The 2014-15 NBA regular season continued on Saturday, January 3 with eight games featuring 16 teams. Stars put on signature performances, under-the-radar contributors did the same and some of the league’s elite went into battle.
Here’s how it all transpired.
1. Paul Millsap scored 27 points and Jeff Teague added 22 as the Atlanta Hawks earned a signature 115-107 win over the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center. LaMarcus Aldridge posted 30 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal, but it was Atlanta that won behind seven players scoring in double-figures.
At 25-8, Atlanta is the first Eastern Conference team to reach 25 wins in 2014-15.
2. Atlanta has won four in a row, 18 of 20 and six straight on the road.
3. James Harden and Dwight Howard combined for a dominant performance as the Houston Rockets defeated the Miami Heat 115-79. Harden scored 28 points and Howard posted 23 points and 13 rebounds in 26 minutes as Houston improved to 23-10.
Miami has lost four consecutive games for the second time this season. The last time Miami lost four in a row before 2014-15: March of 2011.
4. Cory Joseph scored 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting and Patty Mills had 14 on a mark of 7-of-8 from the field as the San Antonio Spurs defeated picked up a 101-92 victory against the Washington Wizards. John Wall had 15 points and eight assists, but San Antonio won behind a plus-20 advantage in points in the paint.
The Spurs are 9-1 against the Eastern Conference.
5. Pau Gasol went off for 29 points, 16 rebounds, two assists, five blocks and a steal as the Chicago Bulls defeated the Boston Celtics 109-104. Evan Turner had 29 points for the Celtics, including 24 after halftime, while Aaron Brooks scored 19 points in 20 minutes for Chicago.
This was Gasol’s first career game with at least 25 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks.
6. Ty Lawson erupted for 25 points, 11 assists, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals on 10-of-14 shooting as the Denver Nuggets blew out the Memphis Grizzlies 114-85. Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with 18 points of his own, but Denver dominated the second half.
Lawson leads all perimeter players with 17 double-doubles. Chris Paul is No. 2 with 15.
7. Trey Burke scored 28 points and Rudy Gobert tallied 13 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks to help the Utah Jazz get past the Minnesota Timberwolves 101-89. Andrew Wiggins and Mo Williams both scored 20 points for Minnesota in defeat.
Burke’s 28 points are a season-high.
8. Wiggins has scored at least 20 points in five of his past six games. He did it in four of his first 26 appearances.
9. Tony Wroten put up 27 points, but the Philadelphia 76ers fell 127-91 to the Los Angeles Clippers. Chris Paul had 24 points, 12 assists, eight rebounds and two steals to lead Los Angeles to a lopsided win.
The Sixers have lost five in a row.
10. Kemba Walker posted 30 points and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist tallied 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Charlotte Hornets to a 98-90 win against the Orlando Magic. Nikola Vucevic had 20 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, and Tobias Harris posted 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic.
Charlotte’s win snapped a five-game losing streak.
Bonus Fact: Atlanta won its 25th game of 2014-15 on January 4. It reached that plateau in 2013-14 on February 1.