Wednesday NBA Roundup: All-Star Break Coming at Ideal Time for Weary Contenders
The Golden State Warriors defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves, 94-91, Wednesday night, but an unconvincing triumph over the Western Conference bottom feeders was indicative of the malaise that's enveloped Stephen Curry and Co. heading into the All-Star break.
As if an 89-point showing versus the Philadelphia 76ers wasn't bad enough, Golden State failed to crack 100 points for the second consecutive game against a league-worst defense that's allowing more than 109 points per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com.
Diminished production has been evident at an individual level, too. All-Star Klay Thompson has scored just 43 points on 50 shots over his last three games, while Curry has totaled 67 points on 61 shots during the same span.
"The Warriors badly need the upcoming break," Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley wrote. "It's not just about refilling those depleted fuel tanks, though, it's hard to overstate the importance of that aspect. It's also about briefly stepping back from the pressure-packed life at the top."
Personifying his team's gimpy look of late, head coach Steve Kerr had some fun with reporters after the Warriors escaped disaster in the closing seconds of Wednesday's victory, according to Bay Area News Group's Diamond Leung:
"I think their legs are tired, but I think their minds are tired, too," Kerr said following Monday night's win over the Sixers, according to the San Francisco Chronicle's Rusty Simmons. "We're taking bad shots. We're taking quick shots."
A case of tired legs is hardly specific to the Warriors, though.
Across the Association, teams are dreaming of a weeklong hiatus that will be used to recharge batteries as injuries continue to pile up at a furious pace.
In the Western Conference alone, Rajon Rondo (orbital fracture), Dwight Howard (knee) and Blake Griffin (elbow surgery) are all faced with varying timetables for recovery as their teams jockey intensely for playoff positioning.
Then there's Anthony Davis, who's missed the New Orleans Pelicans' last two games with a right shoulder sprain. The NBA's player efficiency rating leader will need to heal in a hurry, too, because New Orleans has dropped three straight, including a 106-93 defeat to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.
By virtue of the Oklahoma City Thunder's 105-89 drubbing of the Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans now occupies the No. 10 seed—1.5 games back of the No. 8 Phoenix Suns.
Turn toward the East, and the picture's equally as grim.
The Washington Wizards have dropped six of their last eight with John Wall playing on a gimpy ankle and Bradley Beal nursing a mild stress reaction to his lower right fibula.
Elsewhere, Dwyane Wade has missed six straight Miami Heat games with a hamstring injury, and Joakim Noah continues to resemble a shell of the player who took home Defensive Player of the Year honors a season ago.
Heck, even the seemingly invincible Atlanta Hawks have lost two of their last three games, including a heartbreaking loss to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
The weeklong layoff may be hard for fans to stomach as contenders approach the starting line of a hectic and wildly entertaining playoff push, but rest assured, these guys need—and deserve—every second of downtime coming their way.
Around the Association
Cleveland's Climb Continues
By crunching the Miami Heat, 113-93, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers now hold the Eastern Conference's No. 4 seed and sit a half-game back of the Chicago Bulls for the Central Division lead with a prime-time clash slated for Thursday night on TNT.
Avenging some Christmas Day demons, Cleveland took care of Miami behind seven double-figure scorers, including James (18 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists), Kyrie Irving (15 points, six assists, four rebounds) and J.R. Smith (10 points, seven assists, three steals).
Kevin Love tallied 12 points, six rebounds and four assists but was forced to leave in the third quarter after suffering a corneal abrasion. He did not return.
According to the Akron Beacon Journal's Jason Lloyd, Love will travel to Chicago for Thursday night's showdown.
Klay, Harden Get All-Star Starts; Brow Bows Out
When the Los Angeles Lakers announced that Kobe Bryant would miss the remainder of the season with a torn rotator cuff, West All-Star coach Steve Kerr faced a dilemma: Should Klay Thompson or James Harden assume starting responsibilities in the Western Conference All-Star backcourt?
While debate raged, Kerr found a way to appease all parties by using his executive power. According to Simmons, both Harden and Thompson will start after Blake Griffin underwent elbow surgery that is scheduled to sideline him beyond the All-Star break:
By penciling Thompson in alongside Stephen Curry, Kerr ensured that the Warriors backcourt would be the first to start an All-Star game together since New York Knicks teammates Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe did so in 1975.
Additionally, the Warriors now boast two All-Star starters for the first time since Rick Barry and Nate Thurmond led the West to victory in 1967.
But Kerr's not done filling out his lineup just yet.
Late Wednesday night, New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis announced he will not be participating in this year's festivities as he continues to nurse a shoulder sprain:
Taking his place on the roster will be Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, who's slated to make his 13th All-Star appearance, according to ESPN Dallas' Tim MacMahon:
However, it remains to be seen who'll wind up starting for Davis. Unless Kerr decides to go with a funky four-guard configuration, Nowitzki, LaMarcus Aldridge, Tim Duncan, DeMarcus Cousins and Kevin Durant represent his other frontcourt options.
No Griffin, No Problem (For Now)
Improbably, the Los Angeles Clippers have strung together consecutive wins over Western Conference playoff contenders with a 110-95 win against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
Thanks to some stellar defense from J.J. Redick and general exhaustion following back-to-back 40-point performances, James Harden fell flat. In 36 minutes, he tallied nine points, six assists and five rebounds while shooting 3-of-12 from the field and 0-of-7 from three.
DeAndre Jordan finished with 24 points and 20 rebounds—his third 20-20 performance since Feb. 2. He hadn't posted one over the course of his entire career prior to that stretch.
According to ESPN.com's Arash Markazi, Clippers head coach Doc Rivers is beside himself that Jordan was left off the Western Conference All-Star team:
Not only did all five Clippers starters finish in double figures, but Jamal Crawford poured in 20 points off the bench.
As ESPN Insider's Kevin Pelton explained, the Western Conference playoff race is tighter than ever:
Washington Can't Exorcise Its Canadian Demons
If there's one team the Washington Wizards don't want to see in the playoffs, it's the Toronto Raptors.
With a 95-93 victory, the Raptors officially clinched a sweep of the season series over the Wizards, who were without the services of Bradley Beal (leg) and Kris Humphries (back).
DeMar DeRozan (23 points) delivered the dagger with under 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter:
Although Washington trounced Toronto, 42-24, in the paint, the Raptors owned the three-point line with a 33-15 scoring edge from distance. Lou Williams was a major reason why, scoring a game-high 27 points (8-of-16 shooting, 4-of-8 from three) after going scoreless Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Raptors are one of the NBA's few teams hitting the All-Star break in stride, having won three straight and eight of their last 10 to create a three-game cushion over the Chicago Bulls for the No. 2 seed.
Washington, meanwhile, slipped back to the No. 5 seed as a result of Cleveland's win over Miami.
Evan Turner Remains Oddly Clutch
The Celtics shot 32 percent from the field and trailed by as many as 18, but Evan Turner's game-winning floater with 0.2 seconds remaining helped Brad Stevens' club move within 1.5 games of the Eastern Conference's No. 8 seed:
Limiting the Hawks to uncharacteristic 7-of-29 shooting from three, Boston was able to outscore the Eastern Conference leaders 55-39 in the second half and mount a tremendous comeback, as ESPN Stats & Info noted:
Turner, who finished with 12 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, has now hit two game-winners after slaying the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 22 with a clutch three from the right corner.
Interestingly enough, Turner downed the Celtics at the buzzer around this time last season before getting dealt to the Indiana Pacers at the trade deadline. The former No. 2 overall pick also sank Boston with an overtime leaner two Decembers ago.
Can Nikola Vucevic Get Some Respect?
Here's a fun fact for you: Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic still hasn't scored fewer than 10 points in a single game all season.
In Orlando's 89-83 win over the New York Knicks, the Eastern Conference All-Star snub kept that streak alive by totaling 28 points and 18 rebounds while shooting 12-of-20 from the field.
One of two players averaging at least 19 points and 11 rebounds, the USC product netted his 32nd double-double of the season Wednesday night.
Jason Smith led the Knicks with 25 points and seven rebounds as Carmelo Anthony missed New York's final game before the All-Star break with a sore knee. The Knicks are 0-13 with Anthony out of the lineup this season.
Milwaukee Deserves More Attention
It's official: The Milwaukee Bucks (30-23) are the best team no one wants to talk about.
Taking care of the Sacramento Kings, 111-103, Milwaukee has won eight of its last nine games and sits just 2.5 games back of the Wizards for the East's No. 5 seed. It took the Bucks just 53 games to double their win total from last season, a league first according to NBA on ESPN:
With the league's second-ranked defense and an improving group of scorers, Milwaukee is steadily climbing the ranks while consistency has eluded stables of esteemed veterans in the Windy City and nation's capital.
Kings forward Reggie Evans is especially impressed by what Giannis Antetokounmpo (13 points, seven rebounds, two steals) is accomplishing at just 20 years old:
The Bucks will see a nice chance to prosper immediately after the All-Star break, with matchups against the Sixers, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets looming.
Quote of the Night
For the first time ever, NBA All-Star Weekend is set to include a fashion show. And with Mavericks swingman Chandler Parsons set to participate, Nowitzki has some thoughts on the 26-year-old's stylistic aura, according to Mavericks.com's Earl K. Sneed:
