Quote of the Night: “When a guy has nine blocked shots it changes the game dramatically.”
-Maurice Cheeks
Line of the Night: Josh Smith (5.9). When a guy has 9 blocked shots it changes the LotN dramatically. And when I say dramatically, I mean the other guys don’t stand a chance. Smith also added 19 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 steals, meaning he was 1 assist and 1 block away from what would have been one of the strangest triple doubles ever. If you have Smith on your team, I’m going to say you’re doing pretty well in the blocks category (In my worst trade of the year, I traded away Smith straight-up for Andre Iguodala at the start of the season).
Honorable Mentions: On another day, Al Jefferson’s (5.7) 33 and 16 with 3 steals and 3 blocks would have easily been the best of the night. Today, he’s about 6 blocks short; Deron Williams (5.3) out dueled Chris Paul both in real life and in fantasy land with 29 points on 11-13 shooting and 11 assists (Paul was held to 6 points, 6 assists and 5 turnovers); Andre Miller (4.6) went for 29/6/6 and made 12 of his 18 shots; Leandro Barbosa (4.6) scored 30 and hit 5 threes; Allen Iverson (4.5) hit a game winner in overtime for Denver and finished with 25/6/8 and 3 steals.
Waiver Wire Line of the Night: Jarrett Jack (5.0), who had been playing about 18-20 minutes a game over the past couple weeks (while Stevey Blake has been rolling with 30) saw 34 yesterday. The minutes have been inconsistent all season for Jack, but the dude showed he can play when given the opportunity with 17 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals.
The Biggest Loser: Chris Paul (2.1). Superheros don’t get days off, especially when facing off against their archnemesis point guards. As mentioned above, Deron Williams held Paul to 6 points of 3-11 shooting (he also had 5 turnovers). Reminds me of the scene in the Simpsons where Homer becomes a blackjack dealer and causes James Bond to lose.
Bond: But…but it’s Homer’s fault! I didn’t lose. I never lose!
Dishonorable Mentions: Jason Williams (1.5) was 1-7 from the floor and had 3 boards and 1 assist in 22 minutes; and it looks like Randy Foye (1.4), who was 2 of 7 with 4 turnovers, has more rust than my 1992 Honda Accord right before the radiator exploded one day at Dunkin Donuts.