If only one word could be utilized to describe the NBA action on Monday February 10, it’d have to be, “Ugly.” There were two blowouts by more than 39 points, as well as two other games decided by by 16 and 18 points, respectively.
Here’s everything that you need to know about last night’s action.
1. The Indiana Pacers were dominant on both ends en route to a 119-80 demolition of the Denver Nuggets. David West led the charge with 25 points in 27 minutes on 11-of-13 shooting, and Roy Hibbert put up 14 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks in 26 minutes of action.
At 40-11, this is the fastest Indiana has reached 40 wins in franchise history—one game faster than the 1969-70 squad that won the ABA Finals.
2. Denver has lost three straight games by at least 17 points.
3. Dwight Howard posted 18 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks to lead the Houston Rockets to a 107-89 road victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Kevin Love added 31 points and 10 assists, but shot just 9-of-23 from the floor and 1-of-6 on 3-point field goal attempts.
Howard has 34 double-doubles, which is the most of any Rockets player before the All-Star Game since Hakeem Olajuwon in 1993.
4. The Rockets have won six consecutive games. That’s Houston’s longest winning streak since January 23, 2012.
5. Marreese Speights scored a career-high 32 points as the Golden State Warriors destroyed his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, 123-80. Speights had already set a new season-high by halftime and finished with eight rebounds and three blocks to his stat line on 12-of-15 shooting.
Golden State is 2-2 in its past four games, with every result being decided by at least 13 points.
6. The 76ers are the second team in NBA history lose consecutive games by at least 40 points. The other team? The 1993-94 Sixers.
7. Philadelphia’s past two losses have come by a combined 88 points. That’s the third-worst point differential in NBA history over a two-game span.
8. In their first game since the firing of Maurice Cheeks, the Detroit Pistons upset the San Antonio Spurs 109-100. Brandon Jennings led the charge with 21 points and Greg Monroe put up 15 points and 10 rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting, while Cory Joseph tallied a career-high nine assists for San Antonio.
Detroit has won three straight games and five in a row at home.
9. Kyle Lowry posted 19 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds and two steals to lead the Toronto Raptors past the New Orleans Pelicans, 109-102. DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Patterson both scored 22 points, helping to overcome 23 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and three steals on 10-of-14 shooting from Tyreke Evans.
Lowry matched his career-best with 11 double-doubles in 2013-14. That’s his same total from 2012-13.
10. Jeff Green scored 29 points and Kelly Olynyk tallied his first career double-double as the Boston Celtics defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 102-86. Olynyk, a first-year player, finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds, four offensive boards and three assists in 21 minutes.
Boston is 4-1 in February after going 2-15 in January.
Bonus Fact: Tyreke Evans has five double-doubles in 2013-14. By comparison, he had one in 2012-13 and five in all of 2011-12.