NBA scores 2017: Isaiah Thomas is proving everything asked of him with the Celtics

Thomas somehow keeps adding to his already sensational season.

Jan 12, 2017, 1:00 PM UTC

NBA: Washington Wizards at Boston Celtics

Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Isaiah Thomas isn’t proving anything anymore, because what else is there to prove? That he can win in the postseason, and be the leading scorer on a team that wins series, maybe, sure. But that’s months away still. Right now, Thomas has done everything he can ... and somehow, he finds a way to do more.

For three quarters in Wednesday’s 117-108 win against the Wizards, Thomas was good. He had scored 18 points and the Celtics entered the fourth trailing Washington by two, which was definitely fine.Thomas proceeded to score 20 points in those final 12 minutes alone, finishing with 38 overall, and the Wizards couldn’t f--- with him.

The context of those comments was a bizarre altercation where Jae Crowder poked John Wall in the face immediately following the game, causing the two teams to scuffle (if you can even call it that) and a bunch of bad words being thrown around. Thomas’ point rings true regardless, though. It’s how they described Iverson back in the day, and Thomas is clearly having an Iverson-like season.

It does feel like Thomas had been proving himself for years now. At 5’9, he was always questioned about his height, and whether he could make it work in the NBA. In Sacramento, despite arguably being DeMarcus Cousins’ best teammate so far in his career, he was unceremoniously jettisoned. In Boston, the talk about bringing in a real superstar has always had an extra emphasis on the “real.” The implication, however unstated, was clear: Thomas wasn’t one, and he wasn’t going to become one.

What more do you want from him now? He’s averaging 28.2 points on 45.6 percent shooting while hitting 37.8 percent of his threes. Is there really anything more you can ask for? He’s dishing 6.1 assists and only turning the ball over 2.3 times when other high-usage stars average more than four without anyone batting an eye. What else can Thomas prove to us? He dropped 52 points back in December, the fifth Celtic to record such a feat, and now he’s scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter to led Boston to a win over a division rival. All Thomas needed was to be wanted.

Thomas is an anomaly, sure. He shouldn’t be playing like he is, and he’s breaking all the rules. But he’s proven that he can do all those things repeatedly. He has scored at least 20 points in 23 straight games. Hell, if you want to talk about improbable, talk about his Wednesday scoring burst started on a tip-in offensive rebound.

That’s Thomas. To anyone who is still doubting him, just know he still hasn’t failed to prove someone wrong.

The Rockets’ win streak is over at nine

Houston won its first 10 games in December. That will remain their longest winning streak of the season, as they fell a game shy of tying it in a 119-105 loss to the Timberwolves on Wednesday.

It was the Rockets’ third game in four nights, and their fifth in seven, which included an international trip to Toronto. Houston beat the Thunder, and then the Magic, and the Raptors, and then the Hornets. Watching them fall to Minnesota, you felt tired for them.

The Rocket’s defense had been remarkable since the start of December, but the team let the Timberwolves shoot 54 percent against them, including 51 points combined from Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. While James Harden managed a 33-point, 12-assist, six-rebound performance, it came with six turnovers and nine missed threes. Overall, the Rockets’ 15-of-42 shooting behind the arc wasn’t enough to make up for 41 percent shooting overall from the field.

This happens. Win streaks don’t last forever. The Rockets weren’t close to their franchise record, anyway — a 22-game winning streak recorded back in 2008. And there’s a pretty good chance they push towards about double-digit streak this year, to be honest.

The Knicks blew a 10-point lead with two minutes left to the 76ers

Here’s how it happened. Basically, it took a lot of Joel Embiid, including a banked three from the top of the key, as well as Kristaps Porzingis not just missing, but airballing a wide-open dagger three-pointer from the corner with seconds left in the game that gave Philadelphia a clean fast break. The game ended in a game-winning buzzer beater, which, speaking of ...