NBA results: January 20th
January 21st 2009 17:33
Mike Bibby pulls through in the clutch to save outrebounded Hawks, Spurs crush Pacers, Nuggets prove better than Kings even without Carmelo Anthony, and Paul Millsap stars in win against the Wolves.
These events marked the four-game sked of the NBA last January 20th.
Atlanta Hawks 105
Chicago Bulls 102
Mike Bibby was the player of the game with his usual clutch heroics coming in to play with 9 points of his 31 in the last 5 minutes. He also had 6 assists and 5 steals. One of those thefts came with 40 seconds left as he intercepted a crosscourt pass for Ben Gordon and then hit a crucial jump shot.
Atlanta is missing leading rebounder Al Horford (bruised right knee) and frontline perimeter threat Marvin Williams (concussion). It really isn't unusual when they get outrebounded by the Bulls who themselves are missing one important frontcourt player in Drew Gooden. Good thing they were able to take care of the ball well enough to move themselves around such a disadvantage. Of course, Bibby's clutch performance helped a lot.
Josh Smith had 17 points and 14 rebounds, Flip Murray had 13 points off the bench, Zaza Pachulia had a season-high 18 points in a starting role in lieu of Horford, and Joe Johnson had 16 points on a sub-par 5 of 18 shooting but made up for it with a team-high 8 assists for the game.
The Bulls certainly took advantage of the frontline situation. Joakim Noah had 11 rebounds, 8 of them on the offensive boards. Luol Deng, who just came out of injury, had 10 boards himself and Andres Nocioni had 8 off the bench.
Usually, a win will be much easier to come by if a team lords it over the rebounding battle but not so in this game. Ben Gordon, who top scored for the Bulls cited one factor: “That’s pretty much the story of our season so far,” Gordon said. “We get close, just not very good at closing games out.”
Indiana Pacers 81
San Antonio Spurs 99
The defense looked great for the night but Spurs coach Greg Popovich will still be watching out if his team's perennially excellent defense will come back to its old and lethal form.
The same old culprits were there: Tim Duncan (27 points, 10 boards), Manu Ginobili (26 points, 8 boards) and Tony Parker (13 points, 7 assists) but the underlining factor that makes them a great team is their unflappable team defense.
There are factors to consider though. Bruce Bowen has been coming off the bench this season and it may seem that his time will soon be up as a pro. New players like Roger Mason and George Hill are just beginning to break in the system for their first year with the team. Matt Bonner has been getting the start at center lately as Fabricio Oberto has been off the bench. Veterans Kurt Thomas and Michael Finley are also on the twighlights of their careers. It also deserves mention that Robert Horry is also retired.
The Spurs had taken on a new look and in transition easing in younger players that would fit in well in the Pop system especially on the defensive end.
It will take time. Hopefully, the Spurs current core will peak in time and will be fully oriented once the playoffs begin.
Sacramento Kings 99
Denver Nuggets 118
Can't help but feel sorry for the Kings and can't help but admire the Nuggets.
Here we have the Kings injury free and all but can't stay in equal footing with a Carmelo Anthony-less Nuggets.
This game definitely shows the difference between a lottery team and a playoff caliber team. It's all about direction. The Kings have gone wayward and the Nuggets are on the right path with Chauncey Billups directing them of course.
Minnesota Timberwolves 107
Utah Jazz 112
Remember Karl Malone? The Mailman is synonymous with the Utah Jazz organization and is perhaps one of the more distinguished players in the history of the franchise. Eversince he made the move to Los Angeles in 2003 and eventually retired, it has been a wonder if there will ever be another player like him in Utah.
The year is 2009 and here we are at Salt Lake City witnessing Paul Millsap. Strangely enough, this player was drafted 47th overall in 2006 by Utah and came from the same program Malone came from at Louisiana Tech and plays at the same position at power forward. This is his 3rd year in the league and is now averaging 15.3 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game. If Jerry Sloan planned to recreate Malone all over again, he certainly found the best player to succeed the Mailman.
Millsap led the Jazz with 28 points and 15 rebounds in this win against the Wolves, and he might still be raw, but it will only be a matter of time before he becomes the new Karl Malone.
Carlos Boozer can take a hike, stay in the injured list, get traded and try to coax money from some desperate club. Even if Boozer does go, it will only open a new door for the new Mailman in Salt Lake City... Paul Millsap.
Photo by AP
These events marked the four-game sked of the NBA last January 20th.
Atlanta Hawks 105
Chicago Bulls 102
The Atlanta Hawks should need more of Mike Bibby's crunch time exploits if they are to survive a stretch without Al Horford and Marvin Williams
Mike Bibby was the player of the game with his usual clutch heroics coming in to play with 9 points of his 31 in the last 5 minutes. He also had 6 assists and 5 steals. One of those thefts came with 40 seconds left as he intercepted a crosscourt pass for Ben Gordon and then hit a crucial jump shot.
Atlanta is missing leading rebounder Al Horford (bruised right knee) and frontline perimeter threat Marvin Williams (concussion). It really isn't unusual when they get outrebounded by the Bulls who themselves are missing one important frontcourt player in Drew Gooden. Good thing they were able to take care of the ball well enough to move themselves around such a disadvantage. Of course, Bibby's clutch performance helped a lot.
Josh Smith had 17 points and 14 rebounds, Flip Murray had 13 points off the bench, Zaza Pachulia had a season-high 18 points in a starting role in lieu of Horford, and Joe Johnson had 16 points on a sub-par 5 of 18 shooting but made up for it with a team-high 8 assists for the game.
The Bulls certainly took advantage of the frontline situation. Joakim Noah had 11 rebounds, 8 of them on the offensive boards. Luol Deng, who just came out of injury, had 10 boards himself and Andres Nocioni had 8 off the bench.
Usually, a win will be much easier to come by if a team lords it over the rebounding battle but not so in this game. Ben Gordon, who top scored for the Bulls cited one factor: “That’s pretty much the story of our season so far,” Gordon said. “We get close, just not very good at closing games out.”
Indiana Pacers 81
San Antonio Spurs 99
The defense looked great for the night but Spurs coach Greg Popovich will still be watching out if his team's perennially excellent defense will come back to its old and lethal form.
The same old culprits were there: Tim Duncan (27 points, 10 boards), Manu Ginobili (26 points, 8 boards) and Tony Parker (13 points, 7 assists) but the underlining factor that makes them a great team is their unflappable team defense.
There are factors to consider though. Bruce Bowen has been coming off the bench this season and it may seem that his time will soon be up as a pro. New players like Roger Mason and George Hill are just beginning to break in the system for their first year with the team. Matt Bonner has been getting the start at center lately as Fabricio Oberto has been off the bench. Veterans Kurt Thomas and Michael Finley are also on the twighlights of their careers. It also deserves mention that Robert Horry is also retired.
The Spurs had taken on a new look and in transition easing in younger players that would fit in well in the Pop system especially on the defensive end.
It will take time. Hopefully, the Spurs current core will peak in time and will be fully oriented once the playoffs begin.
Sacramento Kings 99
Denver Nuggets 118
Can't help but feel sorry for the Kings and can't help but admire the Nuggets.
Here we have the Kings injury free and all but can't stay in equal footing with a Carmelo Anthony-less Nuggets.
This game definitely shows the difference between a lottery team and a playoff caliber team. It's all about direction. The Kings have gone wayward and the Nuggets are on the right path with Chauncey Billups directing them of course.
Minnesota Timberwolves 107
Utah Jazz 112
Remember Karl Malone? The Mailman is synonymous with the Utah Jazz organization and is perhaps one of the more distinguished players in the history of the franchise. Eversince he made the move to Los Angeles in 2003 and eventually retired, it has been a wonder if there will ever be another player like him in Utah.
The year is 2009 and here we are at Salt Lake City witnessing Paul Millsap. Strangely enough, this player was drafted 47th overall in 2006 by Utah and came from the same program Malone came from at Louisiana Tech and plays at the same position at power forward. This is his 3rd year in the league and is now averaging 15.3 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game. If Jerry Sloan planned to recreate Malone all over again, he certainly found the best player to succeed the Mailman.
Millsap led the Jazz with 28 points and 15 rebounds in this win against the Wolves, and he might still be raw, but it will only be a matter of time before he becomes the new Karl Malone.
Carlos Boozer can take a hike, stay in the injured list, get traded and try to coax money from some desperate club. Even if Boozer does go, it will only open a new door for the new Mailman in Salt Lake City... Paul Millsap.
Photo by AP
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