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The Fast Break: How the Cavs, Pistons and a ref sunk to new lows

Wednesday's busy night in the NBA produced some great games, some exciting finishes and some water cooler storylines for this morning. But two teams and one official sunk to new lows amidst all the thrilling action.

First and foremost, just when you thought the Cavaliers couldn't get any worse, couldn't get any less inspiring and couldn't get any more dysfunctional, they take a home loss against one of the worst, most depleted Lakers lineups ever.

Giving up 70 first half points to that lineup and getting stomped on in front of your home crowd when you should be playing desperate basketball is bad enough, but being unable to pull off the comeback when the Lakers were so shorthanded - down to the minimum of five available players - that a fouled out player had to remain on the floor and a resting Steve Nash had to head back to the locker room to suit up? That is a totally new level of low, even for the Cavs.

Asking Luol Deng to make a difference in this sideshow is asking too much.

As for the Pistons, they continue to be one of the Eastern Conference's many hot messes, losing a not so competitive game to a Magic squad that came into the contest at 13-37 and whose only wins in the New Year came against the Bucks, Lakers and Celtics.

Detroit is now two games behind eighth-place Charlotte in the East, and if you're wondering which one of Detroit's unconscious chuckers was the goat between Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings, it was the point guard this time around. Jennings finished with 15 points and 10 assists, but took 23 shots despite making only five of them while Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe combined for just 21 field goal attempts. Deee-troit Basket-balll!

Lastly, about that official. The Raptors were simply outworked and outplayed for more than three quarters of their highly anticipated matchup with the Kings, and they trailed by 22 in the fourth quarter until a furious rally had the deficit down to six in the final minute. Then Kyle Lowry hit what looked to be an and-1 three-pointer to potentially cut the Kings lead to three or even two with 25 seconds remaining.

Instead, referee Michael Smith called one of the most ludicrous offensive fouls you will ever see, followed by a technical foul on Lowry for literally running away from the play without saying a word to the officials:

You can probably expect an NBA admission of error some time soon, especially since the game marked Adam Silver's first in attendance as commissioner. For what it's worth, the Kings also had a 51-24 free throw advantage over the Raptors.

About last night...

Lakers 119, Cavaliers 108 - Steve Blaked played the hero for the shorthanded Lakers with a triple-double of 11 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds.

Spurs 125, Wizards 118 (2-OT) - Tim Duncan had 31 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals in a Spurs win that saw Tony Parker leave early with back tightness.

Magic 112, Pistons 98 - Detroit's loss means there are now more Eastern Conference teams at least 10 games below .500 (seven) than there are East teams at .500 or better (six).

Celtics 114, 76ers 108 - Jeff Green's 36 points and eight assists helped the Celtics to their second straight win and helped the Sixers to a big loss in their quest for tank positioning.

Trail Blazers 94, Knicks 90 - The Knicks have now lost three straight to fall 2.5 games out of a playoff spot.

Pelicans 105, Hawks 100 - Anthony Davis had 27 points and 10 rebounds on 9-of-14 shooting in the win.

Rockets 122, Suns 108 - Dwight Howard had 34 points and 14 rebounds on a night that also saw him go 12-of-18 from the free throw line.

Thunder 106, Timberwolves 97 - Kevin Love missed the game after his nasty spill on Tuesday night.

Mavericks 110, Grizzlies 96 - The Grizzlies could have moved slightly ahead of the Mavs in win percentage for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West, but instead they now sit two games back.

Nuggets 110, Bucks 100 - Ty Lawson had 18 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds in the win, while Larry Sanders finally came through for the Bucks with 25 points and 15 rebounds.

Kings 109, Raptors 101 - Rudy Gay got the best of his former team in Round 1, posting 24 points, 10 rebounds, four steals, three assists and a block.

Heat 116, Clippers 112 - LeBron James and Blake Griffin combined for 74 points, 23 rebounds and 18 assists in game that basically devolved into their own personal highlight factory:

***

Line of the night: Blake Griffin - 43 Pts (16/34 FG, 1/3 3PT, 10/17 FT), 15 Reb, 6 Ast, 4 TO in 42 mins.

Play of the night:

***

On tap tonight: This week's Thursday night TNT doubleheader features the Nets hosting the Spurs in the early game (Tony Parker will join Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard on the sidelines for this one) before the Warriors play host to the Bulls later on in the evening.

No Paul yet: While it was originally believed that Chris Paul could make his return to the Clippers lineup tomorrow night against the Raptors, Doc Rivers has said that while CP3 is getting closer to a return, it won't be on Friday night. The Raptors and Paul-less Clippers did play what turned out to be an instant classic just last Saturday.

Lillard joins dunkers: Damian Lillard, who may be taking part in every component of All-Star weekend, has reportedly already accepted an invitation to the dunk contest, joining defending champion Terrence Ross, as well as potential participants Paul George and John Wall.

Swaggy MRI: Nick Young is scheduled to undergo an MRI today after twisting his left knee against the Cavs last night, with 'Swaggy' expected to miss at least one game. Seeing a team play as shorthanded as the Lakers are right now loses its luster pretty fast after the initial humor of watching an NBA team with no subs passes, but for Lakers fans who know deep down a tank is what this franchise really needs right now, they may not be too worried about the results of these piling injuries.

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