Now that a full evening of 2014-15 NBA action is in the books, it’s never too early to start analyzing the stats. Here are several of the more unusual statistical occurrences from team’s first games, and whether or not they could be an indication of things to come.
New Orleans Pelicans “Twin Towers”: Anthony Davis‘ 26 points, 17 rebounds and nine blocks in the Pelicans’ 101-84 victory over the Orlando Magic are extremely impressive, but don’t forget Omer Asik‘s 14-17-5 as well. A pair of teammates combining to average 20 points, 17 boards and seven blocks in the same game is downright ludicrous.
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They’re not going to lead New Orleans to the Finals this year, but Davis and Asik on the floor together may from time to time invoke memories of the
.
Russell Westbrook shoots a lot (even more than normal): In the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 106-89 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, Westbrook scored 38 points, but also went 11 of 26 from the field. No other Thunder player had more than 11 field goal attempts in total.
Even though he’s earned a reputation for being a shoot-first point guard, Westbrook only put the ball up 26 times or more on one occasion last year. But with Kevin Durant out of the lineup, this is a trend likely to continue.
The Boston Celtics are an offensive juggernaut: Boston knocked off the Brooklyn Nets 121-105. The Celtics scored 32 points in the first quarter, 35 in the second and 34 in the third. It’s the first time they’ve had three consecutive 30-point quarters in one game since 2002. The 121 points is also the club’s highest total in three-and-a-half years.
Eight different Boston players scored in double figures, a ninth, Brandon Bass, had eight points, and a 10th, Tyler Zeller, added six points in only six minutes.
The Celtics finished 26th in the league in total offense last year at 96.2 points per game, so this outburst is probably just an anomaly. However, Boston’s balanced attack is likely to continue–between Rajon Rondo, Jeff Green, Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, Marcus Thornton and Evan Turner there are a number of capable scorers, but no clear go-to guys.
Stephen Curry‘s all-around performance: In the Golden State Warriors’ 95-77 win over the Sacramento Kings, Curry put up 24 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and six steals. It’s the first time in his career he’s posted a 20-10-5-5 game.
Now entering his sixth season in the league, if Curry and the Warriors take another leap forward his name may have to be thrown around in MVP conversations.
Ben McLemore held scoreless: In the loss to Golden State, the Kings’ McLemore was 0-for-5 from the floor for zero points in 26 minutes. It’s his first-ever scoreless outing while playing 25 or more minutes and taking at least five shots.
On the other hand, rookie Nik Stauskas notched nine points in 26 minutes off the bench in his NBA debut. Don’t be surprised to see Sacramento make a change at starting shooting guard in the near future.