In a very intense game that featured trash-talking, scuffles, four technicals and an ejection, the Pacers won their seventh straight with George Hill (22 PTS, 8 AST, 5 REB) as the starting PG. Danny Granger led all scorers with 29, and David West (21 PTS, 14 REB, 7 AST) was excellent. The loss, Milwaukee’s third in a row, effectively ends their playoff bid. Brandon Jennings (27) and Mike Dunleavy (23) tried to spark a fourth-quarter comeback that fell short. What Else
Not only did Dwight Howard (back) miss another game, he’s out for the rest of the regular season. Glen Davis (16 PTS, 9 REB) will maintain his increased value, but Big Baby was the lone hard worker for the Magic in a terrible effort. Ryan Anderson missed 10 of 12 shots (0-for-8 from deep) and his rebounding is off, too. Garbage time came early, so Atlanta bench players like Jannero Pargo (17) and Marvin Williams (16) padded their stats. Friday the
I had a feeling that Richard Hamilton was due. Though still limited to 20 minutes, Rip scored 20 points, had 5 assists and 4 rebounds to make up for the absence of Derrick Rose (ankle) as he and Luol Deng (19 PTS, 10 REB) led the Bulls to a tough win. Carmelo Anthony had 29 for the Knicks, with Tyson Chandler (10 PTS, 15 REB, 3 BLK) playing well, but the point guard spot remains a problem. Baron Davis (8
As the truncated season winds down, teams are jockeying for playoff positioning and home-court advantage. One of those teams should be the San Antonio Spurs. But coach Gregg Popovich is playing a different game. Popovich, the silver-haired, long-tenured guru who is among the frontrunners for Coach of the Year Award, decided to sit out three of his top three players – Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili – for the second time this season. The result was the same as the last time
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,
It wasn’t only Jeremy Lin (17 PTS, 9 AST) who made the difference as the Knicks trounced the Hawks. Carmelo Anthony added 15, Landry Fields 16 and J.R. Smith chipped in 5 REB and 5 STL to go with a dozen points. Atlanta, minus Joe Johnson, trailed 60-35 at halftime. Jeff Teague played well in 29 minutes and Willie Green got another start, but Marvin Williams was held scoreless. Around the Association The Warriors won in Phoenix for the first time in
Wow, was Kevin Durant in a zone. KD had 51 points, a new career high, plus 8 REB, 5 3PTM, 3 AST, 4 STL and great shooting percentages. Russell Westbrook scored 40 (yes, that’s 91 for two guys!) with nine assists, and Serge Ibaka notched a triple-double the hard way: 14 PTS, 15 REB and 11 BLK. Somehow, the Nuggets took the game to overtime before losing. Arron Afflalo led Denver with 27 and Andre Miller chipped in 21 &
The 2011-12 NBA season not only will be labeled as lockout-shortened, but as a season in which injuries destroyed many teams—fantasy teams, that is. The first significant injury (Brook Lopez) was sustained before the season commenced. Since games tipped off Christmas Day, the list of impact fantasy players missing at least 20 percent of their team’s games due to injury has been epidemic, frustrating helpless fantasy owners to no end and reducing their chances of finishing “in the money.” By my count, 15