Rajon Rondo helped his new team to three straight wins and registered the 1,000th steal of his career, Gorgui Dieng had another double-double and Russ Smith saw some brief action.
Here’s a closer look at how Rondo and the two University of Louisville products on NBA rosters did in the ninth week of the season.
Rondo (Dallas Mavericks): The Louisville native, former University of Kentucky standout point guard and ninth-year pro averaged 15.7 points, five rebounds and 6.3 assists in his second week with the Mavericks, who went 3-0.
He had a season-high 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in Dallas’ 102-98 win over the visiting Lakers this past Friday. He was 10 for 17 from the field, including 1 of 1 from 3-point range, and also had one steal and five turnovers in 35 minutes.
Two days later he had 15 points, six rebounds and seven assists in the Mavs’ 112-107 victory over visiting Oklahoma City. He was 7 for 17 from the field, including 0 of 1 from 3-point range, and 1 for 4 from the free throw line. Rondo also had two steals and two turnovers in 34 minutes.
Then Tuesday night he had 11 points, five assists and one rebound in Dallas’ 114-87 win over visiting Washington. He was 4 for 10 from the field, including 0 of 1 from 3-point range, and 3 for 4 from the free throw line. He also had one steal (the 1,000th of his career), three turnovers and five fouls in 28 minutes.
For the season Rondo is averaging 9.3 points, seven rebounds and 10.1 assists per game for the Mavs (23-10).
Dieng (Minnesota Timberwolves): The second-year center from UofL averaged 10 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in three games for the Timberwolves, who went 0-3 on the road.
He had 14 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots in Minnesota’s 106-102 loss at Denver this past Friday. Dieng was 5 for 12 from the field and 4 of 6 from the free throw line. He also had two assists and two steals in 36 minutes.
The next night he had eight points, six rebounds, two blocked shots and two assists in the T-Wolves’ 110-97 loss at Golden State. Dieng was 2 for 6 from the field and 4 of 6 from the free throw line while also committing three turnovers in 26 minutes.
Then Tuesday night he tallied eight points, six rebounds and six assists in Minnesota’s 100-94 loss at Utah. He was 4 for 9 from the field, including 0 of 1 from 3-point range while also recording two blocks, one steal and three turnovers in 34 minutes.
Dieng is averaging 9.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game on the season for Minnesota (5-25), which is fifth in the Northwest Division and has the worst record in the Western Conference.
Smith (New Orleans Pelicans): The rookie guard from UofL played in his fifth game of the season for the Pelicans.
Smith played less than a minute, not registering a point, rebound or assist, in New Orleans’ 97-90 win over San Antonio this past Friday.
Then Russdiculous didn’t play in the Pelicans’ 107-100 loss at Chicago on Saturday, 110-106 win over Phoenix on Tuesday and their 95-93 overtime loss at San Antonio on Wednesday.
So far Smith is averaging one point in five games for the Pelicans (16-16) this season.
Photo courtesy of the Dallas Mavericks Facebook Page
