Nightly Recap- Feb. 22

Top Performances

Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City PG)- Tallied 21 points, 17 assists and eight rebounds in a 119-94 win over the Denver Nuggets. Westbrook once again stepped up with Kevin Durant out, recording those gaudy numbers in just 27 minutes, making him the only player to do so since Magic Johnson. He is climbing the MVP ladder quickly, as the Thunder are now in the drivers' seat for the eighth playoff seed.

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Nikola Vucevic (Orlando C)- Posted a double-double of 31 points and 15 rebounds in a 103-98 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. It was just another day at the office for Vucevic, who is having the best season of his career for the Magic.

Paul Millsap (Atlanta PF)- Recorded 23 points and 16 rebounds in a 97-86 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. It was Millsap's first double-double in three weeks, and it helped the Hawks snap their two game losing streak. He is scoring just under 17 points, and grabbing just over eight rebounds per game for the top-seeded Hawks.

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Rodney Stuckey (Indiana PG/SG)- Scored 30 points to help the Pacers upend the Golden State Warriors. Stuckey hit 11 of 17 field goal attempts, and dished out five assists in the big win for Indiana. It was the second consecutive game that the role player scored 30 points off of the bench.

Play of the Night

Cleveland shooting guard J.R. Smith finished a reverse alley-oop from teammate Iman Shumpert in the Cavs 101-83 win against the New York Knicks. Smith finished the game with 17 points and four assists.

Link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A85p7tHgtZM 

2014-15 NBA Standings 

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*All stats courtesy of ESPN 

Nightly Recap- Jan. 13

Top Performances

Al Horford (Atlanta PF/C)- Recorded the first triple-double of his career, scoring 21 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists in a 105-87 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Horford was uber-effecient in his 29 minutes of action, hitting 8 of 10 field goal attempts, as well as 5 of 6 free throw attempts. He took initiative with three other starts resting Tuesday night, and played a phenomenal game.

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DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento PF/C)- Almost recorded a triple-double, tallying 32 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists in a 108-104 overtime loss to the Dallas Mavericks. The nine turnovers Cousins committed were way too high, but his other numbers (11-21 FG, 10-10 FT) more than made up for it, as he continues to dominate any and all opponents.

Mo Williams (Minnesota PG)- Scored a career-high 52 points in a 110-101 win over the Indiana Pacers. It was also a franchise record for most points scored by a Minnesota player, as Williams seemingly hit any and every shot over the Pacers' defense on Tuesday. He finished the game 19 of 33 from the field, including six made 3-pointers, and also dished out seven assists.

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J.R. Smith (Cleveland SG)- Tallied 29 points, while hitting eight 3-pointers in a 107-100 loss to the Phoenix Suns. Smith clearly benefitted from LeBron James making his return last night, as he saw a lot of open looks from all over the court. He also recorded four steals and did not commit a single turnover in the loss, which is a good sign for the Cavs coaching staff moving forward.

Markieff Morris (Phoenix PF/C)- Recorded a career-high 35 points in a 107-100 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The slightly taller Morris twin had himself a night against Cleveland, hitting 15 of his 21 shot attempts, while grabbing seven rebounds in the win.

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Play of the Night

Philadelphia 76ers' shooting guard K.J. McDaniels threw down a double-clutch dunk in the third quarter of a 105-87 loss to the Atlanta Hawks Tuesday night. The rookie from Clemson showcased his hops and athleticism once again, and continues to be a bright spot for an otherwise dull season for 76ers' fans.

Link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5iaaQ9Epag

2014-15 NBA Standings 

Check out bunow.com for local and national stories will by Bloomsburg University students.

Follow me on twitter @Lower_Merion33

*All stats courtesy of ESPN

Daily Recap- Nov. 26.

Who Was Hot

Stephen Curry (Golden State PG)- Followed up his 40-point game with a 28-point, eight assist performance (Six 3-pointers) in a 111-96 win over the Orlando Magic. Curry did most of his scoring (25 points, five 3-pointers) in the first half, and is in quite a zone over his last few games.

DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento PF/C)- Put together another monster game, tallying 29 points (9-18 FG), 17 rebounds and six assists in a 102-89 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Cousins also added three blocks, and dominated the game down low without Dwight Howard to guard him.

Source- http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/nba/players/full/4258.png&w=350&h=254 

Lebron James (Cleveland SF)- Came out strong and scored 29 points on 7-14 FG (14-17 FT) in a 113-87 win over the Washington Wizards. James also dished out 10 assists and grabbed eight rebounds in the revenge win over Washington.

Jose Calderon (New York PG)- Calderon got hot Wednesday night, hitting seven 3-pointers en route to a 21 point performance in a 109-102 overtime loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Calderon also grabbed 10 rebounds in only his third game of the year (due to injuries). This won't happen on a nightly basis, but Calderon certainly enjoyed more shot attempts with Carmelo Anthony out of the lineup.

Source- http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2014/1021/ny_a_calderon01jr_D_576x324.jpg 

Tyson Chandler (Dallas C)- Scored 17 points and pulled down 25 (YES- 25) rebounds in a 109-102 overtime win over the New York Knicks. Chandler continues to be one of the best rebounders in the NBA, and is averaging a double-double 10.3 ppg, 10.3 rpg) for the season.

Isaiah Canaan (Houston PG)- Started in place of Patrick Beverley, and scored 24 points on 9-16 shooting (six 3-pointers) in a 102-89 win over the Sacramento Kings. Canaan played a strong game for Houston, adding six rebounds, four assists, four steals and only one turnover in the win.

Source- http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/nba/players/full/2490589.png&w=350&h=254 

Who Was Not

Carlos Boozer (Los Angeles PF)- Scored only four points on 2-6 shooting in a 99-93 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. It marked the second time in 10 games the Boozer failed to score in double-digits.

J.R. Smith (New York SG/SF)- Shot 7-20 from the field, tallying only 15 points in a loss to Dallas on Wednesday night. Smith started in place of Carmelo Anthony, and even though he hit the game-tying shot with less than two seconds in regulation, was not efficient for New York.

Play of the Night 

Rookies Andrew Wiggins (No. 1 overall pick) and Jabari Parker (No. 2 overall) met for the first time in the regular season on Wednesday. Wiggins sent Parker's shot driving shot into the stands late in the third quarter, providing some excitement in what was a matchup between top bottom-10 teams in the NBA.

Daily Recap- Nov. 18.

Who Was Hot

Alec Burks (Utah SG)- Scored 20 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a 98-81 win over the New York Knicks. Burks shot 5-8 from the field, 8-9 from the foul line, and blocked two shots in the contest.

Source- http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/nba/players/full/6429.png&w=350&h=254 

Paul Millsap (Atlanta PF)- Scored 29 points on11-16 shooting in a 114-109 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Millsap also recorded four steals and two blocked shots in the contest.

Iman Shumpert (New York SG/SF)- Had an all-around game of 21 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in a 106-100 loss to the Sacramento Kings.

DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento PF/C)- Had a monster game (24 pts, 17 reb) in the King's 106-100 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles SG)- Tallied 28 points on 10-18 shooting in the Lakers' 114-109 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Bryant reached 32,000 points for his career (32,001 total) in Tuesday's contest, and is 292 away from passing Michael Jordan for third most all-time.

Source- http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/nba/players/full/110.png&w=350&h=254 

Who Was Not

Serge Ibaka (Oklahoma City PF)- Shot 2-13 from the field, scoring only six points in the Thunder's loss to Utah on Tuesday.

J.R. Smith (New York SG)- Scored only nine points on 3-12 shooting in the Knicks loss to the Bucks on Tuesday. It was a drop-off night for Smith, who had scored 28 points in the Knicks' previous contest.

Kyle Korver (Atlanta SG/SF)- Scored only eight points on 2-6 shooting in a 114-109 loss to the Lakers. Korver has been very quiet the past two games after a hot start, so it will be interesting to see how he plays moving forward.

Play of the Night

Kobe Bryant's fadeaway jumper with just over a minute to play gave him 32,000 points for his career. With his scoring continuing to be strong, Bryant should pass Michael Jordan sometime before Christmas.