November 12, 2011
Sim Season
And Then There Were None

by Bradford Doolittle

The games featured by the NBA's national broadcast partners usually are an echo of the previous season, at least early in a new campaign. The top teams from last year are the squads television execs think we most want to see and, by and large, they're probably right. However, the fun part of the early season for the hardcore NBA fan stems from seeing new faces in new places.

Whether it's prized rookies, newly-rich free agents or key characters in a big trade, we love to see how those new combinations work. With that in mind, let's focus on the rookies and get an early glimpse at which ones have been most valuable thus far. Here's are early rookie leaders in WARP (Wins Above Replacement Player), our key bottom-line metric for evaluating the value of a player's production:

ROOKIE WARP
Kyrie Irving     0.91
Charles Jenkins  0.81
Brandon Knight   0.44
Enes Kanter      0.37
Derrick Williams 0.34
Kemba Walker     0.27
Jordan Hamilton  0.23
Jan Vesely       0.23
Jimmy Butler     0.20
Ricky Rubio      0.19
Reggie Jackson   0.14
Isaiah Thomas    0.12
Josh Harrellson  0.12
Chris Singleton  0.11
JaJuan Johnson   0.08
Marcus Morris    0.05
Bismack Biyombo  0.03
Marshon Brooks   0.03
Tobias Harris   -0.02
Nikola Vucevic  -0.03

Through last night, we've played the 80 games the NBA hasn't as part of Sim Season, our Strat-O-Matic simulation of the locked out 2011-12 season. We'll be doing this every day, so check back tomorrow for the results of tonight's action. You can follow me on Twitter for periodic updates on the action. Watch for the #simseason hashtag.

REMINDER: Strat-O-Matic veterans already know this, but the newest version of SOM's Computer Basketball Game (Version 9.0) was recently released. As it happens, our favorite gaming company is offering a discount for all you lockout-weary fans who want to run your own simulations. Or maybe you just want to match wits with a fellow hoops fan, no matter where in the world he/she may reside. All you have to do is go to this page to place an order. When you check out, just enter the discount code LOCKOUT to get 15% knocked off the listed price.

NOTE: The offer has been extended and now expires at 11:59 p.m. EST on Nov. 20. Enjoy!

SUNS 115, PACERS 99: Believe it or not, this was a matchup of first-place teams as both the Suns (4-1) and Pacers (3-2) are off to fast starts. Steve Nash got off to a fast start on Friday, scoring eight points in the first quarter as Phoenix grabbed the early lead. The Suns led by seven at the half after a second quarter duel between Phoenix's Aaron Brooks and Indiana's George Hill. Late in the third, Darren Collison's jumper drew the Pacers within six. Phoenix responded with an 11-1 run to establish its biggest lead of the contest. The Pacers answered with a 14-2 burst behind seven points from Hill. Nash snapped that run with a three and the Suns cruised down the stretch to their fifth win in six games. Nash had 16 points and 12 assists. Hill led Indiana with 18 points of the bench.

STRAT-O-MATIC BOX SCORE
PHOENIX                     28 27 36 24  115
INDIANA                     22 26 29 22   99

                 ----FG--- ---3PT--- ---FT---       REBOUNDS
NAME        MIN  MD AT PCT MD AT PCT MD AT PCT +/-  OF DF  T AS PF ST TO BK PTS
C.FRYE       36   1  6  17  0  1   0  2  2 100  21   1  4  5  4  4  0  1  0   4
S.NASH       36   5 11  45  2  3  67  4  4 100  16   0  1  1 12  1  0  1  0  16
G.HILL       23  10 16  62  1  1 100  1  3  33  27   0  1  1  3  4  1  1  0  22
V.CARTER     28   9 12  75  3  5  60  1  2  50  21   0  6  6  3  4  1  2  0  22
M.GORTAT     27   8  9  89  0  0      0  0       7   1  7  8  0  4  0  1  2  16
J.DUDLEY     26   2  8  25  1  4  25  1  2  50  -7   4  1  5  3  1  1  0  0   6
H.WARRICK     7   1  2  50  0  0      0  0       2   0  2  2  0  0  0  0  0   2
A.BROOKS     12   5 12  42  2  7  29  1  1 100   0   1  0  1  1  0  0  0  0  13
M.PIETRUS    18   3 12  25  0  4   0  0  0      -8   2  0  2  2  3  0  1  0   6
R.LOPEZ      14   4  6  67  0  0      0  0       7   2  2  4  1  5  0  0  0   8
J.CHILDRESS   1   0  1   0  0  0      0  0      -1   0  1  1  0  0  0  0  0   0
M.MORRIS     12   0  2   0  0  0      0  0      -5   0  3  3  0  5  0  1  0   0
PHOENIX      48  48 97  49  9 25  36 10 14  71      11 28 39 29 31  3  8  2 115
                 ----FG--- ---3PT--- ---FT---       REBOUNDS
NAME        MIN  MD AT PCT MD AT PCT MD AT PCT +/-  OF DF  T AS PF ST TO BK PTS
D.GRANGER    32   4 14  29  2  7  29  6  6 100  -8   0  1  1  2  5  0  3  0  16
D.COLLISON   23   5  8  62  0  0      4  4 100 -17   0  4  4  1  3  0  2  0  14
R.HIBBERT    30   3  8  38  0  0      4  5  80 -24   2  5  7  0  1  0  4  1  10
B.RUSH       11   1  4  25  1  2  50  0  0      -9   1  0  1  0  2  0  1  0   3
T.HANSBROUGH 28   4 10  40  0  0      2  3  67 -20   3  2  5  0  3  0  3  0  10
M.DUNLEAVY   21   2  8  25  2  5  40  0  0       4   1  2  3  2  2  1  1  1   6
J.McROBERTS  20   0  0      0  0      1  4  25   4   1  1  2  1  0  0  1  0   1
P.GEORGE     27   5 10  50  3  6  50  1  2  50 -14   0  6  6  5  3  0  0  1  14
J.FOSTER     17   1  1 100  0  0      4  6  67  11   5  4  9  2  1  1  0  1   6
A.PRICE       1   0  0      0  0      0  0       1   0  1  1  0  0  0  0  0   0
S.JONES       1   0  0      0  0      1  4  25  -3   0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0   1
G.HILL       29   6 10  60  2  4  50  4  4 100  -5   0  2  2  3  0  0  0  0  18
INDIANA      48  31 73  42 10 24  42 27 38  71      13 28 41 16 20  2 16  4  99

PHOENIX                     INDIANA
     Fast Break Pts  20          Fast Break Pts  20
  Second Chance Pts   7       Second Chance Pts   4
Points in the Paint  24     Points In the Paint  12
       Biggest Lead  16            Biggest Lead   1

BASKETBALL PROSPECTUS BOX SCORE
PHX (5-1)...........PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR  IND (3-3)...........PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR
carter,vince.........58%  23%  1.67  +21 22.4  hill,george..........60%  17%  1.69  - 5 18.9
hill,grant...........48%  35%  1.15  +27 21.9  george,paul..........56%  17%  1.78  -14 18.9
nash,steve...........75%  16%  1.87  +16 21.7  granger,danny........67%  28%  0.75  - 8 13.3
gortat,marcin........56%  15%  1.63  + 7 14.8  collison,darren......48%  23%  1.06  -17 12.7
brooks,aaron.........25%  47%  1.08    0 12.7  hansbrough,tyler.....58%  23%  0.63  -20 10.8
dudley,jared.........54%  14%  1.22  - 7  9.7  dunleavy jr.,mike....44%  19%  1.02  + 4  8.8
lopez,robin..........29%  18%  1.29  + 7  6.3  foster,jeff..........35%   8%  3.16  +11  8.8
frye,channing........75%   8%  1.00  +21  6.2  hibbert,roy..........63%  21%  0.73  -24  8.8
pietrus,mickael......38%  32%  0.50  - 8  5.8  rush,brandon.........23%  20%  0.62  - 9  2.7
warrick,hakim........15%  11%  1.28  + 2  2.3  mcroberts,josh.......42%   4%  1.17  + 4  2.2
childress,josh....... 2%  45%  0.28  - 1  0.3  jones,solomon........ 2% 138%  0.26  - 3  0.9
morris,markieff .....25%   9%  0.00  - 5  0.0  price,a.j............ 2%  52%  0.25  + 1  0.3
PACE: 92.6          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%  PACE: 92.6          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%
SUNS.............  124.2 .541  .282 .086 .067  PACERS...........  106.9 .493  .317 .173 .181

---

MAGIC 140, WIZARDS 94: The Wizards entered the game as the league's last winless team but were facing a tall task with a matchup in Orlando, against a Magic squad that had recovered from an 0-2 start to win three in a row. The Wizards led early before Brandon Bass and Dwight Howard went to work in the paint, leading a 37-10 run that stretched into the second quarter. You can kind of guess where things went from there. Washington trailed by as many as 48 points. Orlando set league season highs for margin of victory (46) and points (140). Howard had 43 points and 16 rebounds. The Magic shot 60 percent from the field and 14-of-25 from deep, with Jameer Nelson, J.J. Redick and Ryan Anderson each drilling three treys. There are always a lot of amazing stats in a game like this, but here's the one that jumps out: The Magic outscored Washington 64-22 in the paint.

STRAT-O-MATIC BOX SCORE
WASHINGTON                  20 22 26 26   94
ORLANDO                     34 39 39 28  140

                 ----FG--- ---3PT--- ---FT---       REBOUNDS
NAME        MIN  MD AT PCT MD AT PCT MD AT PCT +/-  OF DF  T AS PF ST TO BK PTS
J.WALL       39   6 14  43  0  4   0  6  7  86 -31   0  5  5  9  3  0  4  1  18
J.McGEE      23   5  8  62  0  0      1  1 100 -23   2  4  6  4  3  0  2  3  11
A.BLATCHE    37   3 14  21  0  1   0  1  2  50 -30   1  4  5  1  4  0  2  2   7
N.YOUNG      28  11 17  65  3  7  43  2  2 100 -30   0  2  2  0  1  0  0  0  27
R.LEWIS      20   1  1 100  1  1 100  0  0     -19   0  2  2  2  2  1  1  0   3
T.BOOKER     11   2  2 100  0  0      0  0     -14   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1   4
J.CRAWFORD   23   4 16  25  3 10  30  0  0     -19   0  2  2  4  2  2  1  0  11
K.SERAPHIN   13   2  3  67  0  0      2  2 100 -20   1  1  2  0  1  0  2  0   6
J.VESELY     24   2  4  50  0  0      0  0     -21   3  3  6  1  0  0  0  1   4
C.SINGLETON  13   1  1 100  1  1 100  0  0      -8   0  2  2  1  0  1  0  1   3
S.MACK        9   0  1   0  0  0      0  0     -15   0  0  0  1  0  0  1  0   0
WASHINGTON   48  37 81  46  8 24  33 12 14  86       7 25 32 23 16  4 13  9  94
                 ----FG--- ---3PT--- ---FT---       REBOUNDS
NAME        MIN  MD AT PCT MD AT PCT MD AT PCT +/-  OF DF  T AS PF ST TO BK PTS
D.HOWARD     38  17 23  74  0  0      9 13  69  30   7  9 16  3  2  2  2  1  43
J.RICHARDSON 30   5  9  56  1  2  50  2  2 100  22   0  2  2  5  2  0  2  0  13
H.TURKOGLU   32   6 12  50  2  3  67  0  0      30   0  3  3  2  1  1  0  2  14
J.NELSON     27   3  4  75  3  3 100  0  0      30   0  3  3  6  2  0  1  0   9
B.BASS       27   6  9  67  0  1   0  2  3  67  34   2  3  5  5  3  2  0  2  14
G.ARENAS     22   3 11  27  1  7  14  1  3  33  19   0  2  2  4  3  0  1  1   8
J.REDICK     27   5  6  83  3  3 100  0  0      22   0  4  4  2  0  2  2  0  13
R.ANDERSON   25   9 17  53  3  5  60  0  0      24   4  4  8  1  1  0  0  0  21
Q.RICHARDSON  9   1  1 100  1  1 100  0  0      16   0  4  4  1  3  0  0  0   3
J.HARPER      3   1  1 100  0  0      0  0       3   0  1  1  1  0  0  0  0   2
ORLANDO      48  56 93  60 14 25  56 14 21  67      13 35 48 30 17  7  8  6 140

WASHINGTON                  ORLANDO
     Fast Break Pts  18          Fast Break Pts   8
  Second Chance Pts   6       Second Chance Pts  17
Points in the Paint  22     Points In the Paint  64
       Biggest Lead   3            Biggest Lead  48

BASKETBALL PROSPECTUS BOX SCORE
WAS (0-4)...........PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR  ORL (4-2)...........PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR
young,nick...........58%  31%  1.32  -30 25.2  howard,dwight........79%  37%  1.42  +30 37.8
wall,john............81%  26%  1.00  -31 21.3  anderson,ryan........52%  30%  1.38  +24 20.9
crawford,jordan......48%  36%  0.84  -19 14.0  bass,brandon.........56%  16%  1.83  +34 20.1
mcgee,javale.........48%  21%  1.27  -23 11.2  turkoglu,hedo........67%  15%  1.47  +30 16.5
blatche,andray.......77%  22%  0.42  -30  6.6  redick,j.j...........56%  11%  2.38  +22 15.2
vesely,jan...........50%   7%  1.72  -21  6.2  richardson,jason.....63%  16%  1.40  +22 13.1
lewis,rashard........42%   3%  3.23  -19  5.1  nelson,jameer........56%   6%  3.86  +30 12.9
singleton,chris......27%   2%  7.51  - 8  4.8  arenas,gilbert.......46%  27%  0.80  +19 10.5
seraphin,kevin.......27%  21%  0.87  -20  4.8  richardson,quentin...19%   2%  7.77  +16  3.9
booker,trevor........23%   7%  1.92  -14  2.9  harper,justin........ 6%  13%  3.03  + 3  2.3
mack,shelvin.........19%   9%  0.38  -15  0.7  liggins,deandre......(DNP)  
evans,maurice........(DNP)                     allen,malik..........(DNP)  
PACE: 91.4          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%  PACE: 91.4          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%
WIZARDS..........  102.9 .506  .167 .142 .067  MAGIC............  153.2 .677  .342 .088 .101

---

76ERS 89, BUCKS 79: The Bucks entered the game a "strong" 2-3, at least once you factor in the quality of their opponents, and led early before their chronic offensive problems re-surfaced. Philly's 32-9 run was capped by Evan Turner's layup late in the first half, putting the Sixers up by 19. That was Philly's biggest lead, matched a few times later, and the Sixers led by double digits until the final minutes. Andre Iguodala led the way with 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Andrew Bogut had 20 points, 15 boards and four blocks for the Bucks.

STRAT-O-MATIC BOX SCORE
MILWAUKEE                   16 13 27 23   79
PHILADELPHIA                20 26 20 23   89

                 ----FG--- ---3PT--- ---FT---       REBOUNDS
NAME        MIN  MD AT PCT MD AT PCT MD AT PCT +/-  OF DF  T AS PF ST TO BK PTS
A.BOGUT      36   8 12  67  0  0      4  6  67   3   3 12 15  0  2  1  1  4  20
B.JENNINGS   32   5 19  26  2 10  20  1  2  50  -4   0  3  3  5  1  1  2  0  13
L.MOUTE      26   0  5   0  0  0      1  2  50 -23   2  6  8  3  3  0  2  0   1
C.DELFINO    35   6 14  43  4  9  44  0  0     -10   1  3  4  2  1  0  1  1  16
S.JACKSON    38   5 17  29  1  8  12  0  0      -4   1  4  5  9  2  1  4  0  11
E.ILYASOVA   19   2  4  50  0  0      0  0      -9   1  2  3  1  3  1  0  0   4
L.SANDERS    12   1  1 100  0  0      0  0     -13   0  1  1  1  0  0  2  0   2
D.GOODEN     21   3  7  43  0  1   0  2  2 100   4   2  3  5  0  2  0  3  1   8
B.UDRIH      16   2  7  29  0  1   0  0  0      -6   0  1  1  0  1  1  0  1   4
S.LIVINGSTON  2   0  0      0  0      0  0       5   1  0  1  0  0  0  0  0   0
T.HARRIS      3   0  1   0  0  0      0  0       7   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   0
MILWAUKEE    48  32 87  37  7 29  24  8 12  67      11 35 46 21 15  5 15  7  79
                 ----FG--- ---3PT--- ---FT---       REBOUNDS
NAME        MIN  MD AT PCT MD AT PCT MD AT PCT +/-  OF DF  T AS PF ST TO BK PTS
J.HOLIDAY    35   3 12  25  0  1   0  0  0       0   1  5  6  7  2  2  2  1   6
E.BRAND      34   3  8  38  0  0      0  0       2   1 14 15  1  3  1  1  1   6
A.IGUODALA   41   5 13  38  1  1 100  7  8  88   9   2  8 10  6  3  1  3  0  18
J.MEEKS      29   4 11  36  2  6  33  2  2 100   0   0  0  0  2  0  0  0  0  12
S.HAWES      19   6 12  50  1  1 100  0  2   0  -4   3  2  5  0  2  0  1  0  13
T.YOUNG      20   6  9  67  0  1   0  1  2  50   3   1  1  2  1  1  0  2  1  13
E.TURNER     25   3  6  50  0  0      0  0       9   0  5  5  1  0  2  0  0   6
L.WILLIAMS   13   1  6  17  1  2  50  2  2 100  10   1  0  1  1  1  2  0  0   5
A.NOCIONI     6   2  5  40  0  1   0  0  0      10   1  1  2  0  2  0  1  0   4
M.SPEIGHTS    6   1  1 100  0  0      2  2 100   8   1  1  2  0  1  0  0  0   4
N.VUCEVIC    12   1  4  25  0  0      0  0       3   2  3  5  0  2  1  1  1   2
PHILADELPHI  48  35 87  40  5 13  38 14 18  78      13 40 53 19 17  9 11  4  89

MILWAUKEE                   PHILADELPHIA
     Fast Break Pts  10          Fast Break Pts  24
  Second Chance Pts   6       Second Chance Pts   9
Points in the Paint  26     Points In the Paint  30
       Biggest Lead   5            Biggest Lead  19

BASKETBALL PROSPECTUS BOX SCORE
MIL (2-4)...........PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR  PHI (3-2)...........PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR
bogut,andrew.........75%  19%  1.47  + 3 17.2  iguodala,andre.......85%  21%  1.17  + 9 19.2
delfino,carlos.......73%  18%  1.35  -10 17.0  meeks,jodie..........60%  18%  1.14  +   13.0
jennings,brandon.....67%  31%  0.79  - 4 16.9  holiday,jrue.........73%  17%  0.92  +   12.3
jackson,stephen......79%  24%  0.88  - 4 15.3  young,thaddeus.......42%  27%  1.02  + 3 11.4
gooden,drew..........44%  23%  0.75  + 4  6.6  brand,elton..........71%  10%  1.23  + 2  9.7
mbahamoute,luc.......54%  12%  0.64  -23  4.2  hawes,spencer........40%  34%  0.90  - 4  8.9
udrih,beno...........33%  19%  0.59  - 6  3.6  turner,evan..........52%   9%  1.54  + 9  7.3
ilyasova,ersan.......40%   8%  1.36  - 9  3.6  williams,lou.........27%  24%  0.94  +10  6.4
sanders,larry........25%  10%  1.04  -13  2.3  speights,marreese....13%  13%  2.10  + 8  3.5
livingston,shaun..... 4%  25%  0.35  + 5  0.3  nocioni,andres.......13%  48%  0.54  +10  3.4
harris,tobias........ 6%  14%  0.00  + 7  0.0  vucevic,nikola.......25%  18%  0.68  + 3  3.0
leuer,jon............(DNP)                     allen,lavoy..........(DNP)  
PACE: 90.8          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%  PACE: 90.8          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%
BUCKS............   87.0 .408  .216 .165 .058  76ERS............   98.0 .431  .271 .121 .087

---

HAWKS 116, JAZZ 88: Both teams entered the game with just one win after struggling through difficult early schedules. The Hawks came out ready. After Utah scored the game's first four points, the Hawks pounded the ball inside, getting five buckets in the paint and three free throws during a 13-0 run. From there, Atlanta gradually increased the lead and eventually led by as many as 37 in the fourth quarter. The Jazz scored the last eight points of the game to make the score at least somewhat more palatable. Al Horford led Atlanta with 22 points and 11 rebounds. The standout line for Utah was a negative one: Starting two-guard Gordon Hayward scored only one point in 29 minutes.

STRAT-O-MATIC BOX SCORE
UTAH                        14 22 24 28   88
ATLANTA                     28 22 40 26  116

                 ----FG--- ---3PT--- ---FT---       REBOUNDS
NAME        MIN  MD AT PCT MD AT PCT MD AT PCT +/-  OF DF  T AS PF ST TO BK PTS
A.JEFFERSON  24   6 11  55  0  0      2  2 100 -10   1  3  4  0  6  0  2  0  14
P.MILLSAP    39   6 13  46  0  0      3  3 100 -31   6  3  9  0  4  1  2  2  15
D.HARRIS     25   5 12  42  2  4  50  1  1 100 -19   0  2  2  4  3  1  0  0  13
G.HAYWARD    29   0  4   0  0  2   0  1  2  50 -22   0  0  0  5  2  0  1  0   1
A.BURKS      19   3  8  38  0  0      4  4 100 -14   1  2  3  2  4  0  0  0  10
R.BELL        5   0  0      0  0      0  0      -6   0  1  1  0  0  0  0  0   0
A.KIRILENKO  11   3  4  75  0  0      0  0       4   1  1  2  3  1  1  1  0   6
C.MILES      20   6 14  43  3  7  43  0  0     -11   0  4  4  0  1  1  1  0  15
E.WATSON     21   0  2   0  0  2   0  0  0      -4   0  1  1  7  2  1  3  0   0
D.FAVORS     22   3  4  75  0  0      1  1 100 -14   0  2  2  1  3  1  1  1   7
M.OKUR       18   2  7  29  0  3   0  1  2  50  -4   1  0  1  1  1  0  2  0   5
E.KANTER      7   1  2  50  0  0      0  0      -9   1  0  1  0  4  0  1  0   2
UTAH         48  35 81  43  5 18  28 13 15  87      11 19 30 23 31  6 14  3  88
                 ----FG--- ---3PT--- ---FT---       REBOUNDS
NAME        MIN  MD AT PCT MD AT PCT MD AT PCT +/-  OF DF  T AS PF ST TO BK PTS
A.HORFORD    37   9 15  60  0  0      4  4 100  30   3  8 11  4  3  1  2  2  22
J.SMITH      33   7  9  78  0  0      1  3  33  30   2 10 12  5  2  1  3  0  15
J.JOHNSON    35   7 18  39  1  1 100  6  8  75  20   6  0  6  5  4  0  4  0  21
K.HINRICH    34   3  7  43  1  3  33  2  2 100  22   0  4  4  4  3  0  1  2   9
M.WILLIAMS   27   6  7  86  0  0      3  3 100  28   2  4  6  1  1  1  1  0  15
J.CRAWFORD   22   4  8  50  3  4  75  0  0      15   0  1  1  3  0  0  1  0  11
Z.PACHULIA   13   1  1 100  0  0      5  8  62   0   2  3  5  1  2  1  0  0   7
J.TEAGUE     19   3  7  43  0  0      2  2 100   2   0  1  1  2  3  1  0  1   8
D.WILKINS     9   0  0      0  0      2  2 100  -3   0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0   2
K.BENSON     11   2  5  40  0  0      2  2 100  -4   1  1  2  0  0  0  0  0   6
ATLANTA      48  42 77  55  5  8  62 27 34  79      16 32 48 25 18  5 13  5 116

UTAH                        ATLANTA
     Fast Break Pts   4          Fast Break Pts   6
  Second Chance Pts  12       Second Chance Pts  18
Points in the Paint  38     Points In the Paint  48
       Biggest Lead   4            Biggest Lead  37

BASKETBALL PROSPECTUS BOX SCORE
UTA (1-4)...........PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR  ATL (1-3)...........PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR
harris,devin.........52%  23%  1.28  -19 17.3  horford,al...........77%  23%  1.37  +30 25.4
miles,c.j............42%  36%  1.07  -11 16.9  johnson,joe..........73%  35%  0.90  +20 22.5
millsap,paul.........81%  19%  0.98  -31 16.4  smith,josh...........69%  18%  1.60  +30 19.8
jefferson,al.........50%  27%  0.81  -10 10.9  williams,marvin......56%  15%  1.83  +28 17.6
burks,alec...........40%  24%  1.00  -14  9.6  crawford,jamal.......46%  18%  1.70  +15 13.0
kirilenko,andrei.....23%  21%  1.67  + 4  8.9  hinrich,kirk.........71%  10%  1.63  +22 12.0
favors,derrick.......46%  10%  1.44  -14  6.5  teague,jeff..........40%  18%  1.11  + 2  8.5
watson,earl..........44%  10%  1.22  - 4  5.4  pachulia,zaza........27%  15%  1.93  +    8.4
okur,mehmet..........38%  26%  0.51  - 4  5.2  benson,keith.........23%  25%  0.99  - 4  5.9
hayward,gordon.......60%   8%  0.80  -22  3.9  wilkins,damien.......19%   7%  1.13  - 3  1.5
kanter,enes..........15%  20%  0.29  - 9  0.9  collins,jason........(DNP)  
bell,raja............10%  10%  0.26  - 6  0.3  armstrong,hilton.....(DNP)  
PACE: 86.2          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%  PACE: 86.2          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%
JAZZ.............  102.1 .463  .256 .162 .077  HAWKS............  134.6 .578  .457 .151 .174

---

CELTICS 96, CLIPPERS 87: The Clippers' results have been all over the map early in the season. Friday's game started out with the Good Clippers, who got eight points each from Mo Williams and Eric Gordon to lead 30-19 after the first period. The Celtics scored the first six points of the second quarter--four by rookie JaJuan Johnson--and closed within three on Ray Allen's layup late in the half. Boston's Big Four keyed a 13-2 start to the second half. The Clippers avoided a blowout, but didn't seriously threaten down the stretch as the Celtics improved to 4-1. Rajon Rondo had 11 points, four rebounds, 11 assists and five steals for Boston. In his first significant contribution, Johnson had those four points, six rebounds and a pair of steals. Despite the fast start, Gordon shot just 5-of-20 for the Clippers.

STRAT-O-MATIC BOX SCORE
LOS ANGELES C               30 22 13 22   87
BOSTON                      19 25 30 22   96

                 ----FG--- ---3PT--- ---FT---       REBOUNDS
NAME        MIN  MD AT PCT MD AT PCT MD AT PCT +/-  OF DF  T AS PF ST TO BK PTS
B.GRIFFIN    36   7 15  47  0  0     10 14  71  -3   7  4 11  0  3  0  3  0  24
E.GORDON     38   5 20  25  3 10  30  3  4  75  -4   2  1  3  2  2  3  4  0  16
R.GOMES      27   3  5  60  2  3  67  0  0      -4   2  6  8  2  3  2  1  1   8
D.JORDAN     22   3  4  75  0  0      0  0      -7   1  0  1  0  3  2  1  1   6
M.WILLIAMS   30   3 11  27  1  6  17  1  2  50  -5   1  2  3  6  1  2  2  1   8
E.BLEDSOE    19   2  6  33  0  0      0  0       0   1  2  3  5  0  2  1  0   4
R.FOYE       19   3  6  50  1  1 100  4  4 100  -1   0  2  2  1  0  1  0  1  11
A.AMINU      14   2  4  50  0  0      0  0      -7   1  4  5  1  0  2  1  0   4
C.KAMAN      25   2 10  20  0  0      2  2 100  -7   2  7  9  1  4  0  3  0   6
C.SMITH       1   0  0      0  0      0  0      -3   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   0
W.WARREN      1   0  0      0  0      0  0      -3   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   0
T.THOMPKINS   8   0  2   0  0  0      0  0      -1   0  1  1  1  1  0  1  0   0
LOS ANGELES  48  30 83  36  7 20  35 20 26  77      17 29 46 19 17 14 17  4  87
                 ----FG--- ---3PT--- ---FT---       REBOUNDS
NAME        MIN  MD AT PCT MD AT PCT MD AT PCT +/-  OF DF  T AS PF ST TO BK PTS
R.ALLEN      40   8 18  44  3  7  43  3  4  75  13   0  5  5  2  3  3  1  0  22
P.PIERCE     39   4 14  29  0  5   0  4  4 100   6   1  5  6  2  5  0  4  1  12
R.RONDO      36   5  8  62  0  1   0  1  2  50   9   2  2  4 11  2  5  6  0  11
K.GARNETT    40   5 11  45  0  0      2  2 100   0   2 13 15  0  4  0  4  2  12
J.O'NEAL     18   1  2  50  0  0      0  0      13   0  2  2  2  2  0  1  1   2
J.GREEN      20   3  6  50  0  0      3  4  75   4   1  2  3  1  0  0  0  0   9
G.DAVIS      21   5  7  71  0  0      3  4  75 -10   2  2  4  0  2  0  0  0  13
C.ARROYO      4   0  1   0  0  0      0  0       6   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   0
V.WAFER       2   0  0      0  0      0  0      -5   0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0   0
D.WEST       12   4  4 100  3  3 100  0  0       0   0  1  1  1  1  0  0  1  11
J.JOHNSON     8   2  5  40  0  0      0  0       9   2  4  6  0  0  2  0  0   4
BOSTON       48  37 76  49  6 16  38 16 20  80      10 36 46 19 20 10 16  5  96

LOS ANGELES C               BOSTON
     Fast Break Pts  12          Fast Break Pts  18
  Second Chance Pts  18       Second Chance Pts   7
Points in the Paint  20     Points In the Paint  30
       Biggest Lead  11            Biggest Lead  11

BASKETBALL PROSPECTUS BOX SCORE
LAC (2-3)...........PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR  BOS (3-1)...........PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR
griffin,blake........75%  29%  1.00  - 3 21.8  allen,ray............83%  24%  1.13  +13 24.4
gordon,eric..........79%  30%  0.77  - 4 17.3  rondo,rajon..........75%  19%  1.35  + 9 19.8
gomes,ryan...........56%   7%  2.87  - 4 12.6  garnett,kevin........83%  18%  0.87  +   13.3
williams,maurice.....63%  19%  1.10  - 5 12.0  davis,glen...........44%  19%  1.33  -10 11.9
foye,randy...........40%  16%  1.75  - 1  8.7  west,delonte.........25%  15%  3.25  +   10.7
bledsoe,eric.........40%  14%  1.48  +    8.1  pierce,paul..........81%  24%  0.60  + 6 10.3
kaman,chris..........52%  24%  0.57  - 7  6.1  green,jeff...........42%  18%  1.20  + 4  8.8
aminu,alfarouq.......29%  14%  1.51  - 7  5.4  johnson,jajuan.......17%  30%  1.17  + 9  5.6
jordan,deandre.......46%   7%  1.52  - 7  5.2  o'neal,jermaine......38%   6%  1.36  +13  3.2
thompkins,trey.......17%  15%  0.28  - 1  0.6  arroyo,carlos........ 8%  10%  0.00  + 6  0.0
smith,craig.......... 2%  50%  0.00  - 3  0.0  johnson,jajuan.......(DNP)  
thompkins,trey.......(DNP)                     moore,e'twaun........(DNP)  
PACE: 88.9          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%  PACE: 88.9          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%
CLIPPERS.........   97.8 .404  .321 .191 .129  CELTICS..........  108.0 .526  .256 .180 .099

---

HEAT 104, NETS 90: The surprising Nets entered with a 3-1 record and were steeled for a stern South Beach test. After dropping its opener, the Heat had reeled off four straight wins by frightful scores. Could the Nets hang close? It didn't look like it early when Mike Bibby's three-pointer capped a 12-2 burst for Miami and left the Heat with a 14-point first-quarter advantage. Miami increased the lead to 18 in the second period but the Nets reeled off nine straight, a run that culminated in Brook Lopez's And-1 three-point play early in the third. Lopez continued to pound Miami inside--he scored 13 in the third--and, lo and behold, the Nets grabbed the lead. LeBron James' free throw at the third-period gun put the Heat up by a point entering the final period. The Nets hung close until a 7-0 Heat surge midway through the fourth was capped by James Jones' three-pointer. Miami pulled away down the stretch to improve to 5-1. James had 36 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Miami. Lopez scored 30 for New Jersey.

STRAT-O-MATIC BOX SCORE
NEW JERSEY                  19 21 30 20   90
MIAMI                       28 20 23 33  104

                 ----FG--- ---3PT--- ---FT---       REBOUNDS
NAME        MIN  MD AT PCT MD AT PCT MD AT PCT +/-  OF DF  T AS PF ST TO BK PTS
B.LOPEZ      35  10 24  42  0  0     10 11  91 -10   3  4  7  1  3  1  1  1  30
D.WILLIAMS   31   4  8  50  2  2 100  4  4 100   1   0  2  2  9  4  1  4  2  14
K.HUMPHRIES  28   2  2 100  0  0      4  6  67  -2   2  7  9  0  2  1  3  0   8
A.MORROW     30   3 10  30  0  4   0  1  1 100   0   1  1  2  1  3  0  1  0   7
S.GRAHAM      9   1  1 100  0  0      0  0      -2   0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0   2
T.OUTLAW     24   2  8  25  0  2   0  0  0      -9   1  2  3  0  0  0  2  0   4
J.FARMAR     21   1  3  33  1  2  50  2  2 100  -5   0  1  1  5  1  2  3  0   5
J.PETRO      11   1  5  20  0  0      0  0      -1   1  4  5  1  0  1  1  1   2
B.WRIGHT      2   0  0      0  0      0  0      -3   0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0   0
D.JAMES      13   2  3  67  0  0      1  2  50  -4   1  7  8  0  1  0  0  0   5
M.BROOKS     25   5  9  56  0  0      1  1 100 -26   1  2  3  2  1  0  0  0  11
J.WILLIAMS   11   1  4  25  0  0      0  3   0  -9   3  0  3  0  1  1  0  1   2
NEW JERSEY   48  32 77  42  3 10  30 23 30  77      13 30 43 19 18  7 15  5  90
                 ----FG--- ---3PT--- ---FT---       REBOUNDS
NAME        MIN  MD AT PCT MD AT PCT MD AT PCT +/-  OF DF  T AS PF ST TO BK PTS
L.JAMES      37  15 24  62  1  4  25  5  6  83   6   0  8  8  6  3  1  1  1  36
D.WADE       36   8 18  44  2  5  40  5  6  83   8   0  1  1  6  2  1  2  0  23
C.BOSH       38   4 11  36  0  0      3  4  75   4   3  9 12  0  1  3  1  0  11
M.CHALMERS   23   3  5  60  0  2   0  0  0      12   0  3  3  2  0  0  0  0   6
J.ANTHONY    12   0  0      0  0      0  0      18   1  2  3  3  4  1  1  0   0
M.BIBBY       4   1  1 100  1  1 100  0  0       1   0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0   3
J.JONES       5   2  3  67  2  3  67  0  0       3   0  2  2  0  0  0  1  0   6
E.HOUSE      12   1  1 100  0  0      0  0      11   0  2  2  2  0  1  1  0   2
M.MILLER     22   3  9  33  2  5  40  2  2 100  -1   1  1  2  2  5  1  0  1  10
E.DAMPIER    11   0  1   0  0  0      0  0      -1   0  2  2  0  1  0  0  0   0
U.HASLEM     26   1  6  17  0  0      0  0      16   4  6 10  0  4  0  3  1   2
N.COLE       14   2  3  67  1  1 100  0  0      -7   1  0  1  0  1  1  0  0   5
MIAMI        48  40 82  49  9 21  43 15 18  83      10 36 46 22 21  9 10  3 104

NEW JERSEY                  MIAMI
     Fast Break Pts  18          Fast Break Pts  14
  Second Chance Pts  15       Second Chance Pts   2
Points in the Paint  26     Points In the Paint  14
       Biggest Lead   4            Biggest Lead  18

BASKETBALL PROSPECTUS BOX SCORE
NJN (3-2)...........PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR  MIA (5-1)...........PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR
lopez,brook..........73%  41%  0.92  -10 26.9  james,lebron.........77%  37%  1.29  + 6 36.5
williams,deron.......65%  20%  1.55  + 1 20.5  wade,dwyane..........75%  31%  1.08  + 8 25.5
brooks,marshon.......52%  16%  1.32  -26 11.3  bosh,chris...........79%  17%  1.01  + 4 12.9
humphries,kris.......58%  11%  1.39  - 2  9.6  miller,mike..........46%  21%  1.12  - 1 11.3
farmar,jordan........44%  14%  1.52  - 5  9.0  chalmers,mario.......48%   9%  1.65  +12  7.2
james,damion.........27%  12%  1.84  - 4  6.4  jones,james..........10%  40%  1.71  + 3  6.6
morrow,anthony.......63%  16%  0.61  +    6.3  cole,norris..........29%   9%  2.03  - 7  5.2
petro,johan..........23%  25%  0.79  - 1  4.9  bibby,mike........... 8%  11%  4.39  + 1  3.9
outlaw,travis........50%  18%  0.47  - 9  4.0  house,eddie..........25%   6%  2.48  +11  3.8
williams,jordan......23%  22%  0.61  - 9  2.8  haslem,udonis........54%  16%  0.44  +16  3.8
graham,stephen.......19%   2%  2.52  - 2  1.3  anthony,joel.........25%   2%  4.19  +18  2.1
wright,brandan....... 4%  26%  0.00  - 3  0.0  dampier,erick........23%   2%  0.44  - 1  0.2
PACE: 87.4          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%  PACE: 87.4          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%
NETS.............  103.0 .435  .265 .172 .151  HEAT.............  119.0 .543  .250 .114 .091

---

TIMBERWOLVES 113, KINGS 88: The Timberwolves, off to a nice start, were in position to really get the home fans jazzed, with the lowly Kings coming into the Target Center. Of course, this is exactly the kind of game that trips up young, overachieving teams. It was a tight first half, with Minnesota leading by a deuce at the break despite DeMarcus Cousins' 16 points. Minnesota pushed the lead to 11 and led by nine entering the final quarter. Finally, Anthony Randolph scored three times during a 14-5 Minnesota run in the fourth. The T-Wolves outscored Sacramento 56-33 in the second half. Look who's over .500: Minny is 3-2 on the young season. Kevin Love led the way with 25 points and 15 boards, but Randolph was the spark with 18 points, 11 boards, three assists and four steals in just 23 minutes off the bench.

STRAT-O-MATIC BOX SCORE
SACRAMENTO                  25 30 15 18   88
MINNESOTA                   31 26 22 34  113

                 ----FG--- ---3PT--- ---FT---       REBOUNDS
NAME        MIN  MD AT PCT MD AT PCT MD AT PCT +/-  OF DF  T AS PF ST TO BK PTS
D.COUSINS    32   7 16  44  0  0      8 12  67 -16   5  5 10  2  5  0  8  0  22
T.EVANS      35   3 10  30  1  2  50  2  2 100 -18   1  3  4  9  4  3  3  0   9
J.HICKSON    19   3  8  38  0  0      2  2 100 -13   2  4  6  0  5  1  2  0   8
J.SALMONS    35   2  6  33  2  4  50  2  2 100 -27   0  4  4  4  2  1  0  0   8
J.FREDETTE   31   2  9  22  1  4  25  2  2 100 -24   0  2  2  2  1  1  4  0   7
S.DALEMBERT  16   3  5  60  0  0      1  2  50  -9   2  3  5  1  4  1  3  0   7
M.THORNTON   30   8 17  47  2  4  50  0  0      -8   0  1  1  1  1  2  3  0  18
J.THOMPSON   22   1  3  33  0  0      1  2  50 -11   2  5  7  0  2  1  1  1   3
F.GARCIA     11   2  4  50  0  1   0  0  0       4   0  0  0  1  1  0  0  0   4
D.GREENE      3   0  0      0  0      0  0      -4   0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0   0
D.JACKSON     4   1  1 100  0  0      0  0       3   1  1  2  0  1  0  0  0   2
I.THOMAS      2   0  0      0  0      0  0      -2   0  0  0  1  0  1  0  0   0
SACRAMENTO   48  32 79  41  6 15  40 18 24  75      13 28 41 21 26 11 25  1  88
                 ----FG--- ---3PT--- ---FT---       REBOUNDS
NAME        MIN  MD AT PCT MD AT PCT MD AT PCT +/-  OF DF  T AS PF ST TO BK PTS
K.LOVE       36   8 18  44  0  2   0  9 10  90  21   7  8 15  2  3  3  1  0  25
M.BEASLEY    31   7 17  41  1  3  33  2  2 100  13   0  3  3  1  3  1  1  1  17
L.RIDNOUR    27   7 11  64  1  2  50  3  4  75   9   1  1  2  6  2  4  3  0  18
D.MILICIC    17   1  3  33  0  0      0  0      11   1  3  4  2  4  0  1  0   2
R.RUBIO      27   4  6  67  1  1 100  1  2  50  15   0  2  2  5  2  1  3  0  10
W.JOHNSON    19   0  1   0  0  1   0  0  0      16   0  1  1  1  1  1  1  0   0
A.TOLLIVER    6   0  0      0  0      2  2 100  -2   0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0   2
W.ELLINGTON   9   0  0      0  0      1  2  50   6   0  0  0  1  1  0  1  0   1
M.WEBSTER    18   0  1   0  0  0      2  2 100  12   0  2  2  3  2  1  1  0   2
A.RANDOLPH   23   9 20  45  0  0      0  1   0   7   2  9 11  3  2  4  1  0  18
B.MILLER      6   3  4  75  2  2 100  0  0       9   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   8
D.WILLIAMS   21   3  3 100  0  0      4  4 100   8   0  3  3  3  1  1  3  0  10
MINNESOTA    48  42 84  50  5 11  45 24 29  83      11 32 43 27 22 16 16  1 113

SACRAMENTO                  MINNESOTA
     Fast Break Pts  18          Fast Break Pts  14
  Second Chance Pts  13       Second Chance Pts  13
Points in the Paint  30     Points In the Paint  38
       Biggest Lead   3            Biggest Lead  25

BASKETBALL PROSPECTUS
SAC (1-5)...........PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR  MIN (3-2)...........PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR
cousins,demarcus.....67%  40%  0.72  -16 20.2  love,kevin...........75%  28%  1.15  +21 22.8
thornton,marcus......63%  28%  0.91  - 8 16.8  ridnour,luke.........56%  25%  1.37  + 9 20.5
evans,tyreke.........73%  16%  1.24  -18 13.7  randolph,anthony.....48%  41%  0.97  + 7 18.3
salmons,john.........73%   6%  2.24  -27 11.0  beasley,michael......65%  26%  0.85  +13 15.0
fredette,jimmer......65%  18%  0.66  -24  6.9  rubio,ricky..........56%  15%  1.40  +15 12.3
hickson,j.j..........40%  24%  0.69  -13  6.2  williams,derrick.....44%  15%  1.53  + 8 10.6
dalembert,samuel.....33%  23%  0.85  - 9  5.4  miller,brad..........13%  29%  2.04  + 9  7.0
thompson,jason.......46%   7%  1.16  -11  3.9  webster,martell......38%   5%  1.85  +12  3.6
garcia,francisco.....23%  14%  1.03  + 4  3.3  milicic,darko........35%   8%  0.90  +11  2.6
jackson,darnell...... 8%   9%  2.40  + 3  1.7  tolliver,anthony.....13%   4%  1.95  - 2  1.1
thomas,isaiah........ 4%  23%  1.00  - 2  1.0  ellington,wayne......19%   7%  0.77  + 6  1.1
greene,donte......... 6%  13%  0.00  - 4  0.0  johnson,wesley.......40%   2%  0.88  +16  0.9
PACE: 97.6          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%  PACE: 97.6          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%
KINGS............   90.2 .443  .289 .256 .108  TIMBERWOLVES.....  115.8 .530  .282 .164 .131

---

WARRIORS 103 HORNETS 99: Golden State was playing its second game without injured point guard Stephen Curry, not the position at which you want to be thin when you're facing Chris Paul. With Charles Jenkins, Dorell Wright and Monta Ellis picking up Curry's slack, Golden State enjoyed a comfortable first-half lead, though the score (39-34) was indicative of the kind of pace favored by Hornets coach Monty Williams. David West scored three times during a 10-2 third quarter run that gave New Orleans the lead. The Warriors bounced back and Vladimir Radmanovic's buzzer-beating three put Golden State up by four entering the fourth quarter. The Warriors increased the lead to nine as Jenkins, a rookie, did his best Curry impression with a three to give his squad a nine-point bulge. Jenkins score twice more a little later to put Golden State up by 12. He scored 16 points in the first half of the fourth quarter alone. The Hornets hung close behind Paul and West, but Ellis' free throw with 17 seconds left clinched the Golden State win. Jenkins scored 27 points on 10-of-11 shooting in 22 minutes off the bench and hit all four of his three-point attempts. West led all scorers with 34.

STRAT-O-MATIC BOX SCORE
GOLDEN STATE                20 19 30 34  103
NEW ORLEANS                 20 14 31 34   99

                 ----FG--- ---3PT--- ---FT---       REBOUNDS
NAME        MIN  MD AT PCT MD AT PCT MD AT PCT +/-  OF DF  T AS PF ST TO BK PTS
M.ELLIS      39   8 21  38  1  5  20  3  4  75   4   1  4  5  4  5  1  4  0  20
D.WRIGHT     45   6 13  46  1  6  17  6  6 100   4   1  3  4  5  5  4  0  1  19
D.LEE        24   2  5  40  0  0      2  2 100  -1   1  2  3  2  5  0  4  1   6
R.WILLIAMS   12   1  2  50  0  1   0  3  4  75  -2   0  1  1  0  0  0  0  0   5
A.BIEDRINS   18   1  1 100  0  0      0  0      -5   2  3  5  2  3  2  2  0   2
V.RADMANOVIC  6   1  2  50  1  2  50  0  0      -3   0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0   3
E.UDOH       28   2  3  67  0  0      1  4  25  10   2  2  4  0  1  0  1  1   5
L.AMUNDSON   20   1  3  33  0  0      0  0       7   1  7  8  1  3  0  0  0   2
A.THORNTON    2   0  1   0  0  0      0  0      -1   0  1  1  0  0  0  0  0   0
K.THOMPSON   24   5  9  56  1  2  50  3  5  60   3   0  0  0  7  3  1  1  1  14
C.JENKINS    22  10 11  91  4  4 100  3  3 100   4   1  2  3  2  2  2  0  1  27
GOLDEN STAT  48  37 71  52  8 20  40 21 28  75       9 25 34 23 27 10 13  5 103
                 ----FG--- ---3PT--- ---FT---       REBOUNDS
NAME        MIN  MD AT PCT MD AT PCT MD AT PCT +/-  OF DF  T AS PF ST TO BK PTS
C.PAUL       35   3 13  23  2  4  50 10 13  77   4   1  1  2  9  5  2  2  0  18
T.ARIZA      34   2 13  15  0  7   0  0  0      13   1  5  6  2  1  0  5  0   4
D.WEST       28  14 19  74  0  0      6  9  67   4   2  7  9  0  4  1  0  0  34
E.OKAFOR     28   3  4  75  0  0      5  6  83  13   1  4  5  1  3  0  3  0  11
M.BELINELLI  34   3  7  43  0  1   0  0  0      -4   0  0  0  3  3  0  0  0   6
C.LANDRY     25   5 10  50  0  0      2  4  50 -14   4  1  5  0  1  1  0  0  12
J.JACK       15   1  3  33  0  0      2  2 100  -7   0  0  0  2  0  0  0  0   4
W.GREEN      20   2  3  67  0  1   0  2  2 100  -7   1  1  2  3  3  0  0  0   6
Q.PONDEXTER   8   0  2   0  0  0      2  2 100 -10   0  3  3  0  0  0  2  1   2
A.GRAY       11   0  1   0  0  0      0  0     -11   3  2  5  0  2  0  0  2   0
D.ILUNGA-MBE  2   1  1 100  0  0      0  0      -1   2  0  2  0  0  0  0  0   2
NEW ORLEANS  48  34 76  45  2 13  15 29 38  76      15 24 39 20 22  4 12  3  99

GOLDEN STATE                NEW ORLEANS
     Fast Break Pts  26          Fast Break Pts   4
  Second Chance Pts   4       Second Chance Pts  12
Points in the Paint  10     Points In the Paint  42
       Biggest Lead  12            Biggest Lead   2

BASKETBALL PROSPECTUS BOX SCORE
GSW (2-3)...........PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR  NWO (2-2)...........PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR
jenkins,charles......46%  29%  1.92  + 4 22.2  west,david...........58%  39%  1.18  + 4 35.8
wright,dorell........94%  16%  1.23  + 4 18.4  paul,chris...........73%  27%  1.01  + 4 23.9
ellis,monta..........81%  36%  0.63  + 4 15.5  landry,carl..........52%  21%  0.94  -14 12.7
thompson,klay........50%  26%  1.19  + 3 13.2  okafor,emeka.........58%  15%  1.05  +13 10.9
lee,david............50%  20%  0.53  - 1  4.2  belinelli,marco......71%   8%  0.99  - 4  7.7
udoh,epke............58%   8%  0.96  +10  4.1  ariza,trevor.........71%  24%  0.33  +13  6.9
williams,reggie......25%  14%  1.05  - 2  3.7  green,willie.........42%   7%  1.98  - 7  6.3
biedrins,andris......38%   6%  1.70  - 5  3.6  jack,jarrett.........31%  10%  1.26  - 7  4.4
amundson,louis.......42%   5%  1.52  + 7  2.7  pondexter,quincy.....17%  28%  0.50  -10  2.8
radmanovic,vladimir..13%  25%  0.93  - 3  2.4  ilungambenga,didier.. 4%  23%  2.26  - 1  2.6
thornton,al.......... 4%  25%  0.24  - 1  0.2  gray,aaron...........23%   2%  2.61  -11  1.6
curry,stephen........(DNP)                     ewing,patrick........(DNP)  
PACE: 97.6          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%  PACE: 97.6          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%
WARRIORS.........   90.2 .443  .289 .256 .108  HORNETS..........  115.8 .530  .282 .164 .131

---

GRIZZLIES 108, MAVERICKS 105: Would these teams have met in last spring's Western Conference Finals if Rudy Gay had not been injured for the Grizzlies? We'll never know, but entering Friday's game, both teams were playing well after slow starts. Memphis was playing without injured forward Zach Randolph, taking some of the luster off the matchup. As they did last season without Gay, the Grizzlies stepped it up with a key piece missing and led midway through the second quarter. This despite an early onslaught by Dirk Nowitzki, who had 23 points in the game's first 17 minutes. Memphis built a 10-point lead before Jason Kidd's three-pointer capped the first-half scoring. Memphis still led by 10 with 4:11 to go in the third before Dallas got five buckets by five different players to tie the game. Kidd's three to start the fourth capped another run, this one nine points, putting Dallas up by eight. Memphis was undeterred, regaining the lead a few minutes later on Mike Conley's fastbreak bucket and free throw. The game was tied with 2:50 remaining when Gay scored on consecutive possessions to put Memphis up by four. Kidd hit another three, this one with just 14 seconds left, to pull Dallas within a point. Marc Gasol hit two free throws with four seconds left and Dallas couldn't get another a shot off. Conley, Gasol and Gay all scored over 20 points for Memphis. Nowitzki did the heavy lifting for Dallas with 42 points, which included a 21-of-21 performance from the foul line. Shane Battier started in Randolph's place as Lionel Hollins opted for a smaller lineup. Battier responded with 12 points and 10 rebounds in 30 minutes.

STRAT-O-MATIC BOX SCORE
MEMPHIS                     28 27 22 31  108
DALLAS                      27 21 34 23  105

                 ----FG--- ---3PT--- ---FT---       REBOUNDS
NAME        MIN  MD AT PCT MD AT PCT MD AT PCT +/-  OF DF  T AS PF ST TO BK PTS
M.CONLEY     35   8 12  67  3  4  75  2  5  40   1   0  5  5  9  2  2  1  0  21
M.GASOL      41   7 13  54  0  0      8 12  67  -7   4  3  7  2  2  0  1  0  22
S.BATTIER    30   4  5  80  4  5  80  0  0       8   0 10 10  3  3  0  0  1  12
R.GAY        35   8 20  40  0  1   0  5  9  56   2   1  6  7  2  4  4  1  2  21
T.ALLEN      30   3  7  43  0  0      2  2 100   9   1  2  3  4  3  0  0  0   8
O.MAYO       25   4 11  36  0  3   0  2  2 100   0   1  1  2  2  1  0  1  2  10
D.ARTHUR     14   1  3  33  0  0      0  0      -3   0  3  3  0  5  0  1  0   2
S.YOUNG       9   1  3  33  0  0      4  4 100   7   0  0  0  2  1  0  0  0   6
G.VASQUEZ    11   1  3  33  0  2   0  0  0       7   0  4  4  4  1  0  0  0   2
X.HENRY       5   1  1 100  0  0      0  0      -8   1  1  2  1  1  0  1  0   2
H.HADDADI     5   1  2  50  0  0      0  0      -1   0  0  0  0  1  0  1  0   2
MEMPHIS      48  39 80  49  7 15  47 23 34  68       8 35 43 29 24  6  7  5 108
                 ----FG--- ---3PT--- ---FT---       REBOUNDS
NAME        MIN  MD AT PCT MD AT PCT MD AT PCT +/-  OF DF  T AS PF ST TO BK PTS
J.KIDD       35   5  9  56  4  5  80  0  0      -1   0  2  2  5  1  0  1  0  14
D.NOWITZKI   37  10 19  53  1  4  25 21 21 100   1   0  3  3  1  4  0  2  0  42
T.CHANDLER   26   3  5  60  0  0      0  2   0   5   0 13 13  3  5  0  2  0   6
P.STOJAKOVIC 11   0  2   0  0  2   0  0  0      -6   0  1  1  0  4  0  2  1   0
R.FERNANDEZ  22   3  7  43  1  3  33  0  0      -9   2  0  2  1  1  0  0  0   7
J.TERRY      33   8 18  44  1  4  25  2  2 100   5   0  3  3  0  1  0  1  0  19
S.MARION     25   2  7  29  0  0      0  0      10   0  2  2  1  0  0  1  1   4
J.BAREA      22   2  6  33  0  1   0  2  2 100  -8   1  2  3  7  2  1  1  0   6
B.HAYWOOD    20   2  2 100  0  0      0  2   0  -8   4  6 10  1  3  0  0  0   4
I.MAHINMI     9   0  1   0  0  0      3  4  75  -4   0  2  2  0  1  0  1  0   3
DALLAS       48  35 76  46  7 19  37 28 33  85       7 34 41 19 22  1 11  2 105

MEMPHIS                     DALLAS
     Fast Break Pts  30          Fast Break Pts  14
  Second Chance Pts   3       Second Chance Pts   2
Points in the Paint  26     Points In the Paint  28
       Biggest Lead  10            Biggest Lead   8

BASKETBALL PROSPECTUS BOX SCORE
MEM (3-2)...........PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR  DAL (3-3)...........PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR
conley,mike..........73%  20%  1.83  + 1 25.7  nowitzki,dirk........77%  40%  1.12  + 1 35.4
gay,rudy.............73%  34%  0.83  + 2 22.6  kidd,jason...........73%  13%  1.93  - 1 18.4
gasol,marc...........85%  22%  1.09  - 7 20.8  terry,jason..........69%  29%  0.84  + 5 18.3
battier,shane........63%   6%  4.01  + 8 15.7  barea,jose...........46%  16%  1.38  - 8 11.1
mayo,o.j.............52%  24%  0.81  +    9.5  fernandez,rudy.......46%  14%  1.13  - 9  9.2
allen,tony...........63%  11%  1.28  + 9  8.1  chandler,tyson.......54%  13%  1.22  + 5  8.6
young,sam............19%  25%  1.24  + 7  6.6  haywood,brendan......42%   5%  2.56  - 8  6.9
vasquez,greivis......23%  12%  1.90  + 7  5.5  marion,shawn.........52%  14%  0.62  +10  5.1
henry,xavier.........10%  18%  1.39  - 8  2.6  mahinmi,ian..........19%  19%  0.70  - 4  3.2
haddadi,hamed........10%  28%  0.44  - 1  1.3  stojakovic,peja......23%  16%  0.00  - 6  0.0
arthur,darrell.......29%  12%  0.26  - 3  0.9  jones,dominique......(DNP)  
selby,josh...........(DNP)                     beaubois,rodrigue....(DNP)  
PACE: 90.5          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%  PACE: 90.5          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%
GRIZZLIES........  119.4 .531  .190 .077 .165  MAVERICKS........  116.1 .507  .167 .122 .160

---

LAKERS 116, NUGGETS 102: The marquee game of the night saw the league's last unbeaten team in Denver heading to the Staples Center to face the powerful Lakers in what would have been the featured late game on ESPN. The fun started early, with Denver going on a 10-0 run to go up by eight and L.A. answering with a seven-point run of its own. The Nuggets went ahead by as many as nine in the second quarter but Derek Fisher's three brought the Lakers within two at the break. It was nip-and-tuck through the third before Ty Lawson's three capped a 9-2 burst for Denver. Matt Barnes opened the fourth quarter scoring with a hoop, tying the game, and capped a six-point run with a layup to put the Lakers up by five. Los Angeles pulled away from there, leading by as many as 15 down the stretch, and dealt Denver its first defeat of the season. The Lakers outscored the Nuggets 41-25 in the fourth quarter. Kobe Bryant led the way with 34 points and Pau Gasol added 32. Lawson scored 27 on 9-of-12 shooting for Denver.

STRAT-O-MATIC BOX SCORE
DENVER                      32 21 24 25  102
LOS ANGELES L               27 24 24 41  116

                 ----FG--- ---3PT--- ---FT---       REBOUNDS
NAME        MIN  MD AT PCT MD AT PCT MD AT PCT +/-  OF DF  T AS PF ST TO BK PTS
A.AFFLALO    34   2  6  33  0  3   0  5  6  83 -15   1  5  6  2  5  0  1  2   9
N.HILARIO     6   1  1 100  0  0      1  1 100   4   0  2  2  1  1  0  1  0   3
D.GALLINARI  26   7 17  41  4 13  31  2  3  67 -15   0  0  0  2  4  1  2  0  20
A.MILLER     32   8 16  50  0  0      0  0      -1   0  3  3  8  1  1  2  0  16
K.FARIED     32   2  6  33  0  0      2  2 100  -2   2  6  8  2  3  0  0  0   6
T.LAWSON     30   9 12  75  4  5  80  5  6  83 -12   1  3  4  3  3  1  2  0  27
A.HARRINGTON 20   2  9  22  0  3   0  1  4  25 -14   3  5  8  1  2  0  2  0   5
G.FORBES      2   0  0      0  0      0  0      -3   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   0
C.ANDERSEN   24   1  3  33  0  0      4  6  67  10   3  5  8  0  0  1  1  5   6
T.MOZGOV      7   0  0      0  0      0  0     -11   0  0  0  0  1  0  2  1   0
K.KOUFOS      6   1  1 100  0  0      1  2  50 -14   0  2  2  0  0  0  2  0   3
J.HAMILTON   21   3 10  30  1  4  25  0  0       3   1  2  3  3  1  1  1  1   7
DENVER       48  36 81  44  9 28  32 21 30  70      11 33 44 22 21  5 16  9 102
                 ----FG--- ---3PT--- ---FT---       REBOUNDS
NAME        MIN  MD AT PCT MD AT PCT MD AT PCT +/-  OF DF  T AS PF ST TO BK PTS
P.GASOL      45  11 20  55  0  0     10 12  83   6   3  5  8  1  2  1  1  4  32
K.BRYANT     44  13 27  48  0  4   0  8 10  80  13   0  5  5  9  1  2  1  0  34
R.ARTEST     30   3 10  30  2  3  67  2  3  67   7   0  5  5  3  2  0  1  0  10
D.FISHER     35   7 11  64  2  3  67  2  2 100  17   0  5  5  4  3  0  1  0  18
A.BYNUM      21   4  8  50  0  0      1  1 100   2   3  4  7  0  4  2  0  0   9
L.ODOM       17   0  1   0  0  0      0  0      14   0  5  5  5  4  3  2  0   0
S.BLAKE      13   0  3   0  0  2   0  0  0      -3   0  1  1  3  1  0  0  0   0
S.BROWN       2   0  0      0  0      0  0      -2   0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0   0
M.BARNES     18   5  9  56  1  2  50  0  0      12   1  3  4  1  3  0  0  0  11
D.CARACTER    9   1  3  33  0  0      0  0       2   3  1  4  1  2  0  1  1   2
D.EBANKS      2   0  0      0  0      0  0      -2   0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0   0
T.RATLIFF     4   0  0      0  0      0  0       4   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   0
LOS ANGELES  48  44 92  48  5 14  36 23 28  82      10 34 44 28 22  8  8  5 116

DENVER                      LOS ANGELES L
     Fast Break Pts  28          Fast Break Pts  20
  Second Chance Pts  13       Second Chance Pts  15
Points in the Paint  16     Points In the Paint  34
       Biggest Lead   9            Biggest Lead  15

BASKETBALL PROSPECTUS BOX SCORE
DEN (4-0)...........PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR  LAL (4-2)...........PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR
lawson,ty............63%  24%  1.70  -12 27.3  bryant,kobe..........92%  31%  1.14  +13 35.7
gallinari,danilo.....54%  35%  0.98  -15 18.1  gasol,pau............94%  24%  1.19  + 6 26.9
miller,andre.........67%  24%  1.12  - 1 16.5  fisher,derek.........73%  14%  1.67  +17 17.4
hamilton,jordan......44%  22%  0.92  + 3  9.0  artest,ron...........63%  16%  1.11  + 7 11.5
afflalo,arron........71%  11%  1.08  -15  8.3  barnes,matt..........38%  21%  1.28  +12 10.4
andersen,chris.......50%  11%  1.47  +10  7.6  bynum,andrew.........44%  16%  1.17  + 2  8.0
faried,kenneth.......67%   8%  1.34  - 2  7.0  odom,lamar...........35%   6%  2.08  +14  4.6
harrington,al........42%  28%  0.53  -14  5.7  caracter,derrick.....19%  18%  0.91  + 2  3.0
hilario,nene.........13%  17%  1.47  + 4  3.2  blake,steve..........27%   8%  0.86  - 3  1.7
koufos,kosta.........13%  28%  0.77  -14  2.8  brown,shannon........ 4%  23%  0.69  - 2  0.7
forbes,gary.......... 4%  24%  0.00  - 3  0.0  ebanks,devin......... 4%  21%  0.00  - 2  0.0
hamilton,jordan......(DNP)                     ratliff,theo.........(DNP)  
PACE: 96.7          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%   ACE: 96.7          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%
NUGGETS..........  105.4 .500  .244 .165 .136  LAKERS...........  119.9 .505  .233 .083 .127

---

SCORES, STANDINGS, SCHEDULE & LEADERS

               SCORING AVERAGE     REBOUNDS⁄GAME       FIELD GOAL PCT
TEAM WON LOST  ------------------- ------------------- -------------------
BOS    4   1   D.NOWITZK DAL 31.3  K.LOVE    MIN 13.4  N.HILARIO DEN .735 
PHI    3   2   K.DURANT  OKC 31.2  A.BOGUT   MIL 12.3  C.JENKINS GSW .659 
NYK    3   2   L.ALDRIDG POR 31.0  K.GARNETT BOS 11.8  D.HOWARD  ORL .636 
NJN    3   2   M.ELLIS   GSW 28.8  K.HUMPHRI NJN 11.8  T.CHANDLE DAL .634 
TOR    1   4   L.JAMES   MIA 28.7  A.VAREJAO CLE 11.6  E.OKAFOR  NOH .622 
TEAM WON LOST
CHI    3   2   FREE THROW PCT      THREE POINT PCT     ASSISTS⁄GAME
DET    2   2   ------------------- ------------------- -------------------
IND    3   3   D.WRIGHT  GSW1.000  A.AMINU   LAC .667  S.NASH    PHX 14.0 
CLE    2   3   G.HILL    IND1.000  E.ILYASOV MIL .667  R.RONDO   BOS 11.4 
MIL    2   4   K.IRVING  CLE1.000  K.DURANT  OKC .649  C.PAUL    NOH 10.4 
TEAM WON LOST  S.JACKSON MIL1.000  T.LAWSON  DEN .647  R.WESTBRO OKC  9.8 
MIA    5   1   C.BOSH    MIA .964  M.BIBBY   MIA .625  A.IGUODAL PHI  9.6 
ORL    4   2
CHA    2   2   STEALS⁄GAME         TURNOVERS⁄GAME      BLOCKS⁄GAME
ATL    2   3   ------------------- ------------------- -------------------
WAS    0   4   R.RONDO   BOS  2.8  R.RONDO   BOS  4.6  A.STOUDEM NYK  3.0 
TEAM WON LOST  R.WESTBRO OKC  2.7  D.COUSINS SAC  4.5  T.DUNCAN  SAS  3.0 
SAS    4   1   T.ALLEN   MEM  2.6  J.WALL    WAS  4.2  J.McGEE   WAS  2.8 
MEM    3   2   L.JAMES   MIA  2.3  D.ROSE    CHI  4.2  M.GORTAT  PHX  2.7 
DAL    3   3   R.GAY     MEM  2.2  J.JOHNSON ATL  4.0  S.IBAKA   OKC  2.7 
NOH    2   3
HOU    2   3
TEAM WON LOST
DEN    4   1
MIN    3   2
OKC    2   4
POR    1   4
UTA    1   5
TEAM WON LOST
PHX    5   1
LAL    5   2
GSW    3   3
LAC    2   4
SAC    1   5

DATE  YESTERDAY'S SCORES        HIGH POINTS      HIGH REBOUNDS   HIGH ASSISTS
----  ------------------------  ---------------  --------------  ------------
11⁄11 LAL 116 vs DEN 102        K.BRYANT 34      Multiple 8      K.BRYANT 9
11⁄11 GSW 103  @ NOH  99        D.WEST 34        D.WEST 9        C.PAUL 9
11⁄11 BOS  96 vs LAC  87        B.GRIFFIN 24     K.GARNETT 15    R.RONDO 11
11⁄11 MEM 108  @ DAL 105        D.NOWITZKI 42    T.CHANDLER 13   M.CONLEY 9
11⁄11 PHI  89 vs MIL  79        A.BOGUT 20       Multiple 15     S.JACKSON 9
11⁄11 MIA 104 vs NJN  90        L.JAMES 36       C.BOSH 12       D.WILLIAMS 9
11⁄11 PHX 115  @ IND  99        Multiple 22      J.FOSTER 9      S.NASH 12
11⁄11 MIN 113 vs SAC  88        K.LOVE 25        K.LOVE 15       T.EVANS 9
11⁄11 ATL 116 vs UTA  88        A.HORFORD 22     J.SMITH 12      E.WATSON 7
11⁄11 ORL 140 vs WAS  94        D.HOWARD 43      D.HOWARD 16     J.WALL 9

TODAY'S SCHEDULED GAMES
-----------------------
BOSTON (4-1) at CLEVELAND (2-3)
DETROIT (2-2) at PORTLAND (1-4)
GOLDEN STATE (3-3) at HOUSTON (2-3)
INDIANA (3-3) at NEW YORK (3-2)
NEW ORLEANS (2-3) at SAN ANTONIO (4-1)
PHOENIX (5-1) at MILWAUKEE (2-4)
SACRAMENTO (1-5) at CHICAGO (3-2)
TORONTO (1-4) at MEMPHIS (3-2)
UTAH (1-5) at CHARLOTTE (2-2)

GLOSSARY
+/- (Plus-Minus) Raw data is from official box scores from NBA.com.
GR (Game Rating) Reflects a player's Points Created total, or the portion of his team's offense for which he gets credit based on his box score line. This number is then adjusted for estimated defensive performance based on box score counterpart productivity. GR is pace-adjusted so you can compare players from game to game.
PCP (Points Created Per Possession Used) An estimate of each player's points created per possession used, a measure of offensive efficiency. The stat accounts for a player's entire box score line, not just the scoring categories.
PLY% (Play percentage) An estimate of the percentage of a team's possessions on which the player was on the court.
USG An estimate of how many of those plays a player used by shooting, going to the line or committing a turnover, with a portion the team's offensive rebound total subtracted.
TEAM STATS
PACE: Estimated possessions in the game.
ORTG: A team's points per 100 possessions.
eFG%: Team's shooting percentage with an extra half-point added for each made three-point field goal.
oRB%: Percentage of a team's misses that they retrieved off the offensive glass.
TO%: Percentage of a team's possessions resulting in a turnover.
FTA%: Percentage of a team's possessions resulting in a trip to the foul line.

Bradford Doolittle is an author of Basketball Prospectus. You can contact Bradford by clicking here or click here to see Bradford's other articles.