CLE @ MIL: A surprisingly strong effort by the Cavs — who had looked awful at home 24 hours earlier — fell just short. Kyrie Irving was great (27 PTS, 7 AST) and Anderson Varejao (20 PTS, 17 REB) delighted his fantasy owners for the second time in three games. Alonzo Gee (18 PTS, 6 AST) is improving and Dion Waiters (13) is learning.
Three of the Bucks’ five starters were terrible, so Mike Dunleavy came off the bench and took over the game: 29 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in 35 minutes. Larry Sanders was much, much better than nominal starter Samuel Dalembert, hitting 8-9 from the floor, with seven boards and four blocks in 30 minutes. Hey now! Brandon Jennings (13 PTS, 13 AST) and Monta Ellis (23 PTS) played well but Ersan Ilyasova (3 PTS in 27 minutes) was brutal. It’s strange that Drew Gooden hasn’t played a minute yet while the rest of Milwaukee’s bigs (excepting Sanders) are struggling. The mind of Scott Skiles remains an impenetrable mystery.
NOH @ CHI: I don’t know what the point spread was and don’t wager on games, but if you saw this coming and bet the Hornets, congratulations. I thought the Bulls “couldn’t lose,” but did not anticipate three of their five starters stinking out the gym. Kirk Hinrich was 1-8, Richard Hamilton 2-10 and Carlos Boozer 1-8 to “lead” miserable 33% shooting for the team. Their backups played slightly better; it just wasn’t enough.
Without their franchise player Eric Gordon (knee) and superstar rookie Anthony Davis (mild concussion) and having played the night before, New Orleans got a big game from Robin Lopez (16 PTS, 7 REB, 4 BLK) and solid guard play to spring the upset. Ryan Anderson (12 PTS, 13 REB) started at PF, though he will likely return to the sixth-man role when Davis returns.
CHA @ DAL: No contest. Chris Kaman made his belated debut (16 PTS off the bench on 8-9 shooting) and O.J. Mayo nailed seven 3-pointers among his 30-point outburst as the Mavs won a laugher. Darren Collison seems to get better every game (18 PTS, 10 AST) but let’s consider the weak opposition.
Charlotte’s starting SG Gerald Henderson left early with a sore foot, allowing Ramon Sessions to have a big 22-point night off the bench. Rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (13 PTS, 5 REB, 5 STL) showed some promise and Byron Mullens (16 PTS, 10 REB) knocked down two 3-pointers, so there were still a few fantasy bright spots in a 27-point thrashing.
SAC @ IND: Indiana is still getting used to life without Danny Granger and needed two overtimes to repel the stubborn Kings. Paul George played 48 minutes, adding 17 rebounds, 3 assists, two steals and four blocked shots to his 16 points, while David West (18 PTS, 18 REB) and Roy Hibbert (12 PTS, 10 REB, 6 BLK) both double-doubled. Gerald Green (17) had his best scoring game, sharing time with Lance Stephenson (10), who has clearly become the sixth man.
DeMarcus Cousins is still learning. Despite 21 PTS, 13 REB and 4 STL, he missed 18 shots. Coach Keith Smart went to his bench early and often; Marcus Thornton scored 26 in 42:27 and Aaron Brooks (11 PTS, 5 AST) outplayed starting PG Isaiah Thomas. Neither Jason Thompson nor James Johnson (4 points each) could get anything going, so veteran Chuck Hayes played 34:17, scoring just 2 points but adding 6 REB, 4 AST and 3 BLK.
UTA @ SAS: The Spurs are pretty good. Tony Parker (24 PTS, 10 AST) and Tim Duncan (19 PTS, 11 REB, 3 BLK) double-doubled (again) while Danny Green hit 8-9 shots (3-3 from downtown) for 21 points. Manu Ginobili looked sound in his 15:30 off the bench after missing the first two games with back spasms.
For the Jazz, Mo Williams was on fire — 29 points, 9 assists — and the big men played well, but Marvin Williams was quiet for the second straight game and the bench did virtually nothing.
GSW @ LAC: Another result that falls between “improbable” and “impossible,” as Stephen Curry — not known for his defense —drew a game-saving charge on Chris Paul that was every bit as important as his 23 points. Carl Landry was fantastic again (23 PTS, 10 REB) and should be owned almost everywhere. Now that we know Brandon Rush (knee surgery) won’t be back this year, SF is a job-share between rookie Harrison Barnes (10 PTS in 20 minutes) and veteran Richard Jefferson (9 PTS in 22 minutes) but the biggest beneficiary is Jarrett Jack (16 PTS, 7 AST, 6 REB) who will play more SG in addition to backing up Curry.
For CP3, that late call seemed like the only time he didn’t get to the line, where he hit 19 of 20 for most of his 27 points. Caron Butler (20 PTS on 8-10 shooting) and Blake Griffin (19 PTS, 11 REB) played well and Jamal Crawford added 27 (including four triples) off the bench. The Clippers just came up short; like most of us, they may have underestimated the Warriors.