By Mike Weilamann
April 2, 2008: SCOREBOARD | IN FOCUS GALLERY | AROUND THE ASSOCIATION ARCHIVE
PHOTO OF THE NIGHT
We're No. 1! And who can argue? Paul Pierce and the Celtics posted their league-leading 60th victory Wednesday to match the NBA record for best single-season turnaround in winning 60 for the first time in 22 years. Brian Babineau/NBAE/Getty Images
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
"It's kind of like pick your poison. You give us a layup, we're going to take that. You give us a 3-point shot, we have guys that can make it." -- Jazz forward Carlos Boozer, after his team's all-around performance in Wednesday's win over the Timberwolves, who tried packing the lane in the second half in the hopes of trying to take away Utah's layups and dunks.
THE DAY'S TOP VIDEO
Wednesday's top play: Rudy Gay delivers one over the backboard.
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NBA.COM'S FANTASY TAKE
Gilbert Arenas made his long-awaited return to the Wizards on Wednesday. Agent Zero, out since November with a knee injury, made his first basket since Nov. 16 and finished with 17 points in Washington’s 110-109 loss to the Bucks. Now that he’s back, the question for fantasy owners in leagues where Arenas is available is whether or not to snatch him up? If you really need a guard grab him. With so many others on the injury list, Rick Kamla examines which players could be shut down for the remainder of the season. For more helpful hints, check out our Fantasy Index.
SHOOTING STUDS
Tyson Chandler, Hornets106-77 win at Heat
20 pts, 10-10 FG
Monta Ellis, Warriors
111-86 loss at Mavericks
27 pts, 12-19 FG, 2-2 3-pt FG
Jason Richardson, Bobcats
118-114 loss vs. Cavaliers
31 pts, 13-22 FG, 4-8 3-pt FG
STAT SHEET STUFFER
Mike Bibby and the rest of the Hawks refused to lose on Wednesday. Bibby nailed the tying 3-pointer in regulation as Atlanta rallied back from 17 points down against Toronto in an eventual seven-point win in overtime. More importantly, the Hawks increased their lead for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot to four games over Indiana, which lost 92-77 at Boston. Bibby posted 26 points, 12 assists, six rebounds and three steals.
SHOOTING DUDS
Stephen Jackson, Warriors111-86 loss at Mavericks
2 pts, 1-11 FG, 0-4 3-pt FG
Travis Diener, Pacers
92-77 loss at Celtics
4 pts, 1-6 FG, 0-5 3-pt FG
Raymond Felton, Bobcats
118-114 loss vs. Cavaliers
9 pts, 3-13 FG, 0-2 3-pt FG
DIRK GETS BACK IN SADDLE FOR MAVERICKS
Dirk Nowitzki made an unexpected and triumphant return on Wednesday. And he may have helped save the Mavericks’ season in the process. The reigning MVP, who missed four games with a high-ankle sprain, posted 18 points and five rebounds as Dallas knocked off Golden State in a key Western Conference showdown. Dallas (47-28), currently seventh in the West standings, moved a full game ahead of idle Denver and two games ahead of Golden State (45-30). Nowitzki was far from 100 percent and was only 6-of-15 from the floor. But he showed a lot of guts in returning and remarkably showed little signs of being restricted by his bad ankle. Jason Terry equaled his season high with 31 points and Josh Howard added 28 for the Mavericks, who never trailed in this one. With only seven games left, it should be a wild ride to the finish in the rugged and entertaining West.
MANY HAPPY RETURNS AROUND THE ASSOCIATION
Call it “Welcome Back Wednesday." Several of the league’s biggest and brightest stars made their returns as their teams gear for the upcoming playoffs. Besides Dirk Nowitzki -- (glance at the box to your left) -- Pau Gasol, Gilbert Arenas and Elton Brand all saw action on Wednesday. Gasol rejoined Kobe Bryant as the two combined for 46 points in the Lakers’ win over the Trail Blazers. Gasol posted 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds after missing nine games with an ankle sprain. Kobe benefited the most from Gasol’s return as he poured in 36 points to go with his 13 boards and seven assists. Arenas took the court for the first time since Nov. 16, but the Wizards came up short at the buzzer in a one-point loss to the Bucks. Meanwhile, Brand made his season debut count with 19 points in the Clippers’ win over the Sonics.
ROOKIE WATCH
Javaris Crittenton is making it awfully tough for the Grizzlies to not increase his minutes. Crittenton has been stuck all season in a guard logjam with Kyle Lowry, Mike Miller, Mike Conley and Juan Carlos Navarro. But Crittenton broke out Wednesday with a career-high 23 points to go with his nine rebounds as Memphis bested New York. … Kevin Durant scored 30, but counterpart Al Thornton scored 21 and grabbed 10 boards to lead Los Angeles. Jeff Green had 17 points for Seattle. … Al Horford had 14 points and 12 rebounds in the Hawks’ win over the Raptors.
COOL/CLUTCH PERFORMANCE
Ramon Sessions was definitely in the house on Wednesday. And he was dropping some big shots on the Wizards. His biggest of the night came at the buzzer, a 19-foot beauty from the corner that lifted the Bucks to a thrilling one-point victory. Sessions had given the Bucks a chance to win by chasing down a loose ball in the backcourt after losing a jump ball to Caron Butler with 6.3 seconds left. Sessions, a former D-Leaguer with the Tulsa 66ers, finished with eight points and eight assists in 24 minutes off the bench. The Bucks never led by more than one point and overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit.
D-LEAGUE STAR OF THE NIGHT
The Los Angeles D-Fenders are out in front. Sean Banks made sure of that Wednesday night, posting a game-high 26 points and making a key block with 13.9 seconds left in L.A.’s big 105-100 win over the Idaho Stampede. The victory pushed the D-Fenders (32-14) one-half game ahead of the Stampede (31-14) in the West Division standings with 10 days left in the regular season. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out down the stretch between the league’s two best teams. It’s amazing the race is this close given the Stampede’s 18-game winning streak earlier this season. Maybe it’s the D-League -- where amazing happens?
