The 2014-15 NBA regular season continued on Friday, March 13 with a bang. The nine games played included some of the most incredible individual performances of the year and a number of results that were critical to the postseason picture,
This is how it all transpired.
1. Paul Millsap was masterful, recording 23 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and three steals to lead the Atlanta Hawks past the Phoenix Suns 96-87. Markieff Morris put up 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists, five steals and two blocks for the Suns, but the Hawks mounted a powerful attack during the fourth quarter.
Atlanta matches the Golden State Warriors at a league-best 51 wins.
2. Russell Westbrook went off for 29 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds and two steals as the Oklahoma City Thunder picked up a vital 113-99 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Enes Kanter added 23 points and 15 rebounds for the Thunder, while Gorgui Dieng led the T-Wolves with 21 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals.
Over the past 30 years, only four players have recorded at least six triple-doubles with at least 25 points in a single season: LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Russell Westbrook.
3. Westbrook has six triple-doubles in his past eight games. The last player to do that was Jordan in 1988-89.
4. DeMarcus Cousins was extraordinary, taking over with 39 points, 24 rebounds, two steals and a block, but the Sacramento Kings fell 114-107 to the lowly Philadelphia 76ers. Robert Covington scored 24 points and Nerlens Noel tallied 16 points and 12 rebounds as the Sixers picked up a rare win.
Cousins is the first player with at least 35 point sand 20 rebounds since Anthony Davis on March 16, 2014.
5. Kyle Lowry flirted with a quadruple-double as the Toronto Raptors overcame the Miami Heat 102-92. Lowry finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and seven steals for the Raptors, while Dwyane Wade had 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting for Miami.
The win snaps Toronto’s 16-game losing streak to the Heat. They last beat Miami on January 27, 2010.
6. Kenneth Faried continued his monstrous play since Brian Shaw’s firing with 24 points, 17 rebounds and a block to help the Denver Nuggets upset the Golden State Warriors 114-103. Golden State was without Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson, but Justin Holiday filled in well with a career-high 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field and 5-of-7 from beyond the arc.
The Nuggets have won three consecutive games. They were 3-14 in their previous 17 outings.
7. Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge methodically picked the Detroit Pistons’ defense apart to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 118-99 blowout victory. Lillard scored 28 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field and Aldridge had 22 on a mark of 9-of-16, while Greg Monroe scored 19 points and Andre Drummond had 16 points and 17 rebounds for the Pistons.
Detroit has lost nine consecutive games. It’s guaranteed to have a losing record after suffering loss No. 42.
8. Chandler Parsons scored 22 points in 26 minutes to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a convincing 129-99 demolition of the Los Angeles Clippers. Dallas’ second unit accounted for 61 points, which is just one less than the Clippers’ entire starting lineup scored.
The Mavericks secure a winning record for the 14th time in the past 15 seasons.
9. The Charlotte Hornets stormed back from 19 points down to pull out an impressive 101-91 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Gerald Henderson scored 20 points, Mo Williams had 18 and Kemba Walker recorded 10 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Charlotte. Aaron Brooks scored a game-high 24 points for Chicago.
After going 3-6 in February, Charlotte has doubled its victories and is off to a 6-2 start in March.
10. Evan Turner scored a season-high 30 points and Phil Pressey dished out 10 assists as the Boston Celtics picked up a big 95-88 victory over the Orlando Magic. Turner scored 24 points in the second half, including 16 in the fourth quarter alone, as the Celtics received a powerful performance from an unlikely hero.
Boston has won three in a row and trails the No. 8 seed Hornets by just 1.0 game.
Bonus Fact: Justin Hamilton had 17 points, 10 rebonds, three assists, three blocks, three steals and five free throws made for the Timberwolves. Every one of those numbers set a new career-high.