Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard: Noticeable performances from 19th April NBA Playoffs games (Part 2)
Orlando Magic, 88 vs. Atlanta Hawks, 82
Howard’s magical game
On Tuesday night, Dwight Howard wouldn’t just get off the floor, not when he wanted to take the team to a much wanted first post-season victory. And he did. The mercurial
centre, who recently won the Defensive Player of the Year award for a third year running left the Atlanta Hawks bewildered, teammates inspired and the audience awestruck. Howard stayed on the court for full 48 minutes and literally cast a spell on the Hawks,
erupting with 33 points and a game high 19 rebounds.
He also spearheaded the defensive effort of the Magic, who let the opposition shoot just 39 percent from the floor. Choking life out of the Hawks, the player also made two
steals and blocked a shot.
Howard made 19 trips to the foul line and clinched 15 of those. He also finished with a 9-for-12 shooting from the field. Later, he said something that can be considered
quirky and sad at the same time.
"Like I tell everybody, I'll sleep when I die. That's when I'll take my rest. When they put me under the ground. But until then, while I'm on earth, I have to put in work.
If I have to play 48 minutes, I'll play 48 minutes. That's why they made these Gatorades."
Crawford rising for the Hawks
Jamal Crawford of the Atlanta Hawks clinched 25 points in 30 minutes off the bench. The player pinned three 3-pointers and added 6-of-7 free throws in the loss.
Horford’s lone double-double
Al Horford scored the only double-double form the Atlanta Hawks. He contributed 10 points to go along with 10 boards and also swatted two blocks in the loss.
Portland Trail Blazers, 89 vs. Dallas Mavericks, 101
Nowitzki’s game high 33
On Tuesday night, the sharp- shooting German forward Dirk Nowitzki breathed life into the Mavericks. The player clinched game high 33 points and grabbed seven rebounds to
marshal the Mavs to their second consecutive victory. Relying heavily on free throws, the 13 year veteran went 15-of-17 from the charity stripe. The player also grabbed seven boards to go along with four dimes while playing 37 plus minutes for the Mavs.
Mavericks’ bench
Peja Stojakovic came off Dallas’ bench early in the piece and simply set the court on fire. He clinched 21 points, with an 8-for-13 shooting and also posted five fantastic
three-pointers in 27 minutes. Jason Terry followed him with 10 points off the bench.
Kidd turning the game around
Jason Kidd gave the game a spectacular turn in the second half. The point guard clinched 18 points and dished out eight assists in 33 minutes of action. The player tossed
three 3-pointers and finished with a 7-of- 11 shooting from the field. It was his two three-pointers that paved the way for the Mavericks surge down the stretch as they steered through to an 88-80 lead over the opposition with just six minutes remaining on
the clock.