Several games played last night turned out differently than I had expected. I thought the Nets would blow out the Sixers, but the return of Michael Carter-Williams/PHI and the absence of Joe Johnson/BKN balanced the scales and ultimately resulted in a Sixers’ overtime win. I thought the Jazz would stay close but they were blown out by the Hawks. The Bobcats surprised the Pistons, the injury riddled Lakers defeated the visiting Timberwolves on the strength of Pau Gasol/LAL superb performance,
Yesterday afternoon, the San Antonio Spurs announced that Tim Duncan/SAS and Manu Ginobili/SAS would be rested against the Warriors. With Tony Parker/SAS also out, the Spurs B team showed up in full force and won a narrow victory over their conference rivals. Golden State mainstays Stephen Curry/GSW and David Lee/GSW played well, but a rusty Andre Iguodala/GSW and a thin bench derailed them. Earlier, the Bulls hung in with the Thunder for most of the game, ensuring major minutes and
An incredibly busy night in the NBA is behind us. Portland was in tough against the Wolves and as I expected, Kevin Love/MIN dominated the game and the Wolves won handily despite Damian Lillard’s/POR tremendous performance. The Heat rallied at home and beat the Pacers to avenge an earlier defeat. The Raptors blew another game, this time to the Bobcats, while the Knicks won in overtime over the Bucks. The Pistons overcame an early deficit to nip the Celtics, while the
The Blazers and Cavaliers were in a dogfight most of the game. On the strength of Damian Lillard/POR and LaMarcus Aldridge/POR, Portland built a small cushion going into the final minute. Kyrie Irving/CLE rallied the Cavaliers to tie the game with less than 10 seconds remaining. No matter, Lillard hit a long three to win the game in the final seconds, leaving only four tenths of a second for Cleveland to respond. They managed to get a long game-tying attempt
The Sixers are in full self-immolation mode as they have apparently forgotten how to play defense. The mediocre Nets burned them for 130 points and a 36-point victory margin. The Pistons beat the Pacers in Indiana and the Wizards held on to edge the Knicks 102-101 on the strength of Martell Webster’s/WAS outside shooting. The Heat and Hawks had easy home wins, while the struggling Bulls lost at home to the Magic. Tonight we have a lighter schedule on the
Two of the elite NBA teams won their games last night, but in neither case was it easy. The Portland Trailblazers looked like they were going down in flames, but rallied and won the game in overtime. The Oklahoma City Thunder built a big lead, only to almost blow it in the final minutes. James Harden/HOU injured his ankle which made it easier for the new look Kings to beat the Rockets. Despite another solid game from Stephen Curry/GSW, the
Contrary to my prognostications, the Lakers rallied and won their first game since Kobe Bryant’s/LAL return. The Trail Blazers were the only team playing the first of back-to back games, so they were motivated to blast the Sixers, which they did. The Cavaliers put up a good fight against the Heat, which was good news for those banking on a big game from LeBron. Elsewhere, the biggest surprise was the Raptors’ easy win in Chicago over the Bulls. There are
With the exception of the Thunder destroying the Lakers, none of the games ended with a greater than ten point margin. In two high scoring games, the Rockets outlasted the Warriors and the Suns beat the Kings to earn important road wins. The Cavaliers, Bulls and Jazz also scored road wins. Tonight, there are eight games on NBA floors. Here is today’s Fantasy Spin. [Read more…]