One man started the rumor of a Pau Gasol trade on Twitter in the afternoon and it had swept the globe by tipoff. Possibly distracted, Gasol had 12 points and 11 boards in the Lakers win, though Andrew Bynum (26 & 10) did the heavy lifting and Kobe Bryant scored 34. Kevin Love was a very late scratch with a sore back, but the return of Nikola Pekovic (25 & 13) and a great effort by rookie Derrick Williams (22 & 10) kept the Timberwolves in the game. Much worse than the loss was a serious knee injury to Ricky Rubio. He’ll need an MRI and there are fears that it’s a torn ACL.
In Other Games
NJN @ CHA: Deron Williams (calf) played just 15 minutes and scored 50 fewer points than he did the last time he faced the Bobcats. He will not play tonight, which means Jordan Farmar should start. Kris Humphries had 20 PTS and 15 REB; Anthony Morrow scored all 17 of his points in the fourth quarter. For Charlotte, forgotten man Tyrus Thomas started, but was ineffective in 17 minutes.
UTA @ PHI: Even with 36-year-old Tony Battie as the starting C, the 76ers handled the Jazz. Evan Turner is not going to give up his starting gig; a sweet 16 PTS, 12 REB and 6 AST may soon be a typical line. Thaddeus Young returned with 21, while nobody from Utah scored more than 15. Derrick Favors (14 & 5 in 19 min.) is stuck behind Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, but he’s a nice target in keeper leagues.
ATL @ DET: Greg Monroe had 20 points, Jason Maxiell 19 to lead the Pistons to another upset. Meanwhile, Zaza Pachulia played less than 15 minutes and backup C Ivan Johnson got more than twice as much run. Joe Johnson made a somewhat surprising return, scoring 18 points.
POR @ BOS: Led by 22 each from Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, the Celtics got back on track. The Blazers are a mess right now. They trailed by 35 at halftime, so it was even worse than the final score suggests.
CLE @ OKC: I’d like to say “I told you so,” but my prediction was only that the Cavaliers would play hard, not hand the Thunder just their second home loss of the season. Antawn Jamison, hardly the biggest PF, was actually playing C down the stretch, surrounded by guards. Kevin Durant had a 23-8-8 line, but six turnovers.
NYK @ MIL: Didn’t see this track meet, but the latest Knicks lineup had J.R. Smith (just 3 points in 18 minutes) starting at SG and Landry Fields (18 & 7) at SF. With Tyson Chandler sidelined, Amare Stoudemire had 27 & 11 playing C. The Bucks won thanks to Brandon Jennings (25 PTS, 10 AST) and Ersan Ilyasova (26) plus a timely 25 off the bench by Mike Dunleavy.
LAC @ SAS: Without Tony Parker (thigh) it was all Chris Paul —36 PTS, 11 AST, 4 STL and a red-hot Mo Williams (33 off the bench) in an impressive Clippers road victory. Manu Ginobili scored 22 points in 28 minutes as the Spurs’ sixth man.
NOH @ DEN: Lance Thomas, who is not on many fantasy teams, led the Hornets with 18 and it was a rare poor game for Chris Kaman (10 & 5) so the Nuggets won handily. Another great night for Arron Afflalo (28 PTS) and 20 from Al Harrington off the bench was more than enough. Still waiting for Danilo Gallinari to heat up; he shot just 3-10 in 24 minutes.
DAL @ SAC: Vince Carter is more like 99% man, 1% amazing at this point, going scoreless as the Mavericks fell to Sacramento. Tyreke Evans had 17 to lead seven Kings in double figures; DeMarcus Cousins returned from a bout of food poisoning but didn’t look fully recovered.
Saturday Night Fever
POR @ WAS: With Portland in a tailspin, this is winnable for the Wizards. Nick Young is in a virtual timeshare with Jordan Crawford; there may be enough shots for both to be effective. Rookie Kevin Seraphin had 14 & 9 vs. the Lakers on Wednesday while Andray Blatche was an afterthought.
TOR @ DET: If these teams ever get good, this will be called the Battle of the 401. Right now, it’s just a game between two of the bottom five teams in the East. The Pistons have been playing well at home, the Raptors are better rested. Don’t expect Andrea Bargnani tonight; perhaps tomorrow.
IND @ MIA: While the Pacers are having a great season, they have fallen short on the road against the very best teams, which certainly include LeBron James and company. As the Heat play stifling D, it’s hard to recommend anyone from Indiana tonight.
UTA @ CHI: Check various sources for a status report on Luol Deng; I’m expecting him to sit out this relatively easy matchup to rest his troublesome left wrist. The Jazz are tired and the Bulls should be refreshed. Derrick Rose looked a little fatigued last game; he’s a great candidate to bounce back.
NOH @ MIN: Without Ricky Rubio and with Kevin Love (back spasms) questionable, Minnesota will have to rely on Luke Ridnour to run the show and Nikola Pekovic should have another big night. The Hornets seem to be collectively running out of gas.
HOU @ NJN: We don’t really know how sick Kyle Lowry is. Hospitalized with a fever and abdominal issues, he will not play tonight, so get Goran Dragic into your lineups. I don’t know what’s wrong with Kevin Martin, either. Best guess is, he and coach McHale don’t get along.
CHA @ OKC: My advice to Charlotte would be to forfeit and save the plane fare. The Thunder are going to be angry at themselves tonight and take it out on a weak opponent.
MEM @ PHO: Led by Marc Gasol and Rudy Gay, the Grizzlies are the better team, but the Suns have been hard to beat at home recently. This one could be quite entertaining.
DAL @ GSW: It’s a back-to-back-to-back for Dallas, all on the road, and they turned the ball over 17 times last night. The much younger and much fresher Warriors have a great chance. Stephen Curry has returned to action but still doesn’t look 100%, so let’s tab Monta Ellis and David Lee as smart plays.
The Spin is here six mornings a week, no later than 8:00 Eastern; on Sundays we sleep in until noon and preview the week ahead. Follow me on Twitter between posts.
Walking Down Draft Street
| Sure Things | Over $14,000 |
| K. Durant | $18,688 |
| D. Lee | $15,494 |
| M. Gortat | $16,383 |
| L. James | $24,189 |
| Bargains | Under $9,000 |
| B. Gordon | $6,236 |
| W. Johnson | $5,996 |
| G. Dragic | $8,206 |
| J. Farmar | $8,095 |
| Hunches | $9,000 to $14,000 |
| J. Harden | $12,937 |
| R. Stuckey | $11,587 |
| L. Scola | $11,110 |
| N. Pekovic | $10,297 |
This segment is where we make dumb rookie mistakes so you don’t have to. I usually join a Pick ‘Em and salary cap league the night before, making it easier to share the picks (and salaries) on the right each morning. Without thinking, I also joined a Snake-Draft league on Thursday night, expecting it wouldn’t fill right away. D’oh! Needless to say, the draft was already done by morning; having failed to pre-rank, I got the players nobody else wanted, made a $5 donation and learned a valuable lesson.
My other $15 went to a Pick “em and Salary Cap league and a Snake-Draft I actually attended. They do fill up fast; it said 2/6 owners when I joined and less than 45 minutes later it was all over. However, I keyed on Kevin Love everywhere, with absolutely no idea that he would be a late scratch, and wasn’t home to adjust my lineups.
That leaves only $35 from my original $100, which is disappointing but not discouraging. We’re in this for the long haul and I can only get better. There are a few good Bargains today that depend on the health of others, and a few expensive players you should avoid.
If you aren’t on Draft Street yet, it’s free to join and you can get started playing free games for credits and prizes.