The Philippine Online Chronicles

The NBA saw two blowouts and a couple of nail-biters Monday night, as some of the world's best basketball players took to the hardcourt in 6 games. A handful of young guards made their presence felt with big games, while a few of the league's established stars reminded everyone why they're marquee players. Here's a look at the night's contests:

New York Knicks 94, Philadelphia 76ers 84

You might want to add Toney Douglas to the list of this season's top rookie point guards. Douglas had another productive night in his second game as a starter for the New York Knicks, leading his team to a 10-point victory over the Philadelphia 76ers with 20 points, 7 assists, and 3 steals. Sophomore forward Danilo Gallinari complemented Douglas' play with 21 points of his own, while David Lee pulled down 16 rebounds in the win. The Sixers' own rookie guard, Jrue Holiday, had a good evening of his own, notching 18 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. Andre Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert seemed to devour every rebound between the two of them, grabbing 17 and 18 boards, respectively. As both teams find themselves on the fast track to the off-season, New York and Philadelphia took the opportunity to check out what their draftees had in the tank; clearly, they weren't disappointed.

Detroit Pistons 93, Boston Celtics 119

It was a perfect contrast – the Boston Celtics were finally getting back to full health, while the Detroit Pistons continued to fall apart. The Celtics had all five of their regular starters together, a rarity in a season plagued with injury. The Pistons, on the other hand, saw another one of their starters hit the injured list as an inadvertent knee from Jason Maxiell sent Tayshaun Prince to the locker room in the first quarter. Without Prince, Rodney Stuckey, and Ben Wallace in the active roster, the Pistons were easy prey for a resurging Celtics lineup. All five of the Celtics' starters played less than 29 minutes as Boston ran away for the win. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen paced their squad with 15 points apiece, and new acquisition Michael Finley chipped in 15 of his own for the Celtics, who currently occupy the 4th spot in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.

Denver Nuggets 123, Houston Rockets 125

Carmelo Anthony was on fire Monday night; unfortunately for the Nuggets, the Houston Rockets were hotter. The high-scoring backcourt tandem of Kevin Martin and Aaron Brooks combined for 60 points, while forward Luis Scola added 23 more as the Rockets edged the Nuggets, 125-123. The offensive showdown saw Carmelo Anthony dropping 45 points on the Rockets, but failed to connect on a game-deciding 3-point attempt at the final buzzer. Anthony's miss was especially painful due to the fact that the Nuggets had come back from a 16-point deficit in the first half, only to lose on a Brooks jumper with 3 seconds left on the clock. The loss loosens Denver's grip on the 2nd seed in the Western Conference Playoffs, with the Dallas Mavericks only half a game behind them. Houston, meanwhile, looks to build on the upset for a late-season push into the final Playoff spot.

Washington Wizards 89, Utah Jazz 112

Carlos Boozer and the Utah Jazz were exhausted walking into Monday's game against the Washington Wizards; it was their fifth game in just seven days. It didn't seem to matter, however, as Boozer's 23 points and 9 rebounds helped the Jazz rout the Wizards by a 23-point margin. Deron Williams chipped in with 17 points, and distributed the wealth with 11 assists. Wesley Matthews, who was coming off a 29-point explosion in the Jazz's last game, scored a modest 12 this time around. Andray Blatche led the Wizards with 24 markers and 6 boards, but it seemed nobody else came to play for the Wizards. Mike Miller was the team's next-highest producer, tallying 14 points and 10 rebounds. D-League call-up Alonzo Gee came in third with a paltry 10 points. Utah remains in the 4th spot of the Western Conference with the win, 2 games away from the 3rd-seeded Dallas Mavericks.

New Orleans 108, LA Clippers 100

Baron Davis put out a performance that reminded the league why he was considered one of the NBA's top guards. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to give the Los Angeles Clippers a victory over the New Orleans Hornets. Davis dropped 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting, and dished out a season-high 17 assists in the loss, which came in large part from Hornets big man Emeka Okafor's stymieing defense on Clippers center Chris Kaman. Kaman was pestered all night, and ended up shooting a horrible 3-of-15 from the field to go along with a measly 3 rebounds. Okafor, on the other hand, notched a double-double with 12 points (on 6-of-9 shooting) and 14 rebounds. David West led the Hornets in scoring with 24 points on top of 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Rookie Darren Collison continued to revel in his position as a starter, drilling in 18 points and distributing 14 assists. The Hornets swept the season series against the Clippers with the win.

LA Lakers 124, Golden State Warriors 121

For the Los Angeles Lakers, it was a game of possessions. The defending champions almost gave up an upset to the Golden State Warriors, turning the ball over 24 times in one of their sloppiest games in recent history. Fortunately, a dominating 56-25 rebounding advantage proved to be just enough for them to hold on for the win. Andrew Bynum was a force inside the paint, scoring 19 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. Lamar Odom came off the bench to add 17 and 12 of his own. Kobe Bryant led the team in scoring with 29 points. Guard Stephen Curry continues to make his case for the Rookie of the Year plum, going off for 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists, with zero turnovers. The points didn't come in when the Warriors needed them the most, however, as both Curry and Monta Ellis missed their potentially game-tying attempts in the game's final seconds.

Screencap from "Aaron Brooks hits game-winning shot to beat Nuggets", originally uploaded by clutchfansDOTnet.