We begin today with a question for those of you with advanced math skills: What are the odds of a 13-point underdog winning by 13 points?
It is a pertinent question as we move toward Friday the 13th (the first of three Friday the 13ths in this leap year preceding 2013), because the New Orleans Hornets’ bad luck streak came to a big end last night in Denver as they stunned the Nuggets 94-81 to snap a six-game losing streak.
The Hornets pulled off the stunner behind 13 points from Jarrett Jack, 13 shots from Marco Bellinelli (eight of which went in), who was a plus-13, and 13 buckets from Carl Landry (8 from the field, 5 from the line for 21 points). The loss gave the Nuggets the — you guessed it — 13th-best record in the NBA at 6-4.
Even more stunning was that New Orleans pulled off the upset on the road, and without Eric Gordon and Jason Smith.
It was the only surprising outcome on another slow night in the NBA with only six games on the slate. The only one of those six that included two probably playoff teams facing each other was Philadelphia’s 10-point victory over the Indiana Pacers.
So let’s start with the big upset.
From John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune: “New Orleans broke the game open in the second quarter, when power forward Carl Landry came off the bench and scored 11 of his game-high 21 points. He took the ball to the rim frequently, hitting eight of 15 shots. In the fourth quarter, Landry got popped hard in the face by Nuggets forward Nene before he dunked. Landry fell hard and had to be helped up, but remained in the game. “It’s really important for the bench to come in and give the team a lift, and when we got into the game, we just needed to keep our feet on the gas,” Landry said. “The starters did a good job in keeping the lead. But we can’t have lapses, and that’s something that we’ve had so far this season.” The Hornets banged the Nuggets around inside, taking advantage of Chris Kaman’s post presence. The Hornets led by 15 in the third quarter, after they held the Nuggets to 6-of-19 shooting. Kaman carried the Hornets in the fourth quarter with his ability to make step-back mid-range jumpers. The Nuggets scored only 16 points in the fourth, and didn’t get closer than 11 down the stretch. The Nuggets had won their first four games at home, and they entered against the Hornets as the top scoring team in the Western Conference, averaging 104 points per game.”
Next we turn to the Sixers, who began the night having played fewer games than any NBA team except the Clippers, and who lead the NBA in point differential (14.6).
I caught some grief from my tweeps for placing the Sixers (5th) four spots ahead of the Nuggets in my Sunday Power Rankings, and I expect some remorseful messages today.
From Bob Cooney of Philly.com: “In a game that featured a bevy of bone-crunching picks and a plethora of well-placed elbows, offensive production took a back seat to ruggedness. The Pacers thrive in that sort of contest, and tried to drag the Sixers into the mud with them. While they were successful early, when (Thaddeus) Young and his fellow subs entered, the tide changed. At one point spanning the end of the first quarter to the beginning of the second, the Sixers made eight straight shots in building an 11-point lead. … While his point and rebound totals are easily recognizable in the box score, Young also provided the intangibles, taking four charges and producing five deflections, stats (coach Doug) Collins adores. … Andre Iguodala had a very good all-around game, leading the Sixers with 20 points while also getting nine rebounds and five assists. (Lou) Williams scored 13 to go with six assists, and (Nikola) Vucevic gathered 11 points and eight rebounds in 17 minutes. Jrue Holiday scored 12 (despite seven turnovers) and Spencer Hawes, dealing with a balky back, scored 12 and snatched eight boards. But it was the defense that got the Sixers going. They held Indiana to 30-for-82 shooting (36.6 percent) and now lead the league in defensive field goal percentage (39.1) and points allowed (85.6).
The Chicago Bulls, beginning their first stretch of three games in three nights, now are tied with Oklahoma City for the second-best record in the league (8-2) after dismantling the Pistons 92-68 for their 13th (is that the number of the day or what?) consecutive victory over Detroit.
Their back-to-back-to-back continues tonight at Minnesota and Wednesday at Washington.
From K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: “On the day President Barack Obama welcomed the Mavericks to the White House, he teased the reigning champions that his hometown Bulls are next. “That’s my guy,” (Derrick) Rose said. “If we make it to the Finals, he promised me he’d be there. So I’m going to hold him to that promise.”
Elsewhere in the Association:
- In the first meeting between Spanish point guards Jose Calderon and Ricky Rubio, the Toronto veteran had 14 points, six assists and three rebounds in 40 minutes, while Rubio had 10 points, six assists and four rebounds in 29 minutes as the Raptors beat the Wolves 97-87. Minnesota hasn’t won in Toronto since Jan. 21, 2004.
- Amare Stoudemire shot 7 of 25 but had 25 points and 12 rebounds, Tyson Chandler finished with 20 points and 13 boards, and Carmelo Anthony, perhaps still bothered by a sore lower back, was only 6 of 18 from the field but scored eight of the Knicks’ final nine points. Rookie and fan favorite Iman Shumpert scored 16 points for the Knicks, who won their third straight.
- Josh Smith scored a season-high 26 points and the Hawks shot nearly 54 percent from the field in beating the Nets for the third time this season, 106-101. It was the first time this season New Jersey scored 100 points.