The Cavs/Wizards, Spurs/Kings and Suns/Lakers play tonight. Here’s what happened last night:
Indiana 107, New Jersey 95 (Indiana leads series, 2-1)
Now they’ve done it. They’ve gone and pissed Jermaine O’Neal off. Who is “they,” you ask? I’m not exactly sure, but after being fined for comments about the officiating, O’Neal filleted the Nets for 37 points and 15 rebounds in Game 3. The Pacers enjoyed 25 points, eight assists and five boards from Anthony Johnson, who seems to be perennially underrated. I’m not sure why Indiana keeps going with Jamaal Tinsley when AJ is the better guard. The Pacers held the Nets to just 39% shooting and only allowed double-figure scoring from the Nets’ “Big 3.” Game 4 is pretty much a must-win for the Nets, who don’t want to go home down three games to one.
Chicago 109, Miami 90 (Miami leads series, 2-1)
The Bulls are not dead yet. Chicago capitalized on one of Shaquille O’Neal’s worst games, blowing out the Heat and embarrassing them in the process. O’Neal had just eight points and four rebounds and went 0-6 from the free throw line. In fairness, he was plagued by foul trouble and only played 24 minutes. Chicago’s balanced attack – which included four players scoring 19+ points – was too much for a Miami squad that was without the Diesel. Chicago is not going to roll over in this series, so the Heat better use this game as motivation if they want to avoid turning this into a three-game series.
Denver 94, LA Clippers 87 (LA leads the series, 2-1)
This game wasn’t about who played better, it was about who played worse. The Clippers missed a golden opportunity to effectively win the series. Tied 70-70 going into the fourth quarter, the Clippers just looked out of synch, scoring only 17 points in the final period, going a miserable 5 of 16 (31%) from the field while committing four turnovers. Elton Brand didn’t play his normal game, but did manage 17/8 before fouling out, which shows you just how consistent of a player he is. Denver didn’t exactly play well either, but they did enough to get the victory. Five Nuggets scored double-digits, led by Carmelo Anthony’s 24 points.
