The 2014-15 NBA regular season continued on Saturday, February 21 with a healthy slate of games. Every outing featured at least one team with legitimate postseason aspirations, including a number of squads fighting for the No. 8 seed in their respective conferences.
Here’s how it all transpired.
1. Russell Westbrook went off for 33 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and a steal, and Enes Kanter pulled down 13 rebounds in his team debut as the Oklahoma City Thunder escaped with a 110-103 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. Mo Williams had 24 points and 12 assists in his first game with the Hornets, and both Al Jefferson and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist added 20 points, but Charlotte ultimately fell short.
Westbrook has a league-best five games with at least 30 points and 10 assists in 2014-15.
2. Pau Gasol was dominant and Joakim Noah was dynamic as the Chicago Bulls pulled out a 112-107 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Gasol finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks, and Noah tallied 12 rebounds and eight assists for Chicago, while P.J. Tucker led Phoenix with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting.
The Suns have now lost four consecutive games.
3. Corey Brewer and James Johnson had an unlikely duel in a 98-76 Houston Rockets drubbing of the Toronto Raptors. Brewer put up 26 points, 10 rebounds and five steals for the Rockets, and Johnson recorded 27 points, five rebounds, four blocks and four steals for the Raptors.
The Raptors had won five straight road games before this loss.
4. Austin Rivers scored 28 points in 26 minutes, J.J. Redick put up 24 points in 26 minutes and Jamal Crawford finished with 23 points in 21 minutes as the Los Angeles Clippers downed the Sacramento Kings 126-99. DeAndre Jordan recorded 11 points and 15 rebounds, and Chris Paul had 10 points and nine assists for the Clippers, while Omri Casspi grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds for the Kings.
Rivers’ 28 points set a new career-high.
5. Eric Gordon posted 24 points, six assists and six 3-point field goals to lead the New Orleans Pelicans past the shorthanded Miami Heat 105-91. Goran Dragic had 12 points in 33 minutes in his Heat debut, Dwyane Wade scored 19 and Hassan Whiteside put up 11 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks, but Miami continued to struggle.
Anthony Davis had six points and six rebounds in nine minutes before exiting the game with an aggravated shoulder ailment. Ryan Anderson joined him shortly thereafter with a knee injury.
Bonus Fact: Gasol posted his league-leading 36th double-double against the Suns. He had 30 in all of 2013-14.