Bernucca: Is Reckless Russell Becoming Relaxed Russell?

LINE OF THE WEEK: Stephen Curry, Golden State at New York, February 27: 48 minutes, 18-28 FGs, 11-13 3-pointers, 7-7 FTs, six rebounds, seven assists, three steals, four turnovers, 54 points in a 109-105 loss. It takes a lot to claim this spot when your team loses, and Curry did a lot. He never sat, led his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals, came within one of the NBA record for 3-pointers and established a career-high and a league season-high – all in The World’s Most Famous Arena.

LINE OF THE WEAK: Rudy Gay, Toronto vs. Washington, Feb. 25: 42 minutes, 1-11 FGs, 0-2 3-pointers, 5-6 FTs, six rebounds, four assists, four steals, one block, five turnovers, seven points in a 90-84 loss. The honeymoon ended for Gay in Toronto as he endured the worst shooting game of his career. The loss began a four-gme skid for the Raptors that has effectively ended their playoff hopes.

TRILLION WATCH: The zeros are coming fast and furious now, from everyone from raw rookies to seasoned veterans. On Tuesday, Hornets forward Lance Thomas had a 5 trillion vs. Brooklyn. On Wednesday, Kenyon Martin made his Knicks debut with a 5 trillion vs. Golden State and Bucks forward Ekpe Udoh had a 5 trillion at Houston. On Saturday, Raptors rookie Terrence Ross notched a 5 trillion at Milwaukee. And on Sunday, Pacers forward Sam Young had a 5 trillion vs. Chicago. All five came up well short of the season-high 11 trillion posted in January by Blazers rookie Will Barton, who had a 4 trillion Wednesday vs. Denver just to remind everyone what he is capable of.

GAME OF THE WEEK: Oklahoma City at New York, March 7. When the Knicks went with experience in revamping their roster last summer, it was teams like the coltish Thunder that would put them to the test. OKC also will be the rested team as New York plays Wednesday in Detroit. The outcome should tell you whether the Knicks are savvy or just old.

GAME OF THE WEAK: Phoenix at Sacramento, March 8. Is it just me, or does it seem like these teams play 20 times a year?

TWO MINUTES: The Wizards are 15-11 since Jan. 7, with wins over current playoff teams Oklahoma City, Atlanta, Chicago, the Clippers, New York, Brooklyn, Milwaukee, Denver and Houston. But that doesn’t mean everything is now hunky-dory in the nation’s capital. After Wednesday’s disappointing home loss to eminently beatable Detroit, coach Randy Wittman lit into his team, saying, “We were more caught up in ourselves as individuals than the team. That’s the bottom line. We got guys that hadn’t been in the rotation complaining. The older guys trying to help, and they won’t listen. And that just tells me, ‘I’m just worried about myself. I’m not worried about winning this game.’ … “It’s bizarre to me. They didn’t want to be coached. It was more about playing time, shots. Rather than, ‘What are we doing as a team and how am I playing while I’m out there?'” Wittman may have thought that element had been removed with the trade of Jordan Crawford, but apparently it still exists. … Kings guard Marcus Thornton’s 36 points in Tuesday’s double-overtime loss at Miami were the most by a reserve this season. Three nights later, Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler nearly caught him with 35 vs. Oklahoma City. … Maybe the Jazz should have dealt Al Jefferson or Paul Millsap at the trading deadline. With Millsap out Wednesday vs. Atlanta, Derrick Favors had 17 points, a season-high 15 rebounds and three blocks. With Millsap and Jefferson out Friday vs. Charlotte, Enes Kanter had 23 points and 22 boards, or two less than the Bobcats. … Here’s some interesting free-throw numbers since New Year’s Day: DeAndre Jordan is 39-of-102 (.382), Dwight Howard is 77-of-178 (.433), Josh Smith is 51-of-111 (.459) and Andre Iguodala is 48-of-99 (.485). Outstanding. … When LeBron James made just 4-of-14 shots Friday vs. Memphis, it marked just the second time this season he has shot less than 40 percent from the field. Among fellow top-five scorers, Kevin Durant has nine, Kobe Bryant has 14, Carmelo Anthony has 14 and James Harden has 18. Tyson Chandler, who leads the NBA in shooting percentage, has three. … Since trading J.J. Redick six games ago, every minute of playing time for the Magic has gone to players who were not with the team last season. … In a mere 3:13 span of the third quarter Sunday, Kings swingman John Salmons scored a staggering 19 points. He made two 3-pointers, two free throws, a long 2-pointer, a four-point play (drawing a foul from Bobcats rookie Jeffery Taylor), two more free throws and yet another three-pointer. … Since winning the Slam Dunk Contest, Raptors rookie Terrence Ross has five points on 2-of-11 shooting, no free throws and two rebounds in 41 minutes over five games. … When Bulls center Joakim Noah totaled 23 points, 21 rebounds and 11 blocks Thursday vs. Philadelphia, he became just the sixth player to go 20-20 with at least 10 blocks since blocks became an official stat in 1973. The others are Hakeem Olajuwon and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with two apiece and Shaquille O’Neal, Elvin Hayes and Shawn Bradley with one each. That’s exclusive company, but you have to wonder how many 20-20-10 games were rung up by Wilt Chamberlain – and to be fair, Bill Russell. … For the second straight year, the Thunder have brought in Derek Fisher to stabilize the point guard position and the locker room. Last year, Fisher was terrific for Oklahoma City, particularly in the playoffs, where he averaged 6.3 points, shot 38 percent (18-of-48) from the arc and did not miss a free throw (9-of-9). “Trust me, we’re not bringing him in here just to tell us good stories about Kobe and Shaq, how they won championships and he was the guy,” coach Scott Brooks said. “We’re not going to eat S’mores together. He’s going to play.” So far, not so much. Fisher did not score in 26 minutes over his first two games – 21 in garbage time of a blowout of New Orleans – and had a DNP-CD on Sunday. Expect that to change as Fisher gets into better shape and the playoffs approach.

Trivia Answer: Miami Heat. … Happy 47th Birthday, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson. … How can you not laugh at Russell Westbrook driving the ESPN motor home through a cornfield while wearing Jeff Van Gundy’s glasses?

Chris Bernucca is the managing editor of SheridanHoops.com. His columns appear Monday during the season. You can follow him on Twitter.