Tuesday Night Tip-Dunk: Please LeBron, Don't Hurt 'Em!

Milwaukee Bucks 93, at Cleveland Cavaliers 99

LeBron James followed up his 41-point performance against Chicago with—guess what?  Another 41 point performance, his third of the season. 

How is James only averaging 29.7 points per game after eight games?  I did the math three times to make sure, and am astonished that it's not in the mid-30s by now. 

King James already has the Player of the Month award wrapped up for November—is an MVP to come at the end of the season?  If he puts up another 41 on Thursday against Denver, write him in. 

Utah Jazz 93, at Philadelphia 76ers 80

No Mehmet Okur was no problem for the Utah Jazz as they defeated the off-beat 76ers.  The Jazz welcomed Deron Williams, who was out with an ankle injury, back to the starting lineup.  Williams' shot, as expected, was rusty, and he went one-for-eight from the field.  However, he was able to find his teammates for open shots, piling up nine assists in 31 minutes.

Rookie Kosta Koufos was named a starter in place of Okur, who is in Turkey tending to a family illness.  If you didn't get a chance to see Koufos in his one year at Ohio State, the former McDonald's All-American is impressive.  His game mirrors Okur’s style, relying heavily on jumpers, and while Okur is thicker, Koufos is much more athletic. 

Paul Millsap, the NBA's most efficient player, will be huge for Utah while Okur is away.  His minutes will rise to over 30 per game, and many casual NBA fans will get to know the former three-time NCAA rebounding champ.  It's amazing to me how proven college forwards like Millsap, Leon Powe, and Carlos Boozer continue to slip into the second round of the draft while seven-foot projects are gifted guaranteed contracts every year. 

The addition of Elton Brand has not amounted to much for the 2-5 Philadelphia 76ers.  Andre Iguodala is not getting enough touches, especially in the post, and he is forcing his game.  Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young are taking a combined 24 shots per game, while Brand and Iguodala combine for 23 per game.  Coach Mo Cheeks needs to set some things straight if he wants to get the Sixers on track, and back in the playoffs. 

New York Knicks 80, at San Antonio Spurs 92

I was hoping the Spurs were going to drop their fifth game of the season, so I could write about how they are getting ready for the Ricky Rubio lottery.  Unfortunately for me, and the New York Knicks, Greg Popovich owns Mike D'Antoni.  The Spurs held the Knicks to below 90 points for the first time this season.

Michael Finley and Bruce Bowen were brought in from the grave, excuse me, the bench to provide 27 points, shooting 11-for-15.  Hopefully for the sake of Spurs fans, Tony Parker will come-back from Wisteria Lane ahead of schedule. 

Los Angles Lakers 106, at Dallas Mavericks 99

This meeting of Western Titans was the game of the night.  The Mavericks led through the third quarter, but could not survive the 30 points the Lakers scored in the fourth.  Kobe asserted why he is the reigning MVP, leading the Lakers down the stretch, and only committing one turnover all night. 

Jason Kidd recorded his first triple-double of the season with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, along with four steals.  Was Kidd trying to do too much, though?  He shot an atrocious one-for-seven from behind the arc and turned the ball over five times. 

Kidd has posted 101 triple-doubles and his teams are 72-29 in those games.  A triple-double against the Lakers has resulted in a 1-4 lifetime record for Kidd, however. 

The Lakers are performing like a well-oiled machine, and their bench might be the best in the league.  By starting Vladimir Radmonovic, Phil Jackson has two versatile wings in waiting with Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza.  Jackson no longer needs to worry about Odom getting in early foul trouble and handicapping his rotations. 

The emergence of Ariza has eliminated the need for Luke Walton to play, and we no longer have to hear about how great of a passer Walton is.  Sasha Vujacic still has the threes and Jordan Farmar brings the energy. 

Wednesday’s matchup with the New Orleans Hornets is where the Lakers will have to establish themselves over the new kids on the block in the 2008-09 Season.  The Lakers are building up momentum for a sub-20 loss season; there are only a handful of teams in the NBA that can challenge them—the Hornets being one of them.  I expect Kobe and the Lakers to set the tone for the season with a close victory.