CHI @ SAS: If you own Marco Belinelli (21 PTS, 7 AST) that was fine, but the rest of the Bulls managed just 62 points and the Spurs’ depth prevailed. Manu Ginobili (18 PTS, 9 REB) and Tim Duncan (18 PTS, 10 REB, 5 BLK) were the leaders and Tiago Splitter (13 PTS, 10 REB) did a nice job up front against Joakim Noah (8 PTS, 13 REB, 4 BLK). Patrick Mills (13 PTS in 22 minutes) was the best San Antonio PG, going 3-3 from deep.
SAC @ GSW: Wrong again. I was envisioning a score like 120-110 but neither team could find the twine. The Kings shot 39.8%, the Warriors just 36% and Keith Smart played rotation roulette, benching DeMarcus Cousins (5 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST, 4 STL) for all but 20 minutes and discovering the useful Patrick Patterson (15 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST) on his bench. Stephen Curry (13 PTS, 8 AST, 5 REB) shot 3-11 and turned it over six times. David Lee (17 PTS, 10 REB) and Klay Thompson (20 PTS, 5 REB) picked up the scoring slack
MIL @ LAC: The Bucks came out fast, with Monta Ellis (22 PTS, 6 AST) scoring 18 in the first half. As we predicted, the Clippers’ bench eventually wore them down. Blake Griffin had a triple-double (23 PTS, 11 REB, 11 AST) but sixth man Jamal Crawford (25 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL) was their leading scorer and his playground-style pass to Griffin for a monster dunk is a must-watch highlight. Matt Barnes (20 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST) drained six 3-pointers and Chris Paul (14 PTS, 9 AST, 3 REB) was efficient, if unspectacular.
Thursday Previews
OKC @ NYK: What might have been an exciting matchup of division leaders could turn into a blowout. The Knicks had to play on the road last night and unless Melo makes a surprise recovery they will be without their best player. The Thunder are beginning to tighten the screws defensively and their dynamic duo of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant is unstoppable with the ball.
LAC @ DEN: Winners of 11 straight home games, rested and healthy, the Nuggets are poised for a big game. Ty Lawson has been terrific for weeks now, but his battle with CP3 is critical tonight. Kenneth Faried will do his best to slow down the high-flying Mr. Griffin and Danilo Gallinari will be bombing away from the perimeter. Denver might be the only team in the league whose second unit can compete with the Clippers reserves; Andre Miller and Wilson Chandler will need to contribute.