By Andrew Medeiros

November 18, 2007: SCOREBOARD | IN FOCUS GALLERY | AROUND THE ASSOCIATION ARCHIVE

PHOTO OF THE NIGHT
Beno Udrih scored 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting as the Kings defeated the Pistons on Sunday night, 105-95. Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
"Sitting at home watching the team start off 0-6 was hard. I couldn't really criticize or critique anybody because I wasn't there so I just had to try to learn from watching from the sidelines and try to stay in shape as best as I could."
-- Golden State's Stephen Jackson, after coming off suspension to help the Warriors beat the Raptors on Sunday, 106-100.
THE DAY'S TOP VIDEO
Sunday's top play: Luke Walton finishes as 'Showtime' returns to L.A.
  • Haier Play of the Day
  • Dunk of the Night
  • Block of the Night
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  • Assist of the Night
  • Steal of the Night
  • NBA TV Top 10
    • NBA.COM'S FANTASY TAKE
    The question mark going into the year was whether Rajon Rondo was good enough to play with Boston's big three, who combined for 61 points in tonight's 104-102 loss. Rondo was a great compliment with 18 points, five rebounds and three assists. The trio will get their numbers, but Rondo has proven himself helping the Celtics reach 8-1 and the top of the Eastern Conference. Check out NBA.com's Fantasy Index
    SHOOTING STUDS
    Dwight Howard, Magic
    104-102 win vs Celtics
    24 pts 7-9 FG

    Rajon Rondo, Celtics
    104-102 loss at Magic
    18 pts, 8-9 FG

    Tayshaun Prince, Pistons
    105-95 loss at Kings
    19 pts, 8-12 FG, 1-1 3-pt FG

    STAT SHEET STUFFER
    We knew the Warriors were better than their 0-6 start. We need to see the full compliment of players for a few more games to get a better idea how good they can be, but Andris Biedrins has already shown progress. Averaging a double-double a game, Biedrins put in 15 points and 14 rebounds in a 106-100 win over the Raptors on Sunday. The 21-year-old Latvian has improved each year he has been in the league and it looks like he is poised to step up.
    SHOOTING DUDS
    Baron Davis, Warriors
    106-100 win at Raptors
    16 pts, 7-20 FG 1-5 3-pt FG

    Ray Allen, Celtics
    104-102 loss at Magic
    19 pts, 7-17 FG, 2-8 3-pt FG

    Brad Miller, Kings
    105-95 win vs Pistons
    15 pts, 3-11 FG

    JACKSON IS BACK
    The Warriors have been flying high in Stephen Jackson’s absence this season and lead the league in scoring. But all the points have not translated into many wins. The players appreciate the extra dimensions Jackson’s return gives them on offense. "We don't have a whole lot of guys on the team who can post up like he can, draw a double-team as well as create off the dribble," Austin Croshere said. Golden State obviously had no trouble seamlessly weaving Jackson back into the offense. The forward sat out the start of the season serving a seven-game suspension levied after he plead guilty to criminal recklessness following an incident in Indianapolis in 2006. On Sunday, the Warriors took out the Raptors 106-100 and Jackson led the team in scoring with 17 points in his return.
    CELTICS SUFFER FIRST LOSS
    And the debate over who would lose first, if at all, is over. While the Patriots keep marching on, the Celtics’ season-opening win streak was stopped at eight by the Magic on Sunday. Boston trailed by as much as 20 in the third quarter, but slowly clawed their way back in it throughout the second half. In the end, 53 percent shooting from the floor wasn’t enough to overcome a 14-point effort by Kevin Garnett and a 2-of-8 3-pt FG night by Ray Allen. The new story of the week is the emergence of a new big three to compete for dominance at the top of the Eastern Conference, as Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu also combined for 61 of their team’s points in the game. Look out for these teams, and their superstars, to battle it out all season. Be ready for another barn-burner when they meet up in Boston on Dec. 23.
    ROOKIE WATCH
    Glen “Big Baby” Davis played well last week against the Nets with six points and eight rebounds in 17 minutes of action. Against the Magic tonight, however, Davis’s playing time did not compare. In three minutes, he grabbed just one rebound and scored no points. Against Indiana on Tuesday he only played one minute and again had little impact. Davis's playing time is going to fluctuate from game to game like most rookies not named Durant. The Celtics spent most of the second half fighting back and Davis spent much of that time watching from the bench during Boston’s first loss.
    SIXTH MAN OF THE NIGHT
    Lakers fans have been waiting two years for prep-star Andrew Bynum to arrive. They certainly saw him at the Staples Center on Sunday night, as he put in more than thirty minutes of work off the bench in the blow-out win. When Bynum has seen minutes this year he has been solid. It was no different against the Bulls when he scored 14 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. He still doesn’t quite compare to the "Big Aristotle," but if he keeps playing this way the Lakers will have no choice but to play him more.
    CLUTCH PERFORMANCE
    The Bulls fought the Lakers hard for 24 minutes and went into halftime with a one-point lead. Unfortunately for Chicago, the game is still played over the course of 48 minutes. In the second half Los Angeles, led by a cast of reserves, turned up the heat. A 15-2 run to start the third quarter broke the game wide open and an 18-0 spurt at the end of the quarter put it out of reach. As always, timely shooting trumps all. The Lakers' bench shot 57 percent from the field and 73 percent from behind the arc in the 106-78 route.