Friday, November 8, 2013 was one of the most action-packed days of the young 2013-14 NBA regular season. 24 teams were in action in 12 games, and as has been the case during the opening month of basketball, the unpredictable continued to transpire.
Here’s everything you need to know about what was nothing short of a brilliant display of basketball prowess.
1. Kevin Love continues to be the most offensively dynamic big man in the NBA. He put up 32 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists and a block on 12-of-21 shooting from the field, 3-of-6 from three-point range and 5-of-5 from the free throw line as the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Dallas Mavericks 116-108.
Love joined Larry Bird, Vince Carter and Dirk Nowitzki as the only players to tally at least 30 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists, and three three-point field goals in one game. You shouldn’t be surprised.
Kevin Martin dropped 32 for the T-Wolves, as well.
2. Anthony Davis continued his superstar-caliber start, going off for a career-high 32 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, six blocks and one steal during the New Orleans Pelicans’ 96-85 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Jrue Holiday added 13 points, 13 assists and four steals.
3. Kevin Durant exploded for 37 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a block as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Detroit Pistons 119-110. Rookie big man Steven Adams added career-highs of 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Russell Westbrook scored 20.
4. In the losing effort, the Pistons received its most balanced effort yet from its revamped roster. Josh Smith scored 25 points, Brandon Jennings had 22 and 11 assists, and Greg Monroe posted 20 points and 15 boards.
5. Speaking of the stars aligning, the Washington Wizards defeated the Brooklyn Nets 112-108 in overtime. Bradley Beal scored 29 points, Nene Hilario put up 20, John Wall tallied 17 points, 14 assists and four steals, and Marcin Gortat added 15 points and 12 boards.
6. Luol Deng flirted with a triple-double, dropping 19 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and five steals as the Chicago Bulls demolished the Utah Jazz 97-73. Carlos Boozer added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Derrick Rose had 12 points and five assists in 27 minutes.
7. The Philadelphia 76ers earned a 94-79 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers behind another big performance by Evan Turner. The former Ohio State star had 22 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and a steal to lead the Turner now has at least 20 points in five of his first six games. The Sixers are 4-2.
8. Miles Plumlee had zero double-doubles during his rookie season in 2012-13. Last night, he registered his third double-double of the season with 18 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks as the Phoenix Suns defeated the Denver Nuggets 114-103.
9. Fellow Suns big man Markieff Morris had 28 points and 10 rebounds. He now has at least 20 and 10 in back-to-back games after failing to do it a single time during his first two years in the league.
Markieff’s brother Marcus Morris had 11 points and eight rebounds in 26 minutes.
10. The Sacramento Kings lost 104-91 to the Portland Trail Blazers, but DeMarcus Cousins went off for 35 points, nine rebounds, an assist, four steals and one block. Cousins scored 19 total points in his previous two appearances.
Bonus Fact: In their first game without Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors lost 76-74 to the San Antonio Spurs. Golden State still managed to hit eight three-pointers, but committed 19 turnovers and shot 40.8 percent from the field.