Post Up: 20K Club

Cavaliers 101 (49-20), Heat 122 (40-29)

With a third quarter floater, Dwyane Wade became just the 41st player in NBA history to reach 20,000 career points. Wade, who totaled 24 points in the landmark performance, spoke about the accomplishment after the game.

“I always thought, I don’t know why, that 20,000 just seemed good,” Wade told The Associated Press in an interview as he approached the milestone. “When you’re in the NBA and they say you scored 20,000 points or whatever, that’s a small group and I wanted to be in that category. Obviously, because of what I’ve chosen to do, giving up some of those opportunities, missing a lot of games, my style of play, to reach that point for me is big.”

With LeBron James and Richard Jefferson providing the only two 20-plus point performances for Cleveland, the Heat were able to secure victory with relative ease.

Nuggets 101 (29-41), Hornets 93 (39-30)

D.J. Augustin had perhaps his best night as a member of the Nuggets, draining three of five attempted treys while going 5-for-7 from the charity stripe. The Hornets were derailed from their winning ways despite 24 points from Nicolas Batum and 16 from Jeremy Lin. Meanwhile, JaKarr Sampson is starting to look like an excellent pick-up for Denver. Signed to a multi-year deal after washing out of the 76ers organization, the 22-year-old Sampson totaled seven points with three boards in a starting role.

Warriors 79 (62-7), Spurs 87 (59-10)

A game that had all of the makings of fireworks instead turned out to be a low-output, methodically paced contest. Stephen Curry’s gaudy 1-of-12 mark from downtown set the tone for Golden State, as the Warriors shot an uncharacteristic 37.8 percent on the night, receiving just four double-digit scoring performances.

It was business as usual for the Spurs, however, as coach Gregg Popovich’s squad remained undefeated at home thanks to 26 points from LaMarcus Aldridge and a double-double from Kawhi Leonard. Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who was at one point T’d up, was incensed with the game’s officiating.

Thunder 115 (48-22), Pacers 111 (36-33)

An incredible 45-point showing from Paul George wasn’t enough to stave off Kevin Durant and the Thunder, as KD dropped 33 points with 13 boards in OKC’s fourth-straight W. After the game, Thunder coach Billy Donovan acknowledged the possibility of resting his starters before the team’s playoff run, which could lead to some minutes for this guy…

Nets 103 (19-50), Pistons 115 (36-34)

Aron Baynes came off the bench to score 21 points, helping Detroit eke out a win over Thad Young (24 points) and the Nets. The Nets and Pistons each called up a player from the D-League prior to Saturday’s contest, leading to this cool pre-game moment:

Knicks 89 (28-42), Wizards 99 (34-35)

The Knicks squandered a combined 40 points from Kristaps Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony, handing Washington their fourth consecutive victory. The Wizards’ starting five got the job done, as John Wall and Marcin Gortat each contributed double-doubles to bring Washington within 1.5 games of the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Unfortunately for the Knicks, Kevin Seraphin set the tone for this game before it started.

Rockets 97 (35-35), Hawks 109 (41-29)

The jury may still be out on Jerian Grant, but the Tim Hardaway Jr. trade is certainly looking good for the Hawks. Hardaway Jr. came off the bench to tally 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, leading Atlanta to a night of 50 percent field goal accuracy. Michael Beasley and James Harden’s combined 55 points weren’t enough for the Rockets to seal the deal. Meanwhile, Dwight Howard may hear from the commissioner’s office for this stunt:

Clippers 102 (43-24), Grizzlies 113 (39-30)

Zach Randolph, of all people, recorded a triple-double with 29 points, 11 boards, and 10 dimes. Z-Bo didn’t lift the Grizzlies single-handedly, as Tony Allen poured in 22 points while Jeff Green stuffed his stat sheet (11 points, 7 rebounds, four assists, four steals, one block) off the bench. With Saturday’s defeat, the Clippers have now dropped three of their last four.

Jazz 85 (33-36), Bulls 92 (35-33)

Derrick Rose’s 22 points were a team-high, as Chicago notched a victory with playoff implications. Still holding on to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, the Bulls will need to make up for a lousy February to pull away from the Pistons and Wizards at the bottom of the Conference. The Jazz find themselves in a similar predicament with their recent loss, now trailing the Mavericks by a game in the cellar of the Western Conference.