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SHOOTING STUDS
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LeBron James, Cavs
115-106 loss at Suns
46 pts, 18-28 FG, 5-8 3-pt FG, 5-5 FT
Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets
100-93 win at Bucks
38 pts, 13-20 FG, 12-17 FT
Smush Parker, Lakers
110-104 win at Warriors
24 pts, 9-12 FG, 3-5 3-pt FG
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STAT SHEET STUFFER
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Baron Davis may not be an actual baron, but he was a royal pain in the neck for the Lakers on Saturday. Davis dropped his fifth career triple-double in a narrow 110-104 home loss to Los Angeles. Despite the loss, Davis' 27 points, 13 dishes, and 11 caroms stuffed the stat sheet like Stove Top for Golden State.
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RICK KAMLA'S FANTASY TAKE
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"Go out and pick up DeSagana Diop, who got the start on Saturday and had seven rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Diop is averaging two blocks in 17 minutes on the season, so starter's stats should turn him into a 3-4 block freak."
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GAME OF THE NIGHT
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Playing against the stingiest defense in the league, San Antonio squeaked out a 80-79 home victory over Memphis on Saturday. After Pau Gasol's slam put the Grizzlies up by one point with 8.8 seconds remaining, the Spurs came out of a timeout to run a sideline inbounds play. Manu Ginobili threw an alley-oop pass from out of bounds into the paint and a fading Tim Duncan, who caught the pass in mid-air, sunk a five-foot bunny to take a one-point advantage. Memphis came back the other way, but a fadeaway by Bobby Jackson went off the iron with 2.9 seconds left and Robert Horry corralled the rebound to secure the victory for the Spurs.
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QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
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"Most teams that you have, they have one or two go-to guys.
They've got a go-to team."
-- Charlotte coach Bernie Bickerstaff praised the Detroit Pistons, who handed Bickerstaff's Bobcats a 114-91 defeat on Saturday. The Pistons put seven players in double figures and improved their home record to 15-2.
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STORYLINES OF THE NIGHT
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 1. Karl Bucks Cheeseheads
George Karl made his second return to Milwaukee as the coach of Denver, dealing his former team a 100-93 loss on Saturday night. Since taking over in Denver, Karl has moved to 3-0 against the Bucks. This win was the first against his former assistant Terry Stotts, who coached with Karl in Seattle and Milwaukee from 1993-2002. After coming back to the sideline after a year and a half in the broadcast booth, Karl jumpstarted the listless Nuggets and propelled them into the playoffs last season. Although Denver has not been as devastating as they were at the end of last year, they have still managed to play .500 ball and rank second in the Northwest Division behind Utah. The win against the Bucks moved the Nuggets to within a half-game of the Jazz, and will look to make a run at the division title with the return of center Marcus Camby.
 2. Houston, We Have a Problem
One would like to make the case that no player is irreplaceable. However, in the case of the Houston Rockets, the absence of star froward Tracy McGrady has made that argument refutable. The Rockets have been riddled with injuries all year, losing Yao Ming, Jon Barry, and Derek Anderson for stretches of games. But when the Rockets have McGrady sitting in street clothes, they get McGloomy, losing all 11 games that he has missed. The latest loss came on Saturday with Houston falling to the Hornets 86-80 at home.
Let's hope that the Rockets can make some lemonade out of lemons, because right now all they are cooking up without Tracy McGrady is a big fat bagel.
 3. Movin' On Down
Without Richard Jefferson, New Jersey has been movin' on down the Atlantic Division. The Nets have been missing their swingman, having lost three in a row, including Saturday's 110-77 drubbing at the hands of the Mavericks. Said Vince Carter of the loss, "It was a tough game. We've had two tough games in a row and three losses. I think we didn't bring our "A" game. We didn't even bring our "B" game, so we've got to go back to the drawing board and get some home cooking." In their last two losses, the Nets have only produced 69 points and 77, respectively and dropped the final three games of their four-game road trip by a combined 50 points. They are hoping that a swift return from Jefferson can have them moving back up to the form they displayed on their 10-game winning streak.
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ROOKIE WATCH
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Rockets superstar, Tracy McGrady has been out with a back injury, but the former Illinois Illini guard, Luther Head, is trying to make the most of a difficult situation by filling McGrady's shoes. Head scored 18 points and was 2-of-4 from downtown with three steals in Houston's 86-80 loss to the Hornets on Saturday. One ray of light for Houston is that as the game became tight down the stretch, Head stepped up scoring 10 clutch points late in the fourth.
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COOL/CLUTCH PERFORMANCE
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Gilbert Arenas wasn't as hot from the floor as he's been recently in regulation, but when the bell rang to commence overtime, Arenas morphed into the Wizards' standard vehicle, one that you could only find in "the clutch". Arenas unleashed seven of his game-high 33 points in the extra session, leading Washington to a 114-106 victory over Atlanta on Saturday. A momentum-changing 3-point play with 1:11 remaining in overtime put the Wizards ahead 106-104, and they would never trail again as Arenas nailed two more free throws to seal the win for Washington.
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SIXTH MAN OF THE NIGHT
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When you think of a sixth man, think of Salim. The Hawks' rookie shooter scored 21 points off the bench in Atlanta's 114-106 overtime loss to Washington on Saturday. The second-round draft pick out of Arizona made his presence felt by shooting 3-of-7 from 3-point land and shooting a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line. As his minutes accumulate, it becomes more apparent what a steal Stoudamire has been and what a spark plug he can continue to be.
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SCOREBOARD: Jan. 14, 2006 |
AROUND THE ASSOCIATION ARCHIVE
Josh Childress bounds into the lane for a monster slam.
