By Andrew Medeiros
March 26, 2008: SCOREBOARD | IN FOCUS GALLERY | AROUND THE ASSOCIATION ARCHIVE
PHOTO OF THE NIGHT
Kevin Durant goes up for two of his 32 points on Wednesday. It was the fourth time the rookie has gone for at least 30 poinits this season.Terrence Vaccaro/NBAE/Getty Images
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
"We definitely haven't given up by any means. I don't think there's any lack of effort or any giving up on our part effortwise and I think we're playing for pride at this point. That's about it. But I think we're doing a pretty good job of executing that."
-- Knicks forward David Lee, after New York's overtime win Wednesday.
THE DAY'S TOP VIDEO
Wednesday's top play: David West's game-winner from Chris Paul.
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NBA.COM'S FANTASY TAKE
As the regular season winds down, the fantasy playoffs are heating up. If you’re still in it, I want to know your secret. While you get those ready for me, check out Rick Kamla’s tips for surviving the playoffs. First pick up Jermaine O’Neal and Elton Brand. Both are about to come back from injury. Then take a look at Chris Quinn in Miami. The Heat are going nowhere, but Quinn could be the man for you like he was for the Irish. With Jason Williams on the sidelines, Quinn has become the full time point guard and his numbers will only improve from there…just don’t look at Wednesday’s loss to the Knicks. For more tips, check out the Fantasy Index.
SHOOTING STUDS
Tim Duncan, Spurs97-88 win vs. Clippers
26 pts, 8-10 FG, 10-13 FT
Kevin Garnett, Celtics
117-97 win vs. Suns
30 pts, 12-19 FG, 6-6 FT
Joe Johnson, Hawks
115-96 win vs. Bucks
28 pts, 11-17 FG, 4-8 3-pt FG
STAT SHEET STUFFER
Whether the final seconds of the Isiah Thomas administration are winding away in New York or not, its good to see the players still out there fighting for an overtime win. Jamal Crawford lit up the scoreboard, but David Lee and Zach Randolph did the dirty work to snap New York’s seven-game home losing streak, which was tied for the longest in franchise history. Randolph and Lee teamed up on the night for 31 points and 30 rebounds -- 13 on the offensive end.
SHOOTING DUDS
Larry Hughes, Bulls121-99 loss at Sixers
3 pts, 1-9 FG, 1-2 3-pt FG
Chris Quinn, Heat
103-96 loss at Knicks
9 pts, 2-13 FG, 0-3 FT
Royal Ivey, Bucks
115-96 loss at Hawks
4 pts, 1-7 FG, 0-2 FT
C's LOOK TO SWEEP EVERYBODY
With Wednesday’s nationally-televised win over the Suns, the Celtics have now beaten every team in the NBA with the exception of the Hornets, who travel to Boston for a second showdown on Friday. New Orleans beat Boston, 113-106, on Saturday in the teams’ previous meeting. The Celtics jumped out quick on the Suns, building a 15-point first-quarter lead before Phoenix battled back to go into halftime tied at 57. Boston built another lead in the second half, leading by as many as 23 points in the final minutes. The Suns outshot the Celtics, but lost the rebounding battle 41-27, which allowed Boston to get 18 more shot attempts. Phoenix is ranked last in the association in rebounding, but had been improving since the addition of Shaquille O’Neal. On Wednesday, O’Neal and Amare Stoudemire combined for just 13 rebounds and grabbed only two on the offensive end. Kendrick Perkins was the only player with double-digit rebounds (10), but Boston had four other players with at least six boards. While every Celtics’ starter scored in double figures, Kevin Garnett led the all-around team effort with 30 points.
MVP SHOWDOWN
Kobe Bryant is out in front of the MVP race – at least according to Mo Brooks, that is. On Wednesday, we got the chance to see what the other two guys pushing for the trophy can do on the same court. The matchup was sexy, but the finale of the 100-99 thriller even surpassed expectations. LeBron James and Chris Paul both had the ball in their hands with seconds ticking away and a chance to put their team on top. Even though both guys had poor nights from the floor – Paul shot 5-of-17, while James hit on 6-of-14 – they were cool under pressure. Unfortunately for Cleveland fans, CP3 got the chance to go second and drove the lane before kicking it out to David West for the game-winning jumper with .6 seconds remaining. All of this after LeBron split the New Orleans defense for a driving lay-up with 7.7 seconds to go ahead by one. Where his shooting lacked in Wednesday’s win, Paul made up for it by finding his open teammates all night for 20 assists. That is why it is so surprising that David West was so open. If Paul is able to make up ground on Kobe, the charge will be built on performances like this.
ROOKIE WATCH
Despite pressures from readers, Dave McMenamin is keeping Luis Scola at third in the T-Mobile Rookie Rankings, behind Kevin Durant and Al Horford, but Scola isn’t making the decision easy. Scola’s minutes have increased since Houston lost Yao Ming, and with every game so important, he is making every minute count. His 18 points and 18 rebounds Wednesday helped lead the Rockets past the Timberwolves.
SIXTH MAN OF THE NIGHT
The Sixers have been on fire and the Chicago Bulls couldn’t keep up in Wednesday’s 121-99 road win. Philadelphia broke out to a 15-point first-quarter lead before cruising to the win behind Louis Williams and Thaddeus Young. Williams scored 23 points and dished out five assists, while Young added 20 points and six rebounds. They kept their foot to the floor the whole way, combining for 18 points in the fourth.
D-LEAGUE STAR OF THE NIGHT
When a team spreads the ball around as evenly as the Los Angeles D-Fenders did on the way to a 101-90 win, it is impossible to identify one guy as the guy. Wendell White scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Cecil Brown added 21 points and eight boards. Errick Craven tallied 20 points, eight assists and six rebounds. And they all deserve to share the credit as D-League Star of the Night.
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