They say records are meant to be broken right? Last Friday we had Rondo and his triple double with the 24 assists. This week, John Wall started it off by becoming the first player in NBA history to have a game with 29 points, 13 assists and 9 steals. He also joined Oscar Robertson in the record books as only the 2nd rookie to have at least 70 points and 30 assists through the first 3 games of his career. Tonight Kobe, Pierce and Rondo got in on the action. Be it a league record, team record or personal one, I never get tired of witnessing what these athletes accomplish playing the most beautiful game in the world.
The Night in Numbers
Every night, I scour the box scores and pick out some of the most telling numbers from the games. These numbers directly or indirectly have an impact on the final scores.
Detroit Pistons 85 – Atlanta Hawks 94
22 points and 11 rebounds for the man allegedly on the trading block — Josh Smith.
17 lead changes in this one but the Hawks turned it up hitting 8-11 to end the game.
0-5 start for the Pistons, they look to have completely tuned out their coach.
Charlotte Bobcats 85 – New Jersey Nets 83
11,778 fans showed up at the Prudential Center to kick off Andrew Unterberger’s tour.
26% from 3 for the Bobcats. The Nets were not much better shooting just 29%
11 FG attempts by G Wallace to score 20 points. He added 11 rebounds to give CHA their 1st win of the season.
Minnesota Timberwolves 86 – Orlando Magic 128
78 first half points allowed by the Wolves. They managed to put up just 45.
7 Magic players managed to score in double figures and none cracked the 30min mark.
30 minutes was a season high for Kevin Love, scoring 22 points but still in the coaches doghouse.
Indiana Pacers 75 – Philadelphia 76ers 101
26 point halftime lead for the 76′ers as the Pacers shot just 29% in the first 24min.
12 rebounds and 25 points for Elton Brand. The first signs that he can still play!
2nd half, assistant coach Michael Curry take over for Doug Collins who is still dealing with Vertigo symptoms.
Milwaukee Bucks 102 – Boston Celtics 105 (1OT)
15 assists for Rondo adding to his rapidly growing total. His 82 through 5 games is a record.
19 turnovers for the Bucks was the killer. They held their own in pretty much every other cat.
12 of Paul Pierce’s 28 points came in OT as he joined the 20,000 point club. He becomes only the 3rd Celtics player to reach the mark.
New Orleans Hornets 107 – Houston Rockets 99
43 Points combined for the back court of Chris Paul and Marco Belinelli.
1 FT for the Rockets in the final frame. They jump shot themselves out of this one.
4 games in a row, the Rockets have led at the half and failed to win. This has gotta be a record right?
Dallas Mavericks 102 – Denver Nuggets 101
46.7% from deep. Terry went 4-6 in the 3rd and Butler hit one late that gave the Mavs the lead for good.
22 Foot Buzzer beater missed by Carmelo Anthony that would have won the game for the Nuggets.
12 points for rookie Gary Forbes who was in the starting five for an inured Nene.
Toronto Raptors 108 – Utah Jazz 125
27 points for Al Jefferson (season high). Slowly finding his comfort zone, now just needs to stay healthy.
30-16 in the assist category, the Jazz shared the ball and had 6 players score in double digits.
5 shots from behind the arc for C.J Miles. His shot to end the 3rd completely deflated the Raptors.
9 rebounds for Bargnani was a season high. He added 26 points by scoring in a variety of ways.
San Antonio Spurs 112 – Phoenix Suns 110
23 turnovers for the Spurs did not hurt thanks to Tim Duncan’s monster night of 25pts and 17rbs.
16 minutes and just 6 points for Hedo Turkoglu as he struggles to fit in with a new team. De Ja Vu?
1 game winning 3 for Richard Jefferson. He was 4-5 on the night and put up 28 points.
Memphis Grizzlies 109 – Golden State Warriors 115
1 rebound and 2 assists shy of a triple double. Monta Ellis continues to ball as he added 39 points.
7-13 three pointers made by the Warriors Dorell Wright to tally 25 points on the night.
13 assists to go with 18 points for newly PAID guard Mike Conley in 44 minutes of action.
Oaklahoma City Thunder 92 – Los Angeles Clippers 107
2 Eric’s in the Clippers starting backcourt. They combined for 44 points and 12 assists.
0-10 from 3 point land for Durant. He jacked up 24 shots and only made 6 for 16 points.
30th in the league in 3-point percentage, the Thunder went for 15% behind the arc… the Clippers hit 50%
Los Angeles Lakers 112 – Sacramento Kings 100
17 career triple doubles for Kobe. 20 points in the 1st half for the second straight game… what knee issues?
20-8 run late in the 2nd quarter put the Lakers on top and they never looked back.
4 fouls on Tyreke Evans in a span of 10 minutes. Each of them were drawn on Kobe.
37 minutes for Kobe Bryant to give him 37,528 in his regular-season career and pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s franchise record.