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STAT SHEET STUFFER
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Kevin Garnett put in a vintage Big Ticket performance Wednesday. K.G. scored 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting, grabbed 10 boards, delivered six assists and collected four steals in Minnesota's 108-95 victory over Seattle. He also added a blocked shot.
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RICK KAMLA'S FANTASY TAKE
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I've been encouraging people to trade Stephon Marbury for months. Now, after missing all seven shots in 40 minutes, you may be stuck with Marbury and his injured right hand.
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D-LEAGUE STAR OF THE NIGHT
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Marcus Fizer - selected fourth overall in the 2000 NBA draft - had a big night for the Austin Toros. Fizer hit 10 of his 16 shots on his way to 25 points. He also ripped down a game-high 10 rebounds as Austin came from behind to defeat Tulsa, 114-107.
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GAME OF THE NIGHT
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Damon Stoudamire and Pau Gasol grabbed their Grizzlies teammates and hoisted them onto their backs, carrying Memphis past the Lakers and Kobe Bryant's 45 points. Gasol scored six straight before Stoudamire drilled a pair of 3-balls to bring the Grizzlies back from 10 points down and send the game into overtime. In the bonus period, Memphis took its first lead of the game on Gasol's short jump-hook. After the Grizzlies stretched the lead to eight after a 3-pointer by Mike Miller and a Stoudamire layin, Bryant scored seven straight to close the gap to one. But Chris Mihm missed a layup with time running out and Memphis escaped from L.A. with a hard-fought 100-99 OT victory.
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STORYLINES OF THE NIGHT
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 1. Wally's World in December
Kevin Garnett may be the heart of the Minnesota Timberwolves, but, in December, their pulse has been supplied by Wally Szczerbiak. In the T'wolves 13 games this month, Szczerbiak has led his team in scoring 11 times, averaging 25 points per contest. He poured in a game-high 30 in Wednesday's win against the Sonics, outscoring The Big Ticket yet again. "Wally (has) been aggressive these last couple of games," Garnett said. "He didn't start the year like he wanted to, but he's found the rhythm and he's stayed in the rhythm." Wednesday's performance marked the second time this month - and third time this season - Szczerbiak has hit the 30-point plateau. Wally will look to close out the month with another big night Friday in Orlando.
 2. Portland Gives Former Coach a Cheeky Return
Maurice Cheeks made his return to the City of Roses on Wednesday, leading his Philadelphia 76ers squad into Portland to take on the Blazers. Cheeks spent 3½ seasons on the Portland bench, guiding the team to playoff births in his first two seasons. After a 41-41 season in 2003-04 and a 22-23 start in 2004-05, Cheeks was fired with a 162-139 record overall. Entering play on Wednesday, the Blazers stood at 9-18, while the Sixers' 15-13 record was good enough for second place in the Atlantic Division. But Zach Randolph outplayed Allen Iverson and carried Portland to a gutty 95-91 victory over its former coach, avenging a 107-83 rout in Philly on Nov. 29.
 3. Warriors Stay Golden ... Barely
The Warriors got off to a sizzling 12-6 start this season, but have fallen on tough times lately. They are just 2-8 since and risked falling below .500 for the first time in 2005-06 when the Celtics came to The Arena in Oakland on Wednesday. Golden State led by just one at the half, and, with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game, the score was deadlocked. But Derek Fisher saved the day when he flipped in a layup with 6.2 ticks to go. Jason Richardson - who scored a game-high 36 points - stole the ball from Paul Pierce on the ensuing Boston possession, preserving the 111-109 home win.
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ROOKIE WATCH
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Chris Paul shot just 38.5 percent from the floor Wednesday; he scored only 11 points. But CP3 showed his mettle late, scoring eight of those 11 in the second half. And let's not forget about his season-high 15 assists, the last of which came when he found an open David West for the game-winning jumper in the Hornets' 92-90 win over the Rockets. The 15 dimes look even better considering Paul committed just one turnover.
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COOL/CLUTCH PERFORMANCE
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New Orleans/Oklahoma City's Rasual Butler scored all 15 of his points in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's 92-90 thriller over Houston. With the Rockets up by six early in the fourth quarter, the Hornets erupted on an 18-3 run which Butler capped with three consecutive treys. His jumper with 2:22 left gave his a team a six point advantage. When all was said and done, the forward out of La Salle hit 6-of-11 from the floor, including the big three from downtown, a performance off the bench that impressed New Orleans/Oklahoma City head coach Byron Scott. "Rasual did a heck of a job making shots," Scott said. "He is getting comfortable out there and needs to put together a good stretch of games."
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SCOREBOARD: Dec. 28, 2005 |
AROUND THE ASSOCIATION ARCHIVE
J.R. Smith finishes the alley-oop over Mount Mutombo.
"I can't say too much about Grant. He does everything. I think he was awesome. He's our leader. We have to feed off him."
