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STAT SHEET STUFFER
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Gerald Wallace was a demon on defense for the Bobcats on Friday, establishing career highs in steals (eight) and rebounds (15) to go with four blocks. And he was no slouch on offense, leading six in double digits with 19 points and throwing in three assists in a narrow 103-102 home loss to the Bucks. Wallace's big night was enough to bump a Dwyane Wade triple-double off the page.
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RICK KAMLA'S FANTASY TAKE
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"What a buzzkill about Antawn Jamison, huh? Benched midweek. Not cool. On Friday, he was scoreless in (13) minutes. But hang in there, because he's too good to be out of Eddie Jordan's rotation all season."
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D-LEAGUE STAR OF THE NIGHT
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With his new home only a short drive west on Alligator Alley, former Miami Heat guard Dorell Wright scored 32 points on 15-for-22 shooting and added nine rebounds for the Florida Flame on Friday. A 105-98 win launched Florida into sole possession of first place.
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GAME OF THE NIGHT
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It was Kyle Korver bobblehead night in Philadelphia, and the man behind the doll did not disappoint. After the Sixers erased a 16-point deficit to force overtime, the teams could not settle their differences in the first extra session. With Philly facing a three-point deficit and time winding down in OT No. 2, Korver hit a tough contested trey at the buzzer to save the Sixers and send the game to a third overtime. The final five minutes were a defensive struggle, with Philadelphia edging Boston 4-3 in the period for a 125-124 victory.
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QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
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"Each minute that you play draws you in more. You've played this many minutes, this many quarters, that you can't turn back now. There's no time to be tired. You'll be tired tonight and tomorrow, but it's going to feel good watching some football games with a win."
-- Philadelphia forward Chris Webber, who racked up 31 points and 13 rebounds in a season-high 51 minutes in the Sixers' 125-124 triple-overtime win over the Celtics.
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STORYLINES OF THE NIGHT
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 1. Legendary Larry's Milestone Moment
Just a couple of weeks ago, it probably felt like he would never get there. But thanks to a January hot spell, the Knicks were able to get head coach Larry Brown victory No. 1,000 of his illustrious career, a 105-94 win over the Hawks. Brown is the fourth coach to reach the mark, joining Lenny Wilkens, Don Nelson and Pat Riley - all of whom earned at least a fraction of their thousand on the Knicks' bench. Furthermore, New York's sixth straight win gave the team its longest winning streak in more than five years.
  2. Gimme Five
Sometimes, a team just has another team's number. And in the case of two different Friday matchups, that number was five. Mike Miller had another superior reserve effort (18 points, 16 boards) to lead the Grizzlies to their fifth straight win over the Nets, 81-69 in Memphis. Meanwhile, the Bobcats rallied back from an 18-point deficit to take a fourth-quarter lead, but fell to 0-5 all-time against Michael Redd (26 points) and the Bucks with a 103-102 defeat.
 3. Triple Your Pleasure
Three-overtime games are few and far between, so it wasn't too shocking that there were exactly zero in the first two months of the NBA season. But the first fortnight of January has seen a veritable blizzard of triple-OT treats, including the Sixers' 125-124 marathon win over the Celtics Friday. That makes a trio of three-overtime game in the first two weeks of 2006, the first two being heartbreaking losses for Steve Nash and the Suns.
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ROOKIE WATCH
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Top pick Andrew Bogut had a monster first quarter (12 points and eight rebounds) as the Bucks built a 16-point bulge. The Aussie finished with 18 points (on sparkling 7-for-8 shooting), a season-high-tying 17 boards, five dimes, two blocks and two steals as Milwaukee held on for a 103-102 win over the Bobcats in Charlotte.
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COOL/CLUTCH PERFORMANCE
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Chris Webber was already having a solid game before the game went to overtime(s). But he made the most of the extra opportunities, racking up an extra 11 points and six rebounds in the three extra sessions, plus one very nifty assist on a big dunk by Samuel Dalembert. C-Webb notched the game's final points with a pair of free throws with 1:22 left, and then came up with arguably the game's biggest defensive play, a steal with nine ticks left in the final OT that sealed Boston's fate in Philly's 125-124 win.
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SIXTH MAN OF THE NIGHT
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For a reserve to play 47 minutes, there have to be extenuating circumstances, and Friday's Celtics-Sixers contest certainly qualifies as "extenuating." Thanks to three overtimes, backup big man Mark Blount was on the court for the equivalent of an entire game, and Blount took advantage to the tune of 27 points on 11-for-18 shooting and 12 boards. It wasn't enough, though, as the Celtics fell 125-124.
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SCOREBOARD: Jan. 13, 2006 |
AROUND THE ASSOCIATION ARCHIVE
Samuel Dalembert slams home the nifty Chris Webber alley-oop.
