Last night, Denver ran away from L.A. in the Staples Center because they dominated at points in the second and late in the third quarter. George Karl trusts his bench, almost too much in fact. His goal this year might be to coach this team like its intramurals. That’s just speculation, but with the way he hands out minutes, 11 guys all average double figures, we wouldn’t be surprised. Having a decent bench is always important, but it’s never been stressed like this. Five games in six nights will leave your team playing more up and down than a seesaw if the second unit can’t hoop. Read More »
Beast of the Night: Brandon Jennings finished with 31 points, four rebounds, eight assists, four steals and seven three-pointers last night. He shot 36 percent (9-25) from the floor, 75 percent (6-8) from the free-throw line and had zero turnovers. Since Jan. 17, Jennings is averaging 24.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.9 steals and 3.6 threes per game, while shooting 45 percent from the field and 83 percent from the free-throw line. For the season, he’s putting up top 10 averages. Read More »
Nothing hurts more than losing your spot at the gym because you lost to a bunch of random dudes. That’s what happened to the Lakers last night in Milwaukee. With Stephen Jackson corporate thuggin’ it off-court (suspended for verbal abuse of an official), Andrew Bogut out with his yearly injury and Brandon Jennings playing more passively than at any point over the past month, the Lakers took body blows from Drew Gooden, Mike Dunleavy and Ersan Ilyasova before finally falling 100-89. Read More »
Is there any team in the league that pisses off basketball fans more than Atlanta? In reality though, why should we get so aggravated when they struggle? As Reggie and Charles pointed out, you’re only as good as your best player. Despite that, with LeBron and Dwyane Wade dressed up (What the hell was that shirt ‘Bron had on?) on the sidelines, the Heat rode Chris Bosh (33 points, 14 rebounds) and a bunch of role players to a surprising 116-109 win in triple OT. Read More »
As you know, all eyes in the hoops world this weekend were on Drew Gooden’s Charity Game in the Bay Area. Couldn’t make it? We got you. Here are highlights from Gooden’s 117-92 loss. Check out the Top 10 plays below.
LeBron James didn’t take long to try to find new work. Yesterday, James tweeted at ESPN’s John Clayton to ask him when the deadline is for NFL teams to sign free agents. It was obviously done half-jokingly, but hey, there’s never been a better time for the NBA’s best athlete to see if he could become a cross between Antonio Gates and Calvin Johnson. We’ve seen him put the pads on already this summer, and now with a long lockout ahead of us, he’ll probably never get this opportunity again. We can guarantee there’s some attraction on his part; Who wouldn’t want to test themselves and see if they could actually do it? Of course, there’s no way it’ll ever happen. Playing another sport is one thing. Football is a whole other animal. Read More »
You’d think with an electric point guard and an authentic Aussie around, the Milwaukee Bucks would be a pretty exciting NBA team. Dig into the team’s statistics from last season and you’ll find otherwise. There isn’t much else in Milwaukee besides some middle-round value, and the most valuable fantasy player the Bucks have to offer is bogged down by serious physical limitations. Maybe Captain Jack can turn the ship around? Read More »
At this point, every loss for the playoff teams is huge. Home-court advantages and seedings are on the line. But those trap games can get anyone. While last night was lacking in high-profile match-ups, it did provide plenty to distinguish just who is ready for the playoffs and who isn’t. Denver and San Antonio passed their tests with flying colors. Then there was Atlanta, who reinforced every bad feeling you might have about them. And in case you missed it, Ty Lawson was hotter than Hell’s waiting room … Read More »
It’s officially Back to the Future time for the Hornets. After starting the season winning 11 of their first 12 games and eliminating all of the persistent rumors about Chris Paul leaving, they’ve since lost four out of five and reality is beginning to set in. Last night in Oklahoma City — 24 hours after blowing a 17-point lead in a loss to the Spurs — the Hornets led for much of the second half until a flurry of OKC awesomeness sent N.O. home with another loss … Late in the fourth quarter, the Hornets were up by four before Russell Westbrook (25 pts, 11 asts) hit a foul-line jumper. Read More »