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Keeping up with the NBA over the weekend can be an difficult task in most ideal situations. At least that's generally the case for me, as I usually try to cram a week's worth of personal obligations into each Friday and Saturday. This weekend was even worse than most as I took a charter bus to South Bend, Ind., for what turned out to be a very dreary Utah-Notre Dame college football game. Some of my wife's family was in town from Salt Lake City for the game. I'd arisen at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday morning to zip through Friday's NBA action before leaving. I recorded more games on Saturday, including the Charlotte-Utah game. Alas, trying to avoid the result of the Jazz-Bobcats contest while riding through eastern Indiana, with a bus full of Utah Ute fans, with smart phones, starving for some good sports news ... proved to be a futile endeavor. "The Jazz won at the buzzer!" someone finally blurted. However, as I listened to the NBA buzz on the bus replace the football-fueled disappointment on the ride back to Chicago, one thing did become abundantly clear: The Jazz are the story in the NBA right now.
PRO BASKETBALL PROSPECTUS HOOPS LIST
Games through Nov. 14
TEAM, POW TEAM, POW
1. hornets,neworleans, 73.8 16. grizzlies,memphis, 40.1
2. celtics,boston, 64.9 17. warriors,goldenstate, 39.8
3. heat,miami, 59.2 18. thunder,oklahomacity, 37.0
4. nuggets,denver, 57.8 19. pacers,indiana, 36.7
5. suns,phoenix, 55.6 20. bobcats,charlotte, 32.1
6. lakers,losangeles, 54.0 21. pistons,detroit, 31.7
7. bucks,milwaukee, 52.2 22. cavaliers,cleveland, 28.1
8. spurs,sanantonio, 50.2 23. 76ers,philadelphia, 26.6
9. jazz,utah, 49.5 24. raptors,toronto, 24.9
10. bulls,chicago, 49.4 25. knicks,newyork, 24.9
11. trailblazers,portland, 47.5 26. nets,newjersey, 24.1
12. mavericks,dallas, 46.5 27. kings,sacramento, 22.3
13. magic,orlando, 46.4 28. timberwolves,minnesota, 20.1
14. rockets,houston, 41.6 29. clippers,losangeles, 16.6
15. hawks,atlanta, 40.5 30. wizards,washington, 14.7
NOTE: POW, our formula for a team's power rating, is an estimate of
a team's "true talent" level expressed as wins per 82 games. The
formula takes into account point differential, home-road performance,
record in close games and strength of schedule.
LIVE AT BASKETBALL PROSPECTUS
1. Asher Fusco was on hand for the matchup between a pair of first-year coaches in Seton Hall's Kevin Willard and Cornell's Bill Courtney. (premium)
2. Kevin Pelton has a note about our evolving statistical pages. (Unfiltered)
3. Kevin Pelton points out that regression can be a bitch as the Lakers have found out when it comes to their three-point defense. (Unfiltered)
4. John Perrotto has some notes on some new coaches/a> in new places in Division I in "Around the Rim." (premium)
5. John Perrotto catches up with the Heat, Warriors, Jazz and Wizards in "On the Beat." (premium)
6. Kevin Pelton correctly anticipates the freak out over Miami's 5-4 start. (premium)
7. Who is the most likely team to go unbeaten in college basketball this season? Drew Cannon has the answer, which you'd likely never guess. (premium)
8. College hoops enters its first weekend with a plethora of early-season games on the docket. Will there be any surprises? John Gasaway points out a few possibilities. (premium)
9. Every play counts for rebounding specialist Reggie Evans. (premium)
10. John Perrotto notes that Larry Drew's new offensive system in Atlanta seems to be working just fine. (premium)
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HOT FIVES
POWER RATING (POW) GR (11/12-11/14) WP82 - -ALL WP82 -- ROOKIES
hornets,neworleans, 73.8 arenas,gilbert (s) 43.9 james,lebron, 25.2 wall,john, 10.9
celtics,boston, 64.9 jackson,stephen (s) 41.3 williams,deron, 22.8 griffin,blake, 9.9
heat,miami, 59.2 gasol,pau (u) 41.0 gay,rudy, 22.3 johnson,wesley, 5.4
nuggets,denver, 57.8 wallace,gerald (f) 39.5 rondo,rajon, 21.4 bledsoe,eric, 4.7
suns,phoenix, 55.6 williams,deron (f) 37.6 gasol,pau, 21.3 turner,evan, 2.5
Note: GR leaders are from weekend only; (f)-Friday, (s)-Saturday, (u)-Sunday
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FRIDAY'S BOX SCORES & RECAPS
NOTE: Glossary is at bottom of page.
JAZZ 90, HAWKS 86 (box): For the fourth straight game--the last three on the road against the upper tier of the Eastern Conference--the Jazz overcame a double-digit lead to win. Al Horford missed two free throws with :07.6 to play that would have tied the game for the Hawks. Deron Williams' tear continued, with 24 points and 10 assists. Williams has taken on an even larger share of the Utah offense, with an increased scoring average, a higher usage rate and even more turnovers. His shooting percentages are as high as ever, but he's getting to the line more often. The overall result is that through Friday, Williams was a shade behind LeBron James for the league lead in WP82. Could Williams mount an MVP charge? Let's address that in Saturday's Jazz recap. The Hawks' suffered their fourth straight loss after opening the season with six straight wins, as the old Josh Smith/Joe Johnson model has suddenly supplanted the new all-hands-on-deck philosophy of first-year coach Larry Drew.
UTA (6-3) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR ATL (6-4) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
williams,deron 81% 32% 1.22 - 5 37.6 smith,josh 76% 24% 1.37 - 5 33.1
kirilenko,andrei 76% 15% 1.67 + 4 19.6 johnson,joe 79% 31% 1.01 - 4 32.0
jefferson,al 72% 21% 1.33 - 9 19.3 horford,al 78% 19% 1.08 + 3 9.2
miles,c.j. 54% 32% 0.79 +10 14.5 crawford,jamal 46% 28% 1.24 - 4 8.8
millsap,paul 74% 14% 1.12 - 2 6.2 powell,josh 24% 31% 0.76 -10 7.3
fesenko,kyrylo 28% 17% 0.53 +13 2.9 williams,marvin 62% 14% 0.82 0 4.6
evans,jeremy 13% 29% 1.04 + 8 2.9 pachulia,zaza 35% 3% 2.08 - 1 3.2
bell,raja 59% 5% 1.15 - 6 2.5 bibby,mike 54% 8% 1.07 + 2 2.9
watson,earl 19% 8% 2.92 + 9 2.4 teague,jeff 21% 3% 2.46 0 1.8
price,ronnie 13% 23% 0.40 - 2 1.4 evans,maurice 25% 18% 0.50 - 1 1.4
elson,francisco 12% 10% 0.00 0 0.0 collins,jason (DNP)
hayward,gordon (DNP) crawford,jordan (DNP)
PACE: 82.4 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 82.4 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
jazz,utah 109.3 .452 .333 .109 .101 hawks,atlanta 104.4 .528 .282 .194 .112
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ROCKETS 102, PACERS 99 (box): Brad Miller scored 23 points for the Rockets, who looked a lot more effective when Kyle Lowry was manning the point instead of Ishmael Smith. Smith started both halves, but Lowry played 22 of the 24 minutes after halftime. The Pacers hung in thanks to a strong performance from their bench, highlighted by James Posey's five three-pointers. However, Darren Collison had an uneven game. He has several impressive drives to the basket, using his speed to finish both off of pick-and-rolls and in transition. However, he didn't have any assists in the game. After Lowry badly missed a three in the last half-minute, Mike Dunleavy rebounded for Indiana and took a dribble before calling timeout with :15.3 to play. That meant of course that Indy couldn't advance the ball to halfcourt. A mistake, but still there was plenty of time to push the ball up the floor and run a play. Unfortunately, the Pacers looked out of sorts after coming out of the huddle. Danny Granger couldn't get a clean look and kicked to Collison, who missed an awkward-looking three at the buzzer, wide right.
HOU (2-6) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR IND (3-4) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
scola,luis 62% 23% 1.11 +10 25.1 granger,danny 78% 24% 0.93 - 8 21.1
miller,brad 71% 24% 1.43 +18 21.6 dunleavy jr.,mike 67% 15% 1.69 -11 19.8
martin,kevin 68% 28% 0.92 +12 14.0 collison,darren 68% 19% 0.85 -22 17.1
lee,courtney 31% 22% 1.04 -13 11.8 posey,james 55% 19% 1.83 +16 16.9
lowry,kyle 72% 20% 1.13 + 3 11.6 hibbert,roy 60% 29% 1.02 + 1 11.9
budinger,chase 45% 18% 1.38 -12 11.2 ford,t.j. 32% 25% 1.27 +19 7.1
battier,shane 83% 9% 1.14 +18 9.3 hansbrough,tyler 23% 23% 0.68 -12 5.7
hill,jordan 22% 12% 1.35 - 6 2.5 mcroberts,josh 62% 12% 0.58 -11 4.6
smith,ishmael 28% 13% 0.28 0 1.6 rush,brandon 55% 12% 0.38 +13 1.8
jeffries,jared 11% 26% 0.22 - 6 0.6 george,paul (DNP)
hayes,chuck 6% 17% 0.00 - 9 0.0 jones,dahntay (DNP)
taylor,jermaine (DNP) jones,solomon (DNP)
PACE: 93.5 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 93.5 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
rockets,houston 109.1 .545 .231 .171 .118 pacers,indiana 105.9 .500 .256 .160 .061
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RAPTORS 110, MAGIC 106 (box): The Raptors snapped a six-game losing streak in what has to be looked at as the most surprising score so far in the young season. DeMar DeRozan reversed his recent trend of playing a little worse each time out and instead put up his best GR of the season by a mile, scoring a career-high 26 points. Sonny Weems started for the injured Linas Kleiza, forming an athletic wing duo with DeRozan, and hit a big three late in the game. Mickael Pietrus, who has been largely squeezed out of Stan Van Gundy's rotation this season, hit eight three-pointers in the game.
TOR (2-7) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR ORL (5-3) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
derozan,demar 84% 21% 1.28 + 3 34.3 pietrus,mickael 62% 18% 2.16 - 1 27.7
bargnani,andrea 82% 31% 0.86 + 8 26.1 nelson,jameer 76% 26% 1.27 + 1 26.3
calderon,jose 46% 23% 1.35 +12 15.9 howard,dwight 91% 27% 0.88 - 5 21.7
jack,jarrett 55% 23% 1.02 - 4 10.7 lewis,rashard 53% 11% 1.32 + 4 11.0
johnson,amir 34% 21% 1.26 +10 10.7 richardson,quentin 38% 23% 0.95 - 3 9.6
weems,sonny 67% 15% 1.31 - 7 9.5 carter,vince 66% 19% 0.77 + 6 7.0
wright,julian 50% 14% 1.21 + 9 5.8 bass,brandon 47% 20% 0.81 - 8 5.7
evans,reggie 67% 5% 1.48 -13 5.5 gortat,marcin 9% 10% 2.20 + 1 2.0
dorsey,joey 15% 23% 0.01 + 2 0.0 duhon,chris 24% 7% 1.53 - 5 1.9
alabi,soloman (DNP) redick,j.j. 34% 7% 0.46 -10 1.2
banks,marcus (DNP) anderson,ryan (DNP)
davis,ed (DNP) williams,jason (DNP)
PACE: 92.8 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 92.8 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
raptors,toronto 118.5 .538 .308 .172 .147 magic,orlando 114.2 .608 .206 .172 .137
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BOBCATS 93, WIZARDS 85 (box): Charlotte won its second straight despite committing twice as many turnovers (24-12) as the Wizards and getting outscored 24-9 on those miscues. Gerald Wallace had an efficient 25 points and locked down Al Thornton to lead the charge. As the Wizards sort out the playing time in their backcourt, this game was an extreme example of what Kirk Hinrich and Gilbert Arenas bring to the table. Hinrich had an ultimate glue player game, scoring 14 points on seven shots, handing out eight assists and limiting Stephen Jackson to 13 points on 11 shots in 42 minutes. Arenas played 31 minutes off the bench, shot 2-of-14 from the floor and led the team with four turnovers. It's not always this bad. Actually, it's never this bad, but which player would you rather pair with John Wall?
CHA (3-6) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR WAS (2-5) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
wallace,gerald 84% 23% 1.43 +15 39.6 hinrich,kirk 79% 8% 3.06 - 5 23.5
augustin,d.j. 69% 20% 1.86 +16 22.8 blatche,andray 79% 29% 1.05 -12 14.9
diaw,boris 80% 17% 1.65 +12 16.1 mcgee,javale 45% 17% 1.31 - 6 13.8
jackson,stephen 87% 17% 1.05 +12 9.8 wall,john 84% 19% 1.37 -17 13.8
thomas,tyrus 28% 32% 0.81 -11 6.4 young,nick 27% 26% 1.09 + 4 10.9
livingston,shaun 36% 18% 0.59 -13 4.6 arenas,gilbert 66% 27% 0.57 + 1 9.7
mohammed,nazr 47% 20% 0.64 +26 3.8 jianlian,yi 66% 13% 1.05 - 2 9.6
carroll,matt 24% 17% 0.73 - 4 2.9 armstrong,hilton 10% 13% 1.96 + 4 3.0
brown,derrick 14% 27% 0.80 - 7 2.7 thornton,al 44% 22% 0.15 - 7 1.0
diop,desagana 23% 1% 4.42 - 4 0.8 booker,trevor (DNP)
hendersonjr,gerald 7% 30% 0.00 - 2 0.0 martin,cartier (DNP)
collins,sherron (DNP) seraphin,kevin (DNP)
PACE: 84.9 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 84.9 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
bobcats,charlotte 109.5 .543 .485 .283 .124 wizards,washington 100.1 .448 .289 .141 .052
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TIMBERWOLVES 112, KNICKS 103 (box): Kevin Love's 31 points and 31 rebounds were the story, but let's not overlook Michael Beasley's second-straight big scoring game in what looks like an emergent trend for the Timberwolves. Right now, it looks like Kurt Rambis has seen the light and is just rolling his young forwards out there and leaving them alone to do their thing. A struggling franchise has to start somewhere, and Beasley's scoring and Love's board work and stretch ability are the stuff of solid foundations. Love's 30/30 game was the first since Moses Malone in 1982. After his outburst on Friday, Love was averaging 19.7 rebounds per 40 minutes. As long as he's getting 38-40 minutes a night, more 30/30 outings, or at least 20/20 could be in the offing. For the Knicks, a nice outing for Ray Felton was inflated by the credit he gets for Sebastian Telfair's zero-points-in-37-minutes showing.
NYK (3-6) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR MIN (3-7) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
felton,raymond 84% 20% 1.38 -10 37.3 beasley,michael 85% 30% 1.19 + 2 33.2
gallinari,danilo 85% 22% 1.08 - 2 14.6 love,kevin 85% 32% 1.24 +12 27.6
fields,landry 75% 19% 1.11 + 2 14.2 johnson,wesley 78% 8% 2.31 +15 12.0
chandler,wilson 88% 20% 1.09 -17 14.2 brewer,corey 62% 12% 1.54 +18 11.5
stoudemire,amare 58% 27% 0.79 -12 9.0 milicic,darko 42% 21% 0.78 - 4 8.1
douglas,toney 49% 17% 0.98 -11 7.8 tolliver,anthony 23% 36% 0.47 - 7 6.1
mozgov,timofey 36% 5% 1.22 + 1 2.0 pekovic,nikola 15% 15% 1.25 - 1 4.5
randolph,anthony 25% 13% 0.48 + 4 1.4 telfair,sebastian 77% 6% 1.02 + 8 4.4
mason,roger (DNP) gaines,sundiata 23% 24% 0.29 + 1 2.1
rautins,andy (DNP) hayward,lazar 4% 23% 0.00 - 1 0.0
walker,bill (DNP) koufos,kosta (DNP)
williams,shawne (DNP) ellington,wayne (DNP)
PACE: 102.4 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 102.4 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
knicks,newyork 100.6 .440 .220 .137 .107 timberwolves,minn 109.4 .475 .347 .137 .090
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MAVERICKS 99, 76ERS 90 (box): The Maverics won their third straight on the shoulders of their two-headed monster at center. Tyson Chandler and Brendan Haywood combined for 17 points and 29 rebounds, with the latter getting a little more run than normal because of the former's foul trouble. Chandler and Haywood are averaging about 12 points and 15 boards on the season in what has become a solid duo in the pivot for Rick Carlisle. The Mavericks rank third in the NBA in Defensive Rating and lead the circuit in opponent eFG%. Jason Kidd notched his 11,000th career assist in the contest. Andre Iguodala had 13 points in his return to the lineup for the Sixers.
PHI (2-7) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR DAL (6-2) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
young,thaddeus 51% 27% 1.09 - 1 23.1 barea,jose 47% 35% 1.11 +10 23.1
holiday,jrue 82% 15% 1.54 - 7 17.6 terry,jason 68% 25% 0.94 +11 20.2
nocioni,andres 41% 27% 1.37 - 8 16.0 nowitzki,dirk 76% 27% 0.74 +14 17.8
brand,elton 61% 17% 0.86 -11 12.3 haywood,brendan 47% 15% 1.53 +10 13.7
iguodala,andre 79% 20% 1.04 - 4 11.8 marion,shawn 63% 20% 1.35 - 1 13.4
hawes,spencer 51% 27% 1.07 + 4 9.8 kidd,jason 70% 17% 1.42 - 4 13.4
turner,evan 58% 14% 0.91 - 1 9.4 chandler,tyson 53% 13% 1.64 + 1 6.5
battie,tony 8% 10% 2.80 - 8 2.1 stevenson,deshawn 27% 9% 1.95 - 3 4.7
meeks,jodie 37% 11% 0.34 - 6 1.6 cardinal,brian 47% 3% 3.65 + 7 3.1
williams,lou 20% 23% 0.35 - 6 1.1 mahinmi,ian 2% 69% 0.00 0 0.0
speights,marreese 12% 14% 0.44 + 1 0.5 jones,dominique (DNP)
kapono,jason 0% -% 0.00 + 2 0.0 novak,steve (DNP)
PACE: 85.4 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 85.4 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
76ers,philadelphia 105.4 .458 .311 .152 .119 mavericks,dallas 115.9 .481 .364 .117 .149
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SUNS 103, KINGS 89 (box): This was the fourth straight loss for the Kings, the first three of which were at home. Sacramento has been struggling on the offensive end, but the defense wasn't sharp either in allowing Steve Nash's season-best performance. The Suns continue to get little from Hedo Turkoglu, but as always the offense is super efficient. Phoenix is playing at a slower pace this season relative to the league, but the Suns still rank second in the NBA in Offensive Rating. DeMarcus Cousins fouled out in 21 minutes off the bench. The Sacramento rookie is averaging 8.4 fouls per 40 minutes. He's also averaging 20.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per 40, but the constant foul trouble has limited Cousins to 21.4 minutes per game.
SAC (3-5) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR PHX (4-4) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
evans,tyreke 87% 23% 1.24 - 1 26.8 nash,steve 74% 30% 1.70 +14 33.9
landry,carl 72% 25% 1.20 -15 24.0 warrick,hakim 48% 25% 1.42 + 9 26.6
casspi,omri 74% 15% 1.42 - 9 21.7 richardson,jason 71% 25% 0.92 +17 14.9
garcia,francisco 38% 19% 1.06 - 4 10.5 dragic,goran 26% 39% 0.92 0 14.5
udrih,beno 74% 19% 1.14 -20 9.7 frye,channing 61% 10% 1.32 +13 8.6
cousins,demarcus 44% 20% 0.97 -12 6.5 childress,josh 52% 13% 1.58 +12 7.4
dalembert,samuel 51% 14% 1.04 - 2 4.8 lopez,robin 39% 14% 1.42 + 1 7.1
jackson,darnell 32% 19% 0.47 + 1 1.7 turkoglu,hedo 52% 14% 1.01 + 5 5.0
wright,antoine 20% 18% 0.11 - 6 0.2 hill,grant 43% 12% 0.90 + 1 4.1
head,luther 6% 19% 0.00 - 2 0.0 dudley,jared 34% 16% 0.06 - 2 0.4
greene,donte (DNP) clark,earl (DNP)
thompson,jason (DNP) siler,garret (DNP)
PACE: 84.1 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 84.1 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
kings,sacramento 105.8 .438 .420 .131 .099 suns,phoenix 122.5 .544 .310 .131 .141
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THUNDER 110, TRAIL BLAZERS 108 (box): Russell Westbrook (career-high 36) and Kevin Durant (34) scored a combined 70 and made the plays down the stretch for the Thunder. Durant hit three straight jumpers in the last two minutes to help OKC get control, but then missed a free throw late that would have put the Thunder up by three points. The Blazers, out of timeouts, pushed the ball up the floor. Andre Miller drove baseline and kicked to the weakside corner for an open three by Rudy Fernandez, but the shot missed and Nicholas Batum was unable to gather himself for a follow-up after snagging the offensive board. It was a nice win in a great game for the Thunder, but it did little to assuage concern over OKC's 28th-ranked defense.
POR (6-4) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR OKC (5-3) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
roy,brandon 73% 25% 1.23 -10 32.8 westbrook,russell 92% 34% 1.25 +14 34.1
fernandez,rudy 48% 20% 1.73 + 7 24.6 durant,kevin 85% 33% 1.19 + 2 29.4
miller,andre 74% 27% 1.27 - 5 17.3 ibaka,serge 79% 18% 0.98 + 4 23.2
batum,nicolas 67% 27% 1.19 - 2 15.2 krstic,nenad 87% 12% 1.21 +11 20.1
aldridge,lamarcus 80% 19% 0.80 - 1 10.7 harden,james 43% 18% 1.71 - 9 14.3
cunningham,dante 37% 6% 2.32 + 5 8.1 sefolosha,thabo 70% 1% 5.24 + 7 4.1
camby,marcus 78% 6% 1.88 -14 7.8 maynor,eric 23% 17% 0.50 -11 2.0
johnson,armon 11% 7% 4.00 - 1 4.8 cook,daequan 5% 21% 0.00 - 8 0.0
matthews,wesley 27% 30% 0.70 + 6 3.7 white,d.j. (DNP)
marks,sean 4% 26% 0.00 + 5 0.0 aldrich,cole (DNP)
babbitt,luke (DNP) mullens,byron (DNP)
mills,patrick (DNP) peterson,morris (DNP)
PACE: 86.4 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 86.4 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
trailblazers,port 125.0 .586 .344 .174 .122 thunder,oklacity 127.3 .589 .321 .162 .132
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PISTONS 113, CLIPPERS 107, OT (box): The Clippers lost their fifth straight, missing out on a chance to win at the end of regulation. With the score tied, Eric Gordon held the ball out top with the floor spread but when he started on his drive, he slipped and the ball bounced to Rip Hamilton. Detroit had a timeout remaining, but Hamilton rushed the ball down the floor and missed a shot at the buzzer. No matter for the Pistons as the Clippers appeared to run out of gas in the overtime period. Discouraging as things seem right now for the Clippers, L.A. started Al-Farouq Aminu in the game, giving the Clips four starters age 22 or under. With Aminu, Eric Bledsoe, backup center DeAndre Jordan and, of course, Gordon and Blake Griffin, the Clippers can put a super-young, super-athletic lineup on the floor at any given time. If that sounds like the Thunder/Grizzlies model, you're right. However, before we declare that the future is now for L.A., let's not lose sight of the fact that veterans Baron Davis and Chris Kaman are still around and if they ever get healthy, they'll demand front-line roles.
DET (3-6) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR LAC (1-9) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
villanueva,charlie 66% 27% 1.38 + 8 23.5 gordon,eric 79% 34% 0.83 - 7 23.4
stuckey,rodney 59% 28% 0.97 + 6 15.6 griffin,blake 83% 20% 1.17 -10 20.9
hamilton,richard 62% 26% 0.81 - 1 13.0 bledsoe,eric 87% 14% 1.41 -10 17.4
prince,tayshaun 70% 20% 0.66 + 3 12.1 butler,rasual 41% 32% 0.84 - 3 12.5
daye,austin 48% 17% 1.30 + 5 11.0 gomes,ryan 80% 10% 0.98 - 6 10.7
mcgrady,tracy 15% 18% 1.96 - 1 8.6 smith,craig 48% 15% 1.55 - 7 8.5
maxiell,jason 46% 12% 1.47 +12 8.3 aminu,alfarouq 37% 20% 0.99 + 4 7.1
bynum,will 41% 18% 0.65 0 8.0 jordan,deandre 30% 13% 0.75 + 4 5.0
gordon,ben 38% 16% 1.40 + 7 6.1 warren,willie 14% 11% 0.25 + 4 0.5
wallace,ben 43% 5% 2.40 - 8 5.2 cook,brian 1% 70% 0.00 + 1 0.0
monroe,greg 12% 5% 0.36 - 1 0.4 collins,jarron (DNP)
summers,dajuan (DNP) foye,randy (DNP)
PACE: 101.1 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 101.1 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
pistons,detroit 111.8 .543 .159 .129 .157 clippers,losangeles 105.9 .488 .308 .218 .165
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SATURDAY'S BOX SCORES & RECAPS
JAZZ 96, BOBCATS 95 (box): This is getting ridiculous. The Jazz trailed by 19, on the road, and came back to win. Deron Williams hit the game-winner with a one-hand runner. Williams, who as I wrote in Friday's recap, is second in the NBA in WP82. He's doing more for the Jazz than ever before and he was already recognized as one of the top players in the league. When you factor in the high-profile wins the Jazz have gotten over the last week and signature moments like his game-winning shot in Charlotte, I don't think it's a stretch to suggest Williams could find himself in the hunt for the MVP award. It's early--the Jazz will need to finish at or near the top of the West adn Williams will have to keep putting up huge numbers, but it's something to watch.
UTA (7-3) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR CHA (3-7) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
williams,deron 74% 30% 1.01 + 1 24.3 jackson,stephen 69% 36% 1.26 + 7 41.3
miles,c.j. 55% 30% 0.97 +18 20.3 mohammed,nazr 76% 23% 1.52 + 7 15.8
millsap,paul 70% 19% 1.14 0 16.9 augustin,d.j. 86% 17% 1.20 + 6 15.3
kirilenko,andrei 79% 16% 1.31 - 6 16.6 wallace,gerald 81% 16% 1.36 + 2 15.1
jefferson,al 65% 22% 1.40 - 6 13.3 diaw,boris 70% 19% 0.85 0 12.4
evans,jeremy 17% 17% 1.58 - 3 7.1 brown,derrick 30% 15% 1.04 - 5 6.9
price,ronnie 11% 17% 1.97 + 1 4.3 diop,desagana 23% 12% 0.87 - 8 1.9
fesenko,kyrylo 35% 9% 1.48 + 7 3.4 livingston,shaun 33% 7% 1.30 - 5 1.9
watson,earl 26% 14% 0.49 0 2.9 carroll,matt 18% 16% 0.59 - 5 1.0
bell,raja 46% 9% 0.87 -13 2.5 collins,sherron 0% -% 0.00 0 0.0
elson,francisco 14% 5% 1.13 + 4 0.8 livingston,shaun (DNP)
hayward,gordon 8% 37% 0.12 + 2 0.4 hendersonjr,gerald (DNP)
PACE: 85.1 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 85.1 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
jazz,utah 112.8 .468 .268 .106 .150 bobcats,charlotte 111.6 .494 .310 .129 .124
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MAGIC 91, NETS 90 (box): The suddenly stuggling Magic barely avoided dropping its third in a row. Jameer Nelson hit a little fadeaway for the winning score. That came after Brook Lopez's clutch free throws with :11.5 to play and before Devin Harris' desperation three at the buzzer. The Magic struggled on offense for the most part, but were rescued by a dominating performance on the boards. Orlando grabbed 13 of 42 offensive rebound chances while holding New Jersey to two out of 32.
ORL (6-3) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR NJN (3-6) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
bass,brandon 44% 22% 1.62 + 4 22.6 harris,devin 73% 36% 1.16 -10 33.1
carter,vince 66% 26% 0.77 + 4 18.9 outlaw,travis 96% 13% 1.85 + 1 29.0
pietrus,mickael 50% 15% 1.96 - 6 16.0 lopez,brook 86% 29% 0.85 + 2 21.6
lewis,rashard 63% 17% 1.02 - 1 13.7 farmar,jordan 38% 32% 0.91 +12 9.6
howard,dwight 56% 24% 1.24 - 2 13.2 humphries,kris 55% 12% 1.00 -11 6.6
nelson,jameer 58% 29% 0.91 + 1 9.8 morrow,anthony 77% 8% 0.34 + 9 2.6
gortat,marcin 44% 14% 1.18 + 3 4.4 petro,johan 11% 30% 0.66 - 6 2.3
richardson,quentin 43% 5% 2.54 0 3.5 murphy,troy 18% 12% 0.92 +12 1.6
duhon,chris 29% 8% 1.71 + 4 2.9 ross,quinton 17% 6% 1.36 -10 1.4
redick,j.j. 34% 27% 0.40 - 3 2.2 favors,derrick 28% 7% 0.00 - 4 0.0
williams,jason 12% 17% 1.07 + 1 1.8 james,damion (DNP)
anderson,ryan (DNP) uzoh,ben (DNP)
PACE: 83.5 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 83.5 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
magic,orlando 108.9 .468 .310 .120 .137 nets,newjersey 107.7 .549 .063 .156 .079
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PACERS 99, CAVALIERS 85 (box)There was reportedly a chance that Mike Dunleavy Jr. was going to be benched once Brandon Rush returned from his suspension last week, but Dunleavy remained in the starting lineup. Perhaps it's just a coincidence, but Dunleavy has had his three games of the season since Rush returned. He's hit 12 three-pointers over that span. When you consider that Indiana was projected to win 30-35 games, a 4-4 record would seem to be a terrific start for the Pacers. Their POW is 35.4, which means their level of play so far is right on target for the upper end of Indiana's projection. However, if you watch the Pacers play, it just seems like they could be doing even better. With a little more consistency and given the competition beyond the first six spots in the East, the Pacers are a playoff team.
IND (4-4) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR CLE (4-5) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
dunleavy jr.,mike 76% 22% 1.24 +11 26.6 jamison,antawn 54% 33% 1.08 + 4 28.5
granger,danny 80% 32% 1.28 +21 26.0 sessions,ramon 75% 26% 0.90 - 9 20.3
hibbert,roy 58% 31% 0.99 +15 23.1 gibson,daniel 56% 29% 0.81 + 1 14.5
mcroberts,josh 57% 11% 1.13 +13 9.0 hickson,j.j. 65% 21% 0.71 -27 10.3
collison,darren 49% 16% 1.28 +12 7.6 powe,leon 43% 15% 1.24 + 6 5.3
ford,t.j. 51% 15% 1.03 + 2 6.8 parker,anthony 69% 14% 0.66 -23 4.6
rush,brandon 44% 13% 1.11 - 4 6.0 moon,jamario 48% 6% 2.01 - 3 3.9
jones,solomon 25% 18% 0.81 - 2 2.6 hollins,ryan 37% 6% 1.88 -12 3.3
posey,james 45% 10% 0.19 + 9 1.1 harris,manny 15% 25% 0.87 - 2 3.2
hansbrough,tyler 15% 5% 1.65 - 7 0.7 williams,jawad 37% 11% 0.00 - 5 0.0
george,paul (DNP) graham,joey (DNP)
jones,dahntay (DNP) samuels,samardo (DNP)
PACE: 90.5 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 90.5 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
pacers,indiana 109.4 .519 .189 .155 .083 cavaliers,cleveland 93.9 .398 .239 .144 .112
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HEAT 109, RAPTORS 100 (box): This win isn't likely to squelch the Miami freakout, as the Heat were lax on defense and on the boards against a soft Toronto club. Dwyane Wade picked his spots in this one, leading to a very efficient game and LeBron James orchestrated a decent showing on the offensive end, though less so if you consider who they were playing against. Chris Bosh's minutes were limited by foul trouble as he continues to flail in his role as a third wheel. DeMar DeRozan put up his second straight strong performance for the Raptors. They've played will with DeRozan and Sonny Weems starting on the wings and it'll be interested to see whay Jay Triano does once Linas Kleiza is ready to return to action.
TOR (2-8) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR MIA (6-4) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
calderon,jose 56% 15% 1.79 - 4 24.1 james,lebron 82% 35% 0.97 +11 32.1
bargnani,andrea 80% 34% 0.76 - 6 22.0 wade,dwyane 73% 31% 1.24 + 6 25.9
derozan,demar 88% 18% 1.22 - 7 17.0 jones,james 56% 14% 1.76 - 4 21.2
weems,sonny 72% 17% 1.31 -14 15.9 bosh,chris 45% 23% 1.24 +11 12.3
johnson,amir 52% 19% 1.23 - 7 9.2 ilgauskas,zydrunas 62% 11% 1.39 + 4 10.9
andersen,david 29% 19% 0.82 - 5 7.4 haslem,udonis 77% 12% 1.13 + 1 8.8
jack,jarrett 48% 13% 0.89 - 5 7.3 arroyo,carlos 37% 14% 0.77 +12 7.8
dorsey,joey 33% 0% 31.57 + 2 5.0 house,eddie 30% 13% 0.75 + 6 3.3
wright,julian 41% 27% 0.49 + 1 4.4 chalmers,mario 21% 7% 0.03 - 4 0.1
alabi,soloman 1% 174% 0.00 0 0.0 anthony,joel 16% 4% 0.00 + 2 0.0
banks,marcus (DNP) howard,juwan (DNP)
evans,reggie (DNP) stackhouse,jerry (DNP)
PACE: 89.1 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 89.1 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
raptors,toronto 112.2 .482 .325 .123 .143 heat,miami 122.4 .525 .262 .101 .178
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BULLS 103, WIZARDS 96 (box): It was "Derrick Rose versus John Wall" on the marquee, but it turned out to be Luol Deng's night. Deng has played at least 40 minutes in four straight games and five out of six. Against the Wizards, Deng enjoyed an excellent all-around game, with 20 points, nine board, six blocks and vice-grip defense on Al Thornton. Rose outplayed Wall in the first regular-season meeting between the John Calipari proteges. Gilbert Arenas, one night after shooting 2-of-14 against Charlotte, exploded for 30 points and seven three-pointers in 32 minutes. His fourth quarter shooting helped the Wizards close the gap, though the Bulls were more or less in control of this one for the last three quarters.
WAS (2-6) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR CHI (5-3) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
arenas,gilbert 66% 39% 1.27 0 43.9 deng,luol 91% 20% 1.36 + 2 34.2
wall,john 64% 25% 1.20 -11 15.0 rose,derrick 75% 34% 1.04 +12 20.5
armstrong,hilton 37% 22% 1.08 - 1 8.2 gibson,taj 54% 15% 1.36 + 8 15.4
hinrich,kirk 78% 6% 2.39 - 7 7.6 noah,joakim 79% 24% 0.97 +10 15.1
young,nick 39% 19% 1.55 + 3 7.0 bogans,keith 70% 12% 1.45 - 8 12.3
mcgee,javale 42% 14% 1.20 -11 5.3 korver,kyle 41% 15% 1.46 + 8 5.7
blatche,andray 56% 19% 0.47 -16 4.6 brewer,ronnie 39% 13% 1.69 +12 5.3
jianlian,yi 27% 11% 1.93 + 8 4.4 watson,c.j. 30% 18% 0.44 - 6 1.4
thornton,al 53% 25% 0.41 - 6 4.1 asik,omer 21% 7% 1.46 - 3 1.4
booker,trevor 37% 7% 1.74 + 6 3.9 johnson,james (DNP)
martin,cartier (DNP) scalabrine,brian (DNP)
seraphin,kevin (DNP) thomas,kurt (DNP)
PACE: 92.4 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 92.4 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
wizards,washington 103.9 .517 .378 .249 .038 bulls,chicago 111.5 .507 .286 .162 .162
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CELTICS 116, GRIZZLIES 110 (box): Rudy Gay hit a pair of jumpers in the final minute of regulation to bring Memphis back from a four-point deficit, but the Celtics hit 4-of-6 in the overtime period and outscored Memphis 8-0 from the foul line in the extra session. Tony Allen, apparently back in the good graces of Memphis coach Lionel Hollins, had his best game of the season against his former team. The Celtics had just three offensive rebounds in the game. The Celtics' lack of concern for the their own misses is even more pronounced this season, as Boston has dropped from 28th to 29th in offensive rebound percentage.
BOS (8-2) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR MEM (4-6) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
pierce,paul 81% 25% 1.14 - 3 24.0 allen,tony 39% 25% 1.21 +11 20.3
rondo,rajon 84% 17% 1.42 + 4 20.6 gay,rudy 92% 20% 1.09 0 19.3
robinson,nate 24% 32% 1.95 + 9 19.9 randolph,zach 76% 20% 1.22 -12 16.9
allen,ray 75% 14% 1.47 0 18.2 conley,mike 71% 24% 0.76 - 4 14.0
garnett,kevin 69% 22% 1.15 + 8 15.3 mayo,o.j. 63% 25% 0.62 -18 11.1
o'neal,shaquille 42% 36% 0.91 + 9 11.0 gasol,marc 80% 15% 1.20 - 4 10.8
davis,glen 74% 11% 1.08 + 4 7.1 arthur,darrell 31% 17% 1.11 + 9 7.8
daniels,marquis 33% 11% 0.63 + 6 1.7 vasquez,greivis 23% 10% 2.76 + 3 7.1
erden,semih 13% 7% 0.23 - 7 0.1 henry,xavier 7% 11% 1.78 - 3 2.5
wafer,von 4% 23% 0.00 0 0.0 thabeet,hasheem 10% 7% 1.56 - 7 2.1
harangody,luke (DNP) law,acie 6% 15% 0.00 - 5 0.0
o'neal,jermaine (DNP) young,sam (DNP)
PACE: 98.4 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 98.4 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
celtics,boston 117.9 .622 .094 .173 .116 grizzlies,memphis 111.8 .542 .237 .173 .107
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HORNETS 107, TRAIL BLAZERS 87 (box): When will the Hornets finally lose? Tonight's game in Dallas will be a test but, for now, New Orleans' record remains unblemished. What really jumps out at you about this game is the Hornets' shot distribution. No New Orleans player took more than 11 shots and seven players took between seven and 11. That group did not include Chris Paul, who handed out 13 assists and was content once again to just manage the game. But let's not forget about New Orleans' top-ranked defense. The Hornets' worst Defensive Rating this season 107.8, and they have held opponents under 101 in five of eight games.
POR (6-5) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR NWO (8-0) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
batum,nicolas 69% 24% 0.88 -12 18.1 belinelli,marco 62% 15% 1.98 + 9 26.4
miller,andre 66% 18% 1.21 -11 16.1 paul,chris 67% 20% 1.62 + 8 21.4
aldridge,lamarcus 75% 21% 0.98 - 9 14.2 stojakovic,peja 36% 22% 1.69 +11 18.7
camby,marcus 62% 13% 1.71 - 7 13.1 west,david 57% 26% 1.17 +15 15.6
matthews,wesley 51% 21% 1.26 -13 12.3 okafor,emeka 69% 19% 1.15 +16 10.4
fernandez,rudy 32% 26% 0.73 - 4 10.6 ariza,trevor 68% 18% 0.83 + 5 10.3
johnson,armon 34% 30% 0.74 - 9 6.6 bayless,jerryd 38% 29% 0.86 +12 9.2
marks,sean 27% 13% 0.94 -15 4.7 green,willie 42% 22% 0.97 + 9 5.9
roy,brandon 46% 16% 0.49 - 6 2.7 smith,jason 46% 12% 1.13 + 2 5.3
cunningham,dante 33% 10% 0.69 - 4 2.1 pondexter,quincy 14% 5% 0.70 +13 0.6
babbitt,luke 3% 41% 0.00 - 5 0.0 ilungambenga,didier (DNP)
mills,patrick (DNP) mensahbonsu,pops (DNP)
PACE: 86.5 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 86.5 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
trailblazers,port 100.6 .432 .302 .150 .097 hornets,neworleans 123.7 .532 .286 .139 .137
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BUCKS 79, WARRIORS 72 (box): One day shy of the anniversary of Brandon Jennings' 55-point game against Golden State, Jennings had 19 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two steals against the Warriors, who played again without David Lee. Lee's absence contributed to the Bucks' dominance on the glass. Milwaukee was 19-of-50 on the offensive boards and had a 21-10 edge in second-chance points against a Golden State team that has plummeted in the rebound rankings since Lee went down. Four Milwaukee players reached double figures in rebounds, led by Andrew Bogut's 17 boards. The Bucks' bench, which has served them well during their current stretch of good play, managed just four points in this one.
GSW (6-4) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR MIL (5-5) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
ellis,monta 87% 28% 1.22 - 2 17.0 jennings,brandon 87% 28% 1.02 +14 28.5
williams,reggie 50% 28% 0.81 + 3 15.2 gooden,drew 66% 26% 1.07 + 8 20.8
radmanovic,vladimir 54% 16% 1.05 - 5 12.1 salmons,john 84% 24% 1.31 +12 16.0
wright,dorell 66% 25% 0.54 -10 7.6 mbahamoute,luc 81% 1% 8.15 +13 10.5
curry,stephen 63% 27% 0.53 -12 6.8 bogut,andrew 82% 15% 0.99 +13 9.4
adrien,jeff 40% 8% 2.22 +10 6.1 dooling,keyon 26% 21% 0.41 + 2 1.2
carney,rodney 15% 26% 0.82 - 5 4.4 maggette,corey 31% 20% 0.28 - 9 1.0
gadzuric,dan 25% 11% 1.39 -11 4.0 boykins,earl 10% 28% 0.26 - 2 0.6
bell,charlie 26% 10% 0.96 + 5 3.4 ilyasova,ersan 23% 29% 0.14 - 8 0.6
wright,brandan 16% 11% 0.91 - 1 2.2 brockman,jon 12% 13% 0.00 - 8 0.0
biedrins,andris 59% 7% 0.76 - 7 1.9 delfino,carlos (DNP)
lin,jeremy (DNP) sanders,larry (DNP)
PACE: 89.1 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 89.1 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
warriors,goldenst 80.8 .402 .220 .191 .049 bucks,milwaukee 88.7 .373 .380 .224 .104
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SPURS 116, 76ERS 93 (box): The Spurs led by as many as 32 against a reeling Sixers team. San Antonio broke the game open with a 35-12 third quarter during which they hled the Sixers to 5-of-22 shooting. Evan Turner went scoreless on 0-of-3 shooting in 27 minutes for Philadelphia.
PHI (2-8) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR SAS (7-1) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
iguodala,andre 40% 24% 1.03 -20 14.7 ginobili,manu 53% 24% 1.34 +29 24.7
nocioni,andres 41% 17% 1.11 -15 14.6 parker,tony 57% 25% 1.64 +26 21.1
holiday,jrue 74% 29% 0.81 -12 13.7 blair,dejuan 50% 19% 1.45 +20 17.8
young,thaddeus 44% 18% 1.15 - 5 10.1 hill,george 44% 21% 1.34 + 9 12.6
williams,lou 46% 26% 0.98 - 7 9.1 bonner,matt 31% 19% 1.16 - 1 9.9
meeks,jodie 36% 19% 0.91 - 2 8.4 jefferson,richard 55% 13% 1.41 +25 8.0
hawes,spencer 29% 20% 0.97 -18 8.4 duncan,tim 50% 22% 0.84 +28 6.9
speights,marreese 51% 21% 0.91 - 1 8.1 neal,gary 50% 17% 0.71 - 5 5.6
brand,elton 44% 19% 0.80 -26 5.2 splitter,tiago 39% 18% 0.91 - 2 5.3
kapono,jason 25% 14% 0.77 + 9 3.0 quinn,chris 25% 13% 1.70 - 9 3.7
turner,evan 57% 5% 0.15 - 8 0.5 mcdyess,antonio 16% 22% 0.91 + 4 2.3
battie,tony 14% 12% 0.00 -10 0.0 gee,alonzo 31% 17% 0.30 - 9 1.5
PACE: 97.1 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 97.1 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
76ers,philadelphia 95.8 .439 .178 .155 .109 spurs,sanantonio 119.5 .529 .250 .144 .141
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SUNDAY'S BOX SCORES & RECAPS
HAWKS 111, TIMBERWOLVES 105 (box): The Timberwolves weren't far off from nabbing their third straight win, but weren't able to keep the Hawks off the line. Michael Basley and Kevin Love were solid again, as many of Minnesota's possessions continue to be two-man sets between the two young forwards. It's working so why change? The Hawks rode Al Horford domination of the center matchup, as he put up 28 points and 10 boards in 36 minutes verus Darko Milicic's two points on 1-of-7 shooting in 20 minutes. Milicic has cracked double-digits in GR only once this season. Horford actually switched over to Love down the stretch and helped frustrate the latter's efforts at getting off a lead-narrowing three-pointer with the his active hands.
MIN (3-8) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR ATL (7-4) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
telfair,sebastian 82% 17% 1.50 + 6 28.1 horford,al 74% 22% 1.61 + 5 37.0
tolliver,anthony 44% 14% 2.14 + 1 18.6 smith,josh 83% 29% 0.94 0 21.8
beasley,michael 71% 31% 1.01 + 6 18.0 johnson,joe 58% 24% 1.35 - 7 20.8
love,kevin 85% 25% 1.02 + 2 17.3 evans,maurice 34% 14% 1.80 +11 11.7
brewer,corey 48% 25% 0.82 0 13.4 williams,marvin 58% 15% 1.11 - 8 7.6
johnson,wesley 77% 9% 1.51 - 1 7.7 crawford,jamal 64% 18% 0.82 + 8 6.9
koufos,kosta 12% 29% 1.03 -12 4.3 teague,jeff 36% 11% 1.30 +11 4.2
milicic,darko 42% 20% 0.36 - 6 2.1 bibby,mike 44% 12% 0.99 + 8 3.5
hayward,lazar 21% 2% 4.17 -14 1.2 pachulia,zaza 24% 17% 0.80 + 1 2.0
gaines,sundiata 18% 19% 0.00 -12 0.0 powell,josh 24% 22% 0.46 + 1 1.5
ellington,wayne (DNP) collins,jason (DNP)
pekovic,nikola (DNP) crawford,jordan (DNP)
PACE: 94.9 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 94.9 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
timberwolves,minn 110.6 .526 .324 .221 .144 hawks,atlanta 116.9 .481 .357 .158 .181
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PISTONS 100, KINGS 94 (box): The Kings' defensive problems continued in their fifth straight loss. Don't look now, but Detroit has won four of five after starting the season 0-5. Detroit has won all four of those games with offense. On Sunday, John Kuester used 10 players for 14 or more minutes and only Ben Wallace took fewer than five shots. There were still plenty of isolations--the Pistons had just 18 assists on their 41 made field goals--but that didn't keep Detroit from shooting 54 percent from the floor. Sacramento went 2-of-18 from three-point range.
DET (4-6) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR SAC (3-6) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
gordon,ben 56% 17% 1.77 + 3 28.2 landry,carl 63% 24% 1.22 - 2 24.1
stuckey,rodney 71% 29% 0.99 + 8 18.1 evans,tyreke 83% 30% 0.75 - 1 16.8
prince,tayshaun 57% 21% 1.16 + 1 16.7 thompson,jason 36% 11% 2.67 - 3 15.5
hamilton,richard 45% 39% 0.72 + 4 15.0 head,luther 54% 16% 1.57 - 7 14.0
monroe,greg 32% 19% 1.33 + 4 12.0 udrih,beno 46% 14% 1.75 + 1 11.6
villanueva,charlie 52% 19% 1.02 + 2 7.3 dalembert,samuel 48% 11% 1.76 - 2 9.6
wallace,ben 58% 1% 8.14 + 1 6.5 casspi,omri 50% 18% 0.93 - 4 6.7
mcgrady,tracy 43% 16% 1.09 + 5 5.4 cousins,demarcus 52% 27% 0.54 - 4 6.0
maxiell,jason 57% 9% 1.22 + 4 4.7 garcia,francisco 46% 17% 0.60 0 4.6
bynum,will 29% 29% 0.63 - 2 4.1 wright,antoine 23% 10% 0.77 - 8 2.0
daye,austin (DNP) greene,donte (DNP)
wilcox,chris (DNP) jackson,darnell (DNP)
PACE: 84.8 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 84.8 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
pistons,detroit 118.0 .559 .281 .142 .099 kings,sacramento 110.9 .465 .391 .142 .109
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SPURS 117, THUNDER 104 (box): Matt Bonner went 7-of-7 from three-point range off the bench, with three of those shots coming in the fourth quarter. The Spurs outscored the Thunder 56-38 in the second half. Oklahoma City has allowed 1.11 points per possession or higher in seven of its nine games. The Thunder are 27th in Defensive Rating for the season.
SAS (8-1) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR OKC (5-4) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
ginobili,manu 64% 27% 1.13 + 5 28.9 durant,kevin 81% 32% 0.80 -15 26.4
parker,tony 67% 26% 1.15 + 6 23.3 harden,james 76% 13% 1.29 -11 18.0
bonner,matt 52% 15% 2.53 +14 18.5 maynor,eric 50% 21% 1.16 -13 16.4
jefferson,richard 79% 16% 1.05 +11 14.7 westbrook,russell 77% 27% 0.91 -15 16.0
blair,dejuan 33% 35% 0.79 0 8.7 ibaka,serge 51% 20% 1.05 - 6 8.4
duncan,tim 48% 14% 0.93 + 5 6.2 krstic,nenad 38% 11% 1.12 - 3 7.2
hill,george 66% 18% 0.70 +19 5.4 green,jeff 53% 16% 1.21 + 3 6.7
mcdyess,antonio 39% 14% 1.03 +10 5.0 collison,nick 23% 15% 0.65 - 4 2.2
neal,gary 38% 7% 2.17 +10 4.5 sefolosha,thabo 45% 3% 1.20 - 7 1.6
splitter,tiago 7% 24% 0.76 - 9 1.0 white,d.j. 3% 28% 0.27 + 3 0.4
quinn,chris 3% 27% 0.00 - 3 0.0 peterson,morris 3% 30% 0.00 + 3 0.0
gee,alonzo (DNP) aldrich,cole (DNP)
PACE: 100.8 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 100.8 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
spurs,sanantonio 116.1 .472 .295 .119 .166 thunder,oklacity 103.2 .476 .135 .139 .131
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ROCKETS 104, KNICKS 96 (box): The Rockets have won three of four as they try to climb out of an early 0-5 hole. Kyle Lowry got the starting nod at point guard and, wouldn't you know it, was actually outplayed by backup Ishmael Smith. Right now, there just isn't a right answer for Rick Adelman at that position. Kevin Martin and Luis Scola provided plenty of scoring punch for the Rockets. The Knicks have lost five straight and now head out on a four-game swing on the West Coast.
HOU (3-6) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR NYK (3-7) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
martin,kevin 88% 28% 1.05 + 8 25.7 stoudemire,amare 78% 30% 0.90 - 3 21.4
scola,luis 73% 29% 1.07 0 19.5 chandler,wilson 79% 21% 0.96 0 20.4
lowry,kyle 75% 17% 0.85 + 1 14.4 felton,raymond 83% 23% 0.76 - 1 17.7
battier,shane 68% 10% 1.35 - 1 10.9 fields,landry 66% 7% 2.11 - 1 12.5
lee,courtney 45% 18% 1.36 + 9 9.9 gallinari,danilo 75% 14% 1.14 - 1 12.2
smith,ishmael 25% 13% 1.90 + 7 7.6 douglas,toney 38% 26% 0.65 - 8 5.2
miller,brad 27% 31% 1.00 - 5 7.5 randolph,anthony 22% 25% 0.76 - 5 3.8
hayes,chuck 65% 11% 1.47 + 9 6.9 mozgov,timofey 36% 9% 1.31 -10 3.5
hill,jordan 34% 18% 0.67 +12 4.7 mason,roger 22% 22% 0.40 -11 2.2
budinger,chase (DNP) rautins,andy (DNP)
jeffries,jared (DNP) walker,bill (DNP)
taylor,jermaine (DNP) williams,shawne (DNP)
PACE: 97.2 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 97.2 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
rockets,houston 107.0 .488 .250 .175 .163 knicks,newyork 98.8 .454 .200 .124 .109
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SUNS 121, LAKERS 116 (box): The Lakers defensive problems are becoming more acute. L.A. has lost its last two games and have put up an aggregate 124.2 Defensive Rating in those contests. The Lakers rank 14th in the NBA on the defensive end for the season. A big factor in this game was the Lakers inability to convert second-chance opportunities. The Lakers had 20 offensive boards in the game, including nine from Pau Gasol. Gasol was 12-of-17 from the floor in his best game of the season but, overall, the Lakers got just 25 points off their second-chance shots. The Suns went nuts from the three-point line, shooting 22-of-40. Jason Richardson (7), Hedo Turkoglu (5), Channing Fry (4), Goran Dragic (3) and Steve Nash (2) all hit multiple triples in the game. The Suns hit at least four threes in all four quarters. Lamar Odom picked up a key technical with the game still tight in the final minute, believing he got fouled on a made layup. It was perhaps the most stark example yet of the new league policy against complaining, the kind of play in the kind of situation that will lead to a well-deserved debate about just where the line needs to be drawn.
PHX (5-4) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR LAL (8-2) PLY% USG PCP +/- GR
nash,steve 70% 18% 2.06 +13 28.2 gasol,pau 85% 23% 1.45 - 4 41.3
frye,channing 79% 18% 1.44 + 6 27.7 bryant,kobe 80% 31% 1.27 - 8 19.7
richardson,jason 75% 31% 1.60 + 8 26.9 artest,ron 47% 21% 1.39 - 5 18.9
turkoglu,hedo 55% 14% 2.51 +16 15.3 odom,lamar 88% 18% 1.39 -11 14.1
warrick,hakim 44% 19% 0.72 - 1 7.1 barnes,matt 53% 17% 0.89 - 3 10.8
dragic,goran 28% 34% 1.07 - 7 7.1 brown,shannon 39% 20% 1.48 + 8 9.2
dudley,jared 30% 26% 0.61 - 6 6.3 fisher,derek 58% 6% 2.05 - 8 5.9
childress,josh 47% 4% 2.02 - 2 5.8 vujacic,sasha 23% 17% 0.64 + 1 2.4
hill,grant 60% 17% 0.73 + 3 4.3 walton,luke 13% 3% 2.74 + 6 1.1
lopez,robin 12% 6% 0.00 - 5 0.0 ebanks,devin 7% 22% 0.00 + 3 0.0
siler,garret (DNP) walton,luke (DNP)
clark,earl (DNP) ratliff,theo (DNP)
PACE: 94.0 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA% PACE: 94.0 ORTG eFG% oRB% TO% FTA%
suns,phoenix 128.7 .643 .256 .128 .089 lakers,losangeles 123.4 .536 .476 .191 .080
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FAB FIVE
A selection of our favorite NBA links
1. The Cavaliers are making due without injured starters Mo Williams and Anderson Varejao.
2. Houston forward Luis Scola plans to play even if there is a lockout.
3. Golden State forward David Lee has successful surgery to clean out an infection in his left elbow.
4. Phoenix center Robin Lopez wasn't around to see most of the Suns' record peformance in L.A. on Sunday.
5. The Hornets have cut bait on lottery disappointment Joe Alexander.
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ON TAP
Tonight in the NBA
WTC VIS @ HOM, GAMETIME NBAPET LINE OFFICIALS
+26 nwo @ dal, 8:30 PM EST [ nwo by 0 ] Dick Bavetta, Derrick Collins, Violet Palmer
+13 den @ phx, 9:00 PM EST [ phx by 2 ] Ed Malloy, Leroy Richardson, Gary Zielinski
+ 4 mem @ orl, 7:00 PM EST [ orl by 13 ] James Capers, Mark Lindsay, Tom Washington
= 0 okc @ uta, 9:00 PM EST [ uta by 9 ] Steve Javie, Bennie Adams, Mark Ayotte
- 3 det @ gsw, 10:30 PM EST [ gsw by 8 ] Marc Davis, Tommy Nunez Jr., Leon Wood
-12 njn @ lac, 10:30 PM EST [ njn by 0 ] Ron Garretson, Tony Brown, Olandis Poole
-15 min @ cha, 7:00 PM EST [ cha by 13 ] Ken Mauer, Kevin Fehr, Courtney Kirkland
Note: WTC is a junk stat rating the "watchability" of a game, taking into
account the quality of the opponents and the likelihood of a close game.
Through Sunday, 142 of 1,230 games (11.5%) have been played in the 2010-11 NBA regular season.
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GLOSSARY
+/- (Plus-Minus) Raw data is from official box scores from NBA.com.
GR (Game Rating) Reflects a player's Points Created total, or the portion of his team's offense for which he gets credit based on his box score line. This number is then adjusted for estimated defensive performance based on box score counterpart productivity. GR is pace-adjusted so you can compare players from game to game.
PCP (Points Created Per Possession Used) An estimate of each player's points created per possession used, a measure of offensive efficiency. The stat accounts for a player's entire box score line, not just the scoring categories.
PLY% (Play percentage) An estimate of the percentage of a team's possessions on which the player was on the court.
USG An estimate of how many of those plays a player used by shooting, going to the line or committing a turnover, with a portion the team's offensive rebound total subtracted.
TEAM STATS
PACE: Estimated possessions in the game.
ORTG: A team's points per 100 possessions.
eFG%: Team's shooting percentage with an extra half-point added for each made three-point field goal.
oRB%: Percentage of a team's misses that they retrieved off the offensive glass.
TO%: Percentage of at team's possessions resulting in a turnover.
FTA%: Percentage of a team's possessions resulting in a trip to the foul line.
You can follow Bradford on Twitter at twitter.com/@bbdoolittle.
You can order a copy of Pro Basketball Prospectus 2010-11 here.
Bradford Doolittle is an author of Basketball Prospectus.
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