With the first day of March upon us, the push for the NBA postseason has officially commenced. Teams have no more than 25 games remaining on their respective schedules, leaving no time to be wasted and no result to be undervalued.
Here’s everything that you need to know about the action from Saturday, March 1.
1. The Big Three shined as the Miami Heat earned a 112-98 victory over the in-state rival Orlando Magic. Dwyane Wade scored 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting, Chris Bosh put up 17 and LeBron James had 20 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
At 42-14, Miami becomes the fourth team to secure a winning record.
2. Trevor Ariza erupted for a career-high 40 points and the Washington Wizards earned a 122-103 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Ariza was 14-of-23 from the field and 8-of-12 from beyond the arc, marking the ninth time this season he’s hit at least five 3-point field goals in a single game.
John Wall added 17 points and a career-high 16 assists for the Wizards, which improved to 31-28.
3. The Philadelphia 76ers retired Allen Iverson’s number in an emotional ceremony before the game. The Sixers also lost their 13th consecutive outing, which is the franchise’s longest losing streak since A.I.’s rookie season in 1996-97.
The Sixers are searching for an Answer. Get it?
4. Paul George posted a team-high 25 points and Evan Turner chipped in 17 as the Indiana Pacers earned a 102-97 road win over the Boston Celtics. The 17-point scoring outburst was Turner’s largest since being traded from the Sixers to the Pacers.
On the opposite end, Rajon Rondo tallied 12 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds. but it wasn’t enough to help Boston avoid a 12-18 home record. That’s Boston’s highest number of home losses since 2006-07.
5. Zach Randolph stepped up with 23 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and four steals to push the Memphis Grizzlies past the Cleveland Cavaliers 110-96. Marc Gasol and Mike Conley both added 22 points for Memphis, while Kyrie Irving scored 28 for Cleveland. In the end, the story of the game was defense.
After allowing 65 first-half points, the Grizzlies held the Cavaliers to just 31 in the third and fourth quarters combined. Memphis improved to 20-8 since January 1.
6. Terrence Jones turned in a surprisingly strong outing with 22 points and 10 rebounds to help the Houston Rockets get past the Detroit Pistons 118-110. Andre Drummond countered with 16 points, 17 rebounds, two blocks and a steal, but it was another road loss for the Pistons.
Drummond leads the Eastern Conference with 43 double-doubles. The second-highest amount by a player in the East is Tristan Thompson of the Cleveland Cavaliers with 29.
7. LaMarcus Aldridge returned from a five-game absence to help the Portland Trail Blazers defeat the Denver Nuggets 102-96 with a well-balanced attack. Aldridge scored 16 points and Robin Lopez put up 19 on a night in which nine separate Blazers scored at least seven points.
With the win, Portland clinches its first .500 season since 2010-11.
8. Marcus Thornton scored 25 points in 24 minutes as the Brooklyn Nets took down the Milwaukee Bucks 107-98 on the road. Andray Blatche added 19 points and 13 rebounds for Brooklyn, while Khris Middleton and Ramon Sessions each scored 16 for Milwaukee.
The 25-point performance was Thornton’s highest scoring total since being traded from the Sacramento Kings to the Nets.
9. The Minnesota Timberwolves continued their last-minute push for the postseason with a 108-97 win over the Sacramento Kings. Kevin Martin scored a game-high 26 points and Kevin Love added 22, 10 rebounds and seven assists as Minnesota moved to 29-29.
This is the latest in a season that the Timberwolves have been at .500 or better since 2004-05.
10. Chris Paul led the Los Angeles Clippers past his former team, the New Orleans Pelicans, with 21 points and eight assists in a 108-74 decimation. Blake Griffin added 20 points and held Anthony Davis to just eight points on 1-of-6 shooting.
Griffin has scored at least 20 points in a career-best 19 straight games.
Bonus Facts
- The Clippers scored 25 fast break points to just two by the Pelicans.
- Greg Oden scored a season-high eight points in 13 minutes for the Heat. That’s his largest scoring output since posting 13 points against Miami on December 1, 2009.