The 2014-15 NBA regular season continued on Thursday, January 22. There were multiple blowouts, a game-winner with minimal time on the clock and an impressive feat by a player who nearly outdid his head coach.
Here’s how it all transpired.
1. Pau Gasol put up 12 points, 17 rebounds and two blocks on 5-of-6 shooting to lead the Chicago Bulls past the San Antonio Spurs 104-81. Derrick Rose led the Bulls with 22 points in 27 minutes, while Kawhi Leonard scored a team-high 16 points for the Spurs.
The Bulls had a +/- of plus-26 with Rose on the floor and minus-3 when he was on the bench.
2. Chris Paul dished out 17 assists in 24 minutes as the Los Angeles Clippers demolished the Brooklyn Nets 123-84. Blake Griffin scored 24 points on 11-of-14 shooting in 25 minutes, including 22 points in the first half. J.J. Redick added 17 points in 20 minutes and Jamal Crawford tallied 17 points in 18 minutes.
Paul’s 17 assists set a season-high.
3. The last player to record at least 17 assists in 24 minutes or less: CP3’s coach, Doc Rivers, on February 28, 1987, per Basketball-Reference.com.
4. Avery Bradley scored 18 points and Jared Sullinger tallied 17 to lead the Boston Celtics past the Portland Trail Blazers 90-89. Damian Lillard scored 21 points in the Trail Blazers’ first game since power forward LaMarcus Aldridge was announced to miss six-to-eight weeks.
Evan Turner sank the game-winning 3-point field goal with 1.9 seconds remaining on the clock.
5. Enes Kanter and Gordon Hayward took over to help the Utah Jazz pick up a 101-99 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Hayward scored a team-high 24 points and Kanter finished with 23 points, 16 rebounds and two steals for Utah, while Jerryd Bayless dished out nine assists for Milwaukee.
Kanter’s tallied at least 23 points and 16 rebounds in consecutive games. He hadn’t tallied 20 and 10 a single time in 2014-15 beforehand.
Bonus Fact: The last time the Bulls beat the Spurs by at least 23 points: March of 1997. Tim Duncan hadn’t been drafted yet.