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North Carolina Tar Heels – Great Against Ranked Teams
The impressive run of beating ranked teams continues for North Carolina, coming away with the 82-77 win over Kentucky, getting a big first half from J.P. Tokoto while Marcus Paige took things from there to have a massive second half, proving once again that he gets better as the occasion gets bigger.
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Houston Rockets – Dwight Howard Hides the Jeremy Lin Problem
The Houston Rockets seem to be slowly giving up on their best point guard, demoting him into a bench role, although it still all might be about bringing him back slowly from injury. Sometimes, it’s hard to argue with numbers – their starting lineup that includes James Harden, Patrick Beverley, Chandler Parsons, Dwight Howard and Terrence Jones has the best net rating in the NBA.
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San Antonio Spurs – Better to Have a Team Than Just Kevin Love
A monstrous game from Kevin Love wasn’t enough, as the Minnesota Timberwolves fell once again below .500, losing to the San Antonio Spurs 117-110, with the NBA finalists bringing their usual blend of offense that doesn’t only rely on just one guy, even though it was mostly Tony Parker who pulled them away for the win.
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Chicago Bulls – Things Starting to Look Better
Beating the Milwaukee Bucks by only one point isn’t exactly an indication of greatness or improvement from the Chicago Bulls, but getting Jimmy Butler back from injury after too long a time finally gives them the option to have some sort of depth off the bench and a lineup that consists of five players, each finally playing in the position he’s meant to be in.
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Oklahoma City Thunder – Kevin Durant Makes Kobe Bryant Look Really Old
It’s not really fair comparing Kevin Durant to Kobe Bryant or the Oklahoma City Thunder to whatever the Los Angeles Lakers have going on right now, but it’s impossible not to make this connection between a star, maybe the best player in the NBA, and an old man, coming off a rough injury, who is actually looking like he’s getting in the way of his teammates, playing worse than they did before his return.
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Boston Celtics – Winning The Division With a Losing Record
This wasn’t a very memorable offensive performance from Jeff Green, but he was there when the Boston Celtics needed him, scoring a tough, slightly lucky shot to grant them a 90-86 win over the New York Knicks, who couldn’t get to avenge their humiliating loss only a week earlier to the same team.
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Houston Rockets – Jeremy Lin Wasted in Bench Role
Coming back from an injury did mean we’ll probably see less minutes from Jeremy Lin than he should be playing, but in a game of offenses in which the Houston Rockets really struggled scoring when not in transition, more minutes with him on the floor instead of the very limited Patrick Beverley next to the frustrating James Harden might have brought them closer to win.
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Portland Trail Blazers – LaMarcus Aldridge Keeps Rising to The Occasion
The Portland Trail Blazers keep relying on their excellent offense to pull them through the big games, but more than anyone else it’s LaMarcus Aldridge who is getting the job done, putting up another huge night of scoring and rebounding, carrying a misfiring Damian Lillard to the finish line, beating the Houston Rockers 111-104.
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Houston Rockets – Jeremy Lin Is Back With Plenty of Questions
After missing six games, Jeremy Lin is going to be back in action for the Houston Rockets in a very tough away game against the Portland Trail Blazers. What it means for him, James Harden, Patrick Beverley and generally the Houston Rockets remains to be seen, especially as the head coach, Kevin McHale, is currently away from the team after the passing of his mother, a year after the death of his daughter.
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Golden State Warriors – Stephen Curry is a Cruel Little Man
One half was Stephen Curry at his worst. The turnovers, the sloppy shooting and decision making on offense. Just what the Golden State Warriors don’t need from their star player, especially while Andre Iguodala is out. In the second half? Completely different, and quite close to unstoppable, getting a lot of help from Draymond Green on both ends of the floor before burying the game winning shot himself.