The 2013-14 NBA regular season continued on Tuesday, March 11 with a number of extraordinary feats. One of the most storied competitors in league history continued his ascent of the all-time scoring list and a superstar approached a feat associated with Michael Jordan.
Here’s everything that you need to know about last night’s action.
1. Two of the Western Conference’s elite clashed as the Oklahoma City Thunder outlasted the Houston Rockets 106-98. Kevin Durant led the charge with 42 points on 12-of-22 shooting and Russell Westbrook added 24 points and seven assists.
Durant has 11 40-point games in 2013-14. No other player has more than five.
2. Durant has scored at least 25 points in 29 consecutive games. The only player with a longer streak in the past 30 years: Michael Jordan with 40 straight in 1986-87.
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3. The Indiana Pacers held onto the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with a critical 94-83 victory over the Boston Celtics. David West scored a game-high 24 points for the Pacers, while Rajon Rondo tallied eight points, eight assists and two steals for Boston.
Most notably, Andrew Bynum made his debut for Indiana. He tallied eight points and 10 rebounds in 16 minutes on 3-of-4 shooting.
4. Indiana has won 11 straight home games against the Eastern Conference. The Pacers are 20-1 against the East at home in 2013-14 and are also in sole possession of the No. 1 seed. Watch out.
5. Manu Ginobili scored 22 points and Tony Parker put up 20 points and nine assists to help the San Antonio Spurs earn a lopsided 104-96 win over the Chicago Bulls. The Spurs led by 24 points entering the fourth quarter and only allowed things to get interesting once the starters were cleared off of the floor.
The Spurs have won seven straight games and are an NBA-best 24-8 on the road. Only six teams have an equal or better record than that at home.
6. Five separate players scored at least 14 points to help the Memphis Grizzlies take down the Portland Trail Blazers 109-99. Zach Randolph led the charge with 18 points and 12 rebounds for Memphis, giving the Grizzlies their third straight win.
The Grizzlies are 24-9 since January 1. Only the Houston Rockets, 23-7, and Los Angeles Clippers, 24-8, have been better.
7. The Trail Blazers matched a season-long three-game losing streak. Since opening the season at 33-11 after 44 games, Portland is 9-11 in its past 20 games played.
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8. Stephen Curry and David Lee combined for just 16 points on 7-of-20 shooting from the field, but the Golden State Warriors found a way to defeat the Dallas Mavericks 108-85. Andrew Bogut led the charge with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Jordan Crawford scored 19 points to help Golden State pick up the win.
Dirk Nowitzki tied John Havlicek for 12th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
9. Josh Smith dropped 24 points and Rodney Stuckey poured in 22 to lead the Detroit Pistons past the Sacramento Kings 99-89. DeMarcus Cousins put up 13 points, 14 rebounds and a career-high six blocks, but it wasn’t enough for Sacramento.
Despite losing seven of 10, the Pistons are within 3.0 games of the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.
10. Kevin Love posted 27 points and 10 rebounds to help the Minnesota Timberwolves keep their postseason dreams alive with a 112-101 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Kevin Martin dropped in 26 points to counter a career-high 10 assists from Bucks big man Zaza Pachulia.
At 31-30, Minnesota has matched its win total from a year ago.
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Bonus Fact: On March 7, the Memphis Grizzlies weren’t in the playoffs. On March 11, the Grizzlies grabbed hold of the No. 7 seed.