ROUNDBALL- Celtics take one from Heat, Orlando beats LA, OKC falls again

There was eight games yesterday, but there was no shortage of good matchups.In a matinee at the Garden, the Celtics held off the Heat yesterday despite only scoring 26 combined points in the first and fourth quarters. Rajon Rondo led the Celtics with his third triple double of the season, finishing with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and ten assists. Paul Pierce had somewhat of an off day for the Celtics, finishing the day 0 for 10 from the field. This game wasn't pretty, as both teams finished a combined 7 of 31 from beyond the arc in this game. Then in the third quarter, things almost got real ugly as Dwyane Wade leveled Kevin Garnett with a hard box out. They got into each other's faces a little bit, but I think Wade knew what he would be getting himself into. The Heat came all the way back from a double digit deficit in the fourth quarter. Lebron James had a chance to tie the game at the free throw line in the final seconds, but he missed the first of two free throws. The Celtics then sealed it at the foul line, despite a hard attempt by Lebron at stealing the game. One can only hope some of these bad tempers carry over into the playoffs.

Not only did the Cavs wining streak only last one game, but they lost to a team yesterday that had lost their first 25 road games this season. John Wall (19, 5, and 14) and Nick Young (31 points on 14/21 shooting) led the Wizards in this victory. Javale McGee also had a few nice dunks in preparation for next weekend in LA. Speaking of dunks, John Wall got "Sprited" at one point in the second quarter. There's just enough remaining games this season for Cleveland to break their own record for consecutive losses.

In another 2009 NBA Finals rematch (and possible '11 preview?), The Magic defeated the Lakers yesterday. Dwight Howard continued his MVP campaign, dominating the Lakers for a total of 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks. The Lakers had won the first four games of this seven game road trip. They will look to rebound tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats. I wouldn't be all that surprised if both Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol have big games against Charlotte's weak big men. Either way, they will definitely score a hell of a lot more than 75 points tonight.

Monta Ellis (33, 2, and 7 with three threes), Stephen Curry (23, 2, and 13 with two threes), and David Lee (23 points and a season high 19 boards) all had big games as the Warriors held off the Thunder last night. Russell Westbrook brought it to within one point with a three pointer late in the fourth, but that was as close as the Thunder would get. I would like to make a side note that Russell Westbrook has hit 8 of the 19 three pointers he has this season in February. I hope this is a trend and not a mirage, as Westbrook is my point guard in fantasy basketball.

The Demarcus Cousins situation might get uglier for himself. None of that mattered last night though, as The Kings were able to defeat the Phoenix Suns by a final score of 113-108 last night. Steve Nash (22/2/18) and Marcin Gortat (20 and 12 with three blocks) had great games for the Suns in the loss. I saw someone on either ESPN or NBATV last week mention that Nash's numbers this season are basically the same as they were in his back to back MVP campaigns. That is incredible in my opinion. He of course won't win the MVP this year, but he has remained a very consistent Point Guard as he has gotten older. A night after getting into it with Cousins, Donta Greene tied his season high for points with 19. Tyreke Evans (21/4/7) and Samuel Dalembert (18 and 15 with three blocks) also had nice games for the Kings last night. I miss Carl Landry.

The Grizzlies defeated the Nuggets last night, in the final game of O.J. Mayo's suspension for drinking an energy drink. The Grizzlies won 8 of those 10 games, so I would be surprised if O.J. Mayo even plays as many as seventeen minutes for the Grizzlies again (the amount he played in his last game). Mayo wasn't playing all that great this season anyway, as he was having trouble adjusting to a bench role. Sam Young averaged over 13 points a game in Mayo's absence and Darrell Arthur had a career high 24 points in this game. I don't think that the Grizzlies are going to be worried all that much about Mayo returning. I think Tony Allen will probably be more than help to welcome him back! Carmelo Anthony continues to pace the Nuggets in the midst of all the trade chatter. He led all scorers with 28 points in this contest. He should be in a Rockets uniform during my nap this afternoon.

Blake Griffin brought his dunk tour to Toronto yesterday. He did continue his dominant rookie campaign, finishing off with 21 points and 15 rebounds (including his usual highlights). It wasn't enough though, as the Raptors won this by a final score of 98-93. Quietly, Andrea Bargnani is becoming a great NBA player. He led all scorers with 27 points yesterday, bringing his average to 21.6ppg (16th in the league). This Raptors team is bad, but they could be a lot worse.

Lamarcus Aldridge had yet another gigantic game for the short handed Blazers last night. He finished with 36 points, as the Blazers were able to hold off the Pistons last night. In a perfect world, Tim Duncan will sit out this weekend and let Aldridge take his spot. This Pistons team is very likely going to look a lot different in two weeks. Then again, that assumption is made by a lot of NBA scribes around this time every season. If Brandon Roy's knees hold up, the Blazers might just win one playoff game this season.