JaVale McGee putback the game-winner against the Pistons to help Denver get a win in his first game playing in a Nuggets uniform. (Getty Images)


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.

Trade Deadline newcomers Ramon Sessions comes in and paces the offense for the Lakers to the tune of 17 points and 9 assists in a big Lakers win over the Mavericks in Dallas, while Nene Hilario helps the Wizards get a win in his first game with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and JaVale McGee pours in 15 and 7 including the game-winning putback. All the moves at the deadline looked great tonight. The Wizards look competent, the Nuggets look more athletic, and the Lakers look just downright scary.
Ben Gordon Gordon shot 9-9 from three-point range, tying the NBA record for most consecutive three-point makes. He poured in 45 points and 8 assists. It was a phenomenal shooting performance and it should have been enough. So how on Earth can he get a B? Gordon missed the game-winner but worse he surrendered what wound up being the foul that would lead to the game-winning play. Surrendering the and-one was the one thing he could not do, and while the blame for McGee's putback falls on Greg Monroe, Gordon's foul and then miss at the buzzer is enough to knock him off the top line. Par for the course in this crazy season.

Denver Nuggets Got the win on yet another night where they were thin due to injuries, but giving up 45 points to Ben Gordon who hasn't exactly lit the league on fire in the past three years and nearly losing at home to the Pistons does not inspire confidence. The Nuggets desperately need to find another gear.
Golden State Warriors You're supposed to lose! You can't win over the Hornets! They actually have enough professionals left on roster to keep trying! You have to lose! What part of tanking do you not get? (Seriously, good win, though.)
Los Angeles Clippers The worst fears about the Clippers have come to life. They can't defend, they try for highlights too much, they can't shoot, and they have little in the way of a team identity. It is not good.
Los Angeles Lakers Execution, flow, team passing, team defense, intensity, and urgency. The Lakers have frozen the ball a ton this sesaon, but instead the decisions Wednesday were crisp and quick. They were one step ahead of the Mavericks in every department from the second quarter on.
New York Knicks The Knicks got the kind of performance that have lead them to this win streak. Jeremy Lin made a ton of plays in the fourth quarter and Amar'e Stoudemire showed that he's alive for the second game in a row. But the true story of these wins is the defense as they hold the Sixers to 39 percent shooting.
Sixers late game The Sixers do not know what to do in a tight game late. And I'm not just talking about knowing which player to go to as their primary scorer. I mean things like not turning it over and understanding pace. The entire team simply rushed itself into poor shots and poor decisions. They had a chance to steal this game and threw it out the window into a dumpster which they then set on fire.


E FOR EFFORT
Ben Gordon (45 points on 22 shots, 8 assists, 2 turnovers, 2 steals)
Ramon Sessions (17 points on 8 shots in less than 29 minutes, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 turnovers)
Kyrie Irving (29 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists)