Scores and performances from around the NBA.

This is one of the most interesting times of the year in the NBA. We are past the All-Star break and the trade deadline and things are starting to heat up. While some teams are beginning to tune up for the postseason, others aren’t guaranteed a spot and are fighting for playoff positions. A good group of teams know that this is about pride at this point and will give their opponents everything they have regardless of playoff hopes or records.

Check out our NBA Friday night recap.

Magic 129, Knicks 121

Two days after the Knicks picked up a necessary victory in New Orleans, the Knicks had another must win game last night against a lesser Magic team. The Knicks couldn’t pull out the victory in double overtime as Orlando gave them everything they had last night.

Carmelo Anthony finished with an incredible 44 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks. Victor Oladipo flirted with a triple double with 30 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds for the Magic. Aaron Afflalo finished the game with 32 points.

With 27 games remaining, the Knicks need to focus if they have any hopes of making the playoffs this year as they sit 4.5 games outside of the 8 seed in the East.

The Magic improve to 17-40 and the Knicks drop to 21-34.

Suns 106, Spurs 89

Any win against the Spurs is a legit win, and the Phoenix Suns continue to be the surprise team of the NBA this season. The Suns picked up a definitive 17 point victory over the defending Western Conference champion Spurs.

Markieff Morris led the Suns with 21 points. Tim Duncan added 13 for the Spurs.

The Suns improve to 33-21 and the Spurs fall to 40-16

Grizzlies 102, Clippers 96

The Clippers are another team that needs to focus in their final stretch of games. They will be in the playoffs, but the battle for seeds in the West is heating up as every game is important going forward. The Grizzlies picked up a necessary home win as they sit two games outside of the 8 seed in the West.

Chris Paul finished the game with 18 points and 14 assists. Blake Griffin led the Clippers in scoring with 28 points. Zach Randolph led the Grizzlies with 21 points and 11 rebounds.

The Grizzlies improve to 31-23 and the Clippers fall to 37-20.

Lakers 101, Celtics 92

An interesting fact going into last nights game about the two historic franchises: the Lakers and Celtics had a combined record of 37-72 this season (.339), which is their lowest combined win % in their history. Says a lot about the changed times in the NBA.

The Lakers picked up a rare and much needed home victory against a struggling Celtics team. With some new players in Kent Bazemore and Marshawn Brooks from a trade with the Golden State Warriros, the Lakers picked up some guys with a much needed change of scenery.

Bazemore contributed 15 points in the win. Chris Kaman led the Lakers with 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Brandon Bass led the Celtics with 20 points and eight rebounds.

The Lakers improve to 19-36 and the Celtics fall to 19-37.

Raptors 98, Cavaliers 91

The Raptors picked up a much needed home win against the Cavs. Cleveland could have used this win as well as they are fighting for a playoff spot, currently four games behind the Hawks for the 8 seed after last nights loss.

Terrence Ross led the Raptors with 20 points. Luol Deng scored 21 for the Cavs in the loss.

The Raptors improve to 30-25 and the Cavaliers fall to 22-34.

Blazers 102, Jazz 94

The Blazers are another team fighting for playoff position as they currently sit in 5th place in the West following their hot start to the season. They picked up a key victory at home against a struggling but hard working Jazz squad.

Damian Lillard torched the Jazz for 28 points. Robin Lopez was a force in the paint for the Blazers with 12 points and 18 rebounds. Enes Kanter led the Jazz with 25 points and 10 rebounds.

The Blazers improve to 37-18 and the Jazz fall to 19-35.

Bobcats 90, Pelicans 87

Unlike the New York Knicks, the Charlotte Bobcats continue to win the games they are supposed to win as the remainder of their season is a fight for their playoff lives as well. The Bobcats picked up their third straight victory against a rallying Pelicans team.

Al Jefferson had a monster game for the Bobcats with 33 points and 10 rebounds. Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 18 points and 13 rebounds.

The Bobcats improve to 26-30 and the Pelicans drop to 23-31.

Mavericks 124, Sixers 112

In a matchup of two teams going in completely different directions, the Mavericks finished off a Sixers team that has lost 10 straight games. The Mavs picked up a much needed road win as they currently sit in the 8 seed out West.

Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavs with 25 points and seven rebounds. Thaddeus Young led the struggling Sixers with 30 points and 13 rebounds.

The Mavericks improve to 33-23 and the Sixers fall to 15-41.

Bulls 117, Nuggets 89

The Bulls and the Suns have been the surprise teams in their respective conferences this year. Coach Thibodeau has done an incredible job coaching this team and continuing the winning ways without former MVP Derrick Rose.

D.J. Augustin finished the game with 23 points and eight assists for the Bulls. Randy Foye led the Nuggets with 23 points.

The Bulls improve to 29-25 and the Nuggets drop to 25-29.

Pistons 115, Hawks 107

The Hawks have become one of the most disappointing teams in the league over the past month. After their hot start, Hawks fans had hope in this team as they picked up some big wins early on. The team is currently on an eight game skid and a loss to the struggling Pistons has to be a confidence killer at this point.

On the other hand, it looks like Detroit is starting to pick up some momentum late in the season. They currently sit 2.5 games behind the Hawks for the 8 seed in the East. If this talented bunch can get a run going and squeeze into the playoffs, they might be able to give the Pacers or the Heat a nice warm up in the first round as the 7 or 8 seed.

Greg Monroe led the Pistons with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Paul Millsap led the Hawks with 23 points and eight rebounds.

The Pistons improve to 23-32 and the Hawks drop to 25-29.

-Patrick Hazel (@pattywack25)