Suns 116, Celtics 98
No Paul Pierce, no Kevin Garnett, big problem.  The Celtics, without two of their big three, were no match for the run and gun Suns.  Amare Stoudemire had a big first half scoring 18 of his 26 points while grabbing 7 rebounds in the process.  Channing Frye provided the second half spark scoring 26 points, as well shooting a red hot six of ten from downtown, and grabbing ten rebounds.  Steve Nash had a quiet night scoring 11 points and dishing out 8 dimes.
Eddie House led the …

Clippers 92, Celtics 90
Don’t take things for granted. That was the theme in Los Angeles on Sunday night.
Going into the game, the Celtics, coming off a big road win on Christmas in Orlando, had a nine-game road win streak – with only one road loss all season. The Clippers are a perennial sub-.500 team which you would think the C’s would be able to easily handle. Don’t take any road game for granted.
The Celtics held a lead for most of the fourth quarter until Rasual Butler sank a big three-pointer …

Lakers 107, Bucks 106 (OT)
If you can prevent Kobe Bryant from making a buzzer beater once, you better make sure he doesn’t get another chance. Sorry Bucks fans, Kobe got that second chance.
After missing a shot from the left wing as time expired in regulation, the game moved to overtime tied at 95. The Bucks were able to build a 6-point lead with under two minutes left, but that didn’t stop the BEST player in the NBA. With 5.4 seconds left, Kobe took the inbound and went back to that …

Bobcats 94, Cavaliers 87
You know what Shaq, you can sit out the rest of the season.
For the first time in six games, Shaquille O’Neal returned to the floor from a shoulder injury – and for the first time in six games, the Cavs didn’t look like a championship contender. The Bobcats kept LeBron James in check, mostly due to the play of Gerald Wallace. Apparently Michael Jordan was giving Wallace tips on how to play against LeBron, and boy I bet LeBron is embarrassed.
Wallace helped Charlotte extend their winning streak …

Blazers 122, Bulls 98
Welcome to the NBA, Greg Oden.
After missing his first year due to injury, it appears Oden is finally finding his stride on the court. The big man contributed to the offense by scoring 24 points on 7-8 shooting. The Bulls did not have an answer for Oden nor LaMarcus Aldridge, who also scored 24. Both also combined for 25 rebounds, who basically had their way against Joakim Noah in the paint.
While the Bulls held it close in the 3rd, there was a single play that fired …

Oklahoma City 127, Washington 108
James Harden, Welcome to the NBA.
Harden continuing on his 24 point effort against the Magic with 25 point output to backup Russell Westbrook, who also had a great night: 26 points and 7 assists. The Thunder (7-6) starters stepped up big time since their terrible performance the other night against Orlando, led by ‘unguardable’ Kevin Durant who dropped 35 with Jeff Green supplying a stellar first half 17 points and 10 rebounds to then finish with 19 and 14.
The Thunder needed that tonight to extinguish Washington’s …

Dallas 95, Detroit 90
In the Palace tonight, the Mavericks (7-3) edged out the Pistons (4-4) in a thriller led by Dirk Nowitzki’s 25 points. This game came down to the wire as Will Bynum nailed two free throws to make the score 91-88. On the ensuing play, Nowitizki drove to the basket with Ben Wallace all over him, and made a tough fade-away jumper to lock up the game. Then, Ben Gordon missed a game-tying three with 3 seconds to go. Gordon finished with 5 points on an astounding 1-16 …