Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio SF)- Recorded 17 points and a season-high 15 rebounds in a 109-99 win over the Denver Nuggets. It was Leonard's third game back from a hand injury, but he looked to be at full strength, as he hit three 3-pointers and stole the ball twice. His return should spark the Spurs to contend for a top-five seed in a tough Western Conference.
Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City PG)- Posted a line of 19 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals in a 94-86 win against the Miami Heat. Westbrook had another great night for the Thunder, as he hit 8 of 17 field goal attempts in the win. He has recorded two double-doubles and a triple-double over the last week and a half, and is complimenting teammate Kevin Durant nicely.
Kenneth Faired (Denver PF)- Scored 26 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in a 109-99 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. It was Faried's first double-double in almost a week, as he hit 9 of 17 shot attempts, and 8 of 12 from the foul line. As long as he receives adequate minutes, he can be a double-double machine for the Nuggets.
Kevin Durant drove by Miami center Chris Birdman for the slam in a 94-86 win over the Heat on Wednesday night. Durant finished the game with 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Jimmy Butler (Chicago SG)- Posted a stat line of 26 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in a 106-101 win over the Denver Nuggets. Butler seemed determined to pickup in 2015 where he left off in 2014, as he shot 7 of 14 from the field, and also chipped in three blocks and two steals. He, along with Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah, are proving to be one of the best teams in the league, and are looking like real title contenders heading into the second half of the season.
Pau Gasol (Chicago PF/C)- Finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and a career-high nine blocks in the Bulls' win over the Nuggets. Gasol was all over the Nuggets on defense, as his nine blocks were more than he had accumulated in his previous four games combined. His fantastic season continues in Chicago, and will likely be an all-star come February.
Andrew Wiggins (Minnesota SG/SF)- The rookie tallied 27 points, nine rebounds and four steals in a 110-107 loss to the Sacramento Kings. Wiggins had a solid all-around game for Minnesota, and has scored over 21 points in four of his last five games. His game is starting to become more consistent, which is great news for Timberwolves' fans, and bad news for the rest of the teams in the NBA.
Kenneth Faried (Denver PF)- Scored 18 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in a 106-101 loss to the Chicago Bulls. It was his third time in four games that Faried grabbed 19 or more rebounds, as he is one of the most talented rebounders in the NBA. As long as he is playing enough minutes each night, he is a double-double threat who give nothing less than 110% on the court.
Plays of the Night Rose to Butler
Derrick Rose connected with Jimmy Butler on an alley-oop that brought the fans to their feet on Thursday night. The alley-oop put the game out of reach with a little under four minutes to play in the game, as the Bulls won 106-101.
Ben McLemore finished a fast-break alley-oop against the Timberwolves on Thursday, showcasing his athleticism and finishing abilities. He finished the game with 14 points (6-9 FG) and four rebounds.
James Harden (Houston SG)- Almost had a triple-double, scoring 32 points, dishing out 10 assists and grabbing eight rebounds in a 117-111 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Harden played 41 minutes in the win, and hit 10 of his 17 shot attempts, as well as 10 of 11 free throw attempts. He continues to have a fantastic overall season on the offensive end, and will look to mesh with new teammate Josh Smith going forward.
Jared Dudley (Milwaukee SG/SF)- Hit all 10 of his shot attempts en route to a 24 point, four steal performance in a 107-77 win against the Atlanta Hawks. Dudley became the first player in NBA history to go at least 10-10 with at least three 3-ptointers attempted.
Kenneth Faried (Denver PF)- Broke out and scored 26 points while grabbing a career-high 25 rebounds in a 106-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Faried had a fantastic night, as he hit 11 of 15 shots from the field, and absolutely dominated on the boards, as he has since his days at Morehead State.
Anthony Davis (New Orleans PF/C)- Rebounded from a quite outing against Indiana to put up 22 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in a 97-90 win over the San Antonio Spurs. Davis filled up the stat sheet once again, and continues to play fantastic basketball heading into 2015.
Marcus Morris (Phoenix SF/PF)- Dropped 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists in a 115-106 win over the Sacramento Kings. Morris hit 7 of 12 shot attempts, including a careeer-high six 3-pointers in the win. It was the first time he had scored more than 20 points since Dec. 9 against the Heat, and is a positive sign moving forward.
Jarrett Jack (Brooklyn PG)- Scored a season-high 27 points on 8 of 14 shooting in a 109-107 win against the Boston Celtics. Jack got the start instead of Deron Williams, and did not disappoint, as he also added in seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in the win for the Nets.
Play of the Night
The TNT network released a heartwarming video tribute to Craig Sager, one of their sideline reporters on Thursday nights for 17 years. Sager is recovering from Acute myeloid leukemia, and should be back on the sidelines by the end of the season.
