1. Pistons Slowed in New Jersey
The Pistons entered Tuesday firing on all cylinders with a league-best 37-5 record and riding an 11-game winning streak, while New Jersey limped into the matchup after an 0-4 road trip. But
Jason Kidd and his Nets showed they are not pushovers, especially at home. New Jersey, which has not lost at Continental Airlines Arena since Dec. 14, grabbed the lead late in the third quarter and never let go, running its home winning streak to nine with a
91-84 victory. The Pistons, who finished January with a 13-2 mark, were led by 30 points from
Chauncey Billups. But the Nets held
Rasheed Wallace,
Tayshaun Prince and
Ben Wallace to a total of 21 points on 8-of-28 shooting from the floor and Kidd supplied the knockout punch. The gritty point guard, who finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, provided the dagger by knocking
down a 3-pointer for a four-point lead with 48 seconds to go. "Most people thought this was a bad time to play Detroit, but you have to play the way they fall on the schedule," Kidd said. "This was a big character test for us. This could have sent us reeling in the wrong direction."
2. Kobe Caps Off Memorable Month
Kobe Bryant put the finishing touches on a marvelous month Tuesday with what has become a typical performance. Bryant poured in 40 points in a
130-97 win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. With his most recent scoring outburst, Kobe is averaging over 43 points in his last 13 games and joined
Wilt Chamberlain as the only player in NBA history to average over 40 points in a month more than once. Bryant also accomplished the feat in February of 2003.
Elgin Baylor is the only other player to average 40 for a month. "Forty points is not that hard to average," Los Angeles guard
Smush Parker joked. "It's easy. Kobe Bryant is a great player. It's incredible. It's fun to play with him. It's fun to be in the backcourt with him. It's fun to watch."
3. Mixed Returns
Just when it seemed the Kings were getting close to full-strength, they were dealt another blow on Tuesday. On a night when newly-acquired
Ron Artest was making his home debut and
Bonzi Wells returned to the lineup after a 19-game absence (groin), Sacramento announced center
Brad Miller will likely miss at least a week with a fractured thumb.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who is playing with his broken jaw wired shut, started in Miller's place and scored 10 in a
98-91 win. It was the 19th straight win for the Kings at home over the Nuggets. Artest netted 19 points and Wells added seven points and 14 boards.
SCOREBOARD: Jan. 31, 2006 |
AROUND THE ASSOCIATION ARCHIVE
Kobe finishes the lob:
"The bad news: 
Lakers rookie 
The Mavericks were coasting toward their ninth straight victory Tuesday night with a 30-point lead in the third quarter. But all of a sudden the Bulls decided to make it a game. Led by 
"Every second that he's over there on the bench, he's trying to fight for the team. He's trying to get every advantage that he can. That's his style. He's going to fight for his team. That's him, night in and night out. He's always going to fight and try to protect his team as best as possible."
