It was a big night in the NBA.
Monday, April 28 played host to the first team securing a berth in the Conference Semifinals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs. It also saw a No. 1 seed fall into a 3-2 hole against a No. 8 seed and another No. 1 seed earned a close victory to reclaim home court advantage in a tight series.
Here’s everything that you need to know about last night’s action.
1. LeBron James stuffed the stat sheet with 31 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a block as the Miami Heat earned a 109-98 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. Playing without the injured Al Jefferson, Kemba Walker shined by scoring 29 points on 115-of-15 shooting, but Charlotte ultimately fell at home.
With its series-clinching win, the Heat are the first team to advance past the first round in 2014.
2. Unlikely heroes shined as Shelvin Mack scored 20 points and Mike Scott put up 17 as the Atlanta Hawks took down the Indiana Pacers 107-97. Paul George recorded 26 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and six steals, but his teammates failed to complement his efforts with quality play.
The key to the win was Atlanta’s sharpshooting. The Hawks made a postseason franchise record 15 3-point field goals.
3. George is the first player in NBA history to record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals in a playoff loss.
4. Roy Hibbert, a two-time All-Star who made the Eastern Conference’s squad just two months ago, finished with zero points and zero rebounds with four fouls in 12 minutes.
5. Manu Ginobili poured in 23 points and Boris Diaw hit the game-deciding 3-pointer as the San Antonio Spurs escaped with a 93-89 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Monta Ellis scored 20 points and Dirk Nowitzki had 19 for the Mavericks, but a late flagrant foul on the productive DeJuan Blair sparked a closing run from the Spurs.
Diaw finished with 17 points. He had 15 in the entire series before this game.
Bonus Fact: Road teams went 3-0.