Atlanta 105, Miami 90
Studs: Joe Johnson shot 11-for-21 on his way to 30 points and Josh Smith filled the stat sheet with 16 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and two blocks as Atlanta got a big win over division rival Miami. Michael Beasley led the Heat with 21 points and nine rebounds, and Dwyane Wade added 15 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
Duds: Wade shot just 6-for-18 and committed four turnovers. Miami's Daequan Cook, and Atlanta's Mike Bibby and Jamal Crawford were all 3-for-10 from the field.
Game Notes: Atlanta posted a 23-8 assist-to-turnover ratio. They also outscored the Heat 44-28 in the paint… The Hawks have now won six straight games and are again tied with Phoenix for the best record in the NBA… Smith tallied 11 points, five rebounds, and a steal during a 28-8 Atlanta run over the final eight minutes of the first half… Udonis Haslem was inactive with a shoulder injury and Quentin Richardson left in the third quarter with a lower back strain… The game marked the Hawks' first sellout of the season.
New York 110, Indiana 103
Studs: New York slipped past the surging Pacers behind 26 points from Al Harrington and 22 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists from Larry Hughes. Danny Granger was 12-for-18 from the field on his way to 33 points and seven rebounds, and Dahntay Jones added 25 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks in the loss.
Duds: Indiana's backcourt rotation of T.J. Ford, Brandon Rush, Earl Watson, and Luther Head shot a combined 3-for-25 (12%) from the field. Granger played a great game, but scored just three of his 33 after the half because of foul trouble. He was disqualified after just 34 minutes of action. Starters Danilo Gallinari, Chris Duhon, and Toney Douglas combined to shoot 2-for-10 for the Knicks.
Game Notes: Coming into the game, Indiana had won five straight, while the Knicks had lost six straight… Mike D'Antonio admitted that the Knicks plan to court Allen Iverson in the near future… Eddy Curry made his first appearance of the season for New York, posting 10 points and four rebounds in 12 minutes… The Knicks scored 32 points off of 20 Indiana turnovers… The Pacers shot 59% in the first half, but just 24% in the second.
Orlando 108, Oklahoma City 94
Studs: Rashard Lewis led the Magic with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists in just his second game back from suspension, and Vince Carter added 28. James Harden had a career-high 24 points off the bench to lead the Thunder.
Duds: Oklahoma City's starters were just 14-for-45 from the field with 37 points. They also committed nine of the team's 12 turnovers.
Game Notes: Lewis was pulled from the game at the end of the third quarter, ending up one assist shy of his first NBA triple-double… Orlando led by 18 at halftime and 30 after three quarters, allowing them to rest their starters. Dwight Howard played just 18 minutes… Orlando attempted over 30 3-pointers for the second straight game, making 13-of-31 (41.9%)… Orlando's Jameer Nelson had arthroscopic knee surgery on Wednesday to repair a torn meniscus and will miss four-to-six weeks… Harden made 6-of-7 3-point attempts and scored in double figures for the first time in his NBA career.
Philadelphia 86, Charlotte 84
Studs: Andre Iguodala had a team-high 25 points and Elton Brand looked like his old self against the Bobcats. The two-time All-Star had 19 points, 11 rebounds, three steals, and six blocks as the 76ers got a big win over Charlotte. Stephen Jackson led all scorers with 26 points in the loss.
Duds: Jackson was the only Bobcat with more than 11 points. Flip Murray was 1-for-7 from 3-point range and 4-for-11 from the field. Thaddeus Young was 2-for-10 for Philadelphia.
Game Notes: Lou Williams, who matched Brand with 19 points, made the decisive layup with 3.1 seconds left to give the 76ers the win… Charlotte has lost six straight and is now 0-6 on the road this season… Tyson Chandler left the game after being bothered by back spasms in the second quarter… Philadelphia's Rodney Carney played a season-high 31 minutes, posting 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
Washington 108, Cleveland 91
Studs: Antawn Jamison's return from injury may mark a turning point for the Wizards' season. The 12th-year power forward posted 31 points and 10 rebounds in his first game of the season, leading Washington to a huge win over the red-hot Cavaliers. LeBron James led Cleveland with 34 points and nine assists, and Darnell Jackson had a career game with 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Duds: Cleveland's starting backcourt struggled mightily, as Mo Williams was 2-for-13 and Anthony Parker was 2-for-7 for the short-handed Cavs. Gilbert Arenas shot 6-for-22 for the Wizards.
Game Notes: Cleveland was whistled for 26 fouls, compared to just 15 for the Wizards, which led to a +17 advantage for Washington at the free throw line… The Cavs led by 17 in the second quarter, but were outscored 64-40 in the second half… James had seven first quarter assists, but struggled in the second half and injured his left wrist on a fourth quarter dunk… Mike Miller had another strong game, with 17 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in the win.
Boston 109, Golden State 95
Studs: The Celtics had six players in double figures, including all five starters, and were led by 19 points from Paul Pierce and 18 points, seven rebounds, and 12 assists from Rajon Rondo. Corey Maggette led the Warriors with 23 points.
Duds: Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry, and Anthony Randolph combined to shoot 16-for-42 with 12 of the Warriors' 21 turnovers.
Game Notes: Boston shot 52% from the field but only 63% from the free throw line… The Celtics scored 26 points off 21 Golden State turnovers, while the Warriors only got 11 points off 18 Boston giveaways… Kevin Garnett hit a turn-around 75-footer at the first half buzzer, but replay confirmed the shot shouldn't count… Raja Bell made three 3-pointers and scored 11 points in his Warriors' debut. He will have surgery on his injured left wrist on Thursday.
Milwaukee 99, New Jersey 85
Studs: Andrew Bogut and Carlos Delfino scored 21 points apiece and Brandon Jennings added 19 points and eight assists as Milwaukee came from behind to clip the Nets. Chris Douglas-Roberts had his second straight double-double, with 31 points and 10 rebounds, and rookie Terrence Williams had his first career double-double, tallying 20 points and 10 boards in the loss.
Duds: Rafer Alston was 1-for-10 and New Jersey's thin bench combined to shoot 5-for-16 with 14 points. Jennings committed a career-high eight turnovers.
Game Notes: Things looked promising after the Nets built a seven-point halftime lead, behind a 29-point second quarter, but the tides turned quickly. Milwaukee began the second half on a 15-0 run, and outscored the Nets 28-12 in the third… Williams made seven shots in a row in the second quarter and scored 16 points in the period… New Jersey has a golden opportunity to break their losing streak on Saturday, when the New York Knicks come to town.
Houston 97, Minnesota 84
Studs: Luis Scola led the Rockets with 20 points and 16 rebounds, and Trevor Ariza made four 3-pointers on his way to 18 points. Al Jefferson finally looked like himself for Minnesota, tallying 20 points, 10 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks in his first game back after attending his grandmother's funeral.
Duds: Sasha Pavlovic shot 2-for-11 and rookie Jonny Flynn had arguably his worst game of the season, shooting 4-for-12 and committing three turnovers. Fellow rookie Chase Budinger was 1-for-7 for Houston, who also saw Aaron Brooks commit 8 turnovers.
Game Notes: Houston committed 21 turnovers, to match their assist total, but the Timberwolves exceeded theirs. They got 17 assists on 36 made baskets and committed 22 turnovers… Jefferson was inadvertently kicked in the head by Houston's Carl Landry in the fourth quarter, but stayed in the game… Minnesota has lost 11 straight games, the last seven of which by double figures.
Memphis 106, LA Clippers 91
Studs: Memphis won this clash of the titans behind 21 points apiece from Zach Randolph and Rudy Gay. They also got 16 each from Marc Gasol and O.J. Mayo. Baron Davis led the Clippers with 23 points and five assists.
Duds: Rasual Butler was 3-for-9 from the field and Davis made just 6-of-10 free throw attempts, while the Clippers allowed Memphis to shoot 54.3% from the field.
Game Notes: Jamaal Tinsley made his first appearance with Memphis, gathering two rebounds and a steal on 0-for-2 shooting, with a turnover and two fouls in 6 minutes. Tinsely hadn't played since the middle of the 2007-2008 season… Marc Gasol made his first seven shots after making all eight against Minnesota on Saturday to set the franchise record with 15 straight makes… Memphis has now won two games in a row over powerhouses Minnesota and the Clippers.
Utah 104, Toronto 91
Studs: Deron Williams returned to the lineup for Utah, but Eric Maynor kept playing like a starter as Utah beat the Raptors. Williams posted 20 points and nine assists, while the rookie tallied 15 points and six assists. Carlos Boozer had 22 points and 18 rebounds, and Andrei Kirilenko came off the bench with 20 points and seven boards. Chris Bosh led the way for Toronto with 32 points and 17 rebounds and Marco Belinelli had another good game off the bench with 19 points.
Duds: Bosh and Belinelli combined to shoot 20-for-39 (51.3%), but the rest of the Raptors managed just 14-for-52 (26.9%).
Game Notes: Utah dominated down low, outscoring the Raptors 54-36 in the paint. The Jazz also recorded 25 assists to Toronto's 14… Toronto cut an 18-point Jazz lead to just one early in the fourth, before a 17-2 Utah run sealed the victory.
Dallas 99, San Antonio 94 (OT)
Studs: Dirk Nowitzki notched his 14th career 40-point game and added 12 rebounds as Dallas won their fourth straight game. Drew Gooden chipped in with 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Jason Kidd added 11 boards, eight assists, and four steals. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 22 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, and four blocks.
Duds: Duncan shot just 8-for-22 and teammate Roger Mason was just 2-for-8 as San Antonio let this one slip away. Jason Terry was 4-for-19 for Dallas, while Kidd and Quentin Ross combined to shoot just 2-for-11.
Game Notes: This game was fairly even in most statistical categories except for three. San Antonio had a +12 advantage from beyond the 3-point line, while Dallas outscored the Spurs 46-22 in the paint and won the turnover battle 18-5. Consequently, the Mavericks had 22 more field goal attempts and six more makes, despite shooting a lower percentage… Nowitzki single-handedly outscored the Spurs in overtime 11-10… Dallas was playing without three starters, as Erick Dampier missed the game with illness and Shawn Marion and Josh Howard were sidelined with ankle injuries… Manu Ginobili left in the first quarter with a strained groin and did not return. He will sit out San Antonio's next game against Utah.
Portland 87, Detroit 81
Studs: Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points each and Andre Miller added 10 points and 11 assists as Portland held on to beat the Pistons. Rodney Stuckey had a game-high 21 points for Detroit, who also got 20 points from Charlie Villanueva.
Duds: Stuckey shot 3-for-11 in the first half and 3-for-10 in the second to finish 6-for-21. Ben Gordon was 4-for-12. Martell Webster missed three shot and picked up three quick fouls in 12 minutes off the Blazers' bench.
Game Notes: Portland led by 10 at halftime and 20 after three quarters, but Detroit made a torrid 27-8 run in the fourth, cutting the lead to just one with 65 seconds to play… Portland's Travis Outlaw had surgery Wednesday to repair a broken foot. He's expected to miss three-to-five months… Portland had 25 assists on 33 made field goals, compared to just 13 assists on 31 baskets for the Pistons.
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