The 2014-15 NBA regular season continued on Friday, January 9 with healthy slate of 11 games. There were clashes between the elite, outstanding performances from stars and surprising upset wins.
Here’s how it all transpired.
1. Two of the hottest teams in the NBA clashed as the Atlanta Hawks downed the Detroit Pistons 106-103. Al Horford had 19 points and 16 rebounds, and Jeff Teague put up 14 points and 11 assists for Atlanta, while Greg Monroe posted 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Brandon Jennings finished with 14 points and eight dimes for Detroit.
Atlanta’s won seven consecutive games. The Pistons’ winning streak ends at seven games.
2. Marcin Gortat, Nene Hilario and John Wall all recorded double-doubles as the Washington Wizards defeated the Chicago Bulls 102-86. Gortat put up 21 points and 13 rebounds, Wall had 16 points and 12 assists, and Nene put up 15 points and 11 boards.
In their sixth encounter, this was Wall’s first head-to-head win against Derrick Rose.
3. Klay Thompson scored 24 points and Stephen Curry put up 23 points, 10 assists and two steals to lead the Golden State Warriors past the Cleveland Cavaliers 112-94. J.R. Smith scored 27 points in his Cavaliers debut, but Golden State ran away in the fourth quarter.
Golden State has won six consecutive games and is a league-best 16-1 at home.
4. Kevin Durant went off for 32 points and Russell Westbrook put up 25 points and 12 assists to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder past the Utah Jazz 99-94. Dion Waiters added 15 points for OKC, while Gordon Hayward scored 27 points, Derrick Favors tallied 22 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, and Trey Burke finished with 20 points.
OKC won its fourth straight home game. It’s lost three straight on the road, for what it’s worth.
5. Danny Green led the charge with 20 points as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Phoenix Suns 100-95. Eric Bledsoe had 19 points, 10 assists and five rebounds for the Suns, while Patty Mills put up 15 points for the Spurs.
Phoenix had won four in a row.
6. Four separate players scored in excess of 20 points as the New Orleans Pelicans worked past the Memphis Grizzlies 106-95. Jrue Holiday had 23 points and eight assists, Tyreke Evans tallied 21 points and 10 rebounds, Ryan Anderson scored 20 and Anthony Davis put up 20 points, nine boards and three blocks.
New Orleans has won four consecutive home games against Western Conference foes.
7. Robert Covington put up 20 points and six steals to help the Philadelphia 76ers upset the Brooklyn Nets 90-88. Mason Plumlee countered with 15 points, 15 rebounds and two steals for Brooklyn, but the 76ers managed to pick up a rare win.
Five of Philadelphia’s six victories have come on the road.
8. In an explosive offensive battle, the Denver Nuggets outlasted the Sacramento Kings for a 118-108 road victory. DeMarcus Cousins was sensational for the Kings, posting 32 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, four blocks and three steals, but it was Denver’s balanced attack which prevailed.
Denver has won four straight games, scoring at least 110 points in three of those outings.
9. The Milwaukee Bucks used a barrage of 3-pointers to overcome the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-84. Five players scored in double-figures, including point guard Brandon Knight, who finished with 14 points in 23 minutes.
Minnesota has lost 14 consecutive games. That’s tied with the New York Knicks for the worst active streak in the NBA.
10. Jeremy Lin recored 18 points, six assists, four steals and two blocks to help the Los Angeles Lakers get past the Orlando Magic 101-84. Nikola Vucevic had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic, while Carlos Boozer tallied 12 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers.
Boozer’s 14 rebounds are his most since January 27, 2014.
Bonus Fact: Roy Hibbert put up 19 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 107-103 overtime victory over the Boston Celtics.