Where Blake Griffin's Talent Is Going To Waste (Day 26)

It's really a shame that Blake Griffin plays for such a lousy organization. He has terrible team-mates, a terrible coach, terrible broadcasters (no relation to his game), and overall terrible luck. If only another team won the lottery 2 summer ago. On a night when Griffin explodes for 44 points on 14-24 shooting, with 15 boards, 7 assists, 2 steals and a block (and a couple highlights), the Clippers still lose (it wasn't even close), 124-115, to the Knicks. Eric Gordon (25 points on 11-20 shooting, 3-3 free throws, with 4 assists, a steal and a block) was efficient from the field, I guess, but the Knicks' trio of Amare Stoudemire (39 points on 14-24 shooting, with 11 boards, 2 assists, and 2 blocks), Danilo Gallinari (31 points on 7-11 shooting, 4-6 treys, 13-13 free throws, with 4 boards, 2 assists, and 4 steals, with only 1 turnover), and Raymond Felton (20, 3 and 7, with 3 treys, 7 steals, and a block) consistently got whatever shot they wanted, whenever they wanted, wherever they wanted, with minimal resistance (The Clippers are dead last in the NBA in defensive efficiency) en route to their third straight victory.

Al Horford (20 points on 10-12 shooting, 20 rebounds, 5 assists, a steal and 3 blocks, with no turnovers) and Josh Smith (21 points on 10-19 shooting, with 5 boards, 6 assists, and 5 steals) continued to be brilliant for the Hawks, but Atlanta fell to the Mavericks, 98-93. It's really a shame that the Hawks' guards are so terrible, because Horford and Smith are probably two of the best defensive players in the league (not just in collecting steals and blocks, but they alter a ton of shots, force turnovers and hustle- all without fouling) and extremely efficient on the offensive end as well.

The Charlotte Bobcats had a field day against the Suns- defeating them, 123-105- who were again missing Steve Nash. Stephen Jackson led the way with 24 points on 10-13 shooting, 4-7 treys, with 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Talk about contributing everywhere. Boris Diaw (26 points on 11-17 shooting, 4-8 treys, with 2 boards and 6 assists) dropped bombs on his former team, Tyrus Thomas (22 points on 9-13 shooting, 4-4 free throws, with 6 boards and a steal) was efficient, and D.J. Augustin (16 points on 6-10 shooting, 4-5 free throws, with 6 boards, 5 assists, and no turnovers) was probably happy to have avoided guarding Steve Nash tonight. For Phoenix, Goran Dragic (17, 4 and 10, with a trey and a steal, and no turnovers) tried his best Nash impersonation but failed to lead the Suns to a W.

LeBron James (29 points on 11-23 shooting, 2-4 treys, 5-6 free throws, with 3 boards, 11 assists, and a steal) and Chris Bosh (20 points on 8-14 shooting, 1-1 trey, with 10 boards and 2 steals) tried to carry the Heat with Dwyane Wade (wrist) sidelined, but Miami fell to the Grizzlies, 97-95, on a buzzer-beater by Rudy Gay (15, 8 and 2), who had struggled all night against James' defense. Zach Randolph led the Grizz with 21 points on 8-14 shooting, with 13 boards, an assist and a block despite coming off the bench (for coming late), and Eddie House took advantage of Wade's absence to score 20 points on 7-13 shooting, 6-9 treys, with 1 rebound, 4 assists, and a steal, with no turnovers.

Al Jefferson (20 points on 8-13 shooting, 4-4 free throws, with 14 boards, 2 assists, a steal and 2 blocks, with only 1 turnover) led the Utah Jazz to a comeback victory over the Blazers, 103-94. C.J. Miles had a season-high 25 points on 8-13 shooting, 7-10 treys, 2-2 free throws, with 5 boards, an assist, and a steal. For the Blazers, LaMarcus Aldridge (24, 11 and 2, on 10-21 shooting, 4-4 free throws) and Andre Miller (15, 5 and 9, with 4 steals) carried the offense with Brandon Roy still out.

Carmelo Anthony (28 points on 11-25 shooting, 6-6 free throws, with 8 boards, 5 assists, and a steal, with only 1 turnover) showcased his talents against the Nets, as he led the Nuggets to a 107-103 victory. Nene Hilario chipped in 22 points on 5-11 shooting, 12-15 free throws, with 8 boards, an assist and a steal, with no turnovers. For New Jersey, Brook Lopez  had 20, 8 and 3, with a steal and 2 blocks.

With Kevin Durant (left ankle) and Jeff Green (left ankle, too) out for the second time in two games, James Harden (23 points on 6-13 shooting, 6-8 treys, 5-6 free throws, with 9 boards, 4 assists, and a steal) stepped up for the Thunder to lead OKC over the Bucks, 82-81. Milwaukee was led by Drew Gooden's 16 and 16.