Month: December 2020

Rockets stats: In backcourt debut, James Harden and John Wall combine for 55 points, 17 assists

In their first game together as the starting backcourt in Houston, Harden and Wall put up big numbers and delivered a needed victory.

In their first game together as part of a new-look Houston backcourt, James Harden and John Wall combined for 55 points, 17 assists, and 12 rebounds as the Rockets (1-2) rallied to defeat Sacramento, 122-119 (box score). The Kings were led by 22 points from De’Aaron Fox, but thanks largely to Wall’s perimeter defense, he shot just 9-of-23 (39.1%) overall.

For Wall, a five-time NBA All-Star, it was his first regular-season game since Dec. 26, 2018. He missed the remainder of the 2018-19 season and all of 2019-20 while rehabilitating an Achilles injury, and he was forced to sit out Houston’s first two games this season to quarantine.

Now 30 years old, Wall did show some rust and/or nerves with five turnovers and six missed 3-pointers in eight attempts. But he clearly looked healthy and explosive otherwise, as evidenced by his line of 22 points, six rebounds, and a team-high nine assists. “Other than my five turnovers and probably, what, six missed threes, having 22, nine, and six is not bad for my first game in two years,” Wall said postgame. “I can pat myself on the back for that. I know I’ll be even better for the next game.”

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“He was extremely aggressive, making plays,” Harden said of Wall’s performance. “Defensively, getting after it. He looked really, really good, especially [having] not played in almost two years. Once we get a rhythm, and guys get into their roles, and find out where they best fit the team, we’ll be even better. But I’m happy for the last six minutes. When it was time to get stops, we did, and on offense, we executed.”

Meanwhile, Harden — an eight-time All-Star and the NBA’s three-time defending scoring champion — scored a game-high 33 points and dished out eight assists. Most notably, he orchestrated a 12-2 run in the closing four minutes, which lifted Houston from a four-point deficit with under four minutes left to a six-point lead with about a minute to play.

Of that 12-2 run, 10 of the points were scored by Harden, and the other two came on a Harden assist to Christian Wood (21 points, 12 rebounds) for a dunk. “It was time to go win the game,” Harden said of the burst.

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The surprising Kings, who had defeated the Nuggets twice and also the Suns, fell to 3-2 with the New Year’s Eve setback against the Rockets.

Houston and Sacramento will meet again Saturday on the same Toyota Center court, as part of the NBA’s plan to minimize travel this season during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tipoff is set for 4:00 p.m. Central.

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The good, bad, and the MVP: Michigan vs Maryland

What was good, what was bad and who was the MVP for Michigan basketball vs. Maryland.

The Maryland Terrapins hadn’t allowed an opponent to score 80 or more points in 75 straight games — until Thursday night.

The No.16 Michigan Wolverines traveled to College Park on Thursday evening and decisively defeated the Terrapins 84-73. The maize and blue remain undefeated and move to 8-0 (3-0), and they are the last remaining undefeated Big Ten team.

The Wolverines statistically dominated this game from the jump, and it showed in the final score. Once Maryland starting missing some of its three-point attempts — it shot 81% from three in the first-half — Michigan was able to fully take control of the game, and finish the Terrapins off fairly early in the second-half.

Maryland stayed hot when the second-half began and took its first lead of the game, 47-46, with 18:09 left. Then the Terps began to miss some shots — the Wolverines were able to go on a 17-2 run halfway thru the final half, and it was all but over.

Hunter Dickinson led the team with 26 points and 11 rebounds, Franz Wagner put up 19 points, Mike Smith contributed with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, and Eli Brooks added 10 points.

Lets digest the game and talk the good, the bad, and the MVP from the victory.

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Doc Rivers, Seth Curry discuss comfortability within Sixers offense

Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers and guard Seth Curry discuss his offensive growth in the win over the Orlando Magic.

The Philadelphia 76ers acquired Seth Curry from the Dallas Mavericks for one reason and one reason, only. To shoot the basketball from deep at a high clip and provide spacing for the star duo of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid to go to work.

On Thursday, he did just that as he shot 5-for-7 from deep on his way to 21 points for the game in a 116-92 win over the Orlando Magic on the road. Curry is a guy who is looking to find his role within the offense and there have been a few nights where it looks like he’s hesitating.

He did not do so on Thursday.

“The game the other night, it was like he was an old car that needed to be warmed up first before he got going,” laughed coach Doc Rivers. “Tonight, you can see he was engaged early. That’s important for him to start games like that and it was nice to see.”

The important part for Curry right now is finding his role within the offense. The team is now only five games into the season and the sharpshooter out of Duke is working on how to play with such unique stars as Simmons and Embiid.

“I’m comfortable and getting better every day,” Curry said. “Knowing my spots, knowing how to hunt shots within the offense, and playing off guys. I think I’m general, Ben is doing a better job game by game of directing our offense and coach is putting us in simpler actions so we can play off instinct and get our spacing right.”

The same shots Curry was passing up against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, he was taking on Thursday in Orlando and he was knocking them down with regularity. Those are the shots he will continue to get in this offense due to the attention that the stars attract.

“If I can find those shots, I think I’m gonna shoot a high percentage,” said Curry with a smile. “Just earlier in the season, it’s all about where the shots are coming from.”

The Sixers will now come home on Saturday and host the Charlotte Hornets as they continue to work out the kinks as a group.

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Rockets reaction: James Harden leads decisive closing run vs. Kings

Harden scored 33 points and led a crucial 12-2 run in the final four minutes, leading to Houston’s first win of the 2020-21 regular season.

James Harden led the Rockets with 33 points and eight assists as Houston used a clutch run late in Thursday’s fourth quarter to push past Sacramento, 122-119 (box score). The win improved the Rockets to 1-2 on the 2020-21 regular season, while dropping the Kings to 3-2.

The Rockets trailed by four points with under four minutes to go, but they then went on a 12-2 run in under three game minutes. Of those 12 points, Harden scored 10 and assisted on a Christian Wood dunk for the other two. Veteran defensive ace PJ Tucker didn’t score or take a shot for the entire game, but he had six rebounds, three steals, and two blocks as he proved critical in Houston’s late defensive performance.

“Defensively, when it was time to get stops, we got stops. That’s the most important thing,” Harden said postgame.

Playing in his first regular-season game in over two calendar years, John Wall led Houston in assists with nine and finished second in scoring with 22 points. Meanwhile, his perimeter defense helped limit rising Kings star De’Aaron Fox into a 9-of-23 shooting night (39.1%) on New Year’s Eve.

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Wood added 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Eric Gordon scored an efficient 17 points on 50% shooting off Houston’s bench. See below for a compilation of postgame reaction from the Rockets.

49ers practice report: No major changes, 8 players out leading to Week 17

The San Francisco 49ers practice report on Thursday largely resembled Wednesday’s report.

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The San Francisco 49ers were hoping to see their injury situation get a little better heading into their season finale vs. the Seattle Seahawks. A second day of practice didn’t see many changes on their participation report.

In fact, the lone change between Wednesday and Thursday was linebacker and special teams contributor Mark Nzeocha moving from a non-participant to a limited participant while he works through an illness.

San Francisco still had eight players miss Thursday’s session, which doesn’t bode well for their availability in Sunday’s Week 17 matchup with the Seahawks.

Here’s Thursday’s practice report:

Did not participate

WR Brandon Aiyuk (ankle)
DT Kevin Givens (not injury related)
DT Javon Kinlaw (knee)
WR Deebo Samuel (hamstring)
CB Richard Sherman (calf)
CB K’Waun Williams (shin)
T Trent Williams (elbow)
DE Jordan Willis (ankle)

Limited participation

DE Dion Jordan (knee)
S Tarvarius Moore (ankle)
CB Emmanuel Moseley (hamstring)
T Justin Skule (knee)
LB Mark Nzeocha (illness)

Full participation

S Jimmie Ward (concussion)
TE Charlie Woerner (not injury related)

Doc Rivers, Matisse Thybulle discuss his role after Sixers win over Magic

Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers and guard Matisse Thybulle discuss what his role is moving forward.

The Philadelphia 76ers picked up a solid road win on Thursday to close out 2020 with a 116-92 win over the Orlando Magic. It was a game that featured an offensive clinic from Philadelphia including a triple from star Ben Simmons.

Another really nice development was the fact that Matisse Thybulle played well in his first real minutes of the season. The Sixers are a deeper team at the moment and Thybulle has not been able to put a dent into new coach Doc Rivers’ rotation.

However, with Furkan Korkmaz out, Thybulle is receiving an opportunity and he did not waste it. He had nine points and four rebounds while knocking down two from deep and his usual excellent defense was there as well.

“We’ve been telling him that from the beginning,” said Rivers. “Matisse is gonna be a key player for this basketball team. I thought his first half on both ends was phenomenal. Second half, I was a little upset because he had, I think two 3s that he passed up and tried to drive and I told him when you’re open, let it fly. He did that in the first half but defensively, in the second half, he was phenomenal on (Cole) Anthony. Anthony’s very aggressive and he was phenomenal tonight.”

Thybulle was fully in Brett Brown’s rotation as a rookie as he earned time thanks to his phenomenal defense. That is not the case right now under Rivers and he understands that as time moves on, he will have to earn his spot. This is now his chance to do so.

“I’d say it was fairly similar to what happened last year,” Thybulle stated. “I have to fight for a place in the rotation and it was hit or miss up and down so it’s nothing new. I didn’t come into the season with any expectations to be on the floor based on what I did last year. I knew I was gonna have to earn it and I think I’m in the process of doing that right now.”

As far as his offense goes, everybody understands that he is not yet up there on that end of the floor just yet. He has to continue to put in the work on that aspect of his game. The nine points were his first points of the season after going scoreless in the first four games of the season.

“Just getting a feel out there,” he added. “These are my first buckets of the season so just getting a feel, and the more minutes I get, the more comfortable we get with each other out there on the court. I think it’ll come. I think we’re all growing and trying to figure out whereare our shots, what are the better shots, and as you can see I’m going through it as we speak.”
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Pelicans vs. Thunder Recap: The good, the bad and the Lonzo Ball

The New Orleans Pelicans rebounded from Tuesday’s blowout loss to the Suns with a blowout win of their own, winning on the road on New Year’s Eve against the Thunder on Thursday, 113-80.

The New Orleans Pelicans rebounded from Tuesday’s blowout loss to the Suns with a blowout win of their own, winning on the road on New Year’s Eve against the Thunder on Thursday, 113-80.

After another back-and-forth first quarter saw New Orleans hold a four-point lead, the Pelicans pushed the lead to double-digits at halftime. The third quarter was defined by an ejection of Brandon Ingram, who was up to 20 points by the time he was ejected.

Following his ejection, though, the Pelicans rallied, led by Lonzo Ball, Eric Bledsoe and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Seven players finished in double figures for New Orleans with Ingram leading the way. Bledsoe had 17, Ball had 16 and Alexander-Walker had 14. Steven Adams had a double-double in his return to Oklahoma City, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

LOOK: Derrick Henry hilariously trolls Notre Dame on Twitter

We are less than 24 hours away from Alabama taking on Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl for the first round of the College Football Playoff. The Crimson Tide are currently 20.5-point favorites over the Fighting Irish, which is a lot for a semifinal …

We are less than 24 hours away from Alabama taking on Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl for the first round of the College Football Playoff. The Crimson Tide are currently 20.5-point favorites over the Fighting Irish, which is a lot for a semifinal showdown.

For that reason, former Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix took to Twitter on Thursday night to let the world know not to underestimate Notre Dame. His exact tweet was simple: “Pls don’t SLEEP on ND.”

That led to a hilarious response from another former Crimson Tide standout, Derrick Henry. The now Tennessee Titans running back quoted Clinton-Dix’s tweet with this GIF:

It’s hard to not laugh, right? This would obviously be considered rat poison by Alabama head coach Nick Saban, but it’s impossible to not laugh.

The last time these two teams met was in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game. Alabama walked away with a dominant 42-14 victory over the Fighting Irish.

Will this be a similar result? Derrick Henry certainly seems to think so.

Stay tuned for updates on the upcoming College Football Playoff matchup from Roll Tide Wire, part of the USA TODAY Sports College Wire network!

Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.

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5 takeaways: Michigan takes down Maryland to stay undefeated

What seemed to be a close game ended up being a laugher eventually in favor of Michigan basketball.

If, for the bulk of a game, you’re shooting above 55% from the floor, and the other team only has a handful of two-point shots made, you’re winning a blowout, right?

Not so fast.

Maryland got super hot from deep early against the Wolverines in a New Year’s Eve game in College Park, and, as always, the three-point shot is the great equalizer. However, hot shooting from deep can only last for so long.

The Terps took their first lead in the second half, but it helped wake Michigan basketball up. The maize and blue eventually flexed and took total control, leading with defense while finishing on offense. It was a blowout, but Maryland made it look a little better with a late run, as the Wolverines took down the Terrapins, 84-73, and are now 8-0 on the season.

Here’s our five takeaways from the game.

Oklahoma QB Chandler Morris announces he will transfer

Oklahoma quarterback Chandler Morris has announced via Twitter that he will transfer away from the Sooners this offseason.

Another Oklahoma quarterback is electing to head elsewhere.

Just a couple of weeks after backup quarterback Tanner Mordecai announced he would be entering the transfer portal, fellow quarterback Chandler Morris has announced via Twitter that he will be doing the same.

Morris appeared in five games in his true freshman season in 2020, completing three of his five passes for 39 yards. Though his highlight of the year was not a pass, but a touchdown run he had to get the Sooners a quick lead in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Out of Highland Park, Texas, Morris was rated a three-star recruit by Rivals and committed to Oklahoma after originally announcing his intention to go to Arkansas where his father Chad Morris was the head coach.

A talented player with no clear path to playing time, this seems like a logical move for him and will surely have suitors across the country. Sooners Wire will update on his landing spot when the information becomes available.

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