Steve Nash’s
return continued to bolster the Los Angeles Lakers’ drive, Jeremy Lin’s recent
strong play helped Houston upend Chicago, and Mario Chalmers had his best game
of the season yet in Miami’s big win over the Thunder.
Three
different guards. Three different stories. Three different ways to win.
Steve Nash,
the two-time MVP, played his second game back after his leg injury, and he
didn’t disappoint one bit. He poured in 16 points on 7-of-12 FG shooting,
playing 38 minutes as LA’s starting playmaker. He also dished out 11 dimes
while grabbing 6 rebounds as the Lakeshow displayed just how good they can be
when all four of their future Hall-of-Famers are playing well. With Nash’s
superb quarterbacking, Kobe Bryant also didn’t need to do much aside from
scoring. Kobe finished with 34 markers and only 1 assist, but there’s no doubt
he’s happy to walk away with a W – the Lakers’ fifth straight.
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| Steve Nash seems to be the glue who can keep the Lakers' deep pool of talent together. (image by Alex Gallardo/AP) |
Jeremy Lin,
meanwhile, left no doubt about who the Rockets’ #1 playmaker is, putting up 20
points and 11 assists while having one of his best shooting games of the
season. The Taiwanese-American converted 8 of his 12 field goals and made all 4
of his freebies. Lin has been on-target of late, shooting better than 58% from
the floor, and that obviously bolds well for Houston’s chances. He’s also been
a more balanced point guard, distributing the rock better than he did at the
start of the season. In the past three games, all of which were Houston
victories, Lin has normed 9.3 assists per outing. Suddenly, the voices doubting
his lofty contract have become silent, and if Lin becomes consistent, then
perhaps he will meet his potential sooner rather than later.
Out east,
Mario Chalmers entered the nationally televised Heat-Thunder match shooting
poorly from beyond the arc. He did make 4 treys against the T-Wolves last week,
but his success rate has dropped to only 20% since then. Against OKC, however,
Super Mario busted out the big guns and showcased the form that made his production
so critical in the 2012 Finals. Chalmers shot 8-of-14 from the floor, including
4 triples, while also collaring 3 boards and handing out a couple of assists. He
thoroughly outplayed his counterpart on the other end, Russell Westbrook, who
missed 14 shots and turned the ball over 5 times. If Chalmers can untangle
himself from his usual boom-or-bust self and find some measure of consistency,
then it’s a no-brainer that the Heat have the inside track to another romp all
the way to the NBA Playoffs.
Game
Recaps (courtesy of the Sports Network):
Boston 93, Brooklyn 76
Rajon Rondo
supplied a game-high 19 points, and the visiting Boston Celtics posted a 93-76
victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Christmas Day. Rondo added six rebounds, five
assists and three steals for the Celtics, who had entered the Barclays Center
on a five-game road skid. Boston rookie Jared Sullinger made 6-of-7 field goals
to finish with 16 points, while fellow reserve Jeff Green scored 15. Gerald
Wallace and Brook Lopez had 15 points apiece for Brooklyn, which fell to 3-9 in
December.
LA Lakers 100, New York 94
The top two
scorers in the NBA engaged in a Christmas Day duel, but Kobe Bryant got the
best of Carmelo Anthony this time around. Bryant registered his ninth straight
30-plus point game with 34 points and the Los Angeles Lakers avenged a loss to
the Knicks earlier this month with a 100-94 triumph. New York routed Los
Angeles, 116-107, on Dec. 13, but the Lakers were without Steve Nash and Pau
Gasol. It was Los Angeles' last loss as it has bounced back with a season-high
five-game winning streak. Nash tallied 16 points, 11 assists and six rebounds
in his second game back since missing the previous 24 contests with a
non-displaced fracture to his lower left leg on Oct. 31. Pau Gasol added 13
points, eight boards and six helpers in the win. Anthony equaled Bryant with 34
points for New York, which has dropped three of its last five contests to drop
to 20-8 on the campaign. Bryant came in averaging 29.7 points per game, while
Anthony has dropped in 28.3 points per contest.
Miami 103, Oklahoma City 97
In their
first matchup since June, the Heat once again proved to be too much for the
Thunder to handle. Behind 29 points, nine assists and eight rebounds from
LeBron James, the Miami Heat outlasted the Oklahoma City Thunder, 103-97, in a
rematch of last season's NBA Finals. Dwyane Wade chipped in 21 points and Mario
Chalmers poured in 20 for the Heat, who captured their fifth straight win. After
having their 12-game win streak snapped by the Minnesota Timberwolves on
Thursday, the Thunder have now dropped two in a row. Kevin Durant paced
Oklahoma City with 33 points and seven rebounds while Russell Westbrook posted
21 points and 11 boards for the Thunder, who dropped their fifth straight
contest to the Heat dating back to the 2012 NBA Finals. The Heat defeated the
Thunder in five games during last season's championship round.
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| Mario Chalmers broke out in a big way as the Heat defeated the Thunder. (image by Pedro Portal/Miami Herald) |
Houston 120, Chicago 97
All five
Houston starters finished in double figures on Tuesday, led by James Harden's
26 points, as the Rockets routed the Chicago Bulls, 120-97, at United Center.
Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin each recorded double-doubles in the victory, Houston's
fourth in a row and sixth in its last seven games. Asik tallied 20 points and a
game-high 18 rebounds, while Lin donated 20 points and 11 assists. Chandler
Parsons poured in 23 points and Marcus Morris added 10 in the win. Nate
Robinson came off the bench and scored a game-high 27 points, while Luol Deng
added 14 points and five boards for the Bulls, who have lost two straight.
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| Jeremy Lin continues to play at a high level for the streaking Houston Rockets. (image from MundoDeportivo.com) |
LA Clippers 112, Denver 100
Jamal
Crawford poured in 22 points off the bench, as the Los Angeles Clippers
extended their franchise-record winning streak to 14 games on Tuesday with a
112-100 triumph over the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center. Matt Barnes also
came off the bench and added 20 points, while Chris Paul finished with 14
points, eight assists and three steals for the Clippers, who own the best
record in the NBA at 22-6. Kosta Koufos paced the Nuggets with 16 points and 10
rebounds and Ty Lawson chipped in 15 points and five assists in the setback,
Denver's second in its last three games.
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