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Greetings all, please join me in welcoming back the 206 Tracker.
There were nine NBA games tonight, and when there is NBA action, you can all but guarantee that their are some guys with ties to the Pacific Northwest playing.
Let's get to it.
Boston Celtics forward Jeff Green, had a big night, pouring in 28 points in a 118-114 loss to the Phoenix Suns. The former SuperSonic attacked the paint hard with a combination of creative drives and post ups, including a couple monstrous dunks. Green finished 10-17 from the field despite shooting 0-4 from three, and carried the offense for the scrappy Celtics all night.
At this point in his career, it's probably safe to say that Jeff Green simply cannot put up number like this every night. However, Green is known to have a game like this from time to time, and it is always a pleasant surprise when it happens. Hopefully, Green proves me wrong and puts up numbers like this more often, taking the proverbial "next step" in his development process.
PNWer | PTS | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | OREB | DREB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | MIN |
Jeff Green (Celtics) | 28 | 10-17 | 0-4 | 8-9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 36 |
Jamal Crawford (Clippers) | 24 | 10-17 | 1-5 | 3-5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 27 |
Avery Bradley (Celtics) | 16 | 7-13 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 33 |
Quincy Pondexter (Grizzlies) | 13 | 5-14 | 3-8 | 0-0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
Aron Baynes (Spurs) | 12 | 5-8 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 19 |
Nate Robinson (Nuggets) | 9 | 3-7 | 3-3 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Austin Daye (Spurs) | 9 | 4-10 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 20 |
Tony Wroten (76ers) | 8 | 4-14 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 30 |
Jason Terry (Rockets) | 8 | 2-5 | 2-5 | 2-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 18 |
Spencer Hawes (Clippers) | 8 | 3-7 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
Aaron Brooks (Bulls) | 7 | 3-8 | 0-3 | 1-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
Isaiah Thomas (Suns) | 5 | 1-8 | 0-2 | 3-3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 21 |
Luke Ridnour (Magic) | 5 | 2-4 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
Joe Harris (Cavaliers) | 3 | 1-5 | 1-5 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
Nick Johnson (Rockets) | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
C.J. Wilcox (Clippers) | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kelly Olynyk (Celtics) | 0 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
Staying with the Celtics, Avery Bradley also had a solid night, pitching in 16 points in 33 minutes. His perimeter defense was up to par, pestering Eric Bledsoe (15 points, 5-12 FG) and Isaiah Thomas all night, holding two thirds of the point guard trio in check (Goran Dragic had 22 points on 9-15 shooting).
Consequentially, Isaiah Thomas was nonexistent throughout the game, scoring just five points on a miserable 1-8 from the field, in 22 minutes. The three point guard rotation has not been an easy adjustment for any of the three, with Thomas the one struggling with his role tonight. He was unable to get into a rhythm, appearing unsure when to attack and when to create for others. That indecisiveness caused Thomas to force the issue, and Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek left him on the bench during crunch time as a result.
The Suns are a fun team, and I am a big fan of all three of their point guards, but the fit has looked awkward to this point, and I am beginning to question whether or not this gamble will pay off for the Suns long term. For Isaiah's sake, let's hope it does.
The Los Angeles Clippers and Chicago Bulls match up featured four players with ties to the Pacific Northwest last night.
Jamal Crawford filled it up, scoring 24 points on 10-17 from the field in just 27 minutes. He scored using an array of dazzling handles to set up his crafty pull-up jumpers, creating a good amount of space in isolated situations. He only connected on one three pointer, but he also added five assists, and was the primary ball handler for the Clippers second unit. Spencer Hawes contributed 8 points and two three pointers, but the Clippers fell short, losing 105-89.
Memphis Grizzlies forward Quincy Pondexter helped his team knock off the Houston Rockets, 119-93, as they improved to 10-1 on the season. Q-Pon added 13 points in the winning effort, connecting on three of his eight three point attempts. His presence helped the Grizzlies space the floor, something they've desperately lacked since last season, due to his absence.
That's it for me, I hope you enjoyed last nights games and the return of the 206 Tracker as much as I did.