By Mike Weilamann
April 12, 2008: SCOREBOARD | IN FOCUS GALLERY | AROUND THE ASSOCIATION ARCHIVE
PHOTO OF THE NIGHT
Teammates LaMarcus Aldridge and Channing Frye celebrate in the closing seconds of Saturday's big victory over the Mavericks at the Rose Garden. The pair combined for 37 points and 15 boards.Sam Forencich/NBA/Getty Images
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
"He's getting his mojo back. He's pushing the ball up fast, doing his moves like he usually does. I was just glad to see him out there looking like the old Gilbert.''-- Wizards' DeShawn Stevenson on teammate Gilbert Arenas, who had his best game since his return from a knee injury with 20 points in Saturday's win over the Sixers.
THE DAY'S TOP VIDEO
Saturday's top play: Paul Millsap makes the circus shot against the Nuggets.
|
| |
NBA.COM'S FANTASY TAKE
With the first pick in the 2008-09 (insert your fantasy league name here) draft, you select? LeBron James? Kevin Garnett? Kobe Bryant? Chris Paul? Well, who do you take? You have to go with the King. LeBron is having a monster season, averaging 30.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 7.2 assists per game with a field goal percentage of 48.4. CP3 and Kobe are fine in their own right, but LeBron fails to beat both in only one category as Paul averages four dimes better than James. Garnett was injured earlier this season and will still be a top tier pick next season. Stay with us to the bitter end at NBA.com's Fantasy Index.
SHOOTING STUDS
Danny Granger, Pacers107-104 loss vs. Bobcats
37 pts, 12-24 FG, 6-13 3-pt FG
Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks
108-105 loss at Blazers
28 pts, 10-17 FG, 1-2 3-pt FG, 7-7 FT
Andre Iguodala, Sixers
109-93 loss at Wizards
22 pts, 8-16 FG, 4-8 3-pt FG, 2-2 FT
STAT SHEET STUFFER
Man the Jazz have been tough on the Nuggets haven’t they? Mehmet Okur was a thorn in Denver’s side on Saturday with 20 points, 15 rebounds and five assists as the Jazz beat the Nuggets 124-97. It’s the third straight season that Utah won three of four from Denver, which is now tied with Golden State with two games left for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Utah moved within 1½ games of Houston, which visits the Jazz on Monday.
SHOOTING DUDS
Chris Paul, Hornets94-91 loss at Kings
14 pts, 4-13 FG, 0-2 3-pt FG
Jason Terry, Mavericks
108-105 loss at Blazers
10 pts, 3-15 FG, 1-5 3-pt FG
Jannero Pargo, Hornets
94-91 loss at Kings
4 pts, 2-9 FG, 0-3 3-pt FG
CRAZY EIGHTS SET FOR WILD FINISH
It all comes down to this. Two games to finalize one spot in the Western Conference playoffs. The Nuggets and Warriors are all tied up for the coveted No. 8 spot and the teams are heading for the clubhouse. Meanwhile in the East, Atlanta stayed one game up on Indiana as both lost on Saturday. Does anyone want in the playoffs? Denver looked lethargic in one of the biggest games of the season in getting blown out by Utah. Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony combined for 50 points, but had little help from the rest of their non-supporting cast. Golden State was the only team to handle its business as Stephen Jackson scored 28 in an eight-point win over the Clippers. The Pacers had a golden chance to keep pace with the Hawks, but Danny Granger’s career-high 37 points went for naught in a loss to the Bobcats. Atlanta stayed one game ahead despite losing to the Celtics.
THERE’S ABSOLUTELY NO PLACE LIKE HOME FOR UTAH
Think the Jazz want home-court advantage in the opening round of the upcoming playoffs? After Saturday’s lopsided win over Denver, Utah improved to 36-4 on its home floor. Talk about home cooking! The Jazz have always been tough in their building, this season notwithstanding. At 53-27, Jerry Sloan’s club has their most wins since going 53-29 in 2000-01. The Jazz host Houston in a big game on Monday and close out the regular season Wednesday at the Spurs. Utah hasn't won in San Antonio since 1999, so taking care of business at home on Monday appears crucial. Mehmet Okur led the charge Saturday against the Nuggets with 20 points, 15 rebounds and five assists, while point guard Deron Williams added 19 points, 11 assists and four rebounds to the chant of “MVP!” from the partisan home crowd. The Jazz had 37 assists on 50 field goals.
UPSET OF THE NIGHT
The West got a little crazier on Saturday thanks to John Salmons and the Kings, who knocked off the Hornets. Salmons posted 18 points, 11 rebounds and three assists for short-handed Sacramento which played without leading scorer Kevin Martin (right knee) and center Brad Miller (leg and elbow injuries). Ron Artest returned from missing three of four games with a thumb injury to nail four clutch 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. He finished with 22 points. The loss spoiled a chance for the Hornets to stay one game ahead of the Lakers for the No. 1 seed in the upcoming playoffs. Playoffs? Did you say playoffs?
ROOKIE WATCH
For those who haven’t noticed, Ramon Sessions is playing well down the stretch for the Lottery-bound Bucks. Sessions was at it again on Saturday, recording 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 13 assists in Milwaukee’s loss to New Jersey. It was the third straight double-digit assist game for the former D-Leaguer, who had 14 dimes in a loss against the Celtics on Friday. Elsewhere, Thaddeus Young also had a nice game in a loss with 15 points and seven rebounds against the Wizards. Continuing the theme, Al Thornton posted 25 points, 11 boards and five assists in the Clippers’ loss to the Warriors.
D-LEAGUE STAR OF THE NIGHT
Saturday was the final day of the regular season in the NBA Development League. A fact that was not lost on Morris Almond, who poured in a game-high 43 points to help the Utah Flash win their finale over the playoff-bound Los Angeles D-Fenders. The Flash concluded their season at 24-26, while the D-Fenders enter the postseason at 32-18. Elsewhere, Carlos Powell posted a game-high 33 points as the Dakota Wizards clinched the Central Division title with a 114-106 win over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, while Damien Lolar tallied 31 points and eight rebounds to lead Colorado past Albuquerque.
NBA.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network