NBA Recap-November 2nd

Charlotte 79, New Jersey 68

 

Studs: Gerald Wallace had 24 points and 20 rebounds for Charlotte.  Chris Douglas-Roberts led New Jersey with 20, and Brook Lopez added 18.

Duds: Everyone.  Charlotte won the game despite shooting a putrid 32.4% from the floor, and the Nets weren't much better, tallying 37.9%.  Rafer Alston, Yi Jianlian, and Bobby Simmons combined to shoot 2-for-17 for New Jersey; and Raja Bell, Tyson Chandler, Nazr Mohammed, and Vlad Radmanovic combined for 3-for-26 for the Bobcats.

Game Notes: Charlotte shot just 8-for-42 (19%) in the first half, but posted a 24-0 run in the third and fourth quarters, during which the Nets were 0-for-11 from the floor with 9 turnovers… Making the ugly loss worse for New Jersey, Yi Jianlian left the game with a sprained knee… The Nets made as many field goals as turnovers in the game (25)… Charlotte's Gerald Wallace has failed to record an assist in 171 minutes of action this season.

 

New York 117, New Orleans 111

 

Studs: David Lee had a season-high 28 points and 8 rebounds; Al Harrington scored 24 points off the bench; and Chris Duhon added 18 points and 9 assists as the Knicks got their first win of the early season.  Chris Paul kept the Hornets in it by posting 32 points, 5 rebounds, and 13 assists.

Duds: Bobby Brown shot 2-for-7 and James Posey was 1-for-4 with 4 fouls in just 19 minutes for New Orleans.  Danilo Gallinari was just 2-for-9 in his second straight start, and Harrington's 24 points came on 8-of-21 shooting.

Game Notes: New Orleans forced just 9 Knick turnovers and didn't score a single point in transition.  They were also outscored 50-36 in the painted area… Nate Robinson didn't play and may miss up to 2 weeks with a sprained ankle… Jared Jeffries needed 3 stitches after drawing a hard foul in the third quarter.

 

Houston 113, Utah 96

 

Studs: Houston dominated Utah behind a balanced offensive attack that saw eight Rockets in double figures, led by 19 points and 9 assists from Aaron Brooks.  Rookie Chase Budinger was especially effective as well, tallying 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting, in just 22 minutes.  Mehmet Okur led the Jazz with 21 points on 9-for-13 shooting and Deron Williams added 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists.

Duds: Williams and Carlos Boozer combined to shoot just 7-for-26.  Boozer scored just 7 points and committed 4 turnovers in 34 minutes.  The Jazz bench also struggled, contributing just 13 points on 4-of-13 shooting.  David Anderson was the only Rocket to attempt a shot and not reach double digits.  He ended up 1-for-7 with 3 points.

Game Notes: Utah led by 3 at halftime and trailed by just 3 through three quarters, but was outscored 34-20 in the final frame… All 11 Jazz players who stepped on the floor recorded negative +/- ratios, while each of the eight double digit scorers for the Rockets recorded a positive total… Utah has allowed 108.3 points per game in their first three contests.

 

Sacramento 127, Memphis 116 (OT)

 

Studs: Kevin Martin made 7 2-pointers, 7 3-pointers, and 13 free throws on his way to 48 points in the Kings' first win, and Spencer Hawes added 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists off the bench.  Memphis got solid showings from several players in the loss- Zach Randolph had 30 points and 16 rebounds, Marc Gasol had 16 points and 16 boards, and Rudy Gay had 21 points and 13 rebounds.  Allen Iverson also made his first appearance with Memphis, scoring 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting in 18 minutes off the bench.

Duds: Aside from Iverson, the Grizzlies' bench accounted for just 3 points on 0-for-4 shooting with 8 fouls in just 26 minutes.  Sacramento's starters were almost as bad.  Aside from Martin, the Kings' starting 5 went 4-for-17 and scored just 12 points.

Game Notes: Iverson made waves after the game with comments about his role as a reserve, stating that he had no problems with his hamstring, but "problems with his butt" from all the time he spent on the bench… Four Kings' reserves scored in double figures, compared to just one starter.

 

LA Clippers 93, Minnesota 90

 

Studs: Chris Kaman is looking like an All-Star-caliber center through his first few contests, as he posted another double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds.  Marcus Camby also thrived against and undersized Minnesota team, posting 8 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks.  Al Jefferson broke the 20-point barrier for the second straight game, with a season-high 24 points, and Oleksiy Pecherov played well in his second start of the season, shooting 6-for-8 with 13 points after learning that the team declined his 2010-2011 option.

Duds: Each team had a pair of starters struggle mightily.  Ryan Gomes and Corey Brewer combined to shoot just 10-for-35 (28.6%) for the Timberwolves, and Baron Davis and Rasual Butler totaled 5-for-25 (20%) for the Clippers.

Game Notes: Minnesota won the points-off-of-turnovers battle by a striking margin of 30-9, and attempted 13 more shots than their opponents, but lost at the free throw line, where L.A. had an 11-point advantage… Al Jefferson has showed signs that he may be turning the corner after an ACL injury cost him much of last season, but his rebounding numbers are still far below expectations.  Jefferson collected only 4 boards against the Clippers and has only 24 through 4 games.