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April 1, 2006
With the Spurs clinging to a two-point lead and under three minutes to go, they turned to Manu Ginobili to seal the deal. The guard scored the final 14 points for San Antonio as the Spurs notched an important 106-99 victory over the visiting Wizards. Ginobili hit a 3-pointer to increase the San Antonio lead to seven with 1:45 left to play and added another key jumper with 59 ticks remaining. For his efforts, Ginobili finished with 16 Nestlé Crunch Time Points.
Ginobili carried the load down the stretch:
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April 2, 2006
Chris Paul notched his first career triple-double on Sunday. The Hornets needed all of his rebounds, assists and points in order to beat the Raptors, 120-113 in double overtime. Paul, who finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, was at his best in the extra periods. He scored seven points in the second overtime, including a key 3-pointer that gave the Hornets a 111-103 lead with three minutes left to play. For his efforts, Paul notched 13 Nestlé Crunch Time Points.
Paul did it all:
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April 4, 2006
Whatever the Bulls got Ben Gordon for his 23rd birthday isn't nearly enough. The reserve guard deserves much more following an outstanding clutch performance on his birthday in Tuesday's 102-96 home win over Indiana. Gordon scored 16 of his 23 points in the final period as the Bulls overcame a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to pull within one-half game of Philadelphia for the final playoff spot in the East. Gordon's 3-pointer with 1:51 left gave Chicago a 95-94 lead, its first since early in the third quarter. Jeff Foster's basket with 1:22 to play put Indiana back in front, but Gordon responded with a long jumper 10 seconds later to put the Bulls ahead to stay. Big Ben's trey with 16 seconds to go sealed the Bulls' third straight win and gave him 12 Nestlé Crunch Time Points.
Gordon was more than great:
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April 5, 2006
Atlanta's Josh Childress made sure the Timberwolves would not have a chance to extend Wednesday's back-and-forth game any longer. Childress finished off a fast break with a layup just before the buzzer in a 101-99 win at home. The second-year swingman did much more than just provide the exclamation point to the thrilling victory. His follow-up dunk with 1:52 to play gave the Hawks a 91-90 lead and he went 1-of-2 from the line to push the edge to 99-97 with six ticks remaining. Minnesota knotted the game on a Ricky Davis bucket with just 2.2 seconds to go, but that left just enough time for Childress. He finished the night with 10 points, eight rebounds and 10 Nestlé Crunch Time Points.
Childress stuns the Wolves:
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April 6, 2006
Denver's Carmelo Anthony has quickly earned a reputation as one of the league's best players in the clutch and he lived up to that distinction on Thursday night. The Lakers rallied from 18 down behind yet another 40-point game from Kobe Bryant, but Anthony delivered the game-winning jumper with 3.8 seconds to go in overtime. It was his fifth game-winner of the season and provided the final margin in a thrilling 110-108 triumph. 'Melo had helped the Nuggets overcome a pair of deficits in the extra period before providing the dagger. He knotted the game at 101 with two free throws and put Denver up 102-101 with another shot from the stripe with 3:10 left in OT. With the Lakers leading 103-102, Anthony restored the Nuggets' lead on a jumper with 2:26 to go. He finished the night with 33 points and seven Nestlé Crunch Time Points.
Carmelo delivers yet again:
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April 7, 2006
Sacramento's Ron Artest is known for his defense, but it was his offense that lifted the Kings down the stretch on Friday. With Sacto trailing the Clippers (the No. 5 team in the West) by three, Artest brought the ball up court and stuck a trifecta to tie the game at 92 with 1:10 remaining. The ball went back to him in the Kings' next trip up the court and this time he bodied his way into the lane and hit a fadeaway over Cuttino Mobley to give Sacramento a 94-92 lead with 34 ticks to go. The Kings left L.A. with a 96-93 win and moved into the No. 7 spot in the West with five games left. Artest finished with 10 Nestlé Crunch Time Points.
Ron-Ron is king for a day:
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April 8, 2006
With the Nets currently owning the Eastern Conference's No. 3 seed and the Cavaliers firmly entrenched in the fourth spot, Saturday's matinee matchup did not serve as a first-round playoff preview, but it still had a lot riding on it. LeBron James scored 18 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter - the ninth straight game he has had at least 35 - as Cleveland roared back to snap New Jersey's 14-game winning tear, 108-102. James capped the comeback by coming up with a loose ball and driving all the way downcourt for a layup with Jason Kidd draped all over him and just 50.8 seconds left on the clock. He converted the ensuing free throw for a 101-101 tie and the Cavs never again trailed, thanks to three more LeBron foul shots. "King James" earned nine Nestlé Crunch Time Points for his efforts.
LeBron goes coast-to-coast:
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April 9, 2006
While the matinee matchup between the Raptors and Bobcats on Sunday didn't have any playoff implications, Charlotte's Brevin Knight played like an NBA Finals MVP in the clutch. Knight set up teammate Jumaine Jones with an assist on a jumper that put the Bobcats up 86-84 with 1:24 remaining. After Toronto tied it back up, Knight scored a driving layup with 42.4 ticks left to put Charlotte up two again. The veteran point guard stole the ball from Toronto with 24 seconds left and tacked on a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line down the stretch to assure Charlotte the 94-88 road win. Knight finished with 19 points - six in the final minute - and 10 assists as he earned 12 Crunch Time Points.
A Knight in shining, orange armor:
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April 10, 2006
Cleveland's Donyell Marshall is known as a 3-point specialist and he lived up to his reputation on Monday night. The 6-foot-9 forward was 4-of-5 from behind the arc and delivered a crucial trey down the stretch in a 103-101 win over the Hornets. Marshall knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:26 to go, pushing a one-point lead to four. He also grabbed an offensive rebound with 51 seconds to play, extending the possession before Anderson Varejao went 1-of-2 from the line for a 101-98 edge. New Orleans/Oklahoma City rallied to tie the game, but LeBron James hit a jumper with 0.5 ticks left for a Cavs win. Marshall finished 6-of-7 from the floor en route to 16 points and he added seven rebounds and 12 Crunch Time Points.
Marshall shines down the stretch:
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April 11, 2006
The Bulls were in a must-win situation Tuesday night and Ben Gordon did his best to make to keep them in the mix for an Eastern Conference playoff berth. Vince Carter scored 17 points in the final two minutes as the Nets tried to catch Chicago, but Gordon nearly matched him as the Bulls pulled back into a tie for eighth place with a 104-101 win. The second-year guard banked in a 3-pointer
with 1:36 to go for a 90-84 lead and then answered a Carter layup with a three-point play for a 93-86 advantage with 1:22 remaining. Gordon had eight more chances from the line the rest of the way and converted them all to seal the victory. He finished with a team-high 36 points and 18 Crunch Time Points.
Gordon heats up late:
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April 12, 2006
The Grizzlies, gearing up for the Western Conference playoffs, headed to Charlotte on Wednesday to face a Bobcats team with less than half of Memphis' win total. Judging by the effort the Bobcats gave, you would have thought they were headed to the playoffs as well. Memphis led by just one point with 1:39 remaining when Shane Battier stuck a jumper to give the Grizzlies an 89-86 edge. The former Dukie corralled two defensive rebounds down the stretch to assure Memphis the 96-88 win. Memphis maintained its West No. 5 standing thanks in part to Battier's eight Nestle Crunch Time Points.
Shane stifles the Bobcats:
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