While most of America’s NBA viewing audience was busy watching the Houston Rockets finally wake up and send the Memphis Grizzlies back into hibernation on national TV, there was an epic point guard duel taking place over at Junkie Central (aka, League Pass). The Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks squared off on a rare Thursday night that featured more than just two nationally televised TNT games — but with the way Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving and Atlanta’s Jeff Teague played, you’d have thought it was their lone appearance in front of a broader audience this season.
As you’ll see above, Teague matched Irving blow for blow, with the former notching 34 points and 14 assists, while the latter put up 40 points and nine assists. Ultimately, Teague had the two most important shots of the game — a deep three at the end of regulation to send the game to overtime, and a game-winning 18-footer that bounced around the rim a few times before falling in. While the final shot was somewhat anticlimactic — poor Anderson Varejao could only watch helplessly as the ball took just about every bounce imaginable on the way down — it was a rather appropriate ending to a game between two Eastern Conference teams not from Miami or Indiana.
[NBA]
