Tag: irish in the NBA

Pat Connaughton/Blake Wesley NBA Tracker: Jan. 23-29

Both players seem to be moving in opposite directions.

This past week was a clear indication of where the two former Notre Dame players currently in the NBA and their teams are at. [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] and the Milwaukee Bucks won all four of their games, and Connaughton played a big role in that. He had his best game of the season Jan. 25 against the Denver Nuggets with 19 points and 12 rebounds, both of which represented season highs for him. For the week, he averaged 11.3 points and 7.0 rebounds a game while shooting 61.5% from the field.

Meanwhile, [autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] and the San Antonio Spurs lost all four of their games. During a 38-point loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 26, Wesley had six points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal in 21 minutes. He followed that up with no points and two rebounds in four minutes Jan. 28 against the Phoenix Suns. That brought him a 3.0 scoring average and 2.0 scoring average for the week.

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Pat Connaughton NBA Tracker: Jan. 16-22

Pat is scoring in bunches.

Since the calendar flipped to 2023, double-digit scoring has become a regular thing for [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag]. Of course, that hasn’t happened in every game. For instance, he had only eight points in the Milwaukee Bucks’ Jan. 16 over the Indiana Pacers, but he also grabbed eight rebounds. After that, the real fun began.

When the Bucks beat the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 17, Connaughton had a line of 10 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a steal. The Bucks lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 21, but Connaughton tied his season of 15 points, and he also had seven boards and four assists. It also was his 14th consecutive game in the starting lineup.

For the week, Connaughton averaged 11.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists a game while shooting 40.7% from the field. With one full week left in January, he is averaging 10.7 points a game for the month. If he keeps that pace up, he will have his first month with a double-digit scoring average since March 2022.

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Pat Connaughton/Blake Wesley NBA Tracker: Jan. 9-15

Two former Irish players in the Association!

For the first time in a long time, more than one former Notre Dame player played in NBA games over the course of a week. Having recovered from a torn MCL, San Antonio Spurs rookie [autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] made his return in front of an NBA-record crowd at the Alamodome. The Golden State Warriors saw him record two points and one rebound, and the Sacramento Kings saw him score five points, a rebound and an assist. In the two games, he averaged 3.5 points.

[autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] had an incredible scoring week for the Milwaukee Bucks, reaching double figures in three of his four games. He saved his best game for last, scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds against the Miami Heat. He also recorded a steal in three of the week’s four games. For the week, he averaged 11.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists a game while shooting 38.1% from the field, mainly in the form of 3-pointers.

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Pat Connaughton NBA Tracker: Jan. 2-8

Now that was a good week.

If there’s anything an NBA player ideally would like to have on the stats sheet, it’s points and more points. That’s a good way to describe [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] over the past week. While not known for being a prolific scorer, he had a couple of nights that really jumped out. No doubt the Milwaukee Bucks appreciated that.

It began Jan. 3 with 11 points in a win over the Washington Wizards. The next night, Connaughton tied his season high with 15 points, all on five 3-pointers, and also grabbed six rebounds to help beat the Toronto Raptors on the road. The Bucks then lost Jan. 6 to the Charlotte Hornets, and Connaughton was held to only five points.

We have no idea if Connaughton looks at his stats for a given week, but he might be happy if he looks at this one. He averaged 10.3 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 40.7% from the field. He surely will take that and more weeks like it.

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Pat Connaughton NBA Tracker: Dec. 26-Jan. 1

Pat had a rough start but a strong finish.

Pat Connaughton had a rotten first couple of games of the week but finished it strong. Maybe he needed a game to get a feel for things back at home after the Milwaukee Bucks’ five-game road trip. Either way, it always is about how you finish, not how you start.

Despite tying his season high of seven rebounds Dec. 28 at the Chicago Bulls, Connaughton was held scoreless for only the second time in the past two seasons. While the Bucks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 30 at home, Connaughton missed all six of his 3-point attempts, although he did make his lone attempt at the rim. He played much better New Year’s Day, scoring 10 points and recording two steals in a blowout home loss to the Washington Wizards.

For the week, Connaughton averaged 4.0 points and 4.7 rebounds a game. However, he shot only 26.3% from the field. While the Bucks remain in good shape in the Eastern Conference, his services definitely will be needed to keep their position.

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Pat Connaughton NBA Tracker: Dec. 19-25

What a week for Pat.

Even if it wasn’t the best week for the Milwaukee Bucks on the road, it was the best week of the season so far for [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag]. Two of the three double-digit scoring games he’s had so far this season happened during the week. Perhaps this was a preview of the great production he’ll have for the rest of the season.

It began Dec. 19 with 11 points, four rebounds, an assist and a block in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans. In a Dec. 21 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the first of three straight for the Bucks, Connaughton had six points. He matched that total two days later against the Brooklyn Nets. His best game to date this year came in a Christmas Day showdown with the Boston Celtics: 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal.

For the week, Connaughton averaged 9.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists a game while shooting 48.1% from the field. Ten of his 13 field goals came from 3-point range. That part is not atypical for him as 29 of his 43 field goals for the season have come from that distance.

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Pat Connaughton NBA Tracker: Dec. 12-18

Decent week for Pat.

The past week was a decent one for [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag]. In a small way, it seemed like as he went, so did the Milwaukee Bucks. That’s not to say that he was the sole reason for whether they won or lost, but his performances seemed to reflect the outcome for each game.

Connaughton’s had a little bit of everything in a Dec. 13 home win over the defending champion Golden State Warriors: nine points, three rebounds, one assist, two steals and a block. The Bucks’ 41-point road loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 15 was their worst of the season, and Connaughton was held to a single 3-pointer on five attempts, though he also grabbed four rebounds. He got back on track at home Dec. 17, scoring eight points and dishing out an assist to help defeat the Utah Jazz.

For the week, Connaughton averaged 6.7 points and 2.3 rebounds a game while shooting 40% from the field.

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Pat Connaughton NBA Tracker: Dec. 5-11

Definitely could have been better.

If nothing else, Pat Connaughton was consistent for the Milwaukee Bucks over the past week. The problem was he wasn’t putting up numbers that would qualify as a great week. While they certainly could have been a lot worse, they could have been a lot better, too.

The week began with a Dec. 5 win at the Orlando Magic in which Connaughton scored seven points on 2-of-9 shooting and grabbed four rebounds. In a Dec. 7 home win over the Sacramento Kings, he had six points and six rebounds. Dec. 9’s victory at the Dallas Mavericks brought eight points and seven boards, both of which were his highs for the week. It all ended with a Dec. 11 loss at the Houston Rockets and a seven-point, three-rebound performance.

For the week, Connaughton averaged 7.0 points and 5.0 rebounds a game, but he also shot a putrid 28.6% from the field. Most of his shots came from 3-point range, and he shot 7 of 27 from there. The room for improvement definitely is there.

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Pat Connaughton NBA Tracker: Nov. 28-Dec. 4

That’s more like it.

In a way, this past week can be considered [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag]’s real first week of the season. Before, he still was working his way back into game shape, and his results definitely reflected that. Now, we can talk about things that are more normal for the Milwaukee Bucks guard.

Connaughton began with his best scoring game of the week, totaling 10 points to help beat the New York Knicks on Nov. 30 at Madison Square Garden despite shooting only 4 of 13 from the field. He took a slight step back with eight points in a Dec. 2 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, although he also had two assists. He concluded the week with nine points and five rebounds the next night in a road win over the Charlotte Hornets.

For these three games, Connaughton averaged a steady 9.0 points a game and made an even third of his shots. All that’s left to say is Pat’s back.

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Pat Connaughton NBA Tracker: Nov. 21-27

Pat’s back.

After missing the entire first month of the NBA season, Notre Dame alumnus [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] finally made his 2022-23 debut. A calf injury kept the Milwaukee Bucks guard out of action. He returns to a Bucks team that is contending for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

His first game was Nov. 21 in a win over the Portland Trail Blazers. In 15-and-a-half minutes, he scored seven points, grabbed two rebounds and had one steal. When the Bucks lost to the Chicago Bulls on Nov. 23, he made a single 3-pointer on 1-of-6 shooting from the field and had three more rebounds in addition to one more steal. He missed the Nov. 25 game against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a non-COVID illness but returned Nov. 27 to make one more 3-pointer to help beat the Dallas Mavericks.

Through three games, Connaughton is averaging 4.3 points and 2.0 rebounds a game while shooting 4 of 14 from the field (28.6%). Here’s hoping he finds a rhythm soon as he continues to shake the rust off.

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