Indiana 86, LA Clippers 73
Studs: Troy Murphy and Dahntay Jones scored 18 points apiece and Luther Head scored 14 off the Pacers' bench. Baron Davis led L.A. with 25 points and Marcus Camby added 15 points and 21 rebounds in the loss.
Duds: Chris Kaman and Al Thornton combined to shoot an astounding 5-for-34 (14.7%) for the Clippers, who shot just 32.2% as a team. Kaman also had five turnovers. Brandon Rush was 4-for-13 and Tyler Hansbrough was 1-for-7 for Indiana.
Game Notes: Murphy came up big in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 of his 18 points for the Pacers, who were playing their first game this season without All-Star Danny Granger. Granger missed the game with a strained left knee and is questionable for Friday's game against Dallas… The Clippers led by as many as 11, but surrendered the lead while being outscored 31-14 in the fourth quarter… Eric Gordon made his return for L.A. after missing eight games with a strained groin. He posted six points on 2-for-7 shooting in 27 minutes.
Charlotte 106, Toronto 81
Studs: Gerald Wallace led all scorers with 31 points and added 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks as Charlotte dismantled the Raptors. Stephen Jackson added 23 points and six assists in the win. Chris Bosh led Toronto with 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Amir Johnson added 13 points, eight rebounds, two steals, and three blocks off the bench.
Duds: Bosh shot just 5-for-14, while teammates Jarrett Jack (1-for-9), Marco Belinelli (2-for-9), and DeMar DeRozan (4-for-12) also struggled, and Jose Calderon committed six turnovers.
Game Notes: Charlotte dominated the Raptors on the inside on both ends. The Bobcats tallied 16 blocks as a team (led by six from Tyson Chandler) and outscored Toronto 74-44 in the paint… The 35-point margin of victory is the biggest in Bobcats' team history… Charlotte is now 5-2 at home and 0-7 on the road… Bobcats' rookie Gerald Henderson posted a career-high 15 points on 5-for-9 shooting.
Boston113, Philadelphia 110
Studs: All five Celtics' starters scored in double figures, but Paul Pierce looked like Boston's unquestioned leader, tallying 27 points, six rebounds, and six assists on 10-for-15 shooting in 43 minutes. Eddie House added 13 points off the bench. Andre Iguodala flirted with a triple-double, but finished with 25 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists for the 76ers, while Jason Kapono (20 points) and Willie Green (18 points) had big games off the bench.
Duds: Jrue Holiday shot just 4-for-13 with four turnovers in his first career start for Philadelphia. Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels were each 2-for-7 shooting for Boston.
Game Notes: Philadelphia's Elton Brand was a game-time decision, but missed the game with a tight right hamstring, and starting point guard Lou Williams will miss up to two months after breaking his jaw on Tuesday against Washington… The 76ers shot 13-for-20 from 3-point range (65%)… Wallace had missed 14 straight 3-pointers before a third-quarter make.
Miami 99, Orlando 98
Studs: Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 24 points, six assists, four rebounds, three steals, and two blocks; and Michael Beasley added 15 points and 12 rebounds as Miami held on for a big win over Orlando. A resurgent Jason Williams led the Magic with 25 points and eight assists, while Vince Carter added 22 points, and Dwight Howard gathered 16 rebounds in the loss.
Duds: Rashard Lewis was 3-for-15 and Mickael Pietrus was 3-for-11 for Orlando. Wade shot just 6-for-22 and Mario Chalmers missed all four of his field goal attempts for the Heat.
Game Notes: Beasley converted a tip-in dunk off of a Wade miss in the closing seconds to give Miami the win. Orlando protested, believing that the play should have been overturned for basket interference… Williams and Howard each missed a pair of free throws in the closing moments that could have closed it out for the Magic… Orlando made 14-of-31 3-point attempts in the loss… Howard and Miami center Jermaine O'Neal got into a bit of a tussle in the second quarter, which resulted in a technical foul for O'Neal.
New Orleans 102, Milwaukee 99 (OT)
Studs: David West led all scorers with 27 points and added eight rebounds, while Darren Collison got the better of fellow-rookie Brandon Jennings on this night, posting 18 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds in the overtime win. Luke Ridnour had 23 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds; and fellow-reserve Hakim Warrick added 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucks. Jennings had 14 points, with the same eight assists and seven rebounds as Collison.
Duds: Jennings shot just 4-for-15, while Michael Redd (4-for-16) and Ersan Ilyasova (2-for-10) also struggled for Milwaukee. Peja Stojakovic was 3-for-16 for the Hornets.
Game Notes: New Orleans shot just 36.6% and committed 23 turnovers, but won behind a 28-for-31 (90.3%) effort from the free throw line… Milwaukee got just 37 points from their starters… The Hornets have now won 4-of-5 games and sit just two games below .500 at 7-9… Collison has scored in double figures in eight straight games… New Orleans has won 11 straight overtime games at home.
Cleveland 98, Detroit 88
Studs: LeBron James led the Cavaliers with 34 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists; and Mo Williams added 14 points and eight assists in the win. Rodney Stuckey had 25 points to lead the Pistons, who also got 19 points and eight rebounds from Charlie Villanueva.
Duds: Will Bynum was an atrocious 1-for-13 shooting with three turnovers for Detroit. Teammate Jonas Jerebko committed four turnovers before fouling out after just 30 minutes.
Game Notes: Cleveland shot 50% from the floor and 52.9% from 3-point range… Detroit tallied just 12 team assists on 31 made field goals, including a goose egg from Stuckey, the team's starting point guard… Ben Gordon left the game in the second quarter with a sprained ankle. No timetable has been set for his return… On his status for Friday's game against Charlotte, Shaquille O'Neal said bluntly, "I'm playing".
Denver 124, Minnesota 111
Studs: Carmelo Anthony scored 22 points and Nene added 17 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and three blocks as the Nuggets beat Minnesota. Corey Brewer led the Timberwolves with 22 points on 10-for-18 shooting, and Ryan Hollins added 19 points on 8-for-9 from the field in the loss.
Duds: Al Jefferson and Jonny Flynn were each just 6-for-15 from the field, and Brewer made just 2-of-6 free throw attempts, as Minnesota made only 67.9% of its attempts from the charity stripe.
Game Notes: Anthony is the only player in the league who has scored above 20 points in each game this season… Minnesota outscored the Nuggets in the paint by a margin of 50-34… Denver recorded 30 assists on 42 made field goals… The Timberwolves scored 69 second-half points to surpass the 87-point mark for the first time since November 9th… Minnesota is now1-14, and off to the worst start in franchise history after losing 14 straight. Nine of the last 10 of those losses have been by double figures.
Dallas 130, Houston 99
Studs: Jason Terry made 10-of-11 shots and led all scorers with 27 points as Dallas got a blowout win against the Rockets. Dirk Nowitzki added 25 points and eight rebounds, and Tim Thomas shot 9-for-13 on his way to 27 points in the win. Carl Landry was 9-for-11 for Houston, while teammate Trevor Ariza added 20 points.
Duds: Chuck Hayes, Kyle Lowry, and Chase Budinger combined to shoot 2-for-21 (9.5%) from the field and 2-for-7 (28.6%) from the free throw line with seven points and six turnovers. Rodrigue Beaubois shot 3-for-7, and was the only Maverick below 50% from the floor.
Game Notes: Dallas shot an eye-popping 65.5% from the floor and 52.9% from the 3-point line, on their way to 68 first-half points and 62 second-half points… The Mavericks had a 20-4 edge in fast break points and turned 17 Houston giveaways into 29 points at the other end… Jason Kidd tallied seven assists to move ahead of Marc Jackson for second all-time. Kidd now has 10,337 for his career, but is still more than 5,400 behind John Stockton… After Terry checked in with 7:28 left in the first quarter, Dallas made nine straight shots and went on a 26-0 run.
San Antonio 118, Golden State 104
Studs: Tony Parker looked like he was back at full strength, posting 32 points and seven assists, and Tim Duncan shot 10-for-12 with 20 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and three blocks for the Spurs. Monta Ellis led Golden State with 42 points on 16-for-25 shooting, and Anthony Randolph chipped in with 12 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks off the bench.
Duds: Stephen Curry was just 5-for-16, while fellow-starter Vlad Radmanovic shot 2-for-8 in the loss. Keith Bogans (1-for-6) and George Hill (3-for-12) struggled for San Antonio.
Game Notes: San Antonio outscored the Warriors in the paint 58-44 and registered 30 assists on 44 made field goals…. Ellis tied a career high with his 42 point outburst… Golden State hasn't won in San Antonio since Valentine's Day, 1997.
Phoenix 126, Memphis 111
Studs: Amare Stoudemire recorded 28 points and Steve Nash posted 11 points and 16 assists. Channing Frye and Jason Richardson also made three 3-pointers each, and Grant Hill was 6-for-6 from the field for Phoenix. Zach Randolph had 24 points and 13 rebounds (10 offensive) to lead the Grizzlies. Rookie Sam Young chipped in with 14 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Duds: Rudy Gay was 6-for-15 and Mike Conley was 3-for-8, but the real problem for Memphis was on defense, as the Grizzlies forced just eight Suns' turnovers. Hill made all six field goals, but missed all three of his free throw attempts.
Game Notes: Phoenix was the second team to shoot over 60% on the night, posting 61.9% as a unit, with 52 made field goals… Memphis won the battle for the paint 66-56… The Suns shot 17-for-20 (85%) in the third quarter after making their first 12 shots of the period.
Portland 93, New Jersey 83
Studs: Greg Oden led six Blazers in double figures with 18 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks. Brook Lopez posted a career-high 32 points, along with 14 rebounds and two blocks in a losing effort for the Nets.
Duds: New Jersey's defense combined to shoot 5-for-18 from the floor with 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and seven turnovers in 82 minutes. LaMarcus shot 4-for-13 for Portland.
Game Notes: New Jersey outscored the Blazers 52-28 in the paint, but made just one 3-pointer and 10 free throws… The Nets have now lost 15 straight games to open the season, trailing the NBA record by just two defeats. Before playing the Lakers on Sunday, they have a legitimate shot to win against the Kings on Friday… Oden is 27-for-36 (75%) from the floor in his last four games.
Sacramento 111, New York 97
Studs: Donte Greene led the Kings with 24 points and rookie Tyreke Evans added 19 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals in a well-rounded performance. Spencer Hawes made 7-of-8 shots on his way to 16 points in the win. Nate Robinson and David Lee scored 25 points apiece for the Knicks. Lee added 12 rebounds, while Robinson tallied five assists.
Duds: Wilson Chandler, Chris Duhon, and Toney Douglas each made just one field goal, as the trio combined to shoot 3-for-17 from the field. Sergio Rodriguez scored 15 off the Kings' bench, but he did so on 4-for-13 shooting.
Game Notes: New York shot just 38.5% from the field, compared to 48.3% for the Kings… Sacramento won the battle down low, outscoring New York 52-34 in the paint… Greene made six 3-pointers and tied a career high with his 24 points. He has averaged 20.3 points per game in his three starts this season… Beno Udrih missed the game due to illness… The Kings are 5-2 at home and 1-6 on the road this season.
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