Each night, Eye on Basketball brings you what you need to know about the games of the NBA. From great performances to terrible clock management the report card evaluates and eviscerates the good, the bad, and the ugly from the night that was.
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James Harden |
No big deal for Harden in his Houston Rockets debut. The newly acquired max player found chemistry with his teammates right away with 37 points, 12 assists, six rebounds and four steals. After signing an $80 million contract extension with Houston, he went out and just smothered the Pistons with his offense. He found a way to get Omer Asik to catch passes. Harden really can do it all. |
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Spencer Hawes |
I'm not going to say Spencer Hawes played like Kevin Garnett. But I will say his 16 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks off the bench were fueled by his lazy mullet hairstyle. Hawes dominated the interior on defense in the second half, recording all of his blocks after halftime. If he can contribute even half of this while Andrew Bynum is injured, Philly should be okay. |
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Detroit Pistons Player Intros |
There were more orchestra members playing during the Pistons' introductions than there were fans at Pistons games last season. |
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David West |
George Hill may have hit the game-winning runner, but David West scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half and put the Raptors into extinction. Too soon? West just bullied Andrea Bargnani and any defender who tried to check him in the second half. With Danny Granger out and Paul George struggling with his shot in the second half, West put the team on his back and just powered them through to the road victory. |
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This guy |
Click the link and you'll see why. |
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Stephen Curry |
Warriors got the win so nobody will ultimately care, but Curry scored just five points on 2-of-14 shooting. He also made only one of his three free throw attempts. Curry dribbled recklessly into traffic, pulled up for bad jumpers, and couldn't find a rhythm setting up his teammates. But the Warriors' bench contributed 41 points to pull out the road victory. Clearly, the contract extension has gone to his head. |
Worth a mention: Jamal Crawford gave the Clippers 29 points off the bench in their defeat of the Grizzlies. Dwight Howard had 33 points and 14 rebounds, while going 15-of-19 from the free throw line in a loss to Portland. Nicolas Batum and Wes Matthews combined for 48 points in their win, and Damian Lillard had 23 points and 11 assists in his professional debut.
