Bright Lights: Without their All-Star big man, David Lee (suspension), the Golden State Warriors headed into the Madison Square Garden to face off against the New York Knicks for a night that they will never forget. Carmelo Anthony had a team-high 35 points (10 of 26) and 8 assists. Tyson Chandler chipped in for 16 points and a career high 28 rebounds. Despite the outcome, which favored the Knicks, the spotlight was on Stephen Curry all night, as the Golden State point guard goes off for a career high 54 points on 18 of 28 shooting, 11 of 13 from three, 7 assists and 6 rebounds. If only he got some help from his teammates.
Take a look at his shot chart.
Wild Charge: The Houston Rockets took an early 20-4 lead against the Milwaukee Bucks, who returned with a 29-16 run to make this into a game. James Harden had 25 points (8 of 18), 7 rebounds and 4 steals. Omer Asik added 16 points and 22 rebounds. Tied with 6 seconds left on the clock, Monta Ellis hits an off balance three to win the game for the Bucks. The shooting guard finished with 27 points on 24 shots, 6 rebounds, 13 assists and 6 steals.
Burning Upset: The Phoenix Suns, the worst team in the west, took down the mighty San Antonio Spurs in overtime. Walking fossil, Jermaine O’neal led the way with 22 points (8 of 14) and 13 rebounds. While the Spurs’ Tim Duncan goes for 19 points (6 of 15) and 11 boards to become the 11th player in NBA history to have 20,000 points and 13,000 rebounds. Tony Parker added 22 points on 20 shots and dished out 8 assists. The Suns down 3, with less than 4 seconds remaining found a wide open Wes Johnson for three to force overtime, where the Phoenix would outscore the Spurs 5 to 1.
Don’t Call it a Comeback: The Memphis Grizzlies overcame a 25 point deficit in the second half for the win against the Dallas Mavericks. After giving up 38 points in just the first quarter to their opponents, the Grizzlies held the Mavs to only 5 points in the third quarter, while they go on a 24-0 run to get back into the game. Zach Randolph got 22 points and 10 rebounds. His front court mate, Marc Gasol dropped 21 points and snagged 12 boards. Dirk Nowitzski had only 10 points, but it was enough for him to pass Larry Bird for the 21st all-time in Field Goals Made.
After starting 1 of 15 from the field, the Cleveland Cavaliers fought back from a 14 point lead by making 20 of their next 31 shots. In the absence of Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters stepped up again for 23 points (7 of 16), and 6 assists. Toronto made a 9-0 run late in this game, but the effort was just a step behind as they fall to the Cavs. DeMar DeRozan led all scorers with 34 points on 10 of 19 shooting.
Fantasy Shoutouts: Brandon Knight went off for a career high 32 points on 11 of 18 shooting (5 of 6 from three), and 4 assists. His teammate, Jose Calderon had only 6 points, but he dished out 18 assists in the Detroit Piston’s win over the Washington Wizards.
Al Horford had his way against the giants of the Utah Jazz, the Florida product got 34 points (14 of 22), and 15 boards. Josh Smith added 24 points (9 of 19), 14 rebounds and 5 blocks. Al Jefferson of the Jazz scored a team-high 26 points (12 of 22) and grabbed 11 rebounds in the loss.
For the first time in his career, Russell Westbrook shot 50 percent from the field in a month (February). The explosive point guard finished with 29 points on 8 of 17 shooting, while his buddy, Kevin Durant messed around and got a triple double in 27 minutes of play. KD had 18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 dimes in the 45 point blowout victory over the New Orleans Hornets.
The game between Denver and Portland went down to the wire, with the fate of the Blazers on LaMarcus Aldridge, who just missed the basket in the final seconds to tie things up. He had 22 points on 24 shots and 5 rebounds. Rookie, Damian Lillard got 26 points (8 of 14) and 4 assists. For Denver, Andre Iguodala went for 29 points on 11 of 20 shooting, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 steals. Ty Lawson chipped in for 30 points on 12 of 22 shooting.
Highlights
Real Fancy: Tyreke Evans threw an incredible no look pass and it didn’t get picked off.
Bromance: Jeremy Lin and Chandler Parsons have quite the chemistry.
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