Toronto 117, Indiana 102

Chris Bosh is simply amazing.

Bosh led Toronto (26-22) to an easy victory over the Pacers (16-32) with 26 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists. The 7 assists was a team high. His play has been amazing and the success of a team that was 5 games under .500 3 short weeks ago is well on their way to end the year with a quality run. I don’t see Brian Colangelo trading Bosh for Bynum now. Maybe, and this is a big maybe, Bosh will stay in Toronto after this year, which I would like to see. He has a franchise with a future now. They are young and proving they can win on a consistent basis. I enjoy watching this team play, especially Andrea Barganni, he is a nightmare for defenses. He finished with 17.

They were too much for the Pacers and destroy teams under the .500 record mark. Hell, they held Danny Granger to a meager 8 points (3-13 FG). The leading scorer for the losers was 15 points, Luther Head.

Stat of the Night: Field Goal Percentage
Toronto 60%
Indiana 47%

Phoenix 115 Houston 111 OT

In a game with struggling teams facing off, a former MVP stepped up when his team needed him the most.

After Phoenix (28-21) came out of the gun with an early lead, Houston (25-22) battled back with Aaron Brooks leading the way and tying up the game at 97 with 1:07 left to play. Brooks finished with 24 points and 6 assists. Steve Nash, who was 2 rebounds short of triple double, nailed a huge three to put the Suns up 3. The lead was short lived as Trevor Ariza, a person we discussed in our podcast who can’t be responsible with last second shots, makes a game leveling trey with 11 seconds to go. Nash couldn’t respond with a game winner as time expired. We enter extra fun.

In overtime, the teams battled back and forth, trading buckets, but it was until Jared Dudley made a big jumper to put the Suns up for good. Houston hung in there with Brooks keeping them in the game, but it wasn’t enough. Nash ended the extra period with 4 points and 2 assists to seal up the victory. He was smooth and calm when his team needed him the most. Phoenix needs this type of leadership if they want to still make the playoffs. Nash finished the game with 11 points, 16 assists, and 8 rebounds.

Amare Stoudemire added 36 points and 11 rebounds in the victory.

Ariza finished with 21 points in the loss.

This is a heartbreaking loss for the Rockets. They have struggled of late and losing at home in this fashion can reciprocate more losses.

Stat of the Night: Free Throw Shooting
Phoenix 32-35
Houston 20-29

Oklahoma City 112, Golden State 104

In our podcast, G asked a fitting hypothetical question: “Besides Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, and Lebron James, who is going to drop 50 this year?” Good question. One of my choices was Monta Ellis.

Well, he didn’t drop 50, but Kevin Durant was 5 away from doing so in a game the Thunder (26-21) needed to win. They did so over a reeling Golden State (13-33) team. Yes, ladies and gents, Durant finished with 45 points and also ripped down 11 rebounds in the victory. He is playing so well of late and pushes his 25+ point performance to 21 in a row. Amazing for a kid who is only 21. He is going to get the scoring title this season. I am sure of it now. Anyway, Russell Westbrook also had a nasty game. He dropped 28 points and dished out 8 assists. The Thunder are now on a 2 game win streak. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s big since they are just recently overcoming a 4 game losing streak. I thought they were in trouble, but the win against Denver showed me they still got it.

On the other hand, Golden State was up by one at halftime, but couldn’t stop a 13-0 run in the third to put the game out of reach for the defensive-less Warriors. Ellis and Corey Maggette combined for 51, but received no help from the supporting cast. The Warriors are extremely fun to watch, but it’s like watching 10 separate guys run an 800 meter race. Everybody is running at their own pace, regardless of the finish. Too bad

Discovery of the Night: Devean George is on the Warriors lineup. I had no idea he was still playing.

Minnesota 112, New York 91

The Knicks suck, plain and simple.

New York (18-27) was dominated by the second worst team in the NBA. Minnesota (11-36) comes into the game with a two game winning streak. They beat the Clippers on Friday. However, the Knicks are better, or at least I thought they were. I was wrong. My emotions get the best of me sometimes. Silly me. Anyway, the T-Wolves dismantled the Knicks. Kevin Love and Al Jefferson combined for 47 points and 22 rebounds. The game was over by tip off.

Not much else to say.

This is The Ref signaling I’m out until next time and remember: We miss calls, you miss lay ups