NBA RECAP 11/7/08

As you guys are gonna find out, there were a lot of foul calls tonight.

BOBCATS 92, HORNETS 89

STUDS
Chris Paul (NOH) 20 points, 10 assists, 6 steals
Peja Stojakovic (NOH) 20 points (6-12 3PT)
Felton/Richardson (CHA) 40 points (59 mins)
D.J. Augustin (CHA) 11 points, 4 assists (20 mins)

DUDS
David West (NOH) 11 points, 5 rebounds, 6 fouls (40 mins)
Jared Dudley (CHA) 0 points, 1 rebound (0-5 FG, 16 mins)

SUMMARY
Charlotte went on a 14-2 run in the 4th quarter with an Augustin-Carroll-Morrison lineup. David West failed to capitalize against the Bobcats frontcourt.

KNICKS 114, WIZARDS 108

STUDS
Caron Butler (WAS) 30 points, 7 rebounds (11-24 FG, 7-11 FT)
Antawn Jamison (WAS) 24 points, 12 rebounds (11-21 FG, 2-7 3PT)
Zach Randolph (NYK) 22 points, 13 rebounds (8-16 FG, 1-2 3PT, 5-7 FT)
JaVale McGee (WAS) 12 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks (5-8 FG)
Chris Duhon (NYK) 6 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, 0 turnovers (2-5 3PT)
Juan Dixon (WAS) 5 points, 11 assists, 1 turnover

DUDS
Knicks interior defense - once again failed to block a shot.

SUMMARY
Wilson Chandler is the new starting PF in NY! He finished with 17 pts and 4 rebs. David Lee came off the bench and played all the backup PF and C minutes, which kept Malik Rose off the court. Dixon, Young, and McGee played heavy minutes compared to starters Daniels, Stevenson, and Thomas, so there could be a lineup change or two down the line.

HAWKS 110, RAPTORS 92

STUDS
Chris Bosh (TOR) 26 points, 8 rebounds
Mike Bibby (ATL) 19 points, 12 assists
Evans/Murray (ATL) 31 points (5-8 3PT, 46 mins)

DUDS
Josh Smith (ATL) 6 points (11 mins) Suffered ankle injury that will keep him out 2-4 weeks

SUMMARY
Vintage Bibby tonight. Lots of Bosh and not much else for Toronto. J-Smoove's injury is only 2-4 weeks, but for a team with no frontcourt depth, they could be under .500 by the time he comes back, which would be devastating for a team off to it's best start in over a decade. Atlanta could run small with Marvin at the four and Evans at the three, or run big with Horford at the four and Pachulia at the five.


CAVALIERS 101, PACERS 97

STUDS
Danny Granger (IND) 33 points, 6 rebounds (13-21 FG, 5-10 3pT)
LeBron James (CLE) 27 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 blocks
Anderson Varejao (CLE) 18 points, 8 rebounds (+18 in +/-)
Marquis Daniels (IND) 17 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists

DUDS
Ben Wallace (CLE) 0 points, 1 rebound (19 mins, -17 in +/-)

SUMMARY
I hate talking about LeBron James. He's the same story every game, putting up nearly 30/10/10 every night. The repetition gets old after awhile. Oh wait, this time he added 4 blocks to his usual line. Thanks for keeping it fresh LBJ!


NETS 103, PISTONS 96

STUDS
Devin Harris (NJN) 38 points (9-15 FG, 20-24 FT)
Allen Iverson (DET) 24 points, 6 assists (6-12 FG, 11-13 FT)
Josh Boone (NJN) 18 points, 14 rebounds

DUDS
Iverson's defense.

SUMMARY
Wow. Raise your hand if you thought Devin Harris would be the story of the game in Iverson's debut with Detroit? His previous career high in scoring was 27 points against a soft Indiana defense. Another measurment of his explosion: Harris had scored 37 points through his first three games this year. His scoring average jumps from 12.3 to 18.8.

CELTICS 101, BUCKS 89

STUDS
Paul Pierce (BOS) 18 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists

DUDS
Ramon Sessions (MIL) 11 points, 0 assists, 5 turnovers (19 mins)

SUMMARY
Milwaukee didn't have much of a chance without Michael Redd.

HEAT 99, SPURS 83

STUDS
Dwyane Wade (MIA) 33 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals (14-25 FG, 5-6 FT)
Michael Beasley (MIA) 20 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists (5-10 FG, 10-10 FT)
Roger Mason (SAS) 18 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists (6-17 FG)

DUDS
Bruce Bowen (SAS) 2 points, 2 turnovers (12 mins)
Michael Finley (SAS)

SUMMARY
Tony Parker followed up his double nickel with an ankle injury and will miss 2-4 weeks. San Antonio should be in full blown panic mode right now. It's time for them to bench Bowen, as it's clear they can't afford to sacrifice any offense right now. Roger Mason got the start over Michael Finley and it could be permanent.

Hey Spurs fans, you know how we talk about your team being too old to be a legit contender? This is why. Parker's been overworked this year and they finally paid for it. This pretty much kills the Spurs chances of home court advantage in the playoffs, if not their playoff chances, as the November hole they're going to dig could be insurmountable in this conference. The last time the Spurs started this badly, they ended up with the #1 pick thanks to David Robinson missing the entire year with an injury. By the time Parker/Ginobili come back you almost have to wonder whether the Spurs would be better off just tanking and calling it a year.

BULLS 100, SUNS 83

STUDS
Amare Stoudemire (PHX) 26 points, 7 rebounds (5-10 FG, 16-18 FT)
Ben Gordon (CHI) 23 points, 6 assists
Derrick Rose (CHI) 18 points, 6 assists (8-11 FG)
Robin Lopez (PHX) 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks (6-9 FG)
Kirk Hinrich (CHI) 5 points, 5 assists, 5 steals (16 mins)

DUDS
Steve Nash (PHX) 6 points, 5 assists, 3 turnovers (2-7 FG)
Leandro Barbosa (PHX) 2 points (1-8 FG)

SUMMARY
Shaq didn't play in the 2nd game of a back to back and while rookie Robin Lopez thrived, the rest of the team struggled. Hill got the start for Barnes whose wife is giving birth to twins. Leandro Barbosa should change his name to Dow Jones. Derrick Rose continues to impress and the Bulls should return to the playoffs this season. Aaron Gray got the start at C with Gooden moving to PF and Tyrus Thomas moving back to the bench. Hinrich also got the start over Sefolosha who didn't play until garbage time.

JAZZ 104, THUNDER 97

STUDS
Kevin Durant (OKC) 22 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists (9-15 FG, 5-6 FT)
Jeff Green (OKC) 22 points, 5 rebounds (3-3 3PT)
Carlos Boozer (UTA) 21 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists
Demond Mason (OKC) 18 points, 5 rebounds (26 mins)
Andrei Kirilenko (UTA) 16 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks
Brevin Knight (UTA) 4 points, 11 assists, 3 steals

DUDS
Chris Wilcox (OKC) 2 points, 6 rebounds, 3 turnovers (1-7 FG)

SUMMARY
Deron who?

KINGS 121, WOLVES 109
STUDS
Kevin Martin (SAC) 26 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists
John Salmons (SAC) 23 points (9-15 FG)
Kevin Love (MIN) 20 points, 8 rebounds (6-7 FG, 8-10 FT)
Sebastian Telfair (MIN) 15 points, 7 assists, 0 turnovers
Brad Miller (SAC) 11 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks (26 mins)
Spencer Hawes (SAC) 13 points, 8 rebounds (22 mins)

DUDS
Corey Brewer (MIN) 0 points, 0-5 FG

SUMMARY
Brad Miller returned from suspension and had a double-double while starting over Hawes. They combined for 24-18-5 with 3 blocks and 10 fouls. Love and Telfair were inserted into the starting lineup and both responded well.


ROCKETS 92, CLIPPERS 83
STUDS
Baron Davis (LAC) 23 points, 8 assists
Chris Kaman (LAC) 23 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks (11-18 FG)
Ron Artest (HOU) 23 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists
Carl Landry (HOU) 20 points, 9 rebounds (7-14 FG, 6-6 FT)
Yao Ming (HOU) 16 points, 9 rebounds, 5 blocks

DUDS
Ricky Davis (LAC) 7 points, 3 assists (3-10 FG, 27 mins)
Tracy McGrady (HOU) 2 points (0-5 FG)

SUMMARY
Even with Baron Davis, the Clippers are a poor offensive team. He and Kaman had over half of the teams points tonight. There isn't a single player on the team you can rely on from game to game.

After being the main man in game one, T-Mac struggled badly in the second night of a back to back. While this is concerning for Houston, it's a good sign that they still convincingly won despite an 0-5 performance from him.

NUGGETS 108, MAVERICKS 105

STUDS
Carmelo Anthony (DEN) 28 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists (7-18 FG, 14-14 FT)
Jason Kidd (DAL) 22 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 blocks (8-14 FG, 6-12 3PT)
Nene (DEN) 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks (8-12 FG, 3-4 FT)
Linas Kleiza (DEN) 14 points (5-10 FG, 15 mins)
Gerald Green (DAL) 13 points (5-9 FG, 14 mins)

DUDS
Jerry Stackhouse (DAL) 2 points (1-8 FG)
Erick Dampier (DAL) 0 points, 2 rebounds, 4 fouls (9 mins)

SUMMARY
Like Iverson, Billups second debut in Denver was overshadowed by a great game from the opposing PG. In a creepy coincidence, Kidd and Harris were the big PGs traded for each other last year. Denver overcame poor shooting by going 37-40 from the FT line.


GRIZZLIES 109, WARRIORS 104
STUDS
Stephen Jackson (GSW) 27 points, 4 assists (9-21 FG, 44 mins)
Andris Biedrins (GSW) 23 points, 12 rebounds (7-13 FG, 9-10 FT)
Rudy Gay (MEM) 23 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
O.J. Mayo (MEM) 20 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists
Hakim Warrick (MEM) 19 points, 10 rebounds
Darrell Arthur (MEM) 13 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks (26 mins)
C.J. Watson (GSW) 9 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists (1-7 FG, 7-11 FT)
Anthony Randolph (GSW) 8 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block (4-8 FG, 17 mins)

DUDS
Brandan Wright (GSW) 6 points, 3 blocks, but only 2 rebounds in 20 mins
(on a night the Warriors were outrebounded 55-41, they needed more with Harrington/Maggette out of the lineup.)

SUMMARY
The winds of change are in Golden State. Watson replaced Nelson in the starting lineup. Harrington is out with a back injury/trade demand and was replaced by Wright, with Randolph moving to the reserve role. Belinelli and Marcus Williams even played an unconventional 10 mins each off the bench (for Don Nelson at least). Oh yeah, and Memphis played a good game albeit against a short handed Warriors team. Mayo and Rose are going to fight for ROY all year long. Warrick/Arthur combined for 32 points, and 22 rebounds against the skinny Wright/Randolph duo.