By Ben Hubner
March 4, 2008: SCOREBOARD | IN FOCUS GALLERY | AROUND THE ASSOCIATION ARCHIVE
PHOTO OF THE NIGHT
... But seriously, though: Don't let Dwight Howard catch you sagging. Fernando Medina/NBAE/Getty Images
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
"It's better than hearing cowbells. That was a trip. It felt great, though. I don't have to worry about anybody poisoning my burger now. I can eat in peace.''-- Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, on his surprise and delight when he heard MVP chants during L.A.'s win in Sacramento.
THE DAY'S TOP VIDEO
Tuesday's top play: Amare Stoudemire throws it down over Joel Przybilla.
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NBA.COM'S FANTASY TAKE
Sam Cassell signed with the Celtics. And, as you may know, he plays the same position as Rajon Rondo. So this should have Rondo owners in a panic, right? (Not Kia Rondo owners, to be clear ... ) Rick Kamla doesn't think so. Rondo only plays 31 minutes a night as it is, so a backup point like Cassell isn't likely to cut into that. Said Kamla, "Rondo's numbers could even go up." Further enlightenment is just a double-click away: Fantasy Index.
SHOOTING STUDS
Baron Davis, Warriors135-118 win at Hawks
35 pts, 16-25 FG
Kyle Lowry, Grizzlies
112-97 loss at Bulls
24 pts, 8-12 FG, 7-8 FT
Rashard Lewis, Magic
102-87 win vs Raptors
22 pts, 9-13 FG
STAT SHEET STUFFER
Kirk Hinrich finished with 19 points, 12 assists, and four rebounds in the Bulls' 112-97 win over the Grizzlies on Tuesday night ... and he also blocked four shots. Hinrich, that is. Blocked four shots. Four blocks, for Hinrich. Of course, he gets paid very well to do things like score and pass, but block shots? Does he expect a raise? His teammate Drew Gooden was well-rounded as well on Tuesday, scoring 21 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.
SHOOTING DUDS
LaMarcus Aldridge, Blazers97-92 loss vs Suns
11 pts, 3-15 FG
Luke Walton, Lakers
117-105 win at Kings
7 pts, 3-13 FG, 0-2 3-pt FG
Manu Ginobili, Spurs
81-70 win vs Nets
12 pts, 3-11 FG, 1-4 3-pt FG
SPURS' WIN STREAK REACHES DOUBLE DIGITS
It is that time of year again: March is doing its lion thing, which means, as it does every year, that the Spurs have traded in their modest excellence, which pre-All-Star break serves as camouflage in the West, for the ostentation of supremacy. Every year they outlast the strong starters around the league and suddenly become visible in the spring, at which point people look at the standings and say something like, "Don't look now, but the Spurs have the best record in the West."
But so much for the Spurs' steady success being outshined by the Suns and their big Shaquisition or drowned out by the Lakers and theirs (alternate puns severely lacking for Mavs, Hornets and Jazz): San Antonio, which sits at No. 1 in the Power Rankings, won its 10th straight game on Tuesday night, defeating New Jersey for the second time in three days. And, don't look now, but Tim Duncan is the best power forward in the West: He had 29 points and 12 rebounds in 34 minutes. BTW: The new New Jersey Net, Devin Harris, got his first start in his new Nets jersey, but for the first time failed to net 21 points.
KOBE COMES ON LATE FOR LAKERS, AGAIN
Trailing the Kings by seven in the fourth quarter on Tuesday night, the Lakers scored 14 consecutive points to take a lead they would never relinquish, and won in Sacramento, 117-105. In his previous game, which came on Sunday against the Mavericks, Kobe Bryant scored 52 points, very few of which were excessive since the Lakers needed an overtime period to win. In that game, 30 of those points came from the fourth quarter on. Against the Kings, Kobe continued his late-game aptitude and scored 17 of his 34 in the final frame. And validated his lead in the Race to the MVP.
Also validated on Tuesday night was this post from Rob Peterson earlier in the day, wherein he argued that the presence of Pau Gasol, as much as anything, has set Kobe's 2008 MVP campaign apart from his previous ones. After all, the Lakers are now 13-2 since Gasol joined the lineup, and Kobe's conclusive bursts mean nothing without Pau's four-quarter sustenance; even though Kobe finished with 34 and 10 on Tuesday, Pau was a perfect complement, adding 31 and 10 of his own.
COOL / CLUTCH PERFORMANCE
Amir Johnson saw limited action on Tuesday night, playing just 21 minutes, but that was plenty of time to earn the trust of his coach, Flip Saunders. With less than a minute to go and the Pistons up just two, 96-94, Saunders decided to leave Johnson on the floor in place of Rasheed Wallace. Chauncey Billups ran a pick-and-roll with Johnson at the top of the key and delivered him the ball in the lane. Even with three defenders draped over his back, Johnson scored to ice the game. "I was supposed to be a distraction — roll to the hoop to open things up for Tayshaun," he said. "But Chauncey gave me the ball and I made the shot."
ROOKIE WATCH
Don't stop me if you've heard this before because I'm sure you have and I really need to keep going: Kevin Durant was the most outstanding rookie of the night. Though his Sonics fell to the Pistons, he scored 20 points on 7-of-14 from the floor, and even finished with an admirable and uncharacteristic seven assists, to go along with five rebounds.
In other painfully-predictable Rookie Watch news on Tuesday, Al Horford was the second-best of the first-years: He was a perfect 6-of-6 from the floor and finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.
ANTI-LOCKDOWN OF THE NIGHT
Whereas Lockdown of the Night celebrates an inspiring defensive effort, this is the absolute opposite of that: The Hawks allowed 135 points to the Warriors on Tuesday night — just three short of the season high set by the Nuggets on Feb. 27. The Warriors do make 3-pointers hard to defend because so many of them are a threat to drive, but they were 17-of-32! Excellent ball movement kept the Hawks on their talons and caused some cautious closeouts, but no matter how well a team is shooting, 135 can be prevented, so Coach Woodson can't be pleased. Enjoy those footfires, young birds!
