27/12/2012-Exciting shortened regular season comes to a close

In what is likely to be Deron Williams last game for the New Jersey Nets, he sat out as the Nets struggled to score all night. The now Brooklyn Nets were held to just 27 points in the first half as the Raptors built a 27 point lead. Ed Davis had 24 points and pulled down 12 rebounds as both sides played with skeleton teams. Solomon Alabi had 19 rebounds off the bench.

Ben Gordon had 26 points, including 8-10 shooting from behind the arc, off the bench as the Detroit Pistons took down the Philadelphia 76ers. As most teams are at this time of the year, most of the Sixers top players were resting up for the playoffs and looking after niggling injuries.

The Boston Celtics played the exception to the rule as their usual starting line up, barring Ray Allen, all suited up and played as they won against the Milwaukee Bucks. Avery Bradley had 14 points as Doc Rivers emptied his bench throughout the game.

The Big Three sat out for Miami as the Washington Wizards tore through the Heat at home, winning by 34 points. The lead only changed hands three times as the Wizards were dominant throughout the night. Without Wade and James in the lineup, Wall dominated the fast break. Maurice Evans led the Wizards off the bench with 18 points.

With Melo and Tyson Chandler sitting out, Amare Stoudemire proved he thrived being the man as the Charlotte Bobcats are officially the worst team in NBA history. Amare had 21 to lead the Knicks including an absolutely nasty dunk over Tyrus Thomas. Next stop: Miami Heat.

Josh Smith had 23 points 9 rebounds and 7 assists in a near triple double effort as the Atlanta Hawks took down the Dallas Mavericks. The lead only changed hands once as the Hawks comfortably won by 17 points.

John Lucas had 25 points off the bench as the Bulls finished off their regular season with a 32 point win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. With the win the Bulls claimed the Number One overall seed throughout the playoffs, ensuring that they will have homecourt advantage no matter how far in they go.

The Memphis Grizzlies claimed home court advantage for the first time in franchise history as the Memphis Grizzlies won over a seriously slumping Orlando team. Marc Gasol had 22 points to lead all comers while Hedo Turkoglu returned to the line up with a 18 point game.

The New Orleans Horents only scored 6 points in the final quarter as they lost to the Houston Rockets. Chase Budinger had 27 points to lead both teams as the Hornets shot themselves in the foot with their terrible final quarter.

JaVale McGee had 19 points over a vertically challenged Minnesota Timeberwolves as the Nuggets won by 29 points. Riddled by injuries, the Wolves gave rookies and bench players the start in a game that had no point.

Like most playoff teams, the Utah Jazz rested their starters but still had enough to beat the Portland Trailblazers. Rookie center Enes Kanter showed some of what Jazz fans have been ranting about, scoring 12 points in 33 minutes of play.

Literally half the Laker team sat the game out as the veteran group prepared themselves for the playoffs. However, their reserves were unable to pick up the slack as they lost to the Sacramento Kings. Jimmer Freddete had 10 points off the bench while DeMarcus Cousins led all comers with 23.

Australian guard Patty Mills had a career night as he 34 points and 12 assists as he was given the start once more against the Golden State Warriors. DeJuan Blair had 22 points and 13 rebounds as well to help the resting Spurs to the win.

26/4/2012-Westbrook and Durant take off as Nash’s (possible) farewell falls short

The Charlotte Bobcats have once last chance. One final chance to avoid going down as the worst team in NBA history as they lost to the Orlando Magic. J.J Redick’s career high 31 points helped push the ‘Cats closer to the edge of NBA lore. DJ Augustine had 23 points as well as 6 assists but it was not enough to get the Bobcats a much needed win. Despite Dwight Howard’s absence, the Magic have sealed the 6th seed in the playoffs. However, they suffered yet another injury blow with Glen Davis going down with an ankle injury. The injury leaves Ryan Anderson as the only man of considerable height going into the game against Memphis.

The Wizards owned the middle of the game as John Walls phenomenal performance lifted them to heir longest winning streak since 2007. Wall well and truly filled up the box score registering 23 points, 7 rebounds, 13 assists and 7 steals as he tore through the Cleveland defence. Potential Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving only played 6 minutes in the Cavaliers final match for the season. Only two players scored in double figures for the Cavs, with DJ Kennedy leading them with 12 points. After the match, Atawn Jamison announced that he would not be resigning with the team when he is a unrestricted free agent this summer. It will be interesting to see which teams show interest, as the veteran has shown that he can still offer something this year with the Cavaliers.

With the playoffs around the corner, a win against a fellow Eastern Conference playoff team was no doubt a confidence boost as the Chicago Bulls took down the Indiana Pacers. Carlos Boozer looked set for a big night after 10 points in the first quarter alone, but it was Kyle Korver who led the Bulls with 20 points off the bench. Reigning MVP Derrick Rose only scored 10 points on the night, his match fitness and form the greatest concern for the Bulls as they head into the playoffs. Lance Stephenson, filling the gap that the absent Danny Granger left, top scored for both teams as he had 22 points. Granger was out resting a sore knee and will be back before too long.

Chris Paul sat out the game as the New York Knicks continued to get their front court tandem clicking as they seemed to warm towards the playoffs with a win over the Clippers. With the loss, the Clippers fall 1/2 a game behind the surging Memphis Grizzlies for the fourth seed, who could very well steal the once seemingly safe Clipper home court advantage. JR Smith ended up being the driving force off the Knicks bench, scoring21 points. Blake Griffin had 29 points on 11-14 shooting while Randy Foye had 28 but shot much more poorly, only connecting on 9 of his 23 shots.

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Evan Turner’s big 29 point game gave the Philadelphia 76ers the win as Andre Iguodala sat out for the Sixers. Luo Williams and Thaddeus Young also sat out as the Sixers started preparing themselves for the rapidly approaching playoffs. The Bucks on the other hand also rested most of their stars in their second last game of the season, with Monta Ellis, Ersan Ilyasova and a few others sitting the game out.Brandon Jennings led the Bucks with 19 points as well as 6 assists.

Kevin Durant had 32 points while Russel Westbrook had 30 points and 9 assists as the Oklahoma City Thunder overcame 25 points from Ty Lawson to win against Western Conference competitor Denver. Serge Ibaka blocked 4 shots to further strengthen his claim for Defensive Player of the Year. Derek Fisher also had 9 points off the bench for the Thunder.

In what was possibly Steve Nash’s final game for the Suns, they were not able to get the win as they lost by four points against a Spurs team that was resting its big three for the playoffs. Australian Patty Mills had 27 points as he was handed the start against premier point guard Steve Nash. Shannon Brown had 21 to lead the Sun while young big man Tiago Splitter had 26 points in only 19 minutes of play.

25/4/2012-Hawks take step towards home court advantage as Jazz claim final playoff spot.

While Chris Paul and Blake Griffin combined for 70 points, no other Clippers players reached the double figure mark as they lost to the Atlanta Hawks. Joe Johnson had 28 points including 6-8 from behind the three point line as the Hawks edged closer to home court advantage against the Boston Celtics. However, with the loss, the Clippers lost the Pacific division title to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Boston Celtics 2nd team beat the Miami Heat reserves as the stars for both teams sat out. Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all were absent while Paul Pierce only played minimal game time as the bench players for both teams were forced to step up. Aleksander Pavlovic was the standout of both teams, with 16 of his 18 points coming in the final quarter.

All five starters scored in double figures for the Kings but Kevin Durant’s 32 points led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the win. DeMarcus Cousin’s also had 32 points to match Durant, but it wasn’t enough as Durant’s big game kept him in the running for the scoring title.

The chaotic race to the end of the season continued as the Utah Jazz officially claimed the final playoff spot up for grabs with a win over the Phoenix Suns. The Jazz eliminated the Suns with a 12 point win at home. Paul Millsap had 26 to lead all comers and was absolutely dominant throughout the game.

Marco Belinelli hit the go ahead layup with 0.7 seconds remaining as the New Orleans Hornets won against the Golden State Warriors. Belinelli had 23 to lead both teams as Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 16 points.

24/4/2012-Huge win for Spurs as Cats on track for worst ever season

John Wall’s 16 points and 14 rebounds in less than half an hour of play led the Washington Wizards to a 28 point win over the imploding Charlotte Bobcats.

The Indiana Pacers almost shot themselves in the foot with poor free throw shooting but got over the line as they took down the Detroit Pistons.

Elton Brand had 15 points to lead the 76ers to a win in the last ever game played in New Jersey. Unfortunately for the Nets, the final margin was an ugly 18 points.

25 points from Brandon Jennings lifted the Bucks to a 6 point win against the Raptors.

Six players scored in double figures to overturn Kyrie Irving’s 25 as the Memphis Grizzlies kept up their push for the fourth seed.

What can I say about this Spurs team. Not a lot. They won by 35 against the Trail Blazers. Yet not one player scored 20 for the Spurs!

23/4/2012-Melo has big game but Artest steals headlines with elbow

Mike Woodson was given yet another quandary in the seemingly endless drama in the Big Apple as the Knick’s got the win against the Hawks. With Tyson Chandler sitting the game out, Amare Stoudemire played his seemingly preferred position at the center, with Carmelo Anthony filling the power forward position. Whilst the Knicks were worse defensively, they got the win and Melo and Stat combined for 51 points, the kind of numbers Knick fans are more than happy to see. Which leaves Woodson with the question: Can all three of his potential All Stars play well in the same front court?

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Serge Ibaka had 18 points 14 rebounds and 7 blocks but it was not enough as Kobe Bryant had 28 to lead the Lakers to a double overtime victory over the Thunder. However the biggest talking point of the night would end up being Metta World Peace’s elbow to the back of James Harden’s head. Looking much more like the Ron Artest of old, World Peace slammed his elbow into Hardens head with enough force to knock the man to the ground. Will be very interesting to see the type of punishment handed out by the league.

DeMarcus Cousins played big as the Sacramento Kings completely eclipsed the Charlotte Bobcats, winning by 26 points. Cousins had 29 points and 10 rebounds but perhaps Tyreke Evans was the real star of the show as he had 22 points on 10-11 shooting, including three assists and 2 steals.

The Heat scored 31 points in the fourth to overwhelm the Rockets 19 points as LeBron James’s 32 points lifted the Heat. With the loss the Rockets are no longer in playoff contention, despite Chandler Parsons’ 23 points.

40 points from the Toronto Raptor bench were not enough for to push the Raptors over the line as they lost to the Detroit Pistons. Despite none of the starters scoring in double figures for the Pistons, Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon scored 19 points apiece to lead Detroit.

Manu Ginobli the Super Sub had 20 points off the bench for the San Antonio Spurs as they increased their buffer as the number one overall seed in the playoffs with a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kyrie Irving led the Cavaliers with 19 points.

It’s amazing how injury can destroy a promising season. The Timberwolves are the epitome of this. Playing without Kevin Love and many other notable absentees, the Wolves put up a good fight but were defeated by the Golden State Warriors. Charles Jenkins had 24 points.

JaVale McGee had 17 points as the Orlando Magic were held to just 30 points in the second half. Ryan Anderson had 24 points for the Magic to lead all scorers.

Chris Paul had 33 points and 13 assists as the Clippers outscored the Hornets by 19 as they won by 9. With the win, the Clippers stay in the race for the top spot in the Pacific Division with the Lakers.

22/4/2012-Ty Lawson has big game as Wizards upset Miami

Ty Lawson had 29 points on 5-5 shooting from the three point line as the Denver Nuggets slammed another nail into the Phoenix Suns playoff hopes as they won 118-117. Lawson also handed out 10 assists as Shannon Brown had 28 points for the Suns. Steve Nash had an uncharacteristic 5 turnovers as he was well and truly beaten by Lawson in the loss.

David West led all scorers with 32 points but it was not enough as the Pacers lost in overtime to the Philadelphia 76ers. Lou Williams nailed a three and had a four point play to carry the Sixers in overtime but it was the work of Elton Brand that helped the Sixers through regulation as he had 20 points and pulled down 9 rebounds. Lout Williams had 19 points.

The Washington Wizards did what few teams this year have been able to do as they went into Miami and came away with a victory. Nene hit the winner from a John Wall pass on a pick and roll, but the Heat were playing without LeBron James and Chris Bosh to begin with. Then Wade dislocated his finger and was done for the game. Although the absences take some of the shine off the win, a victory is a victory for a young Wizard team.

Derrick Rose returned for the starting lineup as the Bulls took down the Dallas Mavericks. Luol Deng had 22 points for the Bulls and Joakim Noah threatened to have a triple double with 8 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists. The Bulls shot 45 percent from behind the arc and had 29 assists, doubling the Maverick’s 12 assist total.

Despite 23 points from J.J Hickson, the Memphis Grizzlies were able to take down the Trail Blazers as they won by four points. Rudy Gay had 21 points to lead the Grizzlies as they survived the Trail Blazer storm during the last period.

Courtney Lee had 20 points to lead the Houston Rockets as they beat Klay Thompson’s 24 points and the Golden State Warriors. Brandon Rush had 19 points as many of the Warrior starters struggled all night. Goran Dragic had 18 points and played 40 minutes in the win.

Brandon Jennings had a 30 point, 6 rebound and 6 assist game as the Milwaukee Bucks took down the New Jersey Nets in a relatively routine win. Still without superstar Deron Williams, Sundiata Gaines was torn apart by Jennings.

Despite all the starters scoring in double digits and three of them scoring 20 points plus, the Orlando Magic received little help off the bench as they lost to the Utah Jazz in overtime. Jameer Nelson had a double double with 23 points and 10 assists in the loss while Devin Harris and Al Jefferson had 21 points apiece.

21/4/2012-STATs return met with fizz as Spurs take down Lakers in Kobe’s return.

The Bobcats got about as close as they have for a long time to ending their nineteen game losing streak as they lost to the Memphis Grizzlies 80-85. The Cats were simply overwhelmed in the final quarter 28-15. Gerald Henderson had a career high thirty two points in the loss but it was Mike Conley and his twenty points that emerged victorious in the end as the Cats season from Hell continued.

Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo, as well as Mikael Pietrus, all sat out in the Celtics loss to the Atlanta Hawks. With only Brandon Bass filling his spot in the regular line up, the C’s fought well to keep the game close. Joe Johnson had thirty points to lead the Hawks as they got a leg up in their fight for home court advantage in the first round.

Amare Stoudemire’s return to the starting lineup was met with what many feared-a loss. With STAT playing at the power forward, the Knicks were anemic offensively, with Carmelo Anthony only having twelve points in the loss. Despite getting the Knicks right back into th playoff race, Mike Woodson’s biggest challenge lies before him: getting these two All Stars to work together.

Vince Carter nineteen points off the bench eclipsed Brandon Rush’s twenty point equivalent as the Dallas Mavericks too down the Golden State Warriors. Klay Thompson had twenty eight points as the Warriors played without center/forward David Lee.

The Lakers-Spurs series continued to sway from side to side as the Spurs used a massive third quarter to blow out a slow Laker team. Despite Kobe Bryant returning to the lineup the Lakers struggled offenseively all night, as the Big Three for the Spurs combined for a total 61 points.

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Despite a slight scare, the Oklahoma City emereged triumphant as they beat the Sacramento Kings. Kevin Durant had a double double with 29 and 14 whle James Harden followed his career night with 20 points.

 

 

19/4/2012-Harden’s 40 leads OKC in 14 game night

Jordan Crawford had 32 points as the Wizards seriously hurt the Bucks playoff chances with a big win.

The Bulls held the Bobcats to under 30 percent shooting and Rip Hamilton had 22 points as the top of the East beat the worst.

Jrue Holiday had 24 points as the Sixers tore apart the Cavaliers.

Melo had 27 in the first half alone and finished with 32 points as the Knicks too down the New Jersey Nets in their last game in New Jersey.

6 players scored in double figures as the Hawks completely blew out the Detroit Pistons.

Without Bosh or Wade, LeBron James had 28 points to lead the Heat over the Raptors.

Paul Pierce had a career high 14 assists and a double double in the first half as the Celtics beat the Magic. With the win the Cs clinched their division title.

Rudy Gay had 26 points while Mike Conley added 20 as the Memphis Grizzlies beat the New Orleans Hornets.

Dirk Nowitzki’s 35 points helped the Mavericks beat the Rockets in the Battle for Texas.

Ty Lawson had 24 points but it wasn’t enough as Chris Paul led the Clippers to the win.

James Harden’s career high 40 points put the Suns playoff hopes in doubt as the Thunder won.

Despite playing without Tim Duncan, the younger players carried the Spurs to a 25 point win against the Kings.

Devon Harris had 27 as the Jazz won against a hapless Portland Trailblazers.

Andrew Bynum had 31 points and 9 rebounds as he continued to flourish as the focal point of the Lakers offence as the won against the Warriors.

18/4/2012-Melo carries Knicks to big win as Pistons shoot lights out

Four starters scored in double figures and Danny Granger had 24 points as the Pacers beat the 76ers.

The Detroit Pistons shot 60 percent from the field as they tore apart the Cleveland Cavaliers. Brandon Knight led the Pistons with 28 points on 11-12 shooting.

Paul Pierce’s 43 points were overcome by Carmelo Anthony’s 35 point 12 rebound 10 assist triple double as the Knicks beat the Celtics by eight in MSG. Steve Novak and JR Smith added 25 apiece off the bench.

The seriously struggling Timberwolves lost again, this time to the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Spurs reaped their revenge for their last meetings defeat as they took down the still Kobe less Lakers by 21.

17/4/2012-Bron has 37 as Clips take down OKC

Backup guard Ivan Johnson had 21 points as the Atlanta Hawks easily took care of the Toronto Raptors. Joe Johnson also had 18 points in the win.

The Charlotte Bobcats were held to a miserly 16 points as the Hornets won in a ugly, ugly game. Both teams shot below 10 percent from three point land for a combined 2-27. Gerald Henderson had 29 in the loss.

26 points and 16 rebounds to Ryan Anderson led the injury stricken Orlando Magic to the win against the struggling Philadelphia 76ers.

David West had 22 points and 10 rebounds as the Indiana Pacers took down the ‘we hate April’ Timberwolves. Without most of their starting lineup healthy, the Timberwolves didn’t stand much of a chance against the Indiana Pacers.

37 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists from LeBron James helped the Miami Heat win a close game against the New Jersey Nets.

The Washington Wizards scored a huge upset against the Chicago Bulls. However, the Bulls were without both their All Stars Deng and Rose in the loss.

Afflalo and Lawson combined for 49 points as the Denver Nuggets won against the Houston Rockets. In an effort to keep themselves clear of the log jam at the bottom of the standings in the West.

Dirk Nowitzki’s 40 point triple overtime heroics were not enough as the Dallas Mavericks lost to the Jazz in a extra long game. Al Jefferson had a 20 point double double with 28 points and 26 rebounds.

The Polish Hammer Marcin Gortat had 20 points and 10 rebounds as the Suns cemented their 8th seed position with a win over the Portland Trailblazers.

The Clippers continued to prove they could mix it with the big boys as they held the dynamic OKC offence to just 77 points as they won by 15 points.

Gary Neal had 17 off the bench as the Spurs blew out the Warriors by 21.