Search

» » He’s back! Watch Stephen Curry score 23 points in return to court - NBCSports.com

He’s back! Watch Stephen Curry score 23 points in return to court - NBCSports.com

It had been four months — 58 games — since Stephen Curry stepped on an NBA court.

That showed in a first quarter where he re-adjusted to the speed of the game — no points and Norman Powell stripped him of the rock — but Curry started to find his groove as the night went on. He finished with 23 points on 6-of-16 shooting overall, and 3-of-12 from three, plus seven assists and seven rebounds.

While Curry’s numbers were impressive — especially considering the time off — just his presence on the court created space and warped the Toronto defense. Also, Curry was unselfish with the ball, which moved well for the Warriors. That was good news for Mychel Mulder, who also had 23 points on the night (his came off the bench), and for Andrew Wiggins, who scored 21.

All of that was not enough to beat Toronto, which got 63 points combined out of its starting backcourt — Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell — and held on late for the 121-113 win. Toronto was attacking the rim all night long and the Warriors missed Kevon Looney (who remains out with a sore hip).

The win clinched a playoff spot for Toronto.

HOUSTON (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points and the Los Angeles Clippers rolled over the Houston Rockets 120-105 on Thursday night for their sixth straight victory.

The Rockets were done in by their shooting woes in a game that was billed as a matchup of two of the top teams in the Western Conference, but was a rout almost from the start. Houston had a chance to take the season series and secure the tiebreaker over the Clippers, but the loss left the teams tied 2-2.

Houston made just 7 of 42 3-pointers to drop its second straight game in embarrassing fashion after losing to the lowly New York Knicks on Monday night. The Rockets ended their streak of 18 straight games with 10 or more 3-pointers dating to Jan. 20.

Russell Westbrook led the Rockets with 29 points and 15 rebounds. James Harden was 4 of 17 and missed all eight 3-pointers he attempted to finish with 16 points. The two stars and most of the other starters on both teams didn’t play for much of the fourth quarter with the game out of reach.

The Clippers built a 67-44 lead by halftime after a first half where the Rockets made just 2 of 22 3-point attempts. Ivica Zubac added 17 points and 12 assists for Los Angeles and Montrezl Harrell added 19 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.

Houston’s shooting woes didn’t end after the break and the Rockets missed 11 of 12 3-pointers in the third quarter, including a couple of air balls. But the Rockets didn’t just struggle from long-range as they also missed several layups in the quarter to leave Los Angeles up 90-65 entering the fourth.

The Clippers were unhappy early in the fourth quarter when Harrell received a foul on a dunk attempt by Westbrook.

Replays showed that Westbrook pressed his left hand into Harrell’s face as he elevated for the shot. But a challenge by Clippers coach Doc Rivers was unsuccessful and the foul call stood.

The Denver Nuggets, battling to keep a high seed in the West and at the start of 9-of-11 on the road, need to beat the below .500 teams on their schedule the rest of the way.

Such as the Charlotte Hornets. But doing so took coming back on the Hornets in the fourth quarter, and then a Jamal Murray fadeaway that proved to be the game-winner.

Murray finished with 18 points to lead a balanced Denver attack where seven players scored in double figures. Nikola Jokic added 14 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists, but spent much of the night frustrated with the officiating.

Devonte' Graham had 24 to lead Charlotte.

In the small-ball world they chose to inhabit, the Houston Rockets cannot have enough switchable, veteran wing players.

Which is why Luc Mbah a Moute is getting a look.

The 11-year NBA veteran had a workout with the Rockets, reports Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

Mbah a Moute made his name as a 6’8″ forward who could defend multiple positions, played smart, and could knock down the three. The Clippers signed him for the 2018-19 season to come off their bench, but he suffered a knee injury that limited him to just four games. He has not set foot on a court this season.

If Mbah a Moute is healthy and close to his old self, he’d be a great fit for Houston — but that’s a big “if” after nearly two seasons off an NBA court. It’s something to watch going forward.

“It’s hard to post linebackers.”

When the Rockets go small, the natural instinct is to say “beat them by going big.” Just have a center set a pick out high to force a switch, send him to the low block, get him the rock and let him back down the smaller player, and it’s an easy two.

As Brad Stevens notes in the quote above, it’s not that simple.

The Rockets may be undersized, but the roster is stocked with long and strong players. Good luck backing down P.J. Tucker. Russell Westbrook is unquestionably strong. Robert Covington has a 7’2″ wingspan.

And then there’s James Harden, the guy often targeted (including during the All-Star Game). He has always been difficult to back down in the post of his lower body strength. Speaking to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, Harden almost dared teams to target him.

“Come try it,” Harden said, “and the s— won’t work.”

So far, it hasn’t. Teams have not been able to consistently exploit the Rockets’ size — Houston’s defensive net rating in its last 10 games (109.7) is almost identical to its season average (109.6). Scouts told MacMahon that just going inside to score is not enough against these Rockets.

“Teams think they have a mismatch by going inside,” a scout from an Eastern Conference team said, “and they don’t.”

“You can’t try to play matchup basketball,” a Western Conference head coach said. “That’s what they want. You have to beat them with [ball] movement.”

It’s the second part of that — which the Knicks had some success with during their win against Houston — that will be put to the test in the playoffs. It’s not like the Lakers are going to just post up Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard (and LeBron James), but they will find ways to get those guys the ball on the move. Then, with that little bit of space, they can get a clean shot off. Same with the Clippers and Marcus Morris and Montrezl Harrell. Same with Denver. And the list goes on.

Right now, however, everything is clicking for the Rockets, their defense has been solid.

If teams want to try and change that by targeting Harden, he is good with that.

Let's block ads! (Why?)



"score" - Google News
March 06, 2020 at 02:39PM
https://ift.tt/2IlAcer

He’s back! Watch Stephen Curry score 23 points in return to court - NBCSports.com
"score" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2OdbIHo
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update

Bagikan Berita Ini

0 Response to "He’s back! Watch Stephen Curry score 23 points in return to court - NBCSports.com"

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Powered by Blogger.