Indiana
continued its unmolested run to open the season, earning a road win over an
improved Detroit squad for win #4. In the meantime, New York was ambushed by
the unheralded Bobcats, while Houston rebounded from a blowout loss by
overcoming Portland.
The Best:
- LeBron James recorded his 500th straight double-digit scoring game by unloading 35 points on top of 8 rebounds and 8 assists on the Toronto Raptors, who actually led by double-digits at one point in the game.
- Paul George continues his phenomenal growth as one of the top small forwards in the league (the other two are, you know, LBJ and KD – Melo is right behind PG24 right now), scoring 31 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. More importantly, though, his Pacers are 4-0.
- Monta Ellis probably won’t be one of the top ten players this season, but he’s certainly one of the top guys on the Mavs’ roster. Ellis shot 11/14 from the field and finished with 30 points to go along with 9 assists. He also shot a perfect 8/8 from the line as Dallas blew out the Lakers.
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| PG24 led the Pacers to a 4-0 start in the NBA's new season. (image by Allen Einstein/Getty Images) |
The Worst:
- I love what Josh Smith brings to the Detroit Pistons, but in their game against the Pacers. J-Smoove finished 16 points, yes, but he shot just 5/16 from the field and turned the ball over four times. Had he played more efficiently, MAYBE they wouldn’t have lost by just 8 points.
- Someday soon, Enes Kanter should become a really good big man for Utah, but that’s only if he cuts down on his turnovers. The young Turkish slotman coughed the ball up 7 times against the Nets, and that is just too high a number for anyone who primarily plays under the basket.
Final Score: Miami 104, Toronto 95
Toronto, ON
(SportsNetwork.com) - LeBron James became the fifth player in NBA history to
score 10 or more points in 500 straight games and the Miami Heat beat the
Toronto Raptors 104-95 on Tuesday. James -- who joined Kareem Abdul- Jabbar,
Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Moses Malone as the only other players to
accomplish the feat -- had a season-high 35 points to go with eight rebounds
and eight assists. Forward Chris Bosh didn't travel with the Heat for the game
against his former team following the birth of his daughter. Dwyane Wade
registered 20 points, six boards and five helpers for the Heat, who have
defeated Toronto 12 straight times. DeMar DeRozan poured in 21 points, while
Rudy Gay finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds for Toronto, which fell to 2-2
on the young campaign.
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| LeBron James and the Heat seem to be... heating up. (image by Tom Szczerbowski/USA Today) |
Final Score: Brooklyn 104, Utah 88
Brooklyn, NY
(SportsNetwork.com) - Brook Lopez poured in 27 points in just 25 minutes as the
Brooklyn Nets kept Utah winless with a 104-88 rout of the Jazz from Barclays
Center. Lopez added a team-high seven rebounds while shooting 10-of-13 from the
floor and 7-of-9 from the free throw line in the victory, as Brooklyn bounced
back from a disappointing blowout loss to the Magic on Sunday. Brooklyn
outscored Utah 58-26 in the paint. Joe Johnson had 12 points while Paul Pierce
and Shaun Livingston each scored 11. Former Jazz star Deron Williams finished
with 10 points and eight assists. Gordon Hayward and Enes Kanter were the lone
bright spots for Utah, netting 22 and 21 points, respectively, in the Jazz's
fourth straight loss to open the campaign.
Final Score: Indiana 99, Detroit 91
Auburn
Hills, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - In a physical matchup between division foes,
Paul George scored 31 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Indiana Pacers
to a 99-91 victory over the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. C.J.
Watson added 15 points while David West scored 12 points and had eight
rebounds. Lance Stephenson also had 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds
to help the Pacers win their fourth and remain undefeated. The win for the
Pacers gave them their first 4-0 start in nine years. They also picked up their
sixth straight win over Detroit. Brandon Jennings, in his second game with the
Pistons, led the team with 17 points and six assists. Josh Smith added 16
points and seven rebounds while Greg Monroe scored 14 and grabbed 10 boards for
Detroit, which is now 2-2.
Final Score: Charlotte 102, New York 97
New York, NY
(SportsNetwork.com) - Kemba Walker had some memorable performances at Madison
Square Garden while in college at UConn and can now add Tuesday night's
performance to the list. Walker scored 25 points with six assists and five
rebounds to lead the Charlotte Bobcats to a 102-97 win over the New York
Knicks. Gerald Henderson chipped in with 18 points and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
added 16 points in the win for Charlotte, which moved to 2-2 on the season and
snapped a 16-game road skid extending to last season. Carmelo Anthony scored a
game-high 32 points on 10-of-28 shooting and Metta World Peace scored 18 points
off the bench for New York, which has dropped three straight. Charlotte held a
four-point advantage with 50 seconds left when Walker, guarded by Anthony,
dribbled to the elbow and hit a fadeaway jumper to put the Bobcats up 99-93.
Final Score: Phoenix 104, New Orleans 98
New Orleans,
LA (SportsNetwork.com) - All Eric Bledsoe needed was an opportunity. The
emerging star is showing early on that he can carry a team on his broad
shoulders. Bledsoe had 25 points, five assists and three steals in the Phoenix
Suns' 104-98 triumph over the New Orleans Pelicans. Acquired from the Clippers
in a three-team swap during the offseason, the chiseled guard was 10-of-12 from
the field for Phoenix, which improved to 3-1 on the young season. Anthony Davis
tallied 17 points and 11 rebounds for New Orleans, while Eric Gordon netted 20
points in the loss.
Final Score: Dallas 123, LA Lakers 104
Dallas, TX
(SportsNetwork.com) - Monta Ellis nearly matched the entire Lakers starting
lineup with 30 points on an efficient 11-of-14 from the floor as the Dallas
Mavericks downed Los Angeles, 123-104, from American Airlines Center. Ellis
added a season-high nine assists in the triumph, while the five Lakers'
starters combined for just 32 points. Pau Gasol led the group with 10. Jae
Crowder chipped in 18 points off the bench and DeJuan Blair filled the stat
sheet with 10 points, eight boards, four assists and five steals. Shawn Marion
and Dirk Nowitzki had 11 points apiece as Dallas remained undefeated at home in
three tries. Nick Young, who started the first three games of the season for LA
but was demoted to the bench for Xavier Henry for its last two, led the Lakers
with 21 points on 8-of-12 from the field. Jodie Meeks and Jordan Farmar each
scored 11 points.
Final Score: San Antonio 102, Denver 94
Denver, CO
(SportsNetwork.com) - The Denver Nuggets are still struggling to adjust from
George Karl's frantic up-tempo style to new coach Brian Shaw's slower
half-court scheme. After losing just three games at Pepsi Center all of last
season, Denver has already dropped its first two at home this year. Tony Parker
had 24 points and six assists and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Nuggets,
102-94, on Tuesday. Tim Duncan added 17 points, eight rebounds and eight
assists for San Antonio, which improved to 3-1 on the young season. Kawhi
Leonard netted 14 points in the triumph. Ty Lawson tallied 20 points and eight
assists for the Nuggets, who are winless through their first three tilts after
winning 57 games a year ago.
Final Score: Houston 116, Portland 101
Portland, OR
(SportsNetwork.com) - James Harden and Dwight Howard combined for 62 points and
20 rebounds as the Houston Rockets upended the Portland Trail Blazers, 116-101,
on Tuesday. Harden poured in a game-high 33 points to go with seven rebounds
while Howard netted 29 points on 10-of-13 from the field with 13 boards as the
Rockets bounced back after their first loss of the season Monday against the
Clippers. Point guards Jeremy Lin and Patrick Beverley scored 12 points apiece
and Omri Casspi contributed eight rebounds and a team-high five assists. Damian
Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge scored 22 and 21 points, respectively, and Wes
Matthews had 19.
Final Score: Atlanta 105, Sacramento 100
Sacramento,
CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Al Horford scored 10 of his 27 points in the fourth
quarter, including five in the last 1:04 as the Atlanta Hawks held on for a
105-100 win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. The Hawks nearly
coughed up a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter but Horford and Paul Millsap
helped them avoid a collapse after Sacramento, sparked by Isaiah Thomas, got
within a point. Atlanta extended its winning streak over the Kings to 11
straight games since Sacramento's last win in the series on Feb. 20, 2008.
Millsap had 25 points and 11 rebounds and Horford collected 10 boards for the
Hawks, who snapped a six-game road losing streak dating back to last season and
including their playoff series against Indiana. It was Atlanta's fifth win in
their last 19 games away from home, including the postseason. Jeff Teague had
18 points and 10 assists in the win. Thomas had 18 of his 26 points in the
fourth quarter for the Kings, who have lost three in a row since opening the
season with a win over Denver.
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