Kobe Bryant watched from the bench for a key stretch of the fourth quarter as his Los Angeles Lakers suffered a rare home loss.
Dwyane Wade watched LeBron James dominate the ball and didn’t attempt a single shot in the final 12 minutes as the Miami Heat got soundly defeated in Oklahoma City.
Do we have a pair of controversies on two of the NBA’s marquee teams?
On a Sunday that included a possible NBA finals preview, the first quadruple-overtime game in 15 years and yet another behemothian line from Kevin Love, one of the rarest sights of all was seeing Bryant on the bench for a stretch of nearly four minutes as the Lakers were trying to mount a comeback in their 102-96 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Coach Mike Brown said he was trying to avoid having Bryant play the entire second half — even though that’s exactly what the first-year Lakers coach did in an earlier matchup with Memphis, playing Bryant 52 minutes (all of the second half and two overtimes included) in a comeback victory over the Grizzlies.
“If you guys are looking for a story, I’m not going to give it to you,” Bryant said. “I can’t sit here and criticize his decisions. As the leader of this ball club, that’s something I can’t afford to do. I’ve had his back the whole season; I can’t start doing something crazy now. It wouldn’t make no sense.”
But as Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles pointed out, Bryant did acknowledge — without much elaboration — he was upset by the move.
And this, from Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times: “Brown said he “probably won’t” discuss it with Bryant. “I treat him the same as everybody most of the time,” Brown said. “Obviously he’s a superstar. And when you have superstars, you try to give them some leeway because they’ve been there and done that. But if I make a sub for somebody I don’t feel like I always have to go explain to them why I made a sub.” Said center Andrew Bynum: “I have no idea what was going on. Obviously, it was something [coaches] wanted to prove. You should ask those guys about it.” The Grizzlies (26-21) weren’t exactly the NBA‘s hottest team, having lost six of eight and gotten walloped by the Clippers the previous day, 101-85. They averaged 95.1 points before Sunday but shot 52.1%, led by Rudy Gay (18 points) and O.J. Mayo (16 points).
Bynum had 30 points, though frontcourt mate Pau Gasol wasn’t as sharp, scoring 16 points on four-for-15 shooting.
Earlier in the day, Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak told a group of about 1,000 season-ticket holders that the team had a good enough bench to help win a championship. He added, however, that one of the reserves might need to have a “special” performance at some point in the playoffs. There wasn’t anything special about the Lakers’ reserves Sunday. Not even close. They were outscored by the Grizzlies’ backups, 41-9, but it looked like the least of the Lakers’ problems.”
Next we turn to the curious case of Wade, who knocked down a shot from beyond midcourt to end the third quarter but never attempted another field goal the rest of the night.
Kevin Durant had 28 points, nine rebounds and tied his season-high with eight assists, Kendrick Perkins added a season-best 16 points (his second season-high in as many games) and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated Miami 103-87. Oklahoma City moved into second place in the overall NBA standings, with a rematch 10 days away in Miami.
From Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com: “About the only thing the Heat had going offensively in the second half — when they weren’t turning the ball over, which they did 21 times in the game — was Wade. He had nine of his 22 points in the third quarter including a 56-foot bomb he made at the buzzer. Then Wade went the entire fourth quarter without a shot. He only had 10 shots for the entire game. Obviously, this isn’t standard. For comparison purposes, Wade hadn’t taken less than 16 shots in the last eight games. It was James who controlled the offense for much of the fourth quarter and played the point guard role down the stretch. James, it seemed, looked more for Battier and Udonis Haslem than Wade. Including one fastbreak where James missed Wade streaking open and it drew a head shake from the team captain. “I’d rather not comment on that,” Wade said. “I’d don’t want to talk about the offense.” It was the first time in memory that Wade seemed to openly show displeasure about shots since he’s been James’ teammate.
We are now exactly one month away from the end of the 66-game regular season, and 21 of the 30 NBA teams are still in playoff contention if you include the Minnesota Timberwolves (24-26) and the Portland Trail Blazers (23-26) despite their recent slides.
Houston and Denver are currently tied for eighth place in the West with identical 26-23 records, while in the East the ninth-place Milwaukee Bucks are going into New York tonight with a chance to clinch the season series against the Knicks, who sit 1 1/2 games ahead of them in the standings.
Many have counted Minnesota out since Ricky Rubio went down with a season-ending torn ACL in his knee, but they are failing to account for the resilliance and determination of one Kevin Love. It’s been a long time since Love was mentioned in the MVP debate, but perhaps it is time to re-open that dialogue after the week the Timberwolves power forward just had.
Love followed up his 51-point game two nights earlier with 30 points and 21 rebounds to lead the Timberwolves to a 117-100 victory over the Nuggets on Sunday. Player of the Week recognition should be coming his way later today.
“I think we used to call him kind of a poor man’s Larry Bird,” Denver coach George Karl said. “I think you can take ‘poor man’s’ off that comparison now. His ability to rebound is incredible and his offensive tools and skills are growing.”
Check out this item from Chris Bernucca’s Sunday notes column: “Minnesota’s Kevin Love has eight 30-15 games this season. The rest of the league has seven.”
Love’s total is now up to nine.
From Kent Youngblood of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune: “Shaking off shot-clock malfunctions that made for a choppy start, the Wolves spent the first half sweeping the Target Center floor with the Nuggets. Playing shut-down defense, moving the ball and getting scoring from everywhere, the Wolves used a 39-9 run that began in the first quarter and ended in the second to grab a 44-20 lead. It was such a one-sided affair that even (coach Rick) Adelman could hardly find fault, though he did make a half-hearted stab at his team’s second-half transition defense. But, considering the health and weariness of the team after a just-completed seven-game road trip, it was an impressive performance. “I have to give them a lot of credit for the way they responded after the game the other night,” Adelman said. … “We’re still chipping away,” Love said. “We are definitely in the hunt,” said (Luke) Ridnour, whose questionable status for Sunday’s game became moot once it was learned (J.J.) Barea would miss the game because of a thigh contusion. “There is no doubt about this. We can win five, six in a row. We just have to go out and do it.” Pretty tough talk for a team already without Ricky Rubio and a full-strength (Nikola) Pekovic going forward. But remember. After this difficult stretch — the Wolves head out for back-to-back road games at Memphis and Charlotte on Tuesday and Wednesday — the schedule becomes a bit less grueling. Once the Wolves return from Charlotte, they will have eight of their final 14 games at home, including five of their last seven. “Teams are emerging when they go out and win three, four in a row,” Adelman said. “That’s what we have to do. We have to win three or four, get in shouting distance and see how it goes when the schedule turns more in our favor.”
Next we turn to the marathon they played in Atlanta, the Hawks emerging victorious 139-133 over Utah in the fourth overtime.
Johnson scored 37 points, Josh Smith added 22 and the Hawks ended Utah’s six-game winning streak with a 139-133 victory in the NBA’s first quadruple-overtime game since 1997. The four overtimes tied for the third-longest game in NBA history. It was the ninth NBA game to go four OTs and the first since Phoenix beat Portland 140-139 on Nov. 14, 1997.
From Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Atlanta became the fifth team this season to win all three games in a back-to-back-to-back, joining Miami, Oklahoma City, Chicago and Phoenix. It took the Hawks nearly 3 hours, 17 minutes to do it. It was Atlanta’s first four-overtime game since Feb. 19, 1982 against Seattle. “Everybody was saying, ‘Somebody is going to give,’” Hawks guard Jeff Teague said. “It was fun. I think everyone was enjoying themselves.” The Hawks could smile after outlasting the Jazz, whose league-high six game winning streak came to an end. Hawks guard Joe Johnson, who had forced the third overtime with a 3-pointer, scored eight points in the final period to finally finish off Utah (26-23). Johnson scored a game-high 37 points. He played all 20 minutes of the four overtime periods for a total of 55 minutes in the game.
The view from the other side is provided by Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune: “For Utah and Atlanta, Sunday’s combined numbers were staggering: 272 points, 233 field-goal attempts and 128 rebounds during a contest that officially took 68 minutes and lasted 3 hours, 17 minutes. All of Utah’s starters played at least 49:33, with four passing 51 and (Gordon) Hayward clocking a game-high 57:28, which tied a record set by Karl Malone in 1992. The lead changed hands 14 times, the Jazz and Atlanta were tied 19 times, and when the fury was finally over, the teams had tied for the third-longest game in NBA history. “That’s what basketball’s made of. That’s what we play this game for: chances like that, games like that,” said (Paul) Millsap, who scored 25 points and collected 13 rebounds. “Even though it hurts afterwards — we didn’t come up with the win — it was still a fun game to be part of. I just wish we could’ve won it.” The Jazz’s (26-23) resilient fight, never-say-die attack, numerous clutch plays and 15-point second-half comeback were washed away by the only number that ultimately mattered: four. While Utah watched starters Al Jefferson, Millsap and (C.J.) Miles walk off the hardwood after picking up their sixth personal foul during the fourth and final overtime, Hawks guard Joe Johnson found another level. He scored eight of Atlanta’s 16 points, punching Utah in the gut and leaving the Jazz to reflect on a surreal series of gutsy plays, made shots, missed potential game-winners and thrilling overtimes that only produced defeat when the buzzer finally rang.”
Elsewhere in the NBA:
- Tony Parker scored 21 points and the Spurs, playing without Tim Duncan, beat the Philadelphia 76ers 93-76. DeJuan Blair added 19 points for the Spurs, who won for the seventh time in eight games and swept the season series with the 76ers. Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard each had 11 points with Leonard adding 10 rebounds. With the Spurs playing the last of back-to-back-to-back games, coach Gregg Popovich gave the 35-year-old Duncan his second day off this season. It was the third straight night San Antonio played without one of its stars as (Tony) Parker sat out with a hamstring injury Friday at home against the Mavericks and Ginobili missed the win at New Orleans on Saturday with a hip injury. “They show a lot of toughness, a lot of character to do that three nights in a row with different combinations and different players playing on each night,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “What’s really great is that they appreciate or are happy with the success of their teammates. Whoever’s not playing isn’t hoping something bad happens so he can get in the game or anything like. They really pull for each other.”
- The Suns put on a pick-and-roll clinic, scored the game’s first 12 points and never trailed in rolling to a 108-83 victory over the Cavaliers. Marcin Gortat and Markieff Morris scored 22 points apiece, while Steve Nash added 13 assists. Phoenix has won six of eight to get back into the Western Conference playoff race. The Suns improved to 11-4 since the All-Star break and are one game behind Denver for the final playoff spot in the West. “This was, by far, the best ball movement we’ve had this year,” said Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry. “We got off to a great start, but I thought we played well for the whole 48 minutes.” Gortat scored the game’s first 10 points, including two dunks and three layups.
- Avery Bradley scored 23 points, including 15 in the first quarter, and the short-handed Boston Celtics held off the Washington Wizards 88-76. Paul Pierce added 21 points and eight rebounds, Rajon Rondo had 11 assists, and Kevin Garnett finished with 10 points and six assists for the Celtics, who shot 22 for 34 (65 percent) in the first half.
- LaMarcus Aldridge hit a turnaround fadeaway jumper that gave the Trail Blazers the lead with 39.9 seconds to go, then added a pair of free throws for a 90-87 victory over Golden State. Aldridge finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Raymond Felton scored a season-high 24 for the Blazers, who evened their record at 3-3 since Kaleb Canales replaced fired coach Nate McMillan.