Every morning, we will give you five things from the night before in the NBA to start your day.
1: Here we go again
Three straight overtime games is not easy. Ask Chicago.
Having a chance to win — and doing so twice — is a nice thing. But it can be really tiring. You could see it as Chicago came down the stretch. Give the Bulls credit though, they continued to make plays.
They needed some fortune to have a chance but eventually the wild finish left Chicago coming up short 85-82 with some questions that perhaps need some answering.
Marco Belinelli played a critical role for the second straight night as one of his three field goals helped force overtime. Jimmy Butler stepped into Luol Deng's shoes to score 18 points, including some great hustle and defensive plays throughout the game.
That helped fuel a 17-point comeback for the Bulls in the second half to get to overtime. And there was gas in reserves after Memphis used its size with Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol to get a six-point lead in overtime. But up by only three points, Memphis inexplicably committed a 5-second inbounds violation, giving Chicago one last chance.
The overtime magic ran out and the Bulls lost at last.
2: A Wizard rises
Are the Wizards a tough out now? You have to really ask yourself as the Wizards, the team with the worst record in the NBA, continues to play extremely well especially since John Wall came back from injury.
Washington pushed the Los Angeles Clippers around at Staples Center on Saturdya night, before finally being outlasted 94-87. The Clippers though had doubts about whether they would win this game throughout.
Putting Washington away is no longer an easy thing to do.
John Wall scored 24 points and dished out six assists off the bench as he continues to work his way back from his preseason injury. Chris Paul was doing the same after missing three games with a bruised knee in scoring 22 points and recording 11 assists.
The final score and the closeness would surprise many casual fans though.
When you watch the Wizards now though you see a team with some veteran post players who can be efficient scorers in Nene and Emeka Okafor. Then you add back in John Wall, a dynamic point guard who can push the pace. Bradley Beal is getting comfortable in the NBA and is playing very well. Then Martell Webster emerges and, oh yeah, Jordan Crawford has missed several games with an injury.
There is talent in Washington despite the team's catastrophic record. The Wizards will remain a tough out.
3: HIGHLIGHTS!!!
Cousins' perfect bounce
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Yc8-VNWu_6g
Joakim Noah dunks on Z-Bo's ass
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hSQ7J3PcHII
Anthony Davis spikes it
http://youtube.com/watch?v=z7-VVKCZGg8
4: Line of the Night: Brandon Jennings — 30 points, 8 assists
The Bucks scored 62 points in the first half and held on for a 110-104 win over the Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden last night. And Jennings played about as well as everyone expects him to play. He scored 30 points and dished out eight assists for one of his better performances this season. The scoring point guard has had trouble with efficiency and consistency, but if he aims for games like this, he should have a nice career.
5: You can quote me on that
I've been preaching it for a long time. When we play together and pass the ball, we're a hard team to beat. As long as we do that, the sky's the limit for this team.
–Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins
He was the warrior that he is.
–Grizzlies coach Lionell Hollins on Zach Randolph's 13 points and 19 rebounds
