WAS @ ATL: The winless Wizards shook up their starting five, welcomed back Nene (12 PTS in 20 minutes off the bench) and forced overtime before losing by one. Shaun Livingston took over from A.J. Price as starting PG, but Price (14 PTS, 7 AST) had the better night. Kevin Seraphin started at C; his 21 PTS and 10 REB may keep Emeka Okafor on the bench for quite a while. Atlanta needed every one of Josh Smith’s 25 PTS, 12 REB and 4 BLK, with Al Horford (15 PTS, 9 REB, 10 AST) getting as close as you can to a triple-double. Kyle Korver hit five 3-pointers and Devin Harris (13 PTS, 5 AST) started again at SG.
CHI @ HOU: We do get a few things right; James Harden had 28 points and the Bulls don’t have a SG who can stop him. Omer Asik was controlled by former teammate Joakim Noah but Patrick Patterson had a career-high 20 (with 8 boards) and Chandler Parsons added 18 to help the Rockets win. Kirk Hinrich (4 PTS, 4 TO) was quiet, so Nate Robinson (21) did his best to provide a spark off the bench.
NYK @ DAL: The new Mavs — led by O.J. Mayo with 27 points — edged the Knicks, as a couple of old Mavs played very well. Jason Kidd (17 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST, 5 STL) was superb and Tyson Chandler (21 PTS, 13 REB) very strong in their returns to Dallas, but it was an off-night for Carmelo Anthony, with ‘only” 23 points and seven turnovers. Vince Carter made the difference with 25 off the bench and Darren Collison bounced back from a few poor games with 19 points and 7 assists. Troy Murphy started in place of Elton Brand, but Murph wasn’t feeling well and lasted less than 18 minutes.
POR @ PHO: After complaining about his team and its management, Marcin Gortat scored 22 points to lead them to an easy win. Shannon Brown (10 PTS) moved into the starting five ahead of Jared Dudley and Michael Beasley was awful, losing minutes to P.J. Tucker, but Markieff Morris (19 PTS, 7 REB) did a very nice job replacing a demoted Luis Scola (4 PTS in 18:37) at PF. Portland rookie Meyers Leonard (12 PTS, 5 REB) started at center in place of ailing J.J. Hickson (shoulder) which made the bench even weaker than usual. Damian Lillard led all scorers with 24, as LaMarcus Aldridge had a rare off-night (12 PTS, 5 TO) and Nicolas Batum (13) was quiet.
LAL @ SAC: I worried in this space yesterday about a Lakers letdown. Dwight Howard had just 7 points and 9 rebounds in 40+ minutes and Pau Gasol missed 7-of-10 to score only eight points. Kobe Bryant led everyone with 38, but his biggest peripheral stat was 7 turnovers. Aaron Brooks (13) is the new starter ahead of Isaiah Thomas (6) at PG for the Kings, but Tyreke Evans (18 PTS, 6 AST) has emerged in this rotation. Marcus Thornton (23) had a nice night off the bench and with DeMarcus Cousins in foul trouble, Jason Thompson (13 PTS, 10 REB) played very well.
BRK @ GSW: You couldn’t have been blamed for having Klay Thompson on your bench, but I hope you didn’t cut him; 23 points (3-of-6 from deep) was a nice way to end his slump. Stephen Curry’s led all scorers with 25, and David Lee (20 PTS, 13 REB, 4 AST) was also a big factor as the Warriors outscored the tired Nets 61-47 in the second half to win it. Gerald Wallace (ankle) got the night off, as he isn’t quite up to a back-to-back just yet, and nobody could pick up the slack.
The Spin is here by 9:00 a.m. EST, seven days a week. Follow us on Twitter — @SheridanFantasy — for updates and some great roster advice from Jeff Nichols, whose Saturday afternoon column is essential reading. My FanDuel Diary always has the latest on daily fantasy leagues; there’s no action tonight — Happy Thanksgiving! — but we preview some big tournaments on Friday.