On Thursday, Jalen Johnson had a career-high of 30 points and made the go-ahead shot in the final quarter to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 141-133 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Johnson was responsible for 11 of Atlanta’s 50 points in the last quarter and his basket with 2:44 left secured the win. This was the highest-scoring fourth quarter for any NBA team this season. Johnson had an impressive performance, shooting 11-for-16 from the field, grabbing 15 rebounds, and making four assists. Trae Young also contributed with 27 points and 13 assists, while De’Andre Hunter scored 25 points off the bench. For the Bulls, Zach LaVine scored 37 points, Jevon Carter had 26 points off the bench, and Coby White added 23 points and nine assists.
In another game, the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied to beat the Indiana Pacers 120-114, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way with 45 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists. Jalen Williams had 20 points and Isaiah Hartenstein had 11 points and 13 rebounds. The Thunder sealed the win with an 8-0 run in the final minutes, despite Indiana shooting better overall.
In a high-scoring game, the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Toronto Raptors 155-126, with Jaren Jackson Jr. and rookie Zach Edey both recording 21-point double-doubles. Desmond Bane had 19 points, Jaylen Wells had 17 points, and Ja Morant had 15 points and nine assists for the Grizzlies. For the Raptors, RJ Barrett had 27 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds, while Scottie Barnes added 26 points and eight assists.
The Brooklyn Nets also had a comeback win, with Cameron Johnson scoring 29 points and Noah Clowney and Shake Milton adding 20 each in a 111-105 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. The Nets outscored the Bucks 35-23 in the final quarter and snapped a two-game losing streak. I
n a game that was never close, the Houston Rockets defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 128-111, with Jalen Green leading the way with 30 points and Cam Whitmore adding 27 points off the bench. The Rockets took control early and never looked back, winning their fourth straight game. For the Pelicans, Trey Murphy III had 21 points, while Dejounte Murray and Brandon Boston had 17 points each.
The Washington Wizards also had a late rally to defeat the Charlotte Hornets 113-110, with Jordan Poole hitting a game-winning 3-pointer with 8.7 seconds left. Poole had 25 points, while Bilal Coulibaly added 20 points for the Wizards. For the Hornets, LaMelo Ball had 31 points, Miles Bridges had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and Brandon Miller added 18 points.
