Eastern Conference Recap, Dec. 31 Tyler Haliburton's 19th Double-Double Leads Indiana Pacers Past Los Angeles Clippers

Pacers win despite Paul George's 45 points

The Indiana Pacers have been on a roll of late. 

After a tough 131-130 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, they have now won three straight games. Myles Turner scored 34 points while Tyrese Haliburton had his 19th double-double of the season with 24 points, including 18 in the fourth quarter, and 10 assists. 

Paul George scored 45 points against his former team, the most he scored since Dec. 13, 2019.

NEXT PACERS GAME AGAINST THE HEAT: Feb. 8 at Miami

OTHER NOTES:

-The Brooklyn Nets are the hottest team in the NBA. With a 123-106 blowout victory over the Charlotte Hornets, they have won 11 straight games. It is their longest streak since the 2005-06 season when they won 14.

Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 28 points while Kevin Durant had 23. 

“Durant and Irving,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said before the game. “They’ve got a bunch of skilled veteran guys around them, so they play very smart; but it all starts with those two guys. And you can’t guard either one of them without a second defender, which is what NBA basketball is all about: Creating two to the ball. They’re a super high iso team. They play one-on-one a lot. They’re great at it.”

LaMelo Ball recorded his third straight double-double and sixth of the season with 23 points and 11 assists.

NEXT NETS GAME AGAINST THE HEAT: Jan. 8 at Miami

NEXT HORNETS GAME AGAINST THE HEAT: Jan. 29 in Charlotte

-The Cleveland Cavaliers broke a three-game losing streak with a 103-102 win over the Chicago Bulls

Playing without Darius Garland because of a thumb injury, Caris LeVert took his place and led all scorers with 23 points. DeMar DeRozan had 21 points to lead the Bulls while Zach LaVine struggled. He had 15 points but shot just 37 percent from the field and 33 percent from the 3-point line.

NEXT CAVALIERS GAME AGAINST THE HEAT: Jan. 31 in Cleveland

NEXT BULLS GAME AGAINST THE HEAT: Mar. 18 in Chicago

-After losing a season-high five games, the New York Knicks took advantage of going up against one of the worst teams. After a huge 108-88 win over the Houston Rockets, they moved above .500. Julius Randle had another big scoring night, scoring 35 points while grabbing 12 rebounds. It was his 19th double-double of the season. 

“He’s just had a monster month,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We’re asking him to do a lot, too. He’s scoring, he’s passing, he’s rebounding.”

Immanuel Quickley scored 27 while Kevin Porter Jr. led the Rockets with 23 and 10 rebounds.

NEXT KNICKS GAME AGAINST THE HEAT: Feb. 2 in New York

NEXT ROCKETS GAME AGAINST THE HEAT: Feb. 10 at Miami

-Anthony Edwards scored 30 points for a second straight night but it wasn’t enough to get the Minnesota Timberwolves past the Detroit Pistons. After beating the Timberwolves 116-104, the Pistons avoided a second straight loss. Bojan Bogdanovic led the Pistons with 28 points while all of their reserves scored in double-figures.

NEXT PISTONS GAME AGAINST THE HEAT: Mar. 19 in Detroit

-With James Harden out with a foot injury, Joel Embiid recorded his first triple-double of the season to lead the Philadelphia 76ers past the Oklahoma City Thunder 115-96. He had 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. He also had four blocks while Tobias Harris had 23 points. Josh Giddey led the Thunder with 20.

NEXT 76ERS GAME AGAINST THE HEAT: Feb. 27 in Philadelphia

NEXT THUNDER GAME AGAINST THE HEAT: Jan. 10 at Miami

Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog https://allball30.wordpress.com