Category: General NBA insight

General NBA insight

Rockets weekly notes: James Harden close to passing Calvin Murphy

Houston Rockets Weekly Notes

James Harden needs 59 points to surpass Calvin Murphy (17,949) for the second-most in franchise history… Hakeem Olajuwon is the Rockets all-time leading scorer with 26,511 points… Harden is averaging a league-best 34.3 ppg this season.

Jeff Green is averaging 18.3 points on 72.7% shooting over the past three games… he has scored in double-figures in five of his nine games as a Rocket while shooting 66.7% from the floor and 46.4% from 3-point range.

The Rockets have recorded at least 10 steals in 12 of the past 21 games and are averaging 9.8 spg over that span after only having 10+ steals twice in the 20 games prior while averaging 6.7 spg… Houston ranks fifth in the NBA with 8.4 spg this overall this season after finishing fifth with 8.5 spg in 2018-19.

Houston has scored 50+ points in the paint in two of the past three games after doing so once the seven games prior… the Rockets have scored 50+ points in the paint 25 times this season after doing so 19 times in 2018-19.

Waiting game continues for eventual Clint Capela Hawks debut

The Hawks are about the future. And they took a big step in that direction with the addition of center Clint Capela. On paper, at least. On the court, Capela hasn’t started his Hawks career yet. He’s had a good seat at games. But remains out, injured, not ready to make a difference for Atlanta yet. This as the season is around six weeks away from ending.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution:

The 25-year-old center has been battling a nagging right heel injury since late December, and it has relegated him to the sideline since the Hawks acquired him in a four-team trade deadline deal Feb. 5.

“I’m not here to sit on the bench and clap my hands,” Capela, officially diagnosed with a right calcaneus contusion and plantar fasciitis, said at practice Thursday. “My job is to go out there and play and be dominant, as dominant as I can (be). So when I don’t do that, it’s hard.”

The Hawks (19-44) are obviously hoping for the same thing — a starting-caliber, rim-running center who can rebound the ball and bolster the team’s poor defense. But as Capela rehabs, it’s looking more and more like that will come to fruition next season instead of this one (which might not be the worst thing, since the Hawks, looking to become a competitive, playoff-bound team, sit 14th out of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference standings).

At this point, there’s no reason for Capela to rush back, other than to get a jump on building chemistry for next season.

Impressive recent play from Sixers guard Shake Milton

It’s always fun when a backup gets handed additional responsibility while a starter is out, and then goes ahead and exceeds all expectations. Here’s NBC Sports Philly on the recent play of Sixers guard Shake Milton:

The second-year guard has taken over as the starting point guard with Ben Simmons out and on Sunday put up a career-high 39 points — including hitting 7 of 9 from deep — on the road against the Clippers in front of a national audience.

Milton also made history, making 13 consecutive threes over the course of three games to tie an NBA record. Brent Price and Terry Mills, both in 1996, also reached that mark…

Milton is the ninth player in franchise history to score at least 39 points in a game in his second NBA season. The last to do so was Joel Embiid, who dropped a then career-high 46 on the Lakers in 2017. Before that, you’d have to go back to Allen Iverson dropping 43 against the Timberwolves in 1998.

As a rookie last season, Milton averaged 4.4 points in 13.4 minutes per game. This season, he’s putting up 8.8 points in 17.8 minutes per game, on much-improved shooting.

The Sixers are 37-24, which is the 5th best record in the Eastern conference.

Heat took some unexpected losses recently

The Heat are having an outstanding season. But some of their recent losses are on the unexpected side of things. Here’s the Miami Herald reporting:

When asked to explain Monday’s ugly overtime loss to the Cavaliers, Heat guard Goran Dragic attempted to simplify a confusing result.

“They shut us down on offense, and we just didn’t play defense,” Dragic said.

Both things are true, with the Cavaliers rallying from a 22-point third-quarter deficit. But there’s only one side of the court that Heat coaches and players were pointing to as the reason for another road loss — defense.

“It looks and it sounds like a broken record,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, with the Heat returning to Miami to face the Timberwolves on Wednesday to begin a five-game homestand. “Either myself or Bam [Adebayo] or [Udonis Haslem] or whoever, Jimmy [Butler], you want to bring anybody in here and talk after one of these road games, we all sound the same. We have an idea every game on the road what it tends to be: When the shots go dry, do we have the ability to sustain defensively and get enough stops to change the momentum.” …

With Monday’s loss, the Heat fell to 13-18 on the road for the season. In its past 15 road games, Miami is 4-11 with losses to these sub-.500 teams: Wizards, Knicks, Kings, Hawks, and Cavaliers.

The Heat were without Jimmy Butler and some other key players, so it’s not a total surprise that they took a loss. Chalk it up to some minor bumps in the road over the course of a very successful season that should only get better once the team is fully healthy again and also learns to make the most of some impressive recent additions to the their bench.

D’Angelo Russell has brought mid-range jumpers to the Timberwolves

The mid-range jumper is a fascinating topic in the NBA these days. Many people frown upon it. But here’s the thing: It’s a good shot if the player shooting it is actually good at shooting mid-range jumpers, and takes them at the right time.

So, yes, it can be a good shot! And in other cases, it is not.

Your mind is blown, right?

Anyway, here’s the Minneapolis Star Tribune reporting:

The trade for D’Angelo Russell has meant the return of the mid-range jumper for the 2019-20 Wolves.

He’s attempted 13 shots from between 16 feet and the three point line in just four games with Minnesota, out of 71 total attempts – 18.3% of his total shots. Russell connected on just 1 of the first 7 of those before trying six more in Monday’s loss at Dallas – making three.

That 18.3% small sample size mark is higher than it was pre-trade with Golden State (14.3%) and his career mark (13.2%), but both those numbers would still be more than triple the Wolves’ team rate this season. All would also be far higher than the number posted with the Wolves this year by Andrew Wiggins (8.5%), the man Russell was traded for and a frequent long two hoister in previous seasons.

It’ll be fun watching Russell and center Karl-Anthony Towns develop chemistry as the season continues. And the question this summer will be, who will be alongside them.

Wizards guard Bradley Beal going wild lately

Time to give Wizards guard Bradley Beal some extra attention. He’s certainly earned it. Here’s the Washington Post with a look at his recent play:

The NBA hath no fury like Bradley Beal scorned. While his team remains a defensively challenged work in progress, Beal, with an assist from the All-Star Game balloting results, has succeeded in keeping the Washington Wizards relevant. That’s no small feat for the leader of a rebuilding squad that’s 16 games under .500.

In the 10 games since Beal learned he was not voted an all-star reserve by the league’s coaches, the eighth-year pro has averaged 36 points to increase his scoring average to 30.1, second only to Houston’s James Harden (35.3). Beal has posted new career highs in consecutive games, with 53 points on Sunday against the Bulls and 55 in Monday’s overtime loss to the Bucks.

“I’m a winner, so you can throw those 55 out with the last 53,” Beal said after becoming the first player in NBA history to score at least 50 points on consecutive days and have his team lose both games.

The Wizards are 20-36 this season, and despite Beal’s heroics have lost three straight games.

Still, both he and his team have been fun to watch lately.

Will Ray Allen be at Kevin Garnett’s Celtics jersey retirement?

Will Ray Allen be at Kevin Garnett’s Celtics jersey retirement ceremony next season?

Doc Rivers hopes so.

Here’s Boston.com reporting:

Doc Rivers isn’t a fan of the lingering beef between Ray Allen and some of his former Celtics teammates.

“I just think we won a title with Ray and we need to get over it,” said Rivers, who coached the team to a championship in 2008.

Rivers, who currently coaches the Los Angeles Clippers and spoke to members of the media Saturday, said he hopes “everyone is there” when Kevin Garnett gets his jersey retired next year. That includes Allen, and Rivers told reporters he’ll “make the right calls” to try to get that to happen, though he doesn’t have any guarantees.

It would be fitting for Allen to be there. We hope Doc gets his wish.

Rudy Gobert calls for Utah Jazz to step up

The Jazz lost 113-104 to the Spurs Friday. And despite playing at home, they started slowly, trailing by six points after one quarter, and were outscored by 13 in the second. Center Rudy Gobert wasn’t pleased after the game. Here’s the Deseret News reporting:

“It’s on us to be more physical and come out with an edge that we used to have,” Gobert said after the 113-104 loss. “If you want to be a champion, if you want to be one of the best teams in the league it’s got to be who we are and we’ve got to come out every night with that chip on our shoulder. No matter who we play we’ve got to come out with something to prove. That’s what teams are doing to us and they’re having fun.

“They don’t really respect us, They come out, push us around, deny us, we don’t react, take us out of what we want to do, and then offensively they’re just playing free. Dejounte Murray, all these guys they’re playing like they get out of the cage and they can do whatever they want because it’s easy.”

Gobert did his part last night, putting up 18 points and 14 rebounds on nearly-perfect 7-of-8 shooting. But the four other Jazz starters each shot below 36% from the field. And Jazz perimeter defenders allowed 10-of-20 three-point shooting from San Antonio.

Still, the Jazz are 36-19 for the season. A very solid record.

Time for Celtics to really lock in, says Kemba Walker

All-Star Weekend was loads of fun. The regular season resumes Thursday.

The Celtics so far this season haven’t stood out in a mix of good Eastern conference teams who as a group are a level or so below the East-leading Milwaukee Bucks.

Boston certainly has the ability to rise up. All-Star guard Kemba Walker says it’s time. Here’s the Boston Herald reporting:

“It’s time to lock in even more,” said Walker as he paused amidst the work gear. “It’s time to get to … well, we’re going to get to the playoffs. It’s time to get there though and really just focus in. We’ve got to lock in. It’s about that time.”

The Celtics sit at 38-16, third in the Eastern Conference and just a loss-column game behind No. 2 Toronto. They have the fourth-best record in the NBA.

Not bad. But not enough.

“It’s been real, but now it’s definitely, definitely real,” said Walker. “We’ve got, what, 26 games left (28)? It’s go time.”

Earlier in a room with other players, fellow Celtic and fellow All-Star Jayson Tatum had a similar sentiment.

There is very clear reason to believe the Celtics are better than their place in the standings suggests. They’re a top five team in the league in both offense and defense. Add it together and you’d think their record would be better than it is. That’s a nice problem to have. And it bodes well for the final third of the season, and the postseason.