In just one night, the postseason picture was altered significantly and a number of the NBA’s rising stars made statements that will not soon be forgotten. From career-best performances to historically significant performances, there was no shortage of tremendous results.
This is how it all transpired.
1. Danny Green put up 21 points in 20 minutes and Kawhi Leonard scored 20 points in 22 minutes as the San Antonio Spurs secured win No. 50 with a 123-93 thrashing of the Denver Nuggets. Danilo Gallinari finished with 20 points for the Nuggets, but the Spurs’ balanced attack was too much to handle.
San Antonio has won at least 50 games in an NBA-record 16 consecutive seasons.
2. DeMarcus Cousins took over and posted 24 points, 20 rebounds, 13 assists, four blocks and a steal, but the Sacramento Kings fell 101-95 to the New Orleans Pelicans. Eric Gordon scored 21 points, Anthony Davis had 20 and 12 rebounds, and Tyreke Evans tallied 19 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists for the victorious Pelicans.
Cousins is the third player in NBA history to record back-to-back 20-20-10 games. The others: Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain.
3. Jeff Green posted 22 points and Marc Gasol had 19 points, six rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals as the Memphis Grizzlies shut down the Oklahoma City Thunder 100-92. Enes Kanter had 24 points and 17 rebounds for the Thunder, but MVP candidate Russell Westbrook was held to 5-of-20 shooting from the field and converted just 8-of-13 attempts at the free throw line.
The Thunder have lost four of five.
4. C.J. McCollum erupted for a career-high 27 points and Damian Lillard scored an efficient 20 to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 107-77 blowout victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Jordan Clarkson countered with 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Lakers, but it wasn’t enough to avoid the blowout.
With its win and OKC’s loss, Portland secures its first division title since 2009.
5. Pau Gasol put on a show against the young guns with 26 points and 10 rebounds for his league-best 50th double-double of 2014-15 as the Chicago Bulls pulled out an 88-82 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Reggie Jackson had 22 points and nine assists, and Andre Drummond put up 14 points, 22 rebounds and six blocks for the Pistons.
Gasol is the first Bulls player to reach 50 double-doubles since Charles Oakley in 1986-87.
6. Otto Porter stepped up with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting and John Wall dished out 18 assists to lead the Washington Wizards to a 101-87 victory over the New York Knicks. Ricky Ledo scored a career-high 21 points for the Knicks in defeat.
The 18 assists set Wall’s new career-high.
7. Deron Williams had 31 points and 11 assists, Brook Lopez took over with 30 points and 17 rebounds, and Thaddeus Young scored 27 points to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a high-octane 114-109 win against the Toronto Raptors. DeMar DeRozan posted 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, Louis Williams picked up 23 points and Jonas Valanciunas finished with 21 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors.
Lopez is the first Nets player with multiple 30-point and 15-rebound games in a single season since Derrick Coleman in 1993-94.
8. O.J. Mayo put up 24 points, six assists, five rebounds, two steals and a block as the Milwaukee Bucks got back to .500 with a 110-101 victory over the Boston Celtics. Isaiah Thomas scored 23 points and Jonas Jerebko had 17 points in 21 minutes for the Celtics, but Milwaukee found a way to win on the road.
Milwaukee’s win snaps an 11-game road losing streak.
9. Nikola Vucevic was dominant, recording 37 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Orlando Magic to a 97-84 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tobias Harris had 25 points and 12 rebounds, and Elfrid Payton came up with 10 assists for the Magic, while Andrew Wiggins led the T-Wolves with 22 points of his own.
The Timberwolves are the first Western Conference team to reach 60 losses in 2014-15.
10. It wasn’t pretty, but the Indiana Pacers picked up a grind-it-out 93-74 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. Rodney Stuckey led the Pacers with 15 points in a game in which the two sides combined for 38 turnovers.
Over its past eight games, Indiana is 2-0 when it holds opponents below 100 points and 0-6 when it doesn’t.
Bonus Fact: Cousins is the first Kings player with consecutive triple-doubles since Chris Webber in 2005.