There were just two games Thursday night with the Los Angeles Clippers paying a visit to Doc Rivers’ old crew in Brooklyn and a Western Conference showdown featuring two outstanding performances from two of the best big men in the NBA right now.
NBA scores 2013: Nets win third-straight game, LaMarcus Aldridge leads Trail Blazers to victory
LaMarcus Aldridge went off against the Rockets while the Nets piled up their first three-game winning streak in Brooklyn.
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Here’s what went down Thursday night:
Portland Trail Blazers 111, Houston Rockets 104
LaMarcus Aldridge was brilliant against the Rockets, dropping 31 points and 25 rebounds for a huge double-double. That's the second 30 points, 20 rebounds outburst from Aldridge this season. The Rockets couldn't help but give the big man props for his oustanding game:
Props LMA
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) December 13, 2013
The Blazers big man handled business from the perimeter, stretching out the Rockets’ defense and flashing the mid-range proficiency few bigs in the can match up against. Here’s a look at where Aldridge picked the Rockets apart:
Dwight Howard had a pretty solid night himself with a 32 point, 17 rebound effort but it wasn’t enough to stop the top team in the Western Conference.
Brooklyn Nets 102, Los Angeles Clippers 93
Guess what? The Brooklyn Nets have strung together their first three-game winning streak of the season and led the Clipper by as many as 23 points.
“Wait, you said three straight?” David Stern gasped aloud while choking on his bottled water.
Deron Williams scored 15 points in his second game back after missing time because of an ankle injury. Andray Blatche and Joe Johnson both added in 21 points each and easily dispatched of the Clippers a night removed from Doc Rivers' return to Boston.
Los Angeles' offense sputtered, shooting just 37 percent from the field as a team, and Chris Paul notched his lowest assist total of the season with two dishes. He also scored a team-high 20 points. Jared Dudley, Darren Collison, and Stephen Jackson combined to go 4-of-19 from the floor, which is just a small glimpse into how poorly the team was shooting as a whole.
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