Twelve games filled the NBA schedule on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. There was a handful of exciting matchups, and some players had career games. Trade rumors are in full gossip mode too, as the trade deadline is approaching next month.

• Game of the Night
  • The 76ers were up by 13 points in the third quarter, before Jonny Flynn and the T’Wolves came charging back. Flynn hit a 3-pointer late in the third to tie the game at 73. Andre Iguodala missed a jumper at the end of regulation to win the game, then in overtime Jonny Flynn hit a huge shot to give the T’Wolves the lead. Flynn ended up with a career high 29 points while also dishing out a career high 9 assists.

• Recap of Games

• The New York Knicks beat the struggling Detroit Pistons 99-91. The Pistons are now 3-7 in their last ten games; the Knicks point guard Nate Robinson had a strong showing off the bench scoring 27 points on 5-9 shooting from three.

• The Washington Wizards were able to pull off an upset over the Brandon Roy-less Portland Trail Blazers 97-92 at Washington. Meanwhile, in Atlanta, the Oklahoma City Thunder upset the Hawks 94-91 thanks to a 29 point effort from Kevin Durant.

• The Charlotte Bobcats beat the Sacramento Kings in a close game, edging the Kings 105-103. Questions about whether Kevin Martin and Tyreke Evans can play together are still out there, Martin struggled today, scoring only 9 points. As for Evans, he went 13-20 shooting for 34 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, not to mention 2 steals and 3 blocks to go with that already impressive stat line.

• In Houston, the Rockets held off the Milwaukee Bucks in Overtime 101-98, Luis Scola led the way for the Rockets, scoring 27 points and 15 rebounds. The San Antonio Spurs handled the New Orleans Hornets, in New Orleans 97-90.  Tim Duncan and Tony Parker proved to be too much for the Hornets, as they combined for 46 points. The New Jersey Nets stuck to their losing ways, losing to the Los Angeles Clippers 106-95. The often criticized Nets forward Yi Jianlian went 3-13 from the field scoring 13 points.

• The Chicago Bulls fell apart in the fourth quarter to the Golden State Warriors. Joakim Noah and Andris Biedrins were in a rebound battle for most of the game, Noah had 16 and Biendrins ripped down 19 by the end of the game. The backcourt duo of Steph Curry and Monta Ellis snapped off for 62 points to lead the short-handed Warriors to victory; the Warriors played only eight players (three of which were called up from the D-League). Derrick Rose had an off night, shooting 7-19 from the field and 5-8 from the charity stripe.

• The Phoenix Suns were run off the court by the young Memphis Grizzlies 125-118. The Grizzlies big three (Zach Randolph, O.J. Mayo, and Rudy Gay) combined to score 86 points. Meanwhile, in Boston, the Celtics lost a tough game to the Dallas Mavericks. Kevin Garnett did not play again and his defensive-presence was missed, judging by the passing display Jason Kidd put on with 17 assists, while Dirk Nowitzki scored 37 points on an efficient 14-22 shooting from the field.

• In the late game, the Los Angeles Lakers were able to continue their two-game winning streak, all while prolonging the Orlando Magic’s two-game losing streak. The final score was 98-92, the Lakers looked dominant even without Kobe Bryant playing his best basketball.

• Play Maker of the Night
  • Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks:
    • Kidd ran circles around Rajon Rondo all night, his game high 17 assists came with an efficient 5-7 shooting from the field and 3-3 from three point range. Kidd also stole the ball once and only turned it over three times. Kidd’s passing helped four other teammates reach double figures in scoring on their way to a win.

• Game-Breaker of the Night
  • Tyreke Evans, Sacramento Kings:
    • The rookie scored 34 points on 13-20 shooting, while trying to incorporate Kevin Martin back into the offense. He also was able to make it to the line eleven times, converting eight of them. Evans also showed up defensively, recording two steals and three blocks. The seven assists and four rebounds he grabbed were on par for the rookie of the year candidate.

• Shooter of the Night
  • O.J. Mayo, Memphis Grizzlies:
    • The second year swingman for the Grizz shot 11-21 from the floor, and a whopping 5-11 from downtown. The sharpshooting Mayo helped lead Memphis to a high-scoring 125-118 win at home over the Phoenix Suns. Mayo scored 28 points on the night.

• Big Man of the Night
  • Andrins Biedrins, Golden State Warriors:
    • Biedrins has just recently returned from a painful hip injury and looks to be back in full stride. Going up against the Bulls rebounding machine Joakim Noah, Biedrins outplayed Noah by grabbing 19 rebounds with an astounding 8 blocks to go with that.

• Defender of the Night
  • Monta Ellis, Golden State Warriors
    • It’s not very often that a Golden State Warriors player is the defender of the night, but Ellis was at the top of his game. He played a full 48 minutes due to an injury-riddled Warriors lineup, and helped hold Derrick Rose to 17 points on 7-19 shooting. Ellis also had to carry the offensive load by scoring 36 points on a 14-36 shooting night. Despite being physically drained most of the second half, Ellis was still able to step up and make enough stops when it counted last night.

• Gunner of the Night
  • Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
    • The Gunner of the Night is usually on the losing team and has a bad overall game, but Kobe managed to take home this title in this game. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar shot a dismal 4-19 from the field for a subpar 11 points. However, Bryant was able to grab 5 rebounds and dish out 7 assists in a Lakers win, over their Finals nemesis from last year the Orlando Magic. In the 4^th quarter, Bryant repeatedly went to work in the post, demanding double teams and finding open teammates. Kobe is one of the rare players in the league who can gun-up shots and still have a positive effect on their team.

With the NBA season about halfway through, look for constant updates on games, players, standings, and more here at Indyposted.com.

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