Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated far more impressively by the NBA, than any other league, with a huuuuge 12 game slate of games. Chock full of great matchups, let’s get to the action…

Kings 103, Bobcats 105

When I saw this as one of the earlier games, I predicted it would be a solid matchup. Tyreke Evans exploded with 34 points and 7 assists. Aside from ‘Reke, scoring was pretty balanced for the Kings, but the Bobbies led by Gerald Wallace’s 28 points and stingy defense were still able to conquer the Kings. The game was a shootout as both teams shot the ball well, but as with most Larry Brown coached squads, defense is the most important key to success. Big defensive stops were the difference in this game, but it was good to see Sac-town give a great effort on the road.

Neat Statline: Kings’ Jon Brockman with 14 rebounds off the bench, with zero points.

Thundercats 94, Hawks 91

This was yet another great game and matchup in the early set. OKC was able to get a huge win on the road, behind the efforts of another solid game from Kevin Durant (29 points), a huge dunk from Jeff Green, and Jamal Crawford actually not hitting the game tying three. Up three points with four seconds to go, the Thunder had a foul to give, but elected Crawford to launch a three that rimmed out. I was hoping it went  in just so I could continue to watch great basketball. This game had plenty of playoff atmosphere to it as both teams were jabbing eachother back and forth, with the Thunder getting the final blow. Great win on the road, and it’s nice to see the Thunder actually win a close game.

Neat Statline: Josh Smith had 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Knicks 99, Pistons 91

In the matchup that noone cared to see, except maybe Spike Lee and the Ref, the Knicks got a well needed victory over the recently “hot” Pistons. Nate Robinson had 27 points off the bench, including 5 shots from behind the arc. Rodney Stuckey led the Pistons with 22 points and 7 assists. The Pistons continue to play not at full strength as Ben Gordon, Rip Hamilton, and Tayshaun Prince missed this game with assorted injuries. Ben Wallace looked like the old Big Ben with 16 pts and 14 rebs to balance another double double from David Lee (11pts and 15 rebs). Detroit will play Boston next, while the Knicks will host the Lakers. In other words, I hope these guys savored today’s game as much as possible.

Wizards 97, Blazers 92

Antawn Jamison tallied 28 points in the game, 21 of which came in the second half. Neither team led by more than 10 points at any point of the game, as it came down to each team having great offensive bursts. Portland lacked the one extra burst to put them over the top, which was partially due to the absence of Brandon Roy, who was out again nursing a hamstring injury. LaMarcus Aldrigdge carried Portland with 22 points and 15 rebounds, but his individual output was no match for the Wizards 50% shooting from the field. Jamison continues to pour it in, so it will be interesting to see if he is dealt to a contender, such as Cleveland or Miami.

76ers 103, T’Wolves 108 (OT)

As a fan of the Sixers, I rarely will say that my coach needs to get the boot. But after this one, I feel like it might be time. The Sixers were up by 20 points in the third quarter, and blew a lead to the second worst team (by record) in the NBA. This isn’t the first time, as the Sixers have blown leads countless times to lose games. A coaching change is needed in addition to various roster moves. This season’s window is closing so it might be time to dump some big contracts, and look to next year. I’m disgusted.

Actual Stats from the game: Johnny Flynn had 29 points, and 9 assists in a great game for the rookie guard.

Bulls 97, Warriors 114

This might’ve been the second worst matchup behind the Knicks-Pistons game. Regardless, the Warriors halted a three game losing streak behind big scoring nights from Corey Maggette (32 pts), Monta Ellis (36 pts) and Stephen Curry (26 pts). Andris Biedrins pulled down 19 boards to go with his 9 points, as the Warriors just pummeled Chicago. John Salmons had 25 points,wile Joakim Noah had 16 rebounds in the loss.

Suns 118, Grizzlies 125

Wow. The Grizzlies continue to solidify the fact that they are actually a very good basketball team. This was one of those games that was close the whole game, but you knew one team was going to win because they were in control. Surprisingly, that was the Memphis Grizzlies. Rudy Gay had 31 points and 9 boards, while Zach Randolph had 27 points and 11 rebounds. OJ Mayo was a threat as well with 28 points. That being said, this game was all about offense. The Suns only had one player score above 20 (Steve Nash’s 22) as they all contributed offensively, but the same can’t be said on defense. The Suns had 70 points in the paint and 52 fast break points…and yet they still lost. Just goes to show how important defense is to winning games in the NBA.

Bucks 98, Rockets 101 (OT)

Brandon Jennings lofted a Jamal Crawford-esque three for the win at the end of regulation, that missed wildly. Jennings and Bogut have been playing well, but you could see the wear of being on a 10 game road trip that saw them lose 6 games. Bogut had 18 points and 17 rebounds, while Luis Scola led the Rockets with 27 points and 15 rebounds. How about Luis for best international player? Sike. This was a tough game for Houston, shooting wise, as they only shot 41%, but it didn’t matter as they used key stops and key shots to win this one.

Nets 95, Clippers 106

This game looks a lot closer than it was. Chris Kaman returned to action, with 22 points and 7 rebounds, as the Clippers ended a four game losing streak. The Clips shot 55% from the field which signifies hot shooting aka poor defensive play by the Nets. New Jersey never led at any point in this game, and seem to really just be going through the motions right now. I refuse to admit that they are this bad.

Neat Statline: Marcus Camby had 17 points and 14 rebounds. Old Reliable.

-G