3 Lessons Learned from Tuesday Night's NBA Action

There were only two NBA games on Tuesday, which allowed the spotlight to shine on two teams recently saddled by injuries but now starting to take the league by storm.

The Thunder won their third straight contest, downing the Heat 94-86 in Miami to move above .500 for the first time all season. And the Spurs notched their fourth straight victory in Denver, 109-99, thanks in large part to a healthy Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker. 

There was also some notable NBA inaction on Tuesday: The reeling Bulls took the day off from practice after Derrick Rose admitted frustration is building in the locker room.

Here are three lessons we learned:

1. Durant and Westbrook make all the difference

With Kevin Durant's ankle and Russell Westbrook's hand no longer a concern, the Thunder are playing free and easy, forcing turnovers and thriving on a balanced offensive attack. 

On Tuesday against the Heat, Durant had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists, Westbrook had 19, 10 and 6, and Reggie Jackson scored 16 points off the bench.

When Durant went down hard after a monster dunk, it was a sudden reminder of how quickly things could turn if another injury strikes. 

For now, though...not to worry! Durant is doing just fine, ESPN's Michael Wallace reported after the game:

"

Kevin Durant said he's had plenty of hard falls, but will be back in lineup tomorrow vs Wizards after falling hard on arm in Miami.

— Michael Wallace (@WallaceNBA_ESPN) January 21, 2015 "

Oklahoma City has now won 18 of its last 26 games, and—as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press notes—is 13-5 with Durant in the lineup.

In the Western Conference, the Thunder are still the No. 9 seed at 21-20, three games behind the Phoenix Suns.

Their recent run of success, though—which included a decisive victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday—suggests they'll climb back into the playoff picture sooner than later.

2. The healthy Spurs are the same old Spurs

Two weeks ago, Tony Parker returned from a hamstring strain that forced him to miss 13 of 16 games. Last Friday, Kawhi Leonard returned from a torn hand ligament that kept him sidelined for 15 straight games.

And it was back to business as usual in Spurs-land.

San Antonio has now won four straight to improve to 27-16, which puts it at No. 7 in the West—still un-Spurs-like, but way better than it looked during a 5-9 stretch in December.

Leonard had 17 points and 15 rebounds in Tuesday's win over the Nuggets, his second career 15-15 performance, according to team staffer Jordan Howenstine: 

"

Kawhi Leonard's 17 pts and 15 rebs last night was his 2nd career 15-15 game. Leonard/Duncan are the only @Spurs w/ 15-15 since 2010 (Blair).

— Jordan Howenstine (@AirlessJordan) January 21, 2015 "

Parker scored a team-high 18 points—and, oh yeah, Tim Duncan scored 16, all in the second half.

The players say they're still working out the kinks, as Manu Ginobili told Dennis Georgatos of The Associated Press:

"

'We were missing some players, still we didn't like what we were seeing,' Manu Ginobili said of a three-week stretch in December in which the Spurs lost nine of 14 games. 'We didn't play well enough so we worked on it. Don't believe we've fixed the issues, it's a process. We've won four in a row but it doesn't mean we're good to go now.'

"

In other words, we'll be calling the Spurs title contenders by the All-Star break. 

3. The Bulls take a much-needed step back

Okay, so there wasn't really any "action" from the Bulls on Tuesday, but their lack thereof told the story. After dropping six of eight games, the players took a day off from practice to clear their heads on the heels of Derrick Rose's Monday night tongue-lashing (via Nick Friedell of ESPN):

"

'Everybody has to be on the same page,' Rose said [after a 108-94 loss to Cleveland]. 'Until then, we're going to continue to get our a-- kicked.'

...

'I think communication is huge,' Rose said. 'We're quiet when we're out there, and it's leading to them getting easy baskets. We got to give a better effort. It seems like we're not even competing, and it's f---ing irritating.'

"

To be fair, the Bulls have been playing without Joakim Noah and Mike Dunleavy, and they're still fourth in the Eastern Conference at 27-16.

Friedell suggests that the team still trusts head coach Tom Thibodeau, quoting Taj Gibson as saying the Bulls need to practice harder.

If that's the case, then a day off from practice may seem counterproductive, but it could also be just what the Bulls need to recharge. Given the injuries to Noah and Dunleavy, it's not time to panic just yet—but, clearly, something has to change.

"We got to decide when enough's enough," Thibodeau told Friedell. "The way we're playing is not acceptable, so we have to change it."