Kyle Anderson (L) of the Memphis Grizzlies and Zach Lavine of the Chicago Bulls, February 10, 2021. /CFP
The Memphis Grizzlies and the Chicago Bulls both broke their franchise record for 3-pointers made in one single game to win on Wednesday. The Grizzlies buried 23 to beat the Charlotte Hornets and the Bulls made 25 to walk over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Kyle Anderson #1 of the Memphis Grizzlies shoots the ball in the game against the Charlotte Hornets at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee, February 10, 2021. /CFP
Charlotte Hornets 114-130 Memphis Grizzlies
Wednesday's game at FedExForum was supposed to be a contest between Ja Morant and LaMelo Ball. Ball got 17 points and five assists while Morant putting down 15 points and 11 assists. It was good performance but not as impressive as fans had expected it to be. Kyle Anderson was the biggest surprise on the court as he scored team-high 27 points and buried six triples for the Grizzlies.
Zach Lavine #8 of the Chicago Bulls shoots the ball in the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at United Center in Chicago, Illinois, February 10, 2021. /CFP
New Orleans Pelicans 116-129 Chicago Bulls
For the first time in league history, two players on the same team made eight 3-pointers each in one game – we are talking about Zach Lavine and Coby White. The two together went 17-31 behind the triple line to get 76 points, helping the Bulls pocket a win at home on Wednesday.
The league is reportedly considering having a Slam Dunk Contest during the halftime break of the All-Star Game. Is Lavine interested in winning it for the third time?
Kyle Lowry #7 of the Toronto Raptors drives with the ball in the game against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., February 10, 2021. /CFP
Toronto Raptors 137-115 Washington Wizards
Having watched their key players leave one after another for two seasons, the Raptors can hardly build their game on offense. However, the Wizards still allowed 137 points by them at Capital Arena on Wednesday, which said something about their disappointing defense. The Raptors drained a total of 19 triples, five of them came from 34-year-old Kyle Lowry who contributed his best years to the team and will become a free agent after this season.
Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks posts up against Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks in the game at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, February 10, 2021. /CFP
Atlanta Hawks 117-118 Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks achieved their third win in a row and the fourth win in five games, moving back to the top eight in the Western Conference step by step. Luka Doncic dropped another triple-double of 28 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. On the other side of the court, Trae Young had 25 points, seven rebounds and 15 assists. Before reaching 23 years old, Young had 40 25+point, 10+assists games and Doncic had 38. The only one leading them in NBA history in this area is Oscar Robertson.
Kyrie Irving (C) of the Brooklyn Nets shoots the ball in the game against the Indiana Pacers at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, February 10, 2021. /CFP
Indiana Pacers 94-104 Brooklyn Nets
The Nets finally put an end to their awkward three-loss-streak by beating the Pacers at home on Wednesday. Kyrie Irving and James Harden together went 27-27 on the free throw line. When you saw that the Nets limited the Pacers' score to 30 points in the first half, you might think they finally improved their defense. Nonetheless, you should think twice after the Pacers scored 64 points in the second half.
Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Los Angeles Clippers shoots the ball in the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, February 10, 2021. /CFP
Los Angeles Clippers 119-112 Minnesota Timberwolves
Karl-Anthony Towns came back for the Timberwolves after missing 13 games because of a COVID-19 infection. He was still trying to get his game back but nevertheless managed to drop a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds.
On the Clippers' side, since there is no confirmation on how long Paul George will be gone, Kawhi Leonard had to carry the team on his own by getting 36 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Lou Williams was a great help to Leonard too as he went 10-15 in field goals to get 27 points.
Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets makes a fake move in the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, February 10, 2021. /CFP
Cleveland Cavaliers 95-133 Denver Nuggets
None of the Nuggets' players reached 30 minutes on the floor at Ball Arena on Wednesday but that did not stop them from claiming a big 38-point win over the Cavaliers.
This was the fifth straight loss for the Cavaliers but even more pain may lie ahead. There are three games left for the team of their five-consecutive-road-game trip in the West and their opponents are the Portland Trail Blazers, the Clippers and the Golden State Warriors.
Chris Paul #3 of the Phoenix Suns shoots the ball in the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Phoenix Suns Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, February 10, 2021. /CFP
Milwaukee Bucks 124-125 Phoenix Suns
It's hard to criticize Giannis Antetokounmpo after he went 15-23 in field goals and 17-21 in free throws to put down 47 points, 11 rebounds and five assists at Phoenix Suns Arena on Wednesday. More importantly, 16 of his points took place in the fourth quarter to keep the game close until the last second.
Nonetheless, it's as difficult to ignore the fact Antetokounmpo was 0-4 from downtown and missed the Bucks' last shot that could have changed the result of the game. In fact, the Suns owed Wednesday's victory to the two middle-range shots made by Devin Booker in the face of Khris Middleton and four triples buried by Chris Paul.
LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots the ball in the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, February 10, 2021. /CFP
Oklahoma City Thunder 113-114 Los Angeles Lakers
This was the sixth consecutive win by the Lakers and the third overtime game of the team. The purple and gold trailed by 20 points in the first quarter but managed to come back thanks to 25 points, six rebounds and seven assists by LeBron James. The 36-year-old scored 35 points during the combined time of Q4 and OT in the past three games, no wonder Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said James may become the regular season MVP after Wednesday's game.
The home win made the Lakers the second team to reach 20 wins this season. It was also the second straight season for the purple and gold to get 20 wins within 26 games. The last time the Lakers did so was in the 2009-09 and 2009-10 season. Kobe Bryant led them to win back-to-back championships, by the way.