Day job tasks
have been piling up lately, which explains why I have settled for crunching the
past three days of NBA action into this single post. First off, I love how the
Spurs and Blazers are still rocking their respective win streaks. Also, don’t
sleep on the defending champion Miami Heat, who have strung several wins
together, too. Lastly, yeah, D-Rose is out for the season AFTER JUST TEN GAMES.
I don’t want to talk about it.
 |
| LaMarcus Aldridge has been nothing short of awesome as the Blazers continue to win. (image by Sam Forencich/Getty Images) |
The Best:
- LaMarcus Aldridge joined Nikola Vucevic in the exclusive 30-20 club of the 2013-2014 season. Like Vucevic, Aldridge dropped 30 points and 21 rebounds in one game – a 113-101 shellacking of the Warriors two days ago. Aldridge didn’t shoot too well from the field (just 7/21), but he did make 16 free throws while also adding 3 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. All-around doesn’t even begin to describe the night this guy had.
- Yes, Brooklyn sucks big time, and, yes, Joe Johnson might just be the most overpaid faux shooter on the planet, but, hey, this guy lit the board for 34 points, making 8 threes, yesterday against the Pistons. This is, by far, JJ’s best game of the young season yet, and I sure am hoping, for the Nets’ sake, that these will happen more often than not. It’s just a little too bad, though, since BKN lost to Motor City. Oops.
- I know. I haven’t been too friendly to LeBron in my current NBA posts (when have I been friendly with this guy anyway?!), but that’s mainly because there have been so many other impressive performers to open the new NBA campaign. Today, however, the reigning MVP was nonpareil. LBJ shot 11/14 from the field, made two triples, and hit all 11 of his free throws to total 35 markers as Miami blew the Suns out at home. James also added 5 ribbies and 4 dimes for good measure.
The Worst:
- There was a time (2011 I think) when I absolutely loved watching JJ Barea play. I remember him getting clocked by Andrew Bynum in Dallas’s series with the Lakers, but the little Argentine torched the Showtime boys anyway. That wasn’t the case two nights ago, however, as Minnesota got clocked by the Rockets. Barea, in 18 minutes, shot the ball 10 times, and missed 9. He ended up with a measly 3 points. Argh.
- Gordon Hayward is under the spotlight in Utah. A depleted and shallow Jazz roster will look to him for leadership and scoring. Unfortunately, they didn’t see much of the latter when they were beaten by the Thunder yesterday. The former Butler star shot just 2/9 from the field and finished with 5 points in 25 minutes. And, worse, he turned the ball over 6 times.
- Another guy who had posted an unlucky combo of bricks and errors was New Orleans Pelican Eric Gordon. Gordon connected on just 2/9 field goals as the Pelicans got clobbered by the Spurs today. He ended up with only 4 points in 19 minutes and also registered 4 turnovers. Hey, a 1-is-to-1 point-to-turnover ratio is crazy, right?
November
24, 2013
Final Score: LA Clippers 103, Sacramento 102
Los Angeles,
CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Paul split a pair of go-ahead free throws with
2.5 seconds left to lift the Los Angeles Clippers to a 103-102 win over the
Sacramento Kings. Paul, who had 22 points, nailed a high-arching fadeaway
3-pointer from the right corner with the shot clock winding down to tie the
game at 98-98 with 1:29 left and then put the Clips in front with a layup on
their next touch. He was fouled on the play, but missed the ensuing free throw.
Isaiah Thomas sunk two foul shots at the other end to knot the tilt before Paul
split two defenders with a bounce pass from the right elbow and hit a cutting
Blake Griffin for a thunderous one-handed dunk with 44.4 ticks to go. Thomas
again made two foul shots to tie it at 102-102 with 24.2 seconds on the clock.
Paul then took the clock down before he was fouled. DeMarcus Cousins' shot at
the buzzer from the left elbow came up well short. Paul added nine assists and
six rebounds, while Jordan tallied 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers, who
have won six of their last eight tilts. Cousins had 23 points, 19 boards and
seven assists for Sacramento, which had its brief two-game winning streak
snapped. Thomas finished with 22 points in defeat.
Final Score: Indiana 106, Philadelphia 98
Indianapolis,
IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Roy Hibbert had 27 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks
as the Indiana Pacers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 106-98, on Saturday
night. Paul George added 19 points, while David West tallied 17 points, 11
boards and six assists for Indiana, which has won three straight and remained
unbeaten at home. Michael Carter-Williams filled the stat sheet with 29 points,
seven steals, six rebounds and three assists for the Sixers, who had just nine
dressed players. Friday's hero Spencer Hawes sat with left knee soreness, guard
Tony Wroten missed the tilt with a lower back strain and forward Thaddeus Young
wasn't with the team for personal reasons.
Final Score: Washington 98, New York 89
Washington,
DC (SportsNetwork.com) - John Wall torched New York for 31 points and seven
assists as the Washington Wizards topped the Knicks, 98-89, from Verizon
Center. Washington trailed 52-49 at intermission, but the Knicks' starting unit
managed just seven points in the third period as the Wizards gained momentum
and eventually pulled away. Marcin Gortat had his way down low, tallying 16
points on 7-of-11 shooting with 17 rebounds for Washington, which won for the
third time in four tries after dropping four in a row. Martell Webster and
Bradley Beal added 19 and 18 points, respectively. Carmelo Anthony paced New
York with 23 points and 12 boards. J.R. Smith chipped in 15 points off the
bench as the Knicks fell to 2-6 since losing Tyson Chandler to a right knee
injury in a Nov. 5 tilt against Charlotte.
Final Score: Boston 94, Atlanta 87
Atlanta, GA
(SportsNetwork.com) - Brandon Bass scored a team-high 17 points and Jordan
Crawford scored 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter as the Boston Celtics
snapped a six-game losing streak with a 94-87 win over the Atlanta Hawks on
Saturday. Atlanta led by as many as 12 points in the fourth and a Mike Scott
3-pointer gave the Hawks an 81-70 lead with 9:30 left to play. Boston countered
with a 10-0 run to pull within one and took its first lead since midway through
the third after a pair of Bass free throws with 3:31 remaining. Each team then
traded a pair of foul shots and Crawford hit back-to-back shots, including a
free throw, to give the Celtics a 91-85 lead with 46.3 seconds left and seal it
for the visitors. Crawford added 10 assists in the triumph for his second
double-double of the season. Jeff Green and Jared Sullinger netted 16 and 15
points, respectively. Al Horford dropped 18 points with seven rebounds in the
losing effort, while Jeff Teague recorded a double-double, scoring 13 points
with 10 assists.
Final Score: Miami 101, Orlando 99
Miami, FL
(SportsNetwork.com) - LeBron James drained a step-back jumper from beyond the
foul line with 15.1 seconds remaining to lift the Miami Heat to a 101-99 win over
the Orlando Magic. James ended with 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists,
as the Heat completed the sweep of the home- and-home series. Miami dominated
the Magic 120-92 on Wednesday. Dwyane Wade totaled 27 points and Chris Bosh
scored 15 in Miami's sixth consecutive win since a Nov. 9 loss at home to
Boston. Power forward Glen Davis returned for the Magic and had 20 points in
his season debut. Davis hadn't played since breaking the fifth metatarsal in
his left foot on Jan. 30. He had two surgical procedures to correct the
problem.
Final Score: Houston 112, Minnesota 101
Houston, TX
(SportsNetwork.com) - Aaron Brooks nailed six 3-pointers and netted 26 points
as the Houston Rockets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves, 112-101, on
Saturday night. Terrence Jones tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds, Jeremy Lin
poured in 19 points and Dwight Howard added 11 points, 13 boards and four
blocks for the Rockets, who have won four of their last five game. Kevin Love
had 27 points and 15 rebounds for Minnesota, which has dropped four of its last
six tilts.
Final Score: Charlotte 96, Milwaukee 72
Milwaukee,
WI (SportsNetwork.com) - To say the season isn't going in the favor of the
Milwaukee Bucks would be an understatement. Al Jefferson outscored the entire
starting lineup of the Bucks Saturday night, as the Charlotte Bobcats dominated
Milwaukee, 96-72, at Bradley Center. Jefferson had 19 points, one more than
Milwaukee's starting five of Ersan Ilyasova, Caron Butler, Zaza Pachulia, Luke
Ridnour and O.J. Mayo. Khris Middleton had 20 points and John Henson added 10
for Milwaukee, which shot 35.3 percent from the field and lost its eighth
consecutive contest. Gerald Henderson had 17 points for the Bobcats, who won at
Milwaukee for just the second time in the last 17 meetings.
Final Score: San Antonio 126, Cleveland 96
San Antonio,
TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Danny Green paced a balanced scoring attack with 17
points as the San Antonio Spurs routed the Cleveland Cavaliers, 126-96, from
AT&T Center. The Spurs, winners of 10 in a row, outscored Cleveland 35-11
in the second quarter to take a commanding 65-32 edge into halftime. All 13
active Spurs' players recorded at least 11 minutes in the contest, and Jeff
Ayres and Aron Baynes were the low scorers with six points apiece. Patty Mills
shot 5-of-8 for 15 points off the bench as San Antonio remained perfect in six
home tilts this season. Tony Parker tallied 12 points and a game-high seven
assists while Tiago Splitter and Marco Belinelli notched 10 points each. The
Spurs were 16-of-24 from 3-point range.
Final Score: Denver 102, Dallas 100
Denver, CO
(SportsNetwork.com) - Ty Lawson scored 20 points with nine assists and Kenneth
Faried added 18 points with 14 rebounds as the Denver Nuggets held on to beat
the Dallas Mavericks, 102-100, at Pepsi Center. Randy Foye made five 3-pointers
to finish with 17 points, while Wilson Chandler, Nate Robinson, and Darrell
Arthur each had 10 points for Denver. Dallas trailed 98-94 when Dirk Nowitzki
capped a 6-0 run with a fadeaway jumper with 2:02 left to play. Foye answered
with just over a minute left, hitting a 3- pointer that proved to be the
difference after Faried hit 1-of-2 free throws and Nowitzki's game-tying
attempt came up short. Nowitzki had a game-high 27 points with nine rebounds
and Monta Ellis tallied 25 points in the loss, which snapped Dallas' four-game
win streak.
Final Score: Portland 113, Golden State 101
Oakland, CA
(SportsNetwork.com) - LaMarcus Aldridge had a monster outing with 30 points and
21 rebounds and the Portland Trail Blazers outscored the Golden State Warriors
by 15 in the final quarter en route to a 113-101 win at Oracle Arena. Wesley
Matthews scored 23 points, while Damian Lillard netted 20 with nine assists for
Portland, which won its 10th consecutive game. A raucous shoving match broke
out with just under four minutes left in the third quarter that saw ejections
of Matthews and Mo Williams for Portland and also Gerald Green for Golden
State. After Stephen Curry made two technical free throws to increase the
Golden State lead, 81-71, Portland outscored the Warriors 42-20 in the final 15
plus minutes of the game. Klay Thompson scored 30 points on 10-of-13 shooting,
while Curry returned to the lineup after missing the past two games with a
concussion and scored 22 points with 11 assists in the loss.
November
25, 2013
Final Score: Detroit 109, Brooklyn 97
Brooklyn, NY
(SportsNetwork.com) - Rodney Stuckey had 27 points and six assists as the
Detroit Pistons defeated the Brooklyn Nets, 109-97, on Sunday afternoon. Greg
Monroe tallied 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Brandon Jennings added 14
points and 10 assists for Detroit, which had lost seven of its last nine games
coming in. Joe Johnson netted 34 points as the last- place Nets dropped their
fifth straight tilt.
 |
| Josh Smith and the Pistons had a morale-boosting road win in Brooklyn. (image by Noah K. Murray/USA Today) |
Final Score: LA Clippers 121, Chicago 82
Los Angeles,
CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Paul tallied 16 points and 17 assists to charge
the Los Angeles Clippers to a 121-82 win over the Chicago Bulls. Jared Dudley
and J.J. Redick scored 21 and 19 points, respectively, and Blake Griffin added
15 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers, who have won three of their last
four games. Luol Deng scored a game-high 22 points for Chicago, which has lost
three in a row. Carlos Boozer and Mike Dunleavy added 14 points apiece. Bulls'
point guard Derrick Rose will undergo surgery to repair a torn right meniscus
on Monday. He is out indefinitely.
 |
| JJ Redick waxed hot as the Clippers ran roughshod over the hapless Bulls. (image by Chris Carlson/AP) |
Final Score: Phoenix 104, Orlando 96
Orlando, FL
(SportsNetwork.com) - Goran Dragic registered 23 points and 13 assists as the
Phoenix Suns downed the Orlando Magic, 104-96, from Amway Center on Sunday.
Phoenix gained the lead on back-to-back Gerald Green 3- pointers early in the
first quarter and led the rest of the way. Green made his fourth straight start
for the injured Eric Bledsoe and scored 20 points in the victory. Channing Frye
netted 14 points while Marcus and Markieff Morris scored 16 and 12,
respectively, off the bench. The Suns have won two in a row on the heels of a
four-game losing skid. Nikola Vucevic paced the Magic with 20 points and 10
rebounds. Jameer Nelson went for 15 points and nine assists and Andrew
Nicholson shot 3-of-4 from 3-point range en route to 19 points off the bench as
Orlando lost its fourth straight tilt.
Final Score: Oklahoma City 95, Utah 73
Oklahoma
City, OK (SportsNetwork.com) - Kevin Durant scored 19 points before taking a
seat in the fourth quarter as the Oklahoma City Thunder manhandled the lowly
Utah Jazz, 95-73, at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Serge Ibaka tallied 17 points and
11 rebounds prior to also resting for the final period with the Thunder owning
a commanding lead. Jeremy Lamb contributed 15 points off the bench for Oklahoma
City, which dominated the game from the late first quarter on en route to its
fourth consecutive victory. The Thunder cruised even with All-Star point guard
Russell Westbrook sitting out the contest to rest his surgically repaired right
knee. Utah, which fell to 1-14 with their sixth straight loss, shot a poor 39.4
percent from the field and managed only two players with double-figure points,
with Enes Kanter and Rudy Gobert each finishing with 10 off the bench.
Final Score: LA Lakers 100, Sacramento 86
Los Angeles,
CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Entering Sunday's clash, the Sacramento Kings had
scored 100 or more points in three consecutive games while the Los Angeles
Lakers had held teams to double-digit efforts in three straight. Something had
to give. The Lakers' defense proved up to the task, and Pau Gasol tallied 20
points and 10 rebounds as Los Angeles took down the Kings, 100-86, on the
annual Chick Hearn Night from Staples Center. Xavier Henry contributed 21
points off the bench on 7-of-11 shooting as Los Angeles won its third game in a
row for the first time this season. Jordan Hill, who was inserted into the
starting lineup following a two-game slide earlier this month, went for 10
points and 13 rebounds. Hill has four double-doubles in six starts. DeMarcus
Cousins filled the stat sheet with 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists
in the loss, while Greivis Vasquez dropped 20 points with seven helpers.
November
26, 2013
Final Score: Boston 96, Charlotte 86
Charlotte,
NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Jordan Crawford scored 21 points, Gerald Wallace
chipped in with 17, and the Boston Celtics shook off a sluggish start to defeat
the Charlotte Bobcats, 96-86, at Times Warner Cable Arena. Brandon Bass scored
16 points on 7-of-10 shooting and Jeff Green added 13 points with seven
rebounds for Boston, which avenged an 89-83 home loss to Charlotte on Nov. 13.
Kemba Walker had a game-high 28 points with six rebounds and five assists,
Gerald Henderson netted 20 points and Al Jefferson scored 14 for the Bobcats.
Final Score: Indiana 98, Minnesota 84
Indianapolis,
IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Paul George and George Hill netted 26 points apiece as
the Indiana Pacers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves, 98-84, on Monday night.
George, who was 4-of-4 from beyond the arc, also tallied eight rebounds, four
steals and four assists for Indiana, which remained unbeaten (8-0) at home.
Hill added seven assists and five steals. Kevin Love had 20 points and 17
rebounds for the Timberwolves, who have dropped four of their last five tilts.
Nikola Pekovic registered 18 points and 11 boards in defeat.
Final Score: Detroit 113, Milwaukee 94
Auburn
Hills, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Brandon Jennings had 15 points and 13 assists
and Greg Monroe added 16 points and six rebounds as the Detroit Pistons cruised
to a 113-94 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday. Jennings went 4-for-6 from
behind the arc in his first game against his former team. Rodney Stuckey scored
17 points off the bench and Andre Drummond added 12 points and eight rebounds
for the Pistons, who have won two straight. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 14,
Charlie Villanueva had 12 and Josh Smith scored 10 points to go with seven
rebounds and four assists in the win.
Final Score: Miami 107, Phoenix 92
Miami, FL
(SportsNetwork.com) - LeBron James poured in 35 points on an efficient 11-of-14
shooting night to help the Miami Heat hand the Phoenix Suns their first
double-digit loss of the season, 107-92, on Monday. Dwyane Wade added 21 points
with 12 assists -- his most in more than three years -- while Ray Allen scored
nine of his 17 points in a fourth quarter that saw the Heat pull away for their
seventh straight win. Channing Frye led six Phoenix players in double figures
with 16 points to go with eight rebounds, while Goran Dragic donated 14 points,
nine assists and eight boards in a losing effort.
 |
| LeBron James scattered 35 big ones as the Heat devoured the Suns. (image by Lynne Sladky/AP) |
Final Score: Houston 93, Memphis 86
Memphis, TN
(SportsNetwork.com) - Chandler Parsons scored 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting and
Dwight Howard added 15 points with seven rebounds to help the Houston Rockets
to a 93-86 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum. Houston trailed 63-55
heading into the fourth quarter and scored 38 points in the final frame to cap
the comeback. Omri Casspi scored 16 points off the bench, while Jeremy Lin
netted 14 and Terrence Jones finished with 11 for Houston, which snapped a
five-game losing streak in Memphis. Tayshaun Prince paced Memphis with 16
points and Mike Conley added 10 points with 10 assists in the loss.
Final Score: Denver 110, Dallas 96
Dallas, TX
(SportsNetwork.com) - Ty Lawson scored 19 points and handed out 11 assists to
lead the Denver Nuggets to a 110-96 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.
J.J. Hickson finished with 22 points and eight rebounds and Nate Robinson added
17 points off the bench for the Nuggets, winners in three straight. Monta Ellis
poured in 22 points and Dirk Nowitzki finished with 18 for the Mavericks, who
have dropped two straight -- both to the Nuggets.
Final Score: San Antonio 112, New Orleans 93
San Antonio,
TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Manu Ginobili only played 19 minutes but racked up 16
points, six assists and five rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs rolled to a
112-93 drubbing of the New Orleans Pelicans to tie the best start in franchise
history. The Spurs shot 54 percent from the floor, had seven players score in
double figures and led by as many as 32 en route to matching the 2010-11 club's
13-1 start in convincing fashion. Tony Parker and Marco Belinelli each netted
14 points, Boris Diaw added 13 and Patty Mills checked in with 12 in the rout.
Ryan Anderson paced the Pelicans with 17 points, but a 38-percent shooting
effort put the club's three-game winning streak in the rearview mirror.
Final Score: Utah 89, Chicago 83 (OT)
Salt Lake
City, UT (SportsNetwork.com) - Marvin Williams scored 17 points with nine
rebounds while Richard Jefferson and Gordon Heyward scored 15 points apiece as
the Utah Jazz defeated the Chicago Bulls, 89-83, in overtime on Monday night.
Rookie Trey Burke scored 14 points, and none were bigger than his 3-pointer in
overtime that put the Jazz up 83-78. Utah, which snapped a six-game skid,
squandered a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter as the Bulls locked down on
defense and forced the extra stanza. Both teams had chances to win it in their
final possession of regulation but neither connected on their attempts. Carlos
Boozer had a game-high 26 points with 16 rebounds and Luol Deng also chipped in
with a double-double, scoring 24 points with 10 boards.
Final Score: Portland 102, New York 91
Portland, OR
(SportsNetwork.com) - Talk about two teams heading in opposite directions.
Nicolas Batum had 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists as the Portland
Trail Blazers won their 11th straight game following a 102-91 triumph over the
New York Knicks. LaMarcus Aldridge posted 18 points and 14 boards, while Damian
Lillard added 23 points and six assists for Portland, which outscored the
Knicks 34-18 in the opening frame in its wire-to-wire triumph. Carmelo Anthony
had 34 points and 15 rebounds for the Knicks, who lost their sixth in a row.
0 Comment