The Post Up: AI Wins it in OT

By: Holly MacKenzie

It is Tuesday and I am still basking in the sweet, sweet afterglow of my amazing Friday night. I’m with Sam on not being able to wipe this smile off of my face. It was great to share my big game with everyone and I just want to say thanks for sticking with me and reading my thorough (haha), notes.

Since I was to give Kobe some credit for being one cool guy, I wanted to link to this story that I read on his website. This guy was at the Toronto game and managed to get some time with Kobe during halftime where my boy promised the guy the shoes he was wearing. Just another example of how good my boy is to his fans. We just never see this side. Anyway, here is the guy’s story, check it out. Guys, I am sure you will want to see the pictures, so click away. Those shoes are pretty sweet looking up close. I can’t believe the guy went up to Kobe at the half but, it worked out pretty well for him!

TONIGHT!! I think I can speak for Mutoni, Myles and every other Laker fan on this planet when I say we are counting down the hours for the game tonight. First, Pau. Second, Kobe has been on a tear. Third, NJ. I wouldn’t want to be the Nets right now although, it seems Vince always shows up against the Lakers. Can’t WAIT.

Also, Pau’s gotta shave that Grizzly beard. You are in LA now, Mr. Gasol and we are happy to have you!

Deron got the best of that CP3/D-Will match up last night. I didn’t actually see that game, so I can’t really comment on it but, 6 points from Paul? Shoot!

Ivy hitting that buzzer-beater in OT was sweet. I’ve been cheering for Portland but, with the game on the line and AI with the ball, who can you root against him? I certainly can’t.

Boston/Cleveland will be fun to watch too. I actually will be tuning in to Memphis/Milwaukee to see if Jay Critt can get any time. I really, really loved that pick for the Lakers and I think he’s got a ton of talent. I was sad to see him go but I am looking forward to seeing what he can do with more playing time.

The Suns are ridiculous when they are hitting their three’s like they were last night. Love seeing Raja have a strong game.

I know the TWolves have been tough to watch for most of this season but, is anyone else tuning in regularly to watch Al, Bassy and the rest of the guys? Jefferson is exciting to watch and I like seeing his confidence grow game by game.

Josh Smith was CRAZY last night. Of course, we all knew about Smith since Lang wrote about this awhile ago but, what a line. 19 points, 9 blocks, 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 steals.

And Eboy, I am working on the Monday rankings idea. I didn’t forget about it.

Atlanta 96 Philadelphia 90

Thanks to an incredible line from Josh Smith the Atlanta Hawks were able to quickly erase a 20-point deficit to the 76er’s and take control for the 96-90 win last night. While the Hawks trailed by as many as 20 points in the first quarter they were able to cut the lead to 50-44 at the half thanks to Smith’s six blocked shots in the second quarter. In the second half the Hawks were too much for Philadelphia to handle as they went up by as many as eight in the final quarter before Philly made it interesting in the final minutes by cutting the lead to three points on multiple occasions. They would not get any closer as Atlanta maintained their lead to go on to the victory. Smith finished with 19 points, 9 assists, 9 blocked shots, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. Joe Johnson added 18 points and Josh Childress scored 21 off of the bench. Andre Miller had 29 points to lead the 76er’s while Andre Iguodala added 22 and Samuel Dalembert had 9 points and 13 boards. Thaddeus Young added 11 points.

Dallas 107 Orlando 98

After going down by 13 points at the end of the first quarter, the Orlando Magic were unable to come back against an invigorated and focused Dallas team as they dropped a 107-98 decision on their home floor last night. Dallas managed to stretch their lead to as many as 19 points in the first half before the Magic made a game of it and pushed back in the second half, managing to cut the lead to only three within the first few minutes of the fourth. The Mavericks held Orlando scoreless for nearly five minutes with the lead at 83-80, to go on a 10-0 run and take control of the game the rest of the way through. While Hedo Turkoglu had his first career triple-double, the Magic were out-rebounded 47-34 in the contest as Dallas shot 51% from the floor as compared to 46% from Orlando. Josh Smith had 28 points to lead the Mavs while Dirk Nowitzki scored 20, pulled down 9 boards and dished 5 assists, Jason Terry added 20 off of the bench and Brandon Bass had 16. Turkoglu’s big night included a 13-point, 13-assist, 12-rebound line for the Magic as Dwight Howard had 28 points, Maurice Evans scored 16, Keyon Dooling had 14 and Rashard Lewis added 13.

Toronto 114 Miami 82

With the return of TJ Ford the Raptors got an easy win over the Miami Heat last night, dropping them 114-82 on the road. This was a game that seemed to be over before it started as Miami managed only 12 first quarter points, trailing by 21 after the first, 33-12. From there things didn’t get any better as the Raptors shot 60% for the game and went up by as many as 39 points in the game while emptying their benches as the helpless Heat could do nothing to prevent themselves from dropping their 19th game out of their last 20. Chris Bosh had 24 points to lead Toronto as Andrea Bargnani scored 22 points, Anthony Parker had 18 and Jose Calderon had 11 points and 10 assists. Dorell Wright had 17 to lead the Heat as Mark Blount and Dwyane Wade each had 12 points and Chris Quinn added 11.

Phoenix 118 Charlotte 104

At the end of the night the Charlotte bench had scored 26 points. Leandro Barbosa had 30 points off of the bench for the Suns and those points along with his three-point shooting was the difference in the game as the Suns walked away with the 118-104 victory. Without Gerald Wallace, the Bobcats held a five-point advantage over the Suns just before halftime but then the three’s started falling for both Barbosa and Raja Bell. At the halftime buzzer Shawn Marion hit a 30-footer as time expired to put the Suns up 54-51 and they continued their streak after the break, scoring 33 points in the third quarter as Bell connected on four three-pointers in the period as the Suns went on to go up by as many as 24 points and take the win from there. In addition to Barbosa’s 30 points, Bell finished with 24 points and Amare Stoudemire had 24 as well to go along with his 11 rebounds and 4 blocks. Steve Nash added 8 points and 11 assists. Jason Rochardson had 25 points for Charlotte, Raymond Felton had 19 and Emeka Okafor scored 18 points to go along with 13 rebounds. Nazr Mohammed had 12 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.

Utah 110 New Orleans 88

While Chris Paul will be attending the all-star game next week, Deron Williams will not. Last night he gave Utah fans a show as he showed up Paul along the way to Utah’s 110-88 romp over the Hornets. Utah used strong second and third quarters to blow open their game against the Hornets and were able to get Paul into early foul trouble which meant taking New Orleans out of their rhythm early. This game was over early in the third as the Jazz extended their halftime lead to 22 points and cruised from there. Williams was great, finishing with 29 points and 11 assists as Carlos Boozer had 19 points and 17 rebounds, Kyle Korver added 20 points and Mehmet Okur scored 14. Jannero Pargo led New Orleans with 24 points off of the bench as Morris Peterson had 16 while David West and Peja Stojakovic each added 12. Tyson Chandler had 8 points and 11 rebounds as Paul was held to only 6 points and 6 assists.

Denver 105 Portland 103 OT

While Allen Iverson may have missed the three-pointer to win it in regulation he made his jumper to win the game in overtime. After leading by as many as 17 points in the first half of the game the Nuggets watched as the young Trailblazers came storming back in the third quarter to cut the lead and tie the game at 78 going into the fourth. The final quarter of regulation saw the teams trade the lead back and forth when Iverson hit a three to give the Nuggets a one point lead with under a minute left to play. Travis Outlaw was fouled and hit only one of two free throws and after an Iverson miss at the buzzer, the game went into OT. In the extra session, the two teams stayed close, tied at 103 until Iverson’s fade-away with .9 seconds on the clock dropped. After Brandon Roy missed a three at the buzzer the Nuggets got the win. Carmelo Anthony had 28 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists to lead Denver as Iverson added 25 and 8 assists and Kenyon Martin had 13 points and 11 boards in the absence of Marcus Camby (knee contusion). Roy had 26 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists to lead Portland in the loss as Jarett Jack just missed out on a triple-double with 17 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists off of the bench. Martell Webster had 17 points and Travis Outlaw added 16.

Chicago 118 Seattle 108

Still without Luol Deng, the return of Joe Smith was a pleasant sight for the Chicago Bulls. Sitting out the past two games with the flu and a sore knee, Smith returned to score 25 points and lead the Bulls over the Sonics, 118-108. While the score seems close, the game wasn’t with Chicago in control most of the way through. The Sonics trailed 56-49 at the half and they were unable to get any close than five points after the break as Chicago out-rebounded them 50-35 in the game. While their lead may have been under 10 for much of the night, the Bulls had control of things as Smith finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Ben Gordon scored 20 points, Kirk Hinrich had 15 before leaving in the fourth with a rib injury and Andres Nocioni and Aaron Gray each added 14. Wally Szczerbiak had 21 points for Seattle as Kevin Durant had 20 and Chris Wilcox added 13.