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There were only three games in the NBA Thursday, and only four players with ties to the Pacific Northwest saw action. Klay Thompson and Rodney Stuckey had big nights and saved this from being the shortest 206 Tracker of the season.
Thompson shot the ball very well, scoring 23 points on 8-16 from the floor, and also knocked down five threes. The Hornets Pelicans had no answers for Thompson, or any of the Warriors guards for that matter. The Warriors opened up the second quarter on a 20-4 run and the Pelicans were never able to recover.
A victory for Klay's squad seemed like a matter of time after that second quarter dismantling. Thompson also added five assists, which is a great sign for Warriors fans. He has already shown that he can attack the rim more effectively this season. This is evident by his increase of 5.5 drives (defined as: Any touch that starts at least 20 feet of the hoop and is dribbled within 10 feet of the hoop and excludes fast breaks) per game, up from 2.8 a season ago (per NBA.com stats). If he is also able to create for his teammates, watch out.
PNWer | PTS | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | OREB | DREB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | MIN |
Klay Thompson (Warriors) | 23 | 8-16 | 5-8 | 2-4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 33 |
Rodney Stuckey (Pacers) | 16 | 7-15 | 0-1 | 2-2 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 29 |
Joe Harris (Cavaliers) | 2 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Justin Holliday (Warriors) | 2 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Former Washington Husky Justin Holiday played the role of human victory cigar for the Warriors tonight, as he checked in for the final two minutes of the game. Justin is Philadelphia 76ers point guard Jrue Holiday's younger brother. Even though Jrue was out of the game, by the time Justin checked in, it was still a cool moment. Justin threw down a sweet alley-oop dunk (apparently there is no vine of it) as the Warriors dispatched the New Orleans Pelicans 112-85.
Rodney Stuckey had a solid outing against the Portland Trailblazers, unbeknownst to most, he has had a solid season so far. He scored 16 points, shooting 46% from the floor, and also added six rebounds and five assists. Though it was all for not, as the Pacers were unable to leave the Rose Garden with a victory, falling 88-82.
Joe Harris checked in for a mere four minutes tonight, recording two points as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the New York Knicks 90-87, avenging their opening night loss. Just think, if Joe hadn't hit his second quarter mid-range jump shot, the Cavs would have only won by one!
There are 12 games on the docket tomorrow, and 206 Tracker stars such as Isaiah Thomas, Jeff Green and Tony Wroten will be back in action, not to mention Kevin Durant. Check back here to see how they do!
For more Cavaliers: Fear the Sword | Knicks: Posting & Toasting
For more Pacers: Indy Cornrows | Trail Blazers: Blazer's Edge
For more Pelicans: The Bird Writes | Warriors: Golden State of Mind