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Before facing the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich laughed and promised his team would keep Luka Doncic under 50 points.<\/p>\n
“50 is our goal. We will keep Luca under 50,” he said.<\/p>\n
Doncic held 49 points before scoring 51 on two free throws with 4.5 seconds remaining. Dallas escaped with his 126-125 win and he led by as much as 17 points before collapsing in the second half.<\/p>\n
ESPN on Kayo Sports Watch an average of 9 LIVE NBA regular season games per week on ESPN on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now ><\/b><\/i><\/p>\n Sunday, January 1<\/p>\n Sunday, January 1<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Doncic added another 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 steals in another great performance, marking his third 50-point tally in five games (in just eight days) and the fourth of his career.<\/p>\n Doncic said he heard Popovich’s comments. I just wanted to win.”<\/p>\n But he said it wasn’t about personal milestones, but about breaking 50 points and proving Popovich wrong. not bad. “<\/p>\n The 23-year-old now has 40 or more points in 23 games, the most in Mavericks history.<\/p>\n Doncic deliberately missed a free throw to seal the game, regain the ball and time it.<\/p>\n Christian Wood praised his teammates and said:<\/p>\n The big problem for the Mavericks is that Doncic has repeatedly had to deliver incredible performances to get past a struggling team.<\/p>\n Today it was the Spurs, the bottom two team in the West.<\/p>\n Coach Jason Kidd declared: We ask too much of Luke. \u201d<\/p>\n Christian Wood has 25 points and seven rebounds, Tim Hardaway Jr. has 14 points and Spencer Dinwiddie has 11 points. But Doncic was once again burdened.<\/p>\n Doncic repeatedly talks about fatigue after every game, declaring he was “exhausted” after a win today, and last week after delivering a 60-point triple-double in overtime against a struggling opponent, he was “infernal.” I’m so tired,” said Knicks.<\/p>\n Dallas is now 21-16 after six wins in the trot, while the Spurs are 12-24.<\/p>\n Keldon Johnson led the Spurs with 30 points, Jeremy Sawchan had 20 points and Jakob Poeltl had 19 points and 14 rebounds. <\/p>\n Embiid breathes fire in the comfy Sixers<\/b><\/p>\n Joel Embiid had 16 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists as the Philadelphia 76ers led the entire game in a 115-96 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.<\/p>\n Embiid’s triple-double was the fifth of his career and was aided by Tobias Harris, who scored 16 points in the first 16 minutes.<\/p>\n The Sixers led by 26 points at halftime, with Harris finishing with 23 points.<\/p>\n “I realized I didn’t miss the shot in the first half, but in the second half I missed the first shot and that was it,” Harris said. \u201cWe were a little sluggish in the second half, but in the fourth quarter, I thought we had the energy and vigor to take the stops and finish the game the way we wanted to. and you can relax a little.”<\/p>\n Losing James Harden (managing a foot injury), the Sixers were boosted by strong performances from Shake Milton (18pts) and Deanthony Melton (17pts).<\/p>\n Australia’s Josh Guiddy had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Thunder, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had just 14 points on 4-of-15 shooting.<\/p>\n Heroic finish for heroes with HEAT WIN<\/b><\/p>\n Running and jumping on one leg, Tyler Herro hit a ridiculous buzzer-beater and hit a deep 3-pointer to give the Miami Heat a 126-123 win over the Utah Jazz.<\/p>\n Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 32 points, while Hero added 29 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Victor Oladipo also scored his 23 goals from the bench and Max Storath scored his 13. <\/p>\n PG Masterclass can’t stop the Pacers. 00:54<\/p>\n Other results<\/b><\/p>\n The Nets improved to 24-12, finishing second in the Eastern Conference and becoming the second club to reach 24 wins this season.<\/p>\n “Really, my message to the group before the game is let’s end the year in the right way. And it’s being taken care of. [this] game,\u201d said director Jack Vaughan. \u201cWhen we turn the page in 2023, [New Year\u2019s] There will be a solution, but it really is to keep this group here, play today’s game, win today’s game. \u201d<\/p>\n LaMelo Ball had 23 points and 11 assists, and Mason Plumlee added 22 points and 10 rebounds for Charlotte as they fell to 10-27.<\/p>\n At the other end of the spectrum, the Minnesota Timberwolves lost 116-104 at home to bottom-of-the-league Detroit (10-29), losing six in a row.<\/p>\n Bojan Bogdanovic led the Pistons with 28 points before Anthony Edwards scored 30 in the loss.<\/p>\n Ja Morant scored 32 points as the hosts Memphis Grizzlies beat New Orleans 116-101. New Zealand’s Steven Adams scored his 21st goal in Memphis (22-13) as his Westerns drew their conference leaders Denver.<\/p>\n Zion Williamson scored 20 points (23-13) to lead the Pelicans, half a game behind Denver.<\/p>\n Julius Randle scored 35 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead New York’s 108-88 runaway run in Houston, breaking the Knicks’ five-game losing streak.<\/p>\n Caris Levert scored 23 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers thrashed Chicago, 103-102, on their third straight loss. That’s when DeMar DeRozan missed the Bulls’ winning jump shot at the buzzer.<\/p>\n Myles Turner scored 34 and Tyrese Haliburton scored 24 as the Indiana Pacers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 131-130. Chris Paul scored his game-high 45 points with the Clippers.<\/p>\n full result<\/b><\/p>\n Pacers 131-130 Clippers Rockets 88-108 Knicks<\/p>\n Bills 102-103 Cavaliers<\/p>\n Hornets 106-123 Net<\/p>\n Spurs 125-126 Mavericks<\/p>\n Grizzlies 116-101 Pelicans<\/p>\n Timberwolves 104-116 Pistons<\/p>\n Thunder 96-115 76ers<\/p>\n Jazz 123-126 Heat<\/p>\n