SOMETHING HAD TO GIVE 
: The Rockets didn't have Dwight Howard, Patrick Beverley or Terrence Jones, and yet they kept things close with the Warriors. Houston had an eight-point lead at half and it was tied 82-82 with six and a half minutes left in the game. That's when Stephen Curry decided enough was enough, and Golden State went on a 14-2 run in which the point guard had 12 of the points and assisted on the other bucket.
Curry is a remarkable basketball-playing human and he wound up with 34 points, 10 rebounds (!), five assists and four steals. The Warriors are 5-0, the Rockets are 6-1.
CANAANBALL : Isaiah Canaan performed admirably in Beverley's absence, making three of his seven 3-point field goals and finishing with 21 points in 39 minutes. With Trevor Ariza and Kostas Papanikolaou ice cold, he was a huge part of how Houston remained competitive. So was Donatas Motiejunas, who had 16 points and eight boards off the bench.
ALL ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY: Atlanta came in on the second night of a back-to-back after a double-overtime game in Charlotte Friday night, and their legs looked sapped for 2.5 quarters. The Knicks got trounced by Brooklyn the night before, but they came out hot. New York shot 59 percent in the first half, getting to the rim and relying on typical Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith shots.
Unfortunately, as it has been said so many times, it's just not sustainable. First half vs. second-half numbers:
So... that's not idea. Of particular note is that 6-of-9 on mid-range shots. That well dries up in a hurry, and when you defend like the Knicks do...
That happens.
And then that happens.
It's a prety good win for the Hawks who continue to get good stuff from Jeff Teague. The Knicks were on a back to back but it seems to be more and more of a trend that they are not quite as "not that bad" as they looked that first week. They've had opportunities this week and squandered them.
NO SHELTER HERE 
: The Pacers continue to be scrappy, but they also continue to be bad. The bright spot in their loss to the Wizards Saturday? Solomon Hill made huge strides, and looked great. The Pacers fought back after being down 32-14 at the end of the first, but just didn't have the closer, since all their good players are injured. It's a bummer to watch them fight so hard without having any real hope. Even the bad teams have definitive playmakers, even if inexperienced. The Pacers just don't have that guy. And Hibbert got hurt, because that's really what they needed.
THE HOT SAUCE ONLY BELONGS TO KYLE : Kyle Korver's bad defensive reputation is a myth. He's actually really solid, ever since he played under Thibs in Chicago. Everyone freaked out when he blocked Roy Hibbert last year, but he got three vs. the Knicks. He can do this stuff. Incluing this which snuffed out the Knicks' comeback hopes.
MINNESOTA MORALVICTORWOLVES : The Wolves started Zach LaVine in place of Ricky Rubio, and the Heat outscored them 29-13 in the first quarter. What looked like a chaotic, disastrous mess, however, turned into something encouraging. Minnesota fought back and trailed by four with under three minutes to go, but couldn't completely close the gap.
Shabazz Muhammed had 13 points in 11 minutes in the second half, which was pretty cool, but Mo Williams is now 5-for-27 in his last four games, which is not.
LUOL GETS FANCY : Deng dropped a diiiime:
STOPPER : James Harden did a defensive thing!
GIB, SON : Bulls big man Taj Gibson has always hated backboards, so he often tries to break them:
NEXT MAN UP : No Rajon Rondo, no Marcus Smart and Boston got a win on the road. Brad Stevens' club has been surprisingly fun, but I still wouldn't have bet on these guys even keeping it close with the Bulls. Sure, Chicago didn't have Derrick Rose, but you'd have thought the Celtics would struggle offensively. Instead, they put up 36 points in the second quarter and got a total of 37 out of Evan Turner and Kelly Olynyk. Sure!
DEATH, TAXES AND SMALL BULLS GUARDS : Aaron Brooks had 28 points on 9-for-15 shooting with eight dimes for Chicago. Do you think he and D.J. Augustin, Nate Robinson and John Lucas III talk? I hope so. I really do.
REDICKULOUS 
: J.J. Redick was pretty much perfect against the Blazers. He shot 11-for-13 from the field for 30 points in the Clippers' first impressive win of the season. Los Angeles won 106-102 despite giving up 38 first-quarter points and being mostly unable to stop Damian Lillard, mostly because of Redick's heroics.
He also did this:
KAWHYYYYYYY 
: Why, San Antonio, must you wear these monstrosities? There is no acceptable answer. Blaaargh.
BOBO THE MAGICIAN : Boris Diaw made Anthony Davis look silly. You have to love him.
LINE OF THE NIGHT -- Anthony Davis : 27 points, 11 rebounds, one assist, six blocks, four steals, 10-for-17 FG, 7-for-8 FT and a 100-99 win over the defending champs on the road. Oh, and the Brow also had the game-winner:
BUCKED : The Grizzlies took a six-point lead into the final frame in Milwaukee, but they weren’t ready for Giannis Antetokounmpo. The forward scored 12 of his team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter, playing primarily at power forward where Zach Randolph could not handle his quickness. Hey Giannis, how do you feel about dealing Memphis its first loss of the year?
KNIGHT TIME: While Antetokounmpo was the player of the game, Knight made the winning bucket:
