Dirk Nowitzki became the 6th player in NBA history to reach 30,000 points, becoming the first international player to hit 30k and one of three players to score all 30,000+ points with one team. It’s been a truly impressive career for the future hall-of-famer. As Steve Nash joked, what’s German for ball hog?
20 points shy of the milestone heading into the game, Nowitzki wasted no time, knocking down and a fadeway early in the second quarter.
Scoring 18 points in the first quarter, Dirk finished with 25 points (all in the first half), 11 rebounds, 1 block, and 3 threes for his third double-double in the last four games. His fantasy days are numbered, but after a slow, injury-filled start to the season, Nowitzki has given patient owners plenty to smile about since the start of the New Year.
While Dirk reached a career milestone in Dallas, Russell Westbrook went off for a career-high 58 points in OKC. Unfortunately for Westbrook and the Thunder, it wasn’t enough, as they fell to the Blazers.
Westbrook shot an incredible 21-39 from the field and 13-16 from the line, but shot just 6-15 in the 4th quarter, when the Thunder needed him most. Westbrook added 9 assists, 3 steals, and 3 rebounds.
Now onto the other players of the night:
Jusuf Nurkic – Nurkic continues to shine on his new team. Against the Thunder, Nurkic added 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Those that picked him up after the trade are looking like geniuses.
Damian Lillard – Lillard may have been outdueled by Westbrook, but I’m sure he is more than happy with the win. Dame netted 22 points, 8 assists, and 2 threes
C.J. McCollum – McCollum scored his typical 20+ points, but did little else with 21 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 three.
Al-Farouq Aminu – The numbers don’t scream out at you, but any guy averaging nearly 1 steal/block/three a game has value. He posted 12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 steal, and 1 three on Tuesday. The same can be said for Aminu’s teammate Maurice Harkless (6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals). The numbers were a little low on Tuesday, but both guys can help teams in the defensive categories in the playoffs.
Allen Crabbe – After leaving Saturday’s game early with a leg contusion, Crabbe seemed fully healed on Tuesday night, knocking down 5-7 from three for 23 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. Nights like this are great, but he’s just been too inconsistent lately to be trusted. He’s only reached double-digits in 5 of the last 12 games.
Victor Oladipo & Enes Kanter – When your teammate goes off for 58, there’s not going to be a lot more to go around. Oladipo and Kanter were the only other guys to reach double-digits for the Thunder. Oladipo retruned from back spasms to score 16 points (4-5 3PT) and grab 5 rebounds, while Kanter posted 11 and 7 off the bench.
Yogi Ferrell – Who needs Deron Williams? The Mavs certainly don’t with Ferrell. What a find. After a rough spot at the end of February, Ferrell is back to helping fantasy owners with 16 points, 7 assists, and 2 threes.
Wesley Matthews – Matthews’ ailing hip didn’t seem to be a problem on Tuesday, as he banged 5-7 from deep for 15 points and 3 rebounds.
Seth Curry – Mark Cuban wants Curry to remain a Maverick for a long time and he continues to prove the owner right: 18 points, 5 assists, and 4 threes.
Nerlens Noel – Another future building block of the Mavericks, Noel posted a double-double off the bench with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
Julius Randle – Randle notched his third triple-double of the season with 13 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Brandon Ingram – Ingram chipped in 13 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 1 three for the Lakers.
D’Angelo Russell – 22 points, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 2 threes for the guy who broke up Swaggy P and Iggy Azalea. I’m sure Nick Young (13 points, 3 threes) is counting his blessings everyday.
Jordan Clarkson – Clarkson used the blowout to score 22 points and hit 4 threes.
John Wall – Wall’s double-double streak ended on Friday, but he’s back at it with 25 points, 14 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.
Bradley Beal – Increasing his scoring average since the All-Star break, Beal kept the hot shooting going with 27 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 threes.
Jason Smith – 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 threes, but Smith’s highlight from the night will be an illegal screen that ended with multiple ejections. After hitting Tyler Ulis with a hard screen, Jared Dudley took exception and head butted Smith. Not to be outdone, Brandon Jennings came in with guns a blazing:
Gilbert Arenas may be gone, but Jennings is doing his best to keep the Bullets’ past alive. WHERE’S JAVARIS CRITTENTON!?!?!? Considering how inconsistent Jennings’ shooting is, I don’t want to be anywhere near him with a gun.
Ian Mahinmi – Now for the craziest stat line of the night: 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 steals!!!! Yes, Mahinmi had 7 thefts. I figured he’d be more likely to suffer another knee injury then get that many steals in a game.
Bojan Bogdanovic – I thought his numbers would take a hit after being traded from the Nets, but playing with the floor spacing Zards has left BoBo with some gaudy stat lines. He posted 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 threes against the Suns, while shooting a perfect 16-16 from the charity stripe. That’s three 20+ point games in the last four.
Eric Bledsoe – It was a battle of former Kentucky Wildcats point guards with Wall versus Bledsoe. They put on a show, with Bledsoe scoring a team high 30 points, 5 assists, and 4 threes.
Devin Booker – Booker dropped 25 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 4 threes in the high scoring affair. Not even the Suns’ Gorilla could distract Bledsoe and Booker:
T.J. Warren & Alan Williams – The popular waiver wire additions each posted a double-double. Warren notched 15 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, while Williams came off the bench for 15 and 10 before fouling out.
Alex Len – Not today! Len had his shot blocking game on display with 9 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 rejections.
