With Day 3 of the 2014-15 NBA regular season is officially in the record books. all 30 teams have now completed their preliminary games. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers were the final two squads to take the court, and they did so in a pair of high-octane games.
Those were only two competitors on an evening in which 10 teams took part in five outings. During those games, the face of the NBA returned to his former team, a fellow star sustained an injury and a number of players were at their best.
Here’s everything that you need to know about last night’s action.
1. LeBron James’ return to the Cleveland Cavaliers was spoiled as the New York Knicks earned a 95-90 win. Carmelo Anthony led the charge with 25 points and six assists, while Kevin Love put up 19 points and 14 rebounds on 6-of-14 shooting for Cleveland.
James finished with 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and eight turnovers, shooting 5-of-15 from the field and 1-of-5 from beyond the arc. James was 4-of-6 from the floor in the second half, but it was one of the worst performances of his career.
It was the first time James had ever committed at least eight turnovers without scoring at least 20 points and dishing out at least five assists.
2. Perry Jones scored a career-high 32 points on 10-of-17 shooting, but the Los Angeles Clippers held on for a 93-90 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Chris Paul led the charge with 22 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals, while Blake Griffin put up 23 points and seven boards.
Unfortunately, the major story from this game was Russell Westbrook going down with a hand injury. Scott Brooks told reporters it’s a small fracture in Westbrook’s right hand.
3. John Wall took over with 30 points, 12 assists, five rebounds and two steals to lead the Washington Wizards to a 105-98 victory over the Orlando Magic. All five starters were in double-figures, including Marcin Gortat with 20 points and 12 boards on 10-of-13 shooting.
This was Wall’s third career game with at least 30 points and 10 assists, and the first by any player in 2014-15.
4. Dirk Nowitzki and Chandler Parsons both scored 21 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 120-102 decimation of the Utah Jazz. Derrick Favors put up 17 points, 11 rebounds and a steal for Utah, while Al-Farouq Aminu had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks.
In the loss, Utah made 14 3-point field goals. That tied the team’s season-high from 2013-14, which it only hit one time.
5. Nikola Pekovic posted 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Thaddeus Young scored a team-high 19 to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 97-91 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Caron Butler stepped up with 24 points and D.J. Augustin had 20 for Detroit, but it wasn’t enough.
Butler’s 24 points are his most since January 22.
Bonus Fact: Cleveland was -13 with LeBron James on the court and +8 when he was on the bench.