The San Antonio Spurs got outworked by the Portand Trail Blazers in this 91-74 loss. The only solace I could take was that I was hanging out with Mike Lisboa of Bright Side of the Sun and the Suns effort in the previous game was worse. I'm not saying I'm glad we weren't that bad, I'm just saying that it tempered my sense of despair. I mean, what could I say with him around?
I'm not really comfortable calling anybody the player of the game in this one. DeJuan did have good numbers with 16 points and 11 rebounds. However, he took 16 shots to get those 16 points and he never looked to pass once he got the ball in the blocks no matter how unfavorable the situation looked.
This game gets the big "Meh" from me. George did not have a good game. Ian committed 4 fouls early. James Gist got a lot more burn. He was very active on the glass and defensively. He did not knock down any of his four 3 balls. He ended with 8 points and 5 rebounds.
For the Blazers, Dante Cunningham and Jeff Pendergraph were both very solid inside. Pendergraph had 14 and 10. Cunningham 14 and 2. Pooh Jeter was their best player 19 points and 4 assists. Jerryd Bayless had 18 points and 5 assists. The Blazers team, which came in winless, were far more aggressive throughout the game.
In other games:
- The Dallas Mavericks thumped the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have been abysmal, 73-54. James Harden got the ATS Microscope in this one. Rodrigue Beaubois had a strong game in this one with 23 points and 5 assists. He's really just a scoring guard though. If he isn't scoring for himself he is very ineffective. He does have a great high release on his jumper though that makes him very difficult to defend. Ahmad Nivins isn't filling up the box score but he does continue to show a nice stroke from the outside.
- The Chicago Bulls beat the New York Knicks in game 2 90-84. Jordan Hill got another trip under the microscope this time I had another critic with me to share observations. Hill ended with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 fouls. Bulls first round pick James Johnson had 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers, and 7 fouls. He was up-and-down in the game, but you can definitely see that he has a lot of tools. And he is a thick man. He's built for an 82 game season.
- The Memphis Grizzlies ran the Phoenix Suns out of the gym 97-60. Hasheem Thabeet showed a little bit in this one. He was active and aggressive. Sam Young, DeMarre Carroll, and Jeff Adrien were too much for the Suns forwards. The just out hustled, out rebounded, and out ran them.
- I didn't see any of the other games.