Rajon Rondo continued to be sidelined and Gorgui Dieng had a so-so week off the bench, but Russ Smith made his debut with Memphis.
Here’s a closer look at how Rondo and the two University of Louisville products on NBA rosters did in the 15th week of the season.
Rondo (Dallas Mavericks): The Louisville native, former University of Kentucky standout point guard and ninth-year pro continued to be sidelined after suffering an orbital and nasal fracture Jan. 31 against Orlando. He missed all four of the Mavs’ games - their 101-78 win at Sacramento last Thursday, their 111-101 overtime triumph against Portland on Saturday, their 115-98 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday and their 87-82 win over Utah on Wednesday night - this past week.
For the season Rondo is averaging 8.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game for the Mavs (36-19), who are third in the Southwest Division.
Dieng (Minnesota Timberwolves): The second-year center from UofL averaged 3.5 points, six rebounds, two assists in four games off the bench for the Timberwolves, who went 2-2 this past week.
Dieng had four points and seven rebounds in the T-Wolves’ 90-89 win over Memphis last Friday. He was 2 for 4 from the field and also had one turnover in 21 minutes.
Sunday, Dieng tallied two points and three rebounds in Minnesota’s 112-101 win - its third in a row. He was 1 for 4 from the field and also had one assist, one steal and three turnovers in 15 minutes.
The T-Wolves win streak came to end an end Monday night against Atlanta despite a big game - six points, a game-high 12 rebounds and a season-high five blocked shots - from Dieng in the Hawks’ 117-105 win. He was 3 for 6 from the field and also had three assists and one steal in 24 minutes.
Dieng had two points and two rebounds in Minnesota’s 94-91 loss to Golden State on Wednesday night. He was 0-for-5 from the field and 2 of 4 from the free throw line while also registering two assists and one turnover in a season-low tying 14 minutes of action.
Dieng is averaging 9.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game on the season for Minnesota (11-42).
Smith (Memphis Grizzlies): The rookie guard from UofL had another good week for the Iowa Energy, the Grizzlies’ NBA Development League affiliate, then made his debut with Memphis.
Russdiculous missed the Grizzlies’ 90-89 loss at Minnesota last Friday, their 94-88 victory over Atlanta on Sunday and their 95-86 beating of Brooklyn on Tuesday while tallying 12, 10 and 14 points, respectively, in three games for the Energy last Thursday, Saturday and Tuesday before being recalled by Grizzlies.
Then Wednesday night he scored five points in four minutes in Memphis’ 105-89 loss at Oklahoma City. He was 1 for 2 from the field and 3 of 4 from the free throw line while also recording one assist and one steal against the Thunder.
Smith, who is averaging 16.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists this season in the D-League, is averaging 1.4 points per game this season in six games with the New Orleans Pelicans and one game with Memphis (39-14), which is leading the Southwest Division.
Photo courtesy of the Memphis Grizzlies Facebook Page
