It was a disastrous evening for the Los Angeles Lakers. Not only did they come up four points short in a must-win game, they lost Kobe Bryant to an ankle injury in the final seconds. Bryant (31 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL) is very unhappy with Dahntay Jones over the play and there are no details yet about a recovery timetable, but it’s being called a severe sprain and he’s out indefinitely.
Earl Clark (4 PTS, 3 REB) lasted just 13 minutes before leaving with a milder ankle sprain, and Dwight Howard (10 PTS, 16 REB, 2 STL) cooled off a bit after a gigantic effort in Orlando the night before. Metta World Peace (20 PTS, 8 REB) was a bright spot amid the gloom. The Hawks were missing two of their three best players, as Josh Smith (knee) and Jeff Teague (ankle) couldn’t go. Devin Harris (17 PTS, 7 AST, 3 REB) did a fine job at PG and it’s amazing that Johan Petro (10 PTS, 11 REB, 2 AST) played over 25 minutes and double-doubled. Al Horford (14 PTS, 14 REB, 5 AST) was solid and three bench players hit double digits. It gets no easier for the Lakers, who will be shorthanded tomorrow night when they visit Indiana.
There’s another exciting Sheridan Hoops Freeroll tomorrow that every basketball fan should try. Like any great game, the rules are simple but winning is difficult, in part because of the sheer number of entries. We were almost at 700 teams with 36 hours until the contest closes. It’s literally money for nothing — no entry fee, no obligation and $300 in cash prizes to the top 15 finishers, including a hundred bucks to the winner.
Other Wednesday Results
MIN @ IND: No contest, and no surprise. Ricky Rubio (21 PTS, 10 AST, 6 REB, 3 STL) was the only standout for the tired, shorthanded T-Wolves. Greg Stiemsma (13 PTS, 9 REB, 2 BLK) had his best game of the year statistically, but still got overwhelmed by Roy Hibbert (27 PTS, 12 REB, 4 BLK) as the Pacers led wire-to-wire. Paul George (17 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST) was needed for just 27 minutes and David West (13 PTS, 10 REB, 6 AST in 31 minutes) also got some extra rest.
NYK @ DEN: It wasn’t exactly a hero’s welcome for Carmelo Anthony (9 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST) who played only 21:31 on a wonky knee in his return to Denver and is out tonight. Tyson Chandler (4 PTS, 2 REB) left after 17 minutes with a bruised knee, so the unlikely leading scorer for the Knicks was Iman Shumpert (20) who hit four triples. The Nuggets were up by 22 at halftime, allowing the starters plenty of rest. Our hunch play Wilson Chandler (24 PTS, 4 REB, 3 STL) took advantage of 25 minutes and Danilo Gallinari (16 PTS, 3 REB, 3 STL) also enjoyed playing against his former team.
MIL @ WAS: Despite arguing with his coach, John Wall (23 PTS, 10 AST, 6 REB, 4 STL) led the Wizards to an easy win. Nene (13 PTS, 13 REB, 6 AST, 3 STL) was sharp and Martell Webster (20 PTS, 4 REB) hit four 3-pointers. Trevor Ariza managed 30 minutes on a wonky knee (14 PTS, 3 AST, 2 REB) and Trevor Booker double-doubled (13 PTS, 12 REB) in just 22 minutes. Four players scored 80 of Milwaukee’s 93 points, led by Monta Ellis (26 PTS, 8 AST, 4 REB, 2 STL) and Ersan Ilyasova (21 PTS, 12 REB) but Mike Dunleavy went scoreless in 26 minutes; he started for Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (toe).