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Carmelo Anthony entered Knicks lore with his first game-winner since being traded to New York. In other action, the Celtics mysteriously fell to the Clippers in Boston, and Kevin Love broke Moses Malone's modern record with his 52nd consecutive double-double.
If you were to guess that the Los Angeles Clippers would defeat the Boston Celtics at TD Banknorth Garden, you'd figure that All-Star forward Blake Griffin went nuts. But Griffin had just 12 points on 4-14 shooting as Kevin Garnett effectively shut the dunk machine down. Griffin's running mate, though, had Nenad Krstic defending him. That did not go remotely well for the Celtics.
DeAndre Jordan scored 21 points on 9-10 "shooting" and added nine rebounds as the Clippers shocked the Celtics 108-103. The Clippers led by as many as 23, and held on despite some serious pressure from Boston at the end of the game. Mo Williams was the closer, scoring nine points in the final seven minutes and 28 for the game. Seven of Jordan's makes ended up being dunks -- another was a lay-up, and there was also a tip. This violent jam off the Ryan Gomes inbounds might have been Jordan's most vicious.
Boston now leads the Bulls by just 1-1/2 games for the top spot in the East.
The Dallas Mavericks led the New Orleans Hornets the entire fourth quarter, by as many as 11 and, with a minute and 14 seconds left, by seven. Then, all hell broke loose. Marco Belinelli hit a three-pointer after a New Orleans offensive rebound. Dirk Nowitzki committed a rare turnover. New Orleans earned a few offensive rebounds after close misses that resulted in a bucket for Emeka Okafor. Tyson Chandler was intentionally fouled, and bricked both free throws. And, in the call that decided the game, Jason Kidd -- wily veteran of 77 years or so -- guarded Jarrett Jack too closely, and the Hornet took advantage, swooping for a sell-job three-point attempt that resulted in the referees calling a foul and three free throws for Jack.
Jack sunk all three, and with 8.4 seconds left, Nowitzki and the Mavericks couldn't get a shot to fall, leaving the Hornets with a completely improbable 93-92 win. That New Orleans accomplished the feat without Chris Paul is all the more sweet, considering these two teams could meet up in the first round of the Western playoffs. Paul remains out after suffering a scary concussion on Sunday.
Nowitzki had a game-high 26 points, and Tyson Chandler went for 16 and 13. Jack and Belinelli each scored 21 for the Hornets.
Kevin Love registered his 52nd consecutive double-double, breaking Moses Malone's post-merger record, as the Minnesota Timberwolves slammed the Indiana Pacers 101-75. Minnesota doesn't win many by 26, and the night was special for Love and his teammates. The All-Star power forward had 16 points and 21 rebounds; all told, rebounds are easy to come by when the opponents shoots 24 of 81, as the Pacers did.
Notably, Anthony Randolph scored 14 points off of Minnesota's bench. The dream lives! Tyler Hansbrough had another solid game with 21 points and 10 rebounds, putting his double-double streak at one.
In other action:
Bulls 101, Bobcats 84: Let's hope Carlos Boozer isn't out too long, lest Jerry Reinsdorf's prediction take a hit. The Bobcats were without their two best players, with is saying a lot considering how shallow Charlotte is these days.
Nets 94, Warriors 90: Brook Lopez had 26 (proving the Warriors can't defend big men, as if you needed more proof) and Anthony Morrow scored 22 as the Nets won without Deron Williams.
Thunder 110, 76ers 105: Kevin Durant's 34 paced the Thunder past the competitive Sixers, who opened the game on a 15-4 run almost immediately answered by Oklahoma City. Jrue Holiday had 22 for Philly.
Jazz 96, Raptors 94: Jazz win! Jazz win! Utah was without a crew of players, but Al Jefferson made up the difference with 34 points and the game-winning tip.
Bucks 110, Cavaliers 90: Milwaukee, the worst-shooting team in the league, shot 55 percent on the Cavs. Brandon Jennings went 7-10 for 18, and Earl Boykins went 8-9 for 18. The Bucks are now within a game and a half of the No. 8 spot in the East.
Spurs 111, Pistons 104: Rip Hamilton scored 20 off the bench, but Tony Parker's 23 led the way. Detroit's starting center Greg Monroe had 10 rebounds. Nine of them were on offense. Impressive! Detroit had 20 offensive rebounds in all, which ought to concern San Antonio a bit.
Magic 106, Kings 102: The Kings had already beaten the Magic in Orlando, and Sacramento put a scare into Stan Van Gundy's bunch again. Rookie DeMarcus Cousins played well against Dwight Howard; Cousins had 29 points and seven rebounds, while Howard went for 16 and 15. Marcus Thornton also continued his solid play with 22, but Jameer Nelson had 26 and a couple crucial baskets to seal the game.
Knicks Vs. Grizzlies: Carmelo Anthony Game-Winner Keeps New York Rolling
Carmelo Anthony has had a glorious baptism as a member of the New York Knicks. The team is 6-3 since trading for him, and he's clicked rather well with Amar'e Stoudemire, Mike D'Antoni and the New York fans. On Wednesday, even though he was away from Madison Square Garden, he entered himself into Knicks lore by hitting a game-winner over the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Knicks won 110-108 as, with just 0.5 seconds left, the Grizzlies couldn't get a shot off on their own end. The shot was something marvelous out of 'Melo, for whom the data suggests perennial good performance in clutch situations. The greatest thing about 'Melo as a scorer is that he can get his shot off against anyone -- a 6'9 power forward or a two-guard like Tony Allen, who he burns here. Anthony has more moves than a chess marathon, some of them -- like this step-over jumper -- so remarkably simple. The quickness with which 'Melo recognizes his defender, that defender's weakness (in this case, length) and exploits it -- for all of Anthony's fault, it's truly something to behold. What a play by Anthony.
The Knicks are just 2-1/2 games behind Atlanta for the No. 5 seed in the East. The Grizzlies remain in the No. 8 spot in the West, but have one more loss than No. 9 Phoenix now.
Mar 10 8:11a by Tom Ziller - 0 comments