It’s a new month in the NBA! October was the brief introduction, but November promises to be the true beginning to an outstanding 2014-15 season.
On Saturday, November 1, 24 teams competed in 12 games that featured some of the biggest names in basketball. There were massive scoring performances, dominant defensive attacks and some masterful facilitating displays.
Here’s everything that you need to know about last night’s action.
1. In his first game since receiving a massive contract extension, Klay Thompson scored 41 points on 14-of-18 shooting. Stephen Curry added 31 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and three steals to round out an explosive Splash Brothers performance, while Kobe Bryant scored 28 points for Los Angeles in a 127-104 Golden State Warriors win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Thompson is the first player to score at least 40 points on better than 75.0 percent shooting from the field since LeBron James on March 18, 2011.
2. Chris Bosh put up 30 points and eight rebounds to lead the Miami Heat to a 114-96 road victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Dwyane Wade overcame a poor shooting night by dishing out 10 assists and Mario Chalmers scored 18 for Miami, while Tony Wroten led Philadelphia with 21 points and 10 assists.
Bosh has scored at least 25 points in consecutive games. He did that twice during the entire Big Three era and 35 times before it.
3. John Wall put up 19 points, 10 assists, six rebounds, five steals and a block as the Washington Wizards took care of business against the Milwaukee Bucks, 108-97. Nene Hilario put up 22 points and Marcin Gortat had 20 as Washington used a low-high attack to overcome 24 points from Bucks point guard Brandon Knight.
Milwaukee rookie Jabari Parker put up 13 points and 11 rebounds to become the first 2014-15 rookie with multiple double-doubles.
4. Chandler Parsons scored 20 points and both Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis added 17 to help the Dallas Mavericks pull out a 109-104 road win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Anthony Davis put up 31 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks and two steals, Jrue Holiday scored 24 and Tyreke Evans tallied 22 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, two steals and a block for New Orleans.
Davis is the fourth player in NBA history to put up at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in both of his team’s first two games. Patrick Ewing, Kevin Garnett and Hakeem Olajuwon are the others.
5. Marc Gasol put up 22 points as the Memphis Grizzlies won an ugly 71-69 affair over the Charlotte Hornets. Both sides shot 36.3 percent or worse from the field and committed at least 18 turnovers.
Gasol has scored at least 20 points in three consecutive games for the first time since November 5, 2012.
6. In its first game without both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the Oklahoma City Thunder stunned the Denver Nuggets 102-91. Perry Jones shined again, dropping 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting, while Serge Ibaka put up 23 of his own and Sebastian Telfair dished out nine assists in a shocking win.
This is the first time in Jones’ NBA career that he’s scored at least 20 points in consecutive games.
7. Joe Johnson went off for 34 points and Kevin Garnett turned back the clocks with 18 points and 14 rebounds as the Brooklyn Nets defeated the Detroit Pistons 102-90 on the road. Greg Monroe had 18 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for Detroit, but the Pistons went 1-of-17 from beyond the arc.
The last time Garnett scored at least 18 points was March 20, 2013. The last time he had at least 14 rebounds was November 15, 2013.
8. Derrick Favors dominated the Phoenix Suns with 32 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and a pair of steals as the Utah Jazz picked up a 118-91 victory. Gordon Hayward added 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Trevor Booker chipped in 14 and nine boards off the bench for the victorious Jazz.
Favors’ 32 points set a new career-high.
9. Jimmy Butler scored 24 points in his season debut, leading the Chicago Bulls to a nail-biting 106-105 road victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Kevin Martin scored 33 points and Ricky Rubio dished out 17 assists for Minnesota, while Pau Gasol had 20 points and Nikola Mirotic put up 12 points and eight boards for Chicago.
Rubio’s 17 assists tied a career-high. It was his first game since signing a contract extension.
10. James Harden and Terrence Jones stuffed the stat sheet as the Houston Rockets beat Rajon Rondo and the Boston Celtics 104-90. Harden finished with 26 points, eight rebounds, six assists, four steals and a block, while Jones put up 25 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks.
Boston shot just 1-of-25 from beyond the arc—the worst shooting performance in NBA history.
Bonus Facts
- The Lakers are 0-4 for the first time since 1957.
- DeMar DeRozan scored 26 points and Kyle Lowry tallied 21 to lead the Toronto Raptors past the Orlando Magic 108-95. Nikola Vucevic put up 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Elfrid Payton tallied 16 points and nine assists for Orlando, but it wasn’t enough.
- Jeff Teague put up 25 points and Al Horford dropped 20 as the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Indiana Pacers 102-92. Roy Hibbert had 14 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks, but the Pacers failed to make anything of it.
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 11 points and 12 rebounds for Charlotte. He had one double-double in all of 2013-14. He has his first of 2014-15 just two games in.