LA Lakers 113, Cleveland 93: Hey, a win by the Lakers! Over one of the worst teams in the league! LA shot 58 percent from the field, Kobe only played 28 minutes, and the Lakers made more 3-pointers (13) than the Cavs made foul shots (11). Alonzo Gee(unit) did have a pretty rad dunk-back.

New York 100, New Orleans 87: Melo scored 27 points (on 25 shots) and Chris Copeland added 22. Now, the Knicks are off to London, where they’ll play Detroit. Why? Damn good question. Austin Rivers watch: The addition of Eric Gordon (along with Rivers’ struggles) means just 3:55 of court time for the lottery pick out of Duke. Unrelated, but is Nate Robinson aware of this Steve Novak interview?

Brooklyn 97, Indiana 86: Maybe firing Avery Johnson was the spark the Nets needed? Thanks to a dominant 4th quarter (28-11), Brooklyn won its 6th straight game to take over sole possession of 4th in the East. Deron Williams scored 22 points; Joe Johnson added 20. The Pacers are 3rd in the East, half a game up on the Nets. I greatly enjoy Gerald Green rising to dunk. Almost doesn’t look real.

Denver 116, Golden State 105: The Nuggets trailed the Warriors by eight headed into the 4th quarter, then the bench went bananas (Chandler 14, Brewer 13, Dre Miller 12 points, eight assists, six rebounds), and Golden State was outscored 37-18 on the road. Denver went on a 19-2 run to take control. The Nuggets, who have won five in a row, shot 14-for-20 in the final period.

San Antonio 106, Minnesota 88: Gotta keep your legs closed when Manu Ginobili is dribbling in the halfcourt. At 16-18 Minnesota isn’t out of the playoff race (yet), but you have to assume the Lakers/Jazz will continue to improve, and Kevin Love’s not coming back until after the All-Star break.