The 2014-15 NBA regular season continued on Saturday, February 28 with seven games featuring 14 hungry teams. A number of contenders were in action, with many battling in game with significant postseason ramifications.
Here’s how it all transpired.
1. Paul Millsap scored 22 points and Dennis Schroder put up 16 points and 10 assists to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 93-91 escape of the Miami Heat. Miami scored 38 points in the fourth quarter—more than it had in the entire first half—but the Heat ultimately lost by two points for the second time in as many days.
Atlanta has won a league-best 47 games.
2. The Hawks have won four in a row and are the first team in the Eastern Conference to reach 20 road wins.
3. Marc Gasol put up 27 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocks on 11-of-14 shooting from the field as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the the Minnesota Timberwolves 101-97. Andrew Wiggins countered with 25 points for the Timberwolves, but it was Gasol who powered his team to the win.
Memphis joins Atlanta and the Golden State Warriors as the first three teams to secure winning records in 2014-15 at 42-16.
4. The Grizzlies will finish above .500 for a franchise-record fifth consecutive season.
5. The starting lineup was superb as the Washington Wizards picked up a much-needed 99-95 victory over the Detroit Pistons. John Wall scored a team-high 22 points, Nene Hilario recorded 21, Marcin Gortat had 16 points and 17 rebounds, and Paul Pierce sank four 3-point field goals.
Washington had lost six consecutive games entering this encounter.
6. Kawhi Leonard stuffed the stat sheet with 22 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and two blocks to help the San Antonio Spurs blow out the Phoenix Suns 101-74. Marcus Morris scored 19 points, but the Suns shot just 29.8 percent from the field as a team.
Phoenix’s 24 first half points were the least in franchise history.
7. Deron Williams turned back the clocks with 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 104-94 road win over the Dallas Mavericks. Thaddeus Young added 16 points and eight rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting for Brooklyn, while Dirk Nowitzki scored a team-high 20 points for Dallas.
Brooklyn had lost five consecutive road games against teams with records above .500 before achieving this victory.
8. Trey Burke scored 23 points off the bench and the combination of Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert dominated the interior as the Utah Jazz took down the Milwaukee Bucks 82-75. Favors tallied 16 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and three steals on 7-of-11 shooting, while Gobert put up 12 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals on a mark of 3-of-3 from the field.
Utah has quietly won four of five and is 6-2 in its past eight games.
9. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 22 points and Langston Galloway stepped up in the clutch as the New York Knicks stunned the Toronto Raptors 103-98. Andrea Bargnani added 19 points against his former team, while Louis Williams led the Raptors with 22 points off the bench.
This marks Toronto’s fifth consecutive loss, but its first against a below-.500 team since February 4. Don’t get too excited; that was the last time it played a below-.500 team.
10. After starting the season at 0-16 without Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks have won back-to-back games without their franchise player.
Bonus Facts
- Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside recorded 14 points, 24 rebounds and two blocks on 6-of-8 shooting for his third 20-rebound game of the season. Only Andre Drummond and DeAndre Jordan have more.
- The Utah Jazz have now won 13 consecutive home games over the Milwaukee Bucks. The last time utah lost at home to the Bucks: October 30, 2001.
My first observation is that if the Wizards can lose so many games, just because Bradley Beal isn’t in the lineup, then every team can go on a bad losing streak. Its hard to explain, but some teams win consistently by small margins and others lose the same way. Small changes in the roster can have dramatic effects.
Regarding Deron Williams, he didn’t turn back the clock, but rumors of his demise were greatly exaggerated. He does often suffer from a confidence issue and deferring to his teammates (lacking aggressiveness or feeling his teammates are better). However, the only part of his game that is reduced is his vertical lift, but he’s been seen dunking lately in pre-game warmups. I wanted to see him get Platelet Rich Plasma treatment (for ankles and knees) during his recent absence for an unrelated torn cartilage injury. Coach Hollins just has to continue to get DWill and Jarrett Jack to learn to play better together. Jack doesn’t have that confidence issue. Probably it should be Jack, not DWill who should be playing “off the ball” on offense.