BEYOND THE BOX SCORE - November 12

Wizards 110 San Antonio 95 – Impressive Washington win … Eddie Jordan is the best unknown coach in the NBA …. I have never been a Larry Hughes fan so I am not convinced they really lost that much in the off-season … Arenas is ready to be the best point guard in the NBA, 43 points on 15 of 20 shooting against the Spurs is about as big as you can get … Tim Duncan went just 3 of 18 …. It is really shocking anytime a team shots 55% against the Spurs. Plus, they hit 7 of 14 from 3 and the Spurs are the best 3 point defensive team in the NBA,

Phoenix 101 Golden State 86 – Have you been watching Boris Diaw. This guys is becoming a stud in the Phoenix system after tooling in Atlanta doing nothing. He was right on a triple double the other night and tonight he had 8-12-5 …. Barbosa has exploded in the last week and started next to Nash. He is averaging 20 in his last 3 games. He is the replacement to Q. Richardson.

Memphis 85 Atlanta 84 – Memphis wins on a buzzer beating tip in by Gasol … Bobby Jackson started in place of Damon Stoudamire who is hurt … Atlanta closed with Marvin Williams and Salim Stoudamire on the floor …. Atlanta is 0-6 … Shane Battier had 22 points I never thought he could score consistently in this league. If he has added that to his game he becomes one of the better players in the game, because he is so terrific with every intangible.

Miami 108 Charlotte 99 – Miami lead by 26 going into the 4th quarter. In other words this was a blow out …. Emeka Okafor went 0 for 7. He got a free pass last year on how bad his offensive game was and probably won a rookie of the year he didn’t deserve. It is becoming time to really analyze how bad his offensive game is. His points per shot attempt rate is awful. His amount of shots considering how poor his efficiency is makes him one of the worst in the league. For a first pick of a draft and a cornerstone to a franchise his game should be much better… He only goes to the free throw line about 4 times a game and shoots only 44%. It is hard to find power forwards with numbers that poor.

Dallas 109 NOK 103 – Defense was optional both team shot over 50% ….. Chris Paul had a great game shooting 10 of 14 from the field … It is worth watching what opposing point guards do to Jason Terry. I am not sure if there is a trend but let’s keep an eye on it …. I am still really curious about Dallas they are getting lots of minutes from non-scorers.

Houston 99 New Jersey 91 – Look at Houston now that McGrady is back. Nothing quite like having 35 points re-inserted into the line-up …. Yao Ming had 2 rebounds in 22 minutes. How is that possible? …. Luther Head is getting more and more minutes for Houston …. A bad two game stretch for the New Jersey Nets …. The Nets slip to 3-4 and I really thought they were going to be good this year. At this rate they will still win the Atlantic division …. Is this the Vince Carter factor kicking in.

Chicago 103 Utah 98 – Is any team more dependent on one player then Utah on Kirilenko Last season, when he got hurt they fell apart and they fell apart defensively. They literally went from one of the best to one of the worst. Thus, far this year they have been very good defensively until tonight when Kirilenko gets hurt and they let Chicago shoot 55% and hit 10 of 19 from 3. It is hard to fathom that one player makes this big a defensive issue, but Kirilenko seems to. …. Utah’s guards suck … Kirk Henrich, one of my favorites had a great night, 19-2-1 …. Chicago’s bench shot 20 of 28.

Milwaukee 103 Indiana 102 – Another good win for the Bucks …. Bobby Simmons went just 5 of 16. It is the nightly who did Ron Artest shut down tonight stat. Artest kils the other team’s small forward every night …. The Pacers are a totally different team when Jamal Tinsley is hurt and doesn’t play. The problem is he never stays healthy …. The game had 45 free throws attempted in the 4th quarter. The Pacers hit just 15 of 26 … Mo Williams hit a 3 pointer to win it … Pacers were up 11 …