The 2014-15 NBA continued with a powerful slate of games on Monday, November 24. 14 teams took part in seven high-stakes outings as contenders shined, a struggling force snapped a losing streak and a number of stars were in their finest form.
Here’s how it all transpired.
1. Donald Sloan posted 29 points on 10-of-14 shooting to lead the Indiana Pacers to a surprising 111-100 road victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Monta Ellis scored 24 points and Dirk Nowitzki put up 22 and 11 rebounds for Dallas, but the Mavericks allowed Indiana to convert 13 3-point field goals.
Indiana won this game without Paul George, Roy Hibbert or David West active.
2. This was Dallas’ first loss to a team with a record below .500.
3. Jonas Valanciunas went off for 27 points and 11 rebounds on 10-of-14 shooting as the Toronto Raptors downed the Phoenix Suns 104-100. Eric Bledsoe put up a season-high 25 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two steals, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Toronto’s 52 points in the paint.
Valanciunas’ 27 points set a career-high.
4. Toronto has won five consecutive games and is an NBA-best 12-2.
5. LeBron James put up 29 points, 11 assists, four rebounds and three steals to guide the Cleveland Cavaliers past the Orlando Magic 106-74. Anderson Varejao added 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting for Cleveland, while Victor Oladipo had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Nikola Vucevic tallied 18 points and 13 boards for Orlando.
The win snaps Cleveland’s four-game losing streak.
6. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin took over as the Los Angeles Clippers overwhelmed the Charlotte Hornets 113-92. Paul went off for 22 points and 15 assists, and Griffin stuffed the stat sheet with 22 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists.
Charlotte has lost six straight games.
7. James Harden posted 36 points, six rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block as the Houston Rockets picked up a sloppy 91-86 victory over the New York Knicks. Carmelo Anthony had 14 points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes, but he left the game due to back spasms.
New York is 2-10 since starting the 2014-15 season at 2-1.
8. LaMarcus Aldridge dominated the Philadelphia 76ers with 33 points and 11 rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers pulled out a 114-104 victory. Michael Carter-Williams scored 24 points, Henry Sims put up 22 and Tony Wroten tallied 20 points and nine assists for the Sixers.
Philadelphia falls to 0-14.
9. Jimmy Butler scored 25 points and Pau Gasol posted 23 and nine rebounds as the Chicago Bulls worked past the Utah Jazz 97-95. Derrick Favors posted 21 points and 15 rebounds, Enes Kanter had 19 and eight boards, and Trey Burke put up 18 points and 10 assists for Utah.
Chicago improves to 7-2 on the road. It’s 2-3 at home.
10. Derrick Rose returned to put up 18 points, five assists, three rebounds and a steal in 25 minutes. He’d missed the previous four games and eight of Chicago’s first 13.
Bonus Fact: Chicago is 5-1 when Rose plays and 4-4 when he doesn’t.