RealGM Wiretap
Only three games were on the schedule in the NBA on Thursday night, but each matchup brought something special to the table.
Larry Brown made his coaching debut in Charlotte, while Rick Carlisle stood on the sidelines in Dallas for the first time. In addition to those headlines, Chris Paul and Steve Nash did battle as the Suns hosted the Hornets.
LeBron James just missed a triple-double on Thursday night as the Cavaliers downed the Bobcats in Cleveland. James had 29 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists and Daniel Gibson scored 25 points off the bench in the win. The Cavs outrebounded the Bobcats by twelve and limited Charlotte to just 33% shooting from the field. Jason Richardson scored 24 points in the loss, while rookie D.J. Augustin had 12 points and 2 assists in his professional debut.
Game FIC Scores
LeBron James, Cleveland ? 17.0
Daniel Gibson, Cleveland ? 15.4
Mo Williams, Cleveland ? 14.3
Jason Richardson, Charlotte ? 13.5
The Rockets used an eleven-point advantage in the four quarter to erase a slight deficit and defeat the Mavericks in Dallas. Yao Ming had 30 points and 13 rebounds and Ron Artest tallied 29 points and 6 rebounds in the victory. Both teams took good care of the ball, but the Mavs made just 41% of their shots, including a 4-for-16 mark from behind the three-point line. Dirk Nowitzki scored 36 points and Josh Howard contributed 28 points and 11 rebounds, but Dallas crumbled in the final twelve minutes.
Game FIC Scores
Yao Ming, Houston ? 27.0
Jason Kidd, Dallas ? 22.8
Josh Howard, Dallas ? 22.6
Tracy McGrady, Houston ? 16.6
The Hornets used a strong first half to notch a victory over the Suns at the U.S. Airways Center on Thursday night. Morris Peterson scored 21 points and Chris Paul tallied 20 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds. Phoenix made 54% of their shots, but they turned the ball over twenty-four times and New Orleans hit thirteen three-pointers. Steve Nash had 24 points and 9 assists and Amare Stoudemire tallied 21 points and 12 rebounds in the loss.
Game FIC Scores
Chris Paul, New Orleans ? 19.8
Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix ? 16.0
Morris Peterson, New Orleans ? 15.8
Steve Nash, Phoenix ? 14.1
? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)
( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.
It is also used to rank players and to determine their `Reina Value.'
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