Post Up: Still The Can’t Miss Kid

Hawks 107 (7-5), Wizards 102 (9-4)

A 12-0 run in the fourth quarter by Shelvin Mack (14 points and 5 assists) and Mike Scott (17 points and 8 rebounds) paired with a strong performance by Jeff Teague (28 points) got the Atlanta Hawks their sixth win in eight games. The Wizards opened the match-up at home shooting poorly, 5-18. They committed 24 turnovers—which became the stand out number in the loss—even with veteran Paul Pierce (14 points) surpassing Jerry West for No. 21 on the all-time scoring list and a double-double from John Wall (21 points and 13 assists). Still, last night was only the second loss for the Wizards in seven games.

Warriors 114 (11-2), Heat 97 (8-7)

Stephen Curry, there are no words—OK fine, maybe a few—splash, splash, splash, splash, splash, splash, splash, and splash. That’s eight splashin’ three-pointers for The Can’t Miss Kid last night:

Curry (40 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals) was on fire in Golden State’s road victory, extending his team’s winning streak to six and setting his season-high for points. Check out his shot chart:

Chris Bosh (26 points and 9 rebounds) and the Miami Heat played without Dwyane Wade, but actually opened their home game on a very impressive 19-3 run to record 36 points in just the first quarter. But the run that mattered more was the 14-0 one by Golden State in the fourth, a quarter during which Miami scored only 11 points.

Bucks 98 (8-7), Pistons 86 (3-11)

Last year the Milwaukee Bucks finished dead last in the NBA, winning a mere 15 games on the season. With their victory last night, they became one of eight teams in history to have a winning record through the first 15 games following a season that finished under .250. Commish Adam Silver noticed the Bucks’ improved play this year and was in attendance to witness the home team build a lead as great as 15 points. Brandon Knight (20 points and 8 assists) and OJ Mayo (17 points), who started his first game of the season yesterday, led the Bucks to victory against the struggling Pistons. Oh, and rook Jabari Parker (14 points and 9 rebounds) didn’t look too shabby either:

The recent past may have been dull, but the future looks bright.

Kings 99 (9-5), Pelicans 89 (7-6)

So speaking of steady improvements…the Kings are off to their best start since the 2005-06 season. They spoiled the Pelicans’ home winning streak, with their win last night in New Orleans. The first quarter was all Sacramento—they outscored the Pels 27-16. But Tyreke Evans (22 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists), Ryan Anderson (20 points and 5 rebounds), and the Pelicans rallied back in the second to tie it up at halftime at 49 apiece. Sac’s coach Mike Malone was ejected during the second quarter due to a couple Ts. But the Kings regained their composure in the second half, with DeMarcus Cousins (22 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals) and Omri Casspi (22 points) leading the way to get their team a third consecutive W.

Nuggets 114 (7-7), Bulls 109 (9-6)

Hey Denver, we see you. With their win over the visiting Chicago Bulls last night, the Nuggets are officially at the .500 mark and won five straight. Although he started just 1-8, Ty Lawson (20 points and 12 assists) was the man for Denver. He sank a J in the last 5.3 seconds of the game to extend the Nuggets’ lead to 5. He broke some ankles too:

In addition to Ty, five other Nuggets were also in double-figures—all the starters, plus Danilo Gallinari (15 points and 5 rebounds) off the bench. Kenneth Faried (12 points and 9 rebounds) had a near double-double and owned the paint with this nasty dunk:

For the Bulls, Derrick Rose (2 points) played just under 10 minutes before heading back to the locker room with hamstring problems. Jimmy Butler (32 points and 9 rebounds) led all scorers as he continues his All-Star caliber play this year.