OKC @ BOS: You can’t pin the loss on Russell Westbrook (26 PTS, 8 AST, 7 REB) who won the statistical battle vs. Rajon Rondo (6 PTS, 16 AST, 8 REB) but Kevin Durant (29) didn’t contribute much other than scoring and Kevin Martin was a disaster off the bench — only three points (and as many turnovers) in 31:42 on the floor. Paul Pierce had a big night with 27 points, but it was Jeff Green waking up with 17 off the bench against his former team who made the difference.
LAC @ BRK: Holding the powerful Clippers to 76 points — only 29 in the entire second half — is a team triumph for the Nets. Brook Lopez (26) led all scorers and Joe Johnson added 17, but this was not a game for individual heroics. DeAndre Jordan had a double-double (12 PTS, 13 REB) in the losing cause, and Caron Butler not only was quiet (7 PTS) in his return from a shoulder injury, he made Matt Barnes irrelevant. Gerald Wallace is far from 100%; he did manage 38 minutes as one of the stoppers.
SAS @ IND:The venerable Big Three took center stage in Indianapolis.Tony Parker went off for 33 points and 10 assists, Tim Duncan had 22 points and 17 boards. Even Manu Ginobili stepped up with 19 off the bench, as the shorthanded Spurs were able to grind out the road win. Paul George (15) couldn’t follow up his 37-point explosion and Roy Hibbert (15 PTS, 11 REB) missed 13 of 18 shots, dropping his FG% to a miserable 37.9 on the year.
LAL @ MEM: All five Grizzlies starters scored in double figures, led by Zach Randolph’s 11th straight double-double (17 & 12) plus 21 from Rudy Gay. Point guard Mike Conley was also stellar, with 19 points, 6 assists and 4 steals. Pau Gasol (6 PTS in 27:21) had a rough night for the Lakers and Marc Gasol (14 PTS, 8 AST, 5 REB, 2 BLK) did a very nice job keeping Dwight Howard 7 PTS, 5 TO) under wraps. Kobe Bryant scored 30 and Antawn Jamison (16 PTS, 7 REB) had his best game of the year, to no avail.
GSW @ DEN: The improving Nuggets won their third straight behind a season-high 29 by Andre Iguodala, 20 from Danilo Gallinari and a solid effort by Ty Lawson (18 PTS, 9 AST). For the visiting Warriors, Stephen Curry (6 PTS) was plagued by foul trouble and never really got in a groove. David Lee (21 & 10) did his thing, and Klay Thompson (16) stayed hot, but Harrison Barnes had a poor game (4 PTS and 5 fouls in 15 minutes) so Carl Landry (19 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST) played 30 minutes off the bench at both PF and SF.
SAC @ UTA: It doesn’t matter to Derrick Favors if he starts or not; 16 points and 14 rebounds in 28 bench minutes is a nice line. Paul Millsap (10 PTS) played less than 20 minutes, as Marvin Williams (20 PTS) returned to the starting lineup. Mo Williams left after 7:35 with an ankle injury; Jamaal Tinsley dished out a dozen assists in 30:52 off the bench. Gordon Hayward (23 off the bench) remains the better SG to own, as Randy Foye (8 PTS in 19:12) is a starter in name only. The Kings’ PG timeshare is over; Aaron Brooks scored 17 in the loss and Isaiah Thomas got the dreaded DNP-CD. Tyreke Evans (19) and Marcus Thornton (18) kept them close all night.
NOH @ PHO: With veteran Luis Scola (10 PTS) reduced to a backup role, new starting PF Markieff Morris scored a career-high 23 to help the Suns squeak out an overtime win. Michael Beasley had just two points in 16:51; unheralded P.J. Tucker scored 15 points and grabbed 7 boards in 33:31 off the bench. At C, it was a terrible night for Marcin Gortat, but Jermaine O’Neal (13 PTS, 11 REB) played very well again. Ryan Anderson (34 PTS, 11 REB) and Grieivis Vasquez (25 PTS, 14 AST) were superb in the loss. Rookie Austin Rivers (3 PTS) lost his starting SG job to Roger Mason (9 PTS), which may continue for a while.