Three interesting games took place tonight. Let’s have a look at the results:

Orlando Magic @ Utah Jazz 111 - 120
This was a big match, Orlando is the 2nd force in the Eastern Conference behind Boston and the phenomenal NBA Finalist of last season; Utah is the 6th force in the Western Conference and has a 10-3 record at home. Orlando started strong and dominated the first half and closed the halftime with a 8-point advantage. The Jazz took control early in the third quarter. Utah completely erased what was an 8-point first-half deficit with two 11-1 runs in the third quarter; The Jazz took their biggest lead of the game when Miles hit a jumper with 5:57 left to put Utah up 105-89
The men of match:
• Deron Williams: 32 points, 15 assists, 8 rebounds. Almost a triple double for the Illinois kid, maybe the best playmaker of the league;
• Carlos boozer: 20 points, 14 rebounds and the 6th double double in the last 7 matches;
• CJ Miles: 22 points in 27 minutes for CJ, at the 5th match after the recovery from the injury which burnt the first month and a half of his season.
With such a team, coach Jerry Sloan can look at the future with confidence.
Notable players for Orlando:
• Vince Carter: 34 points and 6 rebounds, but a pretty poor 9-23 shooting;
• Matt Barnes, Ryan Anderson, JJ Redick: they came off the bench to score 43 points combined.


Boston Celtics @ Washington Wizards 104 – 102
Boston’s ninth straight victory and Orlando’s defeat at the same time has given to Garnett and teammates the best record in the Eastern Conference. The game was really balanced and the final was uncertain until the end; Washington physical predominance was a real nightmare for Boston, and the victory came up just in the last minutes of the game. The Celtics used their best weapon to get the match: just as they have done for the better part of the season, the Celtics took their defense to another level.
"We had opportunities. We can't shoot 63 percent from the free throw line against great teams," Washington coach Flip Saunders said of his team. "We can't give up layups. We played good defense in the second half that put us in position, but you can't give up a dunk with the score tied 98-98."
Notable players:
• Rajon Rondo: double double for the quick playmaker, 21 points and 11 assists
• Kevin Garnett: 17 points and a terrific defensive intensity
• Gilbert Arenas: 25 points and 8 assists. Agent 0 is back!


Denver Nuggets @ Detroit Pistons 99 – 101
On paper, the injury-depleted Pistons seem to be overmatched every game. On the court, Detroit keeps receiving unlikely contributions and blindsiding unsuspecting opponents. And also this night, without four key players, the Pistons stretched their winning streak to four games by knocking off Western Conference power Denver 101-99. Carmelo Anthony scored 40 points, 16 in the 4th quarter, but that was not enough to beat the Motown team, with the unbelievable Villanueva and the strong rebounding performance of Big Ben Wallace. Denver play was approximate and inaccurate (15 turnovers), maybe the team was tired due to the long road trip they’ve been on. However, we will see a better Denver for sure.
Notable players:
• Charlie Villanueva: 27 points starting off the bench;
• Ben Wallace: 16 rebounds (6 offensive) and a strong presence in the paint;
• Jonas Jerebko: the rookie from Sweden is showing off some skills and he is filling the hole left by Prince with dignity;
Carmelo Anthony: 40 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists. Nothing new, he is a hell of a player and a solid candidate to the NBA MVP award.