Long Range Bomber: Deron Williams broke a NBA record for most threes made in a half, hitting 9 of his total 11 threes (just one shy of the game record) in the first two quarters. He would finish with 42 points on 15 of 24 shooting, 11 of 16 from three, and five assists in the 17 point Brooklyn win. Reggie Evans grabbed a career high 24 boards to go with his 11 points in the effort. More details of this game is recapped here.
Vino Splash: In his 17th season in the NBA, Kobe Bryant has yet to slow down, as the Laker erupted for 41 points on 11 of 22 shooting, 6 rebounds and 12 assists against the visiting Toronto Raptors. Dwight Howard added 24 points (9 of 15) and 13 boards. Steve Nash also stepped up with 22 points of his own, hitting big shots down the stretch to pull out of the Staples Center with the overtime win. The Raptors had this game wrapped up, but miscommunication and interesting shot selections in the final minutes of the game costed them the W. DeMar DeRozan went off for 28 points (12 of 18), 5 rebounds and 5 dimes in his homecoming. Rudy Gay did not have the greatest night in terms of shooting, he was ice cold for much of the game, hitting only 7 of his 26 shot attempts for 17 points. There is nothing else left to say, but watch the video below to see the unbelievable things Kobe did to force overtime and win it for his team.
Burning Towns: The Miami Heat improves to 17 straight, in the victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Miami is just one win away from passing the Los Angeles Clippers for the longest win streak this season. LeBron James had the usual 25 points (10 of 17), 10 boards and 5 assists, while Dwyane Wade added 22 on 9 of 16 shooting. The Sixers, lacking an offensive punch last night, had to rely on Thaddeus Young’s 25 points (12 of 15) to stay within reach of this game.
Green Company: The Boston Celtics maybe old and riddled with injuries, but these guys will not back down without a fight. With the game tied at 94, both teams had a chance to put their opponents away, but a KG miss on one side and a Josh Smith miss on the other, led to overtime. Boston would eventaully come out on top, thanks to Jason Terry’s late game heroics. Paul Pierce had a team-high 27 points on 10 of 16 shooting, 7 rebounds and 7 dimes. Where as, the Hawk’s Josh Smith, Al Horford and Jeff Teague combined for 80 of their team’s total 102 points.
Italian Dressing: Down by 1 with less than 14 seconds to play, the Chicago Bulls came up with a huge offensive rebound on a Marco Bellinelli miss, that found its way back into the Italian’s hands, who, on his second attempt hits the three to win the game for the Bulls. Marco finished with 22 points on 7 of 14 shooting in the night where he hits his third game winning shot of the season. Carlos Boozer chipped in for another 22 points and 10 rebounds. Desperately hanging on to their 8th spot in the Western Conference, the Utah Jazz is not doing themselves any favors by losing 6 of their last 7 games. If their slump continues any longer, they will have to make new plans for April.
Note: In what was suppose to be a high scoring affair between the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors, no team shot over 38 percent from the field. Rockets’ sophomore, Chandler Parsons, who has been on fire as of late, scoring an average 24 points in his last five contests, had 26 points (9 of 13), and shot 6 of 8 from downtown last night. James Harden lived on the line, going 3 of 17 from the field for 20 points, 11 of which were from the charity stripe. He also grabbed 6 boards and dished out 11 assists in the victory. Stephen Curry of the Warriors did not bring his shooting touch into the building, going 8 of 21 for 24 points and 8 assists at the Oracle Arena.
Fantasy Shoutouts: The Royal Quartet of DeMarcus Cousins (22 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 assists), Tyreke Evans (25 points), Isiah Thomas (27 points, 5 boards, 6 dimes, and 5 steals), and Marcus Thornton (23 points) shredded the Phoenix Suns apart in the Sacramento win. Not to be out done, Goran Dragic of the Suns got 17 points, 16 assists and 5 steals.
The Blazers Trio of Damian Lillard (35 points and 9 assists), LaMarcus Aldridge (26 points and 5 boards) and J.J. Hickson (23 points and 11 rebounds) annihilated the Tony Parker-less San Antonio Spurs by a margin of 30 points. Portland shot a ridiculous 62 percent from the field in the win.
Paul George went off for 25 points (8 of 12), 4 of 5 from the three, and 5 rebounds in the 29 point Indiana Pacers win over the Orlando Magic. Magic was horrendous from the field, hitting a less than ideal 39 percent of their shots.
Highlights
Quiet Talent: Kawhi Leonard is a spry young gentleman.
Bazooka: Alonzo Gee can manually and accurately launch a basketball from 70 feet and beyond.
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