Rajon Rondo went scoreless for the first time all season in what was a very rough week for his team; Gorgui Dieng had his 11th and 12th double-doubles of the season and Russ Smith had a big week in the D-League.
Here’s a closer look at how Rondo and the two University of Louisville products on NBA rosters did in the 13th week of the season.
Rondo (Dallas Mavericks): The Louisville native, former University of Kentucky standout point guard and ninth-year pro averaged 7.5 points, four rebounds and six assists in four games for the Mavericks, who went 0-4.
Rondo tallied six points, two rebounds and four assists in Dallas’ 102-98 loss to Chicago this past Friday. He was 3 for 9 from the field and also had one steal and two turnovers in 27 minutes.
Two days later Rondo had 17 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in the Mavs’ 109-106 loss at New Orleans. He was 7 for 10 from the field, including 2 of 2 from 3-point range, and 1 of 2 from the free throw line. He also had two steals and two turnovers in 34 minutes.
Tuesday night Rondo had seven points, seven rebounds and five assists in Dallas’ 109-90 loss to visiting Memphis. He was 3 for 8 from the field, including 1 of 3 from 3-point range, and also had two steals and three turnovers in 28 minutes.
Rondo went scoreless with five rebounds and six assists the next night in the Mavs’ 99-94 loss at Houston. He was 0 for 7 from the field, including 0 of 2 from 3-point range, and also had one steal, one block and five turnovers in 34 minutes.
For the season Rondo is averaging 9.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and nine assists per game for the Mavs (30-17), who have slipped to seventh overall in the Western Conference.
Dieng (Minnesota Timberwolves): The second-year center from UofL averaged 11.3 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists in four games for the Timberwolves, who went 1-3 this past week.
Dieng had his 11th double-double (14 points, 15 rebounds) in Minnesota’s 92-84 loss to New Orleans on Friday. He was 6 for 12 from the field and 2 of 3 from the free throw line while also recording three assists, one blocked shot and three turnovers in 35 minutes.
Two days later Dieng tallied nine points, seven rebounds and four assists in the T-Wolves’ 112-100 loss at Atlanta. He was 3 for 6 from the field (including this miraculous basket) and 3 of 4 from the foul line while also registering one blocked shot and one turnover in 28 minutes.
The next night Dieng had six points and a season-high 18 rebounds in Minnesota’s 92-84 loss at Oklahoma City. He was 3 for 8 from the field and had three blocked shots, two assists, one steal and two turnovers in 36 minutes.
Wednesday night Dieng had one of his best games of the season, registering his 12th double-double (16 points, 14 rebounds) in the T-Wolves’ 110-98 win over visiting Boston. He was 6 for 11 from the field, including 0 of 1 from 3-point range, and 4 for 5 from the free throw line. Dieng also had three blocked shots, one assist and one turnover in 35 minutes.
Dieng is averaging 10 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game on the season for Minnesota (8-37), which has the worst record in the Western Conference.
Smith (Memphis Grizzlies): The rookie guard from UofL didn’t play in any games for the Grizzlies, but had a big week for the team’s NBA Development League affiliate, the Iowa Energy.
Russdiculous missed Memphis’ trio of wins (101-83 over Philadelphia this past Saturday, 103-94 over Orlando on Monday night and 109-90 at Dallas on Tuesday), but had 24, 19 and 30 points, respectively, in a trio of Energy wins on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday. In the latter victory a pair of Smith’s teammates got into a fight - and were subsequently ejected - during the game.
Smith, who averaged 0.8 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.3 assists in six appearances with the New Orleans Pelicans this season, is awaiting to see his first action with Memphis.
Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Timberwolves Facebook Page
