Luis Scola Has 44 Points Against Nets

Luis Scola easily surpassed his career high with 44 points last night against the New Jersey Nets. The Rockets power forward hit 20-of-25 shots and added 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Scola has been hot as of late scoring ate least 19 points and grabbing double digit rebounds in each of the last five games.

It was the second straight win for the Rockets and put them five games behind Portland for the number eight seed in the Western Conference. With only eighteen games to go, it is very unlikely that they have any chance of making it to the NBA Playoffs this season.

Scola is used to big games like this in international play, he is one of Argentina’s top players. However he has not had nearly this type of success in his NBA career. Generally for the Rockets he does a little of this, and a little of that. Scoring when they need him to only. In this game they needed him to score early and often.

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Dirk Nowitzki Big As Mavs Push Streak To 12

Dirk Nowitzki recovered from two quick fouls and ended up with 24 points and 6 rebounds. The Mavericks have now won 12 straight games and are just one win away from Lebron James and the Cavaliers NBA best 13 game streak this season. The Mavs next two games are against the Nets and the Knicks, so they should easily push their streak to 14.

Nowitzki is taking a career low 1.4 three point shots per game this season. He has been playing a lot more in the paint and shooting a lot of mid range fade away shots. With the push for the number two seed in the West, you have to give him some consideration for NBA MVP.

Shawn Marion had the best game of his season with 29 points, 14 rebounds and 3 steals. Marion is now averaging 2.4 steals per game over the last five. That is exactly what the Mavericks wanted when they traded for him in the off-season.

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NBA Player Profile: Yi Jianlian

Yi Jianlian was the sixth player chosen in the 2007 NBA draft. He is currently considered a bust, but he has shown promise this season. At 22 years old he still has time to prove that the Milwaukee Bucks were wise in drafting him and that the New Jersey Nets were wise in trading for him.

Strengths: He has good shooting touch for a seven-footer and is very athletic. His free throw percentage is around 80 percent which is also very good for a guy his size. He has had stretches where he looks like a future star. He is still young and has time to develop.

Weaknesses: He has been very inconsistent so far in his career and has shown an inability to stay healthy. His rebounding is sub-par for a seven foot power forward, but then again he plays a lot on the perimeter. His shot selection is very questionable, which shows in his career field goal percentage (just over 40%).

Our Opinions

James: I’m really pulling for this guy. He has so much global appeal and means a lot to the growth of the NBA in China. I think that if he ever gets healthy that he could average twenty points a game and get close to double digit rebounding every night. I think he can become a poor man’s                     Dirk Nowitzki, though he does need to improve his post play.

George: Bust, bust, bust, bust, bust. How can you say it any other way. He is a streaky shooter who couldn’t tell a good shot from a bad one if they were labeled. James’ fascination for foreign players is the only reason Yi is even one of his favorite NBA players. He may be able to become a 15 point scorer in the league, but he was the sixth pick, he should be able to do better.

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NBA Daily: 1-23-10

NBA Stars Of The Night

Lebron James, Cleveland. So close to another triple double, the “King” had 37 points, 9 rebounds and 12 assists. With Mo Williams out of the line-up for about a month, his assist numbers should average close to double figures while he’s out. Lebron also had a huge block at the end of the game to secure their win versus the Thunder.

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City. That block by Lebron was on Durant, had the Thunder forward made that shot, they may have upset the Cavaliers. He had 34 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Keep an eye on this match-up, I could see a Cleveland vs Oklahoma City NBA Finals sometime in the future if they keep their teams together.

Dwayne Wade, Miami. Wade was the “do-all” again in this game. He had 27 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 blocks. It will be interesting if he can keep up the pace necessary to maintain the number 5 seed, where they could possibly face the very vulnerable Orlando Magic.

NBA Dud Of The Night

New Jersey Nets. It almost looks like this team is quiting on their season. In their latest 30 point loss, not one single Nets player had more than 6 rebounds or assists. These guys aren’t even trying right now, which is too bad for a team that has Brooke Lopez and Yi Jianlian, two players with a lot of upside.

International Player Of The Night

Carlos Delfino, Argentina. The Bucks forward scored 24 points on 11 shots. He also threw in 8 rebound, 8 assists and 2 steals. Delfino has now scored over 20 points in three of the last five days.

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