by Peter Walsh / @goinginsquad
Just ‘Cause:
Dame Dash x Cam’ron x Jim Jones – “I Am Dame Dash”
Easily one of my top-5 favorite songs from the Roc’s hey-day. Just Blaze bodied this beat and no one can shit-talk like Dame Dash.
Hawks 113 (14-6), Bobcats 90 (7-15)
Doesn’t seem like too long ago when the Bobcats were on the up and up and on the verge of being competitive in some capacity this season. Now, they’re back to their old ways and have lost 10 straight after last night’s drubbing at the hands of the Hawks. Atlanta crushed the Bobcats from start to finish and had their best first half of the season. After jumping out to a quick 10-3 lead, the Hawks never looked back and took a 60-43 at the half. Atlanta won with a well-balanced attack en route to their blowout victory. Devin Harris hopped off the bench to lead the team with 20, Josh Smith scored 18 and Ivan Johnson chipped in with 16. The Hawks are now tied with Miami for the best record in the Southeast Division.
Quick Hitters:
— The Hawks shot 57 percent from the field and 48 percent from three for the game.
— Ramon Sessions scored 16 and Gerald Henderson chipped in with 17.
— The Hawks had 28 assists on 43 total field goals.
Knicks 116 (17-5), Lakers 107 (9-14)
The Knicks used a monster 41-point first quarter to hold on after their star went down with an ankle injury in the third quarter. The Knicks were cruising but after Melo landed awkwardly on his ankle following a layup attempt, the Lakers swung momentum and clawed back into the game behind Kobe’s 31 points and 10 boards. In the fourth, the Lakers cut what was a 26-point deficit to just six with a minute and a half left after a three-point play by Ron Artest. On the next possession, the Knicks missed but the ever-active Tyson Chandler was able to swat the offensive rebound back to the perimeter where the Knicks retrieved the ball. New York missed again but Chandler once again swatted the ball back to his teammates and was rewarded with a pass on a screen roll which put the center at the line. Chandler hit one of two with 18 seconds left which was enough to ice the game.
Before leaving the game, Melo scored 30 points and was absolutely unstoppable. He scored 22 of his 30 in the first and was on pace to break Kobe’s 61-point record at the Garden with ease. Melo scored his 30 in under 22 minutes, the first player to do so since David Robinson in ’95. Melo has scored a ridiculous 75 points over the last two games.
Quick Hitters:
— Steve Novak hit four big three’s to finish with 12 points off the bench. J.R. Smith scored 18, and Ray Felton scored 19 and doled out 8 assists.
— New York is now 9-0 at the Garden.
— Artest finished with 23 and Dwight scored 20.
— Can it get any worse for the Lakers?
Blazers 98 (10-12), Spurs 90 (18-6)
Damian Lillard was sensational, looking more like a seasoned vet than a rookie against Tony Parker and the Spurs last night. Lillard finished with a career-high 29 points (including 23 in the third alone), 7 boards, 6 dimes and only 2 turnovers. Portland held an 11-point lead in the third quarter thanks to Lillard’s efforts, but to nobody’s surprise, the Spurs mounted a comeback. With five and change left, Tony Parker hit a layup and followed that up with a jumper to pull San Antonio within four. After playing to a stalemate over the next three minutes, J.J. Hickson pushed the Blazers lead to six with a running hook shot. Danny Green answered with a three to cut the deficit to three but Nicolas Batum nailed a clutch three of his own to give the Blazers a six-point lead with just over a minute to go. Batum sealed the game with two free throws to give the Blazers a tough home victory.
Quick Hitters:
— LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 22 points and 6 boards while Batum scored 11 and dished out 8 assists.
— Tony Parker finished with 21 points and 5 dimes.
— Lillard has scored at least 20 points in 13 games this season.
