BRK @ BOS: One of the better games of the night, as Rajon Rondo and Deron Williams are both at the top of their games. While Brook Lopez usually puts up big numbers, so does his opponent, making Kevin Garnett a solid play.
HOU @ OKC: Pleased to have won at home last night in memory of coach Kevin McHale’s daughter, the Rockets must travel to Oklahoma. The return of James Harden to face his former teammates is the main storyline, with Kevin Martin also having a little something extra to prove. There’s a mismatch at point guard, where Russell Westbrook is superior to Jeremy Lin, and as usual Kevin Durant will be impossible to defend. The Thunder should prevail, even if Harden racks up big numbers.
NYK @ MIL: The way Tyson Chandler played on Monday, Milwaukee is in trouble. The Bucks have a revolving-door frontcourt, with Scott Skiles keeping all his players off-balance. Carmelo Anthony should also be able to score at will.
TOR @ MEM: The Raptors were out of sorts last night in Houston and face an even tougher opponent this evening. Mike Conley (Flu) will be back behind the controls of the Grizzlies attack and Zach Randolph should kick start another double-double streak against the Raptors’ soft frontcourt.
PHO @ DET: It’s not a long trip from Cleveland to Detroit, but this will be two road games for the Suns in 24 hours. I’m becoming a Brandon Knight believer; he’s more consistent and seeing the floor better as a sophomore.
DAL @ CHI: On the road last night in Philadelphia, the Mavs shook up the rotation only to drop a close game. Now they will be really tired, and their season-long frontcourt issues could get exposed. Even if Chris Kaman gets another 20 points, he’ll have his hands full with Joakim Noah, and that leaves Carlos Boozer with more room to operate.
UTA @ NOH: Undefeated at home but 2-7 on the road, the Jazz are almost too strong up front, where Derrick Favors is eating into the minutes of Paul Millsap. It’s a different story at PG; Jamaal Tinsley is holding the fort while Mo Williams recovers from his latest injury. Greivis Vasquez has had some great games for New Orleans, and Ryan Anderson has really stepped up while rookie Anthony Davis nurses a sore ankle.
MIN @ LAC: Again, Minnesota must play a back-to-back, which isn’t the greatest schedule for the still-healing Kevin Love. The biggest edge here is Chris Paul against Luke Ridnour and/or J.J. Barea. The Clippers have not been at their best in losing four straight, so they may take out their frustrations tonight on the tired Wolves.
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As soon as I heard the media stories and tweets about Kobe bravely playing through the flu, I knew he was going to try and do an MJ and sure enough he shot and shot and shot and shot….
10 turnovers, a poor shooting percentage, and a free throw count inflated by a couple of iffy calls. If writers want to praise that game, go ahead.
The only thing which makes it look halfway decent is how awful his teammates played (and not because Indiana was great; couldn’t believe Gerald Green took a 16 foot jumper when Indiana should have held for the final shot in Q3, among many terrible decisions). On the other hand, Dwight was much more efficient and the Indiana bigs had foul trouble as it was- they couldn’t afford to do “Hack a Howard” much more than they did in the game. If a few more of Kobes touches go inside, the Lakers win despite how poor they were.