It’s no longer a surprising development. Road teams just keep stealing wins.
Thursday, April 24 marked a major turning point in the 2014 NBA Playoffs. The games shifted to the lower-seeds’ home court. This resulted in yet another road victory and two down-to-the-wire games that were won by one possession.
Here’s everything that you need to know about last night’s action.
1. Tony Allen contained Kevin Durant and Mike Conley scored 20 points to help the Memphis Grizzlies upset the Oklahoma City Thunder 98-95 in overtime. Durant scored 30 points, but shot just 10-of-27 from the field and an abysmal 0-for-8 from beyond the arc.
Dating back to the regular season, the Grizzlies have won 15 consecutive home games.
2. Despite shooting poorly, Durant is the first player since Dirk Nowitzki in 2006 to open up the postseason with three straight 30-point games.
3. Jeff Teague posted 22 points and 10 assists to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 96-85 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Lance Stephenson posted 21 points and 13 rebounds, and Luis Scola scored 17 points off of the bench, but the Pacers fell into a 1-2 hole against the underdog Hawks.
Teague joins Pete Maravich and Spudd Webb as the only Hawks players with at least 20 points and 10 assists in the same game since the organization moved to Atlanta in 1968.
4. Blake Griffin erupted for 32 points and DeAndre Jordan matched a postseason franchise record with 22 rebounds as the Los Angeles Clippers held on for a huge 98-96 road win over the Golden State Warriors. Jordan posted 14 points and five blocks with his 22 boards, while Chris Paul finished with 15 points and 10 assists.
With the win, the Clippers have reclaimed home court advantage.
5. Los Angeles’ win over Golden State marked its first road playoff victory since May 13, 2012. It snaps a five-game losing streak away from home in the postseason.
Bonus Fact: Stephen Curry dished out a postseason career-high 15 assists.