LeBron James is often compared to Michael Jordan, but he paid tribute to one of Jordan’s biggest rivals Tuesday night.
James did a solid Karl Malone impression on this first-quarter dunk, two of his team-high 27 points in the Cavaliers' 110-107 overtime win against the Mavericks.
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First, short shorts, then he raised the roof. Now LeBron keeps going ol' school with Mailman dunk (via @Steve_OS) pic.twitter.com/1U89W4Jf38
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) January 13, 2016James also had 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals as the Cavs won their seventh game in a row. For good measure, he threw down highlight reel-worthy dunk with 20.9 second remaining in regulation to cap a Cavs rally and force overtime.
LeBron throws down the FEROCIOUS SLAM to force OT! #KiaTopPlay https://t.co/V4g6Kb1UhB
— NBA (@NBA) January 13, 2016
Not bad for a 31-year-old guy who some people think has lost a step.
Studs of the Night
Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas had a big night in Madison Square Garden. He scored 34 points and dished out eight assists. Despite that effort, Thomas' Celtics fell to the Knicks 120-114 in a thriller.
Tony Parker had a vintage performance, scoring 31 points to lead the Spurs to a 109-99 win over the Pistons, their ninth in a row.
In keeping with the point guard theme, we turn to Russell Westbrook. The Thunder guard had 22 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds in his team's 101-96 win over the Timberwolves. Kevin Durant wasn't bad, either, scoring a game-high 30 points and adding seven rebounds.
Dud of the Night
Kawhi Leonard has been one of the top 10 players in the league this season, but he didn't have it going on Tuesday. He scored a mere seven points on 1-for-7 shooting. Don't expect him to stay down for long, though, as a matchup with the Warriors awaits Thursday.
Tweet of the Night
Kristaps Porzingis led the way for the Knicks with Carmelo Anthony down after rolling his ankle. The rookie scored 26 points and had this nifty defensive sequence in New York's victory.
Porzingis just blocked all of the Celtics: (via @World_Wide_Wob) https://t.co/r7PckGNW7q https://t.co/ExovpAl4Or
— SB Nation (@SBNation) January 13, 2016Looking ahead
Mavericks (22-17) at Thunder (27-12), 8 p.m. ET: The Spurs and Warriors are the class of the Western Conference, but the Thunder and Mavs are among a cluster of teams jockeying for position below those two. The Thunder are 7-3 in their last 10 games, while the Mavs are 6-4.