The NBA Roundup: November 10, 2013

The Pacers marched to a 7-0 slate, the Clips repeated over the Rockets, and Jeff Green (JEFF GREEEN!) buried a buzzer-beating three to pull the rug from under Miami in yesterday’s NBA action.

Jeff Green let loose a bomb over LBJ as
the Cetlics stunned Miami.
(image by Chris Trotman/Getty Images

The Best:

• Kyrie Irving and Michael Carter-Williams had an awesome duel down in Ohio, with Irving’s Cavs coming out on top, 127-125. Irving buried 5 triples on his way to 39 points, 12 assists, and 5 rebounds, while MCW dropped 21 markers, 7 boards, 13 dimes, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Carter-Williams also drained all three treys he attempted. Needless to say, this duel is going to be really fun to watch in the foreseeable future.
• How about that DeAndre Jordan showing up to play on BOTH ends of the floor? Jordan pretty much outplayed Dwight Howard as Los Angeles continued to frustrate Houston. Jordan scored just a dozen points, but he hauled down 18 rebounds, had 4 assists, 3 blocked shots, and 2 steals for the Clippers, who have now won over the Rockets twice in the last week.
• Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge has really come into his own. Against the Kings, Aldridge poured in 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 assists while shooting 10/19 from the field. This could be the year he becomes an All-Star for the West.

The Worst:

• Harrison Barnes might not be adjusting too well to his role as chief back-up wingman. Against the Grizzlies, Barnes nailed just 2/7 from the floor to finish with 4 points in 19 minutes of play. Either he settles into his new role and vies for SMOY, or he gets shipped out before Valentine’s.
• I am not really lovin’ how Paul Pierce is fitting into the Brooklyn Nets right now. Against the Pacers, the Truth shot just 5/12 from the field and turned the ball over 5 times in 33 minutes of play. I say his age is catching up really really fast.
• I love Damien Lillard’s game, but in this one against Sac-town, last year’s ROY built a house of bricks. Lillard made just 1 out of his FIFTEEN field goals to finish with 4 points in 37 minutes of play. Damn.

Final Score: Toronto 115, Utah 91

Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Tyler Hansbrough poured in 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Toronto Raptors in a 115-91 rout of the winless Utah Jazz on Saturday at Air Canada Centre. DeMar DeRozan donated 18 points, Jonas Valanciunas followed with 14 points, and Rudy Gay added 11 points to help the Raptors halt a three-game skid. Gordon Hayward paced Utah with 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Derrick Favors registered 17 points and seven boards for the Jazz, who are off to their worst start (0-7) since dropping the first 11 games of their inaugural 1974-75 campaign in New Orleans.

Final Score: Atlanta 104, Orlando 94

Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - Jeff Teague had 19 points with 13 assists, while Paul Millsap added 18 points and 11 rebounds as the Atlanta Hawks held off the Orlando Magic, 104-94, at Philips Arena. In a game of runs, Atlanta used an 10-0 spurt in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter to capture its second home win in as many tries. Arron Afflalo had a game-high 21 points for the Magic in the loss. With 3:50 left in the game, Afflalo hit a 3- pointer to put the Magic ahead by one, 88-87. Atlanta pulled away after that when Al Horford scored back-to-back buckets and Kyle Korver hit a transition three from the wing. Teague capped the run with a driving layup, then hit a pull-up jumper in the lane that pushed the lead back to double-digits at 99-89 with 1:16 left.

Final Score: Indiana 96, Brooklyn 91

Brooklyn, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Paul George poured in a game-high 24 points to lead the Indiana Pacers past the Brooklyn Nets, 96-91, at Barclays Center. David West added 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while Roy Hibbert and Lance Stephenson finished with 15 points apiece for the Pacers, who have won a franchise-best seven straight games to open the season. The Pacers started the 1970-71 season 7-0 when the franchise was still in the ABA. Deron Williams had 17 points and 10 assists and Joe Johnson poured in 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

Paul George, Roy Hibbert, and the rest of the Pacers continue to remain
as the league's only unbeaten team in the new season.
(image from SportsIllustrated.com)

Final Score: Boston 111, Miami 110

Miami, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Jeff Green made Dwyane Wade pay for a mistake that cost the Miami Heat a victory. Wade had a chance to seal the outcome at the foul line and the Heat on top of the Celtics by two with 0.6 seconds remaining. After bricking the first attempt, Wade missed the rim entirely trying to intentionally miss the second. The violation gave the ball back to Boston at midcourt, and Gerald Wallace sent a cross-court pass to Green in the right corner. Green got the shot off just in time and sank it with a hand in his face to stun the American Airlines Arena crowd and send Boston to a surprising 111-110 victory. Green finished with 24 points, while Avery Bradley and Jordan Crawford chipped in 17 and 15 points, respectively, in Boston's third straight win following an 0-4 start to the season. LeBron James scored 11 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and added 10 assists and eight rebounds in the setback. Chris Bosh added 20 points and seven boards and Wade had an otherwise productive game with 18 points.

Final Score: LA Clippers 107, Houston 94

Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Blake Griffin scored 14 of his 22 points after intermission and the Los Angeles Clippers overwhelmed the Houston Rockets in the second half to rally for a 107-94 victory at the Toyota Center. The Clippers outscored the Rockets by a 40-18 margin to turn a 12-point third- quarter deficit into a 95-85 lead with 3:45 left to play, then held on the rest of the way to notch their second win against Houston in five days. Los Angeles posted a 137-118 triumph over the Rockets at the Staples Center on Monday, prior to dropping the first two tests of a three-game road trip. JJ Redick also finished with 22 points and DeAndre Jordan racked up 12 points and 18 rebounds for the Clippers. Chris Paul contributed 14 points and 13 assists to the triumph. Houston, which shot just 36.1 percent after halftime and dropped its second straight at home, was paced by Chandler Parsons' 23 points and eight rebounds. Dwight Howard amassed 21 points and eight boards in the loss, with Patrick Beverley talling 19 points for the Rockets.

Highlights of the Pacers' 7-0 start:

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