Inside Hoops – Page 681 – NBA Blog

Dwight Powell steps up in Mavs win vs Bulls

All it took for Dwight Powell to play his best NBA game was to be patient and not get ahead of himself.

Powell used that strategy to tally a career-high 17 points and pull down eight rebounds Saturday night as the Dallas Mavericks crushed the Chicago Bulls 107-82. It was just the fourth win of the season for the Mavs, who entertain the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night at American Airlines Center.

The Mavs have been searching for this production out of Powell ever since they signed him to a four-year, $37 million contract July 8. And they believe they’ve figured out a way to squeeze the best out of Powell — a third-year pro described as a gym rat by the coaching staff.

“He is just getting better and getting more experience,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “He is recognizing situations a little bit better.”

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Quick Take: The Mavs have been one of the worst teams in the league so far this season, with a 4-15 record through Sunday’s games. With Dirk Nowitzki mostly watching from the sideline this season, Deron Williams missing a lot of time, Jose Barea out and lots of other stuff going wrong, there’s nowhere to go but up. Maybe. Hopefully.

Reggie Jackson returns to action for Pistons

Reggie Jackson’s return was a welcomed sight for the Pistons fans at The Palace. But on the same night Jackson made his season debut, the defense departed — and the Pistons paid for it.

They had a good start but a lackluster second quarter put them in a hole they couldn’t dig out of, as they fell to the Magic, 98-92, on Sunday night at The Palace.

The loss ended the Pistons’ three-game win streak; they also had won seven straight against the Magic — including the last four at home.

Jackson, who missed the first 21 games after recovering from tendinitis treatments in his knee and thumb, made his first shot of the game — a second-chance 3-pointer — and finished with 18 points and four assists in 23 minutes.

— Detroit News

Quick Take: The Pistons are 11-11 this season. They’re being led in scoring by Tobias Harris (17.1 ppg), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (15.2 ppg), Andre Drummond (14.3 ppg) and Marcus Morris (14.0 ppg). Reggie Jackson, now that he’s back, will be a nice upgrade over Ish Smith.

Kevin Durant fitting in perfectly with Warriors

Sometimes, as they do in Kevin Durant’s case, numbers tell the story.

Twenty games into his inaugural Warriors season, Durant not only leads his team with 27.3 points per game but leads his team — and the entire NBA — in scoring efficiently.

Durant ranked seventh in the league in points per game and eighth in field-goal percentage (56.2) entering Sunday’s games. That made him the only player in the top 10 in scoring to also rank among the top 20 in field-goal percentage.

Widen the scope and Durant’s efficiency becomes even more striking. The only other players in the top 10 in scoring to also rank among the top 30 in field-goal percentage were New Orleans’ Anthony Davis (No. 1 in scoring and No. 21 in field-goal percentage through Saturday) and the Warriors’ Stephen Curry (No. 8 in scoring, No. 29 in field-goal percentage).

— San Francisco Chronicle

Quick Take: Things are as expected in Golden State. The offense is beautiful and amazing. The defense is still improving. And overall, Durant has been the best of a very talented bunch.

Stan Van Gundy calls out Stanley Johnson

Stan Van Gundy calls out Stanley Johnson “Stan has to become a much better worker and learner,” Pistons president-coach Stan Van Gundy said Friday before Detroit’s game against the Atlanta Hawks (8 p.m., FSD).

“He just does. He’s a great competitor — if you put him on the floor, he’s going to work really, really hard. But he’s got to get better at all the stuff that leads up to going onto the court.”

Van Gundy specifically pointed to practice and off-days, where Johnson, now 20, sometimes puts in less than 100 percent effort compared to his fellow bench counterparts.

“He’s got to be a better practice guy,” Van Gundy said. “He’s got to be a better workout guy. He’s got to be better with all that stuff. Really working to get better. Once he’s out there competing, you don’t have a problem with that. He’ll play as hard as anybody, but he’s got to understand that’s not the whole thing. It’s preparing to play.”

— Michigan Live

Quick Take: In his rookie season (last year) Stanley Johnson played 23.1 minutes per game and averaged 8.1 points and 4.2 rebounds, on just 37.5% shooting. This season, Johnson is playing 14.9 minutes per game and getting just 4.0 points on 41.7% FG. More is expected of him. But as mentioned above, he’s not even 21 years old yet. Plenty of time for improvement.

Steve Kerr says Draymond Green leg-flail goes back many years

Long before he received a flagrant-1 foul in the Warriors’ double-overtime loss to Houston on Thursday night, Draymond Green was flailing his leg to draw fouls.

“Draymond’s been doing this since college,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said Friday. “I never saw him play in high school, but maybe he’s been doing this since high school.”

After Green’s leg extensions became a major story line in the 2016 playoffs, referees are wary of the tactic. Midway through the second overtime Thursday, after Green kicked James Harden in the face coming down on a putback attempt, the Golden State forward was assessed a flagrant-1.

— San Francisco Chronicle

Quick Take: Green needs to break the habit. I can’t think of any other player in the league that high-kicks like Draymond does. And the kick often doesn’t even look natural. He has to work to stop it. It’s that simple.

Jodie Meeks makes debut for Magic

Jodie Meeks made his Orlando Magic debut Friday night, giving hope to an offense that ranked last in the NBA in points per possession and last in 3-point shooting percentage.

Coach Frank Vogel subbed Meeks into the Magic’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center at the start of the second quarter.

Vogel expected to play Meeks for a four- or five-minute burst in each half. Meeks made his first shot attempt, a 3-pointer that put Orlando ahead 28-23.

— Orlando Sentinel

Quick Take: The Magic are 7-12 this season through Thursday’s games. Their shooting has been horrible this season. Any help Meeks can provide in that department would be greatly appreciated.

Dakari Johnson named D-League Player of Month

Oklahoma City Blue center Dakari Johnson today was named the NBA Development League Player of the Month for games played in November. The honor, the first of the 2016-17 season, is also the first of Johnson’s NBA D-League career.

Johnson (7-0, Kentucky) led Oklahoma City to a 6-3 record behind averages of 19.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 blocked shots (tied for fourth in the NBA D-League). He scored at least 20 points in six games and tallied four point-rebound double-doubles.

On Nov. 26, he recorded 20 points (on 7-for-11 shooting from the field) to go with six rebounds and a career-high five blocks in a 107-104 victory over the Canton Charge. Johnson closed the month by scoring a career-high 28 points, grabbing a season-high-tying 11 rebounds and handing out a season-high five assists in a 117-108 loss to the Los Angeles D-Fenders on Nov. 29.

Other players who received consideration for the monthly award were Austin’s Patricio Garino, Fort Wayne’s Julyan Stone, Grand Rapids’ Ray McCallum and Kevin Murphy, Los Angeles’ Justin Harper, Maine’s Jalen Jones, Westchester’s Chasson Randle and Windy City’s Spencer Dinwiddie.

Steve Gansey named D-League Coach of Month

The Fort Wayne Mad Ants’ Steve Gansey today was named the NBA Development League Coach of the Month for games played in November.

Gansey led Fort Wayne to a 6-0 record in November, the NBA D-League’s only undefeated team for the month. The Mad Ants ranked third in the league in scoring (117.7 ppg) and second in assists (24.5 apg). Gansey oversaw standout performances by Julyan Stone, who led the NBA D-League with 11.2 assists, and Travis Leslie, who paced the team with 19.3 points. On Nov. 27, Fort Wayne erased a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit in a 95-94 victory over the Iowa Energy – the only game in November that the Mad Ants did not score at least 120 points.

Gansey is in his second season as Fort Wayne head coach after posting a 20-30 record last season. He began his coaching career as a Mad Ants assistant from 2009-14, including a stint as interim head coach in the 2011-12 season. Gansey served as the associate head coach for the Canton Charge during the 2014-15 season before returning to Fort Wayne, the NBA D-League affiliate of the Indiana Pacers.

Other coaches who received consideration for the monthly award were Los Angeles’ Coby Karl, Northern Arizona’s Tyrone Ellis, Texas’ Bob Mackinnon and Westchester’s Mike Miller.

Andre Drummond fined for elbowing Roy Hibbert

Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond has been fined $15,000 for striking Charlotte Hornets center Roy Hibbert in the back of the head with an elbow, it was announced yesterday by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

The incident, for which Drummond was assessed a Flagrant Foul 2 and ejected, occurred with 4:09 remaining in the second quarter of the Pistons’ 112-89 win over the Hornets on Nov. 29 at Spectrum Center.

To view the incident, click on this link.

Tyronn Lue and Steve Kerr named NBA Coaches of Month

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Tyronn Lue and the Golden State Warriors’ Steve Kerr today were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month, respectively, for games played in October and November.

Lue guided the reigning NBA champion Cavaliers to an Eastern Conference-best 13-3 record during October and November, matching the best 16-game start in franchise history. Cleveland, which began the season with six straight victories, ranked second in the NBA in scoring (111.3 points per game), three-point field goal percentage (39.0) and three-pointers made (13.8 per game). The Cavaliers sank a team-record 21 three-pointers in a 137-125 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 23.

Kerr led the Warriors to an NBA-best 16-2 record in October and November, including 12 victories in a row entering December. Golden State paced the NBA in scoring (117.6 ppg), assists (31.1 apg), field goal percentage (50.2) and blocked shots (6.6 bpg). The Warriors notched at least 30 assists in 10 consecutive games, the longest streak in franchise history, and they registered a team-record 47 assists in a 149-106 win against the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 23.

Other nominees for the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month were Charlotte’s Steve Clifford, Chicago’s Fred Hoiberg, Houston’s Mike D’Antoni, the LA Clippers’ Doc Rivers, the Lakers’ Luke Walton, Memphis’ David Fizdale, San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich and Toronto’s Dwane Casey.