LeBron, D-Wade Take Out James Harden; Wizards Upset New York

In last June’s Finals, James Harden and LeBron James spent long portions of the action guarding each other. It probably was a big part of why the Beard struggled so badly, and was definitey fuel for his haters to use against his status as a potential franchise player. After watching the Heat’s 114-108 win over Houston last night, it was either an overrated factor, or Harden has gotten a lot better. James and Dwyane Wade were both unstoppable, combining for 63 points. But Harden often looked like the game’s best player, going off for 36 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Amazingly, Harden might get more superstar calls than ‘Bron, getting tick-tack calls on jump shots, and then going into the lane and just running people over and not getting a whistle on him. Dwyane Wade must’ve been pissed like, “How you gonna steal my boys like that?” … We’re going to roll out a “Who’s Better?” later this week on this argument, but we’ll throw it out there anyway – who would you take right: Harden or Wade? … One night after being a part of the problem in Brooklyn’s epic meltdown, Brook Lopez (17 points) manned up, and scored the four biggest points in the Nets’ three-point win over Detroit. He lost his matchup with Greg Monroe (23 points, 10 boards), but Monroe also missed a huge free throw in the last minute, and after Will Bynum couldn’t hit a potential tying three-pointer in the last five seconds, Lopez walked out with the win … Halfway through the fourth quarter of their eventual six-point win over the Blazers, Dallas unleashed a game-deciding run behind O.J. Mayo (28 points), which was expected, and Shawn Marion, obviously unexpected. The Matrix had it going, continuing a run that’s seen him turn back the clock over the past two weeks. He had the Dallas announcing team hitting the high notes … The NBA released some more news regarding All-Star Weekend in Houston. Alicia Keys will be the sole headliner of the game’s halftime show (she’s never a disappointment), while Ne-Yo will take control during the pregame routines. John Legend will take care of the national anthem (that should be awesome), and Gloria Reuben will sing the Canadian National Anthem. But perhaps the biggest announcement is that Nick Cannon will host All-Star Saturday Night, apparently taking the place of Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith. Do we really need a celebrity to host the dunk contest? Hopefully the TNT guys stick around – they’re the best part … And ESPNLosAngeles.com reports Pau Gasol has a tear in the plantar fascia of his right foot, an injury he suffered on Tuesday against Brooklyn. If that’s true, that’ll leave the Lakers really shorthanded (especially if Kobe assassinates Dwight Howard for not playing through his own injury). Robert “Imhotep” Sacre might be the only one who can save them now … Keep reading to hear about Kevin Garnett’s big finish in Toronto …

Thanks to their surprising 10-point win over the Knicks, the Wizards are now the only team outside of Boston to have beaten New York, Miami, Chicago, Oklahoma City and the Clippers this season. Washington matched the Knicks all game behind John Wall (21 points, nine dimes), and then in the fourth quarter, they started going off from distance. Over the first half of the fourth quarter, they shot 8-for-10 and had zero turnovers. You know when Chris Singleton bangs a clutch three that it’s just your night. Then there was Trevor Ariza and Martell Webster, who combined for 49 points and 10 three-pointers. Remember how Ariza used to have that uncanny ability to come out of nowhere and be in the perfect position at the perfect time? He left that out in Texas somewhere before coming to D.C., but last night he had a couple of his patented steals, a couple of surprising offensive rebounds, and finished with maybe his best game of the season … Halfway through the fourth quarter, Toronto had the Celts on the ropes in a close game. Their only problem? They were fooled by Kevin Garnett, who reached deep into his holster and pulled out a performance that reeked of 2005. While scoring 11 in the final period, Garnett (27 points, a season-high, and 10 boards) scored in virtually every way possible, giving the Raptors entire team the business. Jonas Valanciunas was only safe because he couldn’t get off the bench … Still, for as much work as Boston put in, the Raptors did themselves in. Down three in the last 30 seconds, they got a stop, secured the rebound, and then the exchange between Amir Johnson and DeMar DeRozan was fumbled out of bounds. Then on their next possession, down four, Rudy Gay (25 points, 12 boards) missed an open layup. Typical Raptors … Indiana put the clamps on Philly, 88-69. Somehow they looked like the fresher team despite this being their third straight night with a game. George Hill (15 points) must’ve hit a half dozen floaters, and Sixers’ color guy Malik Rose told a story about how every day after practice when they were together in San Antonio, Hill would practice that shot with a broom stick. Philly could’ve used that help last night … In other storylines from last night: Cleveland put a hurting on the Bobcats by 27, and were led by 22 from Kyrie Irving; Eric Bledsoe exploded for 23 points and six steals as the Clippers beat Orlando, 86-76; Jeff Teague had another big night (22 points, 13 assists) in Atlanta’s easy 103-92 W over Memphis; Kevin Durant (25 points) and OKC destroyed the Warriors by 21, the second night in a row Golden State has taken a beating on the chin; Greivis Vasquez went for 19 points, 12 dimes and four steals as New Orleans finished off the Suns, 93-84; Al Jefferson dropped his customary 19 and 11 in Utah’s 14-point smackdown of Milwaukee; and Tony Parker and Danny Green combined for 59 points in San Antonio’s 104-94 win in Minnesota … We’re out like celebrity hosts.

For breaking news, rumors, exclusive content, and contests sent right to your inbox, sign up here for the Dime Email Newsletter.

Follow Dime Magazine on Twitter

Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook

×