1. Big night from the new big two
John Stockton and Karl Malone will always be the most dominant duo in Utah Jazz history, but the gap is closing. Deron Williams scored 21 points and dished out 14 assists while Carlos Boozer grabbed 11 rebounds and connected on 17-of-20 shots for 26 points to lead Utah to a 103-93 victory over the Pistons. We are still years and years away from having “Williams to Boozer” roll off the tongue like “Stockton to Malone” did, but it is pretty safe to say that last year’s trip to the West Finals won’t be this young pair’s last. The Booze is 26-years-old and Williams is just 23 and if the Jazz know what is good for them then they will keep these kidos under lock and key for the next decade at least. In the much more immediate future, Utah’s Northwest Division lead should remain intact with the crew facing creampuffs for basically the next two weeks until they hit a four game stretch with road contests against the Spurs, Mavericks and Suns.
2. Video Game James is back
On Saturday LeBron James picked up his third triple-double of the season by dropping 37 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists on the Raptors in a victory. On Sunday, it was deja vu all over again as the King went for 30 points, 11 boards and 10 dishes, leading the Cavs to a 111-106 road win over the Pacers. Drew Gooden also came through with a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds to help squeak out a win and put the Cavaliers right back into the division and conference title race. Pacer point guard Jamaal Tinsley almost had a triple-dip of his own in the game, coming up one board short, as he finished with 24, 9 and 10. And he was just two turnovers away from picking up a very unflattering quadruple-double.
3. Spurs and Sonics hit milestones
A win over Seattle isn’t exactly a big deal nowadays, but the Spurs 116-101 road victory is significant because it lifted the defending champions’ record to 12-2 – the best start in franchise history. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker exploded for 70 of the team’s points and the team was on fire from behind the arc, hitting 11-of-19 3-pointers. Speaking of hot shooting, the Sonics’ rookie sensation Kevin Durant busted free from a slump by scoring 25 points on 11-of-15 attempts. The loss ironically dropped Seattle to their worst start in franchise history as they now sport a sorry 2-12 record. But the Supersonics need to get over this loss super quick because the youngsters are looking a seven-day, four-game stretch right in the face.
Sunday’s Player of the Day: LeBron James @ Indiana 36 min, 30 pts (FG: 10-21, 3FG: 1-6, FT: 9-15), 11 reb, 10 ast, 4 stl, 1 blk
Monday’s Game to Watch: Phoenix (11-2) @ Golden State (5-7)
The Warriors had a bumpy start to the season, dropping their first six contests, but they are rolling now as they’ve almost pulled even by winning five of their last six games. And despite their disappointing start following a unforgettable 2007 postseason, some things never change as Golden State remains one the top scoring clubs in the league; second (107.0)to be exact. The only club hitting more buckets per game is run-n-fun Suns with 108.5 points per game. The Warriors are a horrific 1-4 at home, but all the losses occurred before their impressive six game span. Phoenix currently has a 5 ½ game lead over the Warriors in the Pacific Division standings thanks to an eight game winning streak.
Buzzer Beater: The delusional Isiah Thomas seems to be the only one who can’t see that he’s a horrible coach. If you asked Zeke, he’d probably tell you the Knicks are on pace to win the East.
When you get frustrated, the first thing you think of doing is making changes, but this isn’t the time to make changes. Believe me, when that time comes, I’ll be the first to say it. But this is not the time,” Thomas said, according to the report. “I’ve seen and been through a lot of situations in this NBA. This isn’t the time to abandon ship and make changes. We’ll get through this.
The good news is that the Knicks won a game following Thomas’ comments. The bad news is that it was against the hapless Bulls and it was only New York’s third win of the season.