With only two games on the NBA schedule Thursday night we were all able to hone in on a showdown between the Thunder and Knicks at the Garden (without Carmelo Anthony) and a shootout in Denver that wasn’t quite the dunk-fest that the Clippers were hoping for.
Here are the facts:
1. The best part about primetime games at Madison Square Garden? A pumped up crowd and the opposing star players best performance. Thursday nights game between the Knicks and Thunder was no different. Kevin Durant scored 34 points to lead OKC to a 95-94 win over the Knicks. Durant’s 34 points bring him to a total of 149 at MSG, tied for the fourth most points by a visiting player at MSG in his first five games behind: Michael Jordan (165), David Thompson (158), and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (152).
2. The Knicks may have lost the game, but J.R. Smith was still the MVP. Smith had the game of his life, scoring 36 points off the bench. For three quarters, Smith couldn’t miss (12-20). But despite feeling it all night, Smith missed a turnaround jumper from the same spot he sunk a game-winner to beat the Charlotte Bobcats earlier this year to cap off a 2-for-9 fourth quarter.
3. Something had to give Thursday night in Denver. Coming into the game the Los Angeles Clippers boasted a five-game road win-streak while the Nuggets were coming in winners of 12 in a row at home (and tied for a league best 27-3). On the second night of a back-to-back, the Clippers had nothing left in the tank, falling to the Nuggets 107-92.
4. After a relatively even first half, the Nuggets broke the game open in the third quarter, which is no surprise seeing that the Clippers were on the second night of a back-to-back. A blistering 6-for-7 display from 3-point range helped the Nuggets cruise in the fourth quarter to their 27th home victory of the season.
5. The secret to beating the Clippers is out, and the Nuggets executed it to perfection: harass Chris Paul with size and length. George Karl did just that by placing his best defender, Andre Igoudala, all over Paul. Igoudala has a defensive prowess like no other in the NBA, and while the box score may say that Paul had a decent game, it was obvious that the Clippers were not able to formulate anything on the offensive end because of Igoudala.
Ben Baroff is a sports journalist and marketing professional who blogs and writes columns for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter.
They handle the tasks of relocation with attention.
In addition, the choice of mover is associated with some
advantages. When one have a pair of furniture
that he or she has gotten sentimental attachment to, it would
heart breaking to have them destroyed during moving.
my blog post: storage companies 2014