January 2015 – Page 10 – NBA Blog

Third returns for 2015 All-Star

LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors lead their respective conferences and are separated by only 13,285 votes after the third returns of NBA All-Star Balloting 2015 presented by Sprint. James has 971,299 votes compared with 958,014 for Curry, who trailed by 20,324 votes following the second returns issued a week ago. The New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis sits in third place overall with 922,381. Balloting concludes on Monday, Jan. 19.

More info: NBA All-Star Voting Results

Kemba Walker, Klay Thompson named Players of Week through January 11, 2015

Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker and Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson today were named NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Jan. 5, through Sunday, Jan. 11.

Walker led the Hornets to a 4-0 week behind a league-leading 30.3 ppg. Walker, who posted back-to-back 30-point outings to open the week, averaged 5.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.3 steals. He also ranked eighth in the Eastern Conference with 36.2 mpg. During a 103-95 win over the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 8, Walker scored 29 points, handed out eight assists, pulled down seven rebounds and collected three steals.

Thompson led the Western Conference in scoring at 27.7 ppg, and helped the Warriors to a 3-0 week. Thompson connected on 13-of-26 (.500) from three-point range and 14-of-15 (.933) free throw attempts. On Jan. 7, Thompson poured in 40 points on 14-of-25 shooting from the field, including 6-of-11 from distance, and added four rebounds and three assists during a 117-102 win over the Indiana Pacers.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Atlanta’s Jeff Teague, Denver’s Arron Afflalo, Detroit’s Greg Monroe, Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, New Orleans’ Anthony Davis, Philadelphia’s Robert Covington, Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard, and Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins.

Pistons playing good basketball lately

1. The Pistons are 8-2 in their last 10 games and 7-2 in their last nine road games.

2. Included in the victories are wins over four playoff teams from last season – Indiana, San Antonio, Dallas and Brooklyn.

3. Detroit collected road wins at San Antonio and at Dallas in the same season for the first time since 1997.

4. The Pistons have won five consecutive road games, the most consecutive road wins since Detroit won five straight from 12/19/07-1/4/08.

5. Greg Monroe is averaging 16.8 points on 55.6% (40-72 FG) and 13.2 rebounds over his last six games, including six consecutive double-doubles.

6. Brandon Jennings is averaging 20.8 points on 46.7% (49-105 FG) shooting and 40.5% (15-37 3FG) from beyond the arc, while dishing out 7.0 assists over his last six games.

7. Kyle Singler is averaging 13.5 points and 4.0 rebounds over his last two games.

8. D.J. Augustin is averaging 10.9 points and 6.0 assists over his last seven games.

This week in the NBA: January 12, 2015

A look at this week in the NBA, starting today, Monday, January 12, 2015:

Monday — Pistons at Raptors (7:30 p.m. ET, NBA LEAGUE PASS): Detroit puts its five-game road winning streak on the line against Toronto, which is 15-4 at home. The Pistons haven’t won six in a row on the road since March 2007, and the franchise record is seven.

Tuesday — Spurs at Wizards (7 p.m., NBA TV): San Antonio has won 17 consecutive games against Washington, the longest active winning streak by one NBA team over another, according to Elias. The Wizards, who are 16-4 at home, are seeking their first victory in the series since Nov. 12, 2005.

Wednesday — Clippers at Trail Blazers (10:30 p.m., ESPN): Portland has won four in a row and eight of 10 to move into second place in the West, one game behind Golden State. The Clippers’ Blake Griffin is averaging a career-best 5.0 assists, to go with 22.7 points and 7.7 rebounds.

Thursday — Thunder at Rockets (8 p.m., TNT): Houston defeated Oklahoma City 69-65 on Nov. 16. It was the first time a team won a game with fewer than 70 points since March 2005. Both teams shot less than 30 percent. James Harden led all scorers with 19 points. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook did not play.

Friday — Trail Blazers at Spurs (8:30 p.m., NBA LEAGUE PASS): The teams meet for the first time since Dec. 19, when Portland outlasted the San Antonio 129-119 in triple-overtime. Damian Lillard led all scorers with a career-high 43 points, including 16 after regulation.

Saturday — Hawks at Bulls (8 p.m., NBA LEAGUE PASS): This matchup comes one night after Atlanta visits the Raptors. Chicago and Toronto entered the week trailing the East-leading Hawks by 3.5 games.

Sunday — Pelicans at Raptors (3:30 p.m., NBA LEAGUE PASS): New Orleans’ Anthony Davis is tied for the NBA lead in road scoring at 27.0 points per game. The Pelicans’ visit to Toronto marks the fourth stop on a five-game Eastern Conference road trip.

Heat sign Tyler Johnson to 10-day contract

Miami Heat sign Tyler Johnson to 10-day contract

The Miami HEAT have signed guard Tyler Johnson to a 10-day contract.

Johnson has appeared in 13 games (as a starter in all of them) for the HEAT’s NBA Development League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce this season. In those contests, he averaged 18.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 33.9 minutes while shooting 47.7 percent from the field, 46.3 percent from three-point range and 82.1 percent from the foul line. Johnson recorded six 20-point games, including a season-high 31 points in a, 138-126, win at Texas on December 20. He ranks second on the team in assists (49) and free throws made (55) and third in points (240) and field goals made (83).

Johnson was originally signed by the Miami Heat on August 7, 2014. He appeared in one preseason game with Miami, totaling 17 points, four rebounds, four steals and two assists in 36:13 minutes of action before being waived on October 25, 2014.

Johnson will wear number 8 on the Heat.

Jabari Brown wins D-League Performer of Week through January 11

Los Angeles D-Fenders guard Jabari Brown was today named NBA Development League Performer of the Week for games played Monday, Jan. 5 – Sunday, Jan. 11. The award is the first of Brown’s career.

Brown (6-4, 202, Missouri) led Los Angeles to a 2-1 record last week, scoring an NBA D-League season high 50 points on 15-of-22 shooting in a 124-99 win in Sioux Falls over the Skyforce on Jan. 10. Earlier in the week, Brown scored a then-career high 35 points in a 133-121 win over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. For the week, he averaged 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

For the season, Brown is averaging 21.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 21 games, seven as a starter.

Other top performers considered included Austin’s Jonathan Simmons, Bakersfield’s Joe Jackson, Oklahoma City’s Semaj Christon, Rio Grande Valley’s Chris Johnson and Reno’s Quincy Miller.

Three-team trade sends Jeff Green to Memphis

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has acquired forward Quincy Pondexter and a future second round draft pick from the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a three-team deal including the Boston Celtics. In exchange, New Orleans has traded guard Austin Rivers to Boston and guard Russ Smith to Memphis. As additional components of the trade, Boston has acquired forward Tayshawn Prince and a future first round draft pick from Memphis, and Memphis has acquired forward Jeff Green from Boston.

“The New Orleans Pelicans are thrilled to welcome back a high character person like Quincy Pondexter to our organization,” said Dell Demps, General Manager of the Pelicans. “Quincy is a two-way player, a multi-position defender that will add toughness along with an offensive skill set that we anticipate will help the Pelicans win games.”

“It was difficult to trade Austin Rivers and Russ Smith”, said Demps. “Russ was only with the team for a short time while Austin is an intense competitor that is continuing to improve. We will miss Austin and Russ on and off the court. We thank Austin and Russ for their contributions and wish them success in the future.”

According to Yahoo Sports, “Green gives the Grizzlies a versatile veteran who can score and defend both forward positions. He is averaging 17.6 points and 4.2 rebounds this season. Green makes $9.2 million this season and holds a player option of $9.2 million in 2015-16 – the final year of his contract. The Celtics are unloading assets – they traded forward Brandan Wright to the Phoenix Suns for a future first-round draft pick earlier Friday – and gathering assets for a rebuild. With this trade, Boston will have accumulated 11 first-round picks over the next four drafts.”

Green (6-9, 235) has averaged a career-high 17.6 points to go with 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 33.1 minutes in 33 games (all starts) with Boston this season, shooting .434 from the field, .305 from three-point range and a career-best .840 from the free throw line. He has scored 10+ points 29 times, 20+ points 10 times and 30+ points twice, including a season-high 35 points on Nov. 3 at Dallas, and has posted one double-double.

Drafted by Boston in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft and traded to the Seattle SuperSonics on draft night, Green joins Memphis with career averages of 14.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 32.8 minutes in 511 games (395 starts) with Seattle/Oklahoma City and Boston. The seven-year veteran has career shooting percentages of .440 from the field, .340 from three-point range and .788 from the free throw line. Green netted a career-high 43 points on March 18, 2013 vs. Miami.

The 28-year-old owns career postseason averages of 12.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 31.2 minutes in 21 playoff games (12 starts) for Oklahoma City and Boston. Green posted 20.3 points on .435 shooting (.455 three-point shooting) in six games in the Celtics’ first round series against New York in the 2013 NBA Playoffs.

A native of Hyattsville, Md., Green averaged 13.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 33.2 minutes in 102 games over three years (2004-07) at Georgetown University. Serving as the Hoyas’ co-captain in his junior season, Green led Georgetown to its first NCAA Final Four appearance since 1985 and was named the 2007 Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA East Regional and was selected as the 2007 Big East Player of the Year and Big East Tournament MVP.

Prince, a 6’9” forward, has appeared in 26 contests for the Grizzlies this season and is averaging 7.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 24.2 minutes per game, while shooting 15-33 (.455) from beyond the arc over that span. He scored a season-high 20 points, including shooting a perfect 4-4 from long range, five rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes on December 5 against the San Antonio Spurs. Prince was the starting small forward for the 2004 NBA Champion Detroit Pistons and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in four consecutive seasons (2005-08). For his career, Prince is averaging 11.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 32.3 minutes per game.

Rivers, a 6’4” guard, has appeared in 35 games for the Pelicans this season and is averaging 6.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 22.1 minutes per game. He recorded a season-high of 21 points, including shooting 11-12 (.917) from the foul line, two rebounds, three assists and one steal in 33 minutes on December 20 against the Portland Trailblazers. Rivers was selected as the 10th overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft by New Orleans and is averaging 6.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 21.4 minutes per game for his career.

Pondexter, 6-6, 225, Washington, appeared in 30 games this season with Memphis, holding averages of 4.5 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. This will be Pondexter’s second stint with New Orleans, as he spent his rookie season with the franchise during the 2010-11 season, appearing in 66 games and averaging 2.8 points and 1.3 rebounds. In his five seasons, Pondexter holds career averages of 4.5 points and 1.8 rebounds in 234 games.

Smith, 6-0, 165, Louisville, was acquired by New Orleans in a draft night trade this past June after being selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 47th overall pick. The rookie guard appeared in six games this season for the Pelicans, averaging 0.8 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.3 assists.

Knicks sign Lou Amundson and Lance Thomas to 10-day contracts

Knicks sign Lou Amundson and Lance Thomas to 10-day contracts

New York Knicks President Phil Jackson announced today that the team has signed forwards Lou Amundson and Lance Thomas to 10-day contracts. Both players were originally acquired as part of a three-team deal on Jan. 5, but then waived on Jan. 7.

Amundson, 6-9, 225-pounds, scored 11 total points and grabbed 20 rebounds over 79 minutes in 12 games for Cleveland this season. The Boulder, CO-native, holds career averages of 3.5 points and 3.5 rebounds over 12.4 minutes in 358 games over eight seasons with Utah, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Golden State, Indiana, Minnesota, Chicago, New Orleans and Cleveland.

Thomas, 6-8, 225-pounds, averaged 5.1 points and 3.4 rebounds over 20.5 minutes in 22 games (13 starts) for Oklahoma City this season. The Brooklyn, NY-native, holds career averages of 3.4 points and 2.5 rebounds over 13.8 minutes in 128 games (32 starts) for New Orleans and Oklahoma City.

Former Mavs center Roy Tarpley dies

Here’s the Dallas Morning News reporting, sadly, that former Mavericks center Roy Tarpley has passed away:

Former Mavericks’ center Roy Tarpley has died at age 50. Cause of death was not immediately known although when the Mavericks arrived in Los Angeles for their game Saturday against the Clippers, several members of the traveling party had been informed that liver failure was at least partly to blame.

The 6-11 Tarpley was the seventh pick in the 1986 draft by the Mavericks out of Michigan. In his second season, he was the NBA’s sixth man of the year before drugs and controversy shrouded the rest of his six seasons in the league.

According to a medical examiner’s report, Tarpley’s death happened at Texas Arlington Health Memorial Hospital. It is a sad ending to one of the most gifted talents ever to play for the franchise. Tarpley had a rare combination of strength and speed that made him one of the best athletes of his era.

Grizzlies may trade for Jeff Green

The Boston Celtics keep making moves. A few minutes ago they sent Brandan Wright to Phoenix for a draft pick. Now they are in talks to move Jeff Green to Memphis. Nothing official yet. Here’s Yahoo Sports reporting:

In a move to strengthen themselves for a push into the Western Conference playoffs, the Memphis Grizzlies are finalizing a deal to acquire Boston Celtics forward Jeff Green, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Memphis will send Tayshaun Prince and a first-round draft pick to the Celtics, league sources said. The protected pick likely won’t be available until 2018 or ’19, sources said.

The Celtics and Grizzlies are awaiting final authorization from a third team involved in the deal to complete the trade, league sources said.