Pau Gasol Leads Bulls as Derrick Rose Adjusts and Other Wednesday NBA Takeaways
Derrick Rose's return to form was supposed to be the narrative that defined the Chicago Bulls' forgiving early-season schedule.
Instead, Pau Gasol has operated as the headliner for a Bulls team that's opened its 2014-15 campaign 4-1 following a 95-86 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.
The lead dog in Chicago's third road win of the season, Gasol tallied 22 points (8-of-14 shooting, 6-of-7 from the free-throw line) and a game-high 14 rebounds, single-game totals he's posted just twice since 2012, according to Bulls radio producer Jeff Mangurten:
Rose—who started after sitting back-to-back contests with sprained ankles—looked predictably gimpy, scoring 13 points (4-of-10 shooting) and dishing out seven assists in 31 minutes.
He's not getting much healthier, either, according to ESPN Chicago's Nick Friedell:
"I didn't show up for the fourth [quarter]," Rose told reporters, laughing, after the win, according to the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson. "Of course [my ankles] weren't 100 percent, but I felt like we needed this win. I really couldn't get to the hole as much as I wanted to. I didn't have any fast-break points, but I was able to still affect the game and draw people in with double-teams to help my teammates."
While he's shown glimpses of explosion and demonstrated proficiency as a distributor, Rose is clearly still adjusting to playing consistent regular-season hoops for the first time since 2011.
And in his place, Gasol has stepped up.
Upon joining the Bulls, Gasol was viewed as a complementary addition, one who would be able to provide offensive relief from the mid-post and low blocks thanks to his steady stroke and cunning sleight of hand.
Instead, he's quickly embraced a starring role, averaging 18.8 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks on 49.3 percent shooting.
As Friedell noted, Gasol has been particularly dominant the past two nights:
Unsurprisingly, that dominance has been bred from Gasol's freedom to operate in the low post, which represents a stark contrast to his usage in Mike D'Antoni's offense with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Last season, Gasol attempted a career-low 25.1 percent of his shots within three feet of the basket, according to Basketball-Reference, while 23.6 percent of his points came via mid-range shots.
So far this season, only 19.1 percent of Gasol's buckets have come from mid-range jumpers, according to NBA.com.
Digging deeper, 20 of Gasol's 35 total makes have come in the restricted area, shots he's converting at a 66.7 percent clip.
As far as unintended contingency plans go, that's as good as it gets.
And considering how uncooperative Rose's bones and ligaments have been over the past few seasons, the Bulls should feel comfortable knowing Gasol is capable of carrying the load when their floor general isn't.
Gasol and the Bulls will seek to earn a fourth straight win when they clash with the Philadelphia 76ers at 7 p.m. ET Friday night.
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Gordon Hayward Stuns Cleveland
A quick Gordon Hayward-centric recap for you:
First, Hayward (21 points, seven assists) gave LeBron James a taste of his own medicine with this chase-down block:
Then he drilled a game-winning jump shot from the right wing as time expired to give the Utah Jazz a 102-100 win after James drilled three clutch free throws to tie things up with 3.4 seconds remaining:
James finished with 31 points (8-of-18 shooting), while Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 34 points (12-of-23 shooting). As a team, the Cavaliers managed just six assists on 30 made baskets, marking the third time since 1985 that a team has recorded six assists or fewer on at least 30 made field goals, according to Basketball-Reference.
Per ESPN's Arash Markazi, the Cavaliers' 1-3 start doesn't bode well for their championship aspirations, historically speaking:
Carmelo, Knicks Come up Empty
Carmelo Anthony scored 13 points on 5-of-21 shooting as the Detroit Pistons topped the New York Knicks, 98-95, to record their first win of the season.
According to Basketball-Reference, Wednesday marked the seventh time in his career that Anthony attempted at least 20 shots and scored fewer than 13 points. Speaking of offensive futility, the Knicks have now scored fewer than 100 points in all five games this season.
Kevin Garnett Joins Exclusive Company
The Brooklyn Nets fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 98-91, Wednesday night, but Kevin Garnett entered rare air by logging 25 minutes, according to The Wall Street Journal's Alex Raskin:
That said, Garnett was relatively disappointing, posting two points (1-of-7 shooting) and 11 rebounds in the loss. While all five Brooklyn starters recorded negative plus/minus ratings, every member of Minnesota's starting five recorded a plus/minus rating of plus-20 or better. In fact, only 15 of Minnesota's 98 points came from its bench.
Kevin Martin led the way with 26 points, and Andrew Wiggins recorded a career high with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Ricky Rubio (14 points, 12 assists), Thaddeus Young (10 points, 11 rebounds) and Nikola Pekovic (16 points, 11 rebounds) each recorded a double-double.
Miami Drops Back-to-Back Contests
After starting 3-0, the Miami Heat have tasted defeat on consecutive nights following a 96-89 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
Al Jefferson shined in the win, scoring a game-high 28 points (13-of-25 shooting) while pulling down 10 rebounds. However, Lance Stephenson put forth another underwhelming performance, managing eight points (3-of-12 shooting), though he grabbed 13 rebounds. Through five games, Stephenson has scored in double figures just once.
Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 25 points (9-of-18 shooting) and a team-high seven dimes, while Chris Bosh dropped 23 points and 13 boards in defeat. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Bosh is piling up double-doubles at pace we haven't seen since he joined the Miami Heat:
Pacific Division Domination
The Golden State Warriors remained undefeated (4-0) with a 121-104 thrashing of the Los Angeles Clippers, while the Sacramento Kings improved to 4-1 for the first time since 2001-02 after sweeping a home-and-home with the Denver Nuggets.
It took three quarters for the Kings and Warriors to generate 105 and 102 points, respectively.
Golden State shot an otherworldly 58.1 percent from the floor and 60 percent from three as Stephen Curry finished with 28 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Draymond Green was superb as well, totaling 24 points (8-of-13 shooting, 4-of-8 from three), eight rebounds and five assists in another start at power forward.
In Sacramento, DeMarcus Cousins scored 30 points (10-of-14 shooting) and grabbed 11 rebounds in 22 minutes, while Rudy Gay dropped 29 points on ultra-efficient 9-of-12 shooting (8-of-10 from the line).
Rajon Rondo Records Triple-Double in Losing Effort
He flirted with it in each of the Boston Celtics' first three games, but Rajon Rondo finally recorded a triple-double in a 110-107 loss to the Toronto Raptors.
Although all five Celtics starters finished in double figures, 28 turnovers (and the 36 points Toronto scored off of them) doomed Brad Stevens' club on a night when Kyle Lowry scored 35 points on 12-of-17 shooting. According to Basketball-Reference, Lowry scored 35 points or more for just the second time in his career Wednesday night.
Tobias Harris Sinks Sixers at the Buzzer
Tobias Harris drilled a game-winning fadeaway jump shot as time expired to hand the Orlando Magic a 91-89 victory over the Sixers.
Following wins by Detroit and Orlando, the Sixers and Los Angeles Lakers are now the NBA's only winless teams.
Offensive futility was the name of the game in this one, as the two teams combined to score 30 points in the fourth quarter. Neither team shot better than 45 percent from the field on a night when Orlando converted just three of its 20 attempts from beyond the arc.
One of the lone offensive bright spots was K.J. McDaniels padding his 2015 Slam Dunk Contest resume with this breathtaking alley-oop finish over Moe Harkless:
