NBA news and highlights: Harden puts up 54 in OT loss, Celtics bounce back, Durant drops 49 in comeback win

Yash Matange

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NBA news and highlights: Harden puts up 54 in OT loss, Celtics bounce back, Durant drops 49 in comeback win image

The NBA had a seven-game slate scheduled for Tuesday and in case you missed any of the action, we got you covered with all of the top storylines, performers and highlights.

Top Storylines

KD and Klay lead Warriors to 18-point comeback win

The Warriors were missing two All-Stars in Stephen Curry and Draymond Green against the Orlando Magic and their absence was felt early as the Magic took a commanding 17-point lead into half-time.

Golden State, however, found their rhythm in the third quarter, dominating the period 32-19, with Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant taking over. 

The duo combined for 78 points, 49 of which were by Durant for his second straight 40-point outing after dropping 44 against the Sacramento Kings. 


The Warriors put a stranglehold on the Magic outscoring them by 23 in the second half to register their third-straight win after dropping four in a row.

With the win, they now sit second in the Western Conference standings behind the LA Clippers, gaining some much-needed momentum with five games in nine days coming up on their East Coast road trip. 

Harden and Wall duel in Rockets-Wizards OT battle

Despite 54 points and 13 assists from the reigning MVP James Harden, the Houston Rockets failed to register a win in Washington.

This was the team's most competitive game of their 3-game road trip but it just wasn't enough. The Rockets lost all three of their games on this road trip which had previous stops in Detroit and Cleveland, giving them a 9-10 record, back under .500 for the first time in 10 days when they were 6-7.

Playing without Chris Paul, Harden got a lot of support from Eric Gordon (36 points) and Clint Capela (17 points and a game-high 14 rebounds) but the backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal led the Wizards to a huge overtime win at home, their third straight at the Capital One Arena. 

Turnovers played a huge role in this game for the Rockets, who had 19 in this game, gifting the Wizards extra possessions on a night where they were already shooting really well from the field (56.8%). 

Pacers get a huge 33-point win in Salt Lake City

The Utah Jazz have one of the strongest home court advantages in the league, at least geographically. However, Monday's game against the Indiana Pacers didn't exactly emphasize that. The visiting Pacers re-wrote some franchise records with a huge 33-point road win in Salt Lake City and they achieved all of the below records while missing their All-Star Victor Oladipo: 


Indiana had seven players score in double figures, shooting a scorching 58.3% from the field, compared to Utah's 42%. The Jazz's inconsistency from the three-point line has hurt them this season and today it was much of the same, as they connected on just 8-of-31 shots from deep.

Best fantasy performers

Giannis Antetokounmpo - 20 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 blocks

Larry Nance Jr. - 12 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 blocks

James Harden - 54 points (17-of-32 FG's), 13 assists, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals

Eric Gordon - 36 points (12-of-23 FG's), 2 rebounds, and 2 assists

John Wall - 36 points (13-of-23 FG's), 11 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 blocks

Bradley Beal - 32 points (12-of-18 FG's), 4 assists, and 2 blocks

DeMar DeRozan - 21 points (9-of-18 FG's), 8 rebounds, and 5 assists

Zach LaVine - 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists

Kyrie Irving - 26 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds, and 5 steals

Anthony Davis - 27 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks

Nikola Vucevic - 30 points (12-of-21 FG's), 12 rebounds, and 6 assists 

Kevin Durant - 49 points (16-of-33 FG's), 9 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks

Can't-miss highlights

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with the emphatic swat on Khris Middleton:


We believe it's fair to say that John Wall is BACK! 


The reigning MVP James Harden gets to the 50-point mark in typical Beard fashion - a stepback 3. Oh and he also got fouled: 


The Bulls suffered a heartbreaking 1-point loss at the hands of the Spurs but it was business as usual for Zach LaVine: 


Jayson Tatum reminding everybody that he can throw down hammers too:


The Magic almost pulled off a huge upset in Oakland, on the second night of a back-to-back, but this moment was certainly can't-miss:


Durant loses the ball but makes up for it with a chasedown block, leading to an Andre Iguodala jumper:


The DAGGER 3 from KD that sealed the Warriors' comeback win: 


Box Scores

Bucks at Hornets | Timberwolves at Cavaliers | Rockets at Wizards

Spurs at Bulls | Celtics at Pelicans | Pacers at Jazz

Magic at Warriors

Yash Matange

Yash Matange Photo