Just a monster 14-game slate this Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, so before we give you our Three Stars, let’s break off a few honorable mentions.
In Boston, there was Tony Parker shredding the Celtics for 26 points and six assists on 12-of-17 shooting. In Miami, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade each had 28 points, but it was the play of Chris Bosh, who finished with 24 points on 14 shots and 18 rebounds that once again proved to be most important for the Heat in their overtime win over the Bucks.
In Phoenix, Marcin Gortat got the touches he asked for, and delivered with 22 points on 11-of-14 shooting, to go along with seven rebounds as the Suns blew out the Blazers by 27.
Now, onto the most stellar.
Third Star: Paul George - 37 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 9-of-13 shooting from three:
The Pacers are a long way from getting right, needing overtime to get a home win over a Hornets team playing without Anthony Davis. But if they can get more players to step up the way George did tonight, they may have a fighting chance to not be terrible as the season progresses for the next few months with Danny Granger recovering from injury.
Second Star: Kevin Love - 34 points, 14 rebounds, 12-of-25 shooting:
Well, this was a pleasant surprise. No one was expecting Love back anytime soon, with the timetable for his return thought to be at least two or more weeks away. But not only was Love active for this one, he played as if he had never left, posting a big-time double-double in his first appearance of the season. The loss to Denver notwithstanding, Love’s game by itself was supremely impressive.
First Star: Kevin Durant - 35 points on 19 shots, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals:
OKC needed every bit of Durant’s big game to hold off the Clippers in overtime, even with Chris Paul uncharacteristically struggling mightily to get the job done offensively. But in addition to the huge numbers and the big buckets, Durant delivered a kiss to a courtside fan who was on the unfortunate business end of one of his errant passes. Just one more reason why Durant is one of the game’s most humble and likable superstars.