Atlanta Takes Down Cleveland and Harden Posts Another Triple-Double

The 2014-15 NBA regular season continued on Friday, March 6 with a healthy slate of 12 games featuring 24 hungry teams. Plenty was on the line as the standings in both conferences continued to shift with just over one month remaining until the playoffs.

This is how it all transpired.

1. Two of the Eastern Conference’s elite clashed as the Atlanta Hawks pulled out a 106-97 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Al Horford led Atlanta with 19 points, nine rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block, and Dennis Schroder added 15 points and eight assists off the bench, while Kyrie Irving scored 20 points and LeBron James had 18 points, eight assists, six rebounds, two steals, a block and nine turnovers for Cleveland.

Atlanta extends its winning streak to six games and is up to a league-best 49 victories on the season.

2. James Harden went off for 38 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists as the Houston Rockets took care of business against the Detroit Pistons 103-93. Terrence Jones added 17 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals for the Rockets, while Greg Monroe led the Pistons with 19 points, eight rebounds, three assists, four steals and one block.

The Pistons are 0-5 since trading D.J. Augustin and acquiring Reggie Jackson.

3. Stephen Curry put up 22 points and seven assists as the Golden State Warriors picked up a comfortable 104-89 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Draymond Green added 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists, one block and a steal on 8-of-14 shooting from the field for the Warriors, while Dirk Nowitzki and Rajon Rondo led the Mavericks with 14 points each.

Golden State’s 48-12 record is its best ever through 60 games.

4. Nene Hilario scored 20 points, Bradley Beal poured in 17, Marcin Gortat dominated the interior and John Wall dished out 12 assists as the Washington Wizards escaped with a much-needed 99-97 victory over the Miami Heat. Gortat recorded 14 points, 17 rebounds and two blocks on 7-of-12 shooting for Washington, while Goran Dragic scored 18 points and rookie Shabazz Napier had 16 for Miami.

Washington has won two of its three games since dropping six in a row.

5. Zach Randolph and the Memphis Grizzlies out-dueled Jordan Clarkson and the Los Angeles Lakers for a 97-90 win. Z-Bo put up 24 points and 13 rebounds on 10-of-16 shooting and Clarkson came up with a career-high 25 points and six assists.

Los Angeles has lost at least 45 games in consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history.

6. The Indiana Pacers were dominant in the fourth quarter as Frank Vogel’s club defeated the division rival Chicago Bulls 98-84. Doug McDermott scored 16 points in 16 minutes for the Bulls, but six players scored in double-figures for the Pacers in a win that thrust Indiana into the No. 8 seed.

The Pacers have won four in a row.

7. Kawhi Leonard picked up 25 points and Tony Parker scored 24 as the San Antonio Spurs won a shootout with the Denver Nuggets 120-111. Ty Lawson had 23 points and nine assists, and Kenneth Faried posted 20 points and 10 rebounds, but Denver ultimately fell short.

The Spurs have quietly won four in a row.

8. Eric Bledsoe, Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris all scored 19 points to help the Phoenix Suns pick up a massive 108-100 overtime road win against the Brooklyn Nets. Brook Lopez had 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Cory Jefferson tallied 12 points and 13 boards, but it was Phoenix which came away with the win in the midst of a push for the postseason.

Since losing five in a row, the Suns have won four of six and are just 1.5 games back of the No. 8 seed.

9. Best friends Al Jefferson and Mo Williams both scored 23 points to lead the Charlotte Hornets to a 103-94 victory over the Toronto Raptors. DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points on 14-of-26 shooting and Kyle Lowry had 25 for the Raptors, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Hornets’ 56-to-32 advantage on the boards.

Charlotte has won four consecutive games and is in sole possession of the No. 7 seed.

10. Victor Oladipo took over with 32 points, 10 assists, three rebounds and five steals on 14-of-24 shooting as the Orlando Magic out-gunned the Sacramento Kings 119-114. Rudy Gay scored 39 points and DeMarcus Cousins had 29 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks for the Kings, while Elfrid Payton had 12 assists and Channing Frye tallied 22 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks for the Magic.

Oladipo is the first Magic player to record at least 32 points, 10 assists and five steals in a single game since Darrell Armstrong on November 24, 1999.

Bonus Facts

Gordon Hayward put up 25 points and nine rebounds, and Rudy Gobert pulled down 15 boards as the Utah Jazz picked up an ugly 89-83 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Nerlens Noel had 10 points, 11 rebounds and six steals for the Sixers.
Anthony Davis dominated again with 29 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and a steal, but it was the Boston Celtics which upset the New Orleans Pelicans 104-98. Isaiah Thomas scored 27 points on 8-of-13 shooting to help Boston secure the win.
The Warriors have won five consecutive games against the Mavericks.