Tuesday Wake n Break

*Orlando took an early lead over the Bucks with 10 points after the first quarter, expanding that on a big 4-point-play from JJ Redick (this guy is still in the league?). Some big 3-pointers from Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu, gave the Magic a 58-47 lead at the half, despite foul trouble from Dwight Howard, who had to leave the first half with 7 minutes remaining and already accumulating 3 fouls. Both the Magic and the Bucks had possible injuries, with Jameer Nelson and Andrew Bogut leaving in the second half, and not returning. More on those injuries should develop throughout the day. Richard Jefferson led the Bucks with 25 points, but more importantly with some big plays and buckets at the end, bringing the lead down to 3. But it wasn’t enough and usually isn’t when you’re going up against Dwight Howard getting 24 points, 13 rebounds and 6 blocks (!). Superman Duex really acted Shaq in this one, going a horrible 10-20 from the free throw line. I thought Dwight would get up to around 65-70% FT shooting, but thus far his Superman Duex nickname is looking pretty dead on. Magic 108, Bucks 101

*The game of the night was in Miami, with Dwayne Wade and Michael Beasley hosting the Rockets for a superstar showdown. Lot of action from Beasley in the first half, getting up 13 shots, hitting 6, but was held to only one more FG for the rest of the game, and only 14 points. Also in the first half 8 guys from Houston were able to get on the board, showing great ball movement and shooting over 50% total. Yao Ming finished the game with 28 points, 12 boards, 4 assists, shooting 10-11 from the line, but with zero blocks or steals. A 7-footer playing 35 minutes should really get at least one block or steal. D. Wade’s awful shooting night (7 for 23) didn’t help Miami, and Houston cruised to a victory. Rockets 107, Heat 98

*Another awful shooting night from the Sixers, shooting under 40% for the night. The Sixers lost to the Bobcats last night, which is totally unacceptable based on the preseason talk of them competing for a championship. It was decently close after the first half, with Yahoo having the score at 41-39 and ESPN having the score at 41-41 (interesting..). The real men of the night were DJ Augustin and Raymond Felton who are no doubt fighting to kept heir starting spots when Jason Richardson comes back from injury (also interesting…). Both guards went 8-11 from the field, finishing with 25 (DJ) and 23 (Raymond). Bobcats 93, Sixers 84

*It started off close in Utah, with the Jazz and Bulls each at 26 after the first quarter. It was all Derrick Rose for most of the first half, tearing the Jazz apart with 7 for 10 shooting, 4 assists, and 0 turnovers. Quite impressive for a young guard to have such a good ball-control in the first half, against the tough-guy Jazz, on their own court. Joakim Noah got the start today, presumably to go out after Mehmet Okur at the 3-point line (since Carlos Boozer joined Deron Williams on the bench with a quad injury). Well, that didn’t work very well, with Memet going for 16 in the first half, finishing with 26 overall. Drew Gooden had a matching 16 at the half, but only getting 2 points afterwards. The Jazz’ ball movement really outshined Derrick Rose and Co, going 30-18 overall in assists. Ridiculous ending to this game, with the lead changing back and forth, and coming down to one shot at the end… a Derrick Rose juke to get open and clang off the rim with only 2 seconds remaining. Wait for it....But Larry Hughes got the offensive rebound, got up in the air, and drained a long two-pointer to win the game at the buzzer. Larry Hughes! Congrats; You get 2 more minutes per game for your winning shot, then a trade after Hinrich comes back. Yay! Bulls 101, Jazz 100

*The San Antonio Spurs visited the Memphis grizzlies last night, looking like a matchup between old and young, this generation vs the future. San Antonio had good control over this game, despite leading at halftime by only 5. Roger Mason was bringing the rain from downtown, hitting 5 three pointers, finishing with 18 points total. OJ Mayo was shooting well, again playing 43 minutes (!), shooting the rock 21 times, hitting 10 of those. OJ finished with 26 points, hitting all 5 of his free throws. The rest of the team didn’t have a good shooting night, with the team finishing at 39%, led by Rudy Gay’s awful night, going 6 for 19. Tonight was Manu Ginobili’s debut for the season, and Coach Pop brought him off the bench, where he might or might not continue to do so when Tony Parker comes back. Manu came in and produced right away, scoring 11 points in 12 minutes (!). I actually considered at some point that the Spurs might not make the playoffs this year, but with Manu back earlier than expected, looking this good (3-4 from the field and 5-6 from the line), they not only look like a playoff team, but with a healthy Tony Parker should be a contender for a championship. For Memphis, it was nice to see young star OJ Mayo after the game, discussing the loss with maturity and addressing Tim Duncan as “Mr. Duncan” showing great respect for his elders and the game. Spurs 94, Grizz 81