While there were six games on the NBA schedule Monday night, all the headlines came from just three.
John Wall had two words to say — max contract — while the Miami Heat looked to extend their historic winning streak to 27 games against the Orlando Magic and the Denver Nuggets (quietly flying under the radar) tried to break their 15-game winning streak — tied for the most in franchise history — against the New Orleans Hornets.
Onto the facts.
1. John Wall’s virtuoso performance was the story of the night. In a 107-94 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, Wall posted a career-high 47 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and two blocks. He did so on just 22 shots and made 19-of-24 free throws. Washington is now 21-16 since Wall’s return, which is so significant because they started the season 5-28 without him.
2. Where did this outburst come from? According to ESPN Stats & Information, Wall found particular success on isolation plays where he tallied 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting (7-of-8 free throws). John Wall is the first player to record at least 47 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds in a game since LeBron James recorded 51 points, 8 assists and 11 rebounds on February 3, 2011 against the Magic.
3. It wasn’t all John Wall around the NBA Monday night though, because, of course, the Miami Heat were playing. The Heat dispatched of the Orlando Magic 108-94 behind 24 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds from LeBron James. According to ESPN Stats & Information, With Dwyane Wade out of the game, LeBron James and Chris Bosh combined for 30 of the team’s 78 field goal attempts. Tobias Harris was the primary defender for 13 of the attempts and was able to hold his own against the James and Bosh duo. They shot just 15.4 percent against Harris, but over 64 percent against the rest of the Magic. Tobias Harris seems to be making quite the name for himself since getting an opportunity with the Magic.
4. So many people are wondering how the Heat made such a big leap this year with relatively the same roster. While a ton of credit must be given to the players for individually and collectively improving after a championship season, their advancements in scheme have also played a large part, especially in their 27-game winning streak. The Heat were 10-of-16 on corner three-pointers Monday against the Magic. Both the makes and the attempts from this area were tied for the second most by the Heat this season. The corner three is part of the Heat’s new and improved look this season.
5. While Miami successfully extended its winning streak, the Denver Nuggets failed to extend theirs, falling at New Orleans 110-86. The Nuggets were flat, tired, out of sync and without their star point guard, Ty Lawson. This was all reflected by the final score and a 24-point loss. A double-figure end to Denver’s win-streak was only fitting, though. According to ESPN Stats & Information, including the franchise’s ABA history from 1967-76, Denver has had four regular season winning streaks of 11 games or more all-time. Those four winning streaks all ended with double-figure losses of 17 points or more.
Ben Baroff is a basketball journalist who blogs for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter here.