Carmelo Stars For Knicks; Howard Leads Lakers

ATL@ OKC: All those who thought Atlanta had a chance without Josh Smith (ankle) are either Hawks fans blinded by loyalty, or liars. Anthony Tolliver got the start at PF, but SG Louis Williams did the finishing, with 14 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter.

Sixth man Kevin Martin led the Thunder with 28 point (including six 3-pointers. Kevin Durant had a near triple-double (22 PTS, 12 REB, 8 AST) and Serge Ibaka chipped in 14, with 3 BLK. It was not the greatest night for Russell Westbrook, who suffered a bruised shoulder early; 14 PTS and 9 AST is great for most other PG, but 5-18 shooting isn’t typical for Westbrook.

November 5 Games

NYK @ PHI: This home-and-home gives the Sixers a chance to avenge yesterday’s loss, but they will have to play much better. Jason Richardson stepped on a cameraman’s foot but X-Rays on his twisted ankle were negative and he shouldn’t miss too much time. Dorell Wright could have a big game tonight, and Nick Young can only improve on yesterday’s performance. Both teams were content to play smallball at MSG, but that negated the value of Spencer Hawes (8 points in just 15 minutes.)

PHO @ MIA: 24 hours after the Suns completely fell apart in Orlando, they must regroup against the best team in the league. I do not like their chances. Given that Miami has three guaranteed Hall-of-Famers, that makes all-star Chris Bosh their fourth-best guy, and he just torched the Nuggets with 40 points. Ray Allen is having a lot of fun as the sixth man; as predicted here during the preseason, he’s the backup PG with a shoot-first mentality.

MIN @ BRK: Minnesota had to play last night in Toronto; the Nets have been resting at their palatial new home. Even if Barea (head) is cleared to play, expect to see more of Alexey Shved in his place. Brooklyn has too many weapons to defend; Brook Lopez was so good (27 PTS) against the Raptors that they barely needed Joe Johnson. The one guy  being squeezed out of the offense a bit is Kris Humphries, and if Reggie Evans continues to rebound like a madman (13 boards in 15:41 on Saturday) Hump’s owners will be even more disappointed. I’m bullish on C.J. Watson as a FA pickup and daily-league bargain; he’s getting big minutes off the bench at both guard spots.

UTA @ MEM: These teams match up pretty well at PF and C. The biggest edge I can see is Rudy Gay playing against Marvin Williams; we’ll see if the Grizzlies can exploit that. The Jazz were 11-22 on the road last year and 0-2 so far this season, while Memphis defends its home court with intensity. Mike Conley is a great source of steals, second in the NBA last year, and has swiped eight in the first two games.

POR @ DAL: The worst is over for the Mavericks. Chris Kaman is back, putting an end to the Eddy Curry era. The new guards look great together; Darren Collison was a fantasy steal and O.J. Mayo had a 30-point game on Saturday. This game will be fast-paced, as Damian Lillard looks like a serious Rookie of the Year candidate and LaMarcus Aldridge is a fantasy stud. I don’t think the Blazers can win, because the dropoff in talent to their second unit is too great, while bench guys like Vince Carter and Jae Crowder are playing very well for Dallas.