What you missed while worried about what a bad year this was for elephants…
Oklahoma City 98, Memphis 95: This playoff rematch was our game of the night.
New Orleans 97, Celtics 78: Don’t hit the panic button yet, Celtics fans. Still too early. But if you want to feel uncomfortable and a little ill, go ahead. You are 0-3 on the season. On the second game of a back-to-back (and third game in four nights) the Celtics looked old and slow. And unmotivated. They had given a lot the night before in a comeback and moral victory against the Heat and looked like they had nothing left. For the third straight game they were down double digits in the second quarter and could never really crawl back.
The only bright spot was backup center Greg Stiemsma who had six blocks. Of course, he was getting run because Jermaine O’Neal was awful (1-of-6 shooting).
The Hornets played hard and looked good — and were without Eric Gordon. Jarrett Jack sliced and diced the once feared Celtics defense for 21, Carl Landry added 20 and 11 with his usual efficiency. Credit coach Monty Williams, he has this team playing hard and playing smart defense — and they are now 2-0. Thank you very much.
Heat 96, Bobcats 95: Charlotte jumped out to a fast 11-0 run, hitting their shots which let them get back on defense and get set, slowing the running onslaught the Heat try to bring. The Bobcats basically forsook offensive rebounding to get back on defense. Miami looked a little dead-legged on a back-to-back. Miami’s entire system is based on defense and the Bobcats put up 60 points in the first half.
Miami charged back from 15 down in the third behind 12 points in the quarter from LeBron James, then Chris Bosh had the momentum in the fourth. Dwyane Wade was out with a foot injury (a contusion) for most of the third but came back and hit the game winner, a little bank with 2.9 seconds left. Not a great game by Miami, but they escape with the win and a few impressive highlights.
Warriors 92, Knicks 78: Golden State had to play without Stephen Curry, meaning the Knicks could exploit the point guard matchup… oh, yea, Mike Bibby was back, so I guess not. This was not a good night for the Knick shooters — Carmelo Anthony 3-of-13, Amare Stoudemire 5-of-15 and as a team the Knicks shoot 40 percent. Tyson Chandler had two points, three rebounds, zero blocks and five fouls.
The Warriors dominated the second half, particularly the start of the fourth quarter, to pull away for the win. Monta Ellis had 22 points but needed 22 shots to get there. Brandon Rush looked good with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Kwame Brown had five offensive rebounds (not Chandler’s best night, as we mentioned). As a team the Warriors shot a pedestrian 45.5 percent but that was good enough.
Pacers 90, Raptors 85: Toronto had 11 points in the first quarter (total!) and shot 39.5 percent for the first half — and they were the better shooting team. This game was filled with some post-lockout slop. .DeMar DeRozan had zero first half points but had 16 in the fourth, but it was not enough against the balance of the Pacers starters. Danny Granger had nine points in the fourth quarter alone including some key threes, and David West hit key buckets late.
Hawks 101, Wizards 83: Two wins in two nights for the Hawks, maybe not against the best competition but they are beating the teams they are supposed to. That said, 46 of their 75 shots (61.3 percent) came from beyond 16 feet — that is not a sustainable way to win. Nick Young had 21 and John Wall had 20 but nobody on the Wizards impressed, that is not a very good team.
Cavaliers 105, Pistons 89: After an ugly NBA debut, top pick Kyrie Irving looked good, not only scoring (14 points) but he was an impressive playmaker, seeming to make the smart play every time down. Samardo Samuels (17) led six Cavs in double figures scoring. Cleveland also owned the offensive glass in this one.
Spurs 115, Clippers 90: I love watching the Clippers play but I’ve said this from the start about them as a power in the West — I need to see them play good consistent defense before I totally buy in. The Spurs shot 56.3 percent on the night and were 10-of-19 from three as a team. It was vintage Manu Ginobili as he sliced and diced the Clippers for 24 points. DeJuan Blair had 20 points and dominated the heralded Clipper front line.
Sixers 103, Suns 83: There is something very wrong with the Suns offense — Steve Nash finished with four points, one assist and six turnovers in just 17 minutes. Yikes. Philly looked good again with a balanced attack — Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young all had 15 points. Holiday left at the end after banging his knee but said post game it was not serious, he could have returned if he were needed.
Nuggets 117, Jazz 100: Two games, two impressive wins for the Nuggets. Nene had 25 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks to lead the way. Two games, two ugly losses for the Jazz. In both cases, we may be seeing a trend here.