NBA Monday Recap: Calderon Makes Detroit Debut, Lebron’s Almost Perfect And More

With 16 teams in action tonight, we’ve got plenty of action to wrap up on Fansided tonight.

• Tonight’s most impressive performance came from the NBA’s most impressive player. In a clincher against the Charlotte Bobcats, Lebron James shot 13-14 from the field, draining all of his shots save for a lay up that could have easily been called a foul. He finished the game with 31 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists, which included this monstrous alley-oop dunk that capped off a 10-0 run for the Miami Heat. All thanks goto @AndrewLynch for the video. Bryan Wendland of Roberto Gato caps it up here.
• Demarcous Cousins found himself ejected at half-time in an overtime affair between the Utah Jazz and the Sacramento Kings. Despite a monster double-double from Jason Thompson, a steady effort from the Jazz, including 41 bench points gave them the victory. Robert Gillis of Golden Gate Sports breaks it down.
• In a clash between Central Division rivals, an uncharacteristic offensive outburst from the Indiana Pacers allowed them to capture a win against the hobbled Chicago Bulls. Joshua Santos over at Pippen Ain’t Easy takes us through the game.
• The Minnesota Timberwolves mounted a furious fourth quarter comeback against the Portland Trail Blazers tonight but they couldn’t finish the deal. Mike Acker of Rip City Project admirably tries to explain the unexplainable Blazers in this recap. 
• Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook did what they do in Dirk’s return. The Thunder easily put away the Mavericks thanks to a second quarter surge. Here’s a recap via Trennise Ferreira of Thunderous Intentions.
• In a defensive grind-out, the Philadelphia 76ers managed to dismantled the already hobbled Orlando Magic, winning 78-61. John Adair of the Sixer Sense reminds fans that “a win is a win.”
• The Chris Paul, Blake Griffin deprived Los Angeles Clippers dropped a game to the Washington Wizards tonight despite Jamal Crawford’s 28 points off the bench. A steady effort and some luck from beyond the arc helped the Wizards come out victorious.
• Last but not least, Jose Calderon made his debut as a member of the Detroit Pistons tonight, reminding all of us that just because your point guard gives you an open shot it doesn’t mean that you have to reward him with an assist. All jokes aside, hopefully the beating the Pistons took at the hands of the New York Knicks isn’t reflective of how the rest of his tenure with Detroit will go.  Cole Patty shares his take at Life on Dumars.