By CNN
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The NBA regular season reached its conclusion Sunday and as the standings after 82 games were finalized, there was chaos to be found on every corner.
Splash Bros. on fire
The Golden State Warriors set a new NBA record with 55 points in the opening quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Led by Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, the Warriors broke the previous joint-record of 51 points scored by the Charlotte Hornets against the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this year and the Warriors against the Denver Nuggets in 2019.
The Splash Bros. were at their irrepressible best with Thompson torching the Trail Blazers and dropping five three-pointers in the first five minutes of the game. As a result, Klay entered an exclusive club of players to hit 300+ 3-pointers in a single season – joining Curry and James Harden.
Speaking after the game, Thompson – who finished the regular season with the most 3s in the league – said: “It’s cool to lead the league in 3s made. It’s something I’ve never done before. It’s a testament to my hard work over the last few years, some dark times that have turned into some beautiful moments.”
Thompson finished the game with 20 points in 22 minutes with Curry dropping 26 points, seven assists and five boards in the Warriors’ 158-101 win.
Udonis Haslem bows out
Miami Heat stalwart Udonis Haslem scored 24 points in his final regular season game in front of his home fans. The Heat forward is planning to retire following the completion of this campaign after spending 20 seasons in Miami.
Remarkably, it was the 42-year-old’s third highest scoring game of his career which spanned more than 1,000 games.
Led by Haslem’s game-high 24 points, Miami went on to defeat the Orlando Magic 123-110 and after finishing seventh in the Eastern Conference, the Heat will host the Atlanta Hawks in the Play-in on Tuesday.
Career-Nights
As ever with the end of the regular season, players from around the league popped up from everywhere and surprised everyone with huge statlines.
Theo Pinson dropped a triple-double for the Dallas Mavericks against the San Antonio Spurs, Cam Thomas had another 40+ point game as the Brooklyn Nets lost to the Philadelphia 76ers, and it didn’t stop there.
As the Boston Celtics beat the Atlanta Hawks, Payton Pritchard dropped a 30-point triple-double.
The guard closed out the regular season with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists and gave Joe Mazzulla a reminder of his quality before the playoffs.
Pritchard could prove to be an important piece for Boston during the postseason and fans at the TD Garden will be hoping the 25-year-old can have more nights like this.
Kenny Lofton Jr. has signed an NBA contract with the Memphis Grizzlies and was rewarded by being given his first start in the league.
The newly crowned NBA G league Rookie of the Year put up 42 points and 14 rebounds during the Grizzlies loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder and demonstrated he has the quality to make it in the NBA.
Over in Los Angeles, LeBron James finished year 18 in the league with another vintage display.
James hit eight three-pointers on his way to scoring 36 points to go alongside his six assists and six rebounds.
The Los Angeles Lakers secured seventh spot in the West and will play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday in LA.
The winner of the Lakers and Timberwolves game will face the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA playoffs and the loser will play the winner of the OKC Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans Play-In game to occupy the eighth seed and play the Denver Nuggets.
CNN’s Jacob Lev contributed to reporting.
