- Johnson, Durant Earn Weekly Honors
The Atlanta Hawks’ Joe Johnson and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played March 19-25. Johnson led the Hawks to a 4-1 week with averages of 23.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists. Johnson hit game-tying three-pointers vs. Cleveland on March 21 and Utah on March 25, as well as the game-winning three-pointer at Washington on March 24. Durant’s 29.5 ppg ranked second in the league (Kevin Love, 33.5), his 10.3 rpg ranked ninth, and his 2.0 spg tied for fifth best in the Western Conference as he helped the Thunder to a 3-1 week. More
- Working Overtime
The Atlanta Hawks needed four overtime periods Sunday to snap Utah’s six-game winning streak, defeating the Jazz 139-133. It was the NBA’s first four-overtime game since Nov. 14, 1997 (Phoenix 140, Portland 139). It marked the Hawks’ seventh OT game this season, tying the Denver Nuggets for the most in the 2011-12 campaign. Both teams are 5-2 in such games. The Houston Rockets have played six overtime games (2-4), followed the Los Angeles Lakers (4-1), Los Angeles Clippers (4-1), Miami Heat (2-3) and Jazz (2-3) with five each. According to NBA.com/Stats, the Hawks are averaging 17.6 points in OT (Atlanta scored a combined 41 points in yesterday’s four extra periods), second to the Oklahoma City Thunder (18.0 ppg), which has played three OT games, and lead all NBA teams averaging 8.3 rebounds in extra stanzas. The Hawks’ Offensive Rating (points scored per 100 possessions), 100.4 during regulation, jumps to 112.3 in overtime. Joe Johnson paces the Hawks in overtime scoring, averaging 6.1 points, while his Usage Percentage (the percentage of team plays used by a player when he is on the floor) is 35.0 percent compared with 28.9 percent overall. Stats also indicate the Hawks’ defense tightens in OT. In regulation, Atlanta holds opponents to .438 shooting form the field and .331 from beyond the arc; however, the percentages drop to .378 and .300, respectively, in OT.
Stats & Stuff:
- Chicago has not lost consecutive games in the regular season since Feb. 5-7, 2011, a span of 81 games, the longest streak in franchise history and the fifth longest in NBA history. The Utah Jazz owns the longest streak: 95 games (Nov. 22, 1997-March 19, 1999).
- In five games since his return from a torn right MCL, Memphis’ Zach Randolph is averaging 15.4 points and 7.8 rebounds in 28.6 mpg.
- Milwaukee owns a five-game road winning streak, with the last three road wins coming by at least 20 points. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this is the first time in franchise history that the team has won three consecutive road games by 20 or more points.
- Minnesota’s Kevin Love scored 30 points and grabbed 21 rebounds in the Timberwolves’ 117-100 victory over the Nuggets. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the seventh 30/20 game of Love’s four-year NBA career, matching the total posted by all other players in Timberwolves history combined (Kevin Garnett had five 30/20 games and Al Jefferson had two).
- Orlando’s Dwight Howard has 40 double-doubles this season and now has 454 double-doubles during his career (the most in the NBA since he entered the league in 2004-05). In 2010-11, he led the NBA with 66 double-doubles. Howard also led the NBA in 2009-10 with 64 double-doubles. He set the club record for most double-doubles in a season in 2007-08 with an NBA-best 69.
- In his career, Chris Paul’s teams are 154-88 when he records over 10 assists and 40-12 when he dishes for 15 or more assists. This season, the Clippers are 9-6 when Paul has at least 10 assists and 1-0 when he reaches 15 assists.
- Over his last five games, Sacramento’s Jason Thompson is averaging 17.6 points on .655 shooting and 13.6 rebounds. Overall, Thompson is averaging 8.7 points on .523 shooting and 6.9 rebounds.