4/4/2012-Cousins and LeBron both have 41 point games, but both don’t win

Bargnani had 30 points as Toronto beat fellow cellar dweller Charlotte by 5 in Canada. DJ Augustin had 18 off the bench as Kemba Walker was given the start. Demar DeRozan had 20 for the Raptors to support Bargnani.

The game was won within the first quarter as the San Antonio Spurs shot 60% percent, destroying the hapless Cavaliers by 35 points. Aussie point guard Patty Mills lead the way for the Spurs with 20 points off the bench in 20 minutes playing time. Boris Diaw had 9 assists, while kyrie Irving had 13 points and 5 assists in the horror loss.

The Pacers launched a 40 point final quarter to defeat the New York Knicks despite Carmelo Anthony’s 39 points. Granger had 27 as the Pacers rolled right through and well over a final quarter deficit.

LeBron James’ season high 41 points lead the Heat to a win over ‘best of the rest’ contender Philadelphia. LeBron also pulled down 6 boards and handed out 4 assists as the Sixers’ Evan Turner had 26 points.

Still without Dwight Howard, the Orlando Magic went down to the Detroit Pistons, despite a big effort from Glen Davis who had 31 points and 10 rebounds whilst trying to guard budding big man Greg Monroe/ Monroe had 22 and 11 to lead the Pistons.

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Steve Nash had 18 and 12 assists as the Suns beat the Sacramento Kings. DeMarcus Cousins HUGE game of 41 points and 12 rebounds somehow was not enough for the Kings as the lost by 9.

Kobe Bryant had 24 points and rattled home the game sealing three as the Lakers beat the Nets without Andrew Bynum. Deron Williams had 20 points and Kris Humphries had 18 and 15 rebounds in the loss.

26/3/2012-Quadruple overtime in Atlanta as Hawks top Jazz

Markieff Morris’s career high night and Marcin Gortat’s big game led the Phoenix Suns to a blow out victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both Morris and Gortat had 22 points apiece, with veteran point guard Steve Nash dishing out 13 assists against younger counterpart Kyrie Irving. Irving himself had 16 points in the 25 point loss.

Kevin Love followed up his career night with another big game, scoring 30 points and 21 rebounds in a 17 point win over the Nuggets. Point guard Luke Ridnour had 25 points and 6 assists to support Love, while the Denver Nuggets had 5 players score in double digits, with new recruit JaVale McGee scoring 13 points and pulling down 11 rebounds.

With Ray Allen and Mikael Pietrus both out for the Celtics, back-up point guard Avery Bradley started at the shooting guard position and had a career night. Scoring 23 points on 9-14 shooting, Bradley led the Celtics over the Nene-less Washington Wizards, backed up by Paul Pierce’s 21 points. Rondo also handed out 11 assists in the victory. Jordan Crawford had 20 points but on poor shooting (8-18)

Two days after the epic in Thunder land, the Hawks and the Utah Jazz decide to one up it with a quadruple overtime thriller. Joe Johnson blasted 37 points as 14 players scored in double digits, and 4 players fouled out. More on this game very soon.

The Spurs were able to account for the Philadelphia 76ers despite Tim Duncan being out, according to the NBA website, for being “old”. All-Star Igoudala was also out for the Sixers. Tony Parker led the Spurs with 21 points and 6 assists whilst DeJuan Blair hustled his way to 19 points. Elton Brand had 14 for the Sixers.

Kevin Durants 22 points were enough to lift the Thunder over the Heat in a big statement win for the Thunder. Dwyane Wade had 22 points for the Heat, and what is perhaps a positive, LeBron struggled all night, meaning at least they didn’t lose at full capacity. But there can be no doubt about the Thunder’s dominance in this one, winning by 16 points.

The very short handed Golden State Warriors fell to the struggling Portland Trailblazers by three. In a battle of point guards, Charles Jenkins, starting in the place of Nate Robinson, scored 27 points, but it was Raymond Felton’s 24 points and 7 assists that won the game. LaMarcus Aldridge had 18 for the Blazers.

The Memphis Grizzlies had 6 players scoring in double digits as they halted an ugly run of losses, beating the Lakers by 6. Rudy Gay top scored for the Grizzlies with 18 points, while Andrew Bynum had a big game in the loss, scoring 30 points, but only had 4 rebounds. Kobe Bryant had 18 points as well.

Who’s going to win the lottery for the eighth seed?

The eighth spot in the West is one that seems to be in almost constant dispute, with many teams in contention for it. Here’s a look at four of the most likeable suitors

Phoenix Suns:

What to like:

Steve Nash. He’s still here in Phoenix, and isn’t off chasing championships as some predicted. As long as he can keep up his youthful play, and probably pick up his scoring to around 10 a game, the Suns have a chance. They also seem to be coming up at the right time of the year, and with only 19 games or so left in the season, there can be no doubt that now is the right time to start winning.

What not to like:

Age. The Suns are simply an old team. Their best player is on the wrong side of 35 and although he is playing well now, one has to wonder how long he can keep up his great play. Also, if he doesn’t play well, the Suns don’t really have the depth to pick up the slack in any way.

Houston Rockets

What to like:

They Rockets have the size in the middle to compete with the best in the league, with both Camby and Dalembert starters on any other team. Luis Scola is also coming into form, and would be more then helpful in the slower playoff game, where low post scoring is vital. They have the scoring as well in Courtney Lee and Kevin Martin, and new coach Kevin McHale has them all playing at a high level.

What not to like:

Not a great deal really. Injuries are the only problem for them at the moment, with both Kyle Lowry and Martin out with injuries

Utah Jazz

What to like:

Much like the Rockets, the Jazz have the big trees in the middle. Al Jefferson is one of the best post players in the league and Paul Millsap can score with the best of them. Josh Howard’s injury did leave quite a hole in their lineup, but Gordon Hayward is filling in more then respectably, and with a solid unit off the bench with Tinsley and Favors, as well as goliath Enes Kanter, the Jazz seem to have what it takes. They have also claimed quite a few big scalps, such as the LA Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

What not to like:

Lack of experience. With the departure of Jerry Sloan, the Jazz don’t have many players that have gone deep into the play offs. If OKC didn’t snap him up, Derek Fisher would have been a great pickup for a team severely lacking in any form of big time experience.

Minnesota Timberwolves

What to like:

Kevin Love is a MVP candidate and quite possibly the best power forward in the game. He needs to keep rebounding and scoring for the Wolves to have any chance. If Beasely can score 15 to 20 points a game, then maybe they have a chance, otherwise, it looks grim for a team desperate for playoff action

What not to like:

With the injury of Rubio, the Wolves lost their young floor general and their best passer. If they miss the playoffs this year, this young mans injury will be the reason why.

Do the Suns have any hope of playoff action?

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Will the Suns make the playoffs? Their recent run has some believing that led by a Fountain of Youth drinking Steve Nash and a double-double big man in Marcin Gortat that this is a possibility. And the Suns have got the second best record after the break, falling short of only the East leading Chicago Bulls. However, do the Suns really have the depth to keep this up? Jared Dudley was only last year a solid bench player at that, and now he’s a starting shooting guard? Can he keep up a 12+ point contribution? Perhaps the key here is the play of veterans Grant Hill and Michael Redd. Of course here we’re assuming that Nash keeps up his ridiculous play, but if Hill can continue to match it on the defensive end with the best offensive players and Redd can make a solid contribution of the bench, then maybe the Suns will be getting somewhere. They’re half a game off Houston for 8th seed, and are above .500, but the teams that they have beaten during this streak are hardly top echelon, barring the Clippers and the Mavericks. Their mettle will truly be tested this week though, with games against both the Miami Heat and the still Dwight lead Orlando Magic. After that their path calms down until a big test in San Antonio. If the Suns can come out of the next 6 games having beaten one or two of these powerhouses, perhaps we will be seeing them in the post season.