It was mostly Dwight Howard, with 29 points and 18 rebounds, as the Magic won in Chicago. Jason Richardson added 18 (including four 3-pointers) before leaving with a sprained ankle. Orlando doesn’t play again until Sunday, giving him some time to recover. J.J. Redick would fill in if J-Rich can’t go. For the Bulls, Carlos Boozer had 26 but Derrick Rose shot 6-22 and Luol Deng was 1-9, then admitted the torn ligament in his left wrist might need some
Ouch. The Celtics were crushed 33-17 in the opening quarter and never made a run. In just his second game as a starter, Evan Turner poured in 26 points and grabbed 9 boards to lead the Sixers. This is not good news for Jodie Meeks owners, but it makes Turner a very hot pickup, especially in keeper leagues. Thaddeus Young (illness) didn’t play, so Nikola Vucevic (14 & 12) got a little extra burn. In Other Action UTA @ CHA: Corey Maggette
The lowly Charlotte Hornets upset the Magic as Corey Maggette scored 29 points and teenager Bismack Biyombo, matched up against Dwight Howard, had 10 PTS, 15 REB and 7 BLK. Boris Diaw, who wants to be traded or released, was benched in favor of D.J. White. This is fantasy gold in some deep leagues. You can pick up White as a FA, then get Diaw ridiculously cheap and hope he ends up in a better situation. If you already own Boris,
Raja Bell returned to the Utah starting lineup, but “demoted” Gordon Hayward was terrific off the bench with 23 points on 8-11 shooting, plus 4 REB and 5 AST in 28 minutes. As the Jazz won, I’d expect the new rotation to continue, but Devin Harris left early with a sore knee. The Cavs were no match for Al Jefferson (25 & 13) and Paul Millsap (13 & 9) — they miss Anderson Varejao. In Other News GSW @ WAS: New starting
As expected, Rajon Rondo was on a mission against Jeremy Lin, with a triple double (18 PTS, 20 AST and an amazing 17 REB) and Paul Pierce was superb with 34, as the Celtics needed overtime to beat the Knicks. Lin had 14 & 5, Carmelo Anthony (25) and Amare Stoudemire (16 & 13) were solid and the New York bench outscored Boston’s 45-15, only to fall short. It was a great tipoff to a Sunday of hoops on TV. Elsewhere NJN
Over the flu and with no apparent ill effects from sore ribs, Kevin Love torched the Blazers for 42 points on 15-27 shooting, including 5-8 from downtown, as the T-Wolves won on the road. Ricky Rubio had only six points but chipped in a dozen assists. With Wesley Johnson in foul trouble, Martell Webster was terrific in 34 minutes off the bench. Nicolas Batum had 29 and Gerald Wallace 23 for Portland, but recently demoted Raymond Felton shot a brutal
As much as I enjoy fantasy hoops, the real games are way more interesting. The Heat had won nine in a row by 10 points or more, but lost to the fired-up Jazz. With Chris Bosh away for a funeral, Shane Battier was an effective fill-in starter, notching 18 points on 6-7 shooting, with four blocked shots. Paul Millsap was back for Utah, Al Jefferson was stellar and the bench was very helpful: another good game from C.J. Miles, with
It was a Thunder-ous statement in Orlando. Kevin Durant had 38 points, Russell Westbrook 29 as OKC rallied to win. KD poured in 18 in the fourth quarter alone. Dwight Howard, the subject of countless trade rumors, scored 33 in defeat. I’m chalking up a quiet night for Serge Ibaka to his covering Ryan Anderson on the perimeter. It’s hard to block a 3-pointer. Elsewhere MIN @ PHO: Kevin Love was back with a double-double (23 & 10) and Luke Ridnour had