DAL @ MIA: I can’t believe Dallas played so well. Dirk Nowitzki (19 PTS, 6 REB, 29 minutes) had his best game yet, O.J. Mayo (30 PTS, 6 AST) was hot and Chris Kaman (14 PTS, 10 REB, 3 BLK) showed no fatigue in a back-to-back, the Mavs’ third game in four nights. It was only a moral victory to force overtime, where the Heat finally took over. LeBron James (32 PTS, 12 REB, 9 AST) and Dwyane Wade (27 PTS, 10 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK) were at their best when it counted.
MEM @ BOS: Yesterday we said Rajon Rondo (11 PTS, 10 AST, 3 STL) would have to destroy Mike Conley for Boston to win. Conley (23 PTS, 9 AST) was having none of that. Rudy Gay (19 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST) also stepped up, as the Memphis big men weren’t at their best. In deep leagues, keep an eye on Darrell Arthur, whose minutes are on the rise as a stretch 4; he knocked down two wide-open 3-pointers. Tony Allen (15 PTS, 5 REB) had a fine two-way game against his old teammates. The Celtics have lost five straight; they did finally get Avery Bradley back, but that just means fewer minutes for Jason Terry and Courtney Lee. Doc Rivers seems to be saving Kevin Garnett (12 PTS, 7 REB) for the playoffs, but they may not get there at all with Jason Collins at center.
WAS @ IND: In his second start for injured George Hill (hip), D.J. Augustin (18 PTS, 6 AST, 4 REB) was just as good. Paul George (29 PTS, 14 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL) took over the game, and while Roy Hibbert (13 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST) wasn’t dominant, he did outplay Emeka Okafor. As our tireless blogger James Park reports, Stan Van Gundy ripped the Wizards, and he was just being honest. Even when John Wall (leg) eventually returns, they are indeed a bad team. Jordan Crawford (20 PTS, 7 AST) and Kevin Seraphin (16 PTS, 9 REB) came off the bench to keep the score respectable.
MIN @ UTA: Who were those guys? An absolutely lifeless Minnesota team shot 34.5% and conceded this game early. Kevin Love (13 PTS, 10 REB, 2 BLK) missed ten shots, including all four 3-point attempts, and the return of like Andrei Kirilenko to Utah was less than spectacular (12 PTS, 7 REB, 2 BLK). Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 17 points in 23 minutes, and Enes Kanter (15 PTS, 8 REB in less than 20 minutes) looked strong until spraining his ankle. Mo Williams needs surgery on his injured thumb, so Jamaal Tinsley (12 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST) will start for several more weeks and Earl Watson (9 AST) gains value in deep leagues.
NOH @ HOU: It wasn’t the high-scoring blowout I predicted, just a routine win at home. James Harden (31 PTS, 7 AST) and Omer Asik (21 PTS, 8 REB) led the Rockets, who also got a double-double from Patrick Patterson (15 PTS, 10 REB) in less than 23 minutes off the bench. He’s on the verge of regaining the starting PF job from Marcus Morris, who was a useful replacement. Greivis Vasquez (15 PTS, 14 AST) and Ryan Anderson (18 PTS, 7 REB) led the Hornets, who gave Eric Gordon the night off; it’s strictly precautionary to keep him out of back-to-backs for a while.
SAS @ MIL: Behind their veteran Big Three, the Spurs rolled to a 17-point halftime lead and hung on for a seventh straight win. Tim Duncan (28 PTS, 13 REB, 6 AST, 3 BLK) was superb, Tony Parker (23 PTS, 11 AST) very good and Manu Ginobili added 16 off the bench. The Bucks, led by Brandon Jennings (31 PTS, 5 AST, 2 BLK) battled back in the second half to make a game of it. The ‘bad’ Ersan Ilyasova (3 PTS in 24 minutes) gave way to razor-sharp John Henson (20 PTS, 9 REB, 3 AST) but don’t count on Scott Skiles to keep the rookie in his rotation.