by Holly MacKenzie / @stackmack
Oh boy. Can I just write the #rookielove hashtag and be back to bed today?
You think I’d be used to the Raptors blowing 20-point leads and then pulling out the victory –because, really, they’ve been doing it all season– but when you’re writing a game story on deadline, the panic still comes. Dammit, Raps. Give me an easy story to write! Please.
Okay, time to explain the opening. Stephen Curry dropped 36 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists all over the Clippers last night. The Warriors ran away with the 132-102 victory, outscoring L.A. 38-20 in the first quarter and then 46-28 in the third. Yikes.
The last time a rookie had a 30/10/10 triple-double was Jason Kidd in 1995, but that was a double-overtime affair. Before that –as far as I can tell– it was Kevin Johnson in 1988, but that game also went into overtime. Insane. As Golden State writer Marcus Thompson said via Twitter, Curry become just the sixth rookie to top 35 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. The other five were Michael Jordan, Jason Kidd, Jerry West, Oscar Robertson and Elgin Baylor. Pretty good company to be in, I think.
Another wild stat from that game is that Anthony Morrow and CJ Watson both played the entire 48 minutes, despite it being a 30-point win.
In Toronto, the Raptors won their eighth straight home game as they held on to get the 104-93 victory against the Sixers after allowing Philly to come back from 23-down in the third quarter to tie the game at 93. From there, they closed the game on an 11-0 run. Chris Bosh had 23 points and 12 boards before he heads home to Dallas for the All-Star game.
Elton Brand was not at all happy that Eddie Jordan sat him for the third quarter.
In New Orleans, the Hornets got the win over the Celtics, but Darren Collison had 10 turnovers. Yikes. 25 points, nine rebounds and four steals though? Exactly how many assists do you need to offset 10 turnovers, anyway?
Ray Allen didn’t play for the Celtics because of back spasms. Who thinks the C’s are going to make a move during the All-Star break? Actually, before the break gets “officially” upon us, who is going where, in your opinion?
The Bucks took down the Nets by 20 and apparently there were about 1000 people total at the game, due to weather and… well.. the Nets. So few people, that they invited everyone to come sit courtside. Crazy. Andrew Bogut had 22 points nine rebounds and four assists while Luke Ridnour added 17 off of the bench.
In Utah, the Bynum and Bryant-less Lakers took down the Jazz, 96-81. Yup. I think it’s safe to say Kobe’s got a more than legit supporting cast. That win was impressive because you know how hostile the Utah crowd can get. Pau was huge again, with 22 points and 19 rebounds. I can’t help but love every huge performance from him in Kobe’s absence. I hope it doesn’t cause issues to arise about who is getting the ball when and where when he returns, but it’s fun to watch in the meantime. Lamar Odom had 25 points and 11 rebounds in the victory.
In Portland, the Blazers had three players top 20 points –Steve Blake, Andre Miller and LaMarcus Aldridge– as they defeated the Suns, 108-101. Blake also added 12 assists in the win as the Blazers jumped out to a 10-point advantage at the end of one and were able to hang on despite getting outscored 34-25 in the final quarter.
Okay. It’s time for me to get out of here and get to bed. As excited as I am for All-Star weekend, not being there is killing me. The Raptors assistant GM asked me if I’d be in Dallas last night and I accidentally shot him daggers with my eyes because it hurts to say no. His reaction was a quick, “Ohh. Ohh. Ohh. Guess not. Sorry for asking.” Yeah.
Anyone here in Dallas or heading there to take in the festivities? I know I’ll be checking for the SLAMonline updates to see what shenanigans our boys get into. In the meantime, I’m pretty excited to sleep in for a few days in a row.
