SB Nation - Tyreke Evans

Shut 'em Down - Cavaliers hold Kings scoreless in OT to win 117-104

John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 06:33:51 -0000

More photos » by Steve Yeater - AP

about 11 hours ago: Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, right, drives to the basket past Sacramento Kings defender Tyreke Evans, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009.(AP Photo/Steve Yeater)

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These games are fun to watch - for the fans at least. After playing their best game of the season, a complete-game effort in beating the Suns on Monday Night, the Cavaliers decided that defense was optional for 3 quarters before locking down the Sacramento Kings 117-104 in OT.

After giving up 32 points in the 3rd quarter(85 in the first 3 combined), the Cavaliers decided that enough was enough - playing the lock-down defense that is the true reason for their success - and held the Kings to just 19 points in the final 17 minutes.

Perhaps the most impressive stat, besides the triple-double put up by LeBron James, was the defense James played on wonder-rookie Tyreke Evans. Evans was simply awesome in scoring 26 points through the first 3 and 1/2 quarters. Then James took over - the result - Evans went 1-9 down the stretch, scoring just 2 points.

Speaking of James, his offensive game was on the money as well. LeBron scored 12 points in the first, 14 in the second for 26 points in the first 24 minutes. Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, LeBron was the only one scoring, thus the lead at halftime was just 4 at 57-53.

LeBron's play was even more impressive in the second half despite scoring just 8 points. As I mentioned, he locked down Tyreke Evens in the 4th Quarter and OT. He also attacked the basket and was a monster on the glass - his 34 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists have never been done by a Cavaliers before. If LeBron is warming up for his Christmas showdown with Kobe, we are all in for a special treat.

Mo Williams, who injured a knee early in the game only to return, was red-hot in the 2nd half, finishing the game with 27 points, hitting big shot after big shot in the 3rd quarter when the Kings looked to be taking the game over. It was the kind of All-Star performance from Mo that we came to expect last season and it was great to see as 2009 comes to a close.

Shaquille O'Neal was more of a presence as well, scoring 8 points and grabbing 8 rebounds in 22 minutes. It was a solid effort from Shaq.

Lastly, how could we talk about this game without mentioning the Cavaliers final 9 points - scored by Zydrunas Ilgauskas - all on three pointers from the corner. All three were set up by LeBron James drives to the basket - all three found nothing but the bottom of the net. For the game, Ilgauskas scored 25 points to go along with 8 boards.

Make no mistake, the Sacremento Kings have talent - lots of it. All five of their starters was 23 years old or younger. Their best player, Kevin Martin, is still coming back from injury. This was a tough win against an up-and-coming team and something tells me that we will see plenty more of LeBron James-Tyreke Evens showdowns in the years to come.

Preview: Cavaliers at Kings

Ziller — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:00:52 -0000

More photos » by Gary Dineen - NBAE/Getty Images

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THE OPPONENT

The Cavaliers are really good, a popular pick for NBA champion the last, what?, four years or so. The team sits at 21-8, just 4th in the East but probably 5th in the entire league. This is a really, really good team. It was, this week, the first to beat the Suns in Phoenix, and is working toward its mammoth Christmas showdown against the L*kers.

Cleveland bakes its bread in several key categories: it is fourth in the league in shooting, second in shooting defense and second in defensive rebounding. That, frankly, spells a bit of doom for our Kings, who need to shoot well (currently 7th) and rebound on offense (currently 6th) to get that offense humming -- you'd prefer if the Cavs did other defensive things well. One nice feature of this arrangement is that Cleveland isn't good at forcing turnovers (committing turnovers being a major Kings problem); however, it's plausible the Kings don't need the opponent forcing any turnovers, because they can force themselves to commit them just fine.

The huge problem, as it always is with the Kings, is on defense. Again, the Cavaliers shoot brilliantly, with almost every rotation player boasting an effective field goal percentage above league average. (Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Delonte West are the exceptions.) LeBron James is of course the amazing Alpha -- know that he is remarkably shooting at a 50 percent clip from the field. Add in his threes (4-1/2 per game at 37 percent) and free throws (nine at 79 percent) and, yes, he is at a remarkable 60 percent True Shooting, Kevin Martin territory while soaking up 34 percent of the Cavs offense while on the floor. Remarkable is just the beginning.

Beyond James, Mo Williams shoots brilliantly, Anthony Parker has been effective, and even Jamario Moon and J.J. Hickson have come up roses. That's a lot of Cavs to cover, and the Kings have a dearth of quality defenders. That's a problem. Expect, perhaps, some early zone, buckets of help on LeBron, and pray for luck.

THE KEY BATTLE

Tyreke Evans vs. Mo Williams. LeBron will be matching up against two and maybe three Kings at many points, so it's vital that those who aren't helping down (Evans to start, Beno at some point) make sure to limit shooters like Williams. At the other end, that's where this becomes most key: the Kings cannot afford to fall in any sort of hole to Cleveland, so Evans can't just turn it on in the second half. He needs to attack the smaller, weaker Williams early early early. LeBron will be there to help, and I suspect James will have at least one "Welcome to the league, son" weakside block, but that's no deterrent: attack, young Padowan. Attack.

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
LeBron James	29	38.1	9.9	19.7	50.2	1.7	4.5	36.9	7.2	9.1	78.9	0.9	5.9	6.8	7.8	3.7	1.3	0.8	1.9	28.7
Mo Williams	29	35.6	5.8	13.0	44.2	2.2	5.1	43.9	2.8	3.1	87.9	0.3	3.0	3.3	4.8	2.4	1.4	0.2	2.8	16.5
Shaquille O`Neal	23	23.0	4.2	8.3	50.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.0	4.0	48.4	1.7	5.2	6.9	1.4	2.0	0.3	1.3	3.3	10.3
Anderson Varejao	27	29.9	3.3	6.5	50.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.5	2.4	64.1	2.5	5.4	7.9	1.0	0.7	1.0	0.9	3.2	8.1
Anthony Parker	29	28.7	2.7	6.0	44.3	1.6	3.2	50.0	0.5	0.7	78.9	0.4	2.3	2.7	1.7	1.0	0.8	0.2	1.7	7.4
J.J. Hickson	29	19.1	3.0	5.3	56.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.4	2.1	64.5	1.1	2.7	3.8	0.2	1.1	0.4	0.4	1.7	7.4
Zydrunas Ilgauskas	28	21.9	3.0	7.0	43.1	0.0	0.0	100.0	1.2	1.6	73.3	1.9	3.7	5.6	0.6	1.0	0.3	1.0	3.2	7.3
Delonte West	20	21.7	2.8	6.1	45.5	0.1	0.6	8.3	1.6	1.9	86.5	0.2	1.8	2.0	3.2	1.4	1.0	0.5	1.4	7.2
Daniel Gibson	27	19.7	2.5	5.3	46.5	1.4	2.9	49.4	0.6	0.9	70.8	0.2	1.1	1.3	1.1	0.6	0.6	0.0	1.7	7.0
Jamario Moon	24	18.6	2.1	4.3	48.5	0.6	1.8	34.1	0.8	0.9	85.7	0.5	3.4	4.0	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.6	1.5	5.5
Darnell Jackson	14	4.7	0.6	1.2	47.1	0.1	0.1	50.0	0.1	0.1	50.0	0.5	0.5	1.0	0.2	0.6	0.1	0.2	0.7	1.3
Danny Green	6	2.3	0.3	1.0	33.3	0.2	0.8	20.0	0.3	0.3	100.0	0.3	0.3	0.7	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.3	1.2
Jawad Williams	8	1.4	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0
Coby Karl	3	1.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.7	0.7	0.0	1.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

INTERESTING SIDESHOW

I'm telling you, when Jon Brockman checks in ... you may want to turn the volume down a few notches if you have a sleeping baby in the room. Evans and Ime Udoka deserve kudos for their role in the Comeback Heard 'Round the Greater Chicago Metropolitan Area And Also Sacramento, but Brockman is already a mascot fan favorite of sorts, and his game actually embodies the steez of this squad. It's easy to love this kid, and Sacramento clearly does. He will be rewarded for his effort tonight.

BOLD PROCLAMATION

Shaquille O'Neal will be widely booed. And not just by Spencer Hawes.

DETAILS

7PM, ladies and germs, the only late-late game on the NBA slate. Game thread at 7, sequel at 8, post-gamer at 9:45, recap on Christmas Eve.

The Morning After, and Disbelief Still Reigns

Ziller — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:22:55 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

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I continue to have real trouble believing that happened. I saw it, watching the game in real time (a rarity for me), and I figured the resilient Kings would get it down to, say, 15 or so. A silver lining of sorts. When the deficit shrunk to 12 and 13, but stuck there most of the fourth quarter, I figured that'd be the end, that the runs had been exhausted and we'd have to be content with a strong second half effort that came up 50 percent short.

But the Bulls continued to have disastrous possession after disastrous possession. The shot clock violation which preceded Ime Udoka's first three-pointer -- the one where Kirk Hinrich basically dribbled around the perimeter for a while -- was amazingly bad. And the Kings cut it down to six ... and the Bulls continued to have no luck, no composure on offense. All the shot Chicago made early bounced off. All the shots the Kings missed early started to fall.

The amazing thing about the comeback is that the Kings didn't really shoot an extraordinary clip: 11-21 in the fourth quarter, which is good but hardly historic. The amazing thing was the Kings defense (or Bulls offense, or more accurately both). The Bulls had seven turnovers in the fourth, and just one offensive rebound in eight opportunities, and shot 2-10 from the floor. That's right: only 10 FGAs for the Bulls. Meanwhile, the Kings had one turnover and four offensive rebounds, and thus got off 21 FGAs, of which they made 11. (Yes, the Kings made more FGs in the fourth than the Bulls attempted. Moving screens are a helluva drug.)

Jon Brockman's line looks bad, but Holy Lord was he effective. He finished +26 in 17 minutes, because he played for nearly the entirety of the big run. His defense was huge (as was that of Udoka -- he completely shut off Hinrich) and he disrupted the Bulls' defensive rebounding enough to get himself and Tyreke Evans some boards.

I think Matt at Blog-a-Bull accurately reflects on why this happened now:

[I]f I had to pick a team that would blow a 35 point lead, it'd be a team who has one of the league's worst offenses, a unit that could go completely in the toilet at any time.

The Kings have, amazingly, become the counterpoint to that: if there's any team that could look completely awful for 27 minutes of basketball but keep plugging and eventually break through, it's the Kings. Amazing, given the status of this franchise last year.

Preview: Kings at Bulls

Ziller — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:00:38 -0000

by Rich Pedroncelli - AP

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THE OPPONENT

Last we met the Bulls, the Kings came in 5-4, winners of a shocking four straight once Kevin Martin got knocked off his torrid All-Star pace with a hand fracture. Sacramento had subpar performances from three key talismen (Tyreke Evans, Jason Thompson and most notably Spencer Hawes) and lost handily to the then-struggling Red and Black.

Andres Nocioni was unavailable in that game, though any boost you could portend from him here can be dismissed when you consider his replacement, Donte Greene, ripped Chicago apart with 24 points. Still, Chapu is a beloved player in most corners of the CHI, and I imagine he'll have a touch more swag this evening. Well that hurts or helps is, of course, another matter entirely.

Really, where the Kings need help here is with Evans, Thompson and Hawes. Surely Young Spence will start again -- Paul Westphal called his understated (to my eyes) Milwaukee performance the season's best from the green pivot -- and supposing Hawes plays well, Thompson should get a bit more free. Derrick Rose finally seems healthy, and Evans has a touch of the limp, so we'll see whether Reke can get back to his superlative standard again.

Sergio Rodriguez also played terrific ball in the first game; he has been stuck to the bench a bit of late, but Westphal has a long memory, and I imagine we'd see him early on.

THE KEY BATTLE

Jason Thompson vs. Taj Gibson. J.T. should destroy Gibson. He didn't last time (Joakim Noah marked him or helped off Hawes frequently) and that killed the Kings. The Bulls are just the sort of team J.T. should be going 20-10 against. Let's see it happen!

BOLD PROCLAMATION

John Salmons will miss all 17 three-pointers he attempts.

NUMERIC PREDICTION

Kings by 1.

DETAILS

5 PM tip -- the last early start as the Kings come home this week. Game thread at 5, Game thread II at 6, post-gamer at 7:45, recap by Christmas.

Jennings Already Worth The Risk For Bucks, Pacers Primed To Take Similar Chance

Tom Lewis — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:24:08 -0000

Brandon Jennings makes his first appearance at Conseco Fieldhouse tonight when the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Indiana Pacers.

Jenning burst on the scene early in the season with better than expected results, before gate-crashing the Association with a 55-point game in the second week of the season. Jennings and Tyreke Evans appear to be the front-runners for Rookie of the Year, but more than that, Jennings has created a nice buzz around the Milwaukee Bucks. Jeff Rabjohns heard some nice praise from others in the NBA about the rookie point guard.

Not bad value for a 10th pick in the draft.

I can't lie. I was hoping Jennings would be taken before the Pacers' pick because coming into the draft there was so much risk associated with the player. He couldn't get qualified to play at Arizona. He struggled while playing one year in Europe. Yet, none of it seemed to weaken his bravado. He was the ultimate high risk/high reward type of player.

In hindsight, it's easy to say Jennings was a no-brainer for the Bucks, but obviously that wasn't the case considering nine teams passed on the guard who could now be electrifying their organization. But with a strong coach in place along with plenty of complimentary players, the Bucks' risk on Jennings fit perfectly .

The Pacers find themselves in similar spot now, as well. Drafting young and risky hasn't panned out well for the Pacers in the past (Jonathan Bender), but with future role players in place the team is primed to once again to take a chance on a young talent, if the opportunity presents itself. For the sake of argument, a guy like Kansas freshman, Xavier Henry, a kid who has a dynamic game that appears destined to blossom in the NBA. Aside from winning the lottery, taking a risk on a young, unproven talent is worth a chance to try to move the Pacers out of the middle of the pack.

Bailed Out By a Star: Kings 96, Bucks 95

Ziller — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 15:50:02 -0000

It's not often you can actually see poor defensive rebounding finish off a team. Usually, the poor defensive rebounding puts the team in question in a bad position at the end of the game, and something else spells explicit doom. But, had it not been for the irrepressible Tyreke Evans, who made mincemeat pie of stud Bucks center Andrew Bogut on the game-winning bucket, this game would have been settled by Sacramento's terrible defensive rebounding.

Bogut missed two free throws down one with 42 seconds left. Studies have shown that the average NBA team rebounds opponent missed free throws at something like a 90 percent rate. But for roughly the dozenth time this season, the Kings gave up an offensive rebound, with Brandon Jennings somehow sneaking in to get the ball.

But it didn't stop there. Jennings missed a layup attempt. Rebound Bogut. Bogut missed his tip. Rebound Bogut. Another missed Bogut tip. Rebound Jennings, who drives back in and gets fouled by Spencer Hawes. The Kings could have ended the possession four times and taken the lead into the final half-minute. Hawes and Jason Thompson -- the frontcourt of the future -- were both on the floor. This wasn't smallball. This was a bad defensive rebounding team giving the game away on the defensive glass.

Of course, it didn't end up that way, because Thompson was brilliant on offense in the fourth (seven points on 3-3 shooting in the final 2 minutes, 40 seconds), because Hawes finished a monster dunk in the lane, and, of course, because of Evans, who came off a J.T. pick on that final play and deked Bogut all the way back to Tuesday. No blame on Bogey for that one -- what can a big guy do?. It's just another crosshatch in the early canon of 'Reke, one we won't soon forget.

I have no idea how Bogut ended up shooting 6-20 from the floor, given how effortless his possessions near the rim looked. Neither Hawes nor Thompson could stop him -- Bogut ended up getting enough tough bounces and failed tips to turn out an inefficient night, but in most games it wouldn't have gone that way. The only Buck who actually came out with a strongly efficient game was Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (14 points on five FGAs).

As for Jennings-Evans ... well, true to form, Jennings distributed more readily, while Evans owned on the scoreboard and defense. Evans won the battle and the game, but the narrative between those two will be told over the course of careers, not single nights. Can't wait until the war moves to Sacramento in March.

All told, a brilliant bounceback game for the Kings. Revenge against Chicago (just one game worse than Milwaukee right now) is next.

Recap: Kings 96, Bucks 95

Frank Madden — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 10:31:40 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

It took him a couple quarters, but Thompson eventually found ways up, over, and around the Bucks' defense.

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Box Score

My Saturday started in Copenhagen, Denmark about 25 hours ago; in fact, I woke up just in time (about 4 am Danish time) to follow the last minute of the Bucks' 85-82 loss to the Cavs on the hotel wifi. Terrific start to a day. So if I seem a bit incoherent and annoyed that my Saturday is also ending with a last-second Bucks' loss--and one that I got to witness in person at the BC--forgive me. It's not often I get two Bucks losses in one day.

The highlight shows will of course focus on the hype-friendly matchup between the rookies, which is easy given Tyreke Evans (9/19 fg, seven rebs, three assists, six turnovers) scored the final two of his 24 points on a lovely stutter-step layup past Andrew Bogut with just 0.9 seconds left. Brandon Jennings mostly kept his end of the bargain as well, scoring 15 (4/11 fg) with nine assists, six boards and just one turnover. The good also included four clutch free throws in the final minute and a heads-up dish to Ersan Ilyasova for a layup to give the Bucks a 95-94 lead. Evans had the last laugh, however, and Jennings missed his last seven from the field as the Bucks' big names shot blanks down the stretch. Hey, sound familiar? Considering Michael Redd's latest clunker (1/6 fg, three points) and Andrew Bogut's awful second half (1/10 fg), it's in some ways amazing the Bucks kept it as close as they did--until you consider that the Kings also came into this game an awe-inspiring 1-11 on the road.

The Bucks led 53-49 at the half, as Evans scored 17 (albeit on 15 shots) while Bogut contributed 12/4/4 for the Bucks. A night after his 5/21 performance in Cleveland, Jennings looked patient and content to get other guys involved early on, as he didn't take a shot until the three minute mark of the second quarter. But he buried that first triple and added another jumper to round out a solid first half: seven points (2/2 fg), five assists, and three rebounds. Ilyasova (14/10) already had his double-double midway through the third, but foul trouble made him an observer for most of the second half.

The Bucks led by as many as seven in the third, but the Kings were far more composed than their road record would have suggested. After Evans carried the offensive load in the first half, Jason Thompson took over in the second, scoring 17 of his 22 in the period to go with 10 boards. The Kings seemed oddly shy to give him the ball in the first half with Andrew Bogut guarding him, but he showed the full repertoire of inside/out stuff in the second, including seven points in the final three minutes. One of those was a questionable three-point play that cut the Bucks lead from four to one, as Thompson hooked Bogut making a move along the baseline, but instead got the foul and continuation on Bogut. Not to whine though, because the Bucks overall didn't get the short end of the refereeing stick. They even got a charge called on Evans for wiping out Bogut on a play that looked eerily similar to the Kobe call on Wednesday. Also not to be forgotten is Beno Udrih (6/11 fg, 16 pts), who killed the Bucks with mid-range jumpers off P&R in the second and third quarters.

In any case, the game came down to making plays in crunch time, and as per usual the Bucks didn't make them as often as their opponents. These recaps are starting to write themselves in that sense. The Bucks had seven offensive rebounds in the final five minutes, but all that meant was they were working hard and missing everything. Bogut bricked a pair of freebies with 42 seconds left and the Bucks down one, only for Jennings to retrieve the second miss and start another possession that saw Jennings miss a reverse layup in traffic, Bogut miss two tip-ins, and Jennings grab another rebound and draw the foul.

As he's done so often--and unlike everyone else on the team--Jennings didn't miss with the game on the line, but the Bucks couldn't stop the Kings, either. After Evans penetrated, Thompson dropped a tough hook over Bogut on the right side of the lane to make it 94-93 Kings with 11 seconds left. On the ensuing inbounds Jennings nearly had his inbound pass to Andrew Bogut stolen at midcourt, but he scooped up the loose ball, and with two Kings out of the play he found Ilyasova wide open under the basket for the easy two with five seconds left.

It turned out to be too much time. Evans ran P&R from the left with Thompson, and Mbah a Moute unwisely went over the screen, leaving Evans one-on-one with a backpedaling Bogut. That was all she wrote, as Evans smoothly went left and finished with his right off the glass. Bogut had a last-second heave from the baseline that could have won it, but you kind of knew the Bucks didn't have any more tricks up their sleeve.

Three Bucks

Carlos Delfino. It seems like Delfino's usual MO has been hot starts and anonymous finishes, but the Argentine reversed it tonight in a major way. The Bucks were leading 70-65 when Skiles subbed out Bogut and Jennings with two minutes left in the third, and it was Delfino who kept the Bucks' afloat for the next 12 minutes or so. First he scooped a driving layin to finish the Bucks' third quarter scoring, then led the way with three triples and 11 points in the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter. He also took on the task of defending Evans for much of that period, yielding only in the final minute to Mbah a Moute.

Luc Mbah a Moute. Mbah a Moute's last contributions were missing a free throw with three minutes remaining and getting rubbed out on the P&R that led to Evans' game-winner, but that shouldn't overshadow what was another solid game from the Prince. It was particularly true on the offensive end, where LRMaM made all five of his shots including a corner triple.

Brandon Jennings. It was another solid game with plenty of ups and downs for Jennings. On the down side, he got smoked by Evans on a couple drives in the third quarter, which is becoming all too common for a small guy blessed with his quickness. With Beno Udrih getting major minutes down the stretch Jennings didn't face off directly against Evans

Three Numbers.

19. By my count, Bogut (7), Redd (5) and Jennings (7) combined to miss their 19 shots from the field. Yeah, not cool. Bogut didn't make a shot in the last 22 minutes and bricked his last five free throws, going 1/10 from the field i the second half after a solid 5/10, 13 point first half. Jennings at least made his free throws (6/6), but went strangely cold in the third quarter after making his first four shots from the field.

13. It wouldn't be the numbers section without some allusion to the Bucks' terrible free throw differential, so here's your daily dose: the Bucks made just 13/20 from the line compared to the Kings' 22/29. Same sh**, different day.

1-8. That's the Bucks' record in games decided by three points or less. Unlucky? Just bad at finishing games? I'll take the easy route and say a combo of both, but either way it's killing them in the won-loss column. History says that close games require more luck than skill, and that even good teams don't win a high percentage of close games over the long haul (they win the blowouts, natch). Still, the fact that the Bucks lack a guy who can a) both draw fouls and make free throws and b) create quality shots for himself reliably means that they'll probably be worse than average. Not quite as bad as they've been, but still not good. We've seen flashes of Jennings being a go-to guy late in games and so far he's had ice-water in his veins at the stripe, but he's not the guy yet.

~~Three~~ Two Good

Rookies. Sure, they've got growing up to do, but Evans and Jennings are damn good for a pair of 20-year old rookies. I've seen very little of Evans since the season started, but in Vegas he looked like a thrifty man's Dwyane Wade (all the slithery slashing and body control, less of the rim-endangering explosiveness) and it was pretty much the same deal tonight. Lots of turnovers and few assists, but he's really not a ballhog and his line would have been even more impressive if he didn't miss so many contested layups.

As for Jennings, he seemed to be in "play like a true PG" mode tonight, which worked reasonably well. Defense could have been better and he still doesn't make shots around the hoop, but you already knew that.

Meeks. I'm grasping at straws here, but it's not like I have that much to choose from. Meeks' minutes would seem to be gone now that Redd is back, but he got an extended look in the second quarter--guarding Evans no less--and held his own with five points, two steals, and two assists. He didn't get a look in the second half, but Meeks' +9 rating was the best of any player on either team.

Three Bad

Skiles. I don't generally call out coaches since, well, they know the game and their players infinitely better than I do. And let's be honest, Skiles isn't exactly Vinny Del Negro. Still, there were a few things that made me scratch my head on this one.

For one, Redd played 15 straight mostly awful minutes from the end of the third until late in the fourth. Why? Don't ask me--the way LRMaM was playing it didn't make sense for him to be sacrificing minutes for the old man. Heck, Bell, Ridnour or Meeks would have been better choices at that point.

Second, why did Jennings inbound twice in the final minute? I guess I can understand him inbounding with 11 seconds left since he can get it right back. But his pass was deflected and almost stolen (fortunately he recovered to both get the ball and find Ilyasova for the layup), so maybe we should take that as a sign that the little guy may not have been the best option. Moreover, with 0.9 seconds left I would have thought Jennings' ability to make tough shots would make him an obvious option as a shooter, but instead he was again summoned to make the pass, this time throwing a tough entry pass Bogut not surprisingly couldn't turn into a miracle. I vote we cut Elson and bring back Toni Kukoc (tall + great passer = great inbounder) purely as a late-game inbounding specialist.

Lastly, I would have dared Evans to shoot a jumper on the last play by having Mbah a Moute go under the screen rather than chase around. I'm assuming Mbah a Moute went over the screen on direction from the Bucks' coaches, though in fairness Evans didn't always kill them on that strategy earlier in the game. But do the math--Evans is a 59% shooter around the rim and 45% from 16-23 feet. Bogut might have been hoping to force Evans to hesitate by backpedaling, but give credit to the rookie for making such a decisive move.

Bogut's ability to put a ball in the basket. Ignore the shooting numbers and there'd be nothing to dislike about Bogut's line: 13 boards, five assists, one turnover and three blocks. Include the shooting numbers and...well, not so much. Bogut continues to struggle from the field (6/20) and the line (3/8)--the latter being expected at this point while the former is a more recent phenomenon.

Part of the issue tonight was the Kings doing a good job getting bodies in Bogut's way--Spencer Hawes' length bothered Bogut on two misses to start the game, and even though Bogut began to bully Hawes and co. for much of the rest of the half, they were mostly denying him the deep position where he's so dangerous. They showed the double teams on a number of occasions as well, and while Bogut managed to take care of the ball better than usual tonight, he sometimes seemed to be rushing shots just to get them off.

Michael Redd's ability to do anything. The silver lining from the Laker game was the hope that the old Mike Redd wasn't too far away--or that the new one wouldn't be that much worse than the old one. But in two games since Redd has again looked out of sorts. He started the game fairly judicious about his shot selection, but with Skiles playing him for extended periods with the second unit things fell apart more quickly. On paper, the idea of Redd going to work while Bogut/Jennings rest is a nice one, but thus far it's only reiterated why Redd shouldn't be starting.

Briefing: There's no place like your old home

JakeTheSnake — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 16:01:05 -0000

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Gilbert Arenas said before the start of this four-game road trip that he hoped going back to his hometown of Los Angeles would spark the rebirth of Agent Zero. Ten missed shots, six turnovers, and six fouls later, Gilbert looked further away than ever. Wednesday's performance provided some more hope, but only led to more disappointment when Tyreke Evans stole away Gilbert's chances to seal a win.

Last night? That was more like it. Sure, everyone will throw out the disclaimer about playing against the Warriors' porous defense, but 45 points is 45 points. Only four other players have scored 45 or more points this season, and no one else has done it while chipping in more than 5 assists (Gilbert had 13). Questions about whether or not Gilbert can fully integrate his game into Flip's offense will continue to linger until he can consistently put together some solid performances, but last night he put away any doubts about whether or not he still has the physical tools.

Wizards 118, Warriors 109: Arenas has no choice - Craig Stouffer, Pick and Roll

It's not a question of whether or not Gilbert Arenas is back after he had 45 points and 13 assists, his highest scoring game since Jan. 15, 2007 (thanks, ESPN). He has to be back. This is his team. He is the center of what it does and how it plays. Everything starts with Arenas, and the Wizards have spent the better part of two years waiting for him simply to finally take his place, one that they paid - yes, i'm talking about it - $111 million to reserve.

Wizards 118, Warriors 109 - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider

Arenas and Butler have both struggled to find their grooves this season, which has played a major role in the Wizards losing 16 of their first 23 games. But with the Wizards in desperate need of a victory, the two most maligned players in Washington helped snap a six-game losing streak by coming through with the type of performances that people have come to expect of them -- although few could've predicted that Arenas was going to score 45 points and hand out 13 assists, even against a very bad, or rather non-existent, Golden State defense. "The rhythm is coming back and I'm feeling good right now," Arenas said after topping 40 points for first time since March 21, 2007, when he scored 42 in a win against Seattle. "Feeling more confident handling the ball, getting into the lane. A lot more confident than I did a couple of weeks ago."

Wizards 118, Warriors 109 - Mike Jones, Outlet

"I’m just trying to get back in attack mode," Arenas continued. "I’ve been the coy fish for a couple of games. I’m just trying to get back in attack mode. I’m finishing off. I finished the game how I left Sacramento. I finally hit plays tonight. down there in the end, I made a shot and a pass to CB. The rhythm is coming back and I’m feeling good right now." So the pressures of D.C. are still weighing on Gil's mind, huh? You don't like to hear your franchise player dreading playing in front of the home crowd, but for now this is how he feels. "I don’t know. When you’re at home, sometimes you got pressure. You got pressure to win. It’s the pressure sometimes. when you get West, you’re away everybody, away from your family, away from your friends, away from most of the media. People off the street saying, ‘Why y’all losing? Get it together’ You get away from that and you go on a trip and it’s you and your team."

Gilbert's 'Greatness Was Overwhelming' - Jamie Mottram, Mr. Irrelevant

Arenas leads Wizards over Warriors - Associated Press

Arenas, who missed most of the past two years with knee injuries, had his 29th career game of 40 or more points. "When we got the ball in Gilbert’s hands he made plays," Wizards’ coach Flip Saunders said. "When you have a guy directly involved with 71 of your points, he’s made a huge impact."

Last Night's Action: Upside Down - Aaron Morrissey, DCist

Arenas, who has been putting up some big numbers despite the multiple losses, had another big night in the box score -- 45 points, his most since January 2007, and 13 assists -- but more importantly, Agent Zero was completely unguardable down the stretch. It was the vintage, clutch Gilbert we fondly remember; late in the fourth, Arenas was either making shots, almost effortlessly finding his way to the bucket, or creating open shots for his teammates.

Arenas Leads Wizards Over Warriors - Dave Johnson, CSN Washington

Wizards head coach Flip Saunders believes Arenas is only at 75 percent in his quest to fully return from his knee problems. "He is getting a little but more aggressive", Saunders added. If you notice he has a better sweat going. He doesn’t look cold out there. He looks loose and into it."

Arenas scores 45 points, Wizards top Golden State, 118-109 - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider

Antawn Jamison's string of three consecutive games with at least 30 points per game came to an end after he suffered a stinger on the left side of his neck in the second period. During a break in action, Arenas asked Jamison where he was hurting then pressed his fingers in the area where Jamison told him. Jamison angrily pushed back Arenas and playfully slapped him across the cheek. "I told him, 'Put some oil on it,' because he got that old neck right now," Arenas said he told Jamison. "But he said, 'Look at your knee.' The jokes stopped right there." Not quite. Jamison later airballed a free throw and Arenas joked with him some more. "He was Gilbert," said Jamison, who also started his career in Golden State.

Instant Analysis: Wizards at Warriors - Chase Hughes, CSN Washington

The Wizards were able to snap their six-game losing streak thanks to big nights from their starters. Antawn Jamison was out for most of the game with a shoulder injury but Brendan Haywood and Caron Butler each pitched in with double-doubles. Butler stepped up by scoring a season-high 28 points. He also grabbed 10 rebounds and 5 steals in what was his best game of the season. Brendan Haywood had 11 points and nine rebounds in the first half. He finished with 15 points and 12 boards, making seven of nine shots from the field. Haywood was able to take advantage of a Warriors team missing most of their frontcourt. Out due to injury were Andris Biedrins, Mikki Moore, Ronny Turiaf, and Brandon Wright.

Gilbert Arenas scores season-high 45 as Wizards defeat Warriors on the road - George Pangakos, Examiner

Last night's victory, and the fact that four Wizards obtained double-doubles in the win, are definitely things Washington and its fans can enjoy. However, the 8-16 Wizards still have a long road to travel, and allowed Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry to score career-highs of 30 and 27 respectively despite the victory. Washington will not have the luxury of allowing career-highs against the Phoenix Suns tomorrow, as the Suns are a much deeper team and free from some of the injuries which have plagued the Warriors.

Best of Twitterville

Twitter / Jack Kogod
Anthony Randlolph has a touch of Blatchitis. He needs to get that looked at.

Twitter / George V. Panagakos
Quick math here: if Gil is 75%, his line right now would be 57 points and 17 assists if 100%, right?

Twitter / Mike Prada
A good point. RT @Truth_About_It: Are shoulder issues ultimately to blame for Jamison's 47-77 from the free-throw line on the year?

Twitter / Truth_About_It
Wow, that last shot by Gilbert ... make that the last two shots ... are about nothing but determination.

Twitter / Mike Jones
I don't get how Arenas can stroke one-handed 3-pointers in practice but can't make free throws in games.

Twitter / Jamie Mottram
45, 13 and a W; Gil needed that. We all did.

Twitter / wizznutzz
glory years redux!!! back to 42-40 here we come!!!!!!!! RT @Unsilent: Agent Zero ft. Vintage Tough Juice + Unbreakable 'Tawn

Twitter / Agent Dagger
did we just....win?

Kings Lose Game of the Century, If the Century is the 1300s

Ziller — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:27:28 -0000

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You see, because in the 1300s, things basically sucked, what with the Black Death and all, so I figure there wasn't much time for basketball, so the games were bottled disaster, much like Friday's loss in Minnesota. At least with most Kings losses this season there has been entertainment value -- like the final Lord of the Rings film, you can be aggravated at the ending (a Hobbit tickle fight?! what the Frodo!) but still have enjoyed those three hours of your life. Not this game. This game was like paying $6 to see Phantom Menace in the theater: it blew, you're never getting that time back, and it actually helped ruin that which came before it (the Washington win, in our example; the New Hope trilogy in the malformed analogy). I'll never look at you the same way, George Lucas!

Just a brutal, brutal affair. In some losses, the Kings have had multiple runs at the lead -- like a half dozen, in the case of the second Spurs defeat. The Kings had negative two runs Friday night. I don't know how that happened, but it did. Tyreke Evans had his worst game in ages (despite eight assists, would have been more if the team had shot better than 43 percent from the field), Donte Greene didn't score a point in 18 minutes, Kenny Thomas didn't score a point in 20 minutes, Spencer Hawes had zero defensive rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench, the team shot 4-27 from three against a dreadful defensive club, and the team gave up 112 points in 106 possessions to the league's third worst offensive oufit. BRUTAL.

You want a bright side, beyond Omri Casspi (another brilliant scoring effort)? As this Sam Amick video attests to, Kevin Martin is shooting again ... and he's even dribbling with his left hand.

Holy talent infusion, Batman!

In praise of the Big Piranha

Stop-n-Pop — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 04:07:40 -0000

Dear Wolves Marketing:

Please start selling Kevin Love. Please see the attached video for a suggestion about how local sports franchises actually feature their players in TV ads. The ad practically writes itself: Nick Punto and Michael Cuddyer are sitting in a ice shanty on a lake watching video of Kevin Love grabbing rebound after rebound after rebound. Cuddy looks over to Punto and says something along the line of "Winter piranhas, who knew?" Fade to black and a sign that says "Come see the Big Piranha." Show the ticket hot line and cut!

Thank you,

Stop-n-Pop

Moving on, last night's post game show contained something of a big moment for the FSN crew. During the game wrap, analyst (and fellow former Bloomington Kennedy Eagle) Mike McCallow said something that we here at Hoopus have been saying since the latter part of last season: Kevin Love is the best player on this team. Yes. Yes, yes, yes, and more yes.

I know we're in danger of getting repetitive on this point, but the reason why Kevin Love is the best player on the Wolves is simple: He does the most stuff. Last night he was 9-14 from the floor with 16 boards (5 offensive) and 20 points. He controlled the defensive glass, he started fast breaks, he sealed off defenders for easy angles to the bucket for the team's guards, and he even ran a successful 1-on-1 fast break against Tyreke Evans. Al Jefferson can be the best post scorer in the league but that's probably all he could ever be. Love's impact on the game won't be as deep in a single area, but it will be much, much, much wider. When this team gets good (and it will), Kevin Love is going to be its MVP. He will be a much larger-scaled version of what Ozzie Guillen talked about here:

"That's special stuff over there," Guillen said of the Twins club. "All those guys, they don't have big money or big stars, but the way they go about their business is awesome. That's why I call them the little piranhas, because they beat you to death. I would rather someone hit a home run with the bases loaded in the ninth rather then get murdered little by little. Those guys bite you little by little and, all of a sudden, you wake up and you are dead."

Instead of extra bases and hard slides, Love will bite the other teams with hard screens, impossible tips to teammates, and outlet passes. Each one won't seem like much all by itself, but at the end of the day, someone is going to wake up dead. And yes, that's one of the best sports quotes of the decade. Thank you Ozzie.

A few notes from the game:

Why on earth did the Kings not roll with their large front court lineup of Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson? Did the Kings' coaching staff not see what they did to Love and Jefferson last weekend?
Tyreke Evans is a dominant physical presence but he's going to have to figure out what to do on nights when his shot isn't falling.
Sasha Pavlovic is not an NBA player right now. His worst play last night was when Kevin Love screened off a wide-open angle to the lane for Pavs and instead of going right up with the layup he went under the rim and was forced to pass it off. It's almost like he's forgotten the basic language of basketball...if that makes sense.
Another win, another solid wing performance. How much more evidence do we need that the Wolves need a solid (and consistent) wing player more than anything else?

That does it for tonight. Bottom line: Kevin Love + competent wing and point play = W.

Gotta run.