The new-look Nuggets had their hands full because Ben Gordon couldn’t miss. Starting for Rodney Stuckey, Gordon was 13-22 from the floor — including a perfect 9-9 from deep — and hit 10 of 11 free throws for a 45-point outburst. However, Ty Lawson (25) and Arron Afflalo (23) played well, Wilson Chandler double-doubled in his first start since last April and JaVale McGee came off the bench for 15 PTS, 7 REB, 3 BLK and the winning putback dunk in his memorable Denver debut.
Elsewhere
CHI @ TOR: Maybe it took three quarters for the Bulls to locate the camouflage-wearing Raptors. DeMar DeRozan (23) and James Johnson (16) were leading what looked like an upset until Chicago turned it on in the fourth. John Lucas scored all 13 of his points in that quarter to spark a decisive 32-13 run. Jerryd Bayless tried to play through a hip pointer but left early and Jose Calderon was clearly not 100%, though he played 40 minutes.
NYK @ PHI: That was like a playoff game. It’s refreshing to see Amare Stoudemire work so hard after some indifferent play earlier in the season; he had 21 points, 9 rebounds and a handful of big fourth-quarter plays to lead the Knicks. Philly was the gang who couldn’t shoot straight early, missing their first 14 shots, then rallied behind Elton Brand (12 PTS, 12 REB) and Andre Iguodala (13 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST) to make everything but the last few seconds exciting.
PHO @ ORL: Dwight Howard, as expected, stepped up his game with 28 PTS, 16 REB, 3 BLK and even 60% from the free-throw line, while holding Marcin Gortat to four points. Ryan Anderson buried seven 3-pointers and scored 29, while Glen Davis added 16 & 7 off the bench. Phoenix was never quite in it after a very tough loss the night before.
WAS @ NJN: Nene fit right in with his new team, scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 boards to lead the Wizards to a rare road victory. The Nets might have made it more of a game had Deron Williams (and coach Avery Johnson) not been ejected in the third quarter.
CLE @ ATL: This Kyrie Irving kid is pretty good. The lock for Rookie of the Year had another 29 PTS, 9 AST and 9 REB to lead his underdog Cavs into overtime, only to lose a heartbreaker. Josh Smith played 51:19 with a Smoove line of 32 PTS, 17 REB, 5 AST and 3 BLK and after a slow start, Joe Johnson (22) hit some clutch buckets late.
GSW @ NOH: Klay Thompson has been turned loose since the Monta Ellis trade. His 27 points led the Warriors to a win on the road, with David Lee (25 & 11) doing most of the frontcourt work. Rookie Jeremy Tyler (4 PTS, 4 REB, 2 BLK) got his first start at C as Andris Biedrins didn’t play. Jarrett Jack had a triple-double in the losing cause with 17 points, 11 dimes and 10 boards, while Chris Kaman was the only other Hornets starter in double figures.
LAC @ OKC: Written off by “experts” like me because of the Nick Young trade, Randy Foye got a reprieve. Young started at SF in place of Caron Butler, so Foye was back at SG and had five 3-pointers among his 23 points. However, the rest of the Clippers were strangely quiet as the Thunder dominated. Kevin Durant led the way with 32 and you have to wonder what Serge Ibaka (15 PTS, 8 REB, 3 BLK) could do with more playing time.
MIN @ SAS: A hamstring injury to their MVP Tony Parker left the Spurs without a true PG, so Gary Neal and Stephen Jackson (16 each) handled the ball last night and rookie Cory Joseph might get recalled from the D-League. Minnesota was having a fantastic season until Ricky Rubio went down; now they are playing out the string. J.J. Barea had 18 PTS and 11 AST off the bench, and Anthony Tolliver, filling in for injured Nikola Pekovic, added 16.
LAL @ DAL: Kobe Bryant scored 30 and Pau Gasol 27, so it’s hard to give Ramon Sessions too much credit for the win, but the newest Laker came off the bench for 17 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds in 29 minutes. The Mavs got typical nights from Dirk Nowitzki (26) and Jason Terry (23) but are being manhandled in the middle without Brendan Haywood. Lamar Odom should be embarrassed; just one point in 24 minutes against his former team? Guess it’s not easy to juggle an NBA career with being a reality TV co-star.
Up Next
IND @ WAS: This could be fun. The Wiz will be in a good mood after last night’s win, the Pacers are rested and we expect some scoring. Indiana’s second unit, with George Hill feeding Tyler Hansbrough and Leandro Barbosa, now has some serious firepower. Nene will be a tough cover for Roy Hibbert, and without much fanfare, Roger Mason has become a key man off the bench for Washington.
LAC @ NOH: I’m just a fantasy guy, not a “real” analyst, so I don’t know what’s wrong with the Clippers. But if they don’t win tonight, in the triumphant return of Chris Paul to New Orleans, it might be time to stick a fork in their fading playoff chances. The Hornets suffered their own ugly loss last night. They do have a great record against the Clips, from the good old days when CP3 was on their side.
GSW @ HOU: It’s been the Goran Dragic show since Kyle Lowry got sick, and Courtney Lee has filled in capably for Kevin Martin (shoulder) so you have to like the rested Rockets over the weary Warriors. Luis Scola is averaging over 20 PPG and shooting 50% over his last six.
BOS @ MIL: Don’t look now, but the Bucks keep winning (six in a row) and Monta Ellis is fitting right in. The key player has been Drew Gooden, who faces a tough assignment tonight in Kevin Garnett. Ersan Ilyasova should be completely over a recent illness and ready for a bigger contribution as Milwaukee continues to make a playoff bid.
MEM @ POR: I suspect the actual contribution of Gilbert Arenas won’t match the hype, but Agent Zero is the newest Grizzly. What Memphis really needs is full integration of Zach Randolph with the other starters; Z-Bo has played only three games on his surgically-repaired knee and his timing will only improve. The Blazers were blown out at home by 29 on Tuesday; maybe tonight we’ll find out if any of them care.
UTA @ SAC: A couple of Western teams playing very well of late. The Jazz have knocked off the Lakers and Thunder, while the Kings — with Marcus Thornton on fire — have won three in a row. There will be plenty of points scored if this one is played at Sacramento’s pace.
The Spin is here six mornings a week, by 8:00 Eastern; on Sundays the big weekly feature is up before noon. Follow me on Twitter for breaking news.
DraftStreet Survivors
| Sure Things | Over $14,000 |
| C. Paul | $18,618 |
| B. Griffin | $17,205 |
| D. Gooden | $15,173 |
| D. Cousins | $14,972 |
| Bargains | Under $9,000 |
| N. Young | $8,511 |
| E. Udoh | $8,137 |
| W. Matthews | $8,399 |
| J. Salmons | $6,748 |
| Hunches | $9,000 to $14,000 |
| L. Scola | $11,658 |
| I. Thomas | $10,591 |
| D. Granger | $11,285 |
| M. Thornton | $13,547 |
There’s no doubt that all the variations are challenging games of skill, but in any contest involving a sport, it never hurts to be lucky. Last night, anyone with Ben Gordon on their team had a great chance. His total FPTS for his previous six games had been 55.75, an average of just over 9 per game. Well, anything can happen, and it sure did. He poured in 45 points from all over Denver, which translated to a colossal 54-point night in the DraftStreet scoring system.
I played in four leagues without getting close. My $100 for Week 3 of this adventure has dwindled to $68, but that’s what happened the first two weeks, and each time it got better. In fact, that’s what I learned last night. There’s no way to predict an outlier like Gordon’s brilliant game, so even when you really “like” your lineup (some of us put a lot of time and thought into it) there are no guarantees.
My slight aversion to nights with fewer NBA games (like tonight) may even be a costly mistake. Sure, it’s fun to sort through dozens of extra possibilities when the schedule is busy, but there are always opportunities. I’m now determined to be consistent, treating each game the same. The idea that some days are inherently better than others may have been an illusion.
The $5 Salary Cap GPP (Guaranteed Prize Pool) is my main league. 220 people, $1,000 in prize money and if you finish 18th or better, you at least triple your investment. The $2 version that pays the top 25 of 330 teams is every bit as tough to win, while high rollers ($11, $22 or $109 entry fees) can play against fewer opponents for some terrific payouts.
Draft Street is always free to join and the rules easy to learn. Don’t miss our weekly Freeroll tomorrow for Sheridan Hoops readers: no deposit needed, no entry fee and $350 in cash prizes.