Tag: Miami

LeBron erupts for season-best 41 to head Tuesday’s S&Ds

The Miami Heat didn’t have Dwyane Wade Tuesday night, who rested after some recent struggles.

It  didn’t matter to teammate LeBron James, who singed Philadelphia for a season-best 41 points to lead Miami’s 99-93 victory over the Sixers.

James scored 14 consecutive Miami in the fourth quarter as the Heat clinched a playoff berth with the victory.

“We’re happy to get a win against a very good playoff team,” James told ESPN.com’s Heat Index. “I needed to take control a little bit more.” 

He did just that, scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter as Miami claimed its 16th straight home victory.  In the process, James scored at least 30 points for the first time since March 14 — a nine-game streak that was his longest since 2004-05.

And in the process, he finished at the top of Tuesday’s Studs and Duds.

STUDS

Miami F LeBron James: Erupted for a season-high 41 points, along with six rebounds, four assists, three steals and was plus-12 in the Heat’s triumph over Philadelphia.

Detroit C Greg Monroe: Went for 22 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and was plus-10 in the Pistons’ victory over  Orlando.

Sacramento C DeMarcus Cousins: Notched 41 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, two steals and was plus-3 in the Kings’ loss to Phoenix.

New Jersey F Kris Humphries: Muscled for 18 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and two steals in the Nets’ loss at the Lakers.

Indiana F Carmelo Anthony: Went for 39 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals in the Knicks’ loss at Indiana.

DUDS:

Sacramento G Jimmer Fredette: Missed all six field-goal attempts and was minus-7 in the Kings’ loss at Phoenix.

Philadelphia G Jrue Holiday: Went 4-for-11 from the field with six turnovers and was a game-worst minus-13 in the Sixers’ loss at Miami.

Miami G Norris Cole: Missed both shots, had  five turnovers and was minus-7 in the Heat’s trimph over Philadelphia.

Memphis G Tony Allen: Went 1 of 6 from the field with four turnovers in the Grizzlies’ victory over  Golden State.

New Jersey C Johan Petro: Missed all eight shots  from the field and was minus-8 in the Nets’ loss at the Lakers.

Orlando G J.J. Redick: Went 1 for 9 from the field with a turnover and was minus-5 in the Magic’s loss at Detroit.

Kobe bounces back by hanging 40 on Golden State

After enduring one of the worst games in his career a day earlier, Kobe Bryant was determined not to endure an encore on Sunday. 

Bryant blistered Golden State for 40 points to lead the Lakers’ 120-112 victory over Golden State.

In his previous game Saturday afternoon against New Orleans, Bryant missed his first 15 shots and was shut out through three quarters before breaking out in the final quarter.

“It’s always interesting to me to hear people talk after a game like that,” Bryant told the Associated Press. “The amount of idiots that live out here after 16 years baffle me. I guess people just get dumber over the years.”

It was Bryant’s 112th career game with at least 40 points as he topped the Studs for Sunday’s game. The Lakers pulled 1½ games ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers for third place in the Western Conference.  

STUDS

Los Angeles Lakers G Kobe Bryant: Slump? What slump? Bryant erupted for 40 points, five assists, three rebounds and was plus-13 in the Lakers’ victory over Golden State.

Oklahoma City G Russell Westbrook: Went for 27 points, five assists, four steals, three rebounds and was plus-28 in the Thunder’s victory over Chicago.

Los Angeles Lakers F Pau Gasol: Filled the stat sheet for 26 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three blocks in the Lakers’ victory over Golden State.

Boston G Rajon Rondo: Notched his fifth triple-double this season with 16 points, 11 rebounds, 14 assists and shared game honors with plus-28 in the Celtics’ victory over Miami.

Indiana G Danny Granger: Erupted for 32 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks in the Pacers’ overtime triumph at Houston.

DUDS

Miami F Chris Bosh: Clanked through a 2-for-11 shooting effort with three turnovers and was minus-13 in the Heat’s loss at Boston.

Phoenix F Hakim Warrick: Missed all three shots with two turnovers and was minus-3 in the Suns’ victory over New Orleans.

Denver C JaVale McGee: Went 1 for 3 from the field with five turnovers and was a game-worst minus-19 in the Nuggets’ triumph over Orlando.

Toronto G DeMar DeRozan: Struggled through a 4-for-11 shooting night with four turnovers in the Raptors’ victory over Washington.

Chicago C Joakim Noah: Clanked through a 1-for-8 shooting effort and was minus-21 in the Bulls’ loss at Oklahoma City.

Spurs 50-win streak ranks as NBA’s longest

Several e-mailers were interested in where the Spurs’ streak of 50-win seasons, mentioned in a post yesterday, ranks among teams and current streaks in the NBA.

The Spurs’ current streak of 12 50-win seasons leads the nine NBA teams with a current 50-win season streak after last season.

Here’s a listing of the teams and their current 50-win season streaks.

San Antonio             12

Dallas                        11

Boston                         4

Denver                        4

L.A. Lakers                 4

Orlando                       4

Oklahoma City           2

Chicago                        1

Miami                          1

Chicago is the only team in the league that appears to be able to stretch its current streak with the compacted 66-game season caused by the lockout. The Bulls’ .768 winning percentage prorates to 50.688 wins over 66 games.

The current winning percentages of the rest of the teams in the league won’t reach 50 victories if they play at their current pace.

The Spurs will have to win 12 of their final 14 games to reach 50. And with the playoffs approaching, it’s not a feat that Coach Gregg Popovich will be very interested in extending compared to getting his team ready for the NBA’s second season.