The 2014-15 NBA regular season continued on Wednesday, February 25 with a healthy slate of 12 games with 24 teams. Contenders were tested, stars battled one another and a number of teams picked up statement wins on a night of great action.
This is how it all transpired.
1. After trailing by six at the half, the Atlanta Hawks blew out the Dallas Mavericks 104-87. Dennis Schroder led the charge with 17 points in 21 minutes and Kyle Korver added 16 points for the Hawks, while Monta Ellis put up 19 points for the Mavericks.
Atlanta’s won a league-best 45 games.
2. James Harden put up a casual 21 points and 10 assists, and Corey Brewer dropped 20 points in 27 minutes to lead the Houston Rockets to a 110-105 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Jamal Crawford scored 24 points, DeAndre Jordan recorded 22 points and 19 rebounds, and Chris Paul tallied 22 points and 14 assists for the Clippers, while Trevor Ariza sank five 3-pointers, Terrence Jones blocked five shots and Donatas Motiejunas finished with 18 points and nine rebounds for Houston.
Houston improves to 9-1 when Harden records at least 20 points and 10 assists.
3. Kevin Martin erupted for 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting and Andrew Wiggins scored 19 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 97-77 decimation of the Washington Wizards. John Wall dished out 10 assists, but the Wizards continued their free-fall with a fifth consecutive loss.
This was Kevin Garnett’s first game in a Timberwolves uniform since April 9, 2007.
4. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist picked up 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Charlotte Hornets to a 98-86 upset of the Chicago Bulls. Pau Gasol recorded 25 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks for the Bulls, but they ultimately fell short in their first game since Derrick Rose tore his meniscus.
Charlotte snaps a five-game losing streak with this win.
5. Wesley Matthews scored a season-high 31 points to lead the Portland Trail Blazers past the San Antonio Spurs 111-95. Damian Lillard chipped in 18 points and Nicolas Batum dished out nine assists for Portland, while Tim Duncan tallied 20 points and eight rebounds on 9-of-12 shooting for San Antonio.
The Spurs have stumbled into a four-game losing streak.
6. Rudy Gay went off for 28 points as the Sacramento Kings pulled out a 102-90 upset of the Memphis Grizzlies. DeMarcus Cousins added 16 points, nine rebounds, six assists, one block and a steal in 24 minutes for Sacramento, and Marc Gasol led Memphis with 14 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three blocks.
Memphis drops to 11-10 when it allows 100 points. It’s 30-5 when it doesn’t.
7. Luol Deng scored 21 points and Henry Walker sent the game to an extra period as the Miami Heat took down the Orlando Magic 93-90 in overtime. Nikola Vucevic had 26 points and eight rebounds, and Victor Oladipo recorded 13 points and 13 rebounds for Orlando, while Hassan Whiteside added 15 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks for Miami.
Miami improves to 9-0 when Deng scores at least 20 points.
8. Playing without Ryan Anderson, Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday, the New Orleans Pelicans took the Brooklyn Nets down 102-96. Joe Johnson had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Thaddeus Young scored 19 points, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a night of quality performances from unsung heroes.
Quincy Pondexter scored a career-high 25 points to lead the Pelicans to the win.
9. John Henson stepped up with 21 points, nine rebounds, two assists, three blocks and two steals to get the Milwaukee Bucks past the Philadelphia 76ers 104-88. Khris Middleton scored 19 points and Michael Carter-Williams recorded seven points, eight assists and two steals against his former team.
This is Milwaukee’s first game with at least 100 points since trading Brandon Knight.
10. Brandon Knight scored 19 points and Eric Bledsoe had 18 as the Phoenix Suns finally broke out of their slump with a 110-96 victory over the Denver Nuggets. Will Barton scored a season-high 22 points and is averaging 15.0 points in three games with the Nuggets after averaging 3.0 points with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Phoenix had lost five in a row and eight of nine leading up to this game.
Bonus Fact:
- Evan Turner recorded a triple-double with 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists as the Boston Celtics blew out the New York Knicks 115-94. Jonas Jerebko scored a season-high 20 points, Isaiah Thomas had 19 and Jae Crowder tallied 18 points to lead an explosive effort from the second unit.
- Jordan Clarkson picked up a career-high 22 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers past the Utah Jazz 100-97. Rudy Gobert had 16 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks.