Players need to be ready to pass, shoot or dribble ... fans need to know the scores, stats and rumors. Your daily roundup of last night's action in the Association:What You Need to Know
Magic pound Sixers; grab hammerlock on 8th seed 104-87 Magic. Orlando hasn't clinched a playoff berth yet, but their blowout of the Sixers puts them on the cusp, two games up with three to play. This game was all about Dwight Howard. He was perfect from the field in the first half, and finished with a career high 35 points. If Orlando clinches, they'll play the Pistons in round one. While I certainly don't expect them to win the series, a game like this from Howard could let them steal a game or two.
Suns blow Jazz out of the arena 126-98 Suns. We can all but put the "Spurs could take 2nd place" talk to bed. Phoenix came out on fire, took a 32-19 lead after the first, and cruised from there. The Suns lead on the Spurs is 2 1/2, while Utah is two back of Houston for home court in their first round series.
Rockets eliminate Hornets 123-112 Rockets. Yao and T-Mac were on their game, and the Rockets are now one game away from home court in their Utah series. The Hornets are now officially eliminated. With Tyson Chandler out for a 5th straight game, Yao was almost unstoppable, finishing with 30 points. T-Mac, for his part, finished with 25 points, 7 boards, and 10 assists.
Best Lines
- Dwight Howard, Orl- 35 pts, 14-15 FG, 11 rebs, 5 ast, 3 stl
- Steve Nash, Pho- 13 pts, 3 rebs, 18 ast, 1 stl...As a comparasion, Nash (2006): 18.8 ppg, .512 FG%, .439 3PT%, 4.2 rpg, 10.5 apg, 23.29 PER; (2007): 18.9 ppg, .535 FG%, .463 3PT%, 3.5 rpg, 11.5 apg, 24.00 PER
- Walter Herrmann, Cha- 30 pts, 12-15 FG, 6-8 3PT, 9 rebs...Where did that come from? Herrmann's put up some nice numbers since finally getting off the pine in March. Will he continue to be useful, or is this an illusion from two months on a team going nowhere?
- UK recruting Ben Gordon Very nice long-term planning for the UK, in anticipation of the 2012 Olympics. They have Deng, and are trying to get Gordon through an eligibility loophole.
- Herrmann out of Americas Tournament I might be the only person here who likes Argentine athletes (don't worry, not FBS), so to me, this sucks, even though it helps the US. At this point, Argentina is in serious trouble in terms of qualfying for the Olympics. I'd like to see them there. It won't be worth it for the US to win the gold again if it's not against the best.
- Yi Jianlian works out Yi is a 7 footer from China, expected to be a lottery pick. What's interesting is that while he's listed as 19, scouts believe to be three years older. I wouldn't be surprised the way he's dominated the Chinese Basketball Association, and how he's already played in an Olympics and World Championships.
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