Things are getting interesting in the NBA.
Sunday, March 9 featured a number of different results that had a significant impact on the postseason picture. A new team emerged with the best record in the league, multiple contenders suffered surprising losses and a fresh face grabbed hold of the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
Here’s everything that you need to know about last night’s action.
1. Two of the Eastern Conference’s elite met as the Chicago Bulls pulled off a 95-88 overtime victory over the Miami Heat. Joakim Noah put on yet another star-caliber performance with 20 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks for Chicago, while Chris Andersen tallied season-high marks of 13 boards and six swats for Miami.
Chicago improves to 23-10 since January 1, while Miami is 19-10 with an active season-long three-game losing streak.
2. LeBron James posted 17 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, three steals and a block for Miami. Unfortunately, he also shot 8-of-23 from the field, 1-of-3 from beyond the arc and committed four turnovers.
Most significantly, LeBron went without a single free throw attempt for the first time since December 2, 2009.
3. Jodie Meeks scored a career-high 42 points to lead the the Los Angeles Lakers back from 18 points down to earn a 114-110 upset of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Kevin Durant tallied 27 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, Serge Ibaka dropped 21 points and 15 boards, and Russell Westbrook posted 20 points, eight dimes and seven rebounds.
Unfortunately, Durant and Westbrook also combined for 13 turnovers as OKC fell to 3-5 in its past eight games. The Thunder fell to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
4. Anthony Davis erupted for 32 points, 17 rebounds and six blocks to lead the New Orleans Pelicans past the Denver Nuggets 111-107. Tyreke Evans added 20 points for New Orleans, while Kenneth Faried dropped 22 points and 14 rebounds for Denver.
Davis is the first player age 20 or younger with at least 30 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks since Shaquille O’Neal on February 16, 1993.
5. James Harden tallied 41 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, six steals and a block as the Houston Rockets took down the Portland Trail Blazers 118-113 in overtime. LaMarcus Aldridge put up 28 points and 12 rebounds during a very strong outing for Portland’s starting lineup, but defense just didn’t exist.
Houston is an NBA-best 23-6 since January 1.
6. Rajon Rondo dished out a season-high 18 assists and Jeff Green scored 27 points as the Boston Celtics defeated the Detroit Pistons 118-111. It was a display of lackluster depth for the Pistons, which received 68 points and 47 rebounds from the trio of Andre Drummond, Greg Monroe and Josh Smith.
Detroit’s starting frontcourt out-rebounded the entire Celtics team 47-39, but Detroit still lost.
7. Going up against his former team, Marcus Thornton got red-hot and scored 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 104-89 win over the Sacramento Kings. DeMarcus Cousins put up 28 points and 20 rebounds for Sacramento, but Brooklyn tallied 14 steals and forced 24 turnovers.
Brooklyn has at least 12 steals in six consecutive games. That’s the longest streak since the Philadelphia 76ers did it in seven straight from March 1 to March 12 of 1999.
8. Kyle Lowry posted his second triple-double of the season as the Toronto Raptors hit the road and earned a 111-104 road win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points and Lowry put up 20 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists and two steals.
Toronto is 28-14 since trading Rudy Gay.
9. Devin Harris scored a season-high 20 points as the upstart Dallas Mavericks upset the Indiana Pacers 105-94. Paul George has 27 points and 11 rebounds, and Lance Stephenson scored 21 on 8-of-10 shooting, but Indiana’s bench combined for just four points on nine total field goal attempts.
Indiana has lost four straight games for the first time since March 11, 2012.
10. The red-hot Golden State Warriors won again by taking down the Phoenix Suns 113-107. The Warriors have won nine of their past 11 games and are just 2.5 games behind the Portland Trail Blazers for the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.
As for Phoenix, its loss temporarily pushes it out of the playoffs and allows the Memphis Grizzlies to grab hold of the No. 8 seed.
Bonus Facts
- With both Indiana and Oklahoma City suffering losses, the San Antonio Spurs are in sole possession of the best record in the NBA.
- Noah is the first Bulls player with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five blocks since Scottie Pippen on November 21, 1995.
- Since scoring a career-high 61 points, LeBron is averaging 19.3 points on 39.0 percent shooting from the floor.