Ballin': Lost in the Blake Griffin Dunk Madness - the Clippers Might Be the Best in the West
By Jason McIntyre
Oklahoma City 100, LA Clippers 112: Blake Griffin dunk aside, this might have been a preview of the Western Conference finals. The Thunder came in rested; the Clippers beat Denver on the road Sunday. And LA smacked around the Thunder pretty good, leading by 15-20 for most of the 2nd half. Same ol’ problem with the Thunder – Westbrook (31 points, five steals) and Durant (36 points, 13 rebounds) got theirs, but no third scorer emerged. The Clippers were much more balanced: Six players in double figures, led by CP3’s 26 points and 14 assists. For a night, I feel good about my Paper Clips-to-the-Finals pick. That being said, they’ll lose to the Jazz Wednesday.
Orlando 69, Philadelphia 74: The 76ers improved to 15-6 while the Magic’s struggles continued (four losses in a row). The 33 percent shooting was bad, but the 10-of-22 from the free throw line was probably worse. Dwight Howard, as usual, was the worst offender (5-of-13). They’re struggling without Jameer Nelson in the lineup, and the fatigue of six games-in-eight-days is wearing on the legs of the shooters. Hey Dwight, quit ripping your teammates.
Miami 109, New Orleans 95: So, LeBron traveled here, right?
Minnesota 120, Houston 108: Ricky Rubio nearly had his first career triple double – 18 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. Michael Beasley added 34 points in his new role off the bench. Do Rubio, Love (29 points) and Beasley constitute a Big 3? Discuss.
Portland 89, Utah 93: Finish strong, Gordon Hayward! The 12-7 Jazz are easily the biggest NBA surprise five weeks into the season. They won this one without Al Jefferson (ankle), and all credit goes to Earl Watson (six points, five steals, five rebounds).
San Antonio 83, Memphis 73: This was the worst game of Rudy Gay’s career since his rookie season – 0-for-7 shooting, 1 point in 34 minutes. The Grizzlies, losers of four in a row, are 10-10, and 9-7 without Zach Randolph.
Dallas 122, Phoenix 99: With Steve Nash out (thigh), the Suns had to rely upon Ricky Price and Sebastian Telfair. Yikes. Vince Carter’s got your circus shot of the night (which didn’t count).