Heels in the League (NBA) 02/24/10
(NBA) 02/24/10
A bit late in doing this edition of “Heels in the League” (NBA) for the games from yesterday, Wednesday, February 24, 2010. In all the National Basketball Association had eleven games, of which six of them had a touch of Carolina Blue, one of them a head to head match up. As usual, if you want to see the whole run down from last night’s games you can always check out Real GM’s recap. Make sure to come back later this afternoon for the daily post with the previews and lines for the games in “Before the Games” (NBA). But for now, sit back and relax as we go through these six games from 02/24/10…
The first game of this recap is also the only head to head match up of the night as well as being an East/West clash. In this one we have the Minnesota Timberwolves (WC 5th NW) going to east coast to take on the Atlanta Hawks (EC 2nd SE), in the second game (of two) between these two teams, with the first one going to Atlanta in a blow out. The game was played at the Philips Arena in front of a crowd that numbered 15,059. In this one, for the visiting team (which is a 12 points underdog) it’s rookie Wayne Ellington (57 Games: 17.8 MinsPG ~ 6.3 PPG ~ 0.9 APG ~ 2.2 RPG), who got 15 minutes and didn’t have a good shooting night. The shooting guard didn’t score a single point (0 for 4 ~ 0 for 2 ~ 0 for 0) to go with two rebounds and a TO while having a -4 pts differential. On the other side, for the home team, it’s Marvin Williams (55 Games: 29.7 MinsPG ~ 10.1 PPG ~ 4.9 RPG ~ 1.0 APG), who starts for the Hawks and gets just 21 minutes of playing time. In that time frame the small forward scores four points (0 for 4 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 4 for 5) to go along with one rebound and a pair of turnovers while having a +2 pts differential. In the end it was Atlanta winning this one (while not covering), defeating Minnesota by the final of 98 to 92. With the W the Hawks are now 36-20 on the year (. winning percentage), 22-6 at home (.785 winning percentage) and holding on to the fourth spot in the East, 7.0 games behind the conference leader and just 0.5 games behind the third squad. With the loss the TWolves slide to 14-45 on the season (. winning percentage), 5-25 on the road (.166 winning percentage) and are in last place in the East, 19.5 games behind the playoff chase.
Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports
Blogs:
Hoopinion (TrueHoop Network)
Peachtree Hoops (SB Nation) by hawksdawgs
The second game of the night is one between divisional squads as the Indiana Pacers (EC 5th Central) head to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bulls (EC 2nd Central). This is the third game (of four) that these team will play against one another, with the first two going to Chicago. The game, which has the home squad as a 9 points favorite, is played at the United Center with an attendance of 20,363. For the visiting team we should be seeing lottery pick Tyler Hansbrough, but the Pacers’ rookie is still out with an inner ear infection. From what I have read/heard there is still no time table for when the power forward will be back playing. In the end, in a high scoring affair, it was Chicago winning this one (and covering the line), defeating Indiana by 10 points, with the final score being 120 to 110. With the loss the Pacers are now 19-38 overall (.333 winning percentage), 7-23 on the road (.233 winning percentage) and are in second to last place in the East, 9.5 games out of playoff contention.
Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports
Blogs:
Indy Cornrows (SB Nation) by Tom Lewis
In this game we once again have a East/West match up as the New Orleans Hornets (WC 3rd SW) take on the Milwaukee Bucks (EC 3rd Central) in the second (of two) match ups between them. The first one went to New Orleans, while this game has Milwaukee as a six points favorite. The game was played in front of a crowd of 11,936 at the Bradley Center. For the home squad it’s veteran guard Jerry Stackhouse (17 Games: 19.8 MinsPG ~ 6.9 PPG ~ 1.9 APG ~ 2.6 RPG), who got 25 minutes coming off the bench. In that time the shooting guard got 13 points (4 for 7 ~ 2 for 3 ~ 3 for 3) to go with four rebounds, four assists, a block and three TOs while having a +5 pts differential. As far as the game went it was Milwaukee taking this one (and covering the spread), as they took down New Orleans by 20 points, final score being 115 to 95. With the victory the Bucks are now 28-28 overall (.500 winning percentage), 18-9 at home (.667 winning percentage) and tied for seventh in the East, 15.0 games back of the conference leader.
Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports
Blogs:
Bucksketball (TrueHoop Network) by Jeremy
Brew Hoop (SB Nation) by Alex Boeder
Moving on we have the third East/West match up of the night as the Orlando Magic (EC 1st SE) head to the lone star state to take on the Houston Rockets (WC 5th SW). This is the second game (of 2) between these teams, with Orlando winning the first one and being favorite in this one. The game was played at the Toyota Center in front of 15,749 fans. For the visiting squad it’s veteran guard Vince Carter (51 Games: 30.7 MinsPG ~ 16.4 PPG ~ 3.0 APG ~ 4.2 RPG), who starts for the Magic and plays 28 minutes in all. In that time the shooting guard scores 16 points (6 for 9 ~ 1 for 2 ~ 3 for 5) to go with seven assists, five rebounds, a steal and a TO, while having a +14 pts differential. In the end it was Orlando winning (and covering the spread), defeating Houston by 18 points, with the final score being 110 to 92. With the W the Magic are now 39-19 overall (.672 winning percentage), 17-13 on the road (.566 winning percentage) and are in second place in the East, 5.0 games behind the top team of the conference.
Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports
Blogs:
Orlando Magic Daily (TrueHoop Network) by Philip Rossman-Reich
Orlando Pinstriped Post (SB Nation) by erivera7
Howard the Dunk (FanSided) by Andrew Melnick
Switching from an East/West clash to two top teams in their division in the West. It’s the Los Angeles Lakers (WC 1st Pacific) and the Dallas Mavericks (WC 1st SW), this being the fourth (of 4) match ups, with Los Angeles winning the first two of three. In this one, played at the American Airlines Center in front of a crowd of 20,505, it’s home squad being a two points favorite. For the home team it’s newly acquired Brendan Haywood (55 Games: 32.9 MinsPG ~ 9.9 PPG ~ 10.4 RPG ~ 2.1 BPG), who gets 39 minutes in this one as a starter. In that time the center gets 11 points (4 for 6 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 3 for 4) to go with nine rebounds, five blocks, two assists, a steal and a turnover. The ex UNC big man had a +6 pts differential. In this game it is Dallas winning (and covering the spread), beating Los Angeles by five points, with the final score being 101 to 96. With the victory the Mavs are now 37-21 overall (.638 winning percentage), 19-9 at home (.678 winning percentage) and are fourth in the West, 6.0 games behind the top team and 1.5 ahead of the fifth place squad.
Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports
Blogs:
The Two Man Game (TrueHoop Network) by Rob Mahoney
Mavs Moneyball (SB Nation) by zdgmans
The Smoking Cuban (FanSided) by Jay Maguire
Slam Dunk Central by Jeff Sack
And finally, the last game of the night is the Charlotte Bobcats (EC 4th SE) and the Utah Jazz (WC 2nd NW), meeting up for the second time (of 2) this season, with the first one going to Utah. The East/West match up was played at the EnergySolutions Arena in front of 19,911 fans, with the home squad being an eight points favorite. For the team from back east it’s point guard Raymond Felton (55 Games: 32.7 MinsPG ~ 12.1 PPG ~ 5.2 APG ~ 1.7 SPG), who gets a total of 31 minutes as a starter. The speedster gets eight points (2 for 8 ~ 1 for 2 ~ 3 for 4) to go with five rebounds (2 offensive), five assists, two steal, a block and a pair of turnovers, while having a -13 pts differential. In the end this was a game that went to Utah, who beat Charlotte by nine (covering the spread), with the final being 102 to 93. With the loss, third in a row, the Bobcats are now 27-29 overall (. winning percentage), 7-22 on the road (.241 winning percentage) and are ninth in the East, a game out of playoff contention.
Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports
Blogs:
Queen City Hoops (TrueHoop Network) by Brett
Rufus on Fire (SB Nation) by David Arnott
