Attacking the Boards: Kobe Trumps Shaq

Cleveland 74 - Houston 93

LeBron finished the first game of his career without an assist. Shane Battier and Ron Artest shutdown the Cavaliers’ biggest threat the whole night, holding James to just 21 points on 7-21 shooting. Big Z was the best Cav on the floor, scoring 11 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.

Yao Ming was fun to watch in this game, as he dropped 28 on Cleveland, who lost Ben Wallace to a leg injury earlier in the game. Ming also had eight boards. There was a stretch in the fourth quarter where guard Von Wafer was unguardable—he scored 19 points off the bench on 4-6 shooting from downtown. Luis Scola barely missed another double-double, scoring 14 points and gaining nine boards.

Phoenix 106 - Los Angeles (Lakers) 132

For the eighth game this season Kobe Bryant sat on the bench for the entire fourth quarter. After scoring 22 points on 10-13 shooting while dishing out eight assists and accumulating three steals, Coach Phil Jackson gave the superstar the rest of the game off.

Lamar Odom had another monster game, dropping 23 while getting nine rebounds, four assist, and three blocks. Pau Gasol had a very similar line, with 16 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and a block.

Shaquille O’Neal had a nice game, scoring 12 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks, but he definitely wanted the win against his former teammate. Leandro Barbosa started off red hot, but cooled as the game went on. He finished with a team high 18 points along with seven assists and six rebounds.