Detroit Pistons vs Boston Celtics
This game was full of turnovers, 24 for the Celtics and 21 for the Pistons. The Celtics desperately need Rajon Rondo back, as their offense sometimes — scratch that, all the time — looks terrible! Both Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe had 15 points. Monroe had 10 rebounds and Drummond added 12. Josh Smith should be fined every time he takes a three-pointer — yes, even if he makes it. This was Brandon Jennings' first game of the season, as he contributed 14 points on 5-12 shooting with four assists and three rebounds; a solid game for him.
Washington Wizards vs Miami Heat
The Heat won this game, 103-93, but the score doesn’t reflect Miami’s dominance in this game. Trevor Ariza got into foul trouble early on and shot 4-16. LeBron James added 25 points on 9-14 shooting (64 percent) while shooting 3-5 from downtown. Dwyane Wade had 20 and Bosh added 24 points and seven rebounds. The Heat shot a scorching (forgive the pun) 53 percent from the field and 41 percent from downtown compared to the Wizards' 43 percent and 40 percent. The Wizards crashed the glass well in this game and outrebounded the Heat on the offensive backboard, 17-8. But in the end, the Heat’s efficiency, led by LeBron, carried them to the win.
Brooklyn Nets vs Orlando Magic
After beating the Heat last game, it was almost expected that the Nets would beat the Magic. That wasn’t the case. The Magic came out firing and shot 47 percent and 41 percent from three compared to the Nets' 38 percent and 24 percent from three. The biggest lead for the Magic was a staggering 23 points, and they also outscored the Nets 42-26 when it pertained to points in the paint. It was a poor defensive game by the Nets, and a poor shooting night. Hopefully, the Nets don’t have too many of these games if they hope to be a top 5 seed in the Eastern Conference.
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Phoenix Suns vs Oklahoma City Thunder
Russell Westbrook made his long-awaited return in this game, and finished with 21 points on 5-16 shooting with seven assists and four rebounds. Kevin Durant was the game-high scorer with 33 points on 10-19 from the field (I’m guessing he’s happy to have him back). Although the Thunder did win this game, their terrible shooting from three-point range (2-18) nearly cost them. The story of the game was the Thunder’s ability to finish in the paint, as they outscored the Suns, 46-18, in the “points in the paint” category.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs New York Knicks
This was a typical Knicks game: very little defense, the other team builds a big lead, the Knicks make a comeback, but it’s not enough and the other team wins. Kevin Love did what Kevin Love did that night, getting 34 points on 10-19 shooting (2-8 from three-point land) and 15 rebounds. Kevin Martin also added 30 points on a highly efficient 9-12 shooting, including 5-5 from downtown. Carmelo Anthony was inefficient yet again! He finished with 22 points on 8-21 shooting (yes, it took him 21 shots to get 22 points), but did finish with an impressive 17 rebounds. Raymond Felton finished with eight points on 3-12 shooting, but he did have 12 assists. In the end, the Knicks' poor shooting and lack of defense cost them. Where have we heard that before?
Atlanta Hawks vs Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers' biggest lead of the game was 21, but they were outscored 27-17 in the fourth quarter. Nick Young adapted to coming off the bench well with 13 points, four assists and four rebounds on 5-9 shooting. Pau Gasol was the Lakers highest scorer with 16 points and 13 rebounds, but he shot 5-18 from the field. Despite only playing 13 minutes, Jordan Hill came up huge for the Lakers in grabbing crucial rebounds. Al Horford added 12 points and 16 rebounds, and Kyle Korver ended up being the game-high scorer with 22 points on 8-10 shooting including 6-6 from three-point range. Lakers improve to 2-2.
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By Greg Morrison
