KLAY THOMPSON GOES SUPERNOVA
: There are hot shooting nights, and then there's this. Klay Thompson did something no one had ever done before on Friday. In the third quarter, he attempted 13 field goals, nine 3-pointers and two free throws. Every one of those shots went in. He scored 37 points in those 12 minutes, 15 more than the Kings and four fewer than his previous high for an entire game.
There's no way to explain something like this. Yes, Thompson is one of the best shooters in basketball. Yes, he's improved as much as anybody from last season to this one. But this type of performance isn't something you can predict or duplicate. If you saw it live, you'll remember where you were.
"That wasn't no game," Golden State forward Marreese Speights said, via ESPN's Ethan Sherwood Strauss. "That was a movie."
The video:
The shot chart:
Thompson scored a total of 52 points on 16-for-25 shooting. He made 11 of his 15 3-point attempts, which is the best percentage in NBA history for anyone who has taken that many 3s in a single game, per ESPN Stats and Info. He owns the record for most points and 3-pointers made in a quarter. He is due to have many more amazing moments in his career, but will likely never do anything remotely resembling this again.
PHOTO OF THE NIGHT : Stephen Curry watching Thompson's record-breaking quarter in the locker room on his phone:
Steph watching Klay's 3rd quarter pic.twitter.com/wP2hLkIeCq
— Ethan Strauss (@SherwoodStrauss) January 24, 2015
TWEET OF THE NIGHT
: Or is this the worst tweet of the night? I'm not sure. But Sacramento fans have suffered enough, haven't they?
Is this the time when I remind everyone that some in the Kings front office wanted to draft Klay Thompson but the pick was Jimmer Fredette?
— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) January 24, 2015
DRAYMOND FOREVER: Please take a few minute and watch Draymond Green's postgame scrum. I challenge you not to smile.
A PEAK INSIDE THE LOCKER ROOM
: I don't think Thompson was soaked thoroughly enough here:
Had to hit him with the shower!! Geeez @KlayThompson #NBABallot https://t.co/cpE9cFB6b8
— Harrison Barnes (@hbarnes) January 24, 2015
If you were wondering about the final score: Warriors 126, Kings 101. Golden State only led by five points at halftime.
From CBSSports.com's Zach Harper in Atlanta:
THE BEST HAWKS TEAM WE’VE EVER SEEN: A week ago, Russell Westbrook had one answer for the media when asked about the end of a win by the Oklahoma City Thunder: "Good execution." As the Atlanta Hawks dismantled the Thunder in the fourth quarter, Westbrook and his teammates got a first hand look at great execution. For the 15th straight game, the Hawks defeated an opponent, setting a franchise record for consecutive wins. And for the 15th straight game and the 29th game in their last 31, the Hawks left their opponents scratching their heads on both ends of the floor.
So how do they do it? The Hawks started out by looking a little overwhelmed by the star power of Thunder with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook looking to set the tone early. Westbrook battled Jeff Teague throughout the entire game and tried to keep them in it in the second half as the Hawks started to pull away. Eventually, the Hawks grabbed that double-digit lead that has been the death knell for their opponents.
The Hawks have grabbed a double-digit lead in each of these 15 straight games. The last time they didn’t go up big was their home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. The only time they’ve lost a game this season when grabbing a double-digit lead was the overtime loss to the Hornets. That night needed a banked in 3-pointer from Lance Stephenson to knock down the Hawks.
Atlanta used Paul Millsap’s strong second half to overcome that first quarter pressure by the Thunder. Dennis Schröder dissected the Thunder like a German-engineered Teague clone. And the Hawks followed the game plan of their style of basketball that leads to these big wins and the 15 consecutive victories.
Over half of their points (54 of 103) came in the paint, where all teams want to get the majority of their buckets. They stretched the floor to open up the paint by hitting 10-of-25 (40 percent) of their 3-pointers. And they didn’t miss a 3-pointer.
The Hawks kept chipping away with extra passes, cutting through the lane, and moving the defense out of position to get the shots they wanted. They kept closing off the paint, forcing outside jumpers, and ending possessions with their rebounding basics. And they just keep winning games, now looking to build on the longest winning streak in franchise history.
Great execution.
BAZEMOAR: The bench and crowd reaction to this alley-oop from DeMarre Carroll to Kent Bazemore? Just perfect. There's not a more fun team to watch right now, and it's fun to see the city embracing the Hawks.
NOT NICE AT ALL: You don't think of Kevin Durant as one of the league's premier dunkers, but when he attacks the rim hard it's really something. Behold his angry assault on the rim:
KYLE KORVER DUNKED (AGAIN): Is there anything he can't do? And will Elton Brand pay up this time?
(One of those questions has been answered already.)
BULLS TAKE TEXAS: A day after demolishing the Spurs, Chicago earned a 100-98 win over the Mavericks. Derrick Rose scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half, and Jimmy Butler finished with 20 of his own, plus eight rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Dallas made an impressive comeback late, but the first quarter -- where the Bulls scored 30 points -- was really when the game was decided. Dirk Nowitzki was incredible offensively, Tyson Chandler was incredible defensively, but it wasn't enough. Chicago at full strength is tough, and it looks like we were all way too worried about that team a few days ago.
Rajon Rondo was benched for the final few minutes, but he told reporters it was "no big deal."
D-ROSE MAKES TOUGH SHOTS: Want to see Rose hit a 3-pointer from a couple of feet behind the line, with Chandler Parsons' hand in his face?
How about an off-balance leaner off the glass while being fouled?
SO MUCH BLOOD: Cleveland appears to be getting its act together. In one of the biggest blowouts of the season, the Cavs beat the Hornets 129-90. It was 75-30 at halftime. It was utter annihilation.
LeBron James looks healthy again, which is a wonderful thing. This is what the game was like:
James had 25 points, nine assists, six rebounds, four steals and a block in 27 minutes.. He shot 9-for-15 from the field. J.R. Smith added 21 points, which is nice.
The Cavs have won five in a row.
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT : Iman Shumpert on defense, after his Cleveland debut:
Iman Shumpert with the best, most honest answer I've ever heard to the question: Is defense fun? pic.twitter.com/JU5cQPTEnO
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 24, 2015
LINE OF THE NIGHT (NON-KLAY DIVISION) -- NIKOLA VUCEVIC: The Magic big man had 34 points on 16-for-22 shooting against New York, plus 18 rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block. He was just too much for the Knicks, who lost ... wait? What? The Knicks won!
THAT'S RIGHT, THE KNICKS WON!: New York, in fact, has its first three-game winning streak of the season. Jason Smith is taking and making 3-pointers, Langston Galloway is hitting clutch jumpers, Lance Thomas is contributing off the bench. It is all happening.
REMEMBER WHEN HEAT-PACERS WAS A THING?
: It was only one year ago that Miami and Indiana were the cream of the crop in the Eastern Conference. That is very much not the case anymore. The Heat built a 54-37 lead by halftime, then let the Pacers come all the way back.
Despite shooting 41 percent from the field, Indiana only lost by two. Miami scored just 14 points in the fourth quarter. There were better games to watch tonight.
KYLE LOWRY SAVES TORONTO: The Raptors almost had a horrible, horrible loss. They trailed the 76ers 15-0 in the first quarter. THEY TRAILED THE 76ERS 15-0 IN THE FIRST QUARTER.
Buuuut Toronto went on a 16-2 run of its own rather quickly and led by seven points at halftime. The third quarter was ugly, though, and it took some heroics from All-Star starter Kyle Lowry for the day to be saved.
Lowry scored 13 straight Raptors points in the fourth quarter, and he wound up with a 21-5-5 stat line. The highlight of his night, though, was his post-game interview featuring his son, Karter, and Patrick Patterson:
IS A WIN IN PHILADELPHIA A WIN AT ALL?: Let's check in with Toronto head coach Dwane Casey:
"We’ve got to make up our minds that we’re serious about earning our paycheques twice a month,” Casey said afterward.
— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) January 24, 2015
"That’s totally unacceptable the way we approached the game.”
— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) January 24, 2015
YOUR K.J. MCDANIELS HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT: Here is K.J. McDaniels' nightly reminder that he is amazing athletically and should have been selected way, waaaaay higher in last June's draft.
McDaniels had 14 points, five rebounds and five assists, by the way.
HENRY SIMS TOOK A 3: There were 10 seconds left in the game, the Sixers trailed by three points, and this is the shot they got out of a timeout.
The good news: More lottery balls!
DWIGHT HOWARD TOOK A 3: It was the end of the shot clock, and he had no choice. No hesitation. Lucky bounce.
The bad news: Howard sprained his ankle after that, and only played eight minutes.
THE BEARD BEATS BUZZERS: My goodness, what a game-winning play by James Harden against Phoenix's P.J. Tucker:
Harden had 33 points, 10 assists, six rebounds, three steals and a block. He also totally bailed his team out. The Suns were on a 23-9 run before he beat the buzzer.
Phoenix really could have used this win, but it failed to take advantage of Howard's absence until that late flurry. Eric Bledsoe had a 25-9-8 night.
THE CELTICS ARE TANKING WRONG: Another day, another one-point win for Boston. This supposedly tanking team escaped Portland with a victory after an Evan Turner corner 3 on Thursday, and it had another come-from-behind effort on Friday. Facing a Nuggets team without Ty Lawson, the Celtics got some clutch shotmaking from Avery Bradley, who scored eight of his 18 points in the final frame, survived Turner missing two free throws with 14 seconds left and dealt Denver its fifth straight loss.
Here's an insane fact: Boston is only two games behind Brooklyn for the eighth spot in the East.
THE LAKERS STARTING LINEUP: Suuuuure.
So, yeah, your Lakers starters against the Spurs. Undefeated so far. pic.twitter.com/FJKuKDfQ5v
— Rey-Rey (@TheNoLookPass) January 24, 2015
Los Angeles unsurprisingly trailed the champs 31-15 after the first quarter, and nothing much changed after that. There was no Kobe-isn't-taking-all-the-shots bump. Byron Scott gave Jeremy Lin a DNP-CD for some reason. The Lakers have lost seven straight.
