Trailblazers 85, Mavericks 81

Despite not having Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs were able to beat LeBron and the Cavs on Sunday. So with Dirk back, Tuesday’s game against the road-trip ridden Blazers should be pretty easy, right?

Try again. Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge overcame the Mavs with a big 4^th quarter to win in Dallas. Roy scored 23 and Aldridge had 19 points and 12 rebounds to pace the Blazers, who trailed by 7 entering the fourth quarter. The ageless wonder Juwan Howard won the battle of the Howards over Josh Howard with 10 points and 10 rebounds over Josh’s 8 points and 2 rebounds.

In his return from an elbow injury sustained on Friday night, Dirk dropped 27 points with nine boards. He was able to bring the Mavs within two points with 1:16 left, but his two-point attempt with 40 seconds left rimmed out in a chance to tie the game. Andre Miller’s two free throws with 6.5 seconds left sealed the deal for Portland. As for Dallas, they missed 10 free throws = loss.

Shooter of the Game: Dirk Nowitzki. If Dirk and the Mavs can solace anything from this game, it’s shooter of the game. Ok, maybe that’s not enough, but Dirk did have a great game from the field. He shot 10-13 from the floor, including 2-2 from beyond the arc. Guess the elbow’s fine!

Celtics 103, Pacers 94

Talk about a scare!

The Celtics trailed by 15 at halftime to the lowly Pacers on their home court – but did you really think the game would finish that way?

Paul Pierce started off the game missing 10 straight shots, but something tells me that wouldn’t stop him from shooting. As all great shooters do when they miss early, they just keep shooting (trust me, I know haha), and that’s exactly what Pierce did. Of his 21 points, he scored 16 in the fourth quarter – the only quarter he hit any field goals. Nevertheless, Boston goes on to win its 22^nd game in 27 tries.

That scare, was merely a shrug of the shoulders for Pierce and the Celts.

 Wizards 105, 76ers 98

Some people wonder why road games are so tough to win. Whether you’re a good team or a bad team, closing out a road game can be more difficult than holding a lead through the first 36 minutes of the game. But when you’re a bad team (i.e. – the Philadelphia 76ers), closing out a road win is MUCH harder.

Heading into the 4^th, the Sixers held a seven point lead, but that’s when Agent 0 got the call to duty. Gilbert Arenas scored 31 points, including 12 in the final period as the Wizards used a 33-19 advantage for the comeback win.

In an odd boxscore, the Sixers shot better with more assists, but they also had more turnovers while the Wiz Kids hit more threes. But getting outscored on the road in the fourth quarter is what did them in.

Knicks 88, Bulls 81

Looks the Bulls are still a bit hung-over from Monday’s HRBL loss at home to the Kings. After blowing a 35-point lead in Chicago to the Kings, the Bulls scored only 12 points in the first quarter in New York.

The poor first quarter was too much to overcome as the Knicks never gave up that lead as the game went on. David Lee scored 18 points with 21 rebounds for the Knicks, who have now won three straight games. Not only that, but they have won 7 of 9 overall! Who is this team, and what have they done with the Knicks?!?

 Rockets 108, Clippers 99

Mavs F Dirk Nowitzki wasn’t the only person returning from the ugly collision on Friday night – Rockets F Carl Landry did too. And you may say he had an even better game than Dirk did!

Landry matched his career high with 27 points after having dental surgery just days ago to help Houston win at home over the Clips. He shot 7-10 from the field and 13-15 from the foul line! Tell me that isn’t the kind of shooting line you crave from your big man! I dare you…

-Shooter