The Fates
can be kind and cruel at the same time, and right now that can be seen in the
different directions being taken by the Los Angeles Clippers and the Brooklyn
Nets.
As of this writing,
the Clippers have gone 15 games deep into December and have NOT lost yet this
month. Not even one game. Utah came awfully close today, but the Clips rallied
from 19 down to pull the rug from under the Jazz. Because of their immaculate
performance so far, the Clippers have gained not just the top spot out West,
but in the whole league.
Of course, a
lot of things are going well for coach Vinny Del Negro, but the biggest reason,
without a doubt, is the fact that Chris Paul is having a great season. His current
numbers prove that he deserved being named to the All-NBA First Team last year.
CP3 is norming 16.2ppg, 9.4apg, and 2.6spg, while shooting 47% from the field
and 89% from the stripe. Overall, he’s #1 in steals and #2 in assists. His
production has also made him the best overall point guard in the league in
terms of simple player efficiency. At this rate, and if the Clips continue
winning, then CP3 might be a major player in the MVP discussion once again.
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| Chris Paul's high-level play has helped the Clippers notch the top spot in the whole league. (image by Harry How/Getty Images) |
In contrast
to the fortunes of Lob City and Paul, the new-look Nets and their most high
profile cager, Deron Williams, have gone on a downward spiral. As of this
writing, the Brooklyn quintet that started the season 11-4 has slowed down
significantly. At just one game above .500, the Nets are now sitting at 7th
place in the East. Based on some reports, their morale is low and the ouster of
erstwhile head coach Avery Johnson might make the locker room situation a
little trickier than it already is. Replacing AJ, at least until the Nets tire
of him, too, is PJ Carlesimo.
Just as
coach Del Negro has an all-world point guard leading the Clippers, coach
Carlesimo has a similarly talented playmaker leading the Nets – at least on
paper. AJ’s shortcomings notwithstanding, one of the main reasons Mikhail
Prokhorov’s squad isn’t performing up to par is the underwhelming play of
Williams. The former Utah Jazz floor general is averaging 16.6ppg, 3.0rpg, and
7.8apg, while shooting just 40% from the floor – all well below D-Will’s career
averages. Williams has expressed his position that AJ’s isolation-heavy offense
is a big reason for his below-par play, but such finger-pointing tactics should
be reserved only for cannots and has beens, not superstars. At this point, it’s
clear that, no matter who the coach is, the Nets’ collective destiny rests on
whether or not Williams can overcome his current circumstances and lead the
squad to new heights.
The Clippers
and the Nets. Paul and Williams. Two teams. Two point guards. Two different
directions. When the season sees its end, who will gain the Fates’ favor, and
who will earn their ire?
Game
Recaps (courtesy of the Sports Network):
Indiana 97, Phoenix 91
George Hill
scored 22 points and the Indiana Pacers ran their winning streak to a season-high
four games with a 97-91 decision over the Phoenix Suns at Bankers Life
Fieldhouse. Hill went 9- of-13 from the field to lead five Indiana players in
double figures, and the Pacers bounced back after squandering a 16-point
third-quarter advantage to record their fourth consecutive victory at home as
well. David West netted eight of his 14 points in the fourth quarter to help
Indiana prevail, while Paul George added 15 points and Roy Hibbert pulled down
a game-high 14 rebounds in the triumph. Sebastian Telfair, starting in place of
an injured Goran Dragic, registered a season-best 19 points -- 13 of which came
after halftime -- to spur Phoenix's near-comeback. The Suns ultimately came up
short, however, and were dealt their fourth straight defeat and seventh road
setback in a row. Marcin Gortat finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds in a
losing cause.
Washington 105, Orlando 97
Jordan
Crawford led five Washington players in double figures with 27 points, as the
Wizards downed the Orlando Magic, 105-97, on Friday at Verizon Center. Nene
added a season-high 23 points and 11 rebounds and Kevin Seraphin chipped in
with 17 points and six boards for the Wizards, who snapped an eight-game losing
streak. Garrett Temple and Bradley Beal finished with 13 and 11 points,
respectively, in the win. Arron Afflalo had 26 points and J.J. Redick chipped
in with 23 for the Magic, who have dropped four straight. Jameer Nelson had 16
points, eight assists and three rebounds in the setback.
Brooklyn 97, Charlotte 81
Brook Lopez
posted a double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds as the Brooklyn Nets
pounded the Charlotte Bobcats, 97-81, in the debut of interim head coach P.J.
Carlesimo at the Barclays Center. Former coach Avery Johnson was relieved of
his duties on Thursday afternoon after Brooklyn went into a 3-10 skid in
December following an 11-4 start to the season, which earned him the Eastern
Conference Coach of the Month award for November. Deron Williams added 19
points and Joe Johnson followed with 16 in the victory. Hakim Warrick paced the
Bobcats with 13 points, while Ramon Sessions and Ben Gordon recorded 12 and 10
points, respectively, in Charlotte's 17th straight defeat since a
double-overtime victory over the Washington Wizards on Nov. 24.
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| Deron Williams will have to step up as the Nets move on after unloading coach Avery Johnson. (image by Kathy Kmonicek/AP) |
Atlanta 102, Cleveland 94
Jeff Teague
posted 27 points and eight assists as the Atlanta Hawks took a 102-94 win over
the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. Louis Williams scored 16 points with five
rebounds, while Al Horford gave 14 points and 11 boards for the Hawks, who have
won three straight. Kyrie Irving had a game-high 28 points along with six
rebounds and five assists for the Cavaliers, who had their first two-game
winning streak of the season snapped. Dion Waiters donated 18 points and six
rebounds in the loss.
Detroit 109, Miami 99
Will Bynum
dropped in 25 points on 10- of-16 shooting to go with 10 assists as the Detroit
Pistons knocked off the Miami Heat, 109-99, at the Palace of Auburn Hills on
Friday. Charlie Villanueva netted 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting and pulled down
six boards, while rookie Kyle Singler added 12 points and five boards for the
Pistons, who have won three of their last four. Austin Daye hit 4-of-5 shots
from the floor for 11 points and Tayshaun Prince also donated 11 points to the
victory. LeBron James scored a game-high 35 points with six rebounds, five
assists and six steals for Miami, which had a seven-game winning streak against
the Pistons broken. Chris Bosh added 28 points and nine boards in the loss. The
defending champions played without star guard Dwyane Wade, who was suspended
for striking Charlotte Bobcats guard Ramon Sessions in the groin during
Wednesday's 105-92 victory.
Toronto 104, New Orleans 97 (OT)
DeMar
DeRozan poured in a game-high 30 points on Friday, as the Toronto Raptors outlasted
the New Orleans Hornets, 104-97, in overtime at New Orleans Arena. Kyle Lowry
returned from a seven- game absence and finished with 17 points and eight
assists, while Alan Anderson followed with 16 points for the Raptors, who have
won six of their last seven. Greivis Vasquez finished a rebound shy of a
triple-double, tallying 20 points, 14 assists and nine boards in the setback,
New Orleans' 12th in its last 13 games. Rookie Anthony Davis donated 25 points
and nine boards and Ryan Anderson added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the
Hornets, who snapped an 11-game losing streak with Wednesday's win over
Orlando.
Denver 106, Dallas 85
Danilo
Gallinari connected on 7-of-11 shots from beyond the arc en route to
career-high 39 points and the Denver Nuggets clobbered the Dallas Mavericks,
106-85, on Friday. Overall, Gallinari shot 14- of-23 and grabbed eight
rebounds, while Andre Iguodala netted 20 points to go along with eight boards
in the Nuggets' sixth win in eight games. Kenneth Faried added 11 points and 19
rebounds in the victory. O.J. Mayo scored 15 points to lead the Mavericks, who
have lost five in a row and eight of their last nine games. Darren Collison,
Vince Carter and Brandan Wright scored 10 points apiece in defeat.
San Antonio 122, Houston 116
Tony Parker
posted 31 points, 10 assists and five rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs
out-gunned the Houston Rockets, 122-116, on Friday. Tim Duncan scored 30 points
while Manu Ginobili added 23 for the Spurs, who are now 8-0 at home in
December. Danny Green gave 17 points and five boards in the win. James Harden
scored a game-high 33 points along with seven assists and five rebounds for the
Rockets, who saw their season- high five-game winning streak snapped. Chandler
Parsons gave 24 points and eight boards in the loss.
LA Clippers 116, Utah 114
Chris Paul
scored 29 points, including the deciding free throws in the closing seconds of
the fourth quarter, as the Los Angeles Clippers put together a fierce rally in
the second half to down the Utah Jazz, 116-114, on Friday. Blake Griffin added
22 points and 13 rebounds, while DeAndre Jordan also contributed a
double-double with 16 points and 10 boards for the Clippers, who extended their
franchise-best winning streak to 16 games. The Clippers' 16-game winning streak
is the longest in the NBA since the Boston Celtics won 19 straight during the
2008-09 campaign, Randy Foye scored a season-high 28 points to pace the Jazz,
but his tightly contested 3-pointer as time expired rimmed out to hand Utah its
sixth loss in eight games. Al Jefferson finished with 22 points and eight
rebounds, and Gordon Hayward dropped in 17 points off the bench in a losing
effort.
Sacramento 106, New York 105
James
Johnson hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer as Sacramento survived a furious comeback
by New York to take a 106-105 victory on Friday. Johnson finished the game with
17 points and seven rebounds, Marcus Thornton gave 18 points while DeMarcus
Cousins scored 15 to go with 10 rebounds and five assists for the Kings, who
have won two of their last three. J.R. Smith scored a game-high 28 points with
seven rebounds and five assists for the Knicks, who have dropped two of their
last three. Chris Copeland had 23 points while Tyson Chandler donated 21 points
and 18 boards.
Golden State 96, Philadelphia 89
David Lee
paced a balanced Golden State attack with 25 points and 12 rebounds as the
Warriors held off the Philadelphia 76ers, 96-89, on Friday. Carl Landry also
contributed a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards, while Jarrett Jack
added 16 points, Klay Thompson poured in 14, Stephen Curry scored 11 and
Harrison Barnes finished with 10 for the Warriors, who have won two straight.
Jrue Holiday had 21 points and 10 assists, and Thaddeus Young finished with 19
points and 10 rebounds for Philadelphia, which lost for the seventh time in
nine games.
LA Lakers 104, Portland 87
Kobe Bryant
netted a game-high 27 points on 9-of-18 from the floor as the Los Angeles
Lakers thumped the Portland Trail Blazers, 104-87, on Friday at Staples Center.
Bryant added five rebounds and four assists, while Dwight Howard posted a
double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who have won six
of their last seven. Pau Gasol scored 15 points and added nine rebounds, while
Steve Nash handed out 10 assists to go with six points in the victory. LaMarcus
Aldridge hit 12-of-17 from the field for a team-high 26 points, while Damian
Lillard gave 11 points and four assists for the Blazers, who have lost two of
three on the heels of a five-game winning streak. Will Barton scored 11 points
and Nicolas Batum finished with 10 and eight assists in a losing effort.
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