Attacking the Boards: The Emergence of Devin Harris

Philadelphia 96 - New Jersey 98: On February 19 of last year, the Dallas Mavericks traded point guard prospect Devin Harris to the New Jersey Nets for veteran Jason Kidd, with some other pieces. Since then, Harris has gone from 14 points a game to 22 and tonight he pretty much beat the 76ers by himself.

After Andre Iguodala hit a free throw to put the 76ers up one with one second left, Harris got the ball off the inbound. He then ran up to half court and had the ball knocked away by Iguodala. But Harris, who thought he was fouled, didn’t give up on the play and preceded to attempt another half court shot and he nailed it.

Devin finished with a game high 39 points and dished out eight assists. Vince Carter had 10 points and five boards in the win.

Despite the loss every Philly starter had at least 13 points and, as usual, Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala headed the team. Iguodala had 21 points, nine rebounds, and five assists and Miller had 17 points, 10 assists, and five boards.

Indiana 119 - New York 124: Man oh man, Nate Robinson’s performance since the All-Star Break has been unbelievable. Nate finished with a career high 41 points to go along with eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals, and he did it all coming off of the bench.

Robinson has scored over 30 points in four of his last six games and is averaging 30 PPG during that stretch. KryptoNate was 11 for 18 from the field and four of six from downtown. David Lee dropped his usual double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds while Al Harrington scored 27 and grabbed seven rebounds.

Even without their superstar Danny Granger, the Pacers put up a pretty decent fight. Former Georgia Tech star Jarrett Jack put up a team high 33 in the loss. Guard Marquis Daniels scored 28 points and Troy Murphy scored 19 points while grabbing 21 rebounds.

Boston 114 - Denver 76: When you beat the third best team in the West by 38 on their home court, you know you are good. No one was particularly outstanding for the Celts—Ray Allen had 26 points shooting six for 11 from deep and Paul Pierce had 22 points and six rebounds—but their defense was amazing.

All 11 players on the roster, excluding Kevin Garnett, had at least a block or a steal. Carmelo Anthony was the only Nugget starter in double figures with 18 and J.R. Smith had a team high 19 off the bench.

Atlanta 89 - Utah 108: The Hawks had a pretty poor night offensively, which has happened to many teams that visit Utah, while the Jazz had five in double figures. All-Star Joe Johnson had a team high 15 points, but he didn’t accumulate a single rebound, assist or steal. Deron Williams had another impressive night, with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Ronnie Brewer lead the Jazz with 19 points.

New Orleans 112 - Sacramento 105: There is no doubt that the Hornets are one of the best teams in the league when it comes to offense—with all of their starters and James Posey in double figures - but their defense is certainly questionable.

For the first time in a while, the Hornets had center Tyson Chandler back. Chandler was hurt and then was traded to the Thunder only to have the deal rescinded due to Tyson’s failed physical.

Chris Paul was fantastic tonight, scoring a team high 27 points on 11 of 19 shooting with 13 assists, six rebounds, three steals, and just two turnovers. Fellow All-Star David West was also on his game tonight, scoring 24 points, grabbing nine rebounds, and dishing out five assists to go along with an outstanding four blocks. Chandler had a double-double in his return with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Kevin Martin lead the Kings with 32 points and Spencer Hawes had 13 points and 14 boards.

Golden State 105 - Los Angeles (Clippers) 118: The Warriors are emerging as one of the better offensive teams in the league. Stephen Jackson is really turning into a superstar, and with another piece, the Warriors could contend for an eighth seed. Unfortunately, they could have used an extra piece against the Clippers.

Jackson lead the Warriors with 28 points, five rebounds, four assists, one steal, and two blocks. Three Clippers had at least 25. Eric Gordon had 27 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block. Zach Randolph had 27 points and 11 rebounds and Baron Davis barely missed a triple-double with 25 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds.