NBA schedule and results: Buzzer beaters, big conference wins highlight Friday night

The Cavs handled the Raptors in Toronto on Friday night, 105-91, to win their sixth straight. They haven’t lost since the 17-point drubbing on Nov. 22. And at 11-7, they’re just three games back of Toronto for the top spot in the East.

In the Nov. 22 matchup, Toronto got off to a slow start -- they were down by 18 points in the first quarter -- but stormed back and then some. The Raptors got off to a slow start again on Friday, but didn’t have the magic of the first meeting. They grabbed the lead at 58-57 early in the third quarter, but the Cavs responded with a 16-2 run. Then they pulled to within six with 5:46 to play, but James and Thompson took over down the stretch and the Cavs pulled away for a 14-point win.

Drill it down deeper, though, and it becomes murkier. The travel rule is often misunderstood to mean two steps and two steps only. In reality, the NBA rulebook states that you get two steps “upon completion of a dribble.” In layman’s terms: you get two steps and a “gather” step that covers the time between your last dribble and when you put your hand(s) over the ball to terminate that dribble.

But this rule was not designed with Greek Freaks in mind. For most players, the gather is easy to identify. They’re short and they’re dribbling low to the ground, so they aren’t taking long leaps between their final dribble and when they cup the ball. Giannis, though, is different. Not only is he tall with arms that extend across skyscrapers, but he has a really high dribble. The process of gathering the ball takes a lot longer than normal human beings, yet it happens so quickly because he’s also so fast.

And you thought all Giannis Antetokounmpo was good for was preposterous Eurosteps.

First a filthy, mean, mean, and very mean block on Jose Calderon. Then this game-winning drive:

The Hornets had led by 21 before the Knicks took the lead on this. Like we said yesterday, the Knicks find ways to lose.

Dallas has the league’s best offense because of the dizzying setup motion it uses to set up impossible-to-defend pick and rolls, most of which involve Dirk Nowitzki. Once the Mavericks get that motion started, there are too many options for defenses to read in an instant.

That’s why the key is doing what Eric Bledsoe does here. Rather than let Dallas freely run those options, he denies the automatic pass to Monta Ellis that’s supposed to get Dallas’ play started. The Mavericks are forced to audible to Chandler Parsons, and this (followed by a missed shot) happens.

Poor Jose had no idea it was coming, and just gets absolutely unloaded upon.

And we thought John Wall would have the No. 1 point guard block of the night.

It looks like Bradley got caught halfway between a dunk and a layup:

At least it wasn’t a potential game-winner, like Brandon Knight’s.

Despite playing in just 196 games with the franchise while leaving in somewhat surprising fashion in 2000 because of rumored jealously with Vince Carter’s rise, Tracy McGrady was honored by the Toronto Raptors during the first quarter of the team’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The crowd gave him a standing ovation after an introduction that lasted so long that McGrady needed to mix up his facial expressions.

This is all part of the franchise’s 20th anniversary festivities, during which they plan to honor several former players. Carter is already checked off. Maybe Acie Earl, Zan Tabak or Morris Peterson is next.

Injury to insult -- Wall kinda obliterates Wilson Chandler after the blokc.

If you watched Wizards-Nuggets on the Washington broadcast, you probably heard someone shouting the word “HAWK” loudly and repeatedly before the play started. But it’s not because they saw a bird flying around -- though that might be relevant in Atlanta. It actually refers to the play the Wizards were running.

“Hawk” is a very common NBA offense popularized by folks like Hubie Brown and Flip Saunders. Many teams use this kind of offense, but the Wizards, thanks to Saunders’ tenure there and the presence of former lead assistant Randy Wittman as the head man, do so more than most.

Memphis will need him. It has lost eight straight games to San Antonio dating back to their playoff clash in 2013, when the Spurs swept the Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals.

Here’s how to watch that showdown along with the rest of the Friday night slate.