The old crystal ball was pretty accurate for once; Carmelo Anthony (23 PTS) and Tyson Chandler (18 PTS, 17 REB) destroyed Byron Mullens (6) and Brendan Haywood (4) as expected. I also called Kemba Walker (25 PTS, 11 AST) and Ben Gordon (17) for big games. However, Gerald Henderson (18 PTS, 6 REB in 25 bench minutes) was a surprise and the outcome was nearly a shocker. The Knicks needed a buzzer-beater by J.R. Smith (13 PTS) to win it. Perhaps they were guilty of overconfidence or looking ahead to a much bigger game in Miami. Unfortunately, Melo sliced the middle finger of his right hand diving for a loose ball with 2:10 remaining. It required six stitches, leaving him questionable for tonight.
Other December 5 Games
POR @ IND: After an awful performance in Charlotte, J.J. Hickson bounced back with 14 points and a dozen rebounds, while Damian Lillard (23 PTS, 6 AST) played well. However, Nicolas Batum had a rough night. Bothered by back and shoulder pain, he struggled through 29 minutes and scored just five points. The Pacers got another huge effort from Paul George (22 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST) and a double-double from David West (16 PTS, 10 REB) to manage the win. Roy Hibbert (10 PTS, 7 REB, 3 BLK) continues to struggle with his shot (3-for-13) so Ian Mahinmi (12 PTS) got a little extra run.
GSW @ DET: One of the problems with owning rookies, even when they earn starting jobs, is inconsistency. Kyle Singler owners know what I mean,after a 3-point disaster in 32 minutes; he also got torched by Klay Thompson, whose game-high 27 helped the Warriors win. Brandon Knight (4 PTS) was no match for Stephen Curry (22 PTS, 10 AST, 4 STL) and the final score flatters the Pistons. Greg Monroe (9 PTS in 21:47) was limited by foul trouble, and the second unit made a fourth-quarter rally led by rookie Andre Drummond (15 PTS, 12 REB, 4 BLK) and Rodney Stuckey (17 PTS, 9 AST) who don’t usually get 30+ minutes.
MIN @ BOS: After winning in Philadelphia the night before, the Timberwolves ran out of steam. Rajon Rondo had a double-double (17 PTS, 11 AST) and every other Celtics starter hit double figures, led by Kevin Garnett (18) and Paul Pierce (18). We’re still waiting for Kevin Love to start hitting free throws (6-of-12) and 3-pointers (1-of-5) but he’s solid in points (19) and rebounds (13). Our colleague Bruce Wrigley predicted his shooting woes before the season even started, reminding fantasy owners they need to be patient with hand injuries.
As they say, practice makes pefrcet . Also, it sometimes depends on the physique and athleticism of the player, but actually, anyone can shoot like them with practice and honing of the skill/art.