Five-Star Review: The Mavericks' miraculous comeback

GAME OF THE NIGHT - MAVERICKS 111, BLAZERS 101 (OT) : The Mavs shouldn't have had a chance. They trailed 94-83 with two minutes left in the fourth quarter. That's when Portland got comfortable and Dallas got crazy. First there were 3s from Devin Harris and Chandler Parsons. Then came a Dirk Nowitzki jumper.

The Blazers should've still been comfortable with a five-point lead and a bit more than a minute left, but Damian Lillard had his pocket picked by Harris, who went coast to coast for a layup. After Lillard missed a 3-pointer, Nowitzki hit one to tie it:

It felt like Lillard might make a hero shot, but he proceeded to miss another 3-pointer. The Mavs ended regulation on a 13-2 run to force overtime.

In OT, Dallas took its first lead after halftime. It scored the first nine points of the extra frame. A little math tells us that's a 22-2 run.

This was partially a collapse by Portland, and partially just amazing perseverance from the Mavs. They had no business stealing this win, but it was a big one. These two teams are now neck-and-neck in the standings -- the Blazers are in fourth at 34-17; Dallas is in fifth at 35-18. Not a bad potential first-round series, I'd say.

THE CHANDLER PARSONS PROJECT: Without Rajon Rondo, Parsons did a lot of Dallas' playmaking down the stretch. He finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists and no turnovers, shooting 7-for-16 in 40 minutes. 

THE BROW IS VALUABLE, PLEASE DON'T LET HIM BE HURT: Anthony Davis gave the Pelicans a two-point lead over the Bulls when he finished an alley-oop on the break in the second quarter. It was tied when he checked out of the game with what the team is calling a right shoulder contusion a minute later. Without the superstar, New Orleans went on to lose 107-72. This should only strengthen Davis' case for MVP.

If you haven't heard by now, Davis hurt his shoulder after falling hard to the ground. He had to get X-rays, which were negative. Pelicans head coach Monty Williams told reporters "he's a bit sore right now" after the game. If you haven't seen it (and if you want to), here's the video:

Davis was +2 in his 13 minutes. None of his teammates had a positive plus-minus. The Pelicans' offense was tragic -- they shot 37.2 percent from the field, 4-for-17 from the 3-point line and 4-for-7 from the free throw line. That last stat isn't a typo; no New Orleans starter even got to the foul line.

For Chicago, Pau Gasol had a 20-point, 15-rebound night, which is pretty normal. Tony Snell scored 19 points on 10 shots, making five of his six 3-point attempts, which is not so normal.

GARBAGE TIME ALL-STAR: Whoa, E'Twaun Moore!

KNIGHTED: Brandon Knight lifted the Bucks over Boston. His line: 26 points, five assists, four rebounds, 9-for-17 shooting. He also hit by far the biggest shot of the game:

GIANNIS KEEPS BALLING: Giannis Antetokounmpo had set a new career high in scoring twice in a row before facing the Celtics. He didn't do that this time, but he did have 14 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, one steal and two blocks. He also had a pair of pretty sweet highlights, one on the offensive end and one on the defensive end:

12 WINS FOR PHILLY: Before the season started, I predicted that Philadelphia would win 12 games all season. In doing so, I was actually the most optimistic of the EOB team. Thanks to the Sixers' surprisingly strong defense and an 89-81 win over the Hornets, Brett Brown's bunch of mostly first- and second-year players have already reached that mark. I humbly apologize for underestimating them.

Philadelphia came back from a 16-point deficit with Tim Frazier playing point guard and missing all seven of his shots (but dishing eight assists in the second NBA game of his career). Robert Covington and Hollis Thompson combined for 40 points on 24 shots. Charlotte shot just 34.5 percent from the field. K.J. McDaniels was robbed of a block:

THE NETS ARE STILL AWFUL: Don't let Brooklyn fool you. Yeah, this team had won three straight games heading into its matchup with the Wizards. Yeah, Lionel Hollins' quotes had gone from grumpy to glowing. Yeah, these are still the Nets. 

Here's the good news for Brooklyn: Brook Lopez had 19 points on 8-for-15 shooting. That's it; everyone else was terrible. Washington won 114-77 and held the Nets to 83.1 points per 100 possessions, an unspeakably bad mark. 

THAT'S A WASTE OF BEER: This tray of beer did a great job sacrificing its body to take a charge on Nets big man Mason Plumlee (via Sports Illustrated's Ben Golliver):

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT: Marcin Gortat was really proud of the way the Wizards won. Really, really proud.

GOBBLE GOBBLE: Fun fact: back when Quincy Acy was playing AAU ball, his teammates nicknamed him the Cookie Monster. Do you want to see the New York Knicks forward eat Klay Thompson's dunk attempt? Of course you do.

That was part of a furious Knicks run that cut the Warriors' 26-point lead to just five. Stephen Curry put New York away in the end, though, and the final score was 106-92 for the team that won the Steve Kerr sweepstakes last summer.

SAVE US, GEORGE: The Kings went into Utah, head coach Tyrone Corbin's old stomping grounds, and lost by double digits. The final score was 102-90, but Sacramento trailed by as many as 23 points. 

Gordon Hayward killed the Kings, finishing with 30 points. He's been on an absolute tear for the Jazz, who shot 50 percent from the field and held Sacramento to 39 percent shooting. 

George Karl's going to fix the Kings though, isn't he?

Oh, wow, really? There's "rapidly diminishing belief" that he's taking over?

Sure, sounds about right.