NBA Recap-November 23rd

Memphis 116, Sacramento 105

 

Studs: Rudy Gay led the Grizzlies with 24 points and eight rebounds and Marc Gasol continued his hot shooting, posting an 8-for-10 night with 18 points, six rebounds, four blocks, and two steals.  Sacramento got double-digit outings from three reserves (Sergio Rodriguez with 16, Omri Casspi with 15, and Donte Greene with 11) and 28 points on 11-for-18 shooting from Tyreke Evans.

Duds: Evans, Spencer Hawes, and Andres Nocioni combined for 13 turnovers.  Casspi added three more, and Greene fouled out in just 19 minutes for the Kings.  Memphis's Hasheem Thabeet tied a career-high with 12 minutes, but shot only 2-for-6 from the free throw line with four quick fouls.

Game Notes: The teams combined for 122 points in the paint (62 for Memphis and 60 for Sacramento)… Sacramento scored more points off of 16 Memphis turnovers (18) than the Grizzlies did off of 21 King turnovers (15)… Sacramento has now lost four straight after their surprising 5-4 start… Evans is now averaging 19 points per game and has scored 20 or more in seven straight contests… Late in the first half, the Kings featured a lineup of five players from five different countries: Beno Udrih (Slovenia), Sergio Rodriguez (Spain), Casspi (Israel), Nocioni (Argentina), and Hawes (United States).

 

San Antonio 112, Milwaukee 98

 

Studs: Tim Duncan had game-highs with 24 points and 12 rebounds and Matt Bonner made six 3-pointers on his way to 23 points off the Spurs' bench.  Ersan Ilyasova had 20 points to lead Milwaukee, and Hakim Warrick came off the bench to post 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting.

Duds: Super-rookie Brandon Jennings was just 6-for-21 from the field, with five of the Bucks' nine turnovers.  Richard Jefferson (3-for-7 with three turnovers) and Tony Parker (2-for-7 with five giveaways) both struggled for San Antonio.

Game Notes: Reserves George Hill and DeJuan Blair registered eight of the Spurs' 14 team fouls, as Milwaukee reached the free throw line just 14 times, converting nine attempts… This was the first win of the season for San Antonio in five games when Duncan scores 20 points or more… Michael Redd made his return from a knee injury.  He scored four points in 11 minutes off the bench and was responsible for all five of the Bucks' missed free throws… Milwaukee entered the game as the NBA's best rebounding team, but struggled against the Spurs, gathering just 29 boards, to San Antonio's 46.

 

Portland 122, Chicago 98

 

Studs: Portland dominated the interior against Chicago, as LaMarcus Aldridge (24 points and 13 rebounds) and Greg Oden (24 points and 12 rebounds) each had their way.  Brandon Roy added 18 points and seven assists in the runaway win.  Luol Deng led the Bulls with 25 points and John Salmons had 22 on 8-for-15 shooting.

Duds: Taj Gibson shot just 3-for-11, while picking up five fouls.  Fellow big men Joakim Noah (five) and Brad Miller (four in just 15 minutes) also struggled defensively for Chicago.  Martell Webster followed up his big game against Minnesota with a 3-for-10 outing against the Bulls.

Game Notes: Portland shot 57.5% from the floor and attempted 40 free throws (making 32, for an even 80% success rate)… Chicago committed just six turnovers or this game could have gotten really ugly… The Bulls gathered just 27 rebounds as a team, while Aldridge and Oden had 25 between the two of them… Oden's 24 points tied a career high and came on 7-for-8 shooting and 10-for-12 from the free throw line.  The 10 makes at the line is also a career high… Portland hasn't lost to the Bulls since the 2006-2007 season.

 

LA Clippers 91, Minnesota 87

 

Studs: Al Thornton made 11 field goals and put up his best performance of the season with 31 points and 10 rebounds for the Clippers.  Marcus Camby added 12 points and 18 rebounds, and Sebastian Telfair had 17 points to lead all reserves.  Jonny Flynn had a nice game for Minnesota, with 17 points on 50% shooting, with five assists and two made 3-pointers.

Duds: Al Jefferson had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Timberwolves, but that hardly mattered because of his eight turnovers.  Ryan Gomes also struggled for Minnesota, shooting just 6-for-17.  Baron Davis was 1-for-10 and Chris Kaman was 6-for-20 in the win. 

Game Notes: Both teams struggled offensively, but Minnesota's 3-point shooting advantage (+15 points) was overcome by their inability to hold onto the basketball.  The Timberwolves committed 21 turnovers, to just 13 for the Clippers… Davis made his only field goal (after nine straight misses) with 8.5 seconds left to push a two-point Clipper lead to an insurmountable four points in the closing moments…  Minnesota hasn't scored more than 87 points since their 141-105 loss to Golden State two weeks ago.  They've lost all six games over that stretch… Clippers' guard Eric Gordon hopes to return from a strained groin on Wednesday in his hometown of Indianapolis.