The Celtics got a win over the Pacers which extended their winning streak to 13 games (a season best amongst all teams). They’re doing it without Rajon Rondo for now, but at least Shaq has returned. In other news… well… there wasn’t much news. My fantasy team lost by one point due to Steve Nash being intentionally fouled with like three seconds left in the game. The Thunder, who disappointed me by allowing Steve to receive the inbound pass, also lost.
Random Observations:
- Highlight Recap: Kobe Bryant makes a circus shot. Kobe gets lucky, but not like the time in Colorado. Shannon Brown crosses LeAndro Barbosa’s socks off. Amir Johnson finishes a lob from Jerryd Bayless. Tyreke Evans shakes Kevin Martin and hits a jumper. Steve Nash makes a fancy dish to Robin Lopez. LeAndro Barbosa chucks one in from halfcourt.
- Paul Pierce recorded a triple-double (18/10/12) as the Celtics beat the Pacers by 11. Indiana bricked 62 of 94 shots, and even though they were able to recover 16 of those bricks, they couldn’t keep up with the 54% shooting of the Celtics. Glen Davis–who’s averaging 15 a game over the last 11–scored 18 off the bench. Nate Robinson continues to be effective in the absense of Rajon Rondo… he scored 18 as well. The Cs only have to play two .500 teams over their next seven games, so this win streak could very well reach 20 games… although it seems like every time I say something like that the streaking team immediately goes and loses to the Nets or something.
- Ben Gordon, Tayshaun Prince, and Will Bynum came up huge for the severely undermanned Pistons. Trailing by double digits at halftime and playing without Rodney Stuckey, Richard Hamilton, Austin Daye, and Tracy McGrady (left at halftime), Detroit took the Hornets to OT and earned a three-point victory. Maybe the injury issues were a blessing in disguise… they eliminated the massive logjam at the guard and forward positions. Ben Gordon actually got to play a lot, and he cashed in. BG scored 25 points and knocked down the triple that added five minutes to the game. Tayshaun Prince had 28/12/8 and blocked a potential game-winning layup by Chris Paul. Will Bynum put in 21 on 8-10, including a tough layup with seven seconds left in OT that gave Detroit the lead. Jason Maxiell scored just two points, but made the play of the game. Great steal, but damn, how stupid was he to dunk that? He could’ve easily run the clock out by taking one more dribble. Trevor Ariza could not make him pay for his inability to resist the urge to throw down… he missed a turn-around three at the buzzer which I’m sure wouldn’t have counted even if it went in.
- With Jason Thompson sidelined by a finger injury, the Kings inserted Darnell Jackson into the starting lineup, making their frontcourt the league’s roundest since Eddy Curry and Malik Rose. The total weight of Sacramento’s new PF/C combo is supposedly 523 pounds, but in reality I’m thinking they probably combine to form a number no smaller than 550. The rollie-pollie duo was fairly productive (27 points and 12 rebounds on 12-22) considering both of them spent over half the game on the sideline sucking wind. The other three starters for the Kings–Evans, Udrih, and Greene–made just 9 of their 41 shots… which is one of the reasons that they lost 102-93 to the Rockets. Other reasons included the 16 offensive boards they gave up and a 12-point fourth quarter. Aaron Brooks suited up for the first time since early November. he played 15 minutes and scored nine points.
- The Suns are still waiting on their new shipment of personnel from Orlando, but they didn’t even need ‘em last night. 76-year-old Grant Hill–who also came from Orlando–became the first senior citizen to score 30 points since Reggie Miller did it in 2005 as the Suns beat the Thunder by three. Hill, who’s actually just 38 years old according to his player profile, also had 11 rebounds in the game. The last time a 38+ year old dropped 30/10 in an NBA game? Michael Jordan in Febuary of 2003… at age 40. Anyway, with the Suns up three and 6.8 seconds on the clock, Russell Westbrook probably should’ve been at the line shooting three freethrows. He was fouled by Goran Dragic and intelligently launched a half-court shot as soon as contact was made, but apparently continuation doesn’t exist outside the paint. He made both of the two freethrows the officials did give him, but when you’re trailing by three, two’s not gonna get it done. Final score: 113-110, PHX.
- The other games: Led by 10 points from The Machine, the Brooklyn New Yorkers beat the Atlanta Pigeons by seven. Machine and company out-scored ATL’s bench 30 to 11. The Lakers were forced to play what would’ve been a morning game if played in Los Angeles, but still beat the Craptors by 10 in Canada. Andrew Bynum had his best game since returning (16/7). I’m sure things would’ve been much different had defensive juggernaut Andrea Bargnani not missed the game.
Quote of the Day: Through two games Avery Johnson is happy with his new Machine…
“Sasha knows how to play and gets his nose in there. He looks like a fighter and always thinks the next shot is going in.”
Key word: thinks. The next shot rarely actually goes in. Apparently that’s cool with Avery.
Photo of the Day: Josh Smith and Mo Evans just found out they’re both getting Justin Bieber action figures for Christmas…
Yippee!
