NBA Recap-November 6th

Indiana 102, Washington 86

 

Studs: Danny Granger had a team-high 22 points and T.J. Ford added 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists for the Pacers.  Caron Butler notched a double-double for Washington with 24 points and 10 rebounds; and Brandon Haywood added 9 points, 19 rebounds, and 4 blocks in the loss.

Duds: Neither team shot particularly well in this game, with Washington tallying 39.3% from the floor, compared to an even 40% for Indiana.  The Wizards also struggled at the line, posting just 57.7%. 

Game Notes: Tyler Hansbrough was impressive in his NBA debut.  The former Tar Heel posted 13 points and 5 rebounds in 14 minutes off the Pacers' bench… Granger had 4 steals in the first 6 minutes of the game… Antawn Jamison lit into his teammates after the game in a tirade that resulted in the demise of a fruit and candy tray in the Wizards' locker room… Brandon Rush left the game with a sprained ankle.

 

Orlando 110, Detroit 103

 

Studs: Orlando avenged their ugly loss to Detroit earlier in the week with a home win on Friday night.  Dwight Howard led the way with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Jameer Nelson added 18 points and 8 assists.  Charlie Villanueva showed signs of turning the corner after his bad start.  He posted a game-high 28 points (including 22 in the fourth quarter) on 11-for-17 shooting.

Duds: Matt Barnes was just 1-for-8 off Orlando's bench, as the Magic shot 47.4% from the floor, compared to 51.4% for the Pistons.  Howard fouled out against Detroit for the second time this week.

Game Notes: Howard made 8-of-9 free throw attempts and the Magic shot over 85% from the free throw line, compared to just 62.2% for Detroit… Ryan Anderson left the game in the third quarter with a sprained ankle.

 

Philadelphia 97, New Jersey 94

 

Studs: Philadelphia beat the Nets behind a balanced offensive attack.  Lou Williams had a team-high 18 points; Andre Iguodala had 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists; and Jason Kapono made 4-of-6 3-point attempts on his way to 14 points off the 76ers' bench.  Brook Lopez led the way for New Jersey, posting 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks; and Trenton Hassell drew his first start of the season and tallied 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Duds:  Neither team shot better than 68% from the free throw line.  Elton Brand logged just 19 minutes, posting 8 points and 5 rebounds.

Game Notes: Courtney Lee left the game in the third quarter with a leg injury, further hindering the Nets, who only dressed 10 players due to previous injuries… The Nets' 0-6 start is the worst in franchise history… The game featured 22 lead changes and 17 ties.

 

Charlotte 103, Atlanta 83

 

Studs: Raja Bell made 9-of-12 shots and 5-of-6 3-point attempts on his way to a game-high 24 points, as Charlotte moved above the .500 mark for the first time this season.  Gerald Wallace added 11 points and 18 rebounds, and Flip Murray had 15 points in his first game as a Bobcat.  Atlanta had five players in double figures, led by Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, with 13 apiece.

Duds: Atlanta shot just 39.8% from the floor and their starters only totaled 34 points.  They were also out-rebounded to the tune of 56-35.  The Hawks also made just 2-of-16 3-point attempts and shot only 65.2% from the charity stripe.

Game Notes: This was the last of a four game road trip that took Atlanta to Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Portland… Charlotte is 3-0 at home for the first time in franchise history… The Hawks recorded only 10 team assists, leading Johnson to call his team "selfish" after the loss.

 

Phoenix 110, Boston 103

 

Studs: Jason Richardson poured in 34 points and added 10 rebounds as the Suns handed Boston their first loss of the season.  Steve Nash had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Amare Stoudemire posted 22 points and 7 rebounds in the win.  Kevin Garnett led Boston with a season-high 26 points and Rajon Rondo tallied 11 assists for the Celtics.

Duds: The reserves for the two teams combined to score just 37 points (19 for Boston and 18 for Phoenix).  Eddie House missed all three of his shots, Rasheed Wallace was just 4-for-12, and Paul Pierce was 5-for-15 in the loss. 

Game Notes: Channing Frye and Kendrick Perkins had to be separated after a skirmish at the halftime buzzer, which resulted in matching technicals… Boston shot better from the floor (51.7%) than from the free throw line (50%).  They also outscored the Suns 60-36 in the paint… Phoenix enjoyed a 27-point advantage from 3-point range and a 14-point edge at the charity stripe.

 

Miami 96, Denver 88

 

Studs: Dwyane Wade had 22 points and Udonis Haslem notched another double-double (11 points and 10 rebounds) as Miami knocked Denver from the ranks of the unbeaten.  Carmelo Anthony led the Nuggets with 30 points and 8 rebounds, and Aaron Afflalo had 18 points off the bench.

Duds: Anthony Carter went 0-for-5 and was held scoreless, as was fellow starter Kenyon Martin.  Chauncey Billups was just 2-for-7 for 6 points in his 31 minutes.

Game Notes: Martin left the game in the second quarter with a lower leg contusion, and is expected to miss up to 2 weeks… Denver recorded just 10 assists on 34 made field goals.

 

Toronto 107, New Orleans 90

 

Studs: Chris Bosh made all 9 of his field goal attempts on his way to 27 points, and the Raptors made 14-of-29 3-point attempts in their rout of the Hornets.  Chris Paul played a masterful game for New Orleans, posting 21 points, 7 rebounds, 18 assists, and 2 steals, while shooting 8-for-13 and committing only 1 turnover.

Duds: Only Paul, Bobby Brown (16 points), and David West (14 points) scored above 7 for the Hornets, who look like a team in dire need of a spark.  The team lost the rebounding battle and the turnover battle, and was outscored from 2-point range, 3-point range, and the free throw line.  They also turned 11 Raptor turnovers into just 7 points.

Game Notes: The Raptors made for 3-pointers (8) in the third quarter than New Orleans made field goals (6)… Former LSU Tiger Marcus Thornton made his first NBA appearance and scored his first basket in the games final minute.

 

Milwaukee 87, Minnesota 72

 

Studs: Andrew Bogut led the Bucks with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Luke Ridnour added 16 points off the bench as Milwaukee got a come-from-behind win over the Timberwolves.  Minnesota was led by 20 points from Jonny Flynn and 13 points from Corey Brewer.

Duds: Flynn and Brewer were the only Timberwolves to score more than 8 points, and Flynn was the only player to connect on more than 4 field goal attempts.  The team shot just 39.2% from the field, including a 3-for-12 effort from Al Jefferson and a 1-for-6 showing from Oleksiy Pecherov.

Game Notes: Minnesota led by 8 after one quarter and by 5 at halftime, but was outscored by Milwaukee 31-14 in the third quarter… The T-wolves shot a combined 11-for-36 (30.6%) in the second and third quarters.

 

Cleveland 100, New York 91

 

Studs: LeBron and company made their only visit to Madison Square Garden on Friday night and emerged victorious thanks to 33 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 steals from King James.  David Lee had a team-high 21 points for the Knicks and Larry Hughes looked reinvigorated against his old team, posting 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals.

Duds: Chris Duhon was 0-for-6 and Al Harrington came off the bench to shoot just 5-for-14 in the loss.  Cleveland shot just 65.7% from the free throw line, but outscored New York by 6 points at the charity stripe, as the Knicks managed only 12 attempts.

Game Notes: LeBron shot 8-for-9 in the first quarter, on his way to 19 points in the frame, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer… J.J. Hickson got his first start of the season, in place of Anderson Varejao, who came off the bench.

 

Houston 105, Oklahoma City 94

 

Studs: Carl Landry and Trevor Ariza led the Rockets with 21 points each, and Luis Scola posted 19 points and 10 rebounds in the win.  Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined for 60 points and 25 made field goals, as the Thunder did their best to keep it close.

Duds: Nenad Krstic has had a strong start for OKC, but struggled mightily against Houston.  He was just 1-for-8, while teammate Jeff Green was only slightly better, posting a 3-for-15 effort.

Game Notes: Houston has won 11 straight games over the Seattle-Oklahoma City franchise… Rockets' back up point guard Kyle Lowry had 8 assists and 4 blocks in just 20 minutes… The Thunder's third point guard, Shaun Livingston, saw his first action of the season, with 2 points and an assist in 10 minutes.

 

LA Clippers 118, Golden State 90

 

Studs: Eric Gordon and Baron Davis had 25 points apiece and Chris Kaman added 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks, as the Clippers got a convincing victory over Golden State.  Reserves Sebastian Telfair and DeAndre Jordan were productive also, adding 13 points apiece in limited action.  Anthony Morrow had his second straight strong showing, tallying a team-high 18 points off the bench.

Duds: Aside from Morrow, the Warriors' backcourt rotation (Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry, Acie Law, and C.J. Watson) combined to shoot 7-for-22, as Golden State managed just 34.5% from the field as a team.  Monta Ellis also recorded a game-high 6 turnovers.

Game Notes: Davis scored 16 of his 25 in the third quarter, matching the Warriors' output for the quarter.  L.A. outscored Golden State 34-16 in the quarter… The Clippers shot 57.9% from the floor as a team… Andris Biedrins missed the game with a sore back.

 

LA Lakers 114, Memphis 98

 

Studs: The Lakers made it a clean sweep for L.A. with a victory over Memphis in the Jerry West Bowl.  Kobe Bryant poured in 41 points on 19-for-30 shooting, and D.J. Mbenga added 13 rebounds and 4 blocks, as he got the start for the injured Andrew Bynum.  Rudy Gay led the Grizzlies with 22 points and Zach Randolph notched another double-double with 21 points and 15 boards in the loss.

Duds: Lamar Odom had the only particularly poor outing in this game.  Mr. Kardashian was 1-for-6 before fouling out after 29 minutes.

Game Notes: Memphis played arguably their best game of the season, but were simply outclassed by the Lakers.  Memphis shot 45.6% on their 79 field goal attempts, but L.A. shot 50.5% on an astounding 95 attempts… Bryant became the youngest player to reach the 24,000-point barrier, breaking Wilt Chamberlain's mark by 38 days… Allen Iverson scored 8 points in 22 minutes off the bench, but was granted an indefinite leave of absence by the team to deal with 'personal issues'.  This may mark the beginning of the end for The Answer in Memphis.

 

Portland 96, San Antonio 84

 

Studs: Brandon Roy had a game-high 24 points and Greg Oden took it to Tim Duncan, posting 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks in 25 minutes.  Richard Jefferson had 19 to pace the Spurs.

Duds: Starters Tony Parker and Matt Bonner were each just 1-for-4, as the Spurs managed just 38% from the field and 19% from 3-point range as a team.

Game Notes: Parker left the game in the second quarter after rolling his ankle on a drive to the basket… The Spurs are just 2-3 and have yet to win on the road this season… Both teams tinkered with their starting lineups.  Keith Bogans drew the start in place of Michael Finley for San Antonio, while the Blazers went with Andre Miller, Steve Blake, and Brandon Roy together on the perimeter.