The 2014-15 NBA regular season continued on Wednesday, December 17 with a rush of high-octane games. With 20 teams in action, there was no shortage of star-caliber performances from some of the game’s elite.
Here’s how it all transpired.
1. Dennis Schroder posted his first career double-double and Shelvin Mack lit up the scoreboard as the Atlanta Hawks blew past the Cleveland Cavaliers 127-98. Mack finished with 24 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field, 6-of-6 from beyond the arc and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe, while LeBron James and Dion Waiters led Cleveland with 21 points apiece.
Atlanta has won 11 of 12 and 13 of 15.
2. James Harden went off for 41 points and 10 assists as the Houston Rockets outlasted the Denver Nuggets in an instant classic 115-111 overtime affair. Dwight Howard complemented Harden’s efforts with 24 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks, while Arron Afflalo had 22 points and an overtime-causing buzzer-beater, and Ty Lawson dished out 16 assists.
Houston has won seven of eight and three in a row.
3. Marc Gasol scored 26 points and Zach Randolph posted 21 points and 21 rebounds to help the Memphis Grizzlies get past the defending champion San Antonio Spurs 117-116 in triple-overtime. 38-year-old Tim Duncan had 23 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals in 48 minutes of action.
Memphis has defeated the team with the best record in the league, the Golden State Warriors, and the defending NBA champions in consecutive days.
4. Kyle Lowry had 20 points and 12 assists to help the Toronto Raptors pick up a 105-89 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Mason Plumlee scored a career-high 23 points and Joe Johnson had 17, but the Nets were otherwise dreadful after a big first quarter.
Toronto is the first Eastern Conference team to reach 20 wins.
5. LaMarcus Aldridge and Thomas Robinson dominated the interior as the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 104-97. Brandon Knight scored 24 points, but it wasn’t enough to overcome 29 points from Damian Lillard, 23 points and 15 rebounds from Aldridge, and 15 points and 16 rebounds from Robinson.
Robinson is the third Trail Blazer to record at least 15 points and 15 rebounds in his first career start. The others: Hall of Famer Bill Walton and four-time All-Star Maurice Lucas.
6. In the midst of trade rumors, Rajon Rondo put up 13 points, 15 assists, seven rebounds and two steals as the Boston Celtics took down the Orlando Magic 109-92. Nikola Vucevic had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Tobias Harris scored 17 points for the Magic, while Brandon Bass put up 18 points for Boston.
Rondo has six 15-assist games—more than any other player in the NBA.
7. Blake Griffin posted 31 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and a steal to guide the Los Angeles Clippers past the Indiana Pacers 102-100. Chris Paul added 20 points, nine assists, six rebounds and five steals for Los Angeles, and David West put up 17 points and 10 rebounds for Indiana.
L.A. has won six consecutive home games.
8. Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas helped the Phoenix Suns outgun Al Jefferson, Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Hornets 111-106. Thomas scored 23 points and Dragic posted 20 points and eight assists, while Jefferson had 28 points and 10 rebounds, and Walker put up 27 points and seven assists.
Phoenix’s win snaps a six-game losing streak.
9. Chandler Parsons poured in a season-high 32 points and Monta Ellis had 25 points and eight assists as the Dallas Mavericks took down the Detroit Pistons 117-106. Andre Drummond went off for 19 points, 24 rebounds, four steals and three blocks, but Detroit fell to 5-21 and 2-12 at home.
Dallas has won eight consecutive games over Eastern Conference foes.
10. Dwyane Wade went off for a season-high 42 points, but the Miami Heat failed to offer him much support at all in a 105-87 home loss to the Utah Jazz. Gordon Hayward scored 29 points for the Jazz, while Heat players not named D-Wade shot just 29.4 percent from the field.
This was Wade’s first 40-point game since February 25, 2011.
Bonus Fact: James Harden joins LeBron James as the only players in the NBA with multiple 40-point games.