By Andrew Medeiros
January 25, 2008: SCOREBOARD | IN FOCUS GALLERY | AROUND THE ASSOCIATION ARCHIVE
PHOTO OF THE NIGHT
Kevin Garnett shows the heart that makes him an MVP candidate in his first half season in Boston. Garnett only scored 10 points on Friday, but grabbed the game-winning steal as the clock expired.Brian Babineau/NBAE/Getty Images
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
“He essentially won the game for them in the first quarter. He took the rest of the night off, at least offensively, but the game was over and they were cruising.” -- Magic coach Stan Van Gundy describing Rasheed Wallace’s hot start on Friday.
THE DAY'S TOP VIDEO
Friday's top play: Emeka Okafor takes the feed and dunks on Tyrus Thomas.
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NBA.COM'S FANTASY TAKE
The skirmish between Joakim Noah and Ben Wallace may be the least of worries for the Bulls right now. The injury bug is biting hard. Ben Gordon (wrist) and Luol Deng (Achilles) again sat out on Friday, while Chris Duhon (knee) was limited to just three points in 12 minutes. It looks like Andres Nocioni and Kirk Hinrich will attempt to pick up the slack until they are back to full strength. Nocioni scored 25 points in a 13-point loss to the Bobcats on Friday, while Hinrich registered a career-high 38 in Wednesday’s win. Check out NBA.com's Fantasy Index.
SHOOTING STUDS
Carlos Boozer, Jazz127-113 win vs. Kings
33 pts, 15-19 FG, 3-4 FT
Steve Nash, Suns
110-108 win at Cavaliers
26 pts, 9-11 FG, 7-9 3-pt FG
Raja Bell, Suns
110-108 win at Cavaliers
27 pts, 8-12 FG, 6-10 3-pt FG, 5-5 FT
STAT SHEET STUFFER
Emeka Okafor is over-shadowed by the player selected ahead of him in the 2004 NBA Draft. Most nights, you can make a case for Dwight Howard in this spot. Tonight is no different, but Okafor gets the nod. An all-around defensive force in the paint, Okafor averages a double-double, but on Friday led the Bobcats with 21 points and 16 rebounds. The fourth-year center out of UConn also came up with four big blocks in the Bobcats 90-77 win over the Bulls.
SHOOTING DUDS
Antoine Walker, Wolves87-86 loss at Celtics
3 pts, 1-6 FG, 1-4 3-pt FG
Anthony Carter, Nuggets
100-85 win vs. Nets
4 pts, 1-8 FG, 0-3 3-pt FG
Jason Richardson, Bobcats
90-77 win at Bulls
11 pts, 3-13 FG, 1-4 3-pt FG
GARNETT DRIVING THE BEAN TOWN EXPRESS
Do you think Kevin Garnett enjoys playing in Boston? After pulling out a thrilling 87-86 victory over the Timberwolves at home on Friday, Garnett, who played 12 seasons in Minnesota before the off-season trade that transformed Boston from worst to best, was seen storming around the Boston Garden tugging on the green “CELTICS” striping his chest. Garnett’s numbers were not emblematic of the MVP-caliber season that the 10-time all star is having, but the heart he showed was. Having scored 10 points on perfect shooting and grabbing 13 of his eventual 16 rebounds, Garnett left the court midway through the fourth quarter, visibly in pain from an abdominal strain. He returned minutes later, undeterred, anchoring the Celtics’ defense that stymied three last-minute Minnesota inbounds plays, picking the pocket of point guard Sebastian Telfair to secure the game-winning steal as time expired.
BEST OF THE WORST
The Knicks grabbed their sixth win in the last ten games with an 89-81 home win over the Sixers. The win helps New York avoid a five-game losing streak against Philadelphia, which would’ve been their longest skid against the division rival since 1985-86. Most impressively, the Knicks are having success with star point guard Stephon Marbury undergoing ankle surgery on Tuesday and missing 16 of the team’s last 25 games. "I think we are playing our best ball right now," said Jamal Crawford, who totaled a team-high 18 points and five assists. With five players scoring in double digits, Eddy Curry attributes the team’s success to their ability to share the ball in recent contests. Zach Randolph moved mountains for the Knicks down low on Friday, scoring 16 points and grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds against the Sixers, who are one game ahead of the Knicks in the Atlantic Division.
SIXTH MAN OF THE NIGHT
Rick Adelman has seemingly found a way to ensure that Tracy McGrady’s return doesn’t disrupt his offense’s flow. In three games since returning to the lineup, McGrady has scored nine points, 17 points and 28 points, increasing each time in three wins. On Friday, Houston met up with the Trail Blazers and T-Mac scored 15 points, again coming off the bench. The point total was down because the Rockets spread the ball around, but McGrady led Houston in scoring as eight players scored at least eight points in the win.
ROOKIE WATCH
Juan Carlos Navarro never donned a Washington Wizards jersey. Judging by the Spaniard’s previous performance in November, it looks like he gets geared to meet the team that originally called his name on draft night. Navarro put up 28 points at home in the first meeting, so we were interested to see what he did on his first trip to the District. Fourteen points top his season average, but 5-of-14 shooting from the floor and 4-of-11 from 3-point range is a disappointment. But the loss hurts the most.
D-LEAGUE STAR OF THE NIGHT
It is difficult to award Star of the Night to a guy on a losing team, but you can’t blame Trent Strickland for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers’ 23-point road loss to the Albuquerque Thunderbirds on Friday. The Wake Forest product stood out with the D-League’s only double-double of the night, tallying 21 points and 10 rebounds. Strickland was also efficient, converting 6-of-9 from the floor. The Vipers have struggled this month, winning just one game, but Strickland is averaging 17 points and seven rebounds during that stretch.
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