So there I was
in class a few minutes after seeing the halftime score between the East-best Miami
Heat and league-worst Washington Wizards. The score read 60-54 in favor of
Washington. I was giving a post-test discussion of the term exams and thought
how funny – FUNNY – it would be if the Wiz would continue on to beat the Heat.
I didn’t
count on it, though. Miami trailing early isn’t a biggie. The Heat have been
down before and by bigger deficits. They’re going to climb back and win. This is
the Heat. And those are the Wizards. Of course Miami will rally. They roughed
up the Nets after trailing at the half just a few days ago. No way the Wizards –
the effin’ Wizards – can pull this one out.
Oh but they
did, and now I think I have a new favorite team :)
Now there
wasn’t really anything glaring that the Heat did wrong. They shot a little
below their average from the field and from the line, they got outrebounded by
just 1, and they turned the ball over just 12 times (fewer than their average).
And, yeah, LeBron registered a triple-double – 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 11
dimes. The Heat were, by all accounts and purposes, playing Heat ball.
Okay, they
were awful from beyond the arc, but, still, with the Big Three combining for 70
points? Come on.
It’s just
that the Wizards were uncharacteristically good form pretty much everywhere.
I mean,
again, and I cannot stress this ENOUGH, these are the league-worst Wizards. These
are the dregs of the Association. They’re dead last in points-per-game, FG%,
and overall Team Efficiency. They’re near-bottom in about a handful of other
categories, too. They’re Top 5 in… NOTHING.
These are
the Wizards, and, led by the bench mob composed of Jordan Crawford, Kevin
Seraphin, and Martell Webster, they just beat the top team in the East Coast.
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| Martell Webster gets hacked by Udonis Haslem as the Wizards upset the Heat in DC. (image by Rob Carr/Getty Images) |
I think I have
to pinch myself. TWICE.
Now if only
all the other teams can play their best when against Miami. That would be
awesome.
My new
favorite team (at least until they start losing again, which will probably be
soon) – the Washington Wizards.
Game Recaps
(courtesy of the Sports Network):
Yesterday's
Games:
Portland 118, Charlotte 112
(OT)
Damian
Lillard poured in 24 points and keyed a furious Portland comeback that lifted
the Trail Blazers to a 118-112 overtime win over the slumping Charlotte Bobcats
at Time Warner Cable Arena. Fourteen of Lillard's scoring total came during the
fourth quarter or overtime, and the talented rookie netted eight points as part
of a 23-5 run that enabled the Blazers to overcome an 18-point deficit with
five minutes left in regulation and force extra time. The young guard added
nine assists in the improbable rally. LaMarcus Aldridge racked up 25 points and
13 rebounds and Nicolas Batum finished with 17 points and 13 boards for
Portland, which also received 19 points from Wesley Matthews in its second
straight victory after opening its current road trip with four losses. The
Bobcats have now dropped four in a row following a surprising 7-5 start to the
season, and failed to hold on to their seemingly comfortable late lead despite
29 points from Ben Gordon and a 22-point, 7-assist effort out of Kemba Walker.
Detroit 89, Cleveland 79
Brandon
Knight had 17 points, five rebounds and five assists to lead the Detroit
Pistons past the Cleveland Cavaliers, 89-79, at the Palace Of Auburn Hills.
Tayshaun Prince and Kyle Singler added 15 points apiece for the Pistons, who
have won five straight at home for the first time since Nov. 29-Dec. 12, 2009.
Jason Maxiell contributed 12 points, six rebounds and five of Detroit's 13
blocks. Anderson Varejao paced the Cavaliers with 17 points and 18 rebounds,
while Omri Casspi, Tristan Thompson and Jeremy Pargo each dropped in 10 points
for Cleveland, which was held to just 33.7 percent shooting in the game en
route to its second consecutive loss and sixth in its last seven games.
New Orleans 102, Milwaukee
81
Ryan
Anderson scored a team-high 22 points and pulled down seven rebounds as the New
Orleans Hornets continued their home-court dominance of the Milwaukee Bucks
with a 102-81 thumping at New Orleans Arena on Monday. Robin Lopez put home 21
points on 8-of-10 shooting, while Jason Smith added 12 points and Greivis
Vasquez contributed 11 and nine assists for the Hornets, who have won 11
consecutive home games against the Bucks. Lance Thomas and Brian Roberts
donated 10 points apiece in the victory, which snapped a two-game slide for New
Orleans. Brandon Jennings buried five 3-pointers en route to a game-high 25
points, while Monta Ellis finished with 17 points and six assists for
Milwaukee. That still wasn't enough for the Bucks, who haven't beaten the
Hornets on the road since Jan. 27, 2003.
Denver 113, Toronto 110
Corey Brewer
poured in 19 points to lead six Denver players in double figures on Monday, as
the Nuggets survived a late rally from the Toronto Raptors to take a 113-110
victory at Pepsi Center. Kenneth Faried followed with 18 points and 10
rebounds, JaVale McGee netted 17 points and Ty Lawson donated 16 points to help
Denver put the brakes on a three-game skid. Danilo Gallinari chipped in 13
points and Kosta Koufos added 10 points and 10 boards in the victory. Kyle
Lowry led Toronto with a game- high 24 points to go with seven assists, while
Andrea Bargnani tallied 23 points and DeMar DeRozan finished with 18 points and
seven boards for the Raptors, who haven't won in Denver since Dec. 30, 2003.
LA Clippers 105, Utah 104
Chris Paul's
driving layup within the final minute put the Clippers on top for good, as Los
Angeles rallied in the fourth quarter to top the Utah Jazz, 105-104, at
EnergySolutions Arena. Paul finished with 14 points and nine assists, while
Blake Griffin dropped in a game-high 30 points to go along with 11 rebounds in
the Clippers' third straight win. Mo Williams paced five Utah double-digit
scorers with 20 points and 12 assists. Randy Foye added 19 points, Gordon
Hayward had 17, Al Jefferson contributed 16 with 10 rebounds and Paul Millsap
scored 13 for the Jazz, who lost at home for the first time this season and had
their 13-game, regular-season home win streak snapped.
Orlando 102, Golden State 94
J.J. Redick
netted 17 of his 22 points in the second half on Monday night, as the Orlando
Magic bested the Golden State Warriors, 102-94, at Oracle Arena. Glen Davis and
Arron Afflalo poured in 24 points apiece, while Nikola Vucevic donated 14
points and 15 rebounds for the Magic, who have won the first two games of their
current five-game West Coast swing. Stephen Curry recorded a double-double with
25 points and 11 assists and David Lee chipped in 22 points and nine boards in
the setback, snapping Golden State's three-game win streak.
Today's
Games:
Washington 105, Miami 101
Behind 22
points from Jordan Crawford and a 16-point, 10-rebound effort out of Kevin
Seraphin, the Washington Wizards registered only their second victory of the
campaign with a shocking 105-101 decision over the Miami Heat at the Verizon
Center, despite a triple- double from LeBron James. A.J. Price added 14 points
and Martell Webster scored 13 off the bench for Washington, which entered the
matchup with a league-worst 1-13 record but have now won two of three following
an 0-12 start. The triumph was also the third straight for the Wizards over
Miami dating back to the latter portion of last season. James racked up game
highs of 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, but the Heat never held a lead
after the 5:09 mark of the first quarter in seeing a six-game win streak come
to an end. Dwyane Wade finished with 24 points in defeat for Miami, with Chris
Bosh putting up 20 points and 12 rebounds in the setback.
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| Dwyane Wade and the Heat were handed an unexpected loss by the league's worst team! CELEBRATION!!! (image by Nick Wass/AP) |
Minnesota 105, Philadelphia
88
Alexey Shved
scored 17 points and Josh Howard had 16 to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves past
the Philadelphia 76ers, 105-88, on Tuesday. J.J. Barea had 11 points while
Derrick Williams, Luke Ridnour and Malcolm Lee added 10 apiece for the
Timberwolves, winners in three of their last four. Evan Turner poured in a
game-high 19 points and Jrue Holiday had 13 points and nine assists for the
Sixers, who have dropped their last two on the heels of a three-game winning
streak.
Oklahoma City 117, Brooklyn
111
Kevin Durant
finished with 32 points, six assists and five rebounds as the Oklahoma City
Thunder held off the Brooklyn Nets, 117-111, at Barclays Center. Russell
Westbrook added 25 points and nine assists, while Serge Ibaka scored 18 points
and Thabo Sefolosha contributed 14 for the Thunder, who have won six straight.
Deron Williams dropped in a season-high 33 points with seven assists to pace
Brooklyn, which had its six-game home win streak snapped. Andray Blatche and
Kris Humphries each contributed a double-double in defeat, as Blatche finished
with 19 points and 11 rebounds and Humphries scored 12 points to go along with
12 boards.
Indiana 80, Chicago 76
Paul George
poured in a game-high 34 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Indiana
Pacers to an 80-76 win over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday. Roy Hibbert had 10
points and 11 boards, and David West netted 10 points to go along with nine
rebounds and five assists for the Pacers, who have won five of their last
seven. Nate Robinson scored a team- high 19 points and Luol Deng added 17
points and seven rebounds for the Bulls, who committed 19 turnovers leading to
23 Indiana points in the setback. Carlos Boozer had 14 points and 10 rebounds
in the loss.
Houston 107, LA Lakers 105
Greg Smith
scored 17 of his career-high 21 points in the second half to help spark a
furious late comeback that catapulted the Houston Rockets to a 107-105 win over
the slumping Los Angeles Lakers at Toyota Center. Smith went 7-of-8 from the
field and pulled down nine rebounds as well, while fellow reserve Toney Douglas
dropped in a season-best 22 points to help the Rockets post their fifth victory
in six games despite an off-shooting night from James Harden and trailing by 13
points with under 9 1/2 minutes left. Harden finished with 15 points and 10
rebounds, but made just 3-of-19 field goal attempts. His slump was offset by a
huge effort from the Houston bench, with Carlos Delfino adding 15 points in
addition to Smith and Douglas' big games. Playing without injured stars Pau
Gasol and Steve Nash, the Lakers received 39 points from Kobe Bryant and a 16-point,
12-rebound performance from Dwight Howard. However. Los Angeles failed to hold
onto a lead that was as much as 17 points and lost for the third time in its
last four outings.
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| Jeremy Lin cruises to the hole as Houston handed LA another defeat. (image by Pat Sullivan/AP) |
Memphis 108, Phoenix 98 (OT)
Zach
Randolph poured in a dominating performance Thursday night, netting 38 points
and ripping down 22 rebounds to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a hard-fought,
108-98, overtime victory over the Phoenix Suns at FedEx Forum. Twenty-two of
Randolph's point total came after halftime, as the Grizzlies overcame a
16-point deficit -- their largest of the season -- en route to their ninth home
win in 10 tries this season. Quincy Pondexter followed with a season-high 16
points, while Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol donated 14 points apiece for Memphis,
which has won five of its last six overall. Goran Dragic paced Phoenix with 19
points and seven assists and Luis Scola tallied 16 points and eight boards in
the setback, the Suns' fourth in a row.
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