Photo: AP/Ben Margot
It was another successful week for Andrew Bogut and the Golden State Warriors. After picking them to finish as the third seed, many people felt that I overrated them slightly. Somehow I’ve managed to slightly underrate them. The week started with another statement win at home against the New Orleans Pelicans. After a close first quarter, Golden State outscored them 31 to 12 in the second quarter. When Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are shooting over 50 percent, it’s most likely going to be a long night for the opposing team. Bogut filled up the stat sheet with eight points, eleven rebounds, and four blocks. It was another easy night for them in a 112-85 win.
A tough trip to Chicago awaited them and the Bulls challenged them greatly. Chicago has arguably the best defense in the league led by Joakim Noah. That’s what led to Bogut having a tough game by shooting just two of seven from the field. Andrew did contribute in a positive manner by having twelve rebounds and three assists. It was a night, where Golden State needed to hit there outside shots rather than fully challenge Chicago’s stingy interior defense. Draymond Green came to the rescue by scoring 31 points that included seven three-pointers. Golden State’s versatility was shown once again from having another role player step up and lead them to a crucial 107-100 win against a very good Chicago team.
Bogut against the Chicago Bulls
Unfortunately for Bogut, the injury bug has struck him again. In Golden State’s 102-86 win over Minnesota, Andrew only played two minutes before leaving the game. It was reported that he’s been suffering from irritation in his right knee. The injury isn’t considered to be serious, as it may very well be that Golden State wants to be cautious with him given his past. They’ve been playing excellent basketball and aren’t in dire need of wins. A couple games of rest wouldn’t be a dangerous decision to make. Bogut missed Wednesday’s 105-93 win over the Houston Rockets, but has a chance to return on Saturday against Dallas.
Golden State will begin their three-game road trip in Dallas on Saturday. They’ll look to continue their incredible 14-game winning streak (edit here if they lose). On the following day, they will take on New Orleans in a rematch from last week. The week ends for them in a nationally televised game on Tuesday against the Memphis Grizzlies. A battle between the current top two teams in the Western conference should be a fascinating matchup. Golden State may decide to rest Bogut to get him prepared to take on star center Marc Gasol. That wouldn’t be a bad decision, although their defense really falters when Bogut isn’t playing. They may want him back on the court as soon as possible. Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated explains here why Bogut is so vital in Golden State’s success.
Photo: AP/Nam Huh
It was an ugly week for the Brooklyn Nets in going winless out of three games. After an outstanding performance in beating the San Antonio Spurs, they faltered against the Atlanta Hawks last Friday. After a decent first quarter, Atlanta went on fire led by DeMarre Carroll. They hit 13 three-pointers as a team, along with out-scoring Brooklyn 36 to 13 in the second quarter. Bojan Bogdanović wasn’t much of a factor in 22 minutes of play by scoring just five points. Atlanta moved the ball effectively and continued to find openings within Brooklyn’s slow rotating defense in a 98-75 win.
All eyes were on LeBron James, as the royal couple was in attendance on Monday. It was considered to be a pretty big game, yet Brooklyn couldn’t have been more flat. They were outscored 35 to 18 in the third quarter, as James began to take over. Cleveland’s bench duo of Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters combined for 40 points. Bogdanović only played 23 minutes in a one for six shooting effort. To make matters worse, Bojan was on the receiving end of an incredible fade away jumper by James, as the 24-second clock was expiring. The fast-pace style of the Cavaliers was too overbearing for the Nets. Cleveland went onto win 110-88.
While it’s yet to be reported if the move is permanent, Bogdanović was benched for Sergey Karasev last night. The move didn’t change much in Brooklyn’s 105-80 loss to Chicago. Brooklyn shot 33 percent without Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson. Bogdanović played a season-low of 17 minutes and failed to score out of five shots. That included a missed layup on a fast break that had Lionel Hollins shaking his head in disbelief. After believing that his shooting slump has ended, it clearly hasn’t ended. Bogdanović has shot just 35 percent from the field, along with 20 percent from three-point range out of his last eight games.
Brooklyn has fallen to 8-12 and failed to make any positive impressions against the top teams in the Eastern conference. All three of those losses were by double-digits as well. Things do get easier on Friday, as the lowly Philadelphia 76ers come into town. A quick turnaround for them will take place on Saturday in Charlotte. The week ends at home on Tuesday against the Miami Heat. Stay tuned for what will happen to Bogdanović’s role in Brooklyn. Hollins’ patience may be wearing thin on the 25 year-old rookie.
Damjan Rudež has managed to work his way back into the rotation. After playing a combined seven minutes in two games prior to the game at Portland, Frank Vogel gave him an opportunity last Thursday. Chris Copeland is in the middle of a shooting slump that has affected the offense greatly. Rudež played 26 minutes and scored five points on two of four shooting. It was promising to see him more active on both sides of the court against a very good Portland team. Indiana lost in an 88-82 defensive battle. Both teams shot under 40 percent, which indicates how tightly contested this game was.
Rudež’s minutes went down slightly, but it didn’t hinder him from having a productive game against the Sacramento Kings. In 22 minutes of action, Damjan scored 11 points on four of seven shooting. His defense remains a work in progress, but made a great play in stripping Rudy Gay on a one-on-one situation. It led to him drawing a foul on the other end. Then a few quarters later, Rudež took Gay off the dribble and scored on a teardrop shot. Those were a few outstanding plays against an all-star caliber small forward. Indiana was unable to capitalize off the 49 points from their respective bench. They didn’t box out Carl Landry, who capitalized on a bad shot by Gay to score the game winner in a 102-101-overtime win. It was another tough loss on the west coast for an Indiana team that continues to play hard.
Damjan against the Sacramento Kings
The losses continued to pour on, as the Atlanta Hawks beat them 108-92 on Monday. Rudež played 19 minutes and only scored five points on two of six shooting. Atlanta has been one of the surprise teams this season. They’ve done it through excellent ball movement and intelligent shot selection. This was proven by them shooting 51 percent from the field against a very good Indiana defense. Rudež wasn’t much of a factor, as he failed to capitalize on some decent looks. Indiana was down by 17 at halftime, which was a telling sign that it was going to be an ugly night.
The last game of the week featured a home game against the Los Angeles Clippers last night. The game became the C.J Miles show at one point, as he scored 30 points on 11 of 22 shooting. Seven of those eleven shots were from three-point range. It was a much-needed spark to an offensively challenged Indiana team. In the end, the well-balanced Clippers were too much to overcome. All five of their starters were in double-figures. Rudež was a non-factor, as he scored two points in just 16 minutes of action. Miles was on fire, which led to him taking most of the shots from the second unit.
Indiana’s losing streak has now hit six games. They’ve gone from 7-9 to 7-15 in a matter of twelve days. The schedule doesn’t get any easier, as a trip to the Eastern conference leaders is on tap for Friday. Indiana has to take on the well-disciplined Toronto Raptors on the road. That is followed by a home game against the Portland Trail Blazers on the next night. Finally the schedule settles down on Monday, as they’ll face the lowly Los Angeles Lakers. That should be the perfect opportunity to end this grueling skid.
~Written by Allen Strk
Twitter: @Allen_Strk
I have to be fair and give credit to Porcelain Doll Bogut. He is staying healthy and is a key for this team if they can contend… I’m still not sure they can get to the conf finals, but they are a fun team to watch. Green has had a great year.
Well at least he’s on track to play in 70 games this year. Got to take baby steps in terms of his health.
wait for it………….
“Congrats to Porcelain-Doll Bogut still not injuring himself yet”