Amar'e Stoudemire played nasty "D" and "O", Jeremy Lin showed off his driving and passing skills and a fan cashed in big with one heck of a shot during this week in NBA action.
In Orlando on Thursday, DeMar DeRozan put the capper on a nail-biting 97-95 Toronto Raptors win over the Orlando Magic when he sealed the deal with a buzzer-beating, game-winning jumper to give Toronto the win.
The same night, the grudge match between the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics at TD Garden in Boston ended with a thrilling 89-86 Knicks win behind Carmelo Anthony's 28 points and Amar'e Stroudemire's 15 points that included a block on Jared Sullinger followed by a monster dunk.
And on Friday, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Martin combined for 64 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder won their eight game in 10 contests beating the Sacramento Kings 105-95. Kevin Durant highlighted the game with a steal that followed with a coast-to-coast dunk.
That same night, Lin scored 13 points, including one on a smooth passing sequence as the Rockets crushed the Hornets 100-82 in New Orleans. And one lucky fan in Miami took home $75,000 after making a half-court shot as the Heat beat the Detroit Pistons 110-88.
Latinos Post runs down the Top Five Plays of the NBA this week:
5. Jeremy Lin plays "Around the World" on New Orleans
The Rockets were able to get a much-needed win over the New Orleans Hornets on Friday with a 100-82 victory. Jeremy Lin helped in the effort with 13 points, two of them coming in a beautiful second quarter sequence where the Rockets moved the ball from Lin to Chandler Parsons to Carlos Delfino and back to Lin again for a driving layup that extended the Rockets lead to 41-36.
See the full play at the 16-second mark via ESPN's link.
4. Amar'e Stoudemire dunks after blocking Jared Sullinger
The six-time NBA All-Star Stoudemire showed that he's still a force to be reckoned with during the New York Knicks' 89-86 victory over the Celtics in Boston on Thursday. Watch Stoudemire block a shot in the second quarter and finish it up with a strong slam to the hoop.
3. Kevin Durant goes coast-to-coast on Sacramento
Durant helped the Oklahoma City Thunder roll to a 105-95 win over Sacramento on Friday with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Two of those points came on this coast-to-coast jam in the third quarter.
2 . DeMar DeRozan hits Game Winning Jumper at the Buzzer
In a down-to-the-wire finish in Orlando on Thursday, with just over four seconds left in the game, Toronto's DeRozan came through with a clutch, buzzer-beating jumper over two defenders to give Toronto a 97-95 win over the Magic.
1. A Fan Cashes In Big with a Half-Court $75,000 Shot
For Miami Heat fan Michael Drysch, it was a night he'll not likely soon forget. Not only did he have a chance to see his hometown Heat beat the Pistons 110-88 in Miami, but he also had a chance to make some loot--$75,000 worth, that is.
Drysch sunk a half-court shot during a break at the end of the fourth quarter to win the Heat's $75,000 "Half-Court Hero" contest. And an exhilarated Drysch was also tackled to the ground in celebration by an ecstatic LeBron James for his triumph. Truly, for Drysch, it was a shot that literally comes along once in a lifetime.