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Yesterday in the Cavs game against the Bulls, LeBron James made sure that it was clear where they were and whos house it was, unfortunately for Luol Deng, it was at his expense, this one brings a tear to my eye...

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koZ4LGlVxx0]

Lakers 108 - Mavericks 104

In the first half Kobe Bryant missed 7 of his first 10 free throws. He went on to hit 15 of 15 in the fourth quarter and overtime to lead the Lakers to a 108-104 victory in overtime over the new look Mavs. Kobe finished the game with 52 points after scoring 30 points in the fourth and overtime.

The Mavs tried all sorts of different defenses to stop him but none of them worked.

"We gave him a single look, then we double-teamed him, then we gave him a triple-team and he split the triple-team and scored,'' Johnson said. "We tried to zone him, we tried to funnel him in the trap for a zone and he went the other way. He didn't cooperate on any of our defenses.

"Obviously he milked the free throw line on us and he just had it all going. He's a great player. He has these (games). Lots of these.''

The game went to overtime when Jason Kidd found Dirk Nowitzki for a game tying three pointer after the Mavs managed to lose the lead they had for most of the second half. Once the game went into overtime, Kobe took over helping the Lakers to a 3 point lead with just second to go. Jason Kidd made a great play by getting a layup and a foul but he folded under the pressure and missed the game tying free throw.

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=l6ckBeLc4_k]

Rockets 103 - Nuggets 89

The Rockets have managed to continue the seasons longest winning streak and tying the longest winning streak that the Rockets have had in franchise history, both years that they had those winning streaks they won the championship, we'll see how that works out for them this time.

The Rockets didn't need the injured Yao Ming to beat the 9th place Nuggets at home last night in their 103-89 win. The Rockets took the lead at the end of the first quarter and they did not look back after that. They led for the rest of the game and by double digits for most of it. Tracy McGrady finished with 22, Shane Battier had 20 and Luis Scola had 18. Dikembe Mutombo even came up big, getting 3 blocks and thouroughly getting on Kenyon Martin's nerves, LoL.

Cavaliers 95 - Bulls 86

For Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes, they finally found out firsthand what many other teams in the league already know, LeBron James and getting better and better, more and more dominant and he is nearly unstoppable in the fourth quarter at this point in his career.

James' former teammates now play for the Bulls and they, like other teams, were not able to stop LeBron when it counted and he took over to finish with 37 including a key stretch in the fourth when he scored six straight points.  His production lead the Cavs to a 95-86 win.

Pistons 116 - Suns 86

The Pistons are a team that always plays better against better competition, so of course they were gonna be ready for Shaq and the Suns but yesterdays game was ridiculous. The Pistons beat the Suns by 30 points in a 116 - 86 beatdown.

"This was a big game for us,'' Billups said. "You know how we are, man, when we play against other elite teams, we lock in. We lock in big-time. I thought everybody played great today - everybody.''

Six Pistons scored in double figures, lead by Rasheed Wallace who had 22 points and completely dominated downlow.

Cavaliers 109 - Grizzlies 89

So apparently LeBron and his new teammates didn't really need much time to get acquainted with his new squad. Now to be fair, they were playing the Grizzlies but it is what it is.

LeBron James finished the game with 25 points and 11 assists and all of the players picked up in the big trade contributed in the Cavs 109-89 win over the Grizzlies.

Ben Wallace, who started at power forward, scored 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Delonte West, the starter at point guard, scored five points with six assists. Joe Smith and Wally Szczerbiak, came off the bench. Smith scored 14 points while Szczerbiak had 10.

Heres some highlights:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJNhQApknAY]

Around the league

• The Magic got a huge fourth-quarter effort from their reserves in a 112-93 win over the Kings.
• Paul Pierce scored 30 points and the Boston Celtics rebounded from a slow start to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 112-102 and snap a three-game losing streak.
• Andrea Bargnani had 25 points and Chris Bosh added 17 as the Toronto Raptors rebounded from a loss to New York two days earlier and beat the Knicks 115-92.
• Jason Kidd tied his season high with 17 assists in his third game with Dallas and Dirk Nowitzki scored 29 points to lead the Mavericks to a 99-83 win over Minnesota.
• Tracy McGrady had 24 points and eight assists and the Houston Rockets extended their winning streak to 12 games with a 110-97 win over the Chicago Bulls.
• Kobe Bryant scores 21 points and hands out 10 assists despite missing the final 16 minutes after being ejected in Lakers' 111-91 rout of the Sonics.

The Cavs made it in time for the trade deadline, making a deal with the Bulls and the Sonics to acquire some help for lebron... He's breathing a sigh of relief, sort of.

Heres how the deal breaks down:

Cavs get:

Bulls F/C Ben Wallace
Bulls F Joe Smith
Bulls 2009 2nd-round pick
Sonics F Wally Szczerbiak
Sonics G Delonte West

Bulls get:

Cavaliers F Drew Gooden
Cavaliers G Larry Hughes
Cavaliers F Cedric Simmons
Cavaliers G Shannon Brown

Sonics get:

Cavaliers F Ira Newble
Cavaliers F Donyell Marshall
Bulls F Adrian Griffin

This is a decent deal for Cavs.  Ben Wallace will add some toughness down low and Szczerbiak will add some good perimeter shooting.  I'm really surprised that they got rid of Gooden and Hughes though but it is what it is.  Wallace should help them against Detriot in the playoffs.

Lakers 130 - Suns 124

Kobe Bryant and the Lakers ruined Shaquille O'neals first game as a Phoenix Sun by beating them 130-124 last night. This was probably one of the best games of year, the Lakers led most of the way but the Suns were never too far out of it, making spurts and comebacks the whole time. This game had a playoff atmosphere from the getgo. The playoffs this year are gonna be amazing.

Kobe had one of his best games of the season, despite having the dislocated finger. The team was playing so well in the first half, Kobe didn't need to take over but when the going got rough, Kobe took the game over and could not miss coming down the stretch. Kobe finished this game with 41 points including this sick dunk:

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=dsbzQI-rSF4]

Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom played great in this one, scoring 29 and 22 respectively. This was the Lakers sixth win in a row and moves them into a tie for first place in the Pacific division with these same Suns.

Shaq did ok in this game finishing with 15 points and 9 boards. His presence was really felt on the defensive end. He was blocking and altering shots, diving on the floor, and adding some much needed toughness to the Suns lineup. His presence also helped Amare Stoudemire out a lot. He finished weith 37 and 15. Not too bad.

Hornets 104 - Mavericks 93

Jason Kidd also debuted last night playing against the dangerous Hornets. Chris Paul outplayed the Jason Kidd in this one by far scoring 31 points and dishing out 11 dimes. He also almost had a triple double, finishing with a career high 9 steals. Maybe he took it personal that everyone is talking about Jason Kidd so much.

Jason Kidd has only had one practice with his new squad so he gets a pass but he didn't play particularly well last night. He seemed like he was trying too hard to find open guys instead playing his normal game where he might shoot or might pass depending on which is the better choice. He finished this one with 8 points, 5 assists, 6 rebounds but also 6 turnovers. He'll get it together though.

Kings 119 - Hawks 107

Mike Bibby had his first homecoming with the Hawks, going back to Sacramento last night. The fans there cheered for him though like he never left. It's only been a few days since the trade but Bibby definitely appreciated the warm welcome.

"It was good, it made me smile,'' Bibby said.

Ron Artest ruined his return though by playing like a star. He finished this one with 29 points and 7 rebounds and led the Kings to the 119-107 victory. Kevin Martin also added 26 points for the Kings.

Around the league

• Chris Bosh had 40 points -- going 14-for-16 from the field and 11-for-11 from the foul line -- and Jose Calderon had 19 points and 13 assists as the Toronto Raptors beat the Orlando Magic 127-110.
• Those "Fire Isiah! chants followed Isiah Thomas from New York. The Philadelphia 76ers rarely have had a win so easy, scoring 100 points through three quarters and crushing the New York Knicks 124-84.
• LeBron James had his second consecutive triple-double, with 31 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Indiana Pacers 106-97.
• The Nets scored a 110-102 overtime win over the Bulls - one of the only teams in the league having a more disappointing season than them - in the first game of the post-Jason Kidd era at the Meadowlands.
• Michael Redd scored 27 points and Andrew Bogut continued his tear with 14 points and 14 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks held on to beat the suddenly reeling Detroit Pistons 103-98 to snap a four-game losing streak.
• Corey Maggette had 30 points and 10 rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers beat Memphis 100-86, sending the Grizzlies to their 11th straight road loss.
• Baron Davis hit a 20-foot jumper with 0.3 seconds to play, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 119-117.

Suns 109 - Mavs 97

So there was no Jason Kidd or Shaquille O'neal in this one. It didn't matter so much for the Suns because they managed pull out the 109-97 victory but for the Mavericks, who are very injury depleted, they could've really used the All Star point guard.

The Mavs had good contributions from Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry. They had 36 and 29 respectively. It wasn't enough to beat the high flying Suns though. They could've really used help from the injured Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse and Devin Harris.

The Suns had a very balanced attack with 26 from Amare Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa, 24 points and 13 dimes from Steve Nash and 19 from Boris Diaw. They also had the pick and roll with Nash and Stoudemire going good for them all night. The Mavs couldn't stop it all night. Heres an example:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm-rPDLzDZg]

Around the league

• Hinrich scored 24 points to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 99-92 victory over Miami and send the Heat to their 24th loss in 25 games, despite solid outings by Dwyane Wade and Shawn Marion.

Nuggets 114 - Heat 113

Before the game Dwayne Wade had a message to the few Heat fans there are left:

"I know it's been a tough year,'' Wade said, as he thanked fans for helping vote him onto the Eastern Conference All-Star team. "But it won't last forever.''

He's right that it won't last forever but it will definitely last for right now.

J.R. Smith knocked down 8 three pointers (career high) and finished with 28 points. Carmelo Anthony added 22 points with 6 of them coming in the Overtime period to help lead the Nuggets past the struggling Heat. This loss gives the Heat their 23rd loss in their last 24 games. Ouch.

Dwayne Wade and Shawn Marion fought valiantly for the Heat but it was all futile. They were outplayed when it counted. The Heat had a 14 point lead at halftime that they allowed to slip out of their hands. Marion scored 23 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, the most boards for any member of the Heat this season. Wade had 29 points and 10 assists but he missed a 22 foot shot to win the game for them in regulation. When your winning games it just seems like those shots fall... When your not then your the Heat.

Around the league

• Chauncey Billups came through when it mattered, scoring 12 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter to rally the Detroit Pistons to their ninth win in a row, 94-90 over the Atlanta Hawks.
• Paul Pierce had 28 points and 12 rebounds, and the short-handed Boston Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 104-97 to win their fourth straight game.
• With a 92-88 win over the visiting Timberwolves last night, the Nets won their third straight and took over seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Jason Kidd fell a point and an assist short of his 100th career triple-double.
• Hakim Warrick had 24 points and 13 rebounds - both season-high totals - to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 107-94 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
• Peja Stojakovic hit six 3-pointers as he and Hornets teammate David West scored 27 points apiece in a 100-86 victory over the Bulls, sending Chicago to its sixth loss in nine games.

This is a play from the Jazz win over the Bulls last night.  Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams are looking more and more like John Stockton and Karl Malone everyday but especially in this game.  Check out this highlight of Carlos Boozer abusing Andres Nocioni.  It's extra funny because as Nocioni walked off, he held his head down because he knew the posters are being made as we speak.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05CMneK3fas]

Warriors top the Kings in the NorCal rivalry

So the Warriors pulled out a close game with some fourth quarter heroics. No it wasn't from Baron Davis. No it wasn't Stephen Jackson. It wasn't even Andris Biedrins. Monta Ellis took over in fourth quarter to lead the Warriors past the Northern California rivals the Sacremento Kings 105-102.

Ellis scored 16 of his 34 points when it counted the most, in the fourth. It's a good thing that he did because the Warriors normal heroes Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson weren't able to save the day in this one. Baron Davis got into foul trouble and wasn't ever really able to get it going, eventually fouling out of the game. Stephen Jackson twisted his ankle and was hobbling around for most of the game.

"I didn't think (Davis) was going to get that sixth foul, but once he got it, I knew what I had to do," Ellis said. "It wasn't just me. It was everybody. We all had to dig down, and we got it."

Ellis, who is starting to become a legitimate star in this league has been on fire lately. Over the last seven games his been shooting 66% from the field and he took over down the stretch for the Warriors. He scored 9 consecutive points late in the fourth followed by his gutsy baseline jumper and a free throw with 3.3 seconds left to quell the Kings' last rally.

Around the league

• Lou Williams scored 18 points, and the Sixers won their third straight game with a 101-80 victory over the Clippers.
• Yao Ming had 28 points and nine rebounds, and the Houston Rockets routed the Atlanta Hawks 108-89 for their 10th win in 11 games.
• The Knicks overcame a 17-point, third-quarter deficit to beat the Bucks 99-98 and break an eight-game losing streak.
• Carlos Boozer had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz responded one night after their 10-game winning streak ended by beating the Chicago Bulls 97-87.

T-Mac is sick... Rockets still win

Houston didn't really need their all star guard Tracy McGrady last night to win.  It's a good thing too because not long after the game, T-Mac was resting drinking some chicken noodle soup.  They handled the Cavs 92-77 last night.

The sick and sluggish McGrady only scored 8 points on 3-11 shooting.  Yao Ming and Rafer Alston picked up the slack for him though.  Yao finished with 22 points and 12 boards and Rafer had 17 points and 9 assists.

The Cavs really missed Drew Gooden, their second leading rebounder.  They completly got outworked on the boards.  The rebound totals for the game was 55-35 in favor of the Rockets.  Drew Gooden was out of the game with a groin injury.

The Rockets also didn't let the Cavs get anything going offensively.  LeBron finished going 12-23 from the field but the rest of the team was 19-55.  Owned.

Around the league

• Chris Duhon scores a career-high 34 points to help the undermanned Bulls stun the Warriors, 114-108.
• Andre Iguodala scored 25 points and Andre Miller added 21, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a 101-84 victory over the short-handed Miami Heat.