1. Knicks Still Smoking With Lin Leading Way
TrueHoop Network
WASHINGTON -- By the time he got to his postgame news conference, Washington Wizards coach Randy Wittman had already gotten flak from a family member about the way his team defended New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin. His son, Ryan, had played basketball at Cornell and squared off against Lin when the Knicks' point guard was at Harvard.
"He told me that they did a much better job of guarding him than we did tonight," Wittman said after a 107-93 loss to New York. "I already had that text message before the game was over. Makes Dad feel good."
By the time the media Q&A was over, Wittman had enough Linsanity.
"I don't know how you want me to answer … Lin," he said in response to a question about John Wall's defense. "Lin played a fine game, and that's all I have to say about that."
Exit stage left.
With Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire unavailable again, Lin chewed up the Wizards' defense with 23 points and 10 assists to lead the Knicks to a third straight victory. With shooters (Steve Novak, 5-for-9 on 3-pointers) and the impeccable screening of Tyson Chandler, a combination of which Wall seemed envious, Lin ran Mike D'Antoni's system to perfection.
"If you run enough of them, you'll find something," Lin said of the Knicks' high-screening action. "We put them through, at least, maybe 100 pick-and-rolls. They changed coverages, and we just kept attacking."
That brought trips to the free-throw line. New York had 14 more attempts than Washington, and it's probably no coincidence that Chandler went 11-for-14 from the stripe.
The departed Flip Saunders used to call his Wizards team fragile, so it's not surprising that a short-handed New York squad could be the aggressor on Washington's home court. Throngs of Knicks fans in transient D.C. combined with mass interest in Lin from the local Asian community probably didn't help the Wizards' cause.
"When you play against certain teams, you already know the crowd is against us sometimes. So we just go out there and play," said Wall, the No. 1 selection in the draft in which Lin was overlooked by every team. "You make it a game, the crowd gets on your side."
But Wall's Wizards didn't do that, the team too dysfunctional to compete with its unfriendly home confines, a breakout star and more coachable players. Wittman often likens the bad basketball habits of his players to those of nicotine addicts, so the Wizards will continue to puff away.
"I'm not really too worried about proving anything to anybody right now," Lin said when asked how he felt being called "for real" by his coach.
He shouldn't, especially not while he's smoking.
Kyle Weidie covers the Wizards for Truth About It, part of the TrueHoop Network.
2. Around The Association
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99 | Recap | Box score |
92 |  |
That Was … Disappointing: The Clippers had no business losing to a Cavaliers team without Kyrie Irving (concussion). Allowing better than 50 percent shooting to the league's 23rd-best offense, without its starting point guard and best offensive player, is inexcusable.
X factor: It's early, but it looks like Kenyon Martin will be taking Reggie Evans' spot as the Clippers' third big man. His finishing ability, toughness and defensive impact were on full display in his Clippers debut.
MVP: Ramon Sessions was the difference-maker in the second half, scoring 18 points and dishing out eight assists in a brilliant offensive display. His inspired play sparked his teammates and upped his imminent trade value.
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102 | Recap | Box score |
89 |  |
That Was … The Miami Heat, High School Version: Words can't describe how bad Miami looked. Notwithstanding a second-quarter run that closed the early Magic lead to three by halftime, the Heat's offense was stagnant, rusty, bricky and really unwatchable.
MVP: Dwight Howard. As if a double-double in the first quarter didn't get anyone's attention, D12 went on to notch his sixth 20-20 game of the season (25 and 24). He removed any Miami presence from the glass, and had his left-handed baby hook working like a Hollywood agent.
X factor: Ryan Anderson going off in the first half took any wind out of the Miami sails that might have existed. Anderson grabbed seven offensive rebounds in the game, and had a season-high 24 points in the first half on 5-for-6 shooting from deep. Though the Magic led by only three at halftime, it set the tone at Amway.
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107 | Recap | Box score |
93 |  |
MVP: Is Jeremy Lin too obvious? Not only did he make the Wizards' pick-and-roll defense look like Swiss cheese, but by the end of the night that cheese also looked like it had been left out in the sun.
LVP: JaVale McGee's basketball awareness has significantly regressed this season, if he ever had much to regress from. It often seems like he doesn't care to pay attention, other than when he's shrugging his shoulders and arguing with coaches during a late-game timeout.
X factor: Tyson Chandler finished 11-for-14 from the free-throw line, and until late in the game had taken more than the entire Wizards team, which finished 15-for-19. You probably won't find a more unexpected X factor than that.
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105 | Recap | Box score |
95 |  |
MVP: It was only a matter of time before Dirk Nowitzki turned his season around, but that doesn't make it any less terrific to see the reigning NBA Finals MVP beginning his season in earnest. Nowitzki may still be working out the kinks of that trailing 3-pointer in transition, but otherwise he's finally looking at ease on the court.
LVP: Chris Andersen got his first start of the season for Denver, but was again upstaged by 22-year-old big man Kosta Koufos. The Birdman typically boasts pretty strong per-minute production, but he totaled just two points and two rebounds in 14 minutes on Wednesday.
That Was … Balanced: What else would you possibly expect from two of the deepest teams in the league? A total of five Mavericks and six Nuggets finished the game in double figures, unsurprisingly providing the structure from an altogether impressive offensive game by both teams.
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67 |  |
That Was … Hilarious: Will Ferrell did the player introductions in New Orleans, claiming Carlos Boozer still lives with his mother, Luol Deng collects rare birds, Ronnie Brewer ate 20 hot dogs in an hour, and D-Rose's favorite movie is "The Notebook." For the Hornets, he said Emeka Okafor minored in love in college, Marco Bellinelli hates Italian food, and that Jarrett Jack dreams of becoming a rodeo clown after basketball.
MVP: Joakim Noah did more than enough on both ends of the floor to ensure this one was a cakewalk for the Bulls, even with Rose clearly not even close to 100 percent.
Defining Moment: The Hornets fans always remain standing until New Orleans scores its first points. After a timeout four minutes in, fans sat down even though the Hornets had yet to score.
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100 | Recap | Box score |
90 |  |
MVP: While his shot selection was iffy in the first half, Tony Parker was all over the place in this game: 37 points, eight assists and 13-for-13 from the free-throw line. Easy choice.
Defining Moment: The Spurs' Kawhi Leonard tipped away a pass in the fourth quarter that Jodie Meeks should've gotten to before Tony Parker. Meeks didn't, allowing Parker to scoop the ball up and lay it in during the fourth quarter. That summed up Parker's big night.
X factor: Tiago Splitter led the offensive charge for the Spurs' second unit. Splitter has good post moves and better fakes. He can pass too, making him the focal point of the Spurs' second unit offense.
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85 | Recap | Box score |
80 |  |
Defining Moment: Late in the third, the Wolves were in the midst of a brief spurt, narrowing Memphis' lead to six. But a Ricky Rubio push upcourt was thwarted by Mike Conley. He stripped the Spaniard and finished with a dish to Marc Gasol for an and-one dunk, the lead ballooning to double digits and the Wolves never coming close again.
MVP: Conley. Rudy Gay had a fantastic game filled with highlights and finished plus-19 in plus/minus, but it was Conley's floor game that kept Memphis steady. He only scored two points, but the ability to consistently break the Wolves' guards down and fluster them with his defense was the difference.
LVP: Rubio. Granted, Ricky won't rack up assists when his teammates are shooting poorly, but so was he. Rubio had just one assist, a career low, and shot 1-for-6 from the floor. He had trouble staying with Conley and didn't contribute much at all.
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96 |  |
MVP: The Rockets' bench. The bench mob erupted for 66 points, saving this game. Patrick Patterson shut down LaMarcus Aldridge, Chase Budinger hit shots, and Courtney Lee and Goran Dragic accumulated floor burns.
That Was … Scary: Kyle Lowry left the game in the third, running straight to the tunnel, his arm hanging awkwardly out of place. Reports are that he suffered just a bruise, but it looked a lot worse.
LVP: The Blazers' starting big men. Aldridge and Marcus Camby combined for 13 points and 10 boards. On this night, the "bigs" played small, giving the Blazers close to nothing.
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87 |  |
MVP: Josh Smith made two 3-pointers to maintain Atlanta's lead during a difficult third quarter. If he's going to take jump shots, and he is, they might as well be those that count for an extra point when they go in. The rest of his contributions were typically broad: 28 points, 12 rebounds, 5 steals, 3 assists and 3 blocks.
LVP: Paul George scored just five points on eight shots on a night when Indiana's missed shots fueled Atlanta's offense for long stretches. George contributed little on the offensive glass or in transition defense to make up for his wayward shooting.
X factor: Old guys on the Atlanta bench. Neither Tracy McGrady nor Kirk Hinrich have enjoyed good health or consistent production this season, so the 30 points they combined to score on 15 shots in 44 minutes were a treat for a team needing to break a three-game losing streak.
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99 |  |
LVP: Brandon Jennings' offense bid him farewell Tuesday, jumped out of a plane and began speeding toward Earth. Its free fall continued on Wednesday (3-of-12 FG). Was his start an aberration?
MVP: The Bucks' wings all played well, but Carlos Delfino stood out. His six 3-pointer were a season high and a late 3 followed by a steal closed the door on the Raptors.
X factor: Andrea Bargnani's absence proved an offensive hurdle too high to leap. DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points, but the Raptors as a whole shot just 41 percent from the field.
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99 | Recap | Box score |
92 |  |
MVP: Deron Williams. He entered the game 11-0 against the Pistons, and his first loss to Detroit was no fault of his own. He had 34 points, including a four-point play, and seven assists.
LVP: Shawne Williams. Despite a decent number of open looks, the Nets forward shots just 2-of-12 and missed all six of his 3-pointers. No New Jersey small forward helped Wednesday night, but Williams was the worst of the bunch.
X factor: The Pistons got the ball to Greg Monroe frequently, which they've too often failed to do. He scored 20 points, grabbed 12 rebound, dished four assists and even put back two of his own misses.
3. Wednesday's Best
Dwight Howard, Magic: On the same night the Magic's owner told reporters he doesn't want to trade Howard (see Box 9), the center demonstrated why, with a 25-point, 24-rebound performance that took down the Heat.
4. Wednesday's Worst
Ricky Rubio, Wolves: Ricky not scoring (1-for-6 for four points)? Not too uncommon. Ricky not assisting? Now that's a first. The passing savant finished with just a single dime (a career low) as Minnesota shot just 39 percent from the field in a loss in Memphis.
Stay Classy, New Orleans
Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images
8. Magic Owner Wants D12 To Stay
ESPN.com
ORLANDO -- Magic owner Richard Devos says he wants disgruntled center Dwight Howard to stay in Orlando.
"I don't want to trade him," the 85-year-old Devos said of Howard, who is eligible to become a free agent at the end of the season.
Devos unexpectedly addressed the media in the Magic's locker room about an hour before Wednesday's game against the Miami Heat.
While players such as Jason Richardson and Daniel Orton went out of their way to greet Devos, Howard did not acknowledge the wheelchair-bound owner upon entering the locker room or during Devos' media session.
Howard has publicly requested a trade from Orlando.
"We like to think we're making headway," Devos said of talks with Howard and his representatives. "But I don't know. He probably won't know until the end, and I won't either."
Read the rest of the story from Haberstroh »
Bittersweet Return
David Richard/US Presswire
10. Stat Check
LeBron James scored 17 points in 39 minutes and Chris Bosh scored 12 points in 37 in the Heat's 102-89 loss at Orlando. It was the 72nd time that James and Bosh each played at least 35 minutes in a game for Miami, but it was the first of those contests in which the two forwards of the Big Three failed to combine for at least 30 points.
Jeremy Lin scored 23 points in the Knicks' 107-93 win at Washington. Lin had never scored more than 13 points in an NBA game before Saturday, but he's now surpassed 20 in three straight contests. Only one other player in his second NBA season or later has ever scored 20-plus in three straight games after never having previously scored as many as 15 points.
Ronald "Flip" Murray scored at least 20 in each of his first six games in 2003-04 for the SuperSonics after appearing in 14 games for Milwaukee and Seattle the previous season, with a game-high of six points.
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