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NBA Rumors – Los Angeles Lakers & Cleveland Cavaliers Trading Pau Gasol & Andrew Bynum
No done deal, not even close, but a weird twist of fate and most of all disappointment and financial thinking might lead the Los Angeles Lakers to trade Pau Gasol to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Andrew Bynum. The Chicago Bulls, using Luol Deng, might also get involved in the transaction somehow.
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Phoenix Suns – Not Slowing Down For Anyone
So what if everyone said the Phoenix Suns are supposed to tank and be among the worst in the Western conference? Whatever Jeff Hornacek started doing with this team, it’s working beyond the wildest expectations, as Goran Dragic led them through a rough night for Eric Bledsoe to an impressive 107-88 win on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers.
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New Orleans Pelicans – Tyreke Evans the Clutches of Them all
Seeing Damian Lillard hitting a big 3-point shot in the final seconds of the game isn’t something new for anyone following the Portland Trail Blazers this season. However, getting the same kind of clutch ability from Tyreke Evans and the New Orleans Pelicans is a bit more of a rarity.
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Dallas Mavericks – Lucky the Referees Like Them
Officials making mistakes, sadly, until someone does something about it, are part of the game. It’s great to have them when they go in your favor, as Shawn Marion clearly fouled Kevin Love on the final play of the game but wasn’t called for it, saving the Dallas Mavericks and ensuring a 100-98 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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Chicago Bulls – Jimmy Butler Everyone Has Been Waiting For
This is supposed to be the year Jimmy Butler makes the step from role player to borderline star for the Chicago Bulls. It hasn’t been working out that great so far, mostly because of injuries, but his performance in the road win over the Memphis Grizzlies suggests there’s still hope he’ll turn things around.
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Miami Heat – LeBron James Gives Himself a Happy Birthday
There was nothing to expect but a big game from LeBron James as he returned to the lineup for the Miami Heat, on his 29th birthday nonetheless. It wasn’t one for the ages, but good enough to cover for another Dwyane Wade injury and lead the NBA champions to a 97-94 win over the Denver Nuggets.
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Houston Rockets – Jeremy Lin & James Harden Were Running on Empty
Unlike other losses this season, the 117-86 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder wan’t about James Harden hogging the ball, Jeremy Lin not being involved enough or the Houston Rockets being an awful defensive team and often not a smart one on offense, courtesy of their quite conservative head coach, Kevin McHale. Well, maybe it does have something to do with defense, but more than anything it comes down to one thing: Fatigue.
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Los Angeles Lakers – More Losing Leads to Pointing Fingers
The Los Angeles Lakers seem to be the only ones who didn’t receive the memo earlier this season about how they’re supposed to be bad. With a five game losing streak threatening to become something of the norm this season, the popular opinion right now among players, Mike D’Antoni and the front office is to blame Pau Gasol for not trying hard enough.
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Oklahoma City Thunder – Kevin Durant Quite Happy With His Sidekicks
Life without Russell Westbrook should have been a lot more difficult, but the Oklahoma City Thunder seem to be doing just fine, thanks to Kevin Durant simply taking his game to another level while Reggie Jackson and Jeremy Lamb are developing even more quickly than expected.
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Louisville vs Kentucky – More Than Just Julius Randle
There’s still not enough cohesiveness and consistency from the Kentucky freshman, but their ability to elevate their game after their best player leaves the floor for good, resulting in a 73-66 win over Louisville, probably put one big smile on John Calipari’s face when he went to sleep after the game.