One of the most exciting games of the season took three overtimes to decide. Paul Pierce played 54 of the 63 minutes, had a monster triple-double (27 PTS, 14 REB, 14 AST) and one of his five 3-pointers saved the game. Kevin Garnett (20 PTS, 18 REB, 6 AST, 2 STL, 3 BLK) played 47 minutes and Jason Terry also hit five triples among his 26 points. The Nuggets, in a road back-to-back, lost Andre Iguodala to a strained neck early in the third quarter, so Andre Miller (15 PTS, 6 AST, 5 REB) got 40 minutes off the bench, playing alongside Ty Lawson (29 PTS, 9 AST, 6 REB in 54:40) most of the way. Danilo Gallinari (18 PTS, 10 REB, 3 AST, 3 STL, 2 BLK) and Kenneth Faried (14 PTS, 12 REB) double-doubled, and JaVale McGee grabbed 16 rebounds, but the Celtics — for the seventh straight game — refused to lose.
Don’t blink, or you might miss this ridiculous fantasy “week” that is really just 3 1/2 days. The Clippers play three times as many games as five other NBA teams and have 50% more games than anyone else. That’s not a big deal in Rotisserie or Points leagues, but it can make or break your entire season in Head-to-Head. Check out the Week 16 Fantasy Planner by Mitch McClure for the whole schedule and his Start/Sit advice. Luck is an even larger factor than usual in H2H, and streaming for one or two extra GP can give you an edge.
Other February 10 Game Recaps
LAC @ NYK: The 1:00 matinee was a terrific contest. Carmelo Anthony (42 PTS, 8 REB, 5 3PTM) has rarely been better but the Clippers were finally at full strength, at least for a few minutes. It was as if Chris Paul (25 PTS, 7 AST, 6 REB, 4 STL) had never been away, Blake Griffin (17 PTS, 12 REB, 4 AST) was lively again and Jamal Crawford (27 PTS) lit it up off the bench. The only downside was Caron Butler leaving with a lower back injury after 11:34. Raymond Felton survived a scary looking collision (bouncing off Amare Stoudemire into Lamar Odom) that could have been a serious neck injury; Ray finished with 20 points. Tyson Chandler (6 PTS, 11 REB) got the better of DeAndre Jordan (one point and three fouls in 17 minutes) but J.R. Smith (6 PTS on 1-for-9 shooting) was a disappointment.
LAL @ MIA: Ho-hum. Another game, another 30+ for LeBron James (32 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL) and Dwyane Wade (30 PTS, 5 AST, 3 STL) was nearly as great. Chris Bosh (12 PTS, 11 REB) was back from the flu and the Heat shot 55%. The Lakers hit exactly half their shots, led by Kobe Bryant (28 PTS, 9 AST, 6 REB) as usual. Dwight Howard (15 PTS, 9 REB, 2 STL, 2 BLK) looks a bit better each game and Earl Clark (18 PTS, 9 REB) is the gift that keeps on giving to his fantasy owners. They would have beaten a lot of other teams yesterday.
POR @ ORL: Many of my hunches turn out wrong, but I did like the Magic to snap their 12-game losing streak. It helped that J.J. Redick (22 PTS, 5 AST) returned from his shoulder injury, and Nikola Vucevic (17 PTS, 19 REB) continues to shine. Rookie Andrew Nicholson (14 PTS, 5 REB in 22 minutes) got help from Gustavo Ayon (16 PTS, 11 REB, 6 AST in 31:38 off the bench) — together they held LaMarcus Aldridge to ‘only’ 25 points and six boards. Nicolas Batum (19 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST, 4-of-4 from downtown) looks healthier, but it was a nightmare game for Damian Lillard, who shot 1-for-16. His opposite number Jameer Nelson was just 4-for-18 for 10 points, but dished out a career-high 15 assists.