eight games.

After having an awesome night, Fox said, “If we can stay locked in defensively and we can keep our turnovers down, we can give ourselves a chance to win.”  In response to that defense, the Clippers tried to give it all, and Lou William scored 23 points off the bench, while his teammate Kawhi Leonard added 20 and 10 rebounds, but it still was not enough, as they finished three points behind.  The Kings are now hosting Philadelphia on Tuesday, and the Clippers will visit Minnesota on Wednesday.

The Heat Crank It Up Against the Knicks

In the opener of a home-and-home series, the New York Knicks were beaten by the Miami Heat 109-103 on Sunday night.  Bam Adebayo got 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Jimmy Butler nearly got a triple-double as he finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists. To contribute to the victory, Kendrick Nunn and Tyler Herro also took part, as they both scored 16 points each.  On the other side, Julius Randle scored 26 points and 13 rebounds but the Knicks is now saying goodbye to their two-game win streak.

As part of what’s coming next for these teams, they’re meeting once again in Miami this Tuesday.  The Knicks will have the opportunity to redeem themselves after losing in yesterday’s tight match.