There were only two games on Thursday, January 9, 2014, but the NBA provided no shortage of headlines.
A struggling squad upset the two-time defending champions, and a red-hot team from a cold-climate area made a statement against one of the top teams out West. If you gambled on the money line for NBA betting odds at TopBet.eu Sportsbook, you are 650 percent richer than you were when you placed your wager.
Here’s everything that you need to know about last night’s action.
1. In what would be the most shocking event of any night in 2013-14, the New York Knicks stunned the Miami Heat 102-92. Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points and Raymond Felton dished out 14 assists to overcome an effort by LeBron James that included 32 points and six turnovers.
The Knicks have won three in a row and four of five, with their only loss coming 102-100 at the Houston Rockets.
2. Quietly, but surely, Amar’e Stoudemire is having a very strong season in limited action. STAT took his success to a new level when he registered 14 points and 11 rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting in 27 minutes for the Knicks against the Heat.
It was Stoudemire’s first double-double since Game 4 of the 2012 NBA playoffs. That game was against the Heat, as well.
3. The Heat continue to have head-scratching struggles in the midst of another dominant season. Miami fell to 1-4 against the Knicks since the beginning of the 2012-13 season, and have lost seven games to teams with a record worse than .500.
Miami is also 27-9. The Knicks are 13-22. Take those woes with a grain of salt.
4. Randy Foye scored a season-high 24 points and Ty Lawson dished out 14 assists as the Denver Nuggets defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 101-88. After previously failing to hit the 20-point plateau a single time in 2013-14, Foye has ripped off 23 and 24 points in consecutive games.
Kevin Durant scored 30 points, but managed only six during the second half after scoring 24 through the first two quarters.
5. Durant, an entry into the rare 50-40-90 club in 2012-13, was just 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. This continues a trend in which the Thunder are 1-4 during the past five games that KD has attempted at least seven 3-point field goals.
Unfortunately, those five outings have come in the span of OKC’s past six overall outings.
Bonus Fact: After coming back to defeat Miami, the Knicks are 1-17 in games that they trailed at halftime.