NBA Scores And More: Heat Filibuster Hawks, Blazers Smack Lakers, Kings Come Back

After that, it was all downhill for the Dallas Mavericks who, according to Mavs Moneyball, forgot to start their engines when the game started:

Meanwhile, the Mavericks were as bad shooting as the Spurs were good. Dallas didn’t make their first three-pointer until the third quarter and were an almost perfect 1-for-19 for the game from out there. Through three quarters, the Mavs were 16-59 from the field, a 27 percent rate.

Once the game hit television and returned from break, the Blazers seized the ball and the game. They took to doubling Bynum in the middle, scrambling to force turnovers, and bolting out in transition for easy baskets. And they didn’t grow careless in their haste, notching just four turnovers for the entire game (one per quarter!) while capitalizing on 13 takeaways from the Lakers. All told, the third quarter was a 32-18 blowout for the Blazers, and they rode that momentum all the way to the double-digit win.

The Lakers’ loss drops them to 4-4, while Portland’s second straight win puts them at 5-1 and alone atop the Western Conference. The whole thing!

Though a little shorter than usual, it’s still a long season, and in the end this is just one game of 66. But Atlanta has now lost two straight that they really should have won against East contenders. If the Hawks expect to contend themselves, they can ill-afford to give games away.

With the win, the Heat improve to a league best 7-1, while the Hawks drop to 4-3.