Where Love Goes For 30/30 and 40! (Day 18)

Kevin Love was an absolute monster on the boards tonight as he recorded 31 points and 31 rebounds (hasn't been done in 28 years!) with 5 assists, a trey and a block to help his Wolves rally against the Knicks to win, 112-103. Also, to note: Love played 41 minutes tonight- the first time this season where he topped the 40 minute threshold. And look what happened! Take note, Coach Rambis! Michael Beasley continued his scoring rampage to the tune of 35 points on 16-29 shooting, with 6 boards, 4 assists, 2 treys, 2 steals and a block. As to the go-to for Minny, which lacks decent basketball players, it looks like Beasley's going to put up a bunch of points going forward. As for the Knicks, Raymond Felton (22, 3 and 8, with 3 treys and 2 steals) and Wilson Chandler (17, 6 and 7, with 2 treys, a steal and 5 blocks) continued their early season success.

Russell Westbrook (36 points on 12-22 shooting, 1-1 trey, 11-12 free throws, with 7 boards, 7 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks) should start entering discussions of who belongs among the best point guards in the L. Because he is a freak. And he has vastly improved year after year. And this season, he's shown marked improvement at the free throw line, and he is someone to be reckoned with. Which makes the Thunder that much dangerous, especially with Kevin Durant (34 points on 13-21 shooting, 3-6 treys, 5-6 free throws, with 4 boards, 3 assists, and a block) on the wing. The Thunder once again narrowly beat the Blazers on national TV, 110-108. The Blazers were led by guards Andre Miller (19, 4 and 10) and Brandon Roy (24, 4 and 1, on 9-17 shooting).

Steve Nash absolutely destroyed the Kings for 28 points on 13-18 shooting, with 7 boards and 14 assists, to lead the Suns to a 103-89 victory. The Kings were led by Tyreke Evans (18, 7 and 9, with 3 steals) and Carl Landry (20 and 11, on 7-14 shooting).

Gerald Wallace (25 points on 9-15 shooting, with 14 boards, an assist, a trey, 2 steals and 2 blocks) and Boris Diaw (19, 5 and 5, on 8-10 shooting) came to life to lead the Bobcats over the Wizards, 93-85. The Wiz were led by their young duo of Andray Blatche (22, 9 and 2, on 10-21 shooting) and John Wall (13, 4 and 11, with 4 steals).

Deron Williams (24, 5 and 10, on 9-19 shooting, with a trey and 2 steals) yet again led the Jazz to a comeback victory over the Hawks, 90-86. Honestly, I watched this game, and I had no doubt in my mind that the Jazz would win. They looked so confident in the fourth, while Atlanta looked desperate as they tried to avoid losing their fourth in as many games. Josh Smith (20, 13 and 5, on 8-11 shooting, with a trey and 2 blocks) kept Paul Millsap (a quiet 11 points on 5-9 shooting, with 6 boards, an assist, a steal and 2 blocks) in check, and Joe Johnson scored 23 points on 10-17 shooting, but too much D-Will tonight. Oh, by the way, Al Jefferson (15, 10 and 6) is starting to look a bit more comfortable. Funny thing I noticed: When Smoove made a three tonight, the Atlanta crowd hardly cheered his made shot. It was as if they didn't want to encourage him to keep shooting those.

Charlie Villanueva (30 points on 9-15 shooting, 5-7 treys, 7-8 free throws, with a board, an assist and a steal) led the Pistons over the Clippers, 113-107, who got productive lines out of Blake Griffin (18 points on 8-15 shooting, with 18 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and 2 blocks), Eric Gordon (28, 3 and 5), and Eric Bledsoe (18, 6 and 5, on 6-10 shooting, 6-6 free throws, with a steal and a block).

And Brad Miller (23 points on 9-16 shooting, 3-3 treys, with 8 boards, 5 assists, a steal and only 1 turnover) started in Yao Ming's absence to lead the Rockets over the Pacers, 102-99. For Indiana, Roy Hibbert (18 points on 8-14 shooting, 2-2 free throws, with 8 boards, 3 assists, and 2 blocks) had a decent outing yet again as he continued his most-improved-player campaign.