November 2015 – Page 4 – NBA Blog

Magic rookie Mario Hezonja still learning the ropes

The Orlando Magic are 6-7 this season, and getting double-digit scoring from Evan Fournier, Nikola Vucevic, Tobias Harris, Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton. Rookie shooting guard Mario Hezonja is playing just 14.5 minutes per game, good for 4.8 ppg. Here’s the Orlando Sentinel reporting:

Hezonja has shown tantalizing glimpses of the potential that prompted the Magic to select him fifth overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, but his rookie mistakes on the defensive end and a logjam of other talented wing players are reducing his playing time. Coaches review tape with Hezonja almost daily in an attempt to cut down on his errors.

By all accounts, Hezonja, a 6-foot-8 swingman, has been an eager student.

“It’s a team sport, so I’m looking forward to help the team the best that I can and, of course, [I’m] individually looking to improve because I’m here to play,” he said after he played almost 17 minutes in the Magic’s 97-91 loss Saturday night to the Sacramento Kings.

Deron Williams playing well for Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks are off to a terrific start this season, boasting a 9-4 record. New point guard Deron Williams, contributing 13.8 points and 5.6 assists per game on 43.3% shooting, still isn’t the star he was years ago, but he’s fitting in and a key part of the team’s success. Here’s the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporting:

With Monta Ellis now playing for the Indiana Pacers and Dirk Nowitzki getting up there in age, the Dallas Mavericks knew they had to find themselves another go-to guy over the offseason.

They definitely found one in Deron Williams.

Signed to a two-year, $11 million free agent contract over the summer, Williams showed another sign Friday night against the Utah Jazz why he can be trusted with the ball with the game on the line. With the Jazz closing in on the Mavs, Williams nailed a 3-point basket to pad the Mavs’ lead to 95-87 with two minutes left.

A pair of free throws by Williams gave Dallas a 100-91 lead with 1:05 left and prevented any chances the Jazz had of making a valiant comeback.

The Mavs went on to win their sixth consecutive game, 102-93, and are now 9-4 on the year. And a lot of the credit goes to Williams, who is now feeling more and more comfortable being the Mavs’ go-to guy down the stretch.

Kobe Bryant plays season-high 37 minutes

The Los Angeles Lakers are 2-10 so far in what may turn out to be the final NBA season of Kobe Bryant’s career. And Kobe is struggling along with the entire team, scoring a team-high 16.1 ppg but on miserable 34.0% shooting. Here’s the Los Angeles Daily News blog reporting:

The concern made Kobe Bryant roll his eyes.

The Lakers’ 37-year-old star posted only 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting, five assists and four rebounds in the Lakers’ 102-91 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Friday at Staples Center. But the most glaring number involved his 37 minutes.

It marked the second consecutive game he played above last year’s season’s average of 34.5 minutes. It marked the second consecutive season Bryant became shrouded in controversy surrounding the minutes he played. So after lasting only 35 games last season before needing season-ending right shoulder surgery, what implications could Bryant’s heavier workload bring to his 37-year-old body?

“That’s the silliest question of the night,” Bryant said. “This is literally my second game where I played 35 minutes or more, so it’s premature to ask about it.”

Warriors trying to make history

Here’s CSN Bay Area reporting on the 14-0 Golden State Warriors, who after winning the championship last season are on an amazing roll in 2015-16 and are the talk of basketball right now:

There was nothing from the Warriors after winning 10 in a row, nothing after 12 either. They held the company line: One game at a time. And: Next game is all that matters.

But Friday night, after winning their 14th consecutive game, the Warriors made no such attempts to avoid the subject on the tips of tongues throughout the NBA. They openly talked about The Streak, and about becoming the first team in NBA history to win 16 consecutive games. They embraced the subject.

“At this point, you do,” forward Draymond Green said. “Because all you’re doing now is thinking about one game, which you have to do anyway.”

The next game is Sunday at Denver. A win over the Nuggets would put the Warriors in a three-way tie with the 1993-94 Houston Rockets and the 1948-49 Washington Capitols for most wins to begin a season.

No turnovers for Pistons point guards vs Timberwolves

Here’s Michigan Live reporting on the Detroit Pistons point guards, who did something impressive yesterday against the Minnesota Timberwolves:

It wasn’t really perfect. There just weren’t any imperfections in the category reserved for imperfections.

Reggie Jackson played 28 minutes and Spencer Dinwiddie 20 minutes for the Detroit Pistons on Friday night. The two point guards combined for 24 points and seven assists.

And they did not commit a turnover, which was central to the Pistons’ 96-86 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

It was the first turnover-free game by Pistons point guards this season.

Bulls unable to stop Warriors winning streak

The Golden State Warriors are 14-0 and chasing history, and didn’t let the Chicago Bulls get in their way. Here’s the Bulls.com blog:

There is a method to that madness that has become Jimmy Butler’s life, the multiple workouts per day, starting basically every morning at 5 and pounding away.

“I want to give us the best chance of winning,” Butler was saying in Oakland late Friday night. “That’s why I train as many times as I train per day, as early as I wake up; to make my body tired and still be able to perform at the highest level.”

Butler did all he could with a decimated backcourt with Derrick Rose out with a sprained ankle and Aaron Brooks with a hamstring strain. Butler in a game high 39 minutes outscored Stephen Curry with 28 points. His nine rebounds matched the Golden State Warriors’ leader. His seven assists were a game high for both teams. But in the end, even with the Bulls trailing 94-91 with under two minutes left after Butler made the Bulls last field goal, it wasn’t enough to subdue the league’s best team as the Warriors finally put the Bulls in their rear view mirror and pulled away to a 106-94 victory.

“First of all, I thought we really competed,” said Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg. “We battled, battled them the whole game. They made a couple of big plays down the stretch. We couldn’t get it back on the other end. But if we battle like that we’re going to win a lot of basketball games this year. We wanted to hold them to 10 threes or under. We did it. (Harrison) Barnes (with 20 points) hitting the two big ones there at the end (turning a four-point Warriors lead with 1:15 left into doubles figures in seconds). We took care of the ball. We didn’t give them a lot of run outs off of turnovers and that was a big goal of ours as well. We didn’t attack well enough down the stretch. But again, you play with that kind of effort we’re going to be fine.”

And here’s CSN Chicago with more on last night’s game:

Through 42 minutes it was hard to tell which was the better team, at least until Golden State’s deadly lineup finished the night by not allowing the Bulls to get anything going offensively in the last half of the fourth.

But the Warriors’ offensive rebounding was an Achilles’ heel, giving up 15 as Draymond Green came up with more than his share of loose balls, producing an effect that went beyond his nine-point, nine-rebound night.

“Yeah, loose balls,” Hoiberg said. “Draymond Green, he’s a horse in there. He does a great job watching his body, getting in there for extra ones. Those loose balls, you’ve got to find a way to come up with those.”

Jonas Valanciunas injured in Raptors win

Here’s the Toronto Star reporting good news but also bad news on the 8-6 Raptors, who center Jonas Valanciunas is averaging 12.7 ppg and 9.3 rpg in 27.3 minutes per game this season:

Big win. Big loss.

Unleashing a barrage of three-point shots against a woefully inept opponent, the Raptors snapped a three-game losing streak with a 102-91 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night but the victory came at a substantial cost.

Jonas Valanciunas could be lost for a substantial stretch after suffering a broken finger on his left hand when he was fouled by Kobe Bryant driving to the basket in the final minute of the second quarter.

The team said he suffered a fractured finger on his left, non-shooting hand and that he will have further testing before any timeline for rehabilitation or a return is offered.

Hawks face Cavs on Saturday

Two of the best teams in the Eastern conference face off on Saturday. Here’s the Atlanta Journal Constitution reporting:

The Cavaliers (9-3) lead the Eastern Conference, with the Hawks (9-5) in third place early in the new season. The Cavaliers are not going anywhere, it would appear. LeBron James carried them last season, and he could very well do it again.

The Hawks will face the Cavaliers without one, and possibly two, starters. Small forward Kent Bazemore (right ankle sprain) has been ruled out. Point guard Jeff Teague (left ankle sprain) is questionable.

The Cavaliers are injured themselves. Point guard Kyrie Irving (fractured left kneecap), guard Iman Shumpert (injured forearm), center Timofey Mozgov (right shoulder sprain) and guard Mo Williams (right lower leg soreness) all will not play. With Mozgov out, Tristan Thompson may start at center. He gave the Hawks fits in the postseason.

“Taking care of the defensive boards is something that is going to be important,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said.

No home wins for Timberwolves yet

Here’s the Minneapolis Star Tribune reporting on the Timberwolves, who haven’t won a home game yet and host the Detroit Pistons tonight:

One thing becomes clear after talking with a few Timberwolves players after today’s morning shootaround:

This team wants very much to end this zero-for-home thing. The Wolves enter tonight’s game with Detroit at Target Center at 5-7 overall, with all five victories coming on the road. At home the team is 0-5 at home. And while both emotions and injuries might have played into that, it has gotten old quickly.

“I hope tonight is the night,” Andrew Wiggins said.

The Pistons come into the game with an impressive victory over Cleveland Tuesday, a victory that ended a four-game losing streak. That came after Detroit started the season 5-1.

Timofey Mozgov, Mo Williams out with injuries

Center Timofey Mozgov experienced a strained right deltoid during the second quarter of last night’s game against Milwaukee at The Q. Additional examination and MRI today at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health confirmed the strain. Mozgov will be OUT approximately 10 days to two weeks.

Guard Mo Williams missed last night’s game vs the Bucks and received additional examination and MRI today at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health, which showed posterior right ankle inflammation, along with continued soreness. He is listed as OUT for tomorrow’s game at The Q against Atlanta and doubtful for Monday’s contest vs. Orlando, also at The Q.