If you were looking for competitive basketball, then you likely went to sleep in a mood of disgust after Thursday, December 5. Six teams took center stage, and when it was all said and done, all three games were decided by at least 20 points.
Here’s everything you need to know about this ugly night in the NBA.
1. Doc Rivers earned his 600th career victory as the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 101-81. Rivers becomes the third active coach with at least 600 victories. Rick Adelman with 1,011 and Gregg Popovich with 920 are the others.
2. The Chicago Bulls stole the show with a 107-87 decimation of the Miami Heat with both LeBron James and Chris Bosh seeing starter’s minutes. Carlos Boozer led all scorers with 27 points, Joakim Noah put up 17 and 15 rebounds, and Luol Deng held LeBron to 7-of-17 shooting from the field.
Chicago nearly doubled Miami up on the glass, earning a rebounding margin of 49 to 27. The Bulls also made 10 3-point field goals on 52.6 percent shooting, while Miami converted six on 27.3 percent shooting.
Derrick Rose may be done for the season, but Chicago reminded the NBA community of one very important truth: star power means close to nothing during rivalry games.
3. Miami’s 20-point loss to Chicago was the second-worst defeat of the LeBron James era.
4. The New York Knicks demolished the Brooklyn Nets by a score of 113-83 at Barclays Center. Six Knicks were in double-figures, and no one on the team attempted more than 13 field goals. As a unit, New York converted 16 3-pointers.
Most impressively, Carmelo Anthony put up 19 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and one block on 8-of-12 shooting. It was just the third time all season that ‘Melo has registered at least five assists.
5. The 30-point victory was the largest margin that the Knicks have earned over the Nets since April 21, 1993. It also marked Brooklyn’s second consecutive 20-point loss, which is a first for the franchise.
Bonus Fact: During the first half of the Heat versus Bulls game, Joakim Noah single-handedly out-rebounded the Heat 10-9.