Rajon Rondo had a subpar week (for him anyway), Gorgui Dieng solidified himself as a starter, Francisco Garcia had some quality PT off the bench and Russ Smith saw his second action of the season. Here’s a closer look at how Rondo and the trio of University of Louisville products on NBA rosters did in the fourth week of the season.
Rondo (Boston Celtics): The Louisville native, former University of Kentucky standout point guard and ninth-year pro had his worst game of the season - four points, five rebounds and four assists - in the Celtics’ 117-100 loss at Memphis this past Friday night. He was 2 for 6 from the field, including 0 of 1 from 3-point range, and had two turnovers and one steal in 28 minutes.
Rondo bounced back, though, with 13 points, eight assists and six rebounds in Boston’s 94-88 loss to Portland on Sunday. He was 6 for 9 from the field and 1 of 2 from the free throw line while recording two steals and committing two turnovers in 35 minutes.
For the season Rondo is averaging 10.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and a league-leading 10.7 assists for the Celtics (4-8).
Dieng (Minnesota Timberwolves): The second-year center from UofL is coming off a very productive week, in a trio of starts, for Minnesota.
First he scored nine points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots in the Timberwolves’ 121-92 loss to visiting San Antonio this past Friday night. He was 3 for 8 from the field and 3 of 4 from the foul line while also dishing out one assist, recording one steal and committing two turnovers in 30 minutes.
The next night Dieng recorded a double-double (12 points and 10 rebounds) in Minnesota’s 113-101 loss to visiting Sacramento. He was 5 for 10 from the field and 2 of 2 from the foul line while also recording two blocks, two steals, one assist and one turnover in 39 minutes.
Then, Wednesday night, Dieng had four points and eight rebounds in the T-Wolves’ 103-86 loss to visiting Milwaukee. He was 1 for 3 from the field and 2 of 2 from the free throw line while also recording two blocks, two steals and one assist in 36 minutes.
Dieng is averaging 8.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game for Minnesota (3-10).
Garcia (Houston Rockets): The 10th year swingman from UofL is averaging 2.7 points per game in a reserve role for the Rockets (12-3), who went 3-0 this past week.
He tallied two points in the Rockets’ 95-92 win over visiting Dallas this past Saturday night. He was 1 for 6 from the field, including 0 of 4 from 3-point range, and had one rebound and one assist in 15 minutes off the bench.
Two nights later Garcia tallied five points in a season-high 23 minutes in Houston’s 91-86 win over the visiting Knicks. He was 2 for 4 from the field, including 1 of 3 from 3-point range, and also recorded three assists, three rebounds and one steal.
Then, Wednesday night, he scored four points in the Rockets’ 102-89 win over visiting Sacramento. He was 2 for 7 from the field, including 0 of 1 from 3-point range, and 0 for 1 from the foul line while also recording three rebounds, two assists and one steal in 16 minutes.
Smith (New Orleans Pelicans): The rookie guard (pictured above) from UofL made his second appearance of the season this past Saturday night.
After being inactive for New Orleans’ 117-97 loss at Denver this past Friday, Smith played five scoreless minutes in the Pelicans’ 106-94 win at Utah the next night. He was 0 for 1 from 3-point range and also had one rebound and three fouls. It was his first game action since going scoreless in four minutes in his debut Nov. 4 against Charlotte.
Russdiculous was back to inactive, however, for New Orleans’ 99-89 loss to Sacramento on Tuesday night.
Photo courtesy of the New Orleans Pelicans Facebook Page
