Kelley L. Cox-Sydney Morning Herald
The Golden State Warriors are back to their perfection ways. After a few losses over the past two weeks, they have settled down and defended their home court properly. It started on Wednesday, as Andrew Bogut took on his former team in the Milwaukee Bucks. Golden State won 102-93 by pulling away in the fourth quarter through Stephen Curry. Bogut was limited to just 20 minutes, but had seven points and six rebounds. It was a fairly average game from him with Steve Kerr prioritizing in keeping his star big man fresh for the playoffs. The Warriors converted on 14 three-pointers, which propelled them to another home victory.
It was another comfortable win for the Warriors on Friday against a reeling Mavericks squad. Bogut had one of his better games in recent memory through having four points, thirteen rebounds, three blocks, and four assists. After Tyson Chandler completely outplayed him a few weeks ago, Bogut returned the favor and limited Chandler’s impact. Golden State held Dallas to just 36 percent shooting with former Warrior Monta Ellis shooting just two of fourteen from the field. Once again, Golden State hit the double digit mark on converted three-pointers by shooting 11 for 24 from three-point range. On 38 made field goals, 28 of those shots were assisted in the 104-89 win. The outstanding ball movement continues to make Golden State a near unstoppable juggernaut.
The winning streak continued on Sunday against their arch rivals in the Los Angeles Clippers. Bogut was just limited to 19 minutes in a two-point and four-rebound effort. With Golden State up 19 going into the fourth quarter, it was fair to see why his minutes were limited. Andrew’s battle with DeAndre Jordan was a well-contested battle. Neither player stood out in a defensive stalemate. With Blake Griffin still out, the Clippers didn’t stand much of a chance. The 106-98 scoreline was significantly inflated, as the Clippers’ bench mostly scored garbage time points.
A complete sweep for the entire week wouldn’t be denied. Golden State won 98-90 over Phoenix in another convincing victory on Monday. Bogut was limited once again in playing just 23 minutes, as the Warriors had a 15-point lead going into the fourth quarter. It was a just two-point and seven-rebound performance from the big man. The most intriguing stat was that Bogut led his team in the plus-minus ratio by the Warriors being plus 30, when Bogut was on the court. His defensive presence continues to show, as the Suns shot only 37 percent from the field. This moves Golden State’s winning streak to four games.
Golden State holds a five-and-half game lead over Memphis for the first seed. With a comfortable lead, Golden State may clinch home court advantage by early April. Another busy week is upon the best test in the West, although the opponents are fairly easy match-ups. It starts against Detroit tonight. After that home game, they head to Denver on Friday. The week ends at home against the Knicks on Saturday and Lakers on Sunday. Another four game sweep seems imminent for the Warriors.
Frank Franklin-AP Photo
After upsetting Dallas and Golden State, the Brooklyn Nets have gone back to their disappointing ways. This home stretch was supposed to be the turning point in turning their season around. A stretch of mediocre opponents was supposed to aid them in the struggle for the final playoff spot in the Eastern conference. Instead they managed to lose all four games starting against Charlotte last Wednesday. In a pivotal match-up between playoff hopefuls, Charlotte won 115-91 in dominant fashion. Bojan Bogdanovic was one of the few positive Brooklyn players with eleven points and five rebounds in 24 minutes. While the improvements haven been shown in his aggressive play, Bogdanovic contributed to a woeful night of three-point shooting. Bojan missed all three of his shots, which contributed to Brooklyn shooting three for sixteen from three-point range.
The disappointing home losses continued on Friday against Phoenix. After earning a fifteen-point lead in the fourth quarter, Brooklyn blew the lead in embarrassing fashion. They turned the ball over 20 times and shot 35 percent from the field. Bogdanovic continues to receive extensive playing time by playing 29 minutes. An eleven point and four rebound performance is solid, although he once again shot poorly by going only four for thirteen. That shouldn’t take away his incredible sequence of hitting 3 three-pointers in seventy seconds. With Deron Wiliams and Joe Johnson once again failing to step up in big moments, it was another inexcusable loss at home for the Nets. They lost 108-100 in overtime.
Bogdanovic makes Phoenix in a matter of moments
It somehow got worse for the Nets, as they managed to lose to the lowly Utah Jazz on Sunday. Despite shooting 50 percent from the field, they managed to lose 95-88. It’s hard to rate what’s worse between shooting four for eleven at the free throw line or being out rebounded 43 to 30. The lackluster performances seem odd, considering they acquired small forward Thaddeus Young only a few weeks ago. That was supposed to give them another scoring option to depend on. Young has been productive, but Brooklyn still tends to play as individuals. Bogdanovic only played 21 minutes, but still managed to get into double figures again with eleven points. A bizarre three-pointer has garnered some buzz for the rookie shooting guard, as Johnson threw a pass that accidentally nailed Brook Lopez in the head. Bogdanovic picked up the loose ball and scored on a three-pointer from the near corner.
The Nets finished their home stretch in riveting fashion. They sent the fans early by being down 17 at the start of the fourth quarter against New Orleans. Despite superstar power forward Anthony Davis shooting just five for sixteen, New Orleans pummeled Brooklyn in all facets of the game. They shot 51 percent from the field, along with shooting 57 percent from three-point range. Once again, the defensive intensity was lacking from Lionel Hollins’s squad in a 111-91 defeat. Bogdanovic continues to impress off the bench by scoring 12 points on five of seven shooting. You have to wonder if he’ll get the starting nod over Markel Brown soon enough. Brooklyn is letting their season slip away in losing four consecutive home games. Besides the loss to Utah, all of these losses have come in embarrassing fashion.
Brooklyn now begins a four-game road stretch that begins tonight against Miami. That is another key game against a team that is also struggling to secure a playoff spot. They head to Philadelphia on Saturday in another very winnable game. The week ends against Minnesota on Monday. A pretty light week for the Nets, although the games are beginning to get even more crucial at 25-37. This team needs to get on a winning streak fast. While many players are on the team struggling, Bogdanovic’s improved play hasn’t gone unnoticed. Daniel LoGiudice of Nets Daily wrote an excellent feature of Bogdanovic’s improvement in referring to his new-found aggressiveness offensively and other attributes.
Associated Press
The Indiana Pacers continue to play excellent basketball through their six-game winning streak. Damjan Rudez continues to contribute in any possible way off the bench. The week started off strongly in a 105-82 win over the lowly New York Knicks. Rudez played 18 minutes and scored six points from two of four shooting. It was another convincing win for Indiana in holding their opponents below 40 percent shooting and forcing 19 turnovers. They’ve quietly become one of the best defensive teams in the leaguel over the past few months.
With Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler injured, Chicago was ripe for an upset on Friday. The Pacers didn’t disappoint in a 98-84 win against their division rivals. Rudez was limited to just twelve minutes of action, although he did score five points on two of four shooting. With teams playing smaller, it allows Indiana to play Rodney Stuckey and C.J Watson more. That has cut into Rudez’s playing time, as Frank Vogel likes to give his play-makers as much playing time as possible. Indiana held Chicago to just 36 percent shooting in another impressive defensive performance.
The rematch at Madison Square Garden on Saturday proved to be more competitive. In the end, Indiana pulled through in a 92-86 victory. Rudez only played 15 minutes, but made it count once again. The six-ten small forward connected on all three of his shots for eight points. Indiana struggled to shoot at 38 percent against a weak Knicks defense. Without Paul George, this team still goes through scoring droughts at times. They had to get through a scrappy game in which they outscored New York by nine in the fourth quarter.
Indiana had their best performance of the week last night against Orlando in a 118-86 win. Rudez started the second game of his career, as C.J Miles was out with a foot injury. After scoring 18 points in the last meeting against Orlando, Rudez went for 17 points on six of eight shooting. This included going five for seven from three-point range in arguably the best shooting performance of his career. You can refer to his breakout performance, as a generality in Orlando bringing the best out of him. In the end, this performance showcases why Rudez will continue to have a role in the rotation. His shooting can be an absolute difference maker. Stuckey led the way with 34 points in another dominant win for the Pacers against another weak opponent. It’s these particular games that need to be taken advantage of for the playoff hopefuls.
Indiana continues their four game home stretch through protecting the final playoff spot in the Eastern conference. It begins on Thursday against the unpredictable Milwaukee Bucks. They play the Boston Celtics on Friday in what should be a favorable matchup. The week ends on Monday against a reeling Toronto Raptors squad. It’ll be interesting to see if Indiana can keep this winning streak intact, along with Rudez continuing to find his niche within the rotation.
Mitchell Leff- NBA.com
It was posted on Thursday that Justin Hamilton had been claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Timberwolves. It’s a strange fit, considering Minnesota has Nikola Pekovic and Gorgui Dieng, who have both been productive for the Timberwolves at center. Hamilton is looking to find his niche through any team possible. He spoke to the media about being signed by Minnesota on Friday. It’s yet to be determined on his specific role on the team. Minnesota is currently 14-47, as they’re currently in a rebuilding stage. Justin did play nine minutes and scored four points in a 89-76 loss to the Clippers.
Twitter: @Allen_Strk
I actually hope the Knicks drop in the lottery and can get Hezonja…
if the Knicks do finish with the worst record in the league, what is the lowest they could possibly draft?
Bojan’s shooting isn’t that much of a problem. It comes from shot selection, where he’s still finding his niche and taking too many jumpers. Hopefully his passing improves because you need to be a playmaker to some extent, unless you can shoot like Kyle Korver.
Let’s wait and see about judging Bogdanovic as a starter or not. Right now, he’s suitable to start for a mediocre Nets team. The next step within the next two years is to develop into a reliable starter at minimum.
Rudez is 28 years old, so his upside is probably limited. Many people considered him a joke going into this season. Will see what happens when Paul George makes his big comeback. For now, he’s been quite a fun player to write about during his high points.
Bogdanovic would not be a starter for a playoff team. Bench guy, occasional spot start, but he needs to shoot better. NBA is all about PGs and play on the wings. He is not athletic enough to play starter minutes and not a good enough shooter to place out their for extended minutes to overcome other liabilities in his game.
Rudez is a stretch 4. He was perfect in Europe for the pick-and-pop game.
Good to see Rudež shooting so well. You have to also take into account that he was shooting horribly I’m the first couple months of the season. We could see his numbers continue to rise. His rebounding will always stink, but this won’t push him out of the league. He’s a Specialist.
Bojan isn’t a pure shooter, and actually can put the ball on the floor. He’s a solid backup in this league. He coil be a starter too but that depends on his improvement. I’m not too concerned about his average 3pt shooting.
both bogdanovic and rudez have generated serious questions of their future this year
rudez
– on the positive side, the guy is actually hitting shots. 38% from 3s and a top 50 true shooting percentage in the league (accounts for relative weight of 2,3s, and free throws) . with 3 point shooting in MASSIVE demand in the league, it’ll let him hang around
– on the negative side, he is an UNIMAGINABLY terrible rebounder! He rebounds a league worst 2.5% of shorts! Think about how terrible that is. someone could probably just stand there and see the ball fall into their hands 2 out of 100 times. He is the only forward in the bottom 100 of this category
bojan
-I still think he has the potential to be a consistent starter for a few years, but there is a big question over whether he can shoot. 32% for 3 is no good for a shooter. His assist rate is bottom 50 in the league. This type of assist rate is reserved for big men or spot up shooting specialists. Considering his usage rate is bottom 100, it means he’s playing mostly as a spot up shooter and not doing a good job of it. Ultimately, he needs to adapt to the nba 3 point line, but perhaps even more important, he needs a new coach that knows how to coach. If he were playing on the spurs getting open corner 3s, his percentage would probably be higher.