Kobe and Rose Go Off, Blazers and Sixers Stay Hot, Heat Suffer Second Loss
Derrick Rose and Kobe Bryant put together virtuoso performances like true superstars do as both came away victorious Tuesday night, but it was the Golden State Warriors who stole the show.
Their 111-106 overtime victory gave the Miami Heat their second loss of the season, first on the road. Golden State has been fairly disappointing this season (3-6, beat Bulls, Knicks and now Heat all at home) and the loss of Stephon Curry (day-to-day) has not helped.
Curry has now missed three consecutive games, while Dwyane Wade returned from missing the last three and gave the Heat an opportunity to win this game with his 34 points.
Monta Ellis did not have many issues being guarded by Shane Battier for most of the night as he dropped 22 on the night. However, it helped to have a bunch of scorers to step up, such as Dorell Wright, Nate Robinson and David Lee (three combined for 64 points).
Golden State still has ways to go before it becomes a legit playoff threat in the West, whereas we know the Miami Heat are still among the three best teams in basketball when healthy (Heat, Thunder, Bulls).
The Los Angles Lakers coasted past the Phoenix Suns 99-83 thanks to Kobe Bryant's 48 points on 18-of-31 shooting. Many have questioned Kobe as a top five player in the NBA this season, and yet he is posting some impressive early-season numbers.
Look for Kobe to go bonkers all season (even if they land Dwight Howard) and he should continue his torrid pace against the Jazz, Cavs and Clippers in the next few days.
Meanwhile, Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls became the first Eastern Conference to reach nine wins with their 111-100 victory.
Rose nearly broke every ankle on the Minnesota Timberwolves squad, and even though Rose had to leave the game for a few moments early in the game with a left ankle issue, he came back to score a game-high 31 points.
The 2011 MVP hit four triples out of eight heaves and he took away the hype from Ricky Rubio (and Luke Ridnour) for one night. The two Minnesota guards played well offensively, though, combining for 35 points and 14 assists.
Kevin Love went for 20 points and 13 rebounds, but it was Luol Deng's 21 points and 13 rebounds that had a vital impact on the game when Minnesota clawed back after trailing by as many as 24 points.
Speaking of catching fire, both the Portland Trail Blazers and Philadelphia 76ers cannot lose right now. Both have caught breaks this season, but they deserve some credit.
Gerald Wallace, LaMarcus Aldridge and Marcus Camby have all stayed healthy and are putting together consistent performances on both sides of the court. Portland beat "Lob City" 105-97 as it improved to 7-2 on the year.
The Sixers are known for their defense thanks to Doug Collins, but they are also as deep as any team in the NBA perhaps. Evan Turner, Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young may be three of the best young stars coming off the bench, and they have already lit a spark thus far.
The trio went for 41 points as Philly (7-2) obliterated the Kings 112-85, limiting them to 39.5 percent shooting from the field.
If Philadelphia can stay healthy, it might just be a team filled with destiny that ultimately finds a way to get home-court advantage come playoff time (possible No. 4 seed).
