Scoreboard
- Celtics 118, Pacers 112
- Raptors 122, Rockets 111
- Kings 110, Pistons 107
- Heat 124, Jazz 116
- Suns 106, Bulls 97
- Clippers 119, Grizzlies 99
- Thunder 118, Hawks 109
- Warriors 130, Hornets 121
- Lakers 102, Trail Blazers 93
What went down
The Miami Heat were the giant slayers that took down the dominant Utah Jazz, 124-116. Jimmy Butler did the heavy lifting for his squad with a season-high 33 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. Veteran guard Goran Dragic was right behind, firing away 26 points.
It was defense that paved the way for the Heat win, limiting the Jazz to just 29 percent shooting in the fourth quarter. Donovan Mitchell had 30 points but couldn’t find the bottom of the net late, making just one of his final nine shots.
After a slow start to the season, the 16-17 Heat are now on a season-best five-game winning streak.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
— NBA (@NBA) February 27, 2021
33p/10r/8a for @JimmyButler.
5 straight wins for @MiamiHEAT. pic.twitter.com/AkA55pNYwg
Meanwhile, the defending champs finally got back on track. The LA Lakers put a halt to their four-game slide with a 102-93 win against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Lakers were still missing Anthony Davis, but were glad to have Dennis Schroder back in the fray.
LeBron James was in vintage form, putting his imprint all over the game with 28 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and three blocks. The Lakers remain third in the West with a 23-11 card.
Big-time ballers
Two players with signature performances filled the stat sheet on Saturday.
Draymond Green tallied 11 points, 12 boards, and a career-high 19 dimes in the Warriors’ win. The do-it-all forward was in his bag right from the tip with a 7-point, 7-rebound, 8-assist in the opening quarter. Green now has 25 career triple-doubles for the Warriors.
And as mentioned earlier, LeBron James’ monster game lifted the Lakers past the Trail Blazers. The King had a staggering line of 28-11-7-4-3. Per Elias Sports Bureau, it was the 49th game in James’ career that he led his team in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals. The next closest to the feat? Kevin Garnett with 29 games.
What he said
''I don't want to say that we're good yet. I think we've got so much more to figure out. We've got so much more that we can be better at. Myself, anybody, I don't want us to get complacent and think that we're cool, we're good. Nah, that's not the case. We've got a long way to go.”
— Jimmy Butler on the Heat who have won five in a row after beating the Jazz.
Did you see that?
How it started How it’s going pic.twitter.com/lwAaWNY7hm
— #RingerNBA (@ringernba) February 27, 2021
Fans got an eye test when the Atlanta Hawks and OKC Thunder got into a “Which Jersey Color is Better?” showdown in Oklahoma. The Hawks wore red while the Thunder donned their orange jerseys.
In the second half, the Thunder thankfully switched to their white uniforms. ESPN’s Royce Young reported (via an OKC spokesperson) that "the league process of inputting uniform colors should have caught the orange/red combo.” The league then requested that the Thunder switch their uniform colors because the Hawks only brought their red jerseys for the road trip.
