In this week's roundup of former Blue Devils in the NBA, Kyrie Irving and the Cavaliers get back on track, J.J. Redick and the Clippers start clicking from long-range, and Gerald Henderson and Miles Plumlee each turn in highlight-worthy plays.
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers: Fresh off the debut of his Nike sneakers, Irving flirted with another potential injury this week. Cavalier fans were on pins and needles Thursday night after Irving was sent to the locker room with a left knee injury suffered in the first half of Cleveland's game at Oklahoma City. The point guard landed awkwardly after contesting a Russell Westbrook jumper and immediately fell to the floor, but re-entered the contest after halftime and scored 20 points in a loss.
Jabari Parker, Milwaukee Bucks: The Bucks played just two games this week, and Parker was a model of consistency for Jason Kidd's squad, albeit in losing efforts. The rookie scored 15 points in each contest, shooting 7-for-12 from the field against Dallas and 7-for-13 against Oklahoma City. Parker is averaging 29.9 minutes per game this season on a Milwaukee team that sits in sixth place in the Eastern Conference despite its 11-12 record.
Gerald Henderson, Charlotte Hornets: The five-year veteran played a season-high-tying 37 minutes in Friday night's 113-107 double-overtime loss at Memphis. Although Henderson scored just 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting against the Grizzlies, it was his miraculous tip-in at the buzzer that gave the fans on hand some bonus basketball. After an errant Kemba Walker 3-point attempt and a missed Gary Neal tap, Henderson crashed the glass and tipped the ball back up with his right palm with 0.7 ticks left. The last-ditch attempt got a fortuitous bounce off the backboard and dropped in to tie the game and send it to overtime.
Rodney Hood, Utah Jazz: It was a rough week for the 23rd overall pick in this year's draft, as Hood was limited to 12 total points in the Jazz's three games, and was shut out entirely Monday against Sacramento. The rookie's first two career double-digit scoring games both came last week, but Hood couldn't build off that success this week as he continues to get back in the groove after a 10-game hiatus with a foot injury. Against Miami Friday night, he scored as many points—five—as he committed fouls.
J.J. Redick, Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers had their nine-game winning streak snapped Friday against Washington, with Redick limited to just 10 points on four-of-nine shooting. The sharp-shooter scored in double-figures in all nine games of Los Angeles' streak, including four games with four or more triples.
Carlos Boozer, Los Angeles Lakers: Boozer's Lakers have struggled mightily this season, but Los Angeles showed its mettle Friday night in a primetime showdown with the defending champion Spurs in San Antonio. Battling down low with Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter, Boozer turned in a double-double—his third of the season—posting 14 points and 13 rebounds as the Lakers held on to beat San Antonio in overtime. Boozer is averaging 15.6 points per game in Laker wins this season, and 11.2 points per contest in losses.
Miles Plumlee, Phoenix Suns: The Suns lost all four of their games this week by a combined 14 points. The eldest Plumlee was not much of a contributor in the first three contests, totaling eight points, but turned in 10 points and six rebounds Friday night against Detroit. The highlight of the week for Plumlee was an emphatic rejection of a Dwayne Wade shot Tuesday against Miami, as the big man sent the ball right back where it come from—specifically into Wade's forehead.
Mason Plumlee, Brooklyn Nets: Plumlee saw a significant increase in court time late in the week, playing 28 minutes in a blowout loss to Chicago and a season-high 35 minutes in an 18-point win against cellar-dweller Philadelphia. Against the 76ers, Plumlee also recorded a season-high 18 points and snagged 10 rebounds, good for his second double-double of the season.
Austin Rivers, New Orleans Pelicans: The success has still yet to materialize for Rivers in his third year in New Orleans, as the guard is averaging 6.7 points in 21.6 minutes per game. The Pelicans played five games in seven nights, with Rivers tallying double-digits just once, an 11-point performance—which relied on a perfect 7-for-7 evening at the charity stripe—in Friday's win against Irving's Cavaliers.
Elton Brand, Atlanta Hawks: After not seeing the court in Atlanta's previous three contests, Brand played 12 minutes Friday against the Magic. The former top overall pick didn't attempt a shot, finishing with one point and two rebounds in an 87-81 win.
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