Day 9 of the delayed/cancelled NBA simulation season as it was originally scheduled:
The Lakers and Celtics and a third shocking team continued unbeaten seasons, but the Heat fell for the first time.
Toronto Raptors 104, Los Angeles Clippers 100
Both of these teams are playing better than expected in the early going, but Toronto got the win at home. Andrea Bargnani has basically alternated good and bad games so far, but this happened to be a good one. He had 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists while hitting all 8 of his free throws. Leandro Barbosa chipped in 17, points hitting 3 three-pointers. Blake Griffin was a monster in the paint as usual with 38 points and 9 rebounds. Griffin took 30 field goal attempts, 12 more than any other player in the game. The Clippers got very little production from their backcourt which proved to be their undoing. Eric Gordon had just 11 points on 30 percent shooting.
Orlando Magic 95, Utah Jazz 96
Everything is bouncing against the Magic so far in the early season. Orlando lost another close game to fall to 1-4 on the year. Dwight Howard continues to dominate in losses with 23 points, 21 rebounds, and 3 blocks. The next highest frontcourt scorer for Orlando was Hedo Turkoglu with 7 points, so Howard was really the lone ranger up front. Devin Harris was terrific for Utah with 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Al Jefferson was able to score on Howard with 22 points, but had just 2 rebounds.
Boston Celtics 103, Charlotte Bobcats 88
The Celtics are 4-0 and are playing well after a summer of rest. Kevin Garnett shot 9-11 from the field for 22 points and also grabbed 11 rebounds. Jeff Green was solid in this game with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Corey Maggette had 22 points, which was more than twice as many as his next highest scoring teammate.
Atlanta Hawks 99, New York Knicks 102
Atlanta’s lack of depth continues to hurt the team as only 7 players on the roster scored, led by Josh Smith’s 22. New York’s trio got this win by combining for 69 points and 31 rebounds.
New Jersey Nets 88, Dallas Mavericks 96
The Mavs move to 4-1 despite having a poor shooting night from the field (40.2%). Both Jason Kidd and Jason Terry had great all-around games combining for 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 16 assists. Deron Williams has to be frustrated playing with the Nets after getting 16 points and 15 assists in a loss.
New Orleans Hornets 86, Miami Heat 79
This was just an ugly game where Miami’s lack of a point guard and center came back to bite them against the league’s best. Chris Paul had 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 11 assists while Emeka Okafor had 11 points and 21 rebounds. Both players were perfectly suited to exploit the Heat weaknesses. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade were good with 44 combined points, but were not superb like most nights.
Milwaukee Bucks 85, Indiana Pacers 81
The Pacers really need to find another frontcourt player to balance their roster. Danny Granger had 21 points while Tyler Hansbrough notched a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. The Pacers though are heavy with perimeter players and seem to be just a player short. Milwaukee used its trademark Scott Skiles defense to get this ugly win. Andrew Bogut scored just 6 points but grabbed 11 rebounds.
Minnesota Timberwolves 118, Phoenix Suns 110
The Celtics and the Lakers would normally be expected to be undefeated by the second week of the NBA season. Nobody would expect Minnesota to be 4-0, but that's the case. Rick Adelman’s style fits a young and athletic roster much better, and that has led to big offensive outputs. The Wolves were powered by Kevin Love’s 16 points and 15 rebounds while six other players scored in double figures. Marcin Gortat has played well for Phoenix, and he had 15 points and 8 rebounds in the loss. Rookie Markieff Morris had 10 points and 6 rebounds.
Philadelphia 76ers 105, Houston Rockets 99
By virtue of playing on the east coast and starting earlier, the Sixers avoided being the last winless team in the NBA. Jodie Meeks scored 18 points and 3 rebounds in place of an injured Jrue Holiday. Elton Brand and Thaddeus Young both notched double-doubles, and Evan Turner had a good all-around game with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Kevin Martin continues to score at a superior rate with 26 points off 4 three-pointers. Kyle Lowry chipped in with 11 points and 6 assists.
Denver Nuggets 98, Portland Trail Blazers 94
With the Sixers winning earlier in the night, Denver was the last team in the league to get a win. Andre Miller willed the Nuggets to a win with 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 12 assists flashing back to his younger days. Al Harrington continues to rack up stats with more playing time with 21 points and 10 rebounds. LaMarcus Aldridge had 23 points and 7 rebounds, but was outplayed by Harrington.
Sacramento Kings 105, Cleveland Cavaliers 100
The Cavs simply don’t have the talent to keep up most nights in the NBA. Anderson Varejao did the dirty work with 13 points and 9 rebounds, but fouled out trying to defend DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins had 14 points and 11 rebounds with 4 assists. He was the inside combo to Marcus Thornton and Tyreke Evans in the backcourt. That duo combined for 38 points. Jason Thompson and J.J. Hickson were big on the boards as the two combined for 21 rebounds. Jimmer Fredette had 10 points on 3-10 shooting.
Los Angeles Lakers 103, San Antonio Spurs 83
The Lakers seem to be rejuvenated under Mike Brown or perhaps it was just an offseason of rest. Either way they are 6-0 and got an easy win against the rival Spurs. L.A. crushed San Antonio on the boards with Pau Gasol getting 24 and 14, Kobe Bryant with 17 and 14, Andrew Bynum with 16 and 9, and Lamar Odom with 12 and 12. Tim Duncan had 9 points and 10 rebounds in a short night while Tony Parker led the Spurs with 21 points.
Golden State Warriors 104, Detroit Pistons 105
Detroit edged Golden State at the wire in a battle between backcourts. The Pistons got 23 points and 4 assists from Rodeny Stuckey and 14 points and 7 assists from rookie Brandon Knight. Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry combined for 45 points and 11 assists.
