Celtics 90, Hawks 84: Hours before the Celtics and Hawks tipped off game three in Boston I learned that Josh Smith would be sidelined due to his sprained knee. At that point I knew Atlanta would probably struggle to put points on the board, but I certainly didn’t consider them doomed. The Celtics are capable of making a game of it against any opponent, from the Miami Heat to the Charlotte Bobcats (well, maybe not the Charlotte Bobcats). So, I wasn’t at all surprised when the Cs came out lethargically and dragged their way to 17 first-quarter points while Atlanta scratched, hustled, and clawed their way to 19 (keep in mind that ATL was missing not only Smith, but Horford and Pachulia as well, forcing Jason Collins and Erick Dampier into extended action).
The game pressed on like this until the fourth quarter, when Rajon Rondo finally decided to turn up the heat. As Rondo scored his 5th and 6th points of the quarter on a driving layup, he gave his team 80 points and an eight-point lead with four minutes to go. In this particular game, eight points in four minutes seemed unrealistic.
The Hawks got it done, though. After Willie Green knocked down a three, Joe Johnson took control and tied the game at 80 with a pair of cold-blooded jumpers. There was still better than a minute left in regulation at that point, but the two teams missed five shots in a row, sending the game to overtime.
In overtime, I thought there was one sequence that made all the difference. Down two with three minutes to go, Willie Green elevated for an open 12-footer in the lane. He pulled the string on it. At the other end, Paul Pierce worked his way into the paint for a shot that was almost identical to the one Willie just missed. Pierce made it, giving Boston a four-point lead they’d never relinquish. The Hawks fought much harder than the Celtics for all but about 10 minutes of the game, but superior talent prevailed in the end.
Although he only played well in spurts, Rajon Rondo came up big at closing time and recorded a 17/14/12 triple-double. I certainly wouldn’t say Rondo was as dominant as the stats suggest–he missed 15 shots and turned the ball over 6 times–but the Celtics were able to rely on him to create offense down the stretch.
The two teams combined to shoot 39% whilst they recorded 30 turnovers to just 33 assists. This game, which saw Erick Dampier and Jason Collins play 20 minutes a piece, was the antithesis of pretty. Regardless of how it looked, the Celtics have taken a 2-1 lead with another home game coming up on Monday.
Nuggets 99, Lakers 84: Remember how I said the Nuggets might be in business if they could manage to play a solid first quarter? Yeah? Well they held a 16-point lead after dropping 30 in the first last night. Led by Ty Lawson’s energetic 13 points, Denver got out in transition (what they absolutely must do to compete with the Lakers) and scored seven early field goals in the paint. Andrew Bynum, who had dominated the first two games of this series at both ends of the floor, spent the majority of the first half loafing about in a disinterested manner. He finished up with 18 points and 12 boards, but his line read 0 and 5 at halftime, at which point his team trailed by 16.
Said the still-enigmatic Bynum: “I wasn’t ready to play. That’s really it. I just wasn’t really ready.”
Okay. So why not? The Lakers will beat the Nuggets in five or six, but if Bynum pulls this sh!t it later rounds it could prove costly. Can’t be dropping games due to brain farts in a series that’s set to go seven.
Bynum did make a contribution in the second half when his elbow broke Al Harrington’s nose. Harrington is already playing through a knee injury, and I suppose a sore face could help the Lakers end the series a little quicker.
Credit Kenneth Faried and Javale McGee, who outplayed LA’s bigs in game three (although they had trouble with their high fives). Faried hustled his way to 12 points and 15 boards while McNugget contributed 16, 15, and 3 blocks. Did anyone else catch his mom going ham on the sideline after he made a nice left-handed scoop shot? No wonder the dude is a such a knucklehead–it’s in his genetics.
Sixers 79, Bulls 74: In the series I continue to not watch, Philly outscored Chicago 28-14 in the fourth quarter to take the game and a 2-1 lead. I’m going to assume the late Sixer surge was aided by Joakim Noah’s early exit. Noah rolled his left ankle all the way over when he stepped on a foot during a drive to the basket. Watch it if you want (and cheer if you’re a dastardly Sixer fan), but it’s pretty nasty looking. Although X-Rays were negative, the team still fears that Noah could have sustained a fracture. I’ve continued to put the Bulls in the second round even without Derrick Rose, but without Rose and Noah the Sixers just might be able to pull the upset (is it still an upset if Chicago is forced to start Scalabrine and put assistant coaches in uniform?).
Since I didn’t actually see the game, here’s the AP recap. Looks like Spencer Hawes (game-high 21 PTS) was the hero. Huh.
What do you get when you mix NBA players, alligators, air boats, and Mickey Mouse hats? Some pretty hilarious pictures, provided by Pacers reserve Kyrylo Fesenko via his Twitter account. I highly recommend clicking that follow button, and I also suggest that you follow @NBA247OFFICIAL.
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