Rajon Rondo supplied a game-high 19 points, and the visiting Boston Celtics posted a 93-76 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Christmas Day. Rondo added six rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Celtics, who had entered the Barclays Center on a five-game road skid. Boston rookie Jared Sullinger made 6-of-7 field goals to finish with 16 points, while fellow reserve Jeff Green scored 15. Gerald Wallace and Brook Lopez had 15 points apiece for Brooklyn, which fell to 3-9 in December.
Final Score: LA Lakers 100, New York 94
Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - The top two scorers in the NBA engaged in a Christmas Day duel, but Kobe Bryant got the best of Carmelo Anthony this time around. Bryant registered his ninth straight 30-plus point game with 34 points and the Los Angeles Lakers avenged a loss to the Knicks earlier this month with a 100-94 triumph. New York routed Los Angeles, 116-107, on Dec. 13, but the Lakers were without Steve Nash and Pau Gasol. It was Los Angeles' last loss as it has bounced back with a season-high five-game winning streak. Nash tallied 16 points, 11 assists and six rebounds in his second game back since missing the previous 24 contests with a non-displaced fracture to his lower left leg on Oct. 31. Pau Gasol added 13 points, eight boards and six helpers in the win. Anthony equaled Bryant with 34 points for New York, which has dropped three of its last five contests to drop to 20-8 on the campaign. Bryant came in averaging 29.7 points per game, while Anthony has dropped in 28.3 points per contest.
Final Score: Miami 103, Oklahoma City 97
Miami, FL (Sports Network) - In their first matchup since June, the Heat once again proved to be too much for the Thunder to handle. Behind 29 points, nine assists and eight rebounds from LeBron James, the Miami Heat outlasted the Oklahoma City Thunder, 103-97, in a rematch of last season's NBA Finals. Dwyane Wade chipped in 21 points and Mario Chalmers poured in 20 for the Heat, who captured their fifth straight win. After having their 12-game win streak snapped by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, the Thunder have now dropped two in a row. Kevin Durant paced Oklahoma City with 33 points and seven rebounds while Russell Westbrook posted 21 points and 11 boards for the Thunder, who dropped their fifth straight contest to the Heat dating back to the 2012 NBA Finals. The Heat defeated the Thunder in five games during last season's championship round.
Final Score: Houston 120, Chicago 97
Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - All five Houston starters finished in double figures on Tuesday, led by James Harden's 26 points, as the Rockets routed the Chicago Bulls, 120-97, at United Center. Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin each recorded double-doubles in the victory, Houston's fourth in a row and sixth in its last seven games. Asik tallied 20 points and a game-high 18 rebounds, while Lin donated 20 points and 11 assists. Chandler Parsons poured in 23 points and Marcus Morris added 10 in the win. Nate Robinson came off the bench and scored a game-high 27 points, while Luol Deng added 14 points and five boards for the Bulls, who have lost two straight.
Final Score: LA Clippers 112, Denver 100
Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Jamal Crawford poured in 22 points off the bench, as the Los Angeles Clippers extended their franchise-record winning streak to 14 games on Tuesday with a 112-100 triumph over the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center. Matt Barnes also came off the bench and added 20 points, while Chris Paul finished with 14 points, eight assists and three steals for the Clippers, who own the best record in the NBA at 22-6. Kosta Koufos paced the Nuggets with 16 points and 10 rebounds and Ty Lawson chipped in 15 points and five assists in the setback, Denver's second in its last three games.
