Tag: Utah

Rose’s late heroics leads Tuesday’s S&Ds

Reigning MVP Derrick Rose prepared for his game against the Spurs by rescuing Chicago to a tougher-than-expected victory over struggling New Orleans.

Rose hit the go-ahead jumper with 19.4 seconds left, blocked a potential tying shot and added to clinching free throws to lead the Bulls’ 99-95 victory over the Hornets.

It capped a 32-point performance for Rose, rescuing the struggling Bulls after they had allowed the Hornets to score 13 straight to take a late four-point lead.

“We definitely held it together. Other teams I guess would have folded,” Rose told the Associated Press. “We played toward the end I think the best defense we played throughout the whole game. We rebounded the ball, made great plays on the ball. … We gave ourselves a chance.”

Providing the key shot in game-winning situations befits an All-Star player like Rose.

Rose relishes taking the game-turning shots.

“I always think about my legacy here, taking those shots,” he said. “I want to be where I want to be at the end of my career.”

And on Wednesday night, Rose Studs Duds effort helped the Bulls pulls within percentage points of Miami for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

STUDS

Chicago G Derrick Rose: Hit the final four points of the game, sandwiched around a blocked shot in the Bulls’ victory over New Orleans. Rose finished with 32 points, nine assists, three steals, two blocked shots and was a team-best plus-16.

New Jersey C Brook Lopez: Erupted for 38 points, six rebounds and was plus-5 in the Nets’ upset victory at Dallas.

Minnesota F Derrick Williams: Came off the bench to score 27 points in 27 minutes, including 13 points in the fourth quarter, and was plus-xxx in the Timberwolves’ victory at the Los Angeles Clippers.

Milwaukee F Mike Dunleavy: Sliced through Washington for a team-high 28 points on only 17 shots off the bench in the Bucks’ triumph.

Sacramento C DeMarcus Cousins: Muscled for 22 points, 18 rebounds and was plus-3 in the Kings’ victory over Utah.

Chicago C Joakim Noah: Went for 15 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocked shots and was plus-11 in the Bulls’ victory over New Orleans.

DUDS

Toronto G Jerryd Bayless: Went for four points on 2-for-6 shooting, had five turnovers and was minus-2 in the Raptors’ loss at Houston.

Boston F Paul Pierce: Clanked through a 4-for-11 shooting night with six turnovers and was minus-11 in the Celtics’ victory over Cleveland.

Boston G Rajon Rondo: Was shut out on 0-for-6 shooting with five turnovers in the Celtics’ triumph over Cleveland.

Golden State G Monta Ellis: Went 7 of 19 from the field with five turnovers and was minus-23 in the Warriors’ loss at Indiana.

Dallas G Jason Terry: Hit only 4 of 14 from the field with four turnovers and was minus-1 in the Mavericks’ loss to New Jersey.

Los Angeles Clippers F Caron Butler: Went 1 for 10 from the field in the Clippers’ loss to Minnesota.

Longhorns in the NBA draft

Three Texas underclassmen declared for this week’s NBA draft, and they’re hoping to give the Longhorns 10 first-round selections in the past 12 years. Express-News staff writer Mike Finger takes a look at their chances:

TRISTAN THOMPSON

Position: Power forward

What he’s done: A first-team freshman All-American selection last season, Thompson averaged 13.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. He was the Longhorns’ best player during the final two months of the season, averaging 16.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in an eight-game stretch that turned him into a lottery prospect.

Who he’s like: At UT, he drew natural comparisons to LaMarcus Aldridge, who also was a big man who loved to block shots and run the floor. But at 6-foot-9, Thompson isn’t as tall as Aldridge and won’t enter the NBA with the same polished offensive moves. A better parallel might be drawn with the Hawks’ Josh Smith, although no one is likely to ever question Thompson’s competitiveness.

Where he might go: Draft analysts are saying Thompson could go anywhere from No. 5 to No. 20. Golden State supposedly wants to use the No. 11 pick on an athletic forward, and it might as well be Thompson.

JORDAN HAMILTON

Position: Small forward/shooting guard

What he’s done: One of the best scorers in the Big 12 as a sophomore last season, Hamilton was a first-team all-conference pick and a second-team All-American. He averaged 18.6 points and 7.7 rebounds, shooting 38.5 percent on 3-pointers and grabbing more defensive rebounds than anyone in the conference. In five postseason games, he upped his production to 19.4 points and 8.2 rebounds.

Who he’s like: There aren’t many NBA players who can get away with playing the kind of lackadaisical defense Hamilton was often guilty of at UT. But on the offensive end, his 6-8, 228-pound frame, smooth outside shooting stroke, herky-jerky driving style and underrated post-up ability brings to mind former Spurs shooting guard Steve Smith.

Where he might go: The lottery isn’t a sure thing, and he could slip into the 20s if teams aren’t convinced about his all-around game. But if the Rockets don’t find a center to their liking at No. 14, they might take a look at adding some offense on the wing.

CORY JOSEPH

Position: Point guard/shooting guard

What he’s done: As the player Rick Barnes called his best all-around guard last season, Joseph was a second-team freshman All-American and averaged 10.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists. He made 41.3 percent of his 3-point attempts and averaged a steal per game.

Who he’s like: If he had better passing skills, it would be tempting to compare his quietly efficient, low-flash game to Andre Miller. The 6-2 Joseph plays terrific on-the-ball defense, has nice quickness and can make an open jumper. But he does nothing spectacularly well. NBADraft.net says his best pro comparison is Pacers guard A.J. Price, which isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement.

Where he might go: Joseph, who didn’t look like a one-and-done candidate at UT, surprised many by staying in the draft and isn’t a lock to be taken in the first round. But he was one of the nation’s highest-rated recruits coming out of high school, and a team might still be attracted by that potential at the top of the second round.

Notes on a scorecard: Can the Spurs’ perimeter shooting carry them in the playoffs?

The Spurs finished up their home regular season schedule Saturday with the kind of game that has marked their season.

Their 57.7 percent shooting percentage was one of their best efforts of the season as they hit for eight 3-pointers en route to a 111-102 victory over Utah.

The Spurs already have broken the previous team record  for 3-pointers, set in 2008-09 with 625 3-pointers. They currently have 671 for the season.

If they maintain their current pace of about eight 3-pointers a game in their final two games of the season, they will finish among the top 21 teams in NBA history in terms of total 3-pointers made.

And that’s the rub. None of those teams have won a championship. The high for an NBA championship team was Houston in 1994-95 with 646 3-pointers.

Those long jumpers sometimes miss, leading to easy transition buckets on long rebounds by the other team. The Spurs have seen that happen occasionally this season.

It will be interesting to see if Gregg Popovich dials back the perimeter game and tries to win with a more balanced attack in the playoffs.

Past history shows that some kind of  transformation will be necessary to be able to win a championship.

But can this team change its stripes in the playoffs? We’ll have to wait and see, beginning next weekend.

Here are a few other notes and tidbits after the Spurs’ fourth straight victory after their season-worst six-game losing streak.

  • The Spurs featured seven players in double figures and almost had two more as George Hill (nine points) and Matt Bonner (seven points) just missed. The Spurs are now 3-0 when seven Spurs score in double figures and 2-1 in games where eight players reach double figures.
  • Richard Jefferson led the team with 20 points. It was his first 20-point effort since scoring 22 points against the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 10.  Jefferson notched three 20-point efforts in the first seven games of the season and then produced a high of 19 over the next 72 games before Saturday night.
  • Jefferson also continued a recent shooting binge. He’s averaging 10.8 points in his last six games. And he’s shooting 61.5 percent from the field and 64.3 percent from 3-point range during the Spurs’ four-game winning streak.
  • Tiago Splitter finished with 13 points and eight rebounds – with 10 points and six rebounds in 12 minutes in the fourth quarter. It was Splitter’s fourth-highest scoring game of the season and tied for fifth in rebounds. His 18 minutes, 56 seconds of playing time was his most since making his last start against Portland on March 28 in a game where he produced 14 points and nine rebounds. In his previous four games before Saturday, Splitter was averaging 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds and three times in those four games he played 4:12 or less.
  • Tony Parker played 29:15 against the Jazz, marking the third time in four games he’s played 30 minutes or less. His 13 points and seven assists helped him continue a recent shooting surge since a 2-for-11 outing against Phoenix three games ago. Since then, Parker is averaging 18 points per game, shooting 60 percent from the field and averaging 5.7 assists per game.
  • DeJuan Blair got his first start since March 6, and produced 12 points and seven rebounds in 24:21. It marked his second-longest playing stint since his demotion. His 12 points marked his most since scoring 14 points in back-to-back games on March 11-12. Blair hit 6-for-9 from the field in a turnaround from a recent mini-slump where he had averaged 4.8 points and shot 37.9 percent from the field in his previous six games.
  • Manu Ginobili benefitted from some rest, playing only 27:21 to mark his third game in the last four with less than 30 minutes. Ginobili is averaging 18.3 points, shooting 58.8 percent from the field and averaging five assists in his last three games.
  • Ginobili failed to attempt a 3-pointer. It was the first game where he has failed to attempt a 3-pointer since Game 4 of the first round of the 2008 playoffs against Phoenix. He also notched six assists for the 36th time this season. When Ginobili has at least six assists, the Spurs are 27-9 (.750). In the rest of their games, they are 43-10 (.811).
  • Gary Neal’s recent surge continued with 12 points, three rebounds and three assists. It marked his fourth double-figure scoring game in his last five games. During that span, he’s hitting 60.6 percent from the field and 60 percent of his 3-pointers.
  • Tim Duncan notched 10 points, three rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots in 22:23. Before Saturday, in his five games since returning the lineup from his sprained ankle, Duncan was averaging 16.0 points and 8.8 rebounds.
  • Duncan had four blocked shots marking among his top nine games of the season in that statistic. In games where Duncan has blocked at least three shots this season, the Spurs are 26-0.  It marked the fifth time this season that he has produced at least 10 points, three rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots in the same game.
  • Hill’s string of double-figure scoring games was snapped at three after scoring nine points. Hill had averaged 20.3 points in his previous three games, hitting 55.3 percent from the field during that span.
  • The Spurs had limited opponents to less than 30 points in 16 quarters before allowing Utah to score 30 points in the third quarter. The last time an opponent scored more than 30 came in the second quarter of the loss at Houston last week.
  • The Spurs hit 57.7 percent from the field after hitting 60.5 percent against Sacramento in their last game. They have hit at least 50 percent from the field in four of their last five games. In games where they have shot 50 percent or better this season, they are 26-4, including 16-0 at home.
  • San Antonio shot 75 percent from the field in the second quarter, coming close to their season high for the second quarter of 78.6 percent against Detroit on March 9. And they shot 80 percent from the field in the third quarter, just less than the 82.6 percent they shot in the third quarter against Sacramento on Wednesday night.
  • The Spurs allowed Utah to hit 53.8 percent from the field. It was the first time an opponent hit better than 50 percent since Boston hit 54.8 percent last week. When opponents hit 50 percent or etter, the Spurs are 7-13, including 4-4 at home.  
  • James Anderson and Danny Green did not play. Da’Sean Butler, Chris Quinn and Antonio McDyess were inactive.
  • Hill led the team with a plus-minus score  of plus-11. Jefferson was at plus-10. Duncan was plus-9. Splitter had the only negative score at minus-1. The San Antonio starters were plus-24. The bench was plus-21. Utah’s starters were minus-36 and the Jazz’s bench was minus-9.