Weekend Wonder: Ersan Ilyasova makes his debut here after averaging 28.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.5 threes in two games over the weekend. In that stretch, he shot 69 percent from the field, 92 percent from the free-throw line and averaged turned the ball over just once. In his last 13 games, Ilyasova has averaged top five numbers, making him a serious contender for pickup of the year. Read More »

On a night of basketball that had it all, we were given four ridiculous game-winning shots: One by an MVP; One by a rookie; One by a journeyman; And one by a couple of no-names. Four game-winners in one night like this can get even the most hardened League Pass vet to shake their head and smile. We’ll kick things off with Derrick Rose ending Brandon Jennings‘ nightmare of a game with a step-back J in his mug. Read More »

After Derrick Rose‘s step-back game-winner barely touched the net, the Bucks’ announcers said they thought it was the first jump shot he hit all night. But in Chicago’s 106-104 W, that’s all he needed. Rose had one of his better games of the season (30 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists), and canned the money maker directly in Brandon Jennings‘ grill as the buzzer sounded. It was actually the third time the two point guards had isolated against each other in the final minute, but the first time either of them hit the shot. Read More »

One was a top-10 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. The other was the NBA’s version of Mr. Irrelevant; the last pick in the 2011 Draft. When the Kings selected Jimmer Fredette out of BYU the notion was that the pick coming 50 slots later wouldn’t mean much. Read More »

Beast of the Night: DeAndre Jordan finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds, two steals and four blocks last night. He shot 78 percent (7-9) from the field and shot not free-throw attempts and had no turnovers. This was Jordan’s third straight game with double-digit rebounds. He remains a fantasy stud for owners punting free-throw percentage. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Chris Paul finished last night with 36 points, one rebound, nine assists, two steals and three three-pointers made. He shot 69 percent (11-16) from the field, 92 percent (11-12) from the charity stripe and had three turnovers. For the season, CP3 has been the third best fantasy basketball player, which is right in line with expectations. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Dwyane Wade scored 30 points, grabbed four rebounds, dished out 10 assists, stole three balls and blocked two shots last night. He shot 69 percent (11-16) from the field, 80 percent (8-10) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. Wade has quietly maintained top five value so far this season, despite dips in his scoring, rebounding and three-point making. He has cut down on his turnovers and had increased his steals and blocks to make up for those declines. Read More »

The guys in the NBA TV studios were saying the Heat looked like a championship team last night. Okay, they did play Sacramento, who have lost six in a row and have perhaps the most playground, fundamentally-flawed team in the league. But the Queens really went hard, and had the defending East champs on their heels all night. In the end, Dwyane Wade (30 points on 16 shots, 10 assists) lifted Miami to another level with one of his best games of the season, and for the first time all year, three Heat players scored at least 20 and one of them wasn’t LeBron. They’ve now won seven in a row, all by double digits, and are sitting in first place in the NBA. Read More »

So many story lines to watch during Sunday’s Mavs/Knicks national TV matchup: Carmelo Anthony’s anticipated return ultimately being postponed another day; the Phoenix glory days reunion with Amar’e Stoudemire, Mike D’Antoni and Shawn Marion; Dirk Nowitzki’s chance to prove he really does deserve an All-Star berth; Jason Kidd and Vince Carter playing on the Madison Square Garden court for perhaps the final time in their respective careers; Tyson Chandler seeing his former Dallas teammates for the first time since they won a championship together; NYC native Lamar Odom playing in front of his hometown crowd; and newly-signed J.R. Smith playing his first game as a Knick … Read More »

We knew he could drop buckets and strut around like a much smaller Rick Ross, but last night was the first time those Steve Nash comparisons actually started to make sense. Lob. Wrap-around. Another lob. 13 dimes later and the Knicks had their seventh-straight win, 100-85 over the Kings. We asked yesterday if Jeremy Lin‘s hype was partially racial. Last night wasn’t so much racial as it was Nash-ial. Lin has that offense flowing on all cylinders. Read More »