Four overtime periods is not how you want to finish your third game in three nights. The exhausted Hawks never quit. Joe Johnson played over 55 minutes en route to 37 points and Zaza Pachulia was terrific, with 15 points and 20 rebounds. For Utah, seven players scored in double figures, led by Al Jefferson (28 & 17) and Paul Millsap (25 & 13) but somebody had to lose this very exciting contest.
Elsewhere
DEN @ MIN: Kevin Love was tremendous again, with 30 PTS, 21 REB, 4 AST and 3 BLK, while Luke Ridnour poured in 25 to lead the shorthanded Timberwolves to an impressive victory. The Nuggets are still in transition. Arron Afflalo (suspension) didn’t play, JaVale McGee had 13 & 11 off the bench and they really don’t have a crunch-time scorer, as Kenneth Faried led Denver with 17.
PHO @ CLE: We did tip Marcin Gortat (22 PTS, 8 REB, 2 BLK) over Tristan Thompson (8 PTS, 7 REB) here yesterday but didn’t see Markieff Morris coming. The rookie had 22 off the bench to spark a fairly easy road win for the Suns. The normally consistent Antawn Jamison suffered a leg bruise, played only 19:30 and finished with just 2 points in a game the Cavs will forget as soon as possible.
WAS @ BOS: It was little-used Avery Bradley to the rescue for Boston, with 23 points in 40 minutes as the starting SG, while Paul Pierce added 21. The Wizards were without Nene, who had back spasms, so Kevin Seraphin (15 PTS, 11 REB) got the start at C.
PHI @ SAS: Tony Parker looked OK in a back-to-back, with 21 points and 7 assists. DeJuan Blair filled in capably (19 PTS) for Tim Duncan, who was rested. In fact, the box score shows the future Hall of Famer as a DNP – Old. The 76ers could get nothing going without Andre Iguodala, who was a late scratch with a sore knee.
MIA @ OKC: The big men for the Thunder were the difference in a game that never quite lived up to expectations. Kendrick Perkins was 8-11 from the floor in a rare offensive outburst and Serge Ibaka hit 8 of 10 shots as the Heat were unable to keep them out of the paint. Kevin Durant led all scorers with 28, adding 9 REB and 8 AST.
GSW @ POR: I told you Charles Jenkins might get extra minutes if Nate Robinson couldn’t go, but didn’t expect that 27-point career high game. The Warriors still lost, as Raymond Felton (24 PTS, 7 AST, 5 REB) had another solid night and Nicolas Batum (17 PTS, 8 REB, 3 AST, 3 BLK) did a little of everything.
MEM @ LAL: The good news is, Ramon Sessions had another 18 points. The bad is, Kobe Bryant had “only” 18 as Sessions is handling the ball more. In a surprise move, Zach Randolph came off the Grizzlies’ bench (10 PTS, 12 REB) and because it worked, we can expect that lineup to continue. O.J. Mayo had 12 of his 16 points in the decisive fourth quarter.
Monday, Monday
MIA @ IND: This is a tough place for the Heat to regroup from last night’s loss. Roy Hibbert will try to dominate inside and sixth man George Hill is coming off his best game of the year. However, LeBron James has a lot of pride and always seems to do well against the Pacers.
DET @ WAS: Not one for the time capsule, as both teams are tired, nursing injuries and out of contention. There will still be stats for eager fantasy owners. Ben Gordon will get plenty of shots even if Rodney Stuckey (toe) returns, and Greg Monroe could feast on the Wizards, especially if Nene sits again.
ORL @ TOR: The Raptors have no way to stop Dwight Howard, they just hope to limit the damage. DeMar DeRozan (ankle) and Jerryd Bayless (hip) are questionable so Gary Forbes may get extra run and we are expecting Andrea Bargnani to break out very soon.
BOS @ CHA: This one may not be pretty, as the Celtics are hurting and the Bobcats aren’t very good. It’s another opportunity for Avery Bradley to get big minutes in place of Ray Allen (ankle) and perhaps we’ll see more of Byron Mullens, who had 17 & 10 off the bench in Charlotte’s last game.
UTA @ NJN: It’s the fourth game in five nights for the Jazz, and last night’s game was one of the longest ever in the NBA. I’m going to predict they go to the bench early and often, with Derrick Favors and Alec Burks getting extended minutes. It’s certainly an advantage for the rested Nets, and Deron Williams may be extra motivated against his former team.
MIL @ NYK: Yet to lose at home since the coaching change, the Knicks are deserving favorites, but the Bucks are right on their heels in the race for the final playoff spot. Monta Ellis has not been the volume scorer he was for the Warriors and Drew Gooden faces a very tough matchup with Tyson Chandler.
DEN @ CHI: Still without Derrick Rose (groin) but playing their patented furious D, the Bulls are getting great work from C.J. Watson and are too strong up front for Denver. Joakim Noah might be motivated to atone for a foolish ejection in his last game.
SAC @ HOU: The Kings can be fun to watch, especially DeMarcus Cousins, but they are not a great road team (4-21) and may be without Jason Thompson (ankle) again. I’m keying on several Rockets players on DraftStreet tonight; read on for details.
NOH @ LAC: Who were those Hornets? Chris Kaman (illness) was out, as were Trevor Ariza (ankle) and Jason Smith (suspension) as a bunch of emergency starters almost upset the Spurs on Saturday. Kaman doesn’t like the Clippers and will play tonight if at all possible, but we may see more of Greivis Vasquez and Carl Landry. Amid rumors of a coaching change, L.A. got back on the winning track Saturday night behind their stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.
The Spin is here every morning before 8:00 Eastern except for Sundays, when we post by noon. Follow me on Twitter for updates.
Songs From DraftStreet
| Sure Things | Over $14,000 |
| C. Paul | $17,519 |
| D. Williams | $15,440 |
| D. Howard | $20,698 |
| B. Griffin | $16,614 |
| Bargains | Under $9,000 |
| C. Lee | $8,492 |
| S. Williams | $7,756 |
| C. Butler | $7,680 |
| Ge. Hill | $8,643 |
| Hunches | $9,000 to $14,000 |
| G. Dragic | $13,069 |
| A. Stoudemire | $12,958 |
| L. Scola | $12,400 |
| C. Parsons | $10,728 |
During Week 1 of this ongoing diary, I made $202 — beginner’s luck? — then lost $43 in Week 2. The just-completed Week 3 was my first 0-fer. Didn’t finish in the money once, and lost my entire $100 bankroll. At least I’m still up $59 for the whole adventure, but the trend is moving in the “wrong” direction. Perhaps I’m overdue for another big win.
It isn’t easy to go 8-8 with your picks in a Salary Cap league. I was all over Al Jefferson and Gordon Hayward yesterday, but guessed wrong on Klay Thompson. In one league, I even used J.J. Barea, who didn’t play. Late, unexpected scratches are almost impossible to overcome; anyone who had Andre Iguodala in their lineup yesterday knows the feeling.
Tonight I’m going to be a big Rockets fan. You’ll note that one of my Bargains and three of four Hunches in today’s chart play for Houston, a team that is rested, at home and playing an opponent not known for its defensive prowess. But that’s the beauty of this challenging game. You may use the same four players, but our choices in the other four spots will determine the outcome. And someone else with a perfectly good reason to avoid Rockets might beat both of us.
If you haven’t checked out Draft Street yet, it’s free to join and it’s easy to get started by playing in free leagues. See you there!