Pistons ruin LeBron's birthday

The Detroit Pistons spoiled LeBron James birthday by defeating the Angeles Lakers at Crytom.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The Detroiters reasserted their lead in the NBA's Eastern Conference from the paint, where they managed to score 74 of 128 points.

The Lakers delivered another disappointing performance, raising doubts among their fans about the reliability and real chances of their franchise. Luka Doncic scored 30 points but with poor effectiveness from the field, connecting on nine of his 22 attempts.

LeBron, who turned 41, played 32 minutes in which he scored 17 points but struggled with the ball, committing five bad turnovers. The positive note for the James family was the participation of Bronny, eldest son of the four-time NBA champion, who entered to play the final minutes with the game decided, and managed two assists.

Rookie Edgecombe's three-pointer gives Sixers last-gasp win

A three-point shot by VJ Edgecombe with two seconds on the clock decided the game in favor of the Sixers, in what became a midseason classic against the Grizzlies at FedEx Forum (Memphis).

Edgecombe, 20 years old and in his first NBA season, played 41 minutes and knocked down five three-pointers on his way to 25 points.

"I feel very happy with the confidence of my teammates," Edgecombe said in remarks picked up by AFP. "They told me to go out there and make a difference on that play and that's what I was able to do. "We know what we are, we have to keep improving, this is a great win against a good team."

The win, however, wasn't just a matter of that last shot. The Philadelphia 76ers snapped a streak of three straight losses thanks to a spectacular game from Joel Embiid and Tyrese Makey, who were the top scorers with 34 points. Embiid finished with a double-double of 34 points and 10 rebounds while Maxey did it with 34 points and 12 assists.

For the Grizzlies, guard Ja Morant had his best night of the season with 40 points scoring on 16 of his 22 attempts from the field.

Celtics return to winning ways away from home

The Boston Celtics closed the month of December with a nine-game winning streak, five on the road, and three losses with a 129-119 victory over the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center (Salt Lake City).

Jaylen Brown completed a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds while Derrick White added 27 points and seven blocks, surpassing his six blocks in March 2019 against the San Antonio Spurs.

"Away games are complicated," White indicated. "It was a tough night from the three-line but we found a way to pull through. I'm just trying to help us win, seven blocks is kind of weird, I don't know what to say about that," he added with a chuckle.

Utah reached a 12-point lead in the first quarter but ended up allowing 40 points in the third, a key moment of the game for the visitors.

Boston reached 20 wins on the season and remains in third place in the Eastern Conference 4.5 games behind the leaders, Detroit Pistons.