NBA scores 2017: Isaiah Thomas is a superstar, Celtics hold on to 2nd place in the East

Thomas took over in the fourth quarter again, scoring 24 of his 41 points.

Jan 31, 2017, 1:00 PM UTC

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Isaiah Thomas is now a legitimate superstar in the NBA. In a league that is filled with dominant performances, the 5'9 Thomas keeps delivering. On Monday, he finished with 41 points, eight assists, and two steals. He scored 24 points in the fourth quarter, marking the fourth time of the season he's scored more than 20 points in the final quarter. No other player in the league has done it once this season. To cement his superstar status even further, he went 15-of-15 from the free throw line.

Detroit had chances down the stretch to beat the Celtics but Thomas closed the door every time. The King of the Fourth is the most accurate nickname you could give this guy right now. He scored 24 points in the fourth quarter alone.

pic.twitter.com/GhY9C68dC8
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 31, 2017

It will be hard for Thomas to win MVP going against players like James Harden and Russell Westbrook but he is sure making a case with the season he is having. He’s currently averaging a career-high with 29.1 points per game. His highest scoring season prior was 2015-16 with 22.1 per game.

LeBron James isn’t enough, Cavaliers lose again

The Cavaliers are still in a weird place, losing seven of their last 11 games. LeBron put up another excellent night with 25 point, nine rebounds, and nine assists but it wasn’t enough as the Cavaliers fell to the 18-30 Mavericks.

The Cavaliers are about to fall to 8-9 for the month of January, the first full month going under .500 with LeBron since Dec. 2007.
— Tim Cato (@tim_cato) January 31, 2017

The Cavaliers are definitely going through some things. With injuries to J.R. Smith and now Kevin Love, it may be a while before they get back on track. It’s not time to hit the panic button yet, as the Cavs will still most likely reach the Finals again in June. Even with James, Love and Kyrie Irving playing in the All-Star Game, one can hope All-Star Weekend will provide them the rest they need for a chance to hit the reset button.

The Miami Heat have the longest win streak in the NBA

Yes, you read that correctly. Led by Eastern Conference player of the Week Dion Waiters, the Miami Heat have now won eight games in a row. This is also the longest winning streak of any Eastern Conference team this season. Erik Spoelstra has his team playing well and they’re having fun doing it.

"Rodney passed it to me off the rim perfectly." pic.twitter.com/aiYwEPBVe6
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 31, 2017

The Sixers won 10 games in January

This is impressive because the 76ers only won 10 games in the ENTIRE 2015-16 season. Win No. 10 this month was good enough to overcome a strong performance from DeMarcus Cousins, who finished with 46 points on 16 shots. He also had had 15 rebounds and five assists. The Sixers also did it without Joel Embiid. #TrustTheProcess #RaiseTheCat

Player of the night

Mike Conley scored a career-high 38 points against the Suns on Monday. He also had nine assists and six rebounds. Conley hit seven three-pointers on the night, shooting 70 percent from behind the arc.