Dose: James Harden strikes again
James Harden went off again, Jimmy Butler is back, Al Jefferson left with a sore knee and the Warriors crushed the Wizards on Monday night.
Rockets pound Pacers 110-100
Dwight Howard still isn’t back for the Rockets, but he’s getting closer. In fact, Howard could play on Wednesday after missing the last two months with a knee injury. James Harden went off (again) with 44 points, four boards, seven assists, two steals, two blocks and three 3-pointers on 10-of-21 shooting, and also hit 21-of-22 free throws for good measure. The guy’s a beast. Josh Smith added 18 points, five boards, three assists, a steal and four 3-pointers on 7-of-14 shooting off the bench, but will take a hit once Howard and Terrence Jones are back in action. Donatas Motiejunas came through with 17 points, three steals and a 3-pointer, but had just two rebounds, while Trevor Ariza added four points, 11 rebounds and two steals on just 1-of-2 shooting. It’s tough to get shots when Harden is on fire. He’ll shoot it more next time out. Corey Brewer had 11 points and a 3-pointer on 2-of-6 shooting in 25 minutes, and he’s really cooled off over his last five games. Patrick Beverley left with a left wrist injury, but it doesn’t appear to be broken. However, he could miss time, which would force Jason Terry into minutes. The Rockets are currently the No. 3 seed in the West.
The Pacers got 20 points, six rebounds, three assists, three steals, three blocks and two 3-pointers on 9-of-15 shooting from George Hill, and it’s nice to see him playing well when it matters. With Rodney Stuckey out with a calf injury, C.J. Watson got loose off the bench for 23 points, five assists, two steals and four 3-pointers on 7-of-10 shooting in 30 minutes. If Stuckey’s going to miss more time with his injury, Watson might be your guy. Starters C.J. Miles and Solomon Hill were pretty bad, David West wasn’t great, and Roy Hibbert was effective with 18 points, 10 boards, a steal and a block. Hibbert is actually hot, averaging 16.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks over his last five games. The Pacers are reeling, and now sit a half game behind Charlotte, and a full game behind Boston for the final playoff spot.
Celtics nail Nets 110-91
Evan Turner stayed red-hot on Monday with a triple-double of 19 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists on 9-of-13 shooting. Frankly, we just haven’t been too high on him for most of the season, but he has served a purpose, especially in points leagues. But over his last few games, Turner has been killing it. He’s averaging 15.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 1.6 steals, and more importantly, is shooting 57 percent from the floor over that stretch. If you’re rolling with him for the playoffs, he’s probably helping you win right now. Unfortunately, the return of Isaiah Thomas is going to hurt Turner, but I wouldn’t drop him until he cools off.
Avery Bradley scored 20 with seen rebounds, a steal and two 3-pointers, Tyler Zeller had 18 points, seven boards and a block, Kelly Olynyk came off the bench for 18 points, five boards, a steal, a block and three 3-pointers in just 17 minutes, and Brandon Bass had 12 points, five boards and two steals. As Olynyk and Zeller continue to play well, it’s going to be harder for Bass to play much better than this. Marcus Smart returned from his suspension, but hit just 1-of-3 shots for two points and zero assists, and Jae Crowder was back on the bench, hitting just 3-of-13 shots for nine points, five boards, a steal, a block and a 3-pointer. He’s a lot more interesting when he’s starting. The Celtics are currently the No. 8 seed in the East.
The Nets got 31 points, four boards, a steal and two blocks from Brook Lopez, while Deron Williams just missed a triple-double with 10 points, nine rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and a block. Williams hit just 2-of-6 shots and didn’t hit a three, but at least filled up the stat sheet. Bojan Bogdanovic let us all down with 3-of-14 shooting for six points and six rebounds, but played 26 minutes. Don’t give up on him just yet. Joe Johnson was also a disaster, hitting 3-of-11 shots for six points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal. Both players came in playing fairly well, but neither did anything on Monday. Jarrett Jack also bottomed out with eight points on 1-of-9 shooting in just 19 minutes. I’m thinking all three players will bounce back, but I can also say I don’t fully trust any of them. I still don’t understand why Jack isn’t starting over Markel Brown at shooting guard, but it is what it is. The Nets are still in the playoff hunt, sitting ½ game behind Indy, one game behind Charlotte and 1.5 games behind Boston for the final playoff spot.
Grizzlies crush Knicks 103-82
Zach Randolph had 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists on 9-of-12 shooting, and Marc Gasol added 21 points and eight rebounds (zero blocks) in the easy win. Mike Conley struggled in his third game back from injury, hitting just 3-of-10 shots for seven points and four assists. Jeff Green scored 12 and Tony Allen had nine points, seven boards, two steals, a block and a 3-pointer on 4-of-5 shooting. Allen is quietly hot, averaging 11.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.8 steals on 55 percent shooting. Vince Carter somehow had 14 points in 21 minutes, but not much else. I’m not taking the bait. Memphis is the No. 2 seed in the West.
The haphazard Knicks got 19 points, seven rebounds, five assists, a steal and two 3-pointers from Langston Galloway, who played 43 minutes and hit 7-of-16 shots. Jose Calderon is out for the season after Achilles surgery, and Alexey Shved was out with a rib injury. And that’s why Galloway blew up. Yes, I’m into picking him back up, as long as Shved is hurting, and maybe even if he’s not. Andrea Bargnani had 18 points, two blocks and a 3-pointer, Lance Thomas started and had 15 points, two steals and a 3-pointer, and Jason Smith came off the bench for 16 points and four boards. Thomas has played well in two straight, making him worth a look, but Smith had scored a total of 10 points in his previous three games. Shane Larkin started and played a team-high 44 minutes, but hit just 2-of-7 shots for four points and seven dimes. My guess is he and Galloway will trade big nights until Shved is back, and I trust Galloway a lot more.
Bulls clinch berth by beating Hornets 98-86
The Bulls got 28 points, eight rebounds, a block and a 3-pointer on 10-of-19 shooting off the bench, despite the presence of Taj Gibson in the starting lineup. Gibson was filling in for Joakim Noah (rest), but was awful, hitting 1-of-5 shots for four points, seven rebounds, three steals and a block. Mirotic had just eight points on Saturday, but 29 and 11 rebounds in the game before that. Just keep riding him and expect some average nights with some big ones. Pau Gasol racked up 27 points, 12 rebounds, a steal and four blocks on 11-of-19 shooting, and even hit a 3-pointer. I had Gasol and Harden in my daily lineups, but they were ruined by the presence of Bogdanovic and Joe Johnson. Oh well. Jimmy Butler was back for the Bulls and played a team-high 40 minutes, finishing with 19 points and nine rebounds on 6-of-20 shooting. Not a great night, but he’s back, and should be back in your lineup. Aaron Brooks had a solid double-double with 13 points and 10 assists, and Mike Dunleavy disappeared with two points on 1-of-4 shooting. The return of Butler should crush Dunleavy. If you’re holding Tony Snell, forget it. He played 16 minutes and missed his only shot. The Bulls clinched a playoff berth with the win and are currently the No. 4 seed.
Kemba Walker returned to form with 29 points, two assists, two 3-pointers and a block, hitting 11-of-24 shots. Mo Williams played 34 minutes off the bench, but hit just 4-of-16 shots and three 3-pointers for 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and a steal. Williams went off for 24 points on Sunday, but couldn’t get it going on Monday. Marvin Williams, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Gerald Henderson all started and were disappointing, and Al Jefferson left with a sore right knee and didn’t return to the game. If he’s going to miss time, Bismack Biyombo will become relevant again. And even with all those players struggling, Lance Stephenson managed just nine points and four rebounds in 21 minutes. What a wasted season. The Hornets are only ½ game behind the Celtics for the No. 8 seed.
Wolves whip Utah in OT 106-104
Zach LaVine made another start for Ricky Rubio and had 27 points, four assists and five 3-pointers, and he should be owned until further notice. Even when Rubio is back, he’ll likely be on a minutes count and the Wolves are collecting as many ping pong balls as they can. Andrew Wiggins scored 22, and Chase Budinger came off the bench for 15 points, five assists, two steals and four 3-pointers. If you’ve got injured bodies and need a healthy one, Budinger’s averaging 14.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.6 3-pointers on 51 percent shooting over his last five. Gorgui Dieng had 11 points, five boards, three steals and three blocks, and Adreian Payne started and had eight points and nine rebounds, which isn’t too exciting. The two most interesting players for the Wolves on Monday, outside of LaVine and Budinger, were Lorenzo Brown and Sean Kilpatrick. Lo-Bro started, played 45 minutes and had 10 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals, while Kilpatrick had 13 points, a steal and three 3-pointers in 20 minutes. Both players got hot because Kevin Martin was out with a hamstring injury, and they’re just not trustworthy going forward. But they do make for an interesting story.
The Jazz got double-doubles from Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert, and Rudy went nuts with 18 points, 17 rebounds, a steal and six blocks. He had been struggling a bit coming in, but I’m hoping you stuck with him. I got a “should I start Hibbert over Rudy” Tweet, and I said stick with Rudy. Hopefully, that’s what people did. Rodney Hood left with a stomach problem, but should be fine. With Gordon Hayward sitting out with a shoulder injury, Joe Ingles got a start and went off for a career-high 18 points and four 3-pointers in 34 minutes. If Hayward is ruled out long term, Ingles will be worth a pick up. But I don’t see that happening. Trey Burke scored 16 and had six assists and four steals, but it came with a price, as he hit just 4-of-22 shots. Burke’s been playing better again, averaging 15.0 points, 4.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.0 3-pointers over his last five games, but is shooting just 37 percent in them. He’s worth a pickup though, if you don’t care about FGP. If Hood is going to miss time, Elijah Millsap (30 minutes, 13 points, 2 steals, 1 block) will be worth a look, but I doubt that’s likely to happen, either.
Warriors wax Wizards 107-76
The Warriors got 24 points, five boards, six assists, two steals and five 3-pointers from Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson returned to action from an ankle injury with eight points on 3-of-9 shooting in just 18 minutes. The Warriors crushed in this game and simply didn’t need their big names, which was fine with Steve Kerr. Andrew Bogut did manage six points, 12 rebounds and two blocks, and Marreese Speights had 16 points and five boards in just 14 minutes, but this was a throwaway game for most of the Warriors. The good news is that Kerr was able to rest his boys due to the score, so hopefully things are back to normal on Tuesday. The Warriors should clinch the West sooner than later, holding a 7.5 game lead over Memphis.
John Wall’s funk continued on Monday with just 11 points and five dimes on 4-of-16 shooting in 33 minutes. He’s been struggling a bit since the All-Star break, but was still producing, but is averaging just 10.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists on 7-of-26 shooting over his last two games. That should mean an outburst is coming on Wednesday against the Pacers. Bradley Beal, Kevin Seraphin and Ramon Sessions all scored 12, but this is just a forgettable box score for the Wizards, who were beaten by 31 points at Oracle Arena last night. Despite struggling at times, the Wizards still hold the No. 5 seed in the East, and will likely face the Raptors or Bulls in Round 1.
Sebadoh
One of my favorite bands, (and group of friends) Sebadoh is playing in Atlanta on Tuesday night at the Earl. If you’re in the ATL and like cool things, you should join me for the show tonight. Here’s their video for the Bakesale classic, Skull. See you there?
