NBA scores: Lakers stifle Bucks, Clippers blast Rockets

Whether Gasol’s presence (or lack thereof) impacts Howard’s play is a question for another day. It’s become clear that the inverse -- that Howard has affected Pau’s game negatively -- is true, but there’s nothing about Howard that should render him less useful when Gasol plays. The samples are too small to give a real answer. But regardless of Pau’s presence, there’s no question that Howard has been playing better of late. His last awful game (by the standards to which Dwight is judged based on his body of work) was New Year’s Day when the Sixers’ unspectacular frontcourt ran him ragged.

That’s the sort of impact Dwight needs to have night in, night out and against better teams than average Milwaukee and on the road. Howard doesn’t seem to be suffering any ill effects from his torn labrum, and the greater concern would appear to be whether his surgically repaired back is finally in game shape. Are the last four games a fluke, or is Howard going to be a beast from here on out? That’s obviously a critical question for a Lakers team that still has little room for error. L.A. needs to win 10 of its next 16 to hit .500 by the All-Star Break with some tough games coming up, including a match with the Heat on Thursday.

It’s what the Lakers (17-21) envisioned when they signed the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

The Lakers set the tone early, jumping out to a 57-50 lead in the first half. They outscored the Bucks in the paint, exploiting their size advantage.

The Nuggets (24-16) extended their season-high winning streak to six games, and it took a total team effort against the tenacious Blazers (20-18).

The Blazers’ top-heavy lineup managed to stay in the game, but 18 turnovers ultimately cost them the game. Denver scored 22 points in transition off fast breaks and exploited Portland’s sloppy ball security. Denver also dominated the paint, scoring 68 points in the paint.

(.GIF courtesy of @blazersedge)

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Never? Well I have. And this girl isn’t helping. They’re named after clipper SHIPS, guys. Ships. Nice touch with the toenail “C”, though.

Terrence Ross has a pretty outrageous vertical, as you can see here. He’s got time on a baseline dunk to do a quick pump. Quincy Acy recognizes this excellence and celebrates appropriately, as you can see above. Quincy Acy should celebrate all dunks.

UPDATE: No word on how Acy celebrated this second Ross dunk, but it was even more impressive. Hopefully, Acy celebrated in kind.

Update: Lowry returned in the fourth quarter.

That’s...that’s it? He just throws the same passes around every night? Rajon Rondo is a preternatural space creature and, in my imagination, does much stranger stuff to prepare for games. This is more what I expected, Mad-Lib style:

That sounds like Rajon Rondo.

Paul told sources of Yahoo!‘s Adrian Wojnarowski that his bruised kneecap was feeling better on Tuesday, but it’s apparently not enough to allow for the point guard’s return.

Paul is averaging 16.8 points and 9.7 assists on 48 percent shooting this year.

Terry Stott’s team will have to rely upon a heavily-used starting lineup to match Denver. The Blazers could take advantage of the Nuggets’ lineup that, while not poor, doesn’t start games quickly.

Karl told the Denver Post this week that it’s been an issue.

The most interesting match-up of the night will be at the shooting guard position, where two former Sixth Man of the Year winners square off.

The Rockets have opened as two-point favorites, but they’ll almost certainly need an All-Star caliber performance from Harden to overcome one of the hottest teams in the NBA, with or without Paul.

There’s six NBA matchups for the enterprising League Pass-er on a Tuesday night, including two pitting teams that are .500 or better against each other. Here’s a look at Tuesday night’s schedule, and how to watch: