NBA schedule: Late drama the rule Thursday night

Iguodala’s game-winner saved the Warriors after they blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead. Moments before, the Thunder had taken the lead on a ridiculous three by Russell Westbrook:

The spectacular finish capped off a spectacular game filled with big-time performances. Westbrook led all scorers with 31 points on 13-of-20 shooting while also grabbing nine rebounds and handing out five assists. Klay Thompson had 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting overall and 6-of-9 from three. Thompson’s Splash Brother, Stephen Curry, had 22 points and made 4-of-8 from three as the Warriors as a team made 14-of-23 from long range. Serge Ibaka had 27 points and 13 rebounds.

Houston was committed to at least giving the Twin Towers look a chance, although it seemed painfully obvious that the spacing on offense would be a major problem. Sure enough, that has proved to be the case, and the defense hasn’t been nearly good enough to make up for the offensive issues. In the 93 minutes Asik and Howard have shared the court, the Rockets have posted an offensive rating of 87.3 and a defensive rating of 103.1, per NBA.com’s stats page.

The DNP caused some speculation that McHale benched Asik for requesting a trade, but the Rockets coach had his own explanation, according to Sean Deveney of Sporting News:

Carmelo Anthony dropped an NBA season-high 45 points and grabbed 10 rebounds but the Houston Rockets were able to escape Madison Square Garden with a win after a wild finish. The Knicks were down three with 5.6 second left in the fourth quarter, then this happened:

Howard finished the game with seven points on 1-of-5 shooting and five turnovers, including this doozy of an interception:

The Warriors showed off their three-point shooting proficiency making 14 of their 23 three-point attempts. When a team scores 115 points in regulation it’s usually enough to collect a victory, but not against the high-scoring Warriors.

Klay Thompson made six of his nine three-point attempts, finishing the night with a team-high 27 points. Stephen Curry dropped 22 points of his own, going four-of-eight from deep while dishing out eight assists. Iguodala had a nine assists along with 14 points.

But sometimes the call isn’t so easy.

The call remained, and the Rockets went on to win, 109-106, after the Knicks had to foul to extend the game. Anthony finished with 45 points on 30 shots, going 2-for-4 on three-point attempts.

Anthony had three chances to tie the game after stopping Houston twice, but was fouled before getting up a late three-point attempt that actually fell and would have tied the game. Referees ruled the shot came after ‘Melo was fouled on the floor.

Chandler Parsons had 22 points, and Howard grabbed 15 rebounds (though he had just seven points) in the win.

(Of course, the truth is that Bargnani isn’t that bad a defender in the post. It’s when he has to be mobile and moving his feet in long strides when he struggles most. So you’ll see him get blown by in the pick and roll or on transition defense. But still, lol)

Russell Westbrook’s fashion sense is apparently never not up for discussion so here we are with another night and another intriguing sweater. With a sweater design similar to the night sky, Westbrook paired it with a chain and some glasses.

Personally, I don’t see what all the hubbub’s about. The sweater looks fine and the chain is fine. It’s an uncommon design, but nothing too “out there.” I can’t remember if Westbrook wears those fake glasses or not, but fashion-wise, they look good, so I don’t get what all the chatter’s about, I guess.

The former Arizona Wildcat has been cleared to resume basketball activities six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reports.

Wojnarowski reports that in the past week, Budinger began running on a treadmill and shooting on the court. In rejoining the team, the plan is for Budinger to continue building on his basketball-related rehab process, Woj said.

UPDATE (11/15, 6:45 p.m. ET): Greg Smith has been diagnosed with a sprained knee and is expected to miss 10 days, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

This from Jonathan Feigen from the Houston Chronicle:

8 p.m. ET, TNT

Both teams are on the second nights of their back-to-backs, but it’s the Knicks who are feeling good. So is former Knick Jeremy Lin, who has found some swagger in recent days.