NBA Scores And More: Heat, Lakers And Celtics Do What They’re Supposed To Do
Not a lot to see here, folks. Minnesota kept the game interesting in the first half, drawing to within four points at 48-44, but Miami closed the half on a 21-9 run to end any drama, punctuated with two three-pointers by James Jones and an impossible layup by LeBron James in the final minute.
James is clearly Miami's best player, but Dwyane Wade has shouldered most of the scoring responsibilities. He tallied 26 points tonight against Minnesota's remarkably soft interior defense.
The Heat boast, in Wade and James, two of the league's most unstoppable transition forces, but Jones might be the most lethal trailing fast-break player in the league. Lose sight of him at the three-point arc and James or Wade will find him, and he will punish you. He made five of his nine triples this evening, and fellow reserve Eddie House went four-of-four.
Kevin Love scored 20 points in 26 minutes for the Timberwolves.
Play of the game: Wade welcomed Wesley Johnson to the NBA with this fastbreak jam. Also notable here: Sebastian Telfair's embarrassing "effort" to stay in front of Wade on the break.
From the blogs: Canis Hoopus writes the Heat will “figure things out” within another month, after which point “it’s all over” for the rest of the league.
Los Angeles Lakers 124, Memphis Grizzlies 105
It's hard to find fault with a whole lot of what the Lakers did in this 19-point win, which was not nearly as close as the final margin might indicate. Anyone thinking the Lakers might take it easy during the first few months before ramping up their intensity during the playoff chase is sorely mistaken. L.A. moved the ball quickly and decisively, ran its offense--Kobe Bryant kept the play-breaking to a minimum--and got whatever looks it wanted against a clearly overmatched Memphis defense. And getting a good shot, even if it doesn't go in, is the measure of success for an offense.
But last night, the Lakers’ shots found the bottom. Oh, did they ever. The defending champs shot 51.2 percent from the field and an eye-popping 60.9 percent from three-point range, on 23 attempts.
The Lakers broke the game open in during their 39-point second period, in which they made nine three-pointers against a slow, or otherwise indifferent, Grizzlies defense. Bryant made three himself, all from considerable distance, in a four-possession stretch late in the period, with the only empty trip during that span a Lamar Odom turnover.
Bear in mind that this is a Lakers team missing its starting center, a borderline All-Star talent in Andrew Bynum. And yes, Memphis was without Zach Randolph, its All-Star power forward, go-to post scorer, and rebound machine. But he would not have helped them much of anywhere in this game. Even if he could have salvaged the 59-36 deficit the Grizzles faced on the glass, he would not have been able to stop the Lakers from drilling their open shots. It was that kind of night.
Memphis' wings, meanwhile, need to learn to box out. Backup small forward Matt Barnes pulled down 14 rebounds in 27 minutes, 9 of them at the offensive end, for L.A.
Rudy Gay scored an efficient 30 points in defeat, and Memphis got solid production from Marc Gasol (11 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Michael Conley (16 points on 6-of-11 from the floor, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists), but nobody else showed up. On either end.
This is the sort of performance L.A. can put up on a nightly basis. It won't sink 60 percent of its treys very often, but with Bynum back in the lineup, and the triad of Bryant, Odom, and Pau Gasol engaged? Look out, league.
Play of the game: In protracted garbage time, backup point guard Steve Blake throws an on-target lob pass to a streaking Devin Ebanks for an emphatic fast-break flush.
Boston Celtics 109, Detroit Pistons 86
If all you knew about this game going in were the starting lineups, you could probably guess how the game would turn out. Kevin Garnett found himself matched up against lanky second-year forward Austin Daye, and thoroughly embarrassed him on each of his many touches. Garnett's not a great scorer anymore, but Boston looked to exploit his skill and intelligence advantage over Daye at every opportunity. He set the tone, with 10 of his game-high 22 points coming in the first quarter.
It never got better for Detroit, which Boston outscored in every individual period. The Pistons turned the ball over 17 times and shot just 44.9 percent from the field. To have a prayer against the Celtics’ stingy defense, the Pistons would have needed to take better care of the ball or connect more frequently from the field. Part of that issue is shot selection; the Pistons didn’t have anyone who seemed terribly interested in driving the ball to the basket.
Rajon Rondo had an average game by his standards, with 17 assists. He had averaged 16.7 in his first three outings, so last night was fairly routine. The young man is frighteningly gifted.
Play of the game: Rondo already recorded 9 dimes by halftime, so his buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the first half was just rubbing Detroit’s face in it, really.
From the blogs: CelticsBlog credits “a very balanced effort from the starting five” for the victory. Detroit Bad Boys says the Pistons’ lack of intensity hosting a strong opponent is “a huge problem in more ways than one.”
Washington Wizards 116, Philadelphia 76ers 115 (OT)
Of course, the best game of the night was the only one for which I was not responsible; Mike Prada attended Washington’s home-opening victory and has complete coverage for Bullets Forever and SB Nation DC. And here’s the link to his analysis of the top two picks in last spring’s NBA Draft.
John Wall had 29 points, 13 assists, and 9 steals in his home debut, training-camp invitee Cartier Martin hit the game-tying three just before the final horn, and the Wizards eked out a come-from-behind victory.
Play of the game: It’s Martin’s darn near buzzer-beater, essentially by default. Remember, this guy had to fight and claw just to make the team, and now he’s getting called on to make clutch baskets. What a great story.
From the blogs: Sean Fagan of Bullets Forever says he's proud of how the Wizards responded to adversity last night. And here, Prada relates a nice post-game scene from Washington's locker room. Liberty Ballers says this loss was "the hardest to stomach" on the young season. The Sixers have dropped to 0-4, dimming any optimism that may have manifested over the summer with the hiring of coach Doug Collins and the drafting of rookie swingman Evan Turner.
The Bucks dropped to 1-3 on the year and its offense, thought to be upgraded due to the offseason additions of Drew Gooden and Corey Maggette, is largely to blame. Milwaukee shot a putrid 37.5 percent against a mediocre Trail Blazers defense that was playing on the second night of a back-to-back set. Maggette got his 16 points on 4-of-12 shooting--he managed to get to the foul line as advertised in this contest--and Andrew Bogut scored 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting, but the Bucks' perimeter offense dried up. John Salmons and Brandon Jennings, the starting guards, combined to shoot 4-of-21 from the floor and 0-of-8 from beyond the arc. Milwaukee needs more from those two, especcially when Bogut's matched up against a stout defensive center like Marcus Camby.
Three of the six Blazers to score in double-figures came off the bench, with Wesley Johnson leading the way with 18 points, including 10 straight Portland points spanning the first and second periods.
Portland madde 31 of its 56 two-point attempts, which explains how it reached the 90-point mark while only sinking seven foul shots. Credit the Blazers for such a strong effort on the second night of a back-to-back. Every team faces a certain degree of difficulty with those quirks every season, but to come away with a split in two games against Chicago and Milwaukee--the only realistic contenders for the Central Division crown--on a back-to-back is nothing of which to be ashamed.
The Bucks started this game on a 16-4 run, but their home broadcast crew reported head coach Scott Skiles was dissatisfied with his team's intensity during that stretch. His concerns proved valid. Skiles needs to find a way to make his offense more dynamic if he hopes to win the Central. The injury sidelining Chicago's Carlos Boozer gives Milwaukee an excellent opportunity to gain a head start in the divisional race, which it's squandered so far.
Play of the game: Armon Johnson lobs to Dante Cunningham on the break to give Portland a 16-point lead in the middle stages of the fourth quarter. Two possessions later, Skiles would empty his bench and concede defeat.
From the blogs: Brew Hoop writes that Milwaukee must afford more respect to its opponents’ role-players in the future, lest it get beat by the likes of Matthews, Cunningham, and Johnson again.
Atlanta Hawks 100, Cleveland Cavaliers 88
On the strength of its offense, Atlanta won its fourth straight game to open the season, taking down a spirited Cavaliers team playing without its best offensive player, as Antawn Jamison sat out. The Hawks jumped out to a 40-29 lead in the first quarter and made 11 straight baskets from the 7:07 mark to the 1:39 mark of the period, primarily on jumpers.
But Cleveland stuck with it, and when the Hawks' long jumpers dried up, as they were bound to, it made its run. Third-year forward J.J. Hickson erupted with a career-best 31 points on the night, including 15 of the Cavaliers' 46 during the second and third periods, in which they made their run.
The Hawks closed out the game with a 6-0 run to extend their lead to 10 points with 2:14 remaining. Cleveland didn't respond or execute. Trailing by 8 with less than three minutes to play, it ran a high pick-and-roll for Anthony Parker at the top of the arc. It resulted in a floater that drifted wide left and barely drew iron. That play sums up one of the Cavaliers' glaring weaknesses: without Jamison, for whom do they run plays when they need a crucial basket?
Atlanta tallied an assist on 26 of its 37 baskets, and committed just seven turnovers. A team as bereft of talent as Cleveland doesn't stand much of a chance wen its opponent's offense hums to such a degree. It's worth noting they achieved all this with All-Star swingman Joe Johnson missing 15 of his 21 shot attempts. Five Hawks reached double-figure scoring, led by Marvin Williams with 22.
Minus Hickson, Cleveland scored 57 points on 21-of-57 shooting.
Play of the game: Johnson connects with Al Horford for this transition tomahawk to give Atlanta a five-point lead in the fourth quarter.
From the blogs: Peachtree Hoops writes the Hawks fell into a predictable pattern when they “got up big against a scrappy, but less talented team, laid back, lost the lead, and pulled away in the end.”
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