If it wasn’t before, the race for NBA MVP is all but over now.
Some of the association’s best were in action on Friday, March 21. When it was all said and done, a number of different stars and teams did enough for the NBA to rival what was yet another wild day during the 2014 NCAA Tournament.
Here’s everything that you need to know about last night’s action.
1. Kevin Durant hit the game-winning 31-footer and posted 51 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, one block and a steal as the Oklahoma City Thunder took down the Toronto Raptors 119-118 in double-overtime. It was Durant’s 12th game with at least 40 points in 2013-14, which is seven more than any other player.
Unfortunately, Durant’s success was overshadowed by the loss of Russell Westbrook, who left the game with an apparent knee injury.
2. Luis Scola scored a season-high 19 points to lead the Indiana Pacers past the Chicago Bulls 91-79. Both D.J. Augustin and Jimmy Butler scored 17 points, and Joakim Noah tallied 12 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and four steals, but Chicago shot just 36.4 percent from the field.
Paul George posted 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists on 3-of-13 shooting for his first triple-double of the season.
3. Amar’e Stoudemire stepped up with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Carmelo Anthony scored 21 as the New York Knicks survived the Philadelphia 76ers 93-92. With the victory, the Knicks became the first team since the 1992-93 Houston Rockets to win eight straight games after losing their previous seven.
The 76ers, meanwhile, have lost 23 consecutive games. That’s the second-longest single season streak in NBA history.
4. Joe Johnson scored 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting to help the Brooklyn Nets get past the Boston Celtics 114-98. Paul Pierce scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting against his former team, while Rajon Rondo tallied 12 points and 12 assists for the Celtics.
In the spirit of March Madness, 2012 Pac-12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Jorge Gutierrez scored a career-high 10 points in 18 minutes for Brooklyn.
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5. Ray Allen was the only Miami Heat player who scored more than 15 points, but his 18 were enough to lead the team past the Memphis Grizzlies 91-86. Zach Randolph posted 25 points and 14 rebounds, and Memphis held LeBron James to 15 points in 38 minutes, but the Heat earned the win with excellent defense.
As for Memphis, its biggest loss was center Marc Gasol, who exited with a lower-leg injury.
6. Six separate players scored in double-figures to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 99-79 victory over the Sacramento Kings. Tiago Splitter led the charge with 11 points and 11 rebounds in just 21 minutes, while DeMarcus Cousins tallied 15 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, five blocks and two steals for the Kings.
The Spurs have won 12 straight games. That’s the longest winning streak of any team this season.
7. Monta Ellis scored 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting as the Dallas Mavericks took down the Denver Nuggets 122-106. Ellis was one of seven Mavericks players to score in double-figures, including Dirk Nowitzki with 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting.
After winning 41 games in 2012-13, the Mavericks are 42-28 in 2013-14.
8. John Wall posted 28 points and 14 assists to lead the Washington Wizards to a 117-107 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Steve Nash returned from a 15-game injury absence with a season-high 11 assists in 19 minutes, but it wasn’t enough for L.A. to pull out the win.
It was Nash’s first double-digit assist game since March 17, 2013.
9. The Phoenix Suns used surprisingly strong defense to take down the Detroit Pistons 98-92. Goran Dragic tallied 20 points and Eric Bledsoe scored 23 points, his most since returning from an extensive injury absence, to lead the Suns.
The Pistons were once 22-29. Detroit’s now 25-43, going 3-14 in its past 17 games.
10. One game after posting 40 points and 21 rebounds, Anthony Davis tallied 34 and 11 to lead the New Orleans Pelicans past the Atlanta Hawks 111-105. Tyreke Evans added 21 points, bringing his average to 22.3 points on 54.2 percent shooting during the month of March.
After going 27-55 in 2012-13, the Pelicans are 28-40 in 2013-14.
Bonus Fact: Durant is the first player with multiple 50-point games in the same season since LeBron James and Dwyane Wade did it in 2008-09—the season before they became teammates.