Roundball March 28

It was somewhat of a slow night in the NBA last night, with only 7 games on the schedule and only about half of those were really all that interesting.

The Cavaliers continued to fade last night, getting handily defeated from start to finish by the Philadelphia 76ers.    Philadelphia was once again without Andre Iguodala, who sat out the game with left knee tendinitis.  That does not sound good for 76ers fans.  On this night however, it did not matter as the 76ers used a hot shooting night from Jodie Meeks while running away with this game.....One night after losing a pickup game to a depleted Knicks squad, the Bucks looked a lot better at home against the Hawks.   The Bucks used a hot shooting first quarter and an early injury to Joe Johnson (thanks Zaza) to help them control this game.  The Hawks were able to come back and even take the lead for a good part of the second half.  Monta Ellis was too much for the Hawks down the stretch though.  He finished the night off with a game high (and personal high with the Bucks) 33 points.  This Bucks team has an outside chance at making the playoffs depending on what happens with the Knicks.... The Grizzlies and Timberwolves continued to move in different directions last night.  The Grizzlies continued their climb in the Western Conference standings.   Sorry, but the Timberwolves just aren't going to win many games with Luke Ridnour as their starting point guard.  They were able to keep this game close, before Memphis closed the game out in the fourth quarter.  Mike Conley did leave the game early with a sprained ankle, but he was able to return and he finished the game with a respecetable 12 points and 8 assists.  Ricky Rubio is still young so Timberwolves fans will have plenty to look forward to in the coming seasons.....The Mavericks settled in after the first quarter to continue their recent dominance of their interstate rivals the Houston Rockets.  Houston jumped out to an 11 point lead after the first quarter, but the Mavericks depth proved to be far too much for Houston to handle in the long run in this game.  Dallas' bench outscored Houston's 48-17 in a nine point victory.  Each loss brings Houston that much closer to three first round draft picks.....The Spurs and The Suns was a game that pitted two of the hottest teams in the NBA over the last month.  Resting their older players has proved to be valuable for San Antonio, especially against the high octane Phoenix Suns offense.  Tim Duncan and Tony Parker led the Spurs down the stretch to a seven point victory over the home suns.  Every year, the Spurs are right there.  This year is no different.....The Thunder continued to roll last night over a fast fading Trailblazers team.  While Portland did go on an 18-2 run in the second half, they were really never in this game.  Raymond Felton was surely missed for Portland.  Nolan Smith had his first career start and got completely outplayed by Russell Westbrook.  Take a look at Portland's current roster.     Lamarcus Aldridge might be in for a long couple years......The Lakers walked away with a very close victory over Golden State last night.   The win was keyed by a big first quarter from Los Angeles.  Kobe Bryant came through down the stretch in this one and led LA to a close win over a pesky Golden State team.  The Warriors might not win a lot of games, but they are in a lot of them right to the end.  Los Angeles will need to get its act together a little bit more if they intend to go on a long playoff run this season.....


Numbers that stick out to me:

31- Jodie Meeks point toal last night, a new career high.  He also had 7 three pointers last night, also tying a career high.  Meeks has been no stranger to scoring outbursts in his basketball career. 

18.4/9.9/3.9/1.5/1.9- Josh Smith's respective averages in Points, Rebounds, Assists, Steals, and Blocks this season.  He did not make the All Star team this season.  I am pretty sure he will be on the roster next season.

9- The number of games the Golden State Warriors have lost by 5 points or less this season.  They also lost an overtime game by 7 points and another by 8.  Their current record is 20-28.  If they could have won 8 of those 11 games, they would be 28-20 good for fourth in the Western Conference.   Hang in there, Warriors fans....

32- Shannon Brown got busy in a losing effort for Phoenix last night.  He put up a career high 32 points.