Nightly Recap- Jan. 13

Top Performances

Al Horford (Atlanta PF/C)- Recorded the first triple-double of his career, scoring 21 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists in a 105-87 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Horford was uber-effecient in his 29 minutes of action, hitting 8 of 10 field goal attempts, as well as 5 of 6 free throw attempts. He took initiative with three other starts resting Tuesday night, and played a phenomenal game.

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DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento PF/C)- Almost recorded a triple-double, tallying 32 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists in a 108-104 overtime loss to the Dallas Mavericks. The nine turnovers Cousins committed were way too high, but his other numbers (11-21 FG, 10-10 FT) more than made up for it, as he continues to dominate any and all opponents.

Mo Williams (Minnesota PG)- Scored a career-high 52 points in a 110-101 win over the Indiana Pacers. It was also a franchise record for most points scored by a Minnesota player, as Williams seemingly hit any and every shot over the Pacers' defense on Tuesday. He finished the game 19 of 33 from the field, including six made 3-pointers, and also dished out seven assists.

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J.R. Smith (Cleveland SG)- Tallied 29 points, while hitting eight 3-pointers in a 107-100 loss to the Phoenix Suns. Smith clearly benefitted from LeBron James making his return last night, as he saw a lot of open looks from all over the court. He also recorded four steals and did not commit a single turnover in the loss, which is a good sign for the Cavs coaching staff moving forward.

Markieff Morris (Phoenix PF/C)- Recorded a career-high 35 points in a 107-100 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The slightly taller Morris twin had himself a night against Cleveland, hitting 15 of his 21 shot attempts, while grabbing seven rebounds in the win.

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Play of the Night

Philadelphia 76ers' shooting guard K.J. McDaniels threw down a double-clutch dunk in the third quarter of a 105-87 loss to the Atlanta Hawks Tuesday night. The rookie from Clemson showcased his hops and athleticism once again, and continues to be a bright spot for an otherwise dull season for 76ers' fans.

Link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5iaaQ9Epag

2014-15 NBA Standings 

Check out bunow.com for local and national stories will by Bloomsburg University students.

Follow me on twitter @Lower_Merion33

*All stats courtesy of ESPN

Non-MVP Award Races- Part 1

While the MVP race is a hot topic in the NBA, many forget the other award races going on in the association. Let's take a look at my favorites for the following award races- Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year

Rookie of the Year

Andrew Wiggins (Minnesota SF)- Wiggins is averaging 14.5 points and 4.2 rebounds a game for the Timberwolves, but is starting to show signs of his true potential. His athleticism and raw talent are matched by none in this rookie class, and the award is his to lose. Wiggins is putting up 21.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists on 49% shooting in the month of January.

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Nikola Mirotic (Chicago PF)- The 23-year-old power forward for the Bulls is recording 8.0 points and 5.1 rebounds a game, despite playing behind Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol. He has stepped up whenever either one of those big men have been injured, and will continue to play a vital bench role in head coach Tom Thibodeau's rotation.

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K.J. McDaniels (Philadelphia SG)- For a guy taken in the second round (32nd overall), McDaniels is proving every team that didn't take him in the first round wrong. His athleticism and defensive prowess has been a positive sign for the 76ers this year, offense is coming along game-by-game. He is receiving steady minutes and should continue to do so for the rest of the season, making him a great dark horse for ROY. If McDaniels' can have a solid three months on offense, he could steal the award from Wiggins.

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2014 Rookie of the Year Results

Sixth Man of the Year

Manu Ginobili (San Antonio SG)- Ginobili seems to be on the ballot every year, and he continues to put up strong numbers for the Spurs. He is scoring 12.5 points, and dishing out 5.0 assists a game, which will be a career-high if that number holds for the 37-year-old. His 42% shooting could be a little better, but Ginobili is hitting 37% of his 3-point attempts, and barring an injury, will be in the sixth man conversation come April.

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Taj Gibson (Chicago PF)- Gibson finished second behind Jamal Crawford last season for the Sixth Man award, and his hustle and rebounding will one day earn him a starting job. For now, he his putting his talents to good use off the bench, putting up splits of 11.6/6.9/51% (Pts, Reb, FG%) in just under 29 minuets a game.

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Jamal Crawford (Los Angeles SG)- Much like Ginobili, Crawford is a name synonymous with top sixth men and he was also last years' winner of the award. His 3-point shooting and overall scoring ability remains constant for the Los angeles Clippers, and he will be contending for his third Sixth Man of the Year award in the Spring.

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2014 Sixth Man of the Year Results

Stay tuned for another article on the following award races- Most Improved, Defensive Player and Coach of the Year.

2014-15 NBA Standings 

Check out bunow.com for local and national stories will by Bloomsburg University students.

Follow me on twitter @Lower_Merion33

*All stats courtesy of ESPN

Nightly Recap- Dec. 10

Top Performances

Pau Gasol (Chicago PF/C)- Scored a career-high 46 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in a 95-87 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Gasol was simply in another world Saturday, as he hit 17 of his 30 shot attempts, and 12 of 13 free throws in the win. He has proven that he still has a lot left in the tank, and is having one of the best seasons of his career in Chicago.

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Austin Daye (San Antonio SF)- Recorded 22 points and 10 rebounds in a 108-93 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Daye's performance came out of nowhere, as he got the start due to injuries to Marco Belinelli and Manu Ginobili. Nonetheless, his scoring and rebounding should give head coach Greg Popovich the confidence to give him more minutes going forward.

Nikola Vucevic  (Orlando C)- Scored a season-high 34 points on 15 of 23 shooting in a 103-92 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Vucevic did everything he could to give the Magic a chance to win the game, including grabbing 16 rebounds, but it just wasn't enough. He continues to put up double-doubles, as he now has 21 of them in 40 games this season.

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Gorgui Dieng (Minnesota C)- Posted 18 points and 12 rebounds in a 108-93 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Dieng hit 7 of 11 shot attempts and also blocked four shots in the loss, and is progressing in a big way with Nikola Pekovic out due to injury.

David West (Indiana PF)- Tallied a season-high 28 points to go along with nine rebounds in a 93-92 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. West carried the Pacers with Roy Hibbert and C.J. Miles playing limited minutes due to injury and foul trouble. This kind of performance won't happen every night, but the big man out of Xavier proved he is still capable of scoring efficiently in a big way when Indiana needs him to do so.

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Play of the Night

Philadelphia 76ers' guards Tony Wroten and K.J. McDaniels put on a little show for the fans during their win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday. Wroten forced the steal on the defensive end, and then tossed the ball off of the backboard for McDaniels to slam home in front of the home crowd.

Link- http://gfycat.com/AridKeyBorderterrier

2014-15 NBA Standings 

Check out bunow.com for local and national stories will by Bloomsburg University students.

Follow me on twitter @Lower_Merion33

*All stats courtesy of ESPN

Rookie Recap- Dec. 1-7

K.J. McDaniels (Philadelphia SG)- McDaniels had yet another strong week, as the 76ers picked up their first two wins of the season. He averaged 9.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and a surprising 2.5 blocks per game in four games, while averaging a solid 33 minutes per game. McDaniels' best overall game came in Philly's first win of the season, an 85-77 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

He scored 12 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked four shots in the win. While his field goal percentage was down this week, McDaniels continues to excel on the defensive side of the floor, and is starting to attract attention around the NBA.

Link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DmEAuT8XC8

Jabari Parker (Milwaukee SF)- Parker had another strong scoring week, scoring 14.8 points in four games on 64% shooting from the field. The Duke product scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a 111-108 loss to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Parker continues to get better and better every week, and his 15.63 PER is on the rise, and a testament to his talents.

Link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwMWmzznCtE

Tarik Black (Houston PF)-  Black made the most of his playing time with Dwight Howard injured last week, and averaged 7.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in Houston's three contests. The 23-year-old recorded a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds in a 105-96 in over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, Dec. 3.

Black has not done much besides scoring and rebounding, but his field goal percentage (59%) is high enough where he will contribute on a nightly basis.

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Rookie Recap- Nov. 24-30

Zach LaVine (Minnesota PG/SG)- Averaged 13.3 ppg on 55% shooting from the field in three games this week. LaVine had a career-game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, Nov. 28. The UCLA product scored a career-high 28 points on 11-14 shooting, and dished out five assists. LaVine's  athleticism was on full display against L.A., and he will continue to grow as the season progresses.

LaVine's 2014 Stats- 7.3 ppg, 2.5 apg, 41% FG, 89% FT

K.J. McDaniels (Philadelphia SG)- Had yet another strong week for the 76ers, scoring 15 ppg on 47% shooting from the field. McDaniels posted a double-double against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, Nov. 29. He scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, further solidifying his place in the 76ers' rotation. McDaniel's upside is very high in terms of his defense and athleticism, and should develop nicely into a starter with all-star potential. Look for him to receive many votes for Rookie of the Year later in the season.

McDaniels' 2014 Stats- 10.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 47% FG, 40% 3PT

Rookies of the Week Nov. 3- Nov. 9.

It's that time of the week again, where I take a look at which rookies shined the most for their teams. Here's a recap below.

K.J. McDaniels (Philadelphia SG/SF)- Averaged 10.7 ppg on 47% shooting for the week. McDaniels scored a career-high 14 points on 5-9 shooting (3-4 3PM) in a 103-94 loss to the Houston Rockets on Monday, Nov. 3. The 21-year-old posted a respectable stat line (6 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast and 2 stls) in a 118-115 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday, Nov. 7. McDaniels has started to receive consistent minutes in the 76ers' rotation, and should continue to develop nicely as the season progresses.

Source- http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/visual/whatshot/100114_kj.jpg 

Elfrid Payton (Orlando PG)- Although the shooting numbers were less than ideal this past week (33% on 14-42 FG), Payton continues to fill up the stat sheet in other ways, averaging 4.3 rpg and 5.5 apg for the week. the Louisiana-Lafayette product's best overall game came in a 112-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, Nov. 7.  Payton scored 15 points (6-15 FG) to go along with five rebounds and four assists in the Magic's second win of the season. The 21-year-old continues to impress with his play on both ends of the court, and should be valuable to Orlando's rebuilding process.

Source- http://i.cdn.turner.com/drp/nba/magic/sites/default/files/promos/payton2_070114_760.jpg