Through all of the hype surrounding another Saturday of college football, the NBA put forth one of its best days of the young season. Rising stars erupted with monster performances, the last undefeated team was tested and the basketball community was exposed to the unpredictable nature of the regular season.
Here’s everything you need to know about the action from November 9, 2013.
1. The Indiana Pacers remain the only undefeated team in the NBA after moving to 7-0 with a 96-91 road victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Paul George led all scorers with 24 points, and has now topped 20 in all seven outings this year.
2. In one of the best position-specific and overall team battles we’ll see all season, Kyrie Irving led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 127-125 double-overtime victory over Michael Carter-Williams and the Philadelphia 76ers. Irving had 39 points, 12 assists and five rebounds, while Carter-Williams posted 21 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Dion Waiters added 24 points for the Cavaliers, while Thaddeus Young picked up 29 on 11-of-18 shooting.
3. During the Sixers’ loss, small forward Evan Turner scored 31 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Turner now has at least 20 points in six of the Sixers’ first seven outings and two consecutive double-doubles. “Draft bust” is sounding like a premature label for the fourth-year swingman.
4. In a meeting between two of the Western Conference’s top contenders, the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Houston Rockets 107-94. Blake Griffin and J.J. Redick both scored 22 points for the Clippers, while James Harden was 4-of-15 from the field and Dwight Howard scored 21 in the losing effort.
5. Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan have been the primary beneficiaries of the hiring of head coach Doc Rivers. Paul posted 14 points and 13 assists, while Jordan posted another dominant defensive stat line of 12 points, 18 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals.
Paul has a double-double in every game this year, while Jordan is averaging 11.0 points, 13.7 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.6 steals per contest.
6. Jeff Green hit a buzzer-beater to lead the Boston Celtics to a 111-110 victory over the bitter rival Miami Heat. Miami shot 57.7 percent from the field, committed just 10 turnovers, and made 23 free throws—14 more than the Celtics. The Heat still lost.
7. Elite big men squared off at Sleep Train Arena as the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Sacramento Kings 96-85. LaMarcus Aldridge led the Trail Blazers with 22 points and 14 rebounds, while DeMarcus Cousins finished with 33 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Kings.
8. In a meeting between shooting guards who swapped teams, Monta Ellis led the Dallas Mavericks to a 91-83 win over O.J. Mayo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Mayo dropped 28 points in a losing effort, while Ellis picked up 18 points, five assists and three steals.
9. After struggling to produce with a deep front court on the Utah Jazz, power forward Paul Millsap is proving that he’s an All-Star caliber player with the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta defeated the Orlando Magic 104-94 and Millsap posted 18 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks on 8-of-16 shooting from the field.
Millsap is now averaging 20.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, and has double-doubles in three straight outings.
10. All five starters were in double-figures as the Memphis Grizzlies dominated the Golden State Warriors 108-90 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee. Mike Miller added a season-high 15 points on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, giving him seven makes from three-point range during his past two games after converting five after his first four.
Bonus Fact: Tyler Hansbrough scored 23 points in 28 minutes as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Utah Jazz 115-91. Hansbrough topped the 20-point plateau just once in 2012-13.