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Trail Blazers Over Timberwolves – Time to Start Clicking Again
It’s been a rough second half of the season for the Portland Trail Blazers but it seems a bit of rest has done them a world of good, finding quite a lot of energy to come back from a big deficit against the Minnesota Timberwolves, picking up a second consecutive win, getting big nights from Damian Lillard and Thomas Robinson.
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Clippers Over Thunder – Russell Westbrook Keeps Ruining it For Others
Before Russell Westbrook came back from his injury, the Oklahoma City Thunder were the best team in the NBA. Now he’s playing again, and the Western Conference leaders have suddenly lost two home games in a row, this time 125-117 to the Los Angeles Clippers.
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Houston Rockets – James Harden & Dwight Howard Are Going to Need Jeremy Lin
For once, Patrick Beverley showed up on offense not to mention hitting the biggest shot of the game, but there’s no consistency to his game, so while he might have been the hero of the 115-112 win over the Phoenix Suns, the Houston Rockets and especially the two stars, James Harden and Dwight Howard, are going to be sorry if the renewed misuse of Jeremy Lin becomes a daily thing.
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Nets Over Lakers – Jason Collins More Important Than Win
There were only 11 minutes of Jason Collins on the floor for the Brooklyn Nets in their 108-102 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, but that period of time, which is less than one NBA quarter, were a lot more important and frankly more intriguing than the entire game.
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Heat Over Bulls – Two Superstars Are Enough
A broken nose is keeping LeBron James off the courts for a week, which only means it’s an opportunity for Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade to show that there’s more to the Miami Heat than just its MVP, and it seemed like the All-Star duo had no problem taking care of business in a 93-79 win over the Chicago Bulls.
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Houston Rockets – Jeremy Lin Forced to Watch James Harden Doing Too Much
There’s nothing wrong with losing after an 8-game win streak, especially on the road to a good team like the Golden State Warriors. But the Houston Rockets could have extended it a bit further if Jeremy Lin would have been more involved, instead of having forced to stand in the corner and watch James Harden do almost everything, while Patrick Beverley shows once again what an unreliable offensive player he is.
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Golden State Warriors – Stephen Curry Gets Surprising Help From Jermaine O’Neal
The Golden State Warriors beat the Houston Rockets 102-99 in overtime with two clutch plays making the difference: Stephen Curry with a game-tying layup in regulation and Jermaine O’Neal blocking Chandler Parsons which finally turned the game around.
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Heat Over Thunder – Never Underestimate Champions
The Miami Heat players wanted to prove they’re better than the Oklahoma City Thunder. LeBron James was in the same mindset, focusing on Kevin Durant. Russell Westbrook made his return, but it didn’t really help as the NBA champions went on to dominate from top to bottom in a 103-81 win.
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Timberwolves Over Pacers – The Power of the Love & Rubio Connection
Maybe the news of the Indiana Pacers looking for a trade trickled down to the players as they paid the Minnesota Timberwolves a visit. Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio didn’t feel too intimidated by the best defense in the NBA and simply made the Eastern conference leaders look mediocre early on, falling too far behind to catch up.
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Houston Rockets – Jeremy Lin Doesn’t Do Much as James Harden Helps Dwight Howard With Revenge
It doesn’t feel the same with Kobe Bryant not even playing, but you take what you get. Dwight Howard had a big enough game against a hateful Los Angeles Lakers crowd while James Harden was the one who enjoyed playing against a no-defense and horrible team as the Houston Rockets cruised to a victory at the Staples Center, not needing anything special from Jeremy Lin.