The 2014-15 NBA regular season continued on Wednesday, January 21.
Here’s how it all transpired.
1. Brandon Jennings went off for 24 points and a career-high 21 assists as the Detroit Pistons downed the Orlando Magic 128-118. Andre Drummond added 26 points and 17 rebounds, and Greg Monroe tallied 24 points and 10 assists in what was an outstanding display by the Pistons.
Jennings’ 21 assists are the most by any NBA player since Deron Williams on April 5, 2011.
2. The Atlanta Hawks continued their unstoppable run with a 110-91 obliteration of the Indiana Pacers. Jeff Teague had 17 points and 11 assists in 30 minutes for a Hawks team that sank 13 3-point field goals to just five by the Pacers.
Atlanta extends its streak to a franchise record 14 consecutive wins. It’s won 28 of 30.
3. James Harden scored 33 points, but the rest of the starting lineup went cold as the Houston Rockets fell 126-113 to the Golden State Warriors. Klay Thompson scored 27 points and Stephen Curry put up 20 points and 10 assists on 7-of-12 shooting.
Golden State has won 17 consecutive home games.
4. Russell Westbrook sank a game-winning layup with 0.8 seconds on the clock in overtime to give the Oklahoma City Thunder a 105-103 win against the Washington Wizards. Kevin Durant led OKC with 34 points and Westbrook finished with 32 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and a steal on 12-of-28 shooting, while John Wall had 18 points, 13 assists, four rebounds and six steals.
The Thunder have won four in a row and five of six.
5. Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas set season-high scoring marks as the Phoenix Suns outlasted the Portland Trail Blazers 118-113. For the Suns, Bledsoe tallied 33 points, a career-high, and 10 rebounds, and Thomas had 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting, while Nicolas Batum led the Trail Blazers with 27 points and 10 boards.
After going 8-8 in December, Phoenix is 8-2 in January.
6. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph controlled the interior as the Memphis Grizzlies took down the Toronto Raptors 92-86. Gasol scored 26 points and Z-Bo tallied 19 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks for Memphis, while Louis Williams led Toronto with 21 points off of the bench.
On January 21, 2014, Memphis had 20 wins. On January 21, 2015, the Grizzlies picked up win No. 30.
7. Chandler Parsons scored 22 points in 26 minutes to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a lopsided 98-75 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Andrew Wiggins led Minnesota with 18 points, but Dallas’ balanced attack was too much to handle.
Rookie Dwight Powell grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds in 20 minutes for the Mavericks.
8. LeBron James stuffed the stat sheet with 26 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and four steals as the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled out a dominant 106-92 win over the Utah Jazz. All five starters scored at least 15 points for the Cavaliers, thus helping Cleveland overcome 24 points and 17 rebounds from Utah’s Enes Kanter.
Since losing six in a row, Cleveland has won four straight games.
9. The Charlotte Hornets dominated the glass in a 78-76 close victory over the Miami Heat. Charlotte grabbed 20 offensive rebounds and won the overall battle on the boards by 15, primarily fueled by a 14-rebound performance by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and 12 rebounds from Bismack Biyombo.
Charlotte has won eight of nine.
10. DeMarcus Cousins posted 28 points and 14 rebounds, and Rudy Gay had 25 points, eight rebounds and six assists, but the Sacramento Kings fell 103-100 to the Brooklyn Nets. Brook Lopez scored a team-high 22 points for the Nets, which picked up a vital win on a night in which the No. 9 and No. 10 seeds won.
Brooklyn’s won two straight road games and has lost five in a row at home.
Bonus Facts
- Anthony Davis scored 29 points and Eric Gordon dished out 10 assists as the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 96-80. Jordan Hill led L.A. with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
- Carmelo Anthony posted 27 points and 11 rebounds to help the New York Knicks take down the Philadelphia 76ers 98-91. New York has won back-to-back games for the first time since November 2.