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STAT SHEET STUFFER
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Allen Iverson wasn't to be stopped Monday night. Philly's all-world guard dropped in 41 points on 15-of-25 shooting, dished out nine assists and grabbed seven boards in a 107-98 Sixers win over Seattle.
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RICK KAMLA'S FANTASY TAKE
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" Andres Nocioni may have been dropped when Scott Skiles dropped him from the rotation, but get out there and pick him up. With three blocks and two threes on Monday, he has six blocks and six threes in his last three games."
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GAME OF THE NIGHT
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Monday's Mavericks-Celtics game in Beantown -- a close one throughout -- featured a trio of big buckets in the closing seconds, but it was Dallas that had the deck "stacked" in its favor. With the Mavs clinging to a one-point lead, Dirk Nowitzki, the leader in this season's Nestlé Crunch Time standings, hit a jumper with 16.1 left to make it a three-point game. Paul Pierce answered on the other end, faking to get Dirk in the air, moving left and draining a game-tying trey with 6.5 seconds left. But Jerry Stackhouse had the ball in his hands last and made it count, shooting through Ricky Davis' defense and swishing it through with one-tenth of a second on the clock, giving Dallas the 104-102 victory.
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QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
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"That's how you should play. When somebody is open, you give it up. ... When you do share the ball, nine times out of 10, there is a lot more positive results that come out of it."
-- Philadelphia's Allen Iverson, who in addition to 41 points tallied nine assists in a 107-98 win over Seattle.
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STORYLINES OF THE NIGHT
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 1. When 4-for-45 Is Red Hot:
Whether he is making a statement since coming off his two-game suspension last week or is simply en fuego, Kobe Bryant is playing some serious hoop of late. Monday's 96-90 Lakers win over the Pacers, Los Angeles' third straight, saw Bryant reach at least 45 points for the fourth straight game. The last to perform that feat? Nope, not Michael Jordan. Try none other than Wilt Chamberlain more than 41 years ago. Making the feat all the more impressive: Three of those games have come in the last four days. Kobe is shooting a respectable 46 percent from the field and a blistering 56 percent from the arc over his supercharged stretch.
 2. Jazz Humming Along
After a big overtime win two days prior -- in Detroit of all places -- one wouldn't have been surprised if Utah endured a bit of a letdown Monday in Washington. Well, the Jazz sort of did, but not until after they built a 22-point lead late in the third quarter. Mehmet Okur put up 19 points and 13 rebounds as Utah prevailed 97-89 over the Wizards. The Jazz, winners of seven of their last 10, hold a one-game lead in the Northwest Division.
 3. Monkey on Their Backs? More Like a Bull
Toronto has been playing much better ball of late, but that didn't prevent the Raptors from dropping their 11th consecutive game to Chicago. Kirk Hinrich combined 25 points with 11 assists and Luol Deng scored 21 in Monday's 113-104 Bulls triumph The Raptors haven't tasted victory against the Bulls since Dec. 6, 2002.
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ROOKIE WATCH
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Despite the Pacers' loss to the Lakers, Danny Granger continues to make the most of his minutes. The Indiana forward got nearly 35 of them Monday and posted 12 points and nine rebounds. It's the fourth straight game the first-round pick out of New Mexico has scored in double digits.
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COOL/CLUTCH PERFORMANCE
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Kobe Bryant will get all the press for his 45 points in Monday's 96-90 win over the Pacers, but it was Lamar Odom who sealed the game down the stretch. Odom hit a 3-pointer with 1:20 to go, pushing the lead to 90-85, and hit 3-of-4 free throws the rest of the way. He also grabbed four big rebounds over the final two minutes. |
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SIXTH MAN OF THE NIGHT
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Tough to avoid the guy who hits a last-second game-winner to cap a 20-point night. Jerry Stackhouse finished a 7-of-13 night from the field to go with a 5-for-5 effort from the line; he threw in three assists for good measure.
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SCOREBOARD: Jan. 9, 2006 |
AROUND THE ASSOCIATION ARCHIVE
David Harrison dunks on Kwame Brown
