The Daily NBA Fix 11-7-13: Pacers Punish Rose, Vucevic Balling, Klay Going Cray
Welcome to The Daily NBA Fix for Thursday, Nov. 7. 2013. We’re here Monday through Friday, providing you with all you need to satisfy your NBA cravings. We’ve got results, game capsules, highlights, the top and bottom five stars of the day, random tidbits and even something for you gambling buffs out there.
Wednesday’s Results (home team in CAPS)
BOSTON CELTICS 97, Utah Jazz 87
Be Better Than Them – The Celtics are horrible…but they’re better than the lowly Jazz. Brandon Bass scored 20, Jeff Green added 18 and Kelly Olynyk scored 14 with eight rebounds off the bench. The Jazz made a late run behind 28 from Gordon Hayward, but it wasn’t enough to get their first win.
CHARLOTTE BOBCATS 92, Toronto Raptors 90
Looks Like Last Year – Remember when the 2012-13 Bobcats started 7-5? They finished 21-61. This year’s team is now 3-2, thanks to Gerald Henderson and his 23 points. Kemba Walker had an off night shooting (2-of-13) but added seven assists. Even Bismack Biyombo pulled down 11 rebounds with three blocks. Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan combined to shoot just 13-of-37 for 34 points.
INDIANA PACERS 97, Chicago Bulls 80
Pacers Punishing – At 5-0, the Pacers are looking more and more like the team with the most desire to come out of the Eastern Conference. They shot just 41.9 percent, but hammered the Bulls on the glass (52-40). Paul George led with 21 points with David West scoring 17 with 13 rebounds. Derrick Rose played poorly again, with 17 points on 6-of-15 from the field (improvement, believe it or not).
New Orleans Pelicans 99, MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES 84
Hibernating Grizzlies – Anthony Davis continues to impress in all facets of the game, this time he scored 18 points with nine rebounds, three steals and three blocks. Eric Gordon added 19 and Tyreke Evans scored 16 off the bench. For the Grizzlies, Marc Gasol secured ONE rebound in 31 minutes. Was he sleeping? This was a bad, bad loss.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS 109, Cleveland Cavaliers 104
O.J. Did It – O.J. Mayo finally put together a solid game, scoring 28 points on 6-of-7 from the 3-point line. Zaza Pachulia had anothe solid performance, with 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists (10-10 FT’s). Gary Neal added 23 off the bench for a Bucks team that shot 13-0f-23 from the 3-point line. Kyrie Irving led the Cavs with 29 points and eight assists, while Anthony Bennett made a bucket!
Golden State Warriors 106, MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES 93
Dubs Win, Almost Lose – Stephen Curry injured his leg but would return, much to the delight of Warriors faithful. Even without him, Klay Thompson scored 30, David Lee added 22 and 15 rebounds and Harrison Barnes scored 14 in just 14 minutes. Kevin Love continued his hot start, scoring 25 points with 16 rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 107, Dallas Mavericks 93
Thunder Buddies – The band is back together. Timing between Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook isn’t quite there yet, but they’re improving. Durant scored 23 with 10 assists, Westbrook added 22 and Serge Ibaka scored 17 with 13 rebounds and three blocks. Dallas got 20 from Monta Ellis, but seven turnovers put a damper on that.
ORLANDO MAGIC 98, Los Angeles Clippers 90
Fairy Tale – Another one of those teams that was supposed to be tanking is going out and defeating good teams. The Magic trailed by two heading to the fourth quarter, where Nikola Vucevic took over and slammed the door shut. Vucevic scored 30 with 21 rebounds and is really blossoming into something special. The Clips got 23 and 13 from Blake Griffin, but Chris Paul fouled out and the Clippers ran out of steam.
Washington Wizards 116, PHILADELPHIA 76ERS 102
Terrific Balancing Act – The Wizards had seven players score in double figures, with John Wall scoring 24 points and dishing out nine assists. His backcourt mate Bradley Beal scored 17 with eight assists and three steals and newcomer Marcin Gortat scored 19 with 12 rebounds. The Sixers got 24 from Evan Turner and 23 points, 13 rebounds and five assists from Spencer Hawes.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS 99, Phoenix Suns 96
Veterans Close It Out – The difference between a veteran team like the Spurs and a young squad like the Suns is often late-game execution. The Suns led by one with a minute left and were outscored by four the rest of the way. Tony Parker scored 20 while Danny Green scored 19 with two steals and two blocks. Markieff Morris led Phoenix with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
Wednesday’s Top Five
You’re looking at the newest stud center in the Eastern Conference. (NBA.com photo)
| Player | Opp | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikola Vucevic | LAC | W | 38:26 | 11 | 19 | .579 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 1.000 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 30 | ||
| Kyrie Irving | @ | MIL | L | 35:25 | 10 | 20 | .500 | 4 | 6 | .667 | 5 | 5 | 1.000 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 29 |
| Evan Turner | WAS | L | 38:22 | 9 | 13 | .692 | 1 | 2 | .500 | 5 | 6 | .833 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 24 | |
| Gordon Hayward | @ | BOS | L | 39:36 | 12 | 20 | .600 | 1 | 2 | .500 | 3 | 4 | .750 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 28 |
| Kevin Love | GSW | L | 37:44 | 10 | 25 | .400 | 1 | 4 | .250 | 4 | 4 | 1.000 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 25 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/7/2013.
Wednesday’s Bottom Five
Ah, so THAT’S why they keep trying to trade him. (NBA.com photo)
| Player | Opp | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS | GmSc | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derrick Williams | GSW | L | 18:58 | 0 | 6 | .000 | 0 | 3 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -3.0 | ||
| Nick Calathes | NOP | L | 10:09 | 1 | 3 | .333 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 2 | -3.5 | |||
| Ian Mahinmi | CHI | W | 9:45 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | -4.5 | |||
| Ian Clark | @ | BOS | L | 16:34 | 0 | 6 | .000 | 0 | 3 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | -4.7 | |
| Byron Mullens | @ | ORL | L | 11:28 | 0 | 5 | .000 | 0 | 4 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | -5.7 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/7/2013.
Circling The Drain (aka The Power Tankings)
30. Utah Jazz (0-5)
29. Boston Celtics (1-4)
28. Denver Nuggets (0-3)
27. Sacramento Kings (1-3)
26. Washington Wizards (1-3)
Random Tidbits
Derrick Rose’s 40 percent shooting actually brought his season average up (was at 29 percent)…How often do we see Chris Paul foul out…DeAndre Jordan played 43 minutes but could not stop or contain Nikola Vucevic…Stinkbomb by the Minnesota Timberwolves, led by Ricky Rubio‘s substandard game…The Sixers will now fall off that cliff now and go back to tanking.
Thursday’s Schedule and Lines
Clippers at Heat (-4 o/u 211)
Hawks at Nuggets (-5 o/u 204.5)
Lakers at Rockets (-14 o/u 218.5)
Your Best Bets*
Hawks +5
Rockets -14
Yesterday’s Best Bets
Suns +15 (WIN)
Thunder -7.5 (WIN)
Season Record: 5-1
*you know, if gambling were legal where you are and you’re of age and you do it responsibly
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