Stephen Curry had 18 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists against Philly. (GETTY IMAGES)

Four games were on the docket Monday, with the headliner being Houston and Dwight Howard returning to L.A. to play the Clippers.

Early foul trouble for Dwight (three in the first quarter) diminished his minutes and production —he played under seven minutes in the first half — and enabled the Clips to produce an offensive explosion in a 137-118 victory.

Chris Paul had 17 assists to go with 23 points, while the Clippers’ two sharpshooters, J.J. Redick (26 points) and Jamal Crawford (21 points), did their thing as well. With Dwight (13 points, nine rebounds, one block) muted, no Rocket stepped up to fill the void as James Harden’s numbers (15 points, five assists, 6-for-16 shooting) were pedestrian, though forward Omri Casspi had one of the better games of his career (19 points, nine rebounds, four assists).

Minnesota went into Cleveland undefeated at 3-0, but a Kevin Love trey attempt at the buzzer missed, and Cleveland handed the T-Wolves their first loss of the season, 93-92.

C.J. Miles of all people led the Cavs in scoring with 19 points in 18 minutes off the bench, while Kyrie Irving had a solid, well-rounded effort with 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Love had 17 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, but made just eight of 20 shots from the field. Kevin Martin led Minnesota with 23 points.

The Warriors went into Philly and ended the 76ers’ undefeated run, 110-90 as Steph Curry had his second career triple-double and Andre Iguodala, drafted by the 76ers ninth overall in 2004, scored 32 points. This was Iggy’s first 30-point game since scoring 33 on April 3, 2010 — a ridiculous effort that also included eight rebounds, 11 assists, and 5 steals. Michael Carter-Williams (18 points, six rebounds, four assists) struggled from the field as she shot just 4-for-17. Evan Turner (18 points, seven rebounds) led Philadelphia.

Finally, the Grizzlies used a balanced scoring attack to defeat Boston, 95-88, in Memphis. Marc Gasol (14 points, eight rebounds), Conley (15 points, eight assists) and Randolph (15 points, seven rebounds) led the Grizzlies, while Jeff Green scored 22 for the Celtics.

The Michael Jordan Award  — Stephen Curry — 18 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists, 5 steals, 1 block, 2 treys, and 7-for-16 shooting. It was Curry’s second career triple-dub, his first was a monster effort his rookie year against the Clippers (36/10/13). Curry enjoyed his best season as a pro last year, averaging 22.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 45.1% and setting an NBA record for long bombs in a single season — 272. He’s shooting 53.1% so far this year.

The Nikoloz Tskitishvili Award —  Kelly Olynyk —  4 points, 4 rebounds, 0 assists, 2 free throws made, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 0 treys, and 1-for-8 shooting with 4 turnovers and 3 fouls in 24 minutes. Olynyk was the 13th pick of the draft last June out of Gonzaga. The long-haired forward-center has shown flashes of being a solid contributor both in the preseason, as well as the Celtics third game of the regular season when he posted 15 points and eight rebounds in 26 minutes against the Pistons. He tallied 17.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks last season at Gonzaga.

The Allan Houston Hollow Man Award — Francisco Garcia — 14 points, 2 rebounds, 0 assists, 2 free throws made, 1 steal, 0 blocks, 2 treys, and 5-for-9 shooting in 21 minutes. The aging journeyman shooting guard/small forward is still making a go of it at 32 years old in his ninth season. After four games, he’s averaging 13.3 points, which would be a career high. But in true Hollow Man fashion, has grabbed just six total rebounds and dished out only four assists in 102 minutes. He has twice averaged better than 10 points per game (12.3 in 2008 and 12.7 in 2009).

No. 1 Overall Woes – Anthony Bennett has had a historically bad start to his pro career after being the surprise No. 1 pick in the 2013 draft. He has taken 15 shots in four games, but none have gone in.  Despite being a 6-8, 256 pounds, eight of his 15 shot attempts have been from behind the 3-point arc. He doesn’t have an assist yet, and is averaging three rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game. Bennett was a one-and-done at UNLV last year where he averaged 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds, while making one trey per game (37.5% from distance, 53.3% overall).

Todd Robinson is the publisher of Speedburner on Sports. Click here to read more of his articles.

UNLV’s Anthony Bennett, Kentucky’s Nerlens Noel, and Indiana’s Victor Oladipo could have major impacts for their new teams.

The basketball world may have been shocked to see the Cleveland Browns (oops!) … I mean the Cavaliers use the No. 1 overall pick on Anthony Bennett, but back in March OneManFastBreak.net slotted the UNLV freshman forward as the top prospect in the draft. In case you’d like to check, click here.

Even though there is no LeBron James or clear-cut game changer in this year’s draft pool there are still plenty of potential standouts who could turn out to be gems. Some teams know how to find talent and some teams wouldn’t know talent even if it hit them in the head. Those teams that do their homework will be rewarded handsomely. Here are the winners and losers from the 2013 NBA draft:

WINNERS

Cleveland Cavaliers — Anthony Bennett is a great fit for the Cavs. He is a 6-8, 240-pound power forward who can slide down and play some small forward. He complements Cleveland’s guard-heavy squad led by Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters. Cavs coach Mike Brown won’t have to run plays for Bennett, who rebounds well in traffic. Between Bennett and Anderson Varejao, the Cavs should clean up a lot of Irving’s and Waiter’s misses. If Bennett turns out to be another Larry Johnson, then the post-LeBron Cavaliers are back in business. The Cavs also bolstered their outside shooting by selecting Russian 6-7 guard/forward Sergey Karasev later in the first round.

Philadelphia 76ers — Getting Nerlens Noel from New Orleans is great value for the Sixers even though they gave up point guard Jrue Holiday and a second-round pick to get him, league sources told Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski. The look on Noel’s face when he dropped to the No. 6 spot in the draft was priceless. He’ll be extra motivated to prove to everyone that he should have been the top pick.

Orlando Magic — One NBA assistant general manager says Victor Oladipo can defend multiple positions. He has improved every season in college, and has a great work ethic. The Dwyane Wade comparisons is a bit of a reach, but Oladipo is a fearless competitor. His only real weakness is his jump shot. But knowing how hard Oladipo works, he’ll turn his weakness into a strength. Orlando needs help everywhere, and Oladipo is a nice starting point and will mesh well with Orlando’s other young studs like Tobias Harris and Nic Vucevic.

Portland Trail Blazers — The Blazers’ sad draft history has been well documented. This is the team that selected Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan, and picked Greg Oden over Kevin Durant. Last year the Blazers hit the jackpot with Weber State point guard Damian Lillard, who went on to become the rookie of the year. The Blazers feel they hit the Powerball numbers again with the selection of Lehigh’s high-scoring guard C.J. McCollum.

Washington Wizards — Otto Porter Jr. may be the safest pick in this year’s draft. He has all the physical tools, as well as the mental capacity to handle the rigors of being a professional. He plays within himself and has a high basketball IQ. Porter adds another piece to the Wizards’ youth movement, and gives point guard John Wall another young perimeter player to run with.

Charlotte Bobcats — Michael Jordan can’t screw up every pick, and he got this one right. Cody Zeller tested extremely well during the NBA draft combine in Chicago, ranking first in all the agility drills among the big men. Zeller helped rebuild the Indiana Hoosiers program, and Jordan is hoping he would do the same for the Bobcats.

David Stern — Almost 900 names later, the NBA commish made his final draft announcement at the end of the first round and was showered with cheers from the Barclays Center crowd. Deputy commish Adam Silver surprised Stern by bringing back the first name he called in the 1984 draft: Hakeem Olajuwon. It was a real nice touch by the league, giving Stern the proper sendoff after 30 years at the helm.

LOSERS

Boston Celtics — You know the Celtics were having a bad day when Doc Rivers had to step in and defend his former team. ESPN’s Bill Simmons made several jokes about the Celtics’ rebuilding project, which irritated Rivers. Doc fired back by telling Shelley Smith that Simmons is an “idiot” for pounding the C’s on TV. Way to stay classy, Doc. Simmons was basically telling the truth. The Celtics are in total rebuilding mode. They reportedly traded their two best players in Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets for Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, and three future first-round picks. And to put the icing on the cake, the Celtics acquired Gonzaga stiff Kelly Olynyk through a draft day deal with the Mavericks. Olynyk in Canadian means “bust.”

Dallas Mavericks — The Mavs wanted no part of the No. 13 pick, so much so that they got rid of the pick even before Commissioner Stern could say Kelly Olynyk. The Mavs could have taken point guard Dennis Schroeder from Germany. That would have made Dirk Nowitzki happy. Instead they’re clearing the books to make a serious run at All-Star center Dwight Howard, who could be headed to Dallas … or not. You never know with Dwight. He seems to change his mind like a 12-year-old girl shopping for shoes. The Mavs seem to be putting all their tickets in the D12 sweepstakes.

Oklahoma City Thunder — As part of the James Harden deal, the Thunder were awarded the 12th overall selection. This could have been a golden opportunity for general manager Sam Presti to mask the mistake of trading away one of the best young stars of the game. Instead, OKC took Steven Adams. The New Zealander played one unspectacular year in Pittsburgh. He posted pedestrian numbers and the only reason why he climbed in the draft was because of his impressive workouts. Adams is a major-league project, and you don’t take projects with the 12th overall pick. Spanish guard Alex Abrines (taken in the second round) better be good because right now the Harden deal keeps getting worse by the minute for Presti and the Thunder.

Phoenix Suns — Picking Maryland center Alex Len could mean the end of the Marcin Gortat era in Phoenix. Len is an intriguing prospect because of his size and unlimited potential. Len, who turned 20 in June, was a standout for the Ukrainian under-18 squad but he’s no Gortat. Gortat may not be a star, but he is a very good NBA center. Len is still unpolished and probably not ready to start. The Suns are basically back where they started.

Sacramento Kings — For someone who was pegged to go 1-3, Kansas’ Ben McLemore can’t be too pleased he fell this low. And he couldn’t have landed in a worst situation. The Kings are loaded at shooting guard and unless they trade Tyreke Evans, Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Thornton, Tony Douglas, and Jimmer Fredette for a big guy they could easily field a starting five of shooting guards. No wonder the Maloofs wanted to sell the team.

Philadelphia 76ers — After hitting a home run with Noel, the Sixers struck out with their other first-round pick in point guard Michael Carter-Williams. First of all, MCW can’t shoot. That could be a problem. Secondly, he comes from Syracuse and history shows that players from the ‘Cuse struggle in the NBA — with the exception of Carmelo Anthony, of course. Need proof? How about Jonny Flynn, Fab Melo, Hakim Warrick, Wesley Johnson, and Donte Greene. And those are the most recent guys. The bad luck started with Pearl Washington in the early 1980s.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

OneManFastBreak.net ranks the 12 best pro prospects in the 2013 NBA draft:

1. Cody Zeller, Indiana, sophomore, PF/C (7-0, 245)

Scouting report: Zeller is a skilled big man who runs well for his size. He scores a lot of points in transition by simply beating his man down the court. He has gotten better with his post-up game and has shown a much-improved jumper, but his face-up shot still needs a lot of work. Because of his ability to put the ball on the deck, he’s more of a power forward than a center. He tested extremely well during the NBA draft combine in Chicago, ranking first in all the agility drills among the big men. He tends to struggle against long and athletic forwards. One way to combat that is to bulk up so he can bull his way to the rim. He should be a solid pro and, if he builds more strength. His biggest weakness is he can get overpowered inside by bigger defenders. NBA comparison: David Lee

2. Victor Oladipo, Indiana, junior, SG (6-4, 215)

Scouting report: One NBA assistant general manager says Oladipo can defend multiple positions. He has improved every season in college, and has a great work ethic. The Dwyane Wade comparisons is a bit of a reach, but Oladipo is a fearless competitor with a great motor much like Wade was coming into the league. He should excel at the next level because of his defensive prowess and plays hard all the time. He may not possess great shooting range, but he knows how to attack the basket and has great body control. He should enjoy a long pro career. NBA comparison: Dwyane Wade

3. Nerlens Noel, Kentucky, freshman, C (6-11, 206)

Scouting report: Noel is a superb shot blocker, and it’s a special skill that could land him as the No. 1 pick in the draft. However, Noel is also very limited offensively and it could take a few years for him to develop offensively. What NBA execs love about Noel, aside from his shot blocking abilities, is his great motor. He runs the floor well and doesn’t give up on a play. The reason why he injured his ACL in his one and only year at Kentucky was because he was tracking down a breakaway layup. Teams will never fault a guy for hustling. If you click around on all the mock drafts, Noel seems to be everyone’s favorite to land in the No. 1 spot. However, teams should be leery of Noel’s medical history and consider the fact that he could turn out to be injury prone. NBA comparison: Antonio McDyess

4. Otto Porter Jr. , Georgetown, sophomore, SF (6-8, 205)

Scouting report: Porter may be the safest pick in this year’s draft class. He has all the physical tools, as well as the mental capacity to handle the rigors of being a professional. He’s a tall wing player and his length makes him a high-upside player. He plays within himself and has a high basketball IQ. He plays hard all the time and doesn’t get rattled easily. He’s a bit of a late bloomer, but that’s a good thing because it means he has room to grow. He nearly doubled his scoring average from his freshman year (9) at Georgetown to his sophomore year (17), and greatly improved his outside shot. His dribble and strength remains a weakness, but that can be masked if the right team drafts him. NBA comparison: Jeff Green

5. C.J. McCollum, Lehigh, senior, PG/SG (6-3, 197)

Scouting report: Despite a broken foot that sidelined him for 19 games in 2012-13, McCollum still had a decent senior season. He is a 20-point scorer in college and has all the shots: 3-pointers, pull-up jumpers, floaters, runners, step-back jumpers. Lehigh didn’t play against elite competition, so his individual statistics may be a bit inflated. He doesn’t possess elite quickness, but knows how to get around his man and create his own shot. He’s more of a shooting guard than a true point guard, but can play both at the pro level. He tends to look for his own shot instead of creating offense for teammates. NBA comparison: Monta Ellis

6. Trey Burke, Michigan, sophomore, PG (6-0, 190)

Scouting report: Burke had a tremendous season and made a big jump in improvement from freshman to sophomore year. He is highly competitive and a clever basketball player. He is a true point guard and knows how to run the pick-and-roll, which is a prerequisite for all young point guards. Plays with great poise and is not bothered by big moments. His signature moment in the NCAA Tournament came in the Sweet 16 when he knocked down a long 3-point shot at the buzzer against Kansas to send the game into overtime. The biggest question is his size, but he can overcome that with his quickness and high basketball IQ. NBA comparison: Damian Lillard

7. Ben McLemore, Kansas, freshman, SG (6-5, 195)

Scouting report: McLemore is a terrific athletic who explodes off the floor. He is considered the top shooting guard in the draft. He has a NBA-type body to go along with an outstanding leaping ability. He runs the court extremely well and is a highlight-reel play waiting to happen. He has very good quickness and can can finish strong around the basket. The only knock on the Jayhawks freshman is his size. He’s listed at 6-5, but may be a little below that. Kansas coach Bill Self compares him to another Kansas standout Brandon Rush. No disrespect to Rush but McLemore is a much better player and should have a better pro career. NBA comparison: Steve Francis

8. Anthony Bennett, UNLV, freshman, SF/PF (6-7, 240)

Scouting report: Bennett has already declared for the draft so he’s official on teams’ draft boards. He can score in a variety of ways. He can do it in the low post and away from the basket, and he’s quick enough to take defenders off the dribble. He’s strong and athletic, a deadly combination for any NBA player. At 6-7, Bennett is a bit undersized as a power forward, but teams shouldn’t shy away from him because of his lack of ideal size. Scouts said the same thing about Kenneth Faried and he’s doing just fine in Denver. Bennett is too strong for small forwards and too quick for power forwards. The Cavaliers are set with their backcourt of the future in Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters. Now it’s time to upgrade the frontcourt. Bennett is a beast of a forward who will complement Cavs big men Tristan Thompson, Tyler Zeller, and Anderson Varejao. NBA comparison: Corliss Williamson

9. Alex Len, Maryland, sophomore, C (7-1, 255 )

Scouting report: Len is an intriguing prospect because of his size and unlimited potential. Center and point guard are the two most important positions in basketball, and Len is a natural center who could develop into a terrific starter. Len, who turns 20 years old in June, was a standout for the Ukrainian under-18 squad. He sets good screens and knows how to roll to the basket, which is a lost art among big men. He also has great touch around the basket and shown that he can face up and knock down a jumper from 18-20 feet. He’s a natural shot-blocker who uses his physical tools and great timing to alter shots around the basket. NBA comparison: Nikola Vucevic

10. Tim Hardaway Jr., Michigan, junior, SG/SF (6-6, 200)

Scouting report: Hardaway Jr. is the son of former Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat standout point guard Tim Hardaway. Junior is much bigger than his daddy, who was barely 6 feet tall, and a better athlete. Junior also has a better shooting stroke than his daddy, and could be a decent two-way player because of his 6-6 frame. Hardaway Jr. took a backseat to celebrated teammate Trey Burke at Michigan, but don’t let the stats foot you. He is a much better player than his numbers showed and played big in the big games. And being the son of a former NBA star gives Hardaway Jr. a leg up on his peers. NBA comparison: Kendall Gill

11. Rudy Gobert, France, C (7-2, 238)

Scouting report: Gobert is one of the most intriguing prospects in this year’s draft. He may not wow you with great athletic ability, but he has the potential to be a very good NBA center. He has soft hands, moves his feet well for a 7-footer, and has a wingspan of 7 feet, 9 inches. He’s not a fluid athlete, but with a 7-9 wingspan he doesn’t need to be. He’s very mature for his age (20), having played professionally in France, and already battle tested. French players usually translate well in the NBA (see Tony Parker, Nic Batum, Boris Diaw, Ronny Turiaf, Mikael Pietrus), so drafting him is not a total reach. A smart general manager would take a chance on selecting Gobert and stashing him in Europe for one season. NBA comparison: Marcus Camby

12. Allen Crabbe, California, junior, SG/SF (6-6, 210)

Scouting report: Crabbe was the Pac-12 Player of the Year. Other former Pac-12 MVPs who went on to have great success in the NBA are Jason Kidd, Brandon Roy, Kevin Love, and James Harden. Crabbe is a very smooth player who has great size for a shooting guard. He has great range and excellent form in his jumper. He’s a catch-and-shoot player who knows how to come off screens. Crabbe and Michigan’s Tim Hardaway Jr. are comparable in a lot of categories, but Crabbe gets the slight edge because he was a little more consistent. The knock on Crabbe is his unassuming personality, which could be misunderstood for being soft or passive. NBA comparison: Wilson Chandler

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter at: twitter.com/onemanfastbreak.