Through all of the madness surrounding WrestleMania, the NBA managed to find its way into the headlines on Sunday, April 6. A superstar surpassed Michael Jordan, a championship contender became the first to 60 wins and an embattled star set separate NBA and franchise records.
Here’s everything that you need to know about last night’s action.
1. Kevin Durant posted 38 points and Russell Westbrook scored 33, but the Oklahoma City Thunder found a way to lose 122-115 to the Phoenix Suns. Goran Dragic put up 26 points, Gerald Green tallied 24 and P.J. Tucker had a career-high 22 for the victorious Suns.
As for Durant, he’s scored at least 25 points in 41 consecutive games. He passes Michael Jordan for the third-longest single-season streak in NBA history behind only Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson.
2. Kawhi Leonard matched his career-high with 26 points on 12-of-13 shooting to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 112-92 decimation of the Memphis Grizzlies. Manu Ginobili added 26 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the floor as the Spurs converted 55.8 percent from the field and 17-of-18 from the charity stripe.
At 60-17, the Spurs are the first team to reach 60 wins.
3. LaMarcus Aldridge took over with 25 points and 18 rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers outlasted the New Orleans Pelicans 100-94. Wesley Matthews added 21 points, Damian Lillard scored 20 and Nicolas Batum posted 16 points and 12 rebounds to help Portland earn a critical win.
The Trail Blazers clinched a postseason berth for the first time since 2010-11.
4. LeBron James erupted for 38 points as the Miami Heat took down the New York Knicks 102-91 at home. The Heat committed 16 turnovers, but managed to shoot 55.7 percent from the floor while limiting New York to a field goal percentage of 37.5.
If you’re into incredibly specific statistics: LeBron is the first player to score 30 points in four separate games against the Knicks in one season since Michael Jordan in 1996-97.
5. In the Knicks’ loss, J.R. Smith attempted an NBA-record 22 3-point field goals. Smith also converted a franchise-record 10 shots from distance, which makes for an impressive percentage of 45.5.
He finished with a season-high 32 points for the second straight game.
6. Blake Griffin and Chris Paul both scored 23 points to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 120-97 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Jordan Hill posted 22 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, but it was another loss for the storied organization.
The Clippers’ win clinches home court advantage during the first round of the playoffs.
7. Jeff Teague stepped up with 25 points and Paul Millsap posted 17 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks to help the Atlanta Hawks defeat the Indiana Pacers 107-88. The Pacers shot 41.0 percent rom the floor, 25.0 percent from beyond the arc and 63.3 percent from the charity stripe in what formed a rare losing streak.
The Pacers have lost consecutive home games for the first time since April 17, 2013.
8. James Harden and Omer Asik led the Houston Rockets past Evan Fournier, Aaron Brooks and the Denver Nuggets 130-125 in overtime. Harden went off for 32 points and 10 assists for Houston, while Brooks had 24 points and 15 assists, and Fournier tallied 26 points for Denver.
Asik posted 18 points, a career-high 23 rebounds, three blocks and three steals for the Rockets. It’s the second time this week that Asik hit that career-high mark of 23 boards.
9. The Splash Bros combined for 64 points on 23-of-38 shooting to lead the Golden State Warriors past the Utah Jazz 130-102. Thompson posted a game-high 33 points and Curry put up 31 points and a career-high 16 assists to lead the Warriors to win No. 48.
Rookie point guard Trey Burke led Jazz with 24 points and a career-high 15 assists.
10. Vince Carter and Monta Ellis combined for 17 fourth-quarter points as the Dallas Mavericks escaped with a 93-91 road win over the Sacramento Kings. Rudy Gay posted 32 points, eight assists and six rebounds, and DeMarcus Cousins tallied 28 points, 10 boards, three steals and a pair of blocks, but that production was spoiled in the loss.
Since 2008-09, the Kings have lost at least 50 games in five of six seasons. From 1994-95 to 2007-08, it happened once.
Bonus Fact: The Lakers have lost three games by 20+ points to the same opponent for the first time since 1966-67.