The Los Angeles Clippers returned to winning ways with a 102-86 win over the Utah Jazz at the Staples Center last night, with reserve guard Jamal Crawford finishing with 27 points for his side from the bench.
Crawford has now notched 50 career games of over 25 points coming off the sidelines and was supported by another standout effort from Blake Griffin, who collected 25 points, 11 rebounds and four assists to help push LA to victory.
Enes Kanter was in impressive form for the visitors as he went on to score 23 points and 14 rebounds, but it wasn't enough as the Clippers produced a game-changing third quarter to storm ahead of their opponents.
Down in Texas at the Toyota Center, the Houston Rockets turned in an efficient performance as they earned a 106-92 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, courtesy of a match-winning showing from Jeremy Lin.
Coming off the bench, Lin produced his first ever career triple-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, while James Harden scored a game-high 28 points on 10-for-17 shooting on his return from a bruised left thumb.
Luol Deng finished with 24 points to do his best to keep the Cavs in with a shout, as did Kyrie Irving, who chipped in with 21 points and seven assists.
However, it wasn't enough as the Rockets were also boosted by Dwight Howard, who added 26 points on 10-for-12 shooting and three blocks.
The hosts also had an outstanding defensive performance to thank in the shape of Patrick Beverley, who became the first NBA player to record at least 10 rebounds, eight assists, five steals and zero points in a game since steals became an official stat in the 1973-74 season.
At the Verizon Center, the Washington Wizards were in good spirits as they defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder with a 96-81 victory to end the visitors' 10-game winning streak.
John Wall was the standout performer for the Wizards having scored 17 points and 15 assists, while matching a career-high six steals in the match.
Kevin Durant scored a game-high 26 points on his return for the Thunder, but the NBA's leading scorer also missed all six of his 3-point attempts and went 8-for-21 overall as Oklahoma slumped to their joint-lowest points tally of the season.
Meanwhile, at the Palace of Auburn Hills, the Detroit Pistons surged to a 113-96 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, who were without their important rookie Michael-Carter Williams.
Guard Tony Wroten led the Sixers with 18 points, while reserve Elliot Williams and Evan Turner added 15 apiece, but it wasn't enough to stop the efforts of second-year center Andre Drummond and his frontcourt partner Greg Monroe, who notched scores of 20-plus each.
The FedExForum played host to a new history maker on Saturday evening as Nick Calathes helped lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 99-90 defeat of the Milwaukee Bucks, with the guard becoming the fourth Grizzlies' player to score 20 or more points on his first career start.
Elsewhere, the San Antonio Spurs prevented their worst losing streak in three years as they triumphed in a nail-biting 95-93 encounter with the Sacramento Kings, as Rudy Gay and Derrick Williams missed game-winning plays with only a few seconds to go for the hosts.
In another close encounter, the high-scoring Portland Trail Blazers edged out the Toronto Raptors with a 106-103 victory at the Moda Center where Damian Lillard grabbed a match-winning basket with just over 11 seconds to go.
The Bankers Field Lifehouse was to play host to perhaps the closest game of the night, as the Indiana Pacers picked up a thrilling 97-96 win over the Brooklyn Nets, with Paul George and Roy Hibbert combining for 40 points to lift the Pacers to victory.
The night's highest-scoring game saw the Atlanta Hawks earn a 120-113 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, thanks to the scoring efforts of Kyle Korver and Kevin Love.
Other standout results saw Miami Heat earn a 106-91 win over the New York Knicks, while hosts Phoenix Suns eased to a comfortable 105-95 win over the visiting Charlotte Bobcats.
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Results in full: Oklahoma City Thunder 81-96 Washington Wizards, Brooklyn Nets 96-97 Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers 96-113 Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves 113-120 Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls 79-88 Orlando Pelicans, Cleveland Cavaliers 92-106 Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks 90-99 Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat 106-91 New York Knicks, Sacramento Kings 93-95 San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Bobcats 95-105 Phoenix Suns, Toronto Raptors 103-106 Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz 87-102 Los Angeles Clippers
Christopher Dodd
