The 2014-15 NBA regular season continued on Wednesday, March 11. A superstar reminded the basketball community of why he’s a future Hall of Famer, a number of championship contenders were in action and a rookie achieved something that hadn’t been done since 1988.
This is how it all transpired.
1. Chris Paul out-dueled Russell Westbrook as the Los Angeles Clippers secured a 120-108 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Paul recorded 33 points and nine assists on 11-of-19 shooting for the Clippers, while Russell Westbrook had 24 points and 10 turnovers on a mark of 5-of-14 from the field.
At 42-23, the Clippers secure a winning record for the fourth consecutive season—a franchise record.
2. Klay Thompson picked up 27 points and five other players scored in double-figures to lead the Golden State Warriors past the Detroit Pistons 105-98. Andre Iguodala added 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting off of the bench for the Warriors, while Andre Drummond erupted for 22 points, 27 rebounds, two blocks and a pair of steals for the Pistons.
Golden State has won five in a row. Detroit’s dropped eight straight.
3. LaMarcus Aldridge took over with 26 points and 14 rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers outgunned the Houston Rockets 105-100. Nicolas Batum added 18 points, nine rebounds, six assists and a steal for the Blazers, while Corey Brewer scored 23 points, Terrence Jones had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and James Harden put up 18 points for the Rockets.
Houston drops to 6-8 when Harden plays and fails to score 20 points. It’s 37-12 when he reaches 20.
4. Aaron Brooks recorded 31 points as the Chicago Bulls escaped with a 104-95 win against the Philadelphia 76ers. Pau Gasol went off for 27 points and 16 rebounds, and Nikola Mirotic had 16 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and one block for the Bulls, while Ish Smith tallied 23 points and Isaiah Canaan posted 23 for the Sixers.
Chicago snaps its three-game losing streak.
5. Danilo Gallinari stepped up with 23 points in 24 minutes to lead the Denver Nuggets past the Atlanta Hawks 115-102. Kyle Korver led the Hawks with 18 points, but the class of the Eastern Conference fell short in the Mile High City. Denver is 4-2 in its past six games.
It was 4-19 in its previous 23.
6. Khris Middleton erupted for 30 points as the Milwaukee Bucks secured a much-needed 97-91 victory over the Orlando Magic. Michael Carter-Williams added 11 points, nine rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two steals for Milwaukee, while Nikola Vucevic led Orlando with 19 points, 14 rebounds, one assist and three steals. Milwaukee has won two of its past three games.
It was 2-6 in its previous eight.
7. Five players scored in double-figures to lead the Boston Celtics to a 95-92 upset of the Memphis Grizzlies. Mike Conley scored 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting and Tony Allen added 16, but the Grizzlies couldn’t overcome Boston’s balanced attack.
With the win, Boston improves to 16-16 at home. It was 16-25 at TD Garden in 2013-14.
8. Markieff Morris put up an efficient 24 points and Eric Bledsoe tallied 18 points and nine assists as the Phoenix Suns worked past the Minnesota Timberwolves for a big 106-97 win. The win helps Phoenix pull to within 2.5 games of the No. 8 seed New Orleans Pelicans in the Western Conference. Phoenix is 3-2 in its past five games.
In that timeframe, it’s 3-0 when scoring at least 100 points and 0-2 when it fails to.
9. Ben McLemore scored a season-high 27 points, Rudy Gay put up 26 and DeMarcus Cousins tallied 20 points and 14 rebounds to help the Sacramento Kings get past the Charlotte Hornets 113-106. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 23 points and nine rebounds, and Mo Williams finished with 20 points and eight assists, but the Hornets ultimately fell short.
Cousins has a league-best 34th game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.
10. Dwyane Wade went off for 28 points and nine assists to lead the Miami Heat past the Brooklyn Nets 104-98. Deron Williams scored 18 points and Brook Lopez had 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Nets, while Chris Andersen took over with 18 points and 14 rebounds on 8-of-9 shooting from the field for the Heat.
With Miami’s win and Charlotte’s loss, the Heat reclaim the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Bonus Fact: Nerlens Noel—eight points, 15 rebounds, four steals and two blocks—is the first center with at least four steals in four consecutive games since Hakeem Olajuwon in 1988.