NBA Preseason-October 23rd

Memphis 95, Charlotte 92

The Good: DeMarre Carroll led the way for Memphis with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists off the bench. Zach Randolph added 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks in the win. Raymond Felton led the Bobcats with 15 points, and Gerald Wallace filled up the stat sheet with 10 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, and 4 blocks. Charlotte blocked 13 shots as a team.
The Bad: It was a tough night for the 2008 draft class, as O.J. Mayo shot just 2-for-9 for Memphis and D.J. Augustin shot 1-for-11 for Charlotte.
The Ugly: Stephen Graham was just 1-for-6 from the field in his 16 minutes, as the Bobcats were outscored by 18 while Graham was on the floor.

Indiana 114, San Antonio 112

The Good: Indiana held off a late charge by the Spurs to win by two behind a 34-point third quarter. The Pacers were led by 29 points by Danny Granger, who also added 14 rebounds and 6 assists. Indiana also got 16 points and 3 blocks from Roy Hibbert and 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists from Earl Watson, who started in place of T.J. Ford. Dahntay Jones added 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists off the bench. George Hill led San Antonio with 21 points off the bench, and Tim Duncan added 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists in just 23 minutes, as San Antonio cut a 10 point fourth quarter deficit to just two before falling short.
The Bad: The Spurs made just 2-of-16 3-point attempts and forced only 10 turnovers. They also shot just 68.4% from the free throw line, including a combined 2-of-10 from Antonio McDyess and DeJuan Blair.
The Ugly: Hibbert played well offensively, shooting 7-for-10, but fouled out after just 18 minutes.

Chicago 93, Washington 70

The Good: Chicago dominated Washington down low en route to a big win to cap off the preseason. Chicago got double digit showings from big men Joakim Noah (13 points and 16 rebounds), Tyrus Thomas (18 points), Brad Miller (19 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists), and Taj Gibson (13 points). Gilbert Arenas led Washington with 15 points, and Andray Blatche added 14 off the bench.
The Bad: Washington shot just 37.3% from the floor and 65.4% from the free throw line as a team.
The Ugly: The Wizards had a poor showing all around on Friday night, but their starters were particularly awful. Arenas, Caron Butler, Mike Miller, Fabricio Oberto, and Brandon Haywood combined for just 28 points on 7-of-29 (24.1%) shooting.

Minnesota 98, Toronto 90

The Good: Minnesota beat Toronto behind a balanced offensive attack. The Timberwolves had seven players with 9 points or more, including five in double figures. Jonny Flynn led the way with 16 points and 5 assists. Chris Bosh was a one-man show for the Raptors, posting 27 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Jose Calderon chipped in with 17 points, 6 boards, and 6 assists, as the Raptors kept it close at the free throw line, connecting on 88.9% of their free throws.
The Bad: Toronto made just 2-of-20 3-point attempts and committed 22 turnovers in the loss.

New Jersey 110, Philadelphia 88

The Good: New Jersey finally gets into the win column behind 51.4% field goal shooting. The Nets were led by 23 points from rookie Terrence Williams and 22 from Yi Jianlian, who also added 11 rebounds. The 76ers had just 3 players in double figures, led by 13 from Rodney Carney and 12 from Jason Smith. Andre Iguodala added 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.
The Bad: Philadelphia managed only 52.6% from the free throw line, including a combined 4-for-10 from Iguodala and Elton Brand. They also committed 3o fouls, to New Jersey's 18.

Orlando 123, Atlanta 86

The Good: Orlando rolled to an easy win and completed the first perfect preseason in team history against Atlanta on Friday night. Dwight Howard and Vince Carter each shot 9-for-10 from the field on their way to 25 and 26 points, respectively. Howard added 13 rebounds and 3 blocks, as well. Ryan Anderson impressed also, posting 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, that included 14 points in the first 7 minutes of the game. As a team, Orlando shot 61.3% from the floor and 62.5% from behind the arc. Jamal Crawford led the Hawks with 14 points.
The Bad: Atlanta was thoroughly out-played on this night. They managed just 37.5% from the floor and just 3-of-13 from the outside. They also forced just 12 Magic turnovers and were out-rebounded by 14.
The Ugly: Rookie Jeff Teague received his "Welcome to the NBA" moment on this night. He finished a putrid 0-for-15 from the field.

Dallas 98, Houston 94

The Good: Dirk Nowitzki was on his game, posting a game-high 32 points, and Jason Kidd (14 points and 10 assists) and Drew Gooden (12 points and 10 rebounds) each notched double-doubles in the win. The Rockets put up a good fight, led by 22 points from Carl Landry, and 17 points and 8 rebounds from Trevor Ariza. Kyle Lowry added 16 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assist, and 4 steals off the Rockets' bench.
The Bad: While each team committed 18 turnovers, Houston was only able to convert their chances into 18 points, while Dallas tallied 28 points off turnovers. Houston, playing without Luis Scola, was also out-rebounded by 10.

Detroit 95, Milwaukee 93

The Good: Ben Gordon netted 19 points and Rodney Stuckey added 16 points and 6 assists as the Pistons got back in the win column against Milwaukee. The Bucks were paced by 23 points from Michael Redd and 16 points off the bench from Ersan Ilyasova.
The Bad: Charlie Bell, Kurt Thomas, and Roko Ukic played a combined 41 minutes for Milwaukee and shot just 1-for-14 as a group. Ben Wallace was just 1-for-7 from the floor for Detroit, who also got just 2 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist from first-rounder Austin Daye, who drew the start.
The Ugly: Milwaukee scored just 14 points in the first quarter, and the teams were tied at 38 at halftime.

Utah 95, Sacramento 85

The Good: Utah moved to 6-2 on the preseason with a win over Sacramento, led by 19 points apiece from Deron Williams and Paul Milsap. Williams added 11 assists, while Milsap collected 7 rebounds. Tyreke Evans led Sacramento with 21 points, along with 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.
The Bad: Sacramento shot just 36.8% from the field, 26.3% from distance, and 62.2% from the free throw line in the loss. They also committed 20 turnovers, while only forcing 14, which turned into only 12 Kings' points.
The Ugly: Spencer Hawes was 0-for-6 from the field and 1-for-6 from the free throw line, but may not have been the worst King on the floor. This may sound like hyperbole, but after another rough start (0-for-4 with 2 points, 6 rebounds, and an assist in 21 minutes), Desmond Mason may be the worst opening night starter in the NBA.

LA Clippers 91, New Orleans 88

The Good: The Clippers finish off the preseason at 6-2 thanks to a costly win over New Orleans. Al Thornton led the Clippers with 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting, and DeAndre Jordan added 16 points and 9 rebounds on a perfect 6-for-6 from the field. Peja Stojakovic led the Hornets with 19 points, and David West added 18 points and 7 rebounds, as New Orleans kept it close without all-world point guard Chris Paul.
The Bad: The Clippers won despite converting just 3-of-18 3-point attempts and only 60.9% of their free throws.
The Ugly: Before L.A. had "Manny being Manny", they had "The Clippers being the Clippers". Many thought the Clippers' curse may have ended when they landed top pick Blake Griffin. I, however, was not one of them (see NBA Awards Predictions: ROY). As predicted, Griffin was seriously injured against the Hornets, breaking a kneecap. The injury is expected to sideline Griffin for up to 6 weeks, or about a quarter of his rookie season.

Denver 119, LA Lakers 105

The Good: Friday night saw the rematch of the NBA's favorite matchup, as Denver and L.A. squared off on national television for the second straight night, with Denver evening the series at 1 win apiece. The Nuggets had six players in double figures, led by a huge night from rookie point guard Ty Lawson. Lawson, who was drafted by Minnesota and traded on draft night, torched the Lakers to the tune of 29 points, 6 assists, and 5 steals. Sasha Vujacic led L.A. with 18 points, while the starters saw very limited minutes.
The Bad: It's hard to read too much into this game, as it was basically B-squad versus B-squad, but the teams combined to commit 44 turnovers.