The 2014-15 NBA regular season continued on Sunday, March 22 with a healthy slate of 11 games featuring 22 teams. With all eyes on the 2015 NCAA Tournament, a rising star had a career night, an MVP candidate had another big game and multiple contenders were in action.
This is how it all transpired.
1. Enes Kanter dominated and Russell Westbrook recorded yet another triple-double as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Miami Heat 93-75. Kanter recorded 27 points and 12 rebounds, and Westbrook tallied 12 points, 17 assists, 10 rebounds, four steals and two blocks on 5-of-16 shooting as OKC secured a vital win.
This is Westbrook’s 10th triple-double of 2014-15. The last five players with at least 10 triple-doubles in a single season: Westbrook, Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
2. Tiago Splitter scored 23 points and Kawhi Leonard tallied 20 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals to lead the San Antonio Spurs past the Atlanta Hawks 114-95. Paul Millsap posted 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Dennis Schroder put up 18 points and five assists in 24 minutes for the Hawks.
The Hawks have lost three consecutive games for the first time since March 29, 2014.
3. DeMarcus Cousins put up 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in just 23 minutes as the Sacramento Kings upset the Washington Wizards 109-86. Rudy Gay led the charge for Sacramento with a game-high 26 points, while Bradley Beal recorded 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field for Washington.
With Washington’s loss, the Hawks have clinched the Southeast Division title for the first time in franchise history. Atlanta moved from the Central to the Southeast Division in 2004-05.
4. LeBron James went off for 28 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, five steals and a block to help the Cleveland Cavaliers secure a 108-90 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. J.R. Smith added 23 on 8-of-11 shooting and Kyrie Irving had 20 points and seven assists for the Cavaliers, while Michael Carter-Williams put up 19 points for the Bucks.
Milwaukee has lost six consecutive games.
5. Chris Paul torched his former team for 23 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds and four steals to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 107-100 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Anthony Davis had 26 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a pair of steals on 11-of-13 shooting, but the Pelicans found a way to lose.
The Clippers have won four in a row.
6. Tyler Hansbrough scored 18 points in 18 minutes on 7-of-8 shooting to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 106-89 victory over the New York Knicks. DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points and Jonas Valanciunas put up 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Lance Thomas led the Knicks with 24 points of his own—a new season-high.
At 42-28, the Raptors have secured a winning record for the second consecutive season. The last time Toronto did that: 2000-01 and 2001-02.
7. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope put up 27 points and eight rebounds, and Andre Drummond had 18 points, 22 rebounds and four blocks to lead the Detroit Pistons to a big 105-97 victory against the Boston Celtics. Evan Turner put up 23 points, eight assists, six rebounds and three steals for the Celtics, while Reggie Jackson had 17 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds and a block for the Pistons.
Detroit’s won consecutive games since February 22—exactly one month ago.
8. Eric Bledsoe recorded 20 points, nine assists, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks as the Phoenix Suns escaped with a 98-92 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Chandler Parsons led the Mavericks with 19 points and Amar’e Stoudemire had 16 points in 17 minutes, but Markieff Morris had 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Marcus Morris put up 11 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and three steals for the Suns.
Don’t look now, but Phoenix has won four in a row.
9. Danilo Gallinari went off for 40 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks as the Denver Nuggets picked up a 119-100 victory over the Orlando Magic. Victor Oladipo recorded 21 points, five rebounds, five assists, one block and a steal for the Magic, but Gallinari was too much to overcome.
The 40 points set a new career-high.
10. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Al Jefferson, Kemba Walker and Mo Williams stepped up to guide the Charlotte Hornets past the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-98. Williams had 24 points, Al Jefferson put up 18 points and 11 rebounds, MKG had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Walker tallied 16 points, eight assists and six steals to provide Charlotte with a balanced attack.
Charlotte’s win snaps a three-game losing streak.
Bonus Fact: Jeremy Lin went off for 29 points, five rebounds, five assists and a steal to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 101-87 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.