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STAT SHEET STUFFER
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Al Harrington led a big scoring effort from the Hawks on Tuesday, scoring a season-high 35 points, grabbing five of his nine rebounds on the offensive glass, and dishing out four assists. Unfortunately, Atlanta ran into a Nuggets team on their best night, and was dealt a 125-116 loss in the Mile High City. Harrington was not to blame on the defensive end, either, as he had two steals and two blocks on the night.
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RICK KAMLA'S FANTASY TAKE
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How about Smush Parker? With a whopping seven steals on Tuesday, Smush upped his ranking in 8-cat leagues to 38th. That makes him a fourth-round pick! Simply amazing.
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GAME OF THE NIGHT
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The Wizards and Raptors went back-and-forth for most of the second half, with neither team gaining a firm advantage. It finally looked as if Washington had wrapped things up when Gilbert Arenas, who scored 37 on the night, hit a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left to extend the lead to four. A Chris Bosh layup and one Antawn Jamison free throw later, the stage was set for Morris Peterson. Mo Pete missed a trey from the top of the key, but hustled for the long rebound, dribbled to the corner, and hoisted a 3-pointer that tied the game with five ticks left. In overtime, Jarvis Hayes took over for the Wizards, hitting a three, notching a nice assist, and then closing the door with a late steal to secure the 119-111 win.
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QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
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"We don't deserve (to win two in a row), but hopefully it will come sooner or later. In our division, if you win two games in a row, you get the prize of first place."
- Boston head coach Doc Rivers, whose Celtics have yet to win consecutive games, after a 91-73 loss to the Rockets, the only other team with the dubious honor.
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STORYLINES OF THE NIGHT
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  1. That's Offensive
Tuesday was a big scoring night around the NBA, as six different teams eclipsed 110 points. Coming into the night, 24 players were averaging 20 or more points per game, but 29 scored 20-plus on Tuesday despite the fact that 12 teams were off. Carmelo Anthony was one of four Nuggets to reach 20 as Denver earned a 125-116 win over the Hawks. James Jones led eight Suns in double figures as Phoenix trounced Portland 130-85.
 2. Many Happy Returns
Knick guards Jamal Crawford and Nate Robinson might have been on the visiting team, but they were playing in front of a home crowd in Seattle. Both are from the area, and had nice games as friends and family looked on. Crawford poured in all 31 of his points after halftime, Robinson scored 10 in 23 minutes, and former Sonic Jerome James had his best game of the season with nine points and five rebounds in New York's come-from-behind 104-101 win.
 3. New 'D' in Dallas
Last season, the Mavericks went 1-10 in games they failed to reach 90 points. But this year, with a new emphasis on defense, Dallas is now 3-1 in such games after an 84-75 win over the Pacers. Dirk Nowitzki did score 31, but it was his 11 defensive rebounds and three blocked shots that made the difference for the Mavs. "We will never get enough credit for our defense," coach Avery Johnson said afterward. If they keep this up, they might start getting that respect soon.
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ROOKIE WATCH
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Raptors point guard Jose Calderon has flown under the radar, even on his own team. The undrafted Spaniard quietly put together a solid first month while fellow Toronto rookie Charlie Villanueva got most of the attention. Tuesday, Villanueva might have scored more - 18 points to Calderon's eight - but Calderon did everything else. Jose grabbed nine rebounds and distributed 13 assists in the Raptors' 119-111 overtime loss to the Wizards.
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COOL/CLUTCH PERFORMANCE
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The Wizards could have collapsed after allowing the Raptors to tie the game in the final seconds of regulation, but Jarvis Hayes made sure that didn't happen. The third-year swingman scored six of his season-best 21 points in overtime, and added a big assist and steal in the extra session, to carry Washington to a 119-111 home win over the Raptors. He hit a 3-pointer to open the overtime scoring, and the Wizards never trailed again, thanks to Hayes himself, who stole a Toronto pass and was fouled with 37 seconds left to secure the victory.
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SCOREBOARD: Dec. 6, 2005 |
AROUND THE ASSOCIATION ARCHIVE
Mo Pete chases down the miss and nails a game-tying trey.
