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STAT SHEET STUFFER
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Jameer Nelson - starting for the injured Steve Francis - put in another solid effort on Saturday night. He scored 20 points, hit 4-of-4 from downtown, grabbed five rebounds, delivered nine assists and picked up three steals. Unfortunately for Nelson, the Magic lost by 20 in Milwaukee.
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RICK KAMLA'S FANTASY TAKE
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After a slothfully slow start, Damon Stoudamire is in the groove. Including his 24 points, eight assists and six 3-pointers on Saturday, he's averaging 18 points, five assists and 2.5 treys over his last five games (all Memphis wins).
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GAME OF THE NIGHT
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Carmelo Anthony had a big night on Saturday, but it was Earl Boykins who came up with the huge bucket down the stretch. 'Melo scored 23 points to lead Denver, which held a 14-point fourth quarter lead, but Miami came storming back behind Dwyane Wade's 32 points. With 29 seconds remaining, Antoine Walker hit a running hook to put the Heat up 99-98. Just 12 ticks later, Boykins nailed a trey from the left wing, putting the Nuggets up by two. Miami failed to get the ball into Wade's hands on the final possession and settled for a three-pointer from James Posey, which got nothing but iron, preserving Denver's dramatic 101-99 win in the Mile High City.
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QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
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"On our home court, we can't have guys laughing at us. We need to make shots or commit a hard foul."
- Chicago's Ben Gordon, commenting on the pleasure Detroit's Rasheed Wallace took in the Bulls' misfortune during a 92-79 home loss on Saturday.
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STORYLINES OF THE NIGHT
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1. Nobody Beats the Grizz
Damon Stoudamire's big night on Saturday sparked the Grizzlies to their fifth straight win, a 90-75 victory in Houston. Memphis continued a recent trend by jumping out to a 34-13 lead in the opening period; over their last three games, the Grizzlies have outscored their opponents 96-45 in the first quarter. "We have played great defense early and that's what we're trying to do - get off to a great start," Bobby Jackson said after Saturday's game. "We know what we have to do. But you can't just play 12 minutes. We've played 48 minutes the last five games." They certainly have. During the five-game streak, Memphis has held opponents to under 77 points per game, while averaging more than 94.
 2. Streaks, Streaks, Streaks
The Grizzlies' weren't the only squad to extend a streak on Saturday - the Mavericks, Pistons and Spurs all continued successful stretches of their own. Dallas swatted the Hornets for the 15th straight time behind Dirk Nowitzki's 30-point effort, while Detroit won their 11th in a row in the Windy City and San Antonio took down the Sixers for the 19th time in their last 20 meetings on the River Walk.
  3. Who's No. 1?
The Magic-Bucks matchup on Saturday pinned 2004 No. 1 pick Dwight Howard against this year's top selection Andrew Bogut for the first time this season. While Bogut struggled, scoring just five points on 2-of-7 shooting, and Howard ruled the paint - he scored 14 points and grabbed 17 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season - it was Bogut's Bucks who came out with a 104-84 win.
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ROOKIE WATCH
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 If Chris Paul keeps this up, Hornets fans might start a petition demanding the rookie point guard legally change his name to ROY. The No. 4 pick continued his torrid start on Saturday, scoring a team-high 25 points. He also pulled down six rebounds, dished out five assists and snatched three steals. The only downside for Paul: the Hornets lost by nine to the Mavs.
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COOL/CLUTCH PERFORMANCE
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Earl Boykins would not let the Nuggets be burned by the Heat. The diminutive guard scored just 12 points on Saturday, but none were bigger than the final three. With Denver trailling by one, Boykins took a pass from Andre Miller and buried a trey with 17 seconds remaining to give the Nuggets a 101-99 win over Miami.
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UPSET OF THE NIGHT
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  Coming off their win in Atlanta on Friday night, the Raptors marched into Continental Airlines Arena with a 2-15 record. They marched out with a convincing 95-82 victory over the Nets and their first winning streak of the season. With just under seven minutes to go in the second quarter, New Jersey held a one-point lead, but Morris Peterson hit a three to put Toronto up 40-38. The Raptors never trailed again. Chris Bosh led Toronto's charge with 29 points and 13 rebounds. The go-ahead trey - one of Peterson's three on the night - were part of a 24-point effort. Toronto will look to make it three straight Tuesday night in Washington.
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SCOREBOARD: Dec. 3, 2005 |
AROUND THE ASSOCIATION ARCHIVE
