Our quick look around the NBA, or what you missed while playing the Breaking Bad game...
Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks. Teague had a nice game before entering overtime — he had 22 points and 7 assists in regulation. However, he finished with 12 points and 3 assists in the extra 10 minutes and controlled the play a lot of ways for Atlanta. We have to ding him because he had chances to end the game at the end of regulation and at the end of the first overtime. However, the third time was a charm. We also have to ding him because he was assigned Kyrie Irving much of the night and the Cavs point guard scored 40. Still, Hawks get the win.
James Harden, Houston Rockets. Second night of a back-to-back with their best win of the season on the front end, then trailing Memphis by 13 in the third quarter of the second game, a lot of teams would have just rolled over. It’s a sign of maturity that James Harden and Jeremy Lin led a comeback to get Houston the win. Harden had 11 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter. Harden got those 27 points on just 9 shots. How? He attacked the rim and got to the line 25 times, drawing a boatload of fouls.
Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs. Who is too old again? At age 37 on the second night of a back-to-back, if Tim Duncan had an off night you’d forgive him. But Duncan showed up and had one of the best games of his season. In the fourth quarter Dallas had made a push and Duncan responded with a couple makes and a key assist to seal the win.
LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers. Aldridge had some troublesome wisdom teeth pulled Sunday and since then hadn’t eaten much at all (which sucks on Christmas) nor had he shot a basketball. He was a game time decision Thursday, decided to play and went out and dropped 32 on the Clippers, including seven in overtime. Plus he pulled down 10 rebounds. Down the stretch of this game it was pretty much all Aldridge all the time for the Blazers, who ran the offense through him on the left block. And he responded.
