It was mostly Dwight Howard, with 29 points and 18 rebounds, as the Magic won in Chicago. Jason Richardson added 18 (including four 3-pointers) before leaving with a sprained ankle. Orlando doesn’t play again until Sunday, giving him some time to recover. J.J. Redick would fill in if J-Rich can’t go. For the Bulls, Carlos Boozer had 26 but Derrick Rose shot 6-22 and Luol Deng was 1-9, then admitted the torn ligament in his left wrist might need some rest. Uh-oh…
In the late game, Dirk Nowitzki left briefly with a thigh bruise and was held to 18 points. Jason Terry watched the whole fourth quarter from the bench, finishing with 6 PTS in just 20 minutes. The grounded Jet was not happy, and Ian Mahinmi was no Brendan Haywood. Still, the Mavs lost by just two. The Suns got 18 & 8 from Jared Dudley, 16 & 12 from Marcin Gortat and rallied from a big deficit for yet another home win.
Friday Fun
NJN @ CHA: Last Sunday, Deron Williams dropped 57 on the Bobcats in this arena, as Brook Lopez left with an ankle injury. D-Will should have another good game, but may not have to be a one-man team. Shelden Williams, MarShon Brooks and Jordan Farmar were all helpful in the Nets’ win over the Clippers on Wednesday. The absence of Boris Diaw, who wants a trade or buyout from Charlotte, has given Bismack Biyombo and Byron Mullens more opportunity. Corey Maggette has been hot recently.
UTA @ PHI: In his first game as the new starting SG, Evan Turner shot a miserable 1-12. In his second, the sophomore was 11-for-19, adding 9 rebounds to his 26 points. Jodie Meeks may be coming off the bench the rest of the year. For the Jazz, Al Jefferson has been a force in the last two road wins, but the Sixers are a much tougher opponent.
ATL @ DET: Assuming that Joe Johnson misses another game, it’s up to Josh Smith to lead the way again. The Hawks have beaten the Thunder and Pacers recently and gave the Heat a scare, so at first glance they should handle Detroit. However, the Pistons shocked the Lakers and have won 7 of their last 10 at home, with Rodney Stuckey on fire.
POR @ BOS: There were some gloomy Celtics after that disaster in Philly on Wednesday. Better rested and back home, they can only play better tonight. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett have too much pride to let that happen again. The Blazers are in an extended tailspin, winning just one of their last five, and are on a long road trip. When, where and if they turn things around remains to be seen.
LAL @ MIN: The masked Kobe Bryant keeps scoring, but the Lakers lost consecutive road games to the lowly Pistons and Wizards last week and will have their hands full in Minnesota. Kevin Love is simply great, Luke Ridnour has been contributing and big Nikola Pekovic may be back from a sore ankle. If Ricky Rubio ever gets out of this shooting slump, the Timberwolves will be pretty good.
CLE @ OKC: It’s a mismatch on paper, but the Cavaliers don’t read the paper. Kyrie Irving and Antawn Jamison have been superb. Still, the Thunder is an elite team with too much firepower, with a 17-1 at home. It’s too bad for fantasy owners that four guys do most of the heavy lifting. James Harden had 30 off the bench on Wednesday and Serge Ibaka leads the world in BLK.
NYK @ MIL: Both teams are under .500, yet there’s still some playoff optimism. The Knicks’ lineup is in flux, with Jeremy Lin trying to keep both Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire involved. Now Tyson Chandler (hamstring) is out, and rookie Josh Harrelson may start again at C. Iman Shumpert started at SG and Landry Fields came off the bench on Wednesday. Milwaukee relies on Brandon Jennings, Drew Gooden and the underrated Ersan Ilyasova.
LAC @ SAS: The Clippers have lost six of their last nine, and face a tough assignment in Texas. Blake Griffin tweaked his ankle late in Wednesday’s game and may not be 100%. Tony Parker vs. Chris Paul will be interesting, and Manu Ginobili continues to get healthier . It’s always hard to predict a Gregg Popovich rotation; while fantasy owners try to choose between DeJuan Blair and Tiago Splitter, Matt Bonner will have a big night.
NOH @ DEN: It won’t be long until Nene and Danilo Gallinari are both starting and up to full speed. Until then, Ty Lawson is the main man for the Nuggets. Kenneth Faried has been a standout, but the rookie will soon lose some minutes, and Corey Brewer may fade away entirely. The Hornets try hard, especially Chris Kaman. Unheralded rookie Gustavo Ayon is expected back tonight and Carl Landry isn’t far from a return.
DAL @ SAC: The Mavs coughed up a lead in Phoenix last night while the Kings rested at home; Dallas has now lost five straight on the road. DeMarcus Cousins should be back from food poisoning and Marcus Thornton has been averaging over 20 points a game since Groundhog Day. The wheels may be falling off the Isaiah Thomas express, as he was limited to 22 minutes, then just 17, in his last two starts, with his coach citing a size disadvantage.
The Spin is here six mornings a week at 8:00 Eastern; on Sundays we sleep in until noon. Follow me on Twitter between posts.
Stories of Draft Street
| Sure Things | Over $14,000 |
| K. Love | $20,157 |
| K. Durant | $19,190 |
| Jo. Smith | $17,609 |
| A. Jefferson | $17,021 |
| Bargains | Under $9,000 |
| M. Belinelli | $7,559 |
| J. Harrelson | $7,268 |
| R . Foye | $7,918 |
| G. Neal | $7,023 |
| Hunches | $9,000 to $14,000 |
| C. Kaman | $12,741 |
| R. Stuckey | $11,587 |
| C. Maggette | $11,203 |
| E. Turner | $9,350 |
There were leagues on the Street last night despite the 2-game NBA calendar. Pick ‘Em leagues came down to Chris Duhon vs. John Lucas in Tier 8. My $2 Salary Cap team finished out of the money, leaving $55 from my $100 weekly bankroll for the next three days.
Spending $20 tonight, $5 each on a Pick ’em and Salary Cap league plus two Snake Drafts for the same amount. Turns out the last format I tried may be the one I like best.
There are now “red cross” icons designating injured players, which will help many people avoid mistakes, but they can actually be an opportunity — Josh Harrelson of the Knicks is not only healthy again, he’s probably starting.
If you aren’t on Draft Street yet, it’s free to join. Try their free games to win credits and prizes — I’m psyched for another Sheridan Hoops Freeroll.