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Trey Burke is shooting below 37% FG this season

Trey Burke is shooting below 37% FG this season

Here’s the Salt Lake Tribune reporting on Utah Jazz guard Trey Burke, whose longterm NBA need is a better jumpshot:

Trey Burke is shooting below 37% FG this season

Trey Burke had a rough night.

The Utah Jazz point guard took 22 shots. He made four of them. And one of those makes might have been just as costly as any miss.

With 10.7 seconds left in overtime and the Jazz trailing 105-102, Jazz coach Quin Snyder wanted a 3-pointer. Instead, the lane opened up for Burke and the point guard took it to the hole for a layup.

“It was a called play for a 3,” Burke said. “I didn’t want to force anything like I did the last shot [of regulation] but they gave me the whole lane and there were still 12 seconds*, so I got in there and tried to get a quick two.”

But it wasn’t quick enough…

As for the rest of Burke’s night, the point guard did manage to dish out six assists and record four steals. But he countered that with five turnovers and, of course, a dreadful shooting performance.

After going 4 for 22, Burke’s shooting percentage is down to 36.8 on the season. Both his overall percentage and his 3-point field goal percentage are down from his rookie campaign.

Metta World Peace signs in Italy

Metta World Peace signs in Italy

Metta World Peace signs in Italy

Metta World Peace remains alive and well, and is still a basketball player. And will be taking his talents to Italy.

The Italian basketball team Pallacanestro Cantu, via their verified account, tweets that they have signed World Peace (the artist formerly known as Ron Artest) for the remainder of their season.

It’ll be interesting to see how Metta fares at this late stage of his playing career.

Grizzlies beat Knicks, clinch playoff spot

Grizzlies beat Knicks, clinch playoff spot

The Memphis Grizzlies clinched a playoff spot for the fifth consecutive season on Monday night. They hope this is only the beginning.

Zach Randolph scored 23 points and Marc Gasol had 21, leading Memphis to a 103-82 win over the lowly New York Knicks.

The Grizzlies (50-21) shot 52 percent from the field in their third consecutive victory. Vince Carter added 14 points, Jeff Green scored 12 and Kosta Koufos had 10.

“This is the NBA,” said Randolph, who also had seven rebounds and five assists. “We have been together a long time and we have to keep playing. We know what we are playing and getting ready for.”

— Associated Press

Bulls beat Hornets, clinch playoff spot

Nikola Mirotic scored 14 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, and the Chicago Bulls clinched a playoff spot with a 98-86 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.

Pau Gasol had 27 points and 12 rebounds as Chicago moved into a tie with Toronto for third place in the Eastern Conference. Jimmy Butler added 19 points in his return to the lineup after missing 11 games with a sprained left elbow.

The Bulls played without center Joakim Noah, who was scratched because of general soreness, but managed to bounce back from an ugly 107-91 loss at Detroit on Saturday.

Kemba Walker had 29 points and Mo Williams scored 15 for the Hornets, who were without Cody Zeller (right shoulder) and shot just 34.6 percent from the field.

— Associated Press

James Harden drops 44 points on Pacers

James Harden scored 19 of his 44 points in the fourth quarter and Josh Smith added 18 to help the Houston Rockets beat Indiana 110-100 on Monday night, handing the Pacers their sixth straight loss.

The Rockets (47-23) have won four of five.

Indiana’s sinking playoff hopes took another big hit despite 23 points from C.J. Watson.

George Hill had 20 points for the Pacers (30-40).

— Associated Press

Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul named Players of Week through March 22

dwyane wade

The Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul today were named NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, March 16, through Sunday, March 22.

Wade led the Heat to a 3-1 week, averaging 24.5 points (second in the East), 4.0 assists and 2.25 steals (fourth in the conference). He shot 53.2 percent from the field, including a 13-of-18 performance during a 32-point outing in a 106-92 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 16. The All-Star guard also scored 32 points and added six assists in a 108-104 win against the Portland Trail Blazers on March 18.

chris paul

Paul powered the Clippers to one of the NBA’s two 4-0 weeks. He ranked fifth in the NBA in scoring (26.0 ppg) and second in the West in assists (11.3 apg). The All-Star guard had 30 points and 11 assists in a 116-105 victory against the Sacramento Kings on March 18, and two nights later he contributed 30 points and 15 assists in a 113-99 win over the Washington Wizards. Paul totaled 45 assists and seven turnovers in the four games.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Cleveland’s LeBron James, Detroit’s Reggie Jackson, Houston’s James Harden, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, Orlando’s Elfrid Payton, Phoenix’s Eric Bledsoe and P.J. Tucker, Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard and Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan.

Jarell Eddie named D-League Performer of Week through March 22

Jarell Eddie named D-League Performer of Week

Austin Spurs forward Jarell Eddie was today named NBA Development League Performer of the Week for games played Monday, March 16 – Sunday, March 22. The award is the first of Eddie’s career and he joins Kyle Anderson and Bryce Cotton as Spurs to have earned the honor this season.

Eddie (6-7, 220, Virginia Tech) led Austin to a 2-0 week as his Spurs clinched a playoff spot on Friday with the 126-113 win over the Texas Legends and secured the team’s status as the Southwest Division Champion following the 115-95 victory over the Bakersfield Jam on Saturday.

For the week, Eddie averaged 26.0 points on 65 percent shooting to go with 6.5 rebounds. He connected on 63 percent (12-of-19) of shots his from behind the arc last week, securing a season-high 34 points off the bench against the Jam.

Eddie, who earned a GATORADE Call-Up to the Atlanta Hawks earlier this month, has appeared in 39 games for the Spurs this season, 16 as a starter, and is averaging 12.6 points and 3.5 rebounds on the season.

Other top performers considered included Bakersfield’s Joe Jackson, Oklahoma City’s Frank Gaines, Sioux Falls’ Shawn Jones, Reno’s David Stockton and Texas’ Jarrid Famous.

Kings sign David Wear to 10-day contract

Kings sign David Wear to 10-day contract

kings

The Sacramento Kings announced today that the team has signed David Wear to a 10-day contract, according to Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro.

The 6-10, 235-pound forward is averaging 16.3 points (.478 FG%, .394 3pt%, .812 FT%), 7.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 30.0 minutes per game in 43 contests for the Reno Bighorns, Sacramento’s NBA D-League affiliate. Wear registered career highs of 33 points (12 of 18 FG) on Jan. 3 at Los Angeles Defenders and has hit seven three-pointers in a game twice (Nov. 16 vs. Grand Rapids and Jan. 3 at Los Angeles Defenders).

The UCLA product will wear jersey number 31 and will be available for the Kings contest Tuesday night at Sleep Train Arena versus the Philadelphia 76ers.

The roster now stands at 15 players.

Amare Stoudemire fined $15,000 by NBA

Amare Stoudemire fined $15,000 by NBA

Amare Stoudemire fined $15,000 by NBA

Be nice to the refs, and go away when they officially instruct you to go away, or there’s going to be a problem.

Dallas Mavericks forward/center Amar’e Stoudemire has been fined $15,000 for verbally abusing an official and failing to leave the court in a timely manner upon his ejection, it was announced today by Rod Thorn, President, Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred last night with 5:25 remaining in the third quarter of the Mavericks’ 112-101 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at American Airlines Center.

To view the play, click on this link.