Basketball Daily

The Los Angeles Clippers met up with the Atlanta Hawks and played outstanding distributing the ball and controlling the game through all four quarters.  They actually played the best I have seen them play all year.  On the other hand, the Hawks had no air in their wings and played completely lethargic with a lack of enthusiasm and energy.  L.A. picks up a nice road win with a final score of 121-97 committing only 6 turnovers throughout the entire game.

The top 3 scorers for the Clippers were Al Thornton with 31 points, Zach Randolph with 25 points and Marcus Camby with 16 points.  All of the starters were in double figures.  Off the bench, Ricky Davis finally heated it up with 12 points on 4 for 6 shooting from three point range.  The Clippers record on the season is a disappointing 12 wins and 39 losses.

Not surprisingly, the struggling and ailing Los Angeles Clippers were no match for the sharpshooting, dominant Orlando Magic.  The Magic shot a blistering 61% from the three point line and 56% overall team field goal percentage.  Orlando had a field day with the non-existent defense of the L.A. team, and went on to an easy win with a final score of 125-96.

Anthony Johnson stepped into Jameer Nelson’s role as starting point guard due to Nelson’s injury and put up 25 points on 9 for 11 shooting.  Courtney Lee a bench player was the second leading scorer with 21 points.  Dwight Howard as usual dominated the boards grabbing 15 rebounds and keeps his #1 spot on the season for average rebounds per game and average blocks per game.  The Magic improve their record to 37 wins and 11 losses.

Despite the Miami Heat losing their first meeting with the Los Angeles Clippers, they turned the tide around and literally crushed L.A. by beating them by more than 20 points on this go around.  The two young rookies Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley really showcased their talents by playing great defense and even better offense.  The final score ended at 119-95.

The leading scorer for the Heat was of course Dwyane Wade with 32 points on 10 for 17 shooting.  The young stud Mario Chalmers, who was a 2nd round draft pick, 34th overall, put up 15 points, 8 assists and 4 steals.  Michael Beasley the 2nd overall pick, looked silky smooth with 18 points on 7 for 12 shooting.  The young Miami team has put together some great starting pieces to becoming a dominant Eastern Conference team.  All they need is a premier big man and they will be a tough team to beat.