Back on Track: Kobe was 2 of 37 from beyond the arc coming into this game, but it seems the Black Mamba has forgotten all about it as he goes off for 38 points (13 of 21), 4 of 5 from the three, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists in the victory over the Dallas Mavericks. 14 of his points came in the 4th quarter where Kobe went for a perfect 5 of 5 from outside the paint and also finished with a career 31,000 points, becoming the only 5th player in NBA history to do so. Dirk countered with his best performance of the season, going for his first double-double of the 2013 with 30 points on 11 of 19 shooting (4 of 4 from three), and 13 boards. His former teammate, Steve Nash, showed signs of life in the Lakers’ third straight win after the All-Star break, scoring 20 points and handing out 4 assists.
#CountonKobe: To pump fake you out of your shoes (Via: Reddit).
Nice Try: The Cleveland Cavaliers, trailing by 18 points in the half to the Miami Heat, came back from the break to take the lead in the third, thanks to C.J. Miles’s solo 11-0 run. But in typical Cleveland fashion, they would fail to hold on to their lead and watch the Heat get away with the win. LeBron James led the way with 28 points on 10 of 19 shooting, and 8 dimes. Dwayne Wade added, 24 points (11 of 22), 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Rookie, Dion Waiters of the Cavs had a team-high 26 points on a surprisingly efficient 11 of 17 shots.
Goggles: The New York Knicks holds off the visiting Philadelphia 76ers in the win. Despite shooting 6 of 18 from the field, Carmelo Anthony finished with 29 points and 7 rebounds. Amare Stoudemire came off the bench for a near perfect game. Going off for 22 points on 9 of 10 shooting and 5 rebounds. Stat has been great at adjusting to his new second unit role, and is slowly dissolving the worries that Knicks fans once had with consistent play. For the Sixers, bad news continue to surface. According to coach Doug Collins, Andrew Bynum is still far way from being 100 percent. On the bright side, their All-Star, Jrue Holiday had 30 points (12 of 24), 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
Running Engine: The Portland Trail Blazers snapped their 7 game losing streak in the victory against the Boston Celtics. This game was close from the very beginning, but Wesley Matthew’s 24 points (8 of 11) and late game threes sealed the game for Portland. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett combined for 46 of Boston’s total 86 points in the loss.
Off Target: Every member of the Chicago Bulls might need prescription glasses after this 29 percent shooting performance (the lowest field goal percentage of the season) in the loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night. The Bulls were absolutely horrendous in this game, and was out of it by the first half. Kevin Durant got 19 points on 19 shots and 16 rebounds. While Russell Westbrook scored 23 points on 10 of 17 shooting and punished Chicago with dunks.
Highlights
Fancy: Ricky Rubio’s passes are still out of the this world ordinary. I don’t think he can actually pull off a normal chest pass.
Skates: The Bean still got some moves.
Off The Board: Marshon Brooks passes to himself against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Follow me on twitter @Leslie_Kam. You can also find me on The Basketball Machine for more NBA fun.
