Rajon Rondo had his third 20-point effort with his new team, Gorgui Dieng tallied his ninth and 10th double-doubles of the season and Russ Smith got a new home.
Here’s a closer look at how Rondo and the two University of Louisville products on NBA rosters did in the 11th week of the season.
Rondo (Dallas Mavericks): The Louisville native, former University of Kentucky standout point guard and ninth-year pro averaged 11.5 points, four rebounds and 7.5 assists in two games with the Mavericks.
Last Saturday night Rondo tallied two points, three rebounds and eight assists in the Mavs’ 120-100 loss at the Los Angeles Clippers. He has an abysmal 1 for 11 from the field, including 0 of 3 from 3-point range, and also had one steal and one turnover in 27 minutes.
He bounced back, though, three nights later with 21 points (his third 20-plus outing in 12 games with his new team), five rebounds and seven assists in Dallas’ 108-104 overtime win at Sacramento on Tuesday. Rondo (pictured above) was 10 for 16 from the field, including 1 of 2 from 3-point range (the go-ahead shot in OT), and 0 for 3 from the free throw line. He also had four steals and three turnovers in 38 minutes.
The next night Rondo, as well as Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler, sat out to rest as the Mavericks fell 114-107 at Denver.
For the season Rondo is averaging 9.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game for the Mavs (27-13).
Dieng (Minnesota Timberwolves): The second-year center from UofL averaged 10.7 points, nine rebounds, three blocked shots and three assists in three games for the Timberwolves, who went 1-2 this past week.
Last Friday night Dieng had four points, five rebounds and three blocked shots in Minnesota’s 98-84 loss at Milwaukee. He was 2 for 2 from the field and also had two assists, one steal and three turnovers in 28 minutes.
The next night Dieng had 18 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks in the T-Wolves’ 108-93 loss against San Antonio. He was 7 for 11 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free throw line while also registering one assist and one steal in 31 minutes.
Then, overshadowed by teammate Mo Williams’ franchise-record 52-point effort, Dieng tallied 10 points, 10 rebounds (his 10th double-double of the season) and six assists in Minnesota’s 110-101 win - which ended the T-Wolves’ 15-game losing streak - at Indiana on Tuesday night. He was 3 for 7 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free throw line while also recording three steals, two blocked shots and four turnovers in 38 minutes.
Dieng is averaging 9.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game on the season for Minnesota (6-31), which is fifth in the Northwest Division and has the worst record in the Western Conference.
Smith (Memphis Grizzlies): The rookie guard from UofL, who had played in six games for the New Orleans Pelicans, was traded late last week to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Russdiculous was included in a three-team (Grizzlies, Pelicans and the Boston Celtics), five-player trade that also involved former UK standout Tayshaun Prince, who was shipped from Memphis to Boston.
Smith was recalled from the NBA Development League’s Fort Wayne Mad Ants, for whom he’s averaged 15.1 points and 5.9 assists in seven games, by the Grizzlies on Wednesday.
Smith, who averaged 0.8 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.3 assists with the Pelicans, is awaiting to see his first action with Memphis.
Photo courtesy of the Dallas Mavericks Facebook Page
