NBA Week 11 Rewind: The Spurs are the class of the NBA

The Key Games and Results of Week 11

This game was all about the thrilling overtime periods. The Mavs won every quarter until the Kings took the fourth 28-20 thanks to a layup from DeMarcus Cousins at the final buzzer to force OT, and from then on it was easily one of the best games of the week.

Dirk Nowitzki made clutch shot after clutch shot down the stretch and finished with 23 points, while Deron Williams looked renewed with strong drives to the basket, vital jumpers and 25 points.

So, how impressive was it that the Mavericks won this game? They were down by seven points with 1:20 to go, yet somehow they did it.

Down 116-111 with just 27 seconds left, Dirk buried a quick three in transition. As the Kings had a chance to seal the deal, Darren Collison put up an air ball instead, leaving the Mavs with 1.5 seconds to make something happen. And they made some magic happen.

Deron Williams received the inbound, pump-faked Rudy Gay out the way, and buried this shot as he fell backwards into the stands:

The Clippers entered this game with more momentum than they should have. Despite being on an eight-game win streak, they were (and still are) without their All-Star power forward Blake Griffin. Yet, to balance things out in that aspect of the contest, the Pelicans also didn’t have their All-Star power forward Anthony Davis.

This still should have been an easier game for the Clippers, though, considering that the Pelicans are only 11-25 and if you take Davis away they only get worse. The rest of their team is far from playoff caliber, but some fatigue on the second day of a back-to-back and cold shooting late in the game took away the Clippers’ lead.

The Pelicans jumped out early to win the first quarter 24-19 and extended their lead to 11 in the second. Then, as the Clippers suddenly got a host of defensive stops and started dictating the pace on offense and hitting shots, they went on a 21-3 run to drop 37 points in the second quarter. They continue in the third, although as they failed to score a basket during the final six minutes of regulation, the Pelicans clawed their way back.

As Jrue Holiday got fouled on a last second three-point attempt by Austin Rivers, he went to the line and buried all three shots. With that, we had overtime.

When OT struck, the Clippers pulled themselves together. Along with a bit of luck as New Orleans missed multiple open shots to give themselves a chance to take the lead, Wesley Johnson put the Clippers ahead with a big three. Then, to extend the lead to five and seal the deal with just a minute left, Paul buried a fading three.

Especially as it was unexpected, even halfway through the game, this match-up delivered some of the best NBA action on Sunday night.

Both these teams have gone 5-5 over their last 10 games, neither are higher than 6th in their respective conferences, and neither have been able to successfully rely on superstar play to make them look like contenders. Of course, the Pacers have had convincing moments this season thanks to their defense and Paul George, but he can’t do it alone and ranking 16th in the NBA in offensive efficiency can only get you so far.

As for James Harden, his inefficient spells also aren’t enough, especially when the Rockets’ defense has been so poor and Ty Lawson has been a total failure in Houston.

They looked like this lackluster, 8th seed-worthy team on Sunday night. And until the fourth quarter which the Rockets claimed 29-16, they would have easily gone home.

With 14 points from George in the third quarter, the Pacers were able to maintain a double-digit lead and looked in control. Half way through the fourth, that lead extended to 12 after Jordan Hill threw down a powerful dunk. This lead should have ended the game. At least, it might have if it wasn’t for Harden driving well to the rim and Trevor Ariza burying two big threes, including one with 17 seconds left to tie the game at 93.

As Monta Ellis missed an attempted 20-footer to win the game for his Pacers, the game proceeded to overtime.

In OT, the Rockets followed Dwight Howard’s presence in the paint (21 points, 17 rebounds for the night) and took a 105-103 lead as Corey Brewer drained a corner three. After Ellis had another big opportunity to tie the game but missed a driving floater, the Rockets won the overtime period 14-10 and took home the win to extend their current win streak to three.

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