Ballin': JaVale McGee is a Hero and the Clippers Stink

New York 82, Philadelphia 79: Jeremy Lin struggled through three quarters (1-for-11), then made a few shots and clutch free throws to helped the Knicks lock up one of their biggest road wins of 2012. Lin was only 4-17 shooting, but going 10-for-10 from the line made up for it. Carmelo Anthony and his “new energy” scored 10 points on 15 shots and took just one free throw attempt. Weak. Amare scored 21 and had an awesome dunk. New York is 23-24 and three back of Philly in the Atlantic with 21 games left.

LA Clippers 91, Oklahoma City 114: The down cycle continues for the Paper Clips. Shooting 36 percent from the field will do that to you.

Golden State 101, New Orleans 92: No Biedrins, Bogut or Curry, but no matter – rookie Klay Thompson scored 27 points (on 24 shots) and David Lee added 25 points and 11 rebounds. The only reason to keep an eye on the Warriors (besides monitoring the health of Curry) is to find out whether or not they keep that draft pick (Nets trade). It’s top 7 protected, which leads me to believe we won’t see much of Curry the rest of the way.

Denver 116, Detroit 115: JaVale McGee, welcome to Denver! You sir, were the hero in your first game with the Nuggets. That’s a pretty impressive discard of Greg Monroe to dunk-back the game-winner. I’m curious to see how the Nuggets do in the playoffs with eccentric shot-blockers McGee and Birdman on the frontline. If Gallo and Rudy Fernandez are healthy, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Nuggets pull an upset. Ben Gordon scored 45 points for the Pistons.

New Jersey 89, Washington 108: Nene’s impressive debut (22 points, 13 rebounds) or Jordan Crawford’s impressive dunk?

Atlanta 103, Cleveland 102, OT: “Joe Johnson is amazing!” Well, Cleveland didn’t foul him at the end of regulation, and Johnson tied the game at the buzzer with a triple. Then, he won the game in overtime. So instead of “amazing,” I’d say Joe Johnson is clutch. Josh Smith: 32 points, 17 rebounds, five assists, three blocks.