The NBA is getting hotter now and, as proof of that, no team scored less than 100 points in Sunday’s games.  That can only mean one thing; great offensives and more action for what is coming next.

Celtics Stop A Drought

The Boston Celtics snapped their three-game losing streak and were unstoppable after making a crazy amount of points.  They were helped by Jaylen Brown, who only played 19 minutes, as he scored 20 of his 33 points in the third quarter.  This led to a win of 141-103 over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Brown said after the game, “We lost three in a row. Being back on our floor, we wanted to make sure we came out with great intensity and we did.”  As part of that contribution, Kemba Walker and Daniel Theis scored 21 and 17 points, respectively.

On the other hand, the Cavaliers’ three-game winning streak ended and Collin Sexton was far below his team-leading average of 26.8 points per game.  He only achieved 13 points, which was not expected, as the Cavs were very impressive in the victories against the Brooklyn Nets.  However. they couldn’t manage that consistency for this one.  Now, the Cavaliers will be hosting the defending champion LA Lakers tonight, while the Celtics will face the Chicago Bulls.

Leonard Turns it On For The Clips

The on-fire Kawhi Leonard scored 34 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. This is now the LA Clippers’ seventh consecutive victory after beating Oklahoma City Thunder with a final score of 108-100.  Serge Ibaka added an extra 17 points and the Clippers are now tied with the Lakers for the best record in the NBA. Tyronn Lue, Clippers’ coach said, “Kawhi had it going so we played through him a lot, especially in the second half. We had to ride him pretty hard just so we could continue to keep the lead.”

For the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 23 points against his former team, and 22 points were also added by George Hill who hit three straight 3 pointers.  The Thunder will be at Portland on Monday and the Clippers at Atlanta on Tuesday in the opener of a six-game trip.

OG Doesn’t Disappoint

Toronto Raptors’ coach Nick Nurse had a problem due to the absence of two key players and turned to “OG” Anunoby to fill the space – he didn’t disappoint.  He scored a season-high 30 points and added 8 rebounds, leading to a Raptors 107-102 victory over the Indiana Pacers.  Nurse said, “We had a couple of guys (Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam) who are a good percentage of our offense out, so it’s going to shift somewhere. Tonight it shifted to OG.”

Thanks to Anunoby’s great performance and strong game, the Raptors achieved their two-straight winnings and five of their last six. The Pacers were dominated once again by Toronto, so this will be their sixth straight season lost against them.  As part of what’s coming next for these teams, they are facing each other once again today in Indianapolis.

The Hawks Fall Again

On Sunday night, the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Atlanta Hawks 129-115 and snapped a two-game losing streak at the same time.  Giannis Antetokounmpo contributed with 27 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists, while Bobby Portis and Khris Middleton scored 21 and 19 points, respectively, for Milwaukee.

In Atlanta, De’Andre Hunter had a great night after scoring a career-high 33 points while John Collins also contributed with a total of 30 points.  But, it still was not enough for the short-handed Hawks when they saw their three-game winning streak arrive at its end. For the Hawks’ absences, leading scorer Trae Young was replaced by Rajon Rondo in the starting lineup, while center Clint Capela was replaced by rookie center Onyeka Okongwu, making his first career start.  Now, the Hawks will host the Clippers Tuesday night, and the Bucks are going to face the Raptors on Wednesday night in Tampa, Florida.