I have some good news for you this afternoon, Monta’s injury is not serious. For those of you who haven’t heard, Monta took a pretty nasty fall last night in Toronto and remained on the court for an extended period of time before he was able to be assisted to the locker room. About 20 seconds into the video, watch as Jarrett Jack tries to get Ellis called for three seconds as he lies under his own basket. No mercy. Anyway, the league’s leading scorer is alright, and I think everyone’s happy to hear that.
Random Observations: Tyson Chandler attacks the rim. Amir Johnson alley-oop from Sonny Weems. Tyrus Thomas goes up high for the oop. Crash swats Tony Parker. Top 10 plays. And my favorite highlight of the night: Sonny Weems shakes Monta Ellis and proceeds to scrape the sky.
- The Warriors built a big lead early and held off the Raptors during a fourth quarter run that got the score as close as four. Stephen Curry, still playing with a bum ankle, scored 34 points. Curry spent some of his childhood in Toronto as his father played for the Raptors, and it appears that he enjoys coming home to the Air Canada Center. Last season he dropped 29 with five threes in Toronto, so he’s currently averaging 31.5 PPG in the building. Golden State improves to 5-2 while the Raptors fall to 1-6.
- Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 points and hit a game-winning jumper with 18 seconds left to lead the Mavs over the Celtics. Boston led by three with about 1:15 left in the game, but Jason Terry tied it up, Dirk gave Dallas the lead, and the Cs never scored again. Rajon Rondo had a great look at a wide open three to win the game, but he missed it. Boston got the rebound and another look, but KG’s jumper was blocked. Boston’s five-game winning streak has ended, and the Mavs are now at 4-2. Jermaine O’Neal left the game with knee soreness after playing just 10 minutes. With both JO and Shaq banged up, Boston’s frontcourt has lost it’s depth for the time being.
- The Memphis Grizzlies got some revenge for last friday’s double OT loss to the Suns by beating Phoenix by 10 last night. Zach Randolph had his best game of the season with 23 points and 20 boards, and Rudy Gay helped out with 22/8. Phoenix hoisted 31 threes in the game, making just 9 of them, and turned the ball over 22 times. This was the first time since opening night that the Suns have been held under 100 points this season.
- For just the fourth time in his career, Dwight Howard attempted 20 shots in a game. That’s a pretty shocking statistic to me, because 20 isn’t a very big number for a guy who’s the number one option on his team. He does get fouled on a lot of shots, and of course when he gets hacked and misses the shot attempt doesn’t count. Still, one would think he would’ve gotten 20 or more clean shots off in a game more than four times in his career. Anyway, the Magic beat the Hawks by four. Dwight had 27/11.
- The other games: Charlotte has now lost three in a row, they dropped a home game to the Spurs by four. Carmelo Anthony dropped 32/8, but the Nuggets lost to the Bulls by two. Joakim Noah had 19 boards.
- Andray Blatche organized a meeting of Washington’s big men to discuss how they can improve and help the Wizards win games. Blatche, who hasn’t been known for his maturity throughout his six-year career, appears to be trying to take a leadership role. Good for him.
Quote of the Day: The Carmelo Anthony saga continues…
On the Bulls:
“I don’t want this taken the wrong way, but who wouldn’t want to play with a young point guard like Derrick Rose?’ They have a good young big man in Noah, and [Carlos] Boozer should be back soon. They’ve got a good team.”
On the city of Chicago:
“Of course, it’s one of the top. Want a number? Top three.”
On his current focus:
“Maybe if I was a free agent I would let my mind wander, but I can’t do that right now. I have to focus on being a Nugget and basketball. It wouldn’t be right if I let my mind wander and think about if I was here in Chicago. Once I’m inside these walls, it’s all about basketball… That’s what I do best. Outside these walls, it is what it is. I’m not even thinking about business right now.”
There’s a little bit more about this on Slamonline.com. I think he’s as good as gone. I don’t think it’s about the players the Nuggets have brought in, I just feel like he doesn’t seem to want to play in Denver.
Photo of the Day: Stephen Curry has a pregame chat with the Raptors mascot…
Curry: “Gee, Chris, I remember you being a lot taller, and I thought you were in Miami now?”
Mascot: “Chris? Who the hell is Chris?”
