Celtics 99, Wizards 88

The score doesn’t show how close of a game this actually was. The Wizards were up by 4 points heading into the 4th quarter, but could only manage 10 points in the closing period, allowing the Celtics the win. Even with 2 minutes to play, the Wizards were only down three points, but continued to turn the ball over. I watched this game closely, and even though the Celtics won, I couldn’t help but see that Celtics aren’t that powerful and dominating force they once were (I’ll talk more about their future tomorrow). Both teams turned the ball over too many times, but this was a big win for the Celtics, because a 4 game losing streak would have been bad news. Antawn Jamison was off tonight, big time, shooting 2 of 17 from the field. I’ve never seen a player blow so many layups and open looks. The fact that they were even in this game at all was impressive.

Bucks 97, Heat 81

The Heat shot horribly, while the Bucks shot great, in what turned out to be one of those ugly Miami Heat losses that we see once every 2 weeks, it seems. This is something that shouldn’t happen when playing at home, but it did. Shooting 36% from the field wasn’t all of Miami’s problems, as this loss now puts them at .500. Andrew Bogut had a big game with 22 points and 11 rebounds, as the Bucks were up by as much as 23. They will go on to face the Magic in Orlando, while Miami will face Boston.

Grizzlies 95, Lakers 93

This was a big game, as it featured the Gasol brothers facing off, within the same time span of when the Grizzlies shipped Pau to the Lakers two years ago. Besides that storyline, Kobe Bryant used his 44 points to become the Lakers all time scoring leader, passing Jerry West. Kudos to Kobe. The Grizz were up 2 at the half, but used a 11 point third quarter effort from Lestor Hudson off the bench to spread their lead to to 11, but of course the Lakers came back amidst a huge run, including a big Kobe dunk. The fourth quarter had a playoff atmosphere to it, as it was a defensive battle. The Grizzlies got the last laugh, as a Ron Artest three clanked off the side rim, giving the Bears the W. Why didn’t Kobe take that last shot? Haha. (Pau had 11pts and 9 rebs, while Marc had 11pts and 13 rebs). Andre Bynum was shut down, scoring a mere 5 points, while Z-Bo had 22 points and 17 boards.

Suns 109, Hornets 100

The Hornets had to rally to start this game, after learning CP3 wouldn’t be playing for at least a month. Darren Collison filled in well for the Buzz, with 16 points and 14 assists. This wasn’t enough, as the Suns used a balanced scoring effort to win. Amare had 25 points and 12 rebounds, while Channing Frye had 20 off the bench. Six players on the Suns scored at least 12 points, while 4 of those 6 scored over 18. For the Hornets to win, they’re going to have to change their style of play, to more of a defensive style. Rookie Marcus Thornton also played big for the Buzz with 25 points in the loss.

-G