Football season is over, but the NBA took the sports world by storm with an action-packed evening. Superstars took center stage with big performances, a woeful franchise reached unfamiliar heights of success and two rising stars at power forward dueled.
Here’s everything that you need to know about last night’s action.
1. Kevin Durant posted 31 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, one block and a steal to guide the Oklahoma City Thunder to an 86-77 victory over the red-hot Memphis Grizzlies. It was Durant’s 30th 30-point game of the season and his 14th since January 4.
The player with the second-most 30-point games in all of 2013-14 is LeBron James with 16.
2. Danny Granger scored a season-high 16 points as the Indiana Pacers defeated the Orlando Magic 98-79. Lance Stephenson added 15 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, one block and a steal for his 15th double-double of the season.
No other shooting guard has more than seven double-doubles—eight less than Stephenson—but he isn’t an All-Star.
3. John Wall scored 22 points and Trevor Ariza added 20 to help the Washington Wizards upset the Portland Trail Blazers 100-90. Kevin Seraphin put up a season-high 19 points off of the bench to counter 20 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and a block from LaMarcus Aldridge, and 25 points from Damian Lillard.
With the win, the Wizards have moved above .500 for the first time since they were 2-1 on October 31, 2009.
4. Dwyane Wade put up 30 points and 10 rebounds on 13-of-19 shooting as the Miami Heat held off the Detroit Pistons 102-96. It was Wade’s first double-digit rebounding performance since Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals, and his first outing with at least 30 and 10 since March 4, 2013.
LeBron James added 24 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals, and Brandon Jennings scored 26 for Detroit.
5. The New York Knicks continued their woeful season with a 101-98 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Carmelo Anthony scored 36 points on 13-of-25 shooting and J.R. Smith was 9-of-17 for a season-high 30, but New York couldn’t hold off the Bucks.
After going 54-28 in 2012-13, the Knicks are 19-29 in 2013-14.
6. The Dallas Mavericks absolutely decimated the Cleveland Cavaliers in a meeting of teams heading in different directions, taking it 124-107. Dirk Nowitzki scored 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting and Monta Ellis had 22 with seven assists on a mark of 8-of-12 from the field.
Jose Calderon recorded his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 assists to counter 27 points from Kyrie Irving.
7. Kenneth Faried and Blake Griffin dueled at the Pepsi Center as the Denver Nuggets escaped the Los Angeles Clippers 116-115. Faried was 11-of-13 for 28 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks, while Griffin went 13-of-21 for 36 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.
In the end, it was Randy Foye’s first career buzzer-beater that helped Denver snap a stretch of six losses in nine games.
8. Shaun Livingston stuffed the stat sheet and Paul Pierce torched the free throw line as the Brooklyn Nets defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 108-102. Pierce scored 25 points on a perfect 14-of-14 shooting from the charity stripe, while Livingston had 13 points, eight assists, six rebounds and seven steals.
Livingston joins Michael Carter-Williams, Dwyane Wade and Thaddeus Young as the only players to record at least seven steals in one game during the 2013-14 season.
9. The Toronto Raptors moved to four games above .500 with a 94-79 road victory over the Utah Jazz. All-Star swingman DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points and Jonas Valanciunas put up 18 and nine rebounds to help the Raptors earn the W.
Toronto is 14-12 on the road after going 13-28 away from home in 2012-13.
10. DeMarcus Cousins returned from a six-game injury absence to help the Sacramento Kings end a seven-game losing streak with a 99-70 win over the Chicago Bulls. Cousins erupted for 25 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and one block, and Isaiah Thomas added 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting.
Joakim Noah’s career-best double-digit rebounding streak ended at 18 consecutive games when he was ejected in the third quarter.
Bonus Facts
- The Wizards had been at or below .500 for 355 consecutive games before last night’s win over the Trail Blazers.
- Tony Parker scored 32 points and Tim Duncan put up 21 to lead the San Antonio Spurs past the New Orleans Pelicans 102-95.
- Home teams went 9-2.