Day 21 of the delayed/cancelled NBA simulation season as it was originally scheduled:
Oklahoma City and San Antonio squared off in the marquee match-up of the night while it may be panic time for one would-be contender.
Portland Trail Blazers 96, Charlotte Bobcats 99
It’s panic time in Portland as this loss made the Blazers fall to 2-9. The roster mix just does not seem to be balanced correctly. Wesley Matthews led Portland with 30 points while Gerald Wallace and Marcus Camby combined for 22 rebounds. Charlotte was led by Tyrus Thompson who had 20 points. Gerald Henderson added 14 points on 7 of 8 shooting.
Golden State Warriors 93, New Jersey Nets 91
A night after getting completely shut down by Boston, the Warriors didn’t top 100 points but got enough mojo going to get a win. Monta Ellis shook off a rough night to score 32 points with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. David Lee had 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists. Deron Williams had 28 points, 11 assists, and 6 turnovers in a losing effort.
Minnesota Timberwolves 87, Houston Rockets 101
Houston’s new look backcourt had a great night as Jonny Flynn and Goran Dragic combined to score 35 points. Luis Scola added 13 points, 17 rebounds, and 3 assists. Minnesota rookie Derrick Williams had 12 points and 7 rebounds.
Oklahoma City Thunder 120, San Antonio Spurs 115
In a match-up of two of the best teams in the league the youthful Thunder came out on top against the veteran Spurs. Kevin Durant continued his MVP campaign by getting 40 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals, and hitting 4 of 8 three-pointers. He had to be big too as Russell Westbrook missed the game due to injury. Daequan Cook stepped up in added minutes with 13 points on 3-5 shooting from three. San Antonio was led by Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili who combined for 36 points, 12 rebounds, and 14 assists. The Thunder won the battle of the boards ending up +9 overall and +3 in offensive rebounds.
Chicago Bulls 106, Utah Jazz 89
Derrick Rose scored 43 points as Chicago rolled to its eighth win of the year. Al Jefferson had 26 points for Utah, but only grabbed 4 rebounds.
New York Knicks 119, Sacramento Kings 127
Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony combined for 62 points, but that still wasn’t enough to outscore the visiting Kings. Tyreke Evans had 30 to lead Sacramento while DeMarcus Cousins and J.J. Hickson combined for 33 more points and 14 rebounds.
Denver Nuggets 122, Los Angeles Clippers 107
There was an earthquake named Blake Griffin in this game as the forward had 51 points and 14 rebounds, but it came in a losing effort. The Nuggets used a much more balanced attack led by Al Harrington’s 29 points and 8 rebounds to combat the superstar effort from Griffin. Rookie Jordan Hamilton had 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.
