WAS @ DET: Wow, that was embarrassing. Jordan Crawford (20 PTS, 7 REB, 7 AST) had no help at all as the Pistons won by 32. In just 21 minutes, rookie Andre Drummond (11 PTS, 14 REB, 5 BLK) made his fantasy owners wonder how high his ceiling might be. Brandon Knight (15 PTS, 4 REB) and Greg Monroe (15 PTS, 9 REB) got to watch the final 14 minutes from the bench; garbage time arrived right after the national anthem.
CHA @ GWS: Now in a 14-game tailspin, the Hornets couldn’t stop David Lee (23 PTS, 11 REB, 11 AST for his third career trip-dub) or Stephen Curry (27 PTS, 8 AST) and Charlotte doesn’t have the scorers to play in a shootout. Gerald Henderson (23 PTS, 5 AST) and Bismack Biyombo (12 PTS, 14 REB, 2 BLK) were fantasy contributors, but Byron Mullens missed all six shots and played just 21:48; inconsistency is a constant source of frustration for his owners.
IND @ CLE: No Anderson Varejao (knee), no chance for the Cavs, despite 17 points from Kyrie Irving. Rookie Tyler Zeller (12 PTS, 7 REB, 2 BLK) is no Varejao. For once, Paul George took a back seat in a balanced Pacers attack. Lance Stephenson (16 PTS, 7 AST, 2 STL) had his best game of the year and George Hill (13 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL) was solid. Even Roy Hibbert (18 PTS, 6 REB, 2 BLK) shot a confidence-building 8-12 in a convincing road win.
DAL @ MEM: We told you yesterday that O.J. Mayo (10 PTS, 5 TO) would be the latest victim of Tony Allen’s defense; Allen (10 PTS, 5 REB, 3 STL) was a factor at both ends. will bother him all night. Both Marc Gasol (11 PTS, 11 REB, 3 BLK) and Zach Randolph (17 & 13) double-doubled, Mike Conley (9 PTS, 11 AST, 4 STL) contributed despite 2-for-10 shooting and Rudy Gay (26 PTS, 5 REB, 4 STL) led all scorers. Already ravaged by injuries, Dallas lost Darren Collison (illness) after ten scoreless minutes. The easy joke is, he made Rick Carlisle sick. Dominique Jones (13 PTS, 7 AST) played 32 minutes at PG, and only Shawn Marion (14 PTS, 11 REB, 3 BLK) had a decent fantasy line.
SAC @ LAC: Make it 12 in a row for the Clippers. For once, Chris Paul (24 PTS, 13 AST, 5 REB, 5 STL) and Blake Griffin (21 PTS, 13 REB) got to play 35 minutes; they often aren’t needed in the fourth quarter. Jamal Crawford (2-for-12) had a rare off-night, but Matt Barnes (13 PTS, 5 REB, 3 BLK) and the steadily-improving Lamar Odom (8 PTS, 9 REB, 3 BLK) led that deep L.A. bench. For the Kings, DeMarcus Cousins was benched in the second half — looks like he’s about to burn through another coach.