There were 12 games last night, and I’m not going to lie to you… I didn’t get to see any of them. That’s because I was here. Rap music is my other passion… I feel like it kind of goes hand-in-hand with basketball. Dipset put on an amazing show, and I made it home alive, so I’m thrilled. Aside from waiting in line (the longest line I have seen for anything EVER) for an hour to get into the building, it was a great time start to finish. Anyway, I’ll still tell you all about what happened in the NBA yesterday (because that’s what I do!), but if I say something stupid, don’t be surprised… my info is all based on highlights and box scores today.
Random Observations
- Highlight Recap: Nice top 10 with lots of high-flying action. Tyson Chandler dunks it hard. Sessions lobs to Hollins. Al Jeff toasts Pau and throws it in reverse. Rajon Rondo nice dish to Shaq. Dwight swats Mo Williams.
- Wade, Bosh, and LeBron all had productive nights as Miami beat Philadelphia by nine (ending the three-game losing streak). None of the big three shot particularly well, but they all had at least 18 points and a number bigger than eight in either the rebounds or assists category. Philadelphia really hurt themselves by missing 9 of 21 freethrow attempts. Jodie Meeks had 21 points (18 during a nine-minute stretch in the first half) off the bench… I just thought that was worth mentioning.
- Rajon Rondo returned after missing three games and dished 14 dimes as the Cs beat the Raptors by nine. Rondo did shoot just 2-6 and had 8 turnovers, but he can get away with that against Toronto. Kevin Garnett had 26 points and 11 boards, and Glen Davis came in and dropped 18 off the bench. That’s a lot of production from the PF spot. Reggie Evans left the game with a fractured foot, which is probably part of the reason why the Craptor’s frontcourt got tooled on. Reggie is one of the top rebounders in the league and a pretty good defender. Toronto will miss his presence. Look for Amir Johnson to start playing a lot, assuming he can stay out of foul trouble.
- The Jazz have done it again: Utah rallied from 19 points down to hand the LA Lakers their third loss of the season. The Jazz had lost six in a row to the Lakers including a four-game sweep in last season’s playoffs, so this had to be a feel-good victory. Deron Williams had 29 points and 12 assists on 10 of 14 shooting. The Lakers were hurt by a lack of production from their bench, which is normally a huge strength of theirs. The reserves scored just 13 points on 5-21. Steve Blake was 0-7.
- Dallas made a short trip to San Antonio and handed the Spurs their second loss of the season. Dirk Nowitzki made 12 of his 14 shots and didn’t take a single freethrow on his way to 26 points. Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan, and George Hill combined for 67 points, but that was pretty much the offense for the Spurs. Every one else combined to shoot just 9 of 30. San Antonio’s 12-game string of wins isn’t the only streak the Mavs have busted this season. As you may recall, Dallas was the team that put an end to New Orleans’ 8-0 start.
- Brandon Roy returned after missing three games and scored 27 points (his second highest this season). Roy’s performance is obviously an encouraging sign for Portland fans, but the Blazers did lose to the Hornets by 19 points. Five different bees had at least 14 points, including Willie Green, who led the way with 19 off the bench.
- OKC needed OT and 43 points from Russell Westbrook to slide past the Pacers. All five starters for Indiana scored in double-figures, and four of five did the same for the Thunder. Back to Russell Westbrook: 43/8/8 with three steals and a block. He made a lot of fantasy owners very happy (as he’s been doing all season long) with that line. Oklahoma City got to the line 41 times and came away with 36 points. Westbrook shot 18 freethrows himself, and made 17 of them.
- Melo had missed his last game-winning shot attempt, but it wouldn’t happen again. Carmelo did what he does and hit a jumper at the buzzer to put the Nuggets over the Bulls. I’m not sure how many of these he’s hit over the course of his career, but the guy is racking them up. It seems like I’ve seen him do this 25 times. Anyway, Derrick Rose missed this game with neck soreness, and CJ Watson was huge in his absense. CJ dropped 33 points, the most he’s scored since leaving Golden State.
- The other games: The Clipp’s brief winning streak came to an end at the hands of the Suns. PHX overcame 32 points from Gordon and 20/14 from Griffin and took the game by eight. J-Rich had 29, and Hakim Warrick had 25 off the bench. Andris Biedrins looked like the 2008 version with 28 points and 21 boards, but Golden State still lost by five (5th straight loss) to the Grizzlies. Following his huge night against the Knicks, Tyrus Thomas played just 16 minutes as his Bobcats beat the Rockets by 10. Gerald Wallace and Boris Diaw both had 20/10s. Orlando hit 14 threes on their way to defeating the Cavs by 11. Detroit got 10 points or more from seven players and beat the Bucks by 14.
Quote of the Day: Peja Stojakovic on how his new squad (the Craptors) lost to the Celtics…
“We tried, but we put ourselves in a bad position throughout the game. It was a big point differential, especially against a team like Boston.”
Get used to it, Peja. Learn to love those bad positions and big point differentials.
Photo of the Day:
