November 18, 2010
PBP Roundup
Nov. 17

by Bradford Doolittle

Tim Duncan and Chris Bosh, a couple of struggling, high-profile big men whose slow starts have them under the early media microscope, had big games on Wednesday. In doing so, they perhaps silenced the critics for the time being. The news wasn't so good for a third big man, as Greg Oden absorbed another body blow to a career that's gone horribly wrong. For Duncan and Bosh, the denouncements were of course premature. Duncan is at a point in his career when he's not going to expend any more energy in the regular season than he has to, and he's got plenty of help in San Antonio with Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker healthy and Richard Jefferson enjoying a bounce-back season. Bosh has clearly had a hard time understanding his role in Miami's heirarchy, but the underlying skill set that made him such a coveted asset last summer hasn't gone anywhere. Last night's outburst against a Suns team devoid of interior defense doesn't fix everything, but it did serve to remind everyone what Bosh can do as the focal point of an offense. He just has to learn how to contribute when he isn't, which is going to be the case more often than not with the Heat. As for Oden, what can you say? He's like Samuel L. Jackson's character from "Unbreakable" or the artist neighbor from "Amelie." It's a damn shame.

LIVE AT BASKETBALL PROSPECTUS

1. Have a question about Greg Oden's latest injury? Kevin Pelton has the answer. (free article)

2. There are several new coaches in the Big East this season. John Gasaway evaluates their various challenges. (premium)

3. Does heavy roster turnover mean slow starts? Kevin Pelton examines. (premium)

4. Kevin Pelton says the Suns will become more extreme during Robin Lopez's absence. (Unfiltered)

5. College Basketball Prospectus 2010-11 is now available on Amazon.

6. John Gasaway has your guide for ESPN's 24 hours of hoops. (premium)

7. Kevin Pelton looks at early trends on the Magic, Michael Beasley and league scoring. (premium)

8. Asher Fusco was on hand for the matchup between a pair of first-year coaches in Seton Hall's Kevin Willard and Cornell's Bill Courtney. (premium)

9. Kevin Pelton has a note about our evolving statistical pages. (Unfiltered)

10. Kevin Pelton points out that regression can be a bitch as the Lakers have found out when it comes to their three-point defense. (Unfiltered)

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HOT FIVES

POWER RATING (POW)        GR (11/17/10)           WP82 -- ALL          WP82 -- ROOKIES
hornets,neworleans, 71.9  gordon,eric, 39.4       williams,deron, 25.4 wall,john, 9.6
celtics,boston, 65.5      gallinari,danilo, 36.6  bryant,kobe, 23.5    griffin,blake, 9.5
heat,miami, 60.9          westbrook,russell, 33.8 gay,rudy, 22.8       bledsoe,eric, 6.1
lakers,losangeles, 55.4   bryant,kobe, 32.0       gasol,pau, 21.7      turner,evan, 3.7
mavericks,dallas, 52.5    rondo,rajon, 31.7       james,lebron, 21.4   johnson,wesley, 3.5

Note: GR leaders are from previous night only.

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WEDNESDAY'S BOX SCORES & RECAPS

NOTE: Glossary is at bottom of page.

HEAT 123, SUNS 96 (box): Chris Bosh posted season highs across the board--field attempts, free throw attempts, assists, possessions used, points, GR--and the Miami defense dominated the league's second-best offense. Perhaps the best illustration of just how much the Heat disrupted the Suns' attack is the fact that Steve Nash was held to two assists in 29 minutes. The best part of the night for Phoenix was that recently-signed center Earl Barron got a chance to work up a sweat. He looked like a a guy that needs some minutes to get into shape.

PHX (6-5)           PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR   MIA (7-4)           PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR
frye,channing        55%  15%  1.65  -11 22.6   wade,dwyane          64%  22%  1.27  +20 26.7
dragic,goran         39%  33%  0.82  - 6 17.3   bosh,chris           63%  33%  1.47  +23 24.3
richardson,jason     64%  23%  0.63  -21 10.6   house,eddie          59%  17%  1.46  +19 21.0
nash,steve           61%  22%  1.05  -21 10.3   james,lebron         48%  38%  1.27  +24 15.8
childress,josh       38%  11%  1.45  - 4 10.0   arroyo,carlos        47%  16%  1.50  - 7 13.7
hill,grant           50%  24%  1.06  -12  9.3   haslem,udonis        56%  16%  1.01  +21 13.2
turkoglu,hedo        53%  17%  1.34  -18  8.5   jones,james          63%  10%  0.85  +23  5.1
warrick,hakim        41%  20%  0.56  -21  4.5   stackhouse,jerry      9%  40%  1.39  + 1  3.3
dudley,jared         42%  20%  0.44  -19  3.0   anthony,joel         34%   9%  1.13  + 2  3.0
clark,earl           29%  12%  1.16  + 1  2.9   howard,juwan         31%   7%  1.00  + 4  2.1
siler,garret          9%  20%  1.55  - 1  2.0   ilgauskas,zydrunas   16%  10%  0.72  + 4  0.8
barron,earl          19%   9%  0.00  - 2  0.0   chalmers,mario        9%   8%  0.48  + 1  0.4
PACE: 95.2          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%   PACE: 95.2          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%
suns,phoenix       100.9 .479  .154 .179 .171   heat,miami         129.2 .587  .257 .116 .116

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RAPTORS 94, 76ERS 86 (box): NBAPET had another sterling night, picking nine out of 10 winners, with the Raptors' win in Philadelphia representing the only miss. This was the worst loss of the season for the Sixers, who managed just .94 points per possession against Toronto's 25th-ranked defense. Evan Turner played 43 minutes in the game, but remains an afterthought in Doug Collins' attack. He did well with the opportunities he was given and if this is indeed a rebuilding season, as the team has said, Turner needs to become a more featured part of the offense. Putting him on the court is only the first step. To his credit, Turner has done well in non-scoring categories and did a nice job on Toronto's DeMar DeRozan. Andrea Bargnani scored 30 points for Toronto.

TOR (3-9)           PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR   PHI (2-10)           PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR
weems,sonny          87%  28%  0.95  +17 30.3   holiday,jrue          79%  22%  1.11  + 1 26.9
calderon,jose        52%  18%  1.74  +12 24.7   turner,evan           91%   9%  1.65  - 4 19.7
bargnani,andrea      77%  32%  1.10    0 16.8   brand,elton           85%  27%  1.06  - 6 17.3
andersen,david       29%  17%  1.17  + 5  8.6   young,thaddeus        59%  23%  0.73  - 7 13.3
evans,reggie         65%   6%  1.97  + 8  5.8   nocioni,andres        63%  15%  0.88  - 7  6.2
kleiza,linas         46%  17%  0.66  + 3  5.7   speights,marreese     14%  26%  1.00    0  4.9
derozan,demar        67%   6%  1.40  - 4  5.2   hawes,spencer         25%  37%  0.74  + 7  4.2
jack,jarrett         48%  34%  0.37  - 4  5.0   battie,tony           35%   8%  0.41  -12  1.0
johnson,amir         29%  11%  0.40  + 3  0.8   williams,lou          25%  25%  0.21  -10  0.8
banks,marcus (DNP)                              kapono,jason          11%   9%  0.00  - 1  0.0
dorsey,joey (DNP)                               battie,tony (DNP)
wright,julian (DNP)                             meeks,jodie (DNP)
PACE: 91.2          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%   PACE: 91.2           ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%
raptors,toronto    103.0 .479  .158 .153 .140   76ers,philadelphia   94.3 .374  .296 .142 .135

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CELTICS 114, WIZARDS 83 (box): The Celtics cruised, leading by as many as 37 points, shooting 66 percent from the field and posting the second-best Offensive Rating by a team in a game this season. (Indiana's 144-point outburst against Denver last week was better.) In a season full of terrific performances, this turned out to be Rajon Rondo's best GR so far. He scored 12 points on seven shots, handed out 13 assists and limited Kirk Hinrich to 10 points on 10 shots in 30 minutes. Rondo has had better individual games, but much of what GR does is to assign credit for a team's Offensive Rating and point differential, so Boston's 138.5 offensive mark and 31-point margin of victory meant good grades across the board for the Celtics.

WAS (3-7)           PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR   BOS (9-2)           PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR
young,nick           61%  25%  1.24  -20 21.7   rondo,rajon          63%  17%  1.95  +23 31.7
hinrich,kirk         62%  21%  1.04  -21 14.0   garnett,kevin        49%  26%  1.56  +19 21.3
thornton,al          56%  21%  1.20  -18 11.7   pierce,paul          57%  30%  1.45  +16 16.4
arenas,gilbert       65%  23%  0.73  -26  9.7   erden,semih          44%  24%  0.88  +12 14.3
mcgee,javale         55%  14%  1.37  -20  9.6   west,delonte         45%  23%  1.64  +10 11.9
booker,trevor        45%   8%  1.60  - 3  9.1   allen,ray            55%  16%  1.61  +21 11.1
blatche,andray       55%  23%  0.90  -28  9.1   o'neal,shaquille     47%  20%  1.37  +16 10.0
hudson,lester        30%  22%  0.65  - 2  8.1   davis,glen           51%   6%  1.77  +15  6.1
martin,cartier       26%  17%  0.94  - 6  4.7   daniels,marquis      33%   9%  1.72  +15  5.3
armstrong,hilton     27%   4%  1.78  - 7  1.7   harangody,luke       10%  21%  1.14    0  3.6
seraphin,kevin       18%  34%  0.14  - 4  1.3   wafer,von            10%  32%  1.17    0  3.5
ndiaye,hamady (DNP)                             robinson,nate        37%  16%  0.84  + 8  3.3
PACE: 82.3          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%   PACE: 82.3          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%
wizards,washington 100.8 .425  .383 .194 .107   celtics,boston     138.5 .711  .379 .170 .069

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LAKERS 103, PISTONS 90 (box): The good news for the Pistons is that their five turnovers represented the lowest figure by a team in a game this season. The bad news is that they couldn't buy a basket. Kobe Bryant's 33 points led the way, and he didn't step foot on the floor in the fourth quarter.

LAL (10-2)           PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR   DET (4-8)           PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR
bryant,kobe           66%  40%  1.32  +24 32.0   prince,tayshaun      66%  18%  1.18  -24 20.2
gasol,pau             68%  29%  1.27  +21 25.8   gordon,ben           61%  22%  0.89  + 1 16.6
odom,lamar            67%  18%  1.50  +23 16.2   stuckey,rodney       68%  27%  0.97  -11 13.7
fisher,derek          57%   6%  2.76  +26 10.6   villanueva,charlie   56%  22%  0.58  + 2 10.0
barnes,matt           42%   7%  1.57  + 4  8.4   bynum,will           38%  20%  0.94  - 4  9.9
caracter,derrick      32%  14%  1.26  - 8  5.6   daye,austin          48%  23%  1.12  - 8  9.0
blake,steve           43%  12%  0.62  -13  4.4   maxiell,jason        46%   9%  1.50  - 5  5.4
artest,ron            58%   4%  1.82  +26  4.2   mcgrady,tracy        32%  13%  0.82  - 1  4.9
ebanks,devin          17%  35%  0.83  -13  3.6   monroe,greg          25%  10%  2.37  + 8  3.7
brown,shannon         34%  19%  0.51  -11  3.0   wallace,ben          42%   7%  1.64  -19  3.6
vujacic,sasha         12%  60%  0.33  -10  2.5   wilcox,chris          7%  56%  0.90  + 4  2.9
walton,luke            5%  45%  0.00  - 4  0.0   hamilton,richard     10%  49%  0.53  - 8  1.6
PACE: 88.7           ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%   PACE: 88.7          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%
lakers,losangeles   116.1 .488  .302 .135 .119   pistons,detroit    101.5 .416  .208 .056 .104

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TIMBERWOLVES 113, CLIPPERS 111 (box): The T-Wolves have won three of their last five games. Here's their Offensive Ratings in those five games, from oldest to the newest: 104.2, 109.4, 110.6, 111.9, 121.1. Michael Beasley has scored at least 25 points in all five of those contests, capped by Wednesday's 33 points. Beasley also hit the game winner with a 15-footer at the :02.3 mark. Rasual Butler ended up with the ball after the Clippers' ensuing timeout and missed a corner three at the buzzer. L.A. has lost seven straight.

LAC (1-11)           PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR   MIN (4-9)           PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR
gordon,eric           77%  35%  1.10  - 2 39.4   beasley,michael      78%  34%  1.13  + 7 25.1
griffin,blake         76%  31%  1.10  - 5 21.5   love,kevin           78%  19%  1.78    0 21.9
aminu,alfarouq        59%  20%  1.55  - 3 13.9   brewer,corey         56%  20%  1.12  + 3 17.6
bledsoe,eric          73%  15%  0.98  - 5 10.6   ridnour,luke         52%  20%  1.63  + 5 15.5
butler,rasual         35%  28%  0.77  - 1  9.8   telfair,sebastian    47%  20%  0.96  - 5 13.9
jordan,deandre        48%   8%  2.76  - 3  9.1   tolliver,anthony     43%   8%  1.62  + 2 11.3
smith,craig           43%   4%  2.75  + 5  5.9   milicic,darko        67%  17%  0.91  + 4  8.5
gomes,ryan            42%  11%  1.02  - 1  3.8   johnson,wesley       59%  11%  1.06  - 1  6.7
collins,jarron        32%   6%  0.94  - 1  3.1   ellington,wayne       6%  17%  0.65  - 3  0.7
warren,willie         14%  11%  1.73  + 6  1.9   koufos,kosta         11%  17%  0.00  - 2  0.0
cook,brian             0%   -%  0.00    0  0.0   gaines,sundiata (DNP)
foye,randy (DNP)   hayward,lazar (DNP)
PACE: 93.3          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%   PACE: 93.3          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%
clippers,losangele 119.0 .529  .349 .182 .118   timberwolves,minn  121.1 .603  .152 .150 .132

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HORNETS 99, MAVERICKS 97 (box): David West stole Tyson Chandler's in-bounds pass on Dallas' last possession, preserving the Hornets' get-even win in New Orleans. Dallas handed the Hornets their first loss in Dallas on Monday. West also stole the ball on Dallas' previous possession, stripping Dirk Nowitzki at the :02.7 mark and New Orleans up 98-97. West made one of two free throws after getting fouled, setting up the game-closing sequence. J.J. Barea had nine points, six boards and six assists off the bench for Dallas, but shot 2-of-13 from teh floor.

DAL (7-3)           PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR   NWO (9-1)           PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR
nowitzki,dirk        75%  34%  1.03  +17 27.0   paul,chris           77%  21%  1.61  + 3 25.0
terry,jason          70%  17%  1.69  - 1 17.2   ariza,trevor         64%  17%  1.38  + 5 24.2
kidd,jason           73%  18%  1.33  - 5 16.6   west,david           81%  24%  0.90  + 5 14.4
barea,jose           55%  32%  0.78  + 6 15.5   okafor,emeka         79%  15%  1.22  + 2 13.1
marion,shawn         55%  15%  0.94  -13 12.0   belinelli,marco      66%  18%  1.44  + 4 11.8
chandler,tyson       60%  11%  1.46  - 5  9.9   green,willie         39%  28%  0.77  - 5  8.1
stevenson,deshawn    20%  15%  2.46  - 1  5.7   stojakovic,peja      37%  12%  0.94  - 2  6.9
butler,caron         47%  19%  0.61  + 2  4.2   smith,jason          32%  18%  0.81  - 3  6.8
haywood,brendan      40%   4%  1.51  + 3  2.8   bayless,jerryd       20%  19%  0.86    0  3.0
cardinal,brian        6%  18%  0.00  -13  0.0   pondexter,quincy      5%  20%  0.00  + 3  0.0
jones,dominique (DNP)   mensahbonsu,pops (DNP)
mahinmi,ian (DNP)   ilungambenga,didier (DNP)
PACE: 87.4          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%   PACE: 87.4          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%
mavericks,dallas   110.9 .558  .143 .172 .116   hornets,neworleans 113.2 .537  .184 .114 .081

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THUNDER 116, ROCKETS 99 (box): The Thunder defense still isn't up to last season's standard, but the offense seems to be rounding into shape. Oklahoma City has put up Offensive Ratings of 126.9 or better in three of its last four games, and has won four of five games overall. We'll see just how good the offense is in back-to-back games in Boston and Milwaukee starting Friday night.

HOU (3-8)           PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR   OKC (7-4)           PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR
scola,luis           63%  36%  0.97  - 8 24.2   westbrook,russell    73%  28%  1.30  + 7 33.8
martin,kevin         54%  28%  1.16  - 8 16.1   durant,kevin         62%  36%  1.04  +15 28.9
smith,ishmael        53%  12%  1.92  - 8 12.1   harden,james         60%  14%  1.44  +13 12.1
lee,courtney         46%  13%  0.79  - 9 10.2   krstic,nenad         60%  17%  1.07  + 6 10.0
miller,brad          40%  17%  1.33  - 5  9.0   collison,nick        37%  15%  1.32  +10  8.7
taylor,jermaine      45%  18%  1.04  - 6  8.1   white,d.j.           40%  17%  1.40  +10  8.5
hill,jordan          57%  17%  0.86  -13  8.0   maynor,eric          46%  15%  1.94  +13  8.5
jeffries,jared       12%  41%  1.07  + 3  6.5   ibaka,serge          50%  15%  1.45  - 2  8.4
battier,shane        56%  11%  0.81  -10  5.8   sefolosha,thabo      60%  12%  1.27  + 9  7.9
lowry,kyle           47%  15%  0.71  - 9  5.7   mullens,byron         6%  18%  0.26  + 2  0.2
hayes,chuck          27%  16%  0.64  -12  2.6   ivey,royal            6%  18%  0.00  + 2  0.0
budinger,chase (DNP)                            peterson,morris (DNP)
PACE: 91.4          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%   PACE: 91.4          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%
rockets,houston    108.3 .500  .286 .186 .149   thunder,oklacity   126.9 .529  .317 .098 .140

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JAZZ 98, NETS 88 (box): Finally the Jazz win a game without overcoming a huge deficit, but this one wasn't easy. The Nets were as close as five points in the final five minutes of the game. Brook Lopez had another lousy game and Utah's Andrei Kirilenko helped dog New Jersey's Travis Outlaw into a 1-of-12 shooting performance. The Jazz committed just seven turnovers, two of them 24-second violations, and no Utah player turned the ball over more than once.

NJN (4-7)           PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR   UTA (8-4)           PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR
harris,devin         71%  21%  1.37  - 7 21.1   williams,deron       75%  25%  1.30  + 8 24.5
morrow,anthony       75%  23%  1.32  - 5 17.6   kirilenko,andrei     80%  15%  1.24  +15 22.6
lopez,brook          74%  29%  0.69  - 6 14.9   millsap,paul         88%  23%  1.05  + 8 19.9
farmar,jordan        40%  28%  0.73  - 4 14.1   jefferson,al         72%  21%  1.02  + 4 16.3
humphries,kris       62%  11%  1.46  -11 12.4   bell,raja            73%  20%  0.84  + 3  8.1
favors,derrick       49%  11%  1.16  + 3  7.7   watson,earl          25%  15%  1.09  + 2  6.1
outlaw,travis        79%  16%  0.31  -10  4.5   miles,c.j.           17%  40%  0.50    0  5.2
petro,johan          12%  14%  1.28  - 3  3.0   hayward,gordon       16%   4%  1.89  - 3  1.7
graham,stephen       25%  17%  0.10    0  0.5   elson,francisco      28%  13%  0.64  + 6  1.6
williams,terrence    13%  13%  0.00  - 7  0.0   price,ronnie         27%   6%  0.45  + 7  0.8
ross,quinton (DNP)                              evans,jeremy (DNP)
smith,joe (DNP)                                 fesenko,kyrylo (DNP)
PACE: 91.8          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%   PACE: 91.8          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%
nets,newjersey      95.8 .400  .314 .163 .120   jazz,utah          106.7 .409  .180 .076 .177

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SPURS 103, BULLS 94 (box): The Spurs scored 37 points on 21 shots and limited the Bulls to 12 on 23 in the decisive third quarter. The Bulls had trouble keeping Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker out of the paint all night and the pair combined to go 16-of-26 from the field. Ronnie Brewer had another strong night off the bench for Chicago. It looks like his explosion has returned, which means that Keith Bogans' minutes will continue to dwindle. Tim Duncan had one of his better games of the season with 16 points, 18 rebounds and five assists. Taj Gibson was 0-of-7 from the floor for Chicago is now 1-of-16 over his last two games. Gibson has become more assertive on the offensive end this season, perhaps too much so. The Bulls will welcome Carlos Boozer's paint scoring once the power forward returns from his broken hand. The Bulls' pick-and-roll game lately has mostly consisted of Luol Deng screening for Derrick Rose, then popping out to the three-point line. That resulted in a few open looks for Deng against San Antonio, but he shot 1-of-6 from downtown. Boozer will give them a more versatile and consistent attack.

CHI (6-4)           PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR   SAS (9-1)           PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR
rose,derrick         79%  38%  1.01  -19 27.1   ginobili,manu        72%  22%  1.36  +12 28.5
deng,luol            87%  21%  1.02  -17 25.7   duncan,tim           71%  26%  1.18  +15 21.2
brewer,ronnie        52%  13%  1.65  - 3 16.4   parker,tony          75%  24%  1.21  + 1 15.5
korver,kyle          58%  13%  1.30  + 2  9.2   bonner,matt          45%   8%  2.10  +29 10.8
noah,joakim          71%  16%  1.09  -22  8.8   hill,george          72%  14%  1.31  - 4 10.7
watson,c.j.          40%  18%  1.14  +15  7.1   jefferson,richard    72%  14%  1.08  + 8 10.1
asik,omer            29%  18%  0.78  +13  2.7   mcdyess,antonio      36%  25%  0.86  - 7  6.0
bogans,keith         32%  10%  0.76  -11  2.4   blair,dejuan         22%  11%  1.51  - 5  4.9
gibson,taj           33%  25%  0.24  - 9  1.7   neal,gary            32%  22%  0.66  - 2  2.9
scalabrine,brian     19%   2%  0.00  + 6  0.0   green,danny           1%   -%  0.00  - 2  0.0
johnson,james (DNP)                             quinn,chris (DNP)
thomas,kurt (DNP)                               splitter,tiago (DNP)
PACE: 93.0          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%   PACE: 93.0          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%
bulls,chicago      101.0 .457  .240 .118 .066   spurs,sanantonio   110.7 .518  .286 .150 .104

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KNICKS 113, KINGS 106 (box): The Knicks snapped a six-game losing streak, while the defense-challenged Kings dropped their sixth in a row. DeMarcus Cousins had 15 points and 10 boards off the bench for the Kings, but shot just 5-of-15 and committed five turnovers. The Kings actually led by as many as 15 points in the early going, but the Knicks put up a 40-22 second quarter thanks to Danilo Gallinari, who scored 15 points in the quarter on just three shots from the field. He went 3-of-3, two of them three-pointers, and 7-of-7 from the line. Gallanari scored 27 points on eight shots in the game.

NYK (4-8)           PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR   SAC (3-7)           PLY%  USG   PCP  +/-   GR
gallinari,danilo     86%  16%  1.65  +13 36.6   cousins,demarcus     63%  32%  0.78  + 2 28.7
stoudemire,amare     83%  29%  1.04  + 2 19.4   evans,tyreke         87%  26%  0.98  + 7 21.0
chandler,wilson      71%  15%  1.12  + 4 18.9   landry,carl          71%  19%  1.37  + 1 17.9
felton,raymond       71%  27%  0.85  -10 11.3   head,luther          45%  18%  1.58  + 2 15.5
turiaf,ronny         62%   6%  1.80  +13 10.6   udrih,beno           55%  26%  1.23  - 9 14.6
fields,landry        47%  21%  1.01  - 2 10.0   greene,donte         43%  10%  1.89  + 2  9.0
douglas,toney        43%  26%  1.12  +16  8.5   garcia,francisco     36%  16%  0.55  -17  3.5
walker,bill          25%  13%  0.88  + 2  4.8   casspi,omri          28%   6%  0.64  - 3  1.6
mozgov,timofey       12%  15%  0.19  - 3  0.3   thompson,jason       24%  17%  0.30  - 3  1.1
mason,roger (DNP)                               dalembert,samuel     27%   0%  1.83  - 3  0.2
randolph,anthony (DNP)                          jackson,darnell      21%   6%  0.00  -14  0.0
rautins,andy (DNP)                              wright,antoine (DNP)
PACE: 93.9          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%   PACE: 93.9          ORTG eFG%  oRB%  TO% FTA%
knicks,newyork     120.4 .563  .313 .192 .183   kings,sacramento   112.9 .472  .386 .170 .122

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NEWS & MOVES

Minutiae from around the league

CAVALIERS: "The Cleveland Cavaliers have assigned guard/forward Christian Eyenga to the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today. Eyenga has yet to make an appearance with the Cavaliers during the regular season. He played in six games during the preseason, averaging 4.3 points on .625 shooting and 0.8 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per game." (press release)
No one really knows much of anything about Eyenga at this point, so this trip to the D-League should shed a little more light on the game of the Congalese swing man.

NUGGETS: "(J.R.) Smith has played just one minute, five seconds in the past two games. Monday night at Phoenix, Karl benched Smith because he was late to a shootaround. His one minute Tuesday in the Nuggets' victory against the Knicks smacked of further punishment, but was due more to rookie Gary Forbes playing well." (Denver Post)
Hmmmm. If Smith has fallen that out of favor in Denver, teams may start kicking the tires on a possible trade. Smith's contract is expiring, which you'd figure would motivate Smith for the rest of the season. His brand of explosive, off-the-bench scoring isn't easy to find.

SPURS: "The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have signed guard/forward Danny Green. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. Green (#4, 6'6", 210, 6/22/87) appeared in 20 regular season games last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, averaging 2.0 points in 5.8 minutes per game. During the 2010 preseason, he averaged 3.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in four games with the Cavs before being waived on October 19, 2010. Originally selected by Cleveland with the 46th pick in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft out of North Carolina, Green played in more games (145) and achieved more wins (123) than any Tar Heel player before him. He is the only player in ACC history with at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 250 assists, 150 three-pointers, 150 blocks and 150 steals. He had career averages of 9.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and a .455 shooting percentage from the field." (press release)
Green was a guy whose college translations shone in NBAPET, suggesting he could become a top-notch 3-and-D player. The Spurs had no backup small forward with James Anderson injured, so Green will fill that role for the time being and the opportunity is there for him to gain an NBA foothold in a system that should be well-suited to his skill set. The deal is signed is non-guaranteed, which gives him until Jan. 5 or so to make an impression. On Jan. 10, the Spurs will be locked into his contract. On Jan. 5, they can start to fill their roster with 10-day players. So you have to figure Green has until the earlier date to strut his stuff, or the Spurs will either make a deal for a veteran or opt to go with free talent.

TRAIL BLAZERS: "Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden will undergo microfracture surgery on his left knee Friday and will miss the remainder of the 2010-11 season, the Trail Blazers announced this evening. Dr. Richard Steadman will perform the surgery with assistance from Trail Blazers orthopedic surgeon Dr. Don Roberts at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Vail, Colo. Oden, 22, has been sidelined since fracturing his left patella in a Dec. 5, 2009, game vs. Houston. A recent MRI showed damaged cartilage to the surface of his femur, and his current injury is unrelated to the fractured left patella. Oden previously underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee Sept. 13, 2007. He holds career NBA averages of 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 1.43 blocked shots in 82 games over parts of two seasons from 2008-09." (press release)
More than anything, you have to worry about Oden's mental state at this point. I know I would have an awful tough time pushing myself through yet another rehab process when all the evidence suggests that I'm just going to get hurt again once I'm finished. Oden is still just 22 years old, but the fact that he will have played exactly 82 games in four seasons is almost cruel. He's missed exactly 3/4 of Portland's games since the time he was drafted. It's like being perpetually stuck in the first quarter.

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FAB FIVE

A selection of our favorite NBA links

1. In yesterday's recaps, I noted that the Knicks had generally outplayed the Nuggets despite losing. I based that mostly from watching the game and then confirming with the box score, but the game was a lot more statistically unique than I realized.

2. M.Haubs makes a good point in his dissection of the Heat's start: Miami hasn't been particularly fun to watch.

3. The Works touches on the league's faster pace and Miami's decision to deny credentials to a writer from a well-known magazine.

4. President Obama is giving the Congressional Medal of Freedom to all-time NBA great Bill Russell, who personfies so much more than winning basketball.

5. Is Ron Artest destined for the NFL?

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ON TAP

Tonight in the NBA

WTC  VIS @ HOM,  GAMETIME     NBAPET LINE    OFFICIALS
+12  den @ por, 10:30 PM EST [ por by  4 ]   Ron Garretson, Tony Brown, Tommy Nunez Jr.
+ 9  phx @ orl,  8:00 PM EST [ orl by 12 ]   Scott Foster, Curtis Blair, Tony Brothers
-14  lac @ ind,  7:00 PM EST [ ind by 14 ]   Greg Willard, Brent Barnaky, David Guthrie
Note: WTC is a junk stat rating the "watchability" of a game, taking into
account the quality of the opponents and the likelihood of a close game.

Through Wednesday, 166 of 1,230 games (13.5%) have been played in the 2010-11 NBA regular season.

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GLOSSARY
+/- (Plus-Minus) Raw data is from official box scores from NBA.com.
GR (Game Rating) Reflects a player's Points Created total, or the portion of his team's offense for which he gets credit based on his box score line. This number is then adjusted for estimated defensive performance based on box score counterpart productivity. GR is pace-adjusted so you can compare players from game to game.
PCP (Points Created Per Possession Used) An estimate of each player's points created per possession used, a measure of offensive efficiency. The stat accounts for a player's entire box score line, not just the scoring categories.
PLY% (Play percentage) An estimate of the percentage of a team's possessions on which the player was on the court.
USG An estimate of how many of those plays a player used by shooting, going to the line or committing a turnover, with a portion the team's offensive rebound total subtracted.
TEAM STATS
PACE: Estimated possessions in the game.
ORTG: A team's points per 100 possessions.
eFG%: Team's shooting percentage with an extra half-point added for each made three-point field goal.
oRB%: Percentage of a team's misses that they retrieved off the offensive glass.
TO%: Percentage of at team's possessions resulting in a turnover.
FTA%: Percentage of a team's possessions resulting in a trip to the foul line.

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Bradford Doolittle is an author of Basketball Prospectus. You can contact Bradford by clicking here or click here to see Bradford's other articles.