Big Wins, Blowout Losses

by Holly McKenzie / @stackmack

Well, gonna deviate from standard form a bit here today. I took a complete night off from the NBA. Almost. The Raptors had their Red Party last night, which is a fundraiser for the MLSE’s Team Up foundation. I went not as media but as a guest and had a wonderful time. The surprise of the night came when we found out that Drake had been flown in to perform for the crowd of 800.

It was pretty great. Having him home in Toronto, performing for such an intimate group of people, repping the Raptors, it was lovely. Lovely because it made me think –as always– how thankful I am to get to do something I truly love with every ounce of my heart. Lovely because, I can only imagine how much of a whirlwind these past two years have been for Drake and how he is living his dream. Sure, his may involve lots of money, cars, clothes and “stuff” but at the core, he’s living out the life he wanted for himself. I feel like I’m beginning to scratch the surface of my dreams, and while I’m still wanting to work, work, work for more, I’m living it. And, loving it.

It was a great night.

Now, apparently, the Warriors did not have a great night. Neither did the Thunder. Both of these nuggets of info kind of upset me. Orlando smoked Golden State, 117-90 as Dwight finished with 28 points 12 rebounds and two of each: steals/blocks/assists. The Magic killed GS on the boards, 58-29. Um, yeah. Can you think of a game this season where another team has dominated on the glass so much?

By the look of these boxscores there were a whole bunch of blowouts. A whole bunch of games, too, but that’s beside the point. Seriously, how did OKC lose to Denver so badly. I know, second night of a back-to-back, but damn, 119-90. That’s tough. They ran all over them.

After the Nets managed just 15 points in the first quarter, they allowed the Cavs to lead by 20 after the opening 12 minutes and were never able to recover. LeBron finished with 26 points, 14 assists, seven boards, three steals and a block. Not too shabby. His guy JJ Hickson continues to get better as he had a big night and big double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Also: According to John Krolik, Delonte West was unavailable, Mo Williams was in foul trouble, and Daniel Gibson was out with a baby. Yeah, didn’t quite catch that without watching the game. Now you know.

In a Knicks win against  Detroit, Bill Walker got his first start and scored 22 points on 13 field goal attempts. Yeah, he should continue to turn some heads as long as he gets time and stays healthy. After a few rocky performances, McGrady put in 21 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. If only he could have a night like this even every second game. David Lee continues to be a beast for New York, scoring 21 points and pulling down 18 rebounds while dishing eight assists. He also had three steals and a block, too. Add in 26 points for Al Harrington and the Pistons and their lack of D didn’t stand a chance.

In a Celtics 104-80 victory over the Bobcats, this stood out: Boston was 10-for-16 from the 3-point line while the Bobcats were 0-for-9. Yikes.

In a blowout, 100-87 loss to the Bucks, Shaun Livingston scored his first two points as a Washington Wizard. I can only hope there are many more NBA points scored for SL and he can score them for any franchise, as long as he’s suiting up to do it.

My man James Herbert aka @outsidethenba on Twitter informs me that the Rockets had prepared a highlight pack for Carl Landry as the Kings were in town. Wish I had been able to see that. If you did, let me know about it, below, thanks! In Houston, the Kings pulled off the 84-81 victory. They also pulled down 24 offensive rebounds and attempted 23 more field goal attempts because of them. Crazy. What’s crazy good was Landry hitting the “game-sealing” free throws in his old home arena and finishing with 22 points and 10 boards.

Meanwhile, the Mavs keep rolling and took down the TWolves, winning their ninth straight. Surprised? Not surprised? I kinda thought it would take the new guys a little longer to slide into the offense, but they’ve proven me wrong. I don’t like being wrong, but I do like good basketball. I’m enjoying the new look Mavs.