Love is good at this. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
[Read the full post at DimeMag.com]
Beast of the Night: Kevin Love busted out some magic of his own against the Wizards last night, finishing with 35 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and five three-pointers. He shot 72 percent (13-18) from the field, 100 percent (4-4) from the line and had just one turnover. The man hasn’t blocked a damn shot since Dec. 11, but he still manages to put up top-five averages.
Lines for Discussion:
Rashard Lewis: 8-13 FG (62%), 3 threes, 19 Pts, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 4 TO
Darko Milicic: 7-16 FG (44%), 14 Pts, 11 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Blk, 4 TO
Dwight Howard: 11-19 FG (58%), 17-20 FT (85%), 39 Pts, 18 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Blk, 2 TO
Russell Westbrook: 11-22 FG (50%), 10-13 FT (77%), 32 Pts, 10 Reb, 13 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO
James Harden: 3-7 FG (43%), 1-1 FT (100%), 1 three, 8 Pts, 1 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 TO
J.R. Smith: 10-17 FG (59%), 8 threes, 28 Pts, 7 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Al Thornton, Wayne Ellington, J.J. Redick, Ryan Anderson, Mike Miller
Injuries:
Kevin Garnett (calf): participated in more than half of Thursday’s practice, but is out tonight
Nazr Mohammed (knee): should be back tonight
Anthony Parker (back): out both games this weekend
Daniel Gibson (ankle): rejoined the team and practiced Thursday, but is likely out this weekend
Dirk Nowitzki (knee): didn’t take part in team drills Thursday, leaving him doubtful for tonight
Chris Andersen (knee): out for a week to rest his knee
Kevin Martin (wrist): expects to play tonight, check his status
Chris Kaman (ankle): said he won’t return until early February
Marco Belinelli (ankle): not likely tonight
Brandon Roy (knees): will undergo arthroscopic surgery on both of his knees, could return later this season
Amir Johnson (back): should be ready tonight
Jermaine O’Neal (knee): will probably need surgery for his left knee, which could knock him out of the lineup for a while
Wesley Matthews (ankle): monitor his status
For Next Week:
4 games: ATL, BOS, CHA, CHI, DAL, DET, GS, HOU, IND, LAC, MEM, MIL, NJ, NO, NY, ORL, PHI, PHO, POR, TOR, UTA, WAS
3 games: CLE, DEN, LAL, OKC, SAC, SA
2 games: MIA, MIN