The 2014-15 NBA regular season continued on Sunday, February 22 with a healthy slate of nine games. Multiple contenders were in action with the opportunity to spark a second-half run in the wake of All-Star Weekend.
This is how it all transpired.
1. Russell Westbrook went off for 21 points, 17 assists and eight rebounds on 8-of-12 shooting to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder past the Denver Nuggets 119-94. Enes Kanter posted 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Serge Ibaka put up 20 points, eight rebounds and eight blocks for OKC, while Ty Lawson led Denver with 17 points.
Westbrook is the second player in NBA history to record at least 20 points, 15 assists and five rebounds in less than 30 minutes. The other: Magic Johnson.
2. Westbrook has dished out at least 10 assists in three consecutive games. That’s his longest streak since February of 2011.
3. Marc Gasol recorded 21 points and three blocks, and Courtney Lee had 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting as the Memphis Grizzlies came back for a 98-92 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Damian Lillard put up 18 points and Nicolas Batum tallied 17 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and one block.
This was Memphis’ third win during a game in which it trailed by at least 10 points in the fourth quarter. Only Portland has more.
4. Behind the force of a balanced attack, the Detroit Pistons outworked the Washington Wizards for a 106-89 victory. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 26 points, Andre Drummond put up 18 points and 16 rebounds, Greg Monroe posted 15 points and 15 boards, and Reggie Jackson had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in his Pistons debut.
The Wizards have lost eight of their past 10 games.
5. Paul Millsap stuffed the stat sheet with 23 points, 16 rebounds, eight offensive boards, three assists, two blocks and a steal to lead the Atlanta Hawks past the Milwaukee Bucks 97-86. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton both scored 19 points for the Bucks, but the Hawks prevailed in this defensive battle.
Atlanta’s won a league-best 44 games.
6. Rodney Stuckey scored 30 points in 28 minutes to lead the Indiana Pacers past the Golden State Warriors 104-98. Klay Thompson recorded 39 points on 12-of-28 shooting from the field and a mark of 5-of-13 from beyond the arc as Golden State failed to overcome Stephen Curry’s absence.
Stuckey is the first player in Pacers history to score at least 30 points in consecutive games off the bench.
7. Kevin Love recorded 16 points and 16 rebounds in a 101-83 Cleveland Cavaliers victory over the New York Knicks. LeBron James added 18 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals, Kyrie Irving scored 18 points of his own and J.R. Smith tallied 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
The Cavaliers have won 16 of their past 18 outings.
8. Monta Ellis scored 23 points and Amar’e Stoudemire had 14 points in 11 minutes to lead the Dallas Mavericks past the Charlotte Hornets 92-81. Mo Williams had 22 points and Al Jefferson put up 17 rebounds for the Hornets, but it was the Mavericks which escaped with a narrow victory.
Charlotte has lost five consecutive games.
9. Nikola Vucevic erupted for 31 points, 14 rebounds and two steals to help the Orlando Magic take down the Philadelphia 76ers 103-98. Robert Covington led the 76ers with 16 points, nine rebounds and two steals, while Victor Oladipo added 17 points for the Magic.
Orlando’s won three consecutive games and Philadelphia’s dropped three in a row.
10. Jeremy Lin recorded 25 points and six assists on 10-of-15 shooting to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a dramatic 118-111 overtime victory over the Boston Celtics. Avery Bradley scored eight points in the final 27 seconds to force overtime, including a buzzer-beating 3-point field goal, but Boston ultimately fell short.
The Lakers’ win snaps a seven-game losing streak.
Bonus Fact: LeBron James passed Allen Iverson for No. 22 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.