Ballin': LeBron James Put on a Show in Portland
By Jason McIntyre
Miami 107, Portland 93: Without Chris Bosh, somebody had to step up, so LeBron did – 38 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, five steals, zero turnovers. The Heat have now won nine straight games by 12+ points. Not a bad stretch. D Wade added 33, including this perfect oop to LeBron.
Oklahoma City 105, Orlando 102: Kevin Durant scored 18 of his 38 points in the 4th quarter, and the Thunder rallied for their first win in Orlando since 2004 (when they were the Sonics). OKC made 14 consecutive free throws late, but of course missed two with less than five seconds left, but Jason Richardson bricked a long three-pointer (it wouldn’t have counted anyway, replays showed). The Magic were outscored by 14 in the final quarter. Dwight Howard scored 33 for the losers.
Phoenix 104, Minnesota 95: Steve Nash had 17 assists to Ricky Rubio’s two, and the Suns used a strong second half to send the Wolves a game under .500. Minnesota was 1-for-13 from deep; Kevin Love shot 8-for-25 from the field. If he’s off and Williams/Beasley are combining to shoot 3-for-15, they’ve got no shot. Hey, why won’t the Suns trade Nash? This was Rubio’s highlight:
LA Clippers 108, Sacramento 100: Six Paper Clips scored in double figures and LA assisted on 30 of 44 baskets to improve to 21-12. Jimmer went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc and scored 11 points in 12 minutes.