Entering Wednesday night's schedule there were only two unbeaten teams left in the NBA. Nobody was surprised about one of the two considering they were last season's Western Conference champions. The other team, however, has been a pleasant surprise considering they squeaked into the playoffs last season with a 37-45 record.
But let's start with the rough stuff.And In This Corner
The Rockets and Suns met in Phoenix on Wednesday night and things got a little testy late in the third quarter.
Bleacher Report
Tuesday's action
- Magic overcome big game by Bosh
- Cavs pull away for 8th straight win
- Dirk, Mavericks dominate Bobcats
- Granger, Pacers slam slumping Hawks
- Wade leads Heat past Wizards
- Celtics top Knicks without Garnett
- Gay, Grizzlies shoot down Kings
- Nuggets score season-high 114 in win
- Gasol scores 34 as Lakers beat Bulls
- Rookie shines again for Warriors
FOXSports.com analysis
- Kahn: Top 10 MVP candidates
- Rosen: Those dysfunctional Clippers
- Hench: It's a Cuban crisis
- Galinsky: NBA power rankings
Photos
- Celtics celebrate 17th title
Bryant and Derek Fisher tied for the team lead with 20 points each. Bryant moved to within three points of Larry Bird on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
Chris Paul continued his record-setting pace with his seventh consecutive 20-point, 10-assist game to start the season. Paul scored 30 points, handed out 13 assists and pulled down 7 boards.
The Lakers' regular-season record with Pau Gasol in their lineup now stands at 31-4, a winning percentage of .886.
They Call Me Superman
Dwight Howard had the first triple-double of his career in the Magic's 109-92 victory over Oklahoma City. Howard scored 30 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and swatted 10 shots against the hapless Thunder.
Kevin Durant sat out with a sore left ankle. His fellow sophomore, Jeff Green, led the team in scoring and rebounding with 25 and 10, respectively.
The win was the Magic's first road victory of the season. The Magic's record improves to 5-3. The Thunder, now 1-7, are still searching for their first 100-point game of the season.
Positively Fifth Street
Last season, the Knicks didn't earn their fifth victory until the final day of November. After Wednesday night's 132-103 win over the Grizzlies the Knicks managed to reach that total 18 days earlier this time around.
Wilson Chandler and Nate Robinson combined to score 48 points on 19-of-20 shooting, including 9-for-9 from long distance.
The announced attendance at the FedEx Forum was 10,129. Unfortunately, the building's capacity is 18,165. Somewhere in Vancouver the original fans of the Grizzlies are laughing -- all nine of them.
The Knicks brass will be holding their collective breaths tomorrow as they await the results of an MRI exam on the back of rookie Danilo Gallinari. One local report says that Gallinari will be meeting with back specialists in New York, Boston and Los Angeles next week to determine whether or not he can avoid season-ending surgery.
Elsewhere
The Wizards avoided the first 0-6 start in franchise history with a 95-87 win over the Jazz. Caron Butler led the Wizards with 20 points and seven rebounds. Elton Brand scored a season-high 25 points to lead the Sixers past the Raptors, 106-96 in Toronto. Jose Calderon left the game at the end of the first quarter to treat a tight right hamstring. He returned to play in the second and third quarter before returning to the locker room with about five minutes left in the third. He didn't return. The Pacers improved their record to 4-3 with a 98-87 win in New Jersey against the Nets. T.J. Ford recorded a near triple-double with 18 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. Greg Oden returned to the Blazers lineup for the first time since injuring his foot on opening night. Oden came off the bench and scored three points, including two on an emphatic dunk. He also grabbed two rebounds and blocked two shots in 16 minutes. The Blazers beat the Heat in Miami, 104-96. The Spurs dropped to 2-5 after losing to the Bucks in Milwaukee, 82-78. Andrew Bogut had 17 rebounds and was one of five Bucks to score in double figures. The Spurs received a glimmer of hope when reports began circulating that Manu Ginobili could return to the court a little earlier than expected. Gregg Popovich declined to address it when asked to respond to the reports. Beno Udrih scored a career-high 30 points to lead the Kings over the Clippers in Los Angeles, 103-98. The Clippers trailed 81-69 after three quarters but could only trim seven points off their deficit before the final buzzer. Mike Dunleavy denied a report in one of the New York newspapers claiming that the Clippers and Bobcats were discussing a trade involving Chris Kaman.One Last Thing
Former NBA point guard, Haywoode Workman, became the third former player to join the ranks of NBA referees. Workman played for the Hawks, Bullets, Pacers, Bucks and Raptors over eight seasons between 1989 and 2000. He follows Bernie Fryer and Leon Wood.
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