Jennings Snaps out of Slump

29 Mar 2010 by Nathan in NBA 2009–2010 Season

Brandon JenningsBrandon Jennings woke up from a severe drought against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, scoring 29 points on 10-of-24 shooting with seven rebounds, eight assists, three treys, and four steals in 42 minutes.

To say his week had been brutal would be an understatement, and in truly maddening fashion he comes back with this pearl to give owners an intriguing decision heading into the Bucks’ four-game week.

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Elsewhere around the NBA:

Sacramento: Beno Udrih secured his first career triple-double against the Cavs on Sunday, scoring 18 points on 6-of-17 shooting with 10 rebounds, 15 assists, and two steals while playing nearly the entire game.

Phoenix: Channing Frye got hot from 3-point land on Sunday, hitting 5-of-10 shots from deep to finish with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting overall, six rebounds, and two assists in 31 minutes off the bench.

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Phoenix: Amare Stoudemire continued to pound the opposition on Sunday, finishing with 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting with 17 rebounds, three assists, and a block. There has been chatter about whether or not he would be affected by Robin Lopez’s absence, and the early returns are a resounding “no.” The Phoenix Suns’ win tonight gave them a season-high seven straight wins.

Detroit: Rodney Stuckey tweaked his ankle but finished the game on Sunday, and scored 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting (including a three) with three rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes off the bench. “I think I’ll be OK—it is sore, but I’ll get it taken care of tomorrow,” Stuckey said. Coach John Kuester added that he wasn’t sure if he would be able to play Wednesday against the Heat, but that’s typical coach-speak on the night of an injury like this.

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Detroit: Richard Hamilton scored 29 points on 10-of-20 shooting (including two 3-pointers) with one rebound, five assists, and a steal in 34 minutes on Sunday. He apparently tweaked his ankle late during the game, and coach John Kuester said after that game that he is questionable heading into Wednesday’s game against the Heat.

Chicago: Flip Murray got hot off the bench for the Bulls on Sunday, scoring 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting (including three 3-pointers) with three rebounds, four rebounds, and two steals in 30 minutes.

Cleveland: LeBron James scored 34 points on 13-of-22 shooting (including three 3-pointers) with seven rebounds, eight assists, and three steals in the Cavs’ 97-90 win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.


Andrea Bargnani Scores Season-High 34

03 Feb 2010 by Nathan in NBA 2010 News

Andrea Bargnani went off for a season-high 34 points vs. the Pacers on Tuesday, making 14-of-21 FGs, including 4-of-6 from downtown. To say Roy Hibbert struggled to defend the quicker Bargnani would be a massive understatement, though at 7′0″ it’s not easy to slow him down when his jumpshot is clicking. He was averaging just 9.5 points over the past two games but rewarded those who kept the faith.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Orlando: Vince Carter finally returned to form in Tuesday’s victory, finishing with 17 points, two 3-pointers, 10 rebounds, seven assists, one steal and one block in 40 minutes. VC was aggressive driving to the hoop and finding his teammates, another great sign. His shoulder has been hampering his shot lately but hopefully this is the start of an upward trend.

Toronto: Toronto lost in Indiana on Tuesday despite a game-high 35 points from Chris Bosh. He was 13-of-22 from the field and 9-of-12 from the FT line, with 15 rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks. The Toronto Raptors simply couldn’t put together many defensive stops — the Pacers had seven players in double figures and collectively made 52.4% of their field goals and 94.3% of their free throws.

Toronto: Marco Belinelli started at SF for Hedo Turkoglu (eye) on Tuesday, scoring 21 points on 7-of-13 FGs, 3-of-4 threes and 4-of-5 FTs. He added five rebounds, two assists, one block and just one turnover in 33 minutes. Belinelli, naturally more of a SG, is an intriguing source of offense and steals when he’s getting enough minutes.

New Jersey: Yi Jianlian returned after taking a brief rest with a shoulder injury, but may have been better off staying on the bench with a 1-for-12 shooting mark that led to three points, five rebounds, no assists, and a block. He finished with 31 minutes under his belt, so it’s hard to say how much of an effect the shoulder had on him. Brook Lopez scored 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting with seven rebounds, two assists, and two blocks on Tuesday. Also, Devin Harris (wrist) returned to action on Tuesday, and scored 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting (no threes, 10-of-11 from the foul line) with five rebounds, 14 assists, and a block.

Detroit: Charlie Villanueva, who was a game-time decision with a back injury on Tuesday, ended up playing just eight minutes and had no points, one rebound, no assists, and one steal.

Milwaukee: Brandon Jennings, the reigning Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month, was held to just two points on 1-of-7 shooting in Tuesday’s ugly loss to the Orlando Magic. Jennings had four assists and zero turnovers, but his struggles typified the Bucks offense tonight .


Redd’s Career in Jeopardy

12 Jan 2010 by Nathan in NBA 2010 News

michael-reddBucks G Michael Redd has reportedly suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee, ending his season. He was injured on Sunday night in L.A. and suffered the same injury nearly one year ago to the day (Jan. 24), making us wonder if his career is over. Brandon Jennings, Charlie Bell, Luke Ridnour, Carlos Delfino and Jodie Meeks will all see an increase in minutes with this news, while it looks like Bell will move into the starting lineup.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Chicago: Luol Deng hit 13-of-18 shots and a 3-pointer on his way to 27 points and six rebounds as the Bulls crushed the Detroit Pistons on Monday. Deng was likely on benches this week with three games and a fractured left thumb, but played very well tonight. He had not scored more than 18 points since Dec. 22. Derrick Rose was also feeling it for the Bulls, hitting 11-of-13 shots for 22 points and nine assists, as the Bulls hit a whopping 57% of their shots tonight.

Detroit: Ben Gordon, who was iffy with a hamstring injury, played just six minutes and failed to score on Monday before leaving with a groin injury.

Atlanta: Joe Johnson hit 14-of-25 shots and five 3-pointers for 36 points, three rebounds and one assist as the Hawks upset the Celtics in Boston. Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace were out, but this was just Boston’s fifth loss at home. In fact, of their 10 losses this season, three of them have been to the Atlanta Hawks, who had lost seven straight to the Celtics prior to the run.

Oakland: An MRI revealed that Warriors F Anthony Randolph will miss three to six weeks with a badly sprained left ankle.

Boston: Kevin Garnett will be out another 10 days with his hyperextended knee, according to coach Doc Rivers. KG has already been out for 15 days and hasn’t played since Dec. 28. He hasn’t done any work, either, which includes running and jumping. “Now I actually am pretty sure it will be in the next ten days or so,” said Rivers

Los Angeles: Pau Gasol is listed as doubtful for Tuesday’s game against the Spurs due to his hamstring tear, which means he’s probably not likely to play on Wednesday against Dallas Mavericks, either.
Gasol worked on the treadmill Monday but didn’t practice. Phil Jackson didn’t have any new information because Gasol was still being treated after practice had ended.


Brandon Jennings Scores 55

15 Nov 2009 by Nathan in Milwaukee Bucks, NBA 2009-10 Season

brandon-jenningsBucks rookie PR Brandon Jennings scored 55 points, breaking Abdul-Jabbar’s franchise rookie record, to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a come-from-behind 129-125 victory Saturday over the Golden State Warriors. Jennings, who scored 29 points in the fourth quarter alone, finished the game making 21-of-34 FGs, 7-of-8 three-pointers, and 6-of-8 FTs. “It was a very, very impressive performance for anyone, let alone a rookie in his seventh game,” Milwaukee Bucks coach Scott Skiles said. “We just gave the ball to Brandon and let him go to work.”

During pre-game draft workouts and after watching film of Jennings playing in Italy, many General Managers around the league had labeled the talented PG as an ineffective shooter. Even before Saturday’s game, Jennings was shooting a rock solid 45.7 percent from the field. When questioned about the rookies shooting, Bucks head coach Scott Skiles could not stop talking about his 55-point performance: “It was a very, very impressive performance for anyone, let alone a rookie in his seventh game…we just gave the ball to Brandon and let him go to work.” Golden State Warriors coach Don Nelson called Jennings’ effort “probably the best rookie performance I’ve ever witnessed in 30-some years coaching…we tried to handle him every way possible,” Nelson said.

In order to become a complete player, Jennings will have to not only shot the ball consistently but play consistent basket ball every night. Skiles said he told Jennings after the game, “Great game, get some rest tomorrow and (say) hello Jason Kidd on Monday.” The Bucks play the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.