Monday, January 20, 2014 was the dawn of a new day in the Eastern Conference, as the widespread putrid performances became slightly easier to stomach. Two more teams reached .500, bringing the total to six teams at or better than the even mark.
Here’s more information on that and everything else you need to know about last night’s NBA action.
1. Chandler Parsons dropped 31 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks as the Houston Rockets defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 126-113. Dwight Howard added 24 points and 12 rebounds as Houston overcame 27 points and 20 rebounds from LaMarcus Aldridge.
Aldridge has three games with at least 25 points and 20 rebounds. The rest of the NBA has combined for three.
2. The Indiana Pacers went on the road and earned a statement win over the Golden State Warriors, 102-94. Paul George scored 23 points and both Roy Hibbert and Lance Stephenson recorded double-doubles as the Pacers held the Warriors to 40.7 percent shooting from the floor and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Indiana has won five straight games and is a league-best 33-7.
3. Behind 26 points from All-Star candidate Paul Millsap and a career-high 17 from Pero Antic, the Atlanta Hawks upset the Miami Heat 121-114. The win moved Atlanta to 21-19 overall and 15-6 at home, which are both the third-best records in the Eastern Conference.
LeBron James scored 30 points and Chris Bosh added 21, but Dwyane Wade’s absence was clearly a factor. Miami fell to 5-6 in games played without D-Wade.
4. Anthony Davis and Zach Randolph had one of the better position duels of the season as the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 95-92. Davis continued his sensational campaign with 27 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, four blocks and four steals. Z-Bo had 23 points, 20 rebounds and three assists.
Davis joins Kevin Durant as the only player to record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and four steals in the same game this season.
5. Jamal Crawford scored 26 points, Blake Griffin posted 25 and J.J. Redick added 20 on 5-of-9 shooting as the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Detroit Pistons 112-103. DeAndre Jordan dominated down low with 16 points, 21 rebounds and four blocks on 8-of-11 shooting from the field.
L.A. improved to 7-2 in Chris Paul’s absence, 29-14 overall and an even 11-11 on the road.
6. The Brooklyn Nets improved to an NBA-best 7-1 during the month of January with a 103-80 road decimation of the New York Knicks. Joe Johnson scored 25 points and Andray Blatche posted 19 and 12 rebounds as Brooklyn secured its second-largest road victory over the Knicks in the history of the rivalry.
Deron Williams returned from injury to score 13 points in his first appearance off of the bench since February 22, 2006.
7. Al Jefferson erupted for 22 points, 19 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks to lead the Charlotte Bobcats to a 100-95 win over the Toronto Raptors. Ramon Sessions scored 23 points in a start for the injured Kemba Walker, which helped Charlotte overcome 25 points from DeMar DeRozan and 21 from Kyle Lowry.
As for Jefferson, he’s the first player in the Bobcats’ brief franchise history to post at least 22 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists in the same game.
8. Bradley Beal flirted with a triple-double as the Washington Wizards moved back to .500 with a 107-99 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Beal finished with 22 points and season-high marks of nine rebounds and eight assists to counter 31 points from Philly’s Michael Carter-Williams.
Marcin Gortat added 19 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks for Washington. In 23 minutes.
9. Dirk Nowitzki recorded his second double-double of the season as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 102-97. Tristan Thompson and Anderson Varejao combined for 37 points, 31 rebounds and 12 offensive boards, but the rest of the Cavs grabbed just 15 overall and two on offense.
Dallas improved to 25-18 and 11-11 on the road.
10. D.J. Augustin scored a season-high 27 points and Taj Gibson beat the buzzer as the Chicago Bulls defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 102-100 in overtime. Nick Young scored a season-high 31 points and Pau Gasol dominated with 20 points, 19 rebounds, five blocks and three steals, but L.A. couldn’t close this one out.
Joakim Noah was a major reason why, as he ripped off 17 points, 21 rebounds, six assists and two steals. It’s the second time since 1990 that a Bulls player has finished with at least 15 points, 20 rebounds and five assists.
Noah did it the other time, as well.
Bonus Facts
- This was the first time since February 24, 1978 that five separate players recorded at least 15 points and 20 rebounds on the same day. LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre Jordan, Joakim Noah, Zach Randolph and Anderson Varejao all did it.
- Andrew Bogut suffered a leg injury. Bogut said post-game that he’ll, “Be fine.”
- The Knicks have lost four straight games by double-digits. That’s one shy of the franchise record.
- Mario Chalmers scored a season-high 17 points for the Heat.
- With Chicago and Washington securing victories, six Eastern Conference teams have a record above .500.