by Peter Walsh / @goinginsquad
What up everybody? It’s been all college hoops for me this week as I spent most of the past 5 days at Madison Square Garden for the Big East Tournament. Last night was a late one; I spent most of my evening at the Garden for the Big East Semis then had to book it out to Jersey to hitch a ride to this morning’s America East Championship between Vermont (Let’s Go Cats!) and Stony Brook. With all that on my plate, I’m just getting to news, (hope it’s not too serious for Rubio) NBA highlights (Ibaka’s block was crazy) and box scores (I see you Cleveland) and it’s already 2 AM. But, I know the SLAM fam always holds me down and will do so through this abbreviated version of The Post Up.
Charlotte’s very own Anthony Morrow scored all 17 of his points in the fourth quarter and the Nets defense took care of the rest. During the last five minutes and thirty seconds of play, the Bobcats only scored two field goals as they dropped their 33rd game of the year. Deron Williams left the game in the second quarter with a sore calf and is now day-to-day. Kris Humphries had another double-double with 20 points and 15 boards.
The Blazers probably played their worst game of the season last night on the road. Portland allowed the C’s to go on a 46-13 run which lasted from the last two minute mark of the first quarter until early in the third. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 22 points apiece and KG chipped in with ten boards and eight boards. The Blazers had 28 turnovers in the game and shot under 45 percent as a team.
In a game that came down to the wire, Tayshaun Prince hit a running hook shot with 24 seconds remaining to put the nail in the coffin and help the Pistons escape with a win. Detroit shot 56 percent from the field. The inside duo of Greg Monroe and Jason Maxiell combined for 39 points and 19 boards as they dominated the paint. The Pistons broke off a 26-7 run in the third quarter to make the game close heading into the fourth. Josh Smith, who wants out of ATL, led the Hawks with 21.
Kyrie Irving showed once again why he should be the clear-cut recipient of Rookie of the Year Award. Irving came through in the clutch when his team needed him most, further solidifying his role as the Cavs closer. This time he scored twice and dropped a dime in the last two minutes of play to put his team over the hump. Down three with three minutes to play, Cleveland ripped off a 12-0 run that sealed the victory. KD had 23 and 8 and Russ Westbrook scored 19 points, but the Thunder couldn’t find their shot when they needed it most. During the Cavs 12-0 run, OKC missed six straight shots.
Kobe Bryant had 34 and Andrew Bynum had 26 and 10, but the real story in this one is Ricky Rubio’s knee injury. While trying to take a charge, Rubio injured his left knee and took the wind out of the sails of the surging Timberwolves. Rubio’s MRI will supposedly take place tomorrow; here’s hoping it’s not as serious as some are predicting. Kevin Love also had to be treated for an ailing back, but he will probably only miss a game , possibly none. Kobe Bryant became the seventh player to score 29,000 points in NBA history in the win.
Brandon Jennings must have a personal vendetta against the New York Knicks. Last night the Young Buck put up 25 points, 10 dimes and only had 3 turnovers. Mike Dunleavy dropped 25 and Ersan Ilyasova, who has been playing stellar basketball as of late, led Milwaukee with 26. The Knicks got 27 from STAT, 20 from Lin and 22 from Melo and still couldn’t win. And the roller-coaster continues…
Chris Paul and Mo Williams absolutely dominated this one. The two combined for a ridiculous 69 points, as Chris Paul had 36 and 11 assists and Williams hit seven three-pointers en route to 33 points. Tony Parker sat with a right quad strain and he watched his teammates lose for the third time in five tries. Giniobili led the Spurs with 22 points, but their defense left much to be desired. For the game, the Clippers shot 51 percent from the field and hit 14 three’s. By beating the Spurs on their home turf, the Clippers won their first game in San Antonio since 2002.
With last night’s win, the Nuggets have now won five of their last six since the All-Star break and are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. Aaron Afflalo led all scorers with 28 while Al Harrington chipped in with 20 and 10 off the bench. Ty Lawson had a double-double with 11 points and 10 dimes and helped the Nuggets play some great team ball; as a team, Denver had 33 assists on 44 made baskets.The Nuggets led the entire second half and were up by as many as 17 in the fourth.
The Mavs have come out stumbling to start the second half of the season and this game was much more lopsided than the final score would have you believe. Seven Kings players scored in double-digits, headed by ‘Reke Evans and Marcus Thornton who each had 17. Jason Terry led all scorers with 23 but the Mavs looked gassed and couldn’t keep up with the Kings late in the game.
Tonight I’m back at the Garden for the Big East Championship between Cincinnati and Louisville, so keep your eyes peeled for another live blog tracking all the action. Thanks for rockin’ with me y’all!
