After two days with limited action, the NBA returned with a heavy slate of games featuring 18 teams in the pursuit of the postseason. There was an injury to a rising star, a breakout performance by an embattled player, and a meeting between two of the Western Conference’s hottest young teams.
Here’s everything that you need to know about last night’s action.
1. LeBron James passed both Larry Bird and Gary Payton to move into 28th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. James finished with 33 points, eight rebounds and eight assists on 12-of-13 shooting from the field, 4-of-9 from 3-point range and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe.
LeBron has scored 21,819 career points. The King is 376 behind Clyde Drexler for No. 28.
2. LeBron may have taken the record, but it was the Sacramento Kings that earned the 108-103 overtime win over the Heat. DeMarcus Cousins led the charge with 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and two steals, while Isaiah Thomas tallied 22 points, 11 assists, seven boards and a swipe. Rudy Gay had 26 points on 11-of-19 shooting.
James hit three 3-pointers in the final minute, but it wasn’t enough for the win.
3. Stephen Curry tallied 14 points, 16 assists, 13 rebounds, a steal and seven turnovers to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 115-86 destruction of the Phoenix Suns. It was Curry’s third career triple-double and the second of the 2013-14 season.
Curry finished at 5-of-17 shooting from the field, bringing his total to 20-of-63 during his past four games.
4. Tyreke Evans posted 19 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and two assists as the New Orleans Pelicans took down the Denver Nuggets 105-89. It marked Evans’ second consecutive double-double and his third in four games.
The last time that Evans posted double-doubles in consecutive outings was March 31, 2010.
5. The Oklahoma City Thunder won their first game without Russell Westbrook behind 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists from Kevin Durant. Oklahoma City went on the road to win 89-85 over the Charlotte Bobcats, who had the opportunity to become the fourth team in the Eastern Conference to reach .500.
In his first start in Westbrook’s place, Reggie Jackson tallied 10 points, six rebounds, three assists and a steal on 4-of-19 shooting from the field and 1-of-5 from 3-point range.
6. The Brooklyn Nets snapped a four-game losing streak with a 104-93 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Brooklyn went small-ball with two point guards in Deron Williams and Shaun Livingston, a shooting guard in Joe Johnson, a small forward in Paul Pierce and a hybrid interior force in Kevin Garnett.
Bucks rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo registered his first career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds on 5-of-12 shooting from the field and 1-of-5 from 3-point range in the loss.
7. Victor Oladipo registered his second career double-double with 16 points, 11 assists, five rebounds and a steal as the Orlando Magic defeated the Detroit Pistons 109-92. During the loss, Pistons point guards Brandon Jennings (21 points and eight assists) and Will Bynum (18) combined for 39 points on 15-of-29 shooting.
Detroit’s front court of Andre Drummond, Greg Monroe and Josh Smith posted a collective 21 points on 10-of-34 shooting.
8. In a battle between two of the most promising young teams in the NBA, the Minnesota Timberwolves demolished the Washington Wizards by a score of 120-98. Kevin Love had 25 points and 11 rebounds to out-duel John Wall, who finished with 26 points and seven assists.
Love has at least 25 points and eight rebounds in nine straight games. That’s the longest streak since Shaquille O’Neal did it in 12 straight during the 2000-01 season.
9. Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the New York Knicks blew a fourth quarter lead and found a way to lose a home game. The Toronto Raptors outscored New York 29-12 in the final period of play en route to a 95-83 victory at Madison Square Garden.
New York falls to 9-20 and 4-12 at home. The Knicks were 42-11 during home games under Mike Woodson entering the 2013-14 season.
10. Chris Kaman posted a season-high 19 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, but it went to waste as the Los Angeles Lakers fell 105-103 to the Utah Jazz. Derrick Favors finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds, Gordon Hayward tallied 24, nine assists and five rebounds, and Trey Burke tallied 14 points and seven dimes for Utah.
Favors scored the game-winning put-back with two seconds left on the clock to send L.A. to its fourth straight loss.
Bonus Fact: Bradley Beal left the Wizards’ loss late in the fourth quarter with an apparent leg injury. He needed to be carried off of the court.
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