12-2-08 Recap
Pacers beat Lakers: The Lakers finally got their second loss of the season, and it took an amazing fourth quarter run by the Pacers to do it … Troy Murphy hit the game-winner, but that shot shouldn’t overshadow the work he did all game. Murphy scored 16 points and added a whopping 17 rebounds (6 offensive) … Danny Granger’s 32 points are nice, but it took him 27 shots to reach those numbers … Los Angeles didn’t have that bad of a game, at least offensively. Their big three of Andrew Bynum, Kobe Bryant, and Pau Gasol all played well and the supporting cast was decent.
Wizards beat Nets: Two games, two upsets so far … Washington’s offense was hot, posting a 124.1 efficiency. This can be attributed mainly to two things. One, they lit up the Nets with three-pointers, converting 13 of their 24 attempts. Two, they committed just seven turnovers … The two amigos of Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison finally got a third amigo to step up. DeShawn Stevenson had an efficient 21 points … Devin Harris was kept under control. He didn’t have a bad game (he scored 18), but it was nothing like his most recent efforts.
Trail Blazers beat Knicks: You have to love Mike D’Antoni. New York’s roster was pretty weak personnel-wise even before they traded away Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph. Yet somehow, the Knicks are competitive and stayed close tonight against a very good Portland team … Even when Greg Oden struggles, he doesn’t really struggle. He grabbed seven boards tonight in just 19 minutes of play … Chris Duhon is having the best season of his career, and I have a feeling that has something to do with Mr. D’Antoni. He finished with 23 points and 13 assists tonight.
76ers beat Bulls: After being embarrassed by Derrick Rose last time, Andre Miller responded with 28 points. However, it wasn’t a very efficient 28 … The Sixers needed a big game from Andre Iguodala, and they got one. AI shot well and grabbed nine rebounds … Rose led the Bulls offensively. Committing six turnovers is a bad thing, though.
Mavericks beat Clippers: Poor Clippers. They were on the road in a very tough place to play, getting good games from all of their stars, had a big fourth quarter lead, and still lost. Such is life when you’re 3-14 … Of those stars, the best was Zach Randolph. He finished with 27 points and ten rebounds. His offensive prowess should never be doubted … Can you be considered an all-around player if you don’t score? Jason Kidd is walking that fine line. He had eight assists, seven rebounds, four steals, and zero points on six shots.
Pistons beat Spurs: An impressive win for Detroit after they were starting to gain a bunch of doubters … Allen Iverson had a decent game, but you’ll still be hard-pressed to find many people right now who would say he’s a better fit for the team than Chauncey Billups … Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili were both in the starting lineup for the Spurs, but neither played exceptionally well. The two combined to shoot 40% … Will Roger Mason disappear now that Ginobili is back? He scored just six points tonight and committed five turnovers.
Nuggets beat Raptors: Denver simply beat Toronto senseless tonight. The Nuggets built an early lead and just kept piling on … Denver had an incredible offensive efficiency of 133.3. They shot 59.8% (including 13-24 on three’s) and took very good care of the ball … The high shooting percentage was possible because nobody had a bad shooting game, even though the entire bench was used. The worst shooting percentage on the team? Carmelo Anthony, who was only slightly below 50% … Chauncey Billups knows how to run an offense. He was super-efficient on his way to 24 points and 14 assists … Toronto couldn’t guard big men, small men, and anyone in between.
Jazz beat Kings: Utah has been plagued with injuries so far this season, yet after 19 games, they find themselves at a very respectable 12-7 … Nobody on the team scored more than 14 points, but overall they were good enough offensively. That is some serious offensive balance … Kevin Martin returned from injury for the Kings and led the team in scoring. However, he was not his usual efficient self and shot 6-16.
Picks
Memphis at Atlanta: Hawks
New York at Cleveland: Cavaliers
Minnesota at Orlando: Magic
L.A. Lakers at Philadelphia: Lakers
Portland at Washington: Trail Blazers
Oklahoma City at Charlotte: Bobcats
Indiana at Boston: Celtics
Phoenix at New Orleans: Hornets
Chicago at Milwaukee: Bulls
L.A. Clippers at Houston: Rockets
Miami at Utah: Jazz
Prediction Record: 151-76
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