Another night, another overtime for **Mario Chalmers** (Miami Heat).
After playing 34 minutes in an overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, Chalmers found himself playing 40 minutes in a 95-89 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. He scored 18 points (6-13, 4-10 three-pointers) with four rebounds, five assists and just one turnover ([full stats here][1]).
Chalmers bookended the game with a series of big shots. He came out firing from the start, taking three threes (sinking two) and assisting on another basket in the first four minutes, which gave him a hand in eight of the Heat’s first 10 points. Then, in the last two minutes of overtime, with the Clippers up four, Chalmers put up another set of triples. He hit one with 1:25 left, which cut L.A.’s lead to one point. After the Clippers scored on a layup at the other end, Chalmers missed a game-tying three-pointer with 15 seconds left, and the Heat ended up losing by six.
Chalmers’ three-pointer in overtime was Miami’s only made field goal in the last 12 minutes of game time (since LeBron James hit a shot with 7:31 left in the fourth quarter) and the only points scored by the Heat in the overtime period.
Even Chalmers’ other made three pointer was notable. It was a buzzer-beating shot with two seconds left in the half. ([Sound familiar?][2])
[ESPN.com’s Tom Haberstroh graded Chalmers’ overall performance][3]:
>Give Chalmers credit. The Heat point guard was the unlikely leading scorer for much of the game and provided a rare calming presence out front. It’s true that Chris Paul had a huge game, but that’s not all on Chalmers. The 3-point shot from the corner in overtime was huge, but didn’t change the outcome.
If you’re curious, Wednesday’s performance earned Chalmers an A- on ESPN’s “Heat Index” grading scale.
I don’t know how ESPN scores alley-oop dunks, but I’d give this assist an A+:
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Wednesday recap
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– **Paul Pierce** (Boston Celtics) shot the ball just five times for seven points on Wednesday in a 90-85 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. He added five rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes ([full stats here][4]).
Pierce made his only three-point attempt, a game-tying shot with 25 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki scored and was fouled on the next possession, putting Dallas ahead for good.
After the game, [ESPNBoston.com’s Jackie MacMullan wrote about Pierce][5]:
>… the captain was, for the most part, ineffective. Pierce had his first real practice just two days ago, so there’s hope as he rounds himself into basketball shape in the wake of a cranky achilles that some of Boston’s offensive woes will dissipate.
>That’s what it has come down to after less than a month of this lockout-pocked season: hoping Pierce re-discovers his mojo in time to salvage his team’s psyche.
>Until he does, Boston doesn’t have enough answers when talented players like Dirk Nowitzki deliver for their team with the game on the line, like he did Wednesday night.
– **Nick Collison** (Oklahoma City Thunder) scored eight points with three assists and, surprisingly, no rebounds in 21 minutes against the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday. The Thunder won, 95-85 ([full stats here][6]).
– **Cole Aldrich** (Oklahoma City Thunder) rejoined the Thunder after a one-game absence for personal reasons. [The Oklahoman’s John Rohde reported that Aldrich was visiting his grandfather in Minnesota][7]:
> “He’s not doing very well,” Aldrich said of his father’s 83-year-old father. “I was satisfied with going home and seeing him, spending as much time as I could with him. It’s one of those hard things you go through and basketball helps get it off your mind.”
Aldrich did not play on Wednesday night (coach’s decision).
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Other notes
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– **Greg Ostertag** (NBA D-League – Texas Legends) scored 10 points with eight rebounds and two blocks on Wednesday in Las Vegas. Ostertag played 21 minutes and put up a quality +22 plus-minus as his team won, 98-95 ([full stats here][8]).
The official D-League website (same link as above) included this fun fact in its recap of Wednesday’s game:
>Greg Ostertag once made a substantial living banging in the low post with the likes of Patrick Ewing and Anthony Mason. Today, he’s five years removed from his last NBA game, running up and down the court with their sons – Anthony Mason Jr. and Patrick Ewing Jr. of the Sioux Falls Skyforce, attempting a comeback.
– If you want to show off your inner stat geek (and your love for a former Jayhawk), then [this **Nick Collison** t-shirt][9] might be for you.
– Speaking of **Collison**: In the last blog, I linked to a tweet from the Oklahoman’s Darnell Mayberry, which said “It’s really a joy to watch Nick Collison play basketball.” [On Wednesday, Mayberry elaborated on that thought][10]:
> You don’t have to be a basketball purists to appreciate how Collison just plays the right way. If you were playing pickup, you’d want Collison on your team every game. That’s because he’s the type that does all the things no one else wants to do, while also playing with selflessness that allows you to jack up as many shots as your out-of-shape self can handle. It’s nothing new, but Collison is standing out more and more by setting sensational screens that free up Westbrook, Kevin Durant and James Harden, he’s rebounding with ferociousness, diving on the floor and taking charges. Now, Collison is turning heads with his passing. He had a season-high three assists against Memphis, becoming one of the few Thunder players who willingly made the extra pass, finding Harden and Reggie Jackson on the wing for open jumpers and Westbrook for a layup. I’ve said elsewhere that Serge Ibaka is a starter in name only now, much like Thabo Sefolosha. And that is partly due to Ibaka’s ineffectiveness but mostly due to Collison’s all-around effort and ability.
– **Xavier Henry** (New Orleans Hornets) is still a week away from his New Orleans debut, [according to Hornets coach Monty Williams][11]. Henry has been out since early December when he sprained his ankle in Memphis.
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Jayhawks in upcoming NBA games
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**[Thursday, Jan. 12][12]**
– 7 p.m., **Drew Gooden** and the Milwaukee Bucks vs the Detroit Pistons
– 7 p.m., TNT, **Josh Selby** (likely DNP) and the Memphis Grizzlies vs. the the New York Knicks
– 8 p.m., **Markieff Morris** and the Phoenix Suns vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers
– 9:30 p.m., TNT, **Brandon Rush** and the Golden State Warriors vs. the Orlando Magic
[1]: http://www.nba.com/games/20120111/MIALAC/gameinfo.html?ls=gt2hp0021100153#nbaGIboxscore
[2]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E84y-SrwUtA
[3]: http://espn.go.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/notebook/_/page/heatreaction-120111/miami-heat-los-angeles-clippers
[4]: http://www.nba.com/games/20120111/DALBOS/gameinfo.html?ls=gt2hp0021100146#nbaGIboxscore
[5]: http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/id/7453593/the-celtics-looked-old-slow-sloppy-vs-mavericks
[6]: http://www.nba.com/games/20120111/OKCNOH/gameinfo.html?ls=gt2hp0021100148#nbaGIboxscore
[7]: http://newsok.com/thunder-notebook-scott-brooks-preaching-to-kendrick-perkins-about-technical-fouls/article/3639663
[8]: http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20120111/SXFTEX/gameinfo.html?ls=gt2hp2021100395
[9]: http://www.treeandleafclothing.com/dailythundercom-apparel/collision
[10]: http://blog.newsok.com/thunderrumblings/2012/01/11/five-thoughts-from-tuesdays-game/
[11]: http://www.nola.com/hornets/index.ssf/2012/01/recently_acquired_henry_appear.html
[12]: http://www.nba.com/gameline/20120112/
