Mere days remain in the 2013-14 NBA regular season. With time winding down, unlikely stars have taken it upon themselves to pull out career-best performances.
On Monday, April 14, the final postseason spot was secured, two separate players scored 41 points and a rising force set a franchise record for wins in a season.
Here’s everything that you need to know about last night’s action.
1. Tyreke Evans erupted for a career-high 41 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter, as the New Orleans Pelicans upset the Oklahoma City Thunder 101-89. Serge Ibaka posted 22 points and 16 rebounds, but Kevin Durant was just 9-of-23 from the floor as OKC lost its second straight game.
On top of scoring 41 points, Evans had nine rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Evans has quietly put on a show since the All-Star Break.
2. Greivis Vasquez scored 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting and Kyle Lowry tallied 24 to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 110-100 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Ramon Sessions tallied 21 points and Jeff Adrien had 19 points and nine rebounds, but Milwaukee lost and locked up the worst record in the NBA.
The Raptors have won a franchise-record 48 games.
3. Zach Randolph recorded 32 points and Mike Miller tallied 21 on 5-of-6 shooting from distance as the Memphis Grizzlies took down the Phoenix Suns 97-91. It was a critical game between Memphis and Phoenix, which were playing for an opportunity to make a leap towards the postseason.
In the end, it was Memphis that clinched the final playoff berth.
4. Dwight Howard put up 20 points and 17 rebounds on 9-of-11 shooting as the Houston Rockets emerged with a 104-98 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. Terrence Jones added 20 points and 11 rebounds as Houston’s frontcourt carried the load on a day in which James Harden shot just 4-of-16 from the floor.
Houston moves into a three-way tie for the most home victories in the Western Conference at 33-8.
5. Trevor Ariza scored 25 points and John Wall dished out 13 assists to lead the Washington Wizards to a 114-93 blowout of the Miami Heat. LeBron James and Chris Bosh were both absent and Dwyane Wade only played 18 minutes, leaving Michael Beasley as the team’s leading scorer with 18 points.
With Miami’s loss, the Indiana Pacers secured the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
6. Al Jefferson went off for 27 points and 15 rebounds to guide the Charlotte Bobcats to a 95-93 road escape of the Atlanta Hawks. Chris Douglas-Roberts scored just five points, but his biggest two came on a buzzer-beating game-winner to seal the Bobcats’ victory.
Charlotte has a winning record for just the second time in franchise history.
7. Joakim Noah stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and a block to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 108-95 victory over the Orlando Magic. Jimmer Fredette added 17 points, his most since joining the Bulls, as Chicago improved to 8-1 in its past nine games.
Kyle O’Quinn scored a season-high 20 points, but the Magic were unable to pick up the win.
8. Michael Carter-Williams recorded 21 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 113-108 victory over the Boston Celtics. Tony Wroten added 20 points for the Sixers, while Jeff Green posted 27 on 10-of-16 shooting for the Celtics.
Boston’s Kelly Olynyk scored a career-high 28 points.
9. Stephen Curry, David Lee and Draymond Green combined to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 130-120 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Curry lit it up for 32 points and 15 rebounds, while Lee had 25 points on 12-of-14 shooting and Green poured in 20 points, 12 rebounds, five dimes, four steals and two blocks on 7-of-9 shooting.
The 20 points and 12 rebounds set new career-highs for Green.
10. Nick Young unloaded for a season-high 41 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 119-104 victory over the Utah Jazz. Jodie Meeks tacked on 23 points and Jordan Hill finished with 21 on 10-of-13 shooting to help the Lakers secure the win.
Young has more 40-point games in April, two, than he’d previously recorded in his entire career, one.
Bonus Fact: Washington went an insanely efficient 15-of-16 from the floor during the second quarter.
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