The 2014-15 NBA regular season continued on Monday, January 5. A legend improved his ranking on the all-time scoring list, a rising star came through in the clutch and a number of championship contenders continued their phenomenal play.
Here’s how it all transpired.
1. It wasn’t pretty, but Rajon Rondo dished out 14 assists and 10 rebounds to lead the Dallas Mavericks past the Brooklyn Nets 96-88. Brook Lopez had 22 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks, and Jarrett Jack posted 20 points and 10 assists for the Nets, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Dallas’ smothering defense.
With 15 points against the Nets, Dirk Nowitzki passed Moses Malone for No. 7 on the all-time scoring list.
2. Damian Lillard went off for 39 points as the Portland Trail Blazers came back for a 98-94 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Jordan Hill put up 23 points and 14 rebounds on 10-of-15 shooting for the Lakers, while Meyers Leonard tallied 12 points and 12 rebounds in 19 minutes for the Trail Blazers.
Lillard outscored the Lakers 16-11 in the final 5:12 of the win.
3. Harrison Barnes scored 23 points and both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson put up 19 as the Golden State Warriors demolished the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-91. Anthony Morrow had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder, but Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined to shoot 8-of-37 from the field.
The Warriors have won 12 consecutive home games.
4. Pau Gasol took over with 27 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and two blocks on 10-of-16 shooting from the field and 7-of-7 from the free throw line to help the Chicago Bulls take a 114-105 victory over the Houston Rockets. Jimmy Butler added 22 points to overcome 21 points in 26 minutes from Josh Smith.
Chicago has won 10 of its past 11 games.
5. The Atlanta Hawks’ starting lineup combined for 86 points and Pero Antic led the bench with 13 in a 107-98 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Blake Griffin tallied 26 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and DeAndre Jordan had 15 points, 16 rebounds, three blocks and two steals, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Atlanta’s balanced attack.
Atlanta has won five consecutive games.
6. Mike Conley put up 22 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals in 27 minutes to help the Memphis Grizzlies blow out the New York Knicks 105-83. Tony Allen had 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting, but his true contributions were a season-high seven steals.
The bright spot for New York? Quincy Acy erupted for career-best marks of 19 points and 14 rebounds.
7. Tony Wroten tallied 20 points and eight assists, and Michael Carter-Williams had 18 points and 13 dimes as the Philadelphia 76ers stunned the shorthanded Cleveland Cavaliers 95-92. Kevin Love went off for 28 points and 19 rebounds for Cleveland, but it ultimately fell short without Kyrie Irving and LeBron James.
With the win, Philadelphia improves to 1-14 at home.
8. Former Kentucky Wildcats stars and No. 1 overall draft picks dueled as John Wall led the Washington Wizards past Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans 92-85. Wall led Washington with 15 points, 12 assists and four steals, while Davis put up 21 points and 10 rebounds on 9-of-12 shooting.
Davis and Wall are tied for the league-lead with 20 double-doubles.
9. Arron Afflalo put up a big 34 points to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 110-101 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Gorgui Dieng put up 22 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and two steals, and Andrew Wiggins scored 20 points for the Timberwolves, but it wasn’t enough.
Minnesota has lost 12 consecutive games—tied for the longest active stretch in the league.
10. Kemba Walker tallied 33 points to lead the Charlotte Hornets to a 104-95 win against the Boston Celtics. Cody Zeller scored 20 points on perfect shooting marks of 8-of-8 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line for Charlotte, while Jared Sullinger had 22 points and eight rebounds for Boston.
Zeller’s 20 points are a career-best.
Bonus Fact: Roy Hibbert, 22 points and eight rebounds, led the Indiana Pacers past Derrick Favors, 27 points and 11 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz 105-101.