The Global Top 10 is your weekly guide to NBA global news. In this week's edition find out who is happy in their new how, who is exceeding expectations and who impressed New Jersey fans.
Scola Is Helpful in Houston
Houston's Friday night triumph over the Bobcats marked the team's 21st consecutive win. With the victory they pased the 1970-1971 Milwaukee Bucks'
win-streak of 20 games. Only the 1971-972 Lakers have more consecutive wins, with 33. With
Yao Ming sidelined, and 17-year vet
Dikembe Mutombo in his place, each member of the Rockets' squad was a crucial component in every win. Rookie
Luis Scola made his contribution on both ends of the floor. In Houston's 89-80 win over the Bobcats the Argentina-native logged 13 points, six boards and one steal. The theft came in the third quarter when Scola stripped
Raymond Felton at halfcourt and then capitalized on the play by driving to the basket and grabbing two points. For his stellar display of intensity on the defensive end, the 6-9 forward received the Steal of the Night honor.
Video:
Scola: Steal of the Night
1. Scola Is Helpful in Houston
Houston's Friday night triumph over the Bobcats marked the team's 21st consecutive win. With the victory they pased the 1970-1971 Milwaukee Bucks'
win-streak of 20 games. Only the 1971-972 Lakers have more consecutive wins, with 33. With
Yao Ming sidelined, and 17-year vet
Dikembe Mutombo in his place, each member of the Rockets' squad was a crucial component in every win. Rookie
Luis Scola made his contribution on both ends of the floor. In Houston's 89-80 win over the Bobcats the Argentina-native logged 13 points, six boards and one steal. The theft came in the third quarter when Scola stripped
Raymond Felton at halfcourt and then capitalized on the play by driving to the basket and grabbing two points. For his stellar display of intensity on the defensive end, the 6-9 forward received the Steal of the Night honor.
Video:
Scola: Steal of the Night
2. Horford Exceeds Expectations
While at the start of season many believed
Kevin Durant was a lock for the Rookie of the Year accolade,
Al Horford has since made it a tight race. The Dominican-Republic native continued to make his case for the award on Monday night when the Hawks defeated the Wizards 105-96. Despite the fact that he matched up against
Brendan Haywood who has a two-inch advantage over him, the former Florida Gator dominated the paint all night long. Horford logged a game-high 15 rebounds along with 12 points and a career-high six dimes. As the rookie has been a major asset to the team all season long, an elated Hawks coach Mike Woodson told the
Atlanta-Journal Constitution, "I respect everything he's done for us on and off the floor. He's never complained about a thing. He just comes to work every day and gives you his all when he's out there on the floor. He's been a positive influence on my life; I mean he's huge. I love Al Horford. I love him."
3. Phoenix Finds Its Rhythm
While some thought the Phoenix Suns would lose their touch when The Big Aristotle came to town, the Suns recent six-game win streak has many eating their words. On Tuesday night the Suns downed the Blazers 111-98, marking their fifth consecutive win. With six players from the desert scoring in double digits, the win was without question a team effort. At the point
Steve Nash fulfilled several pivotal needs for the team, including catalyzing plays and nailing shots from downtown. In the victory Captain Canada registered 22 points and eight dimes as he drained 9-of-16 shots from the field and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. After getting burned by the Suns, Portland's
Joel Przybilla acknowledged to the
East Valley Tribune, "They look like they’re jelling. They are playing like the team they were talking about they were going to be."
Photo: Nash has his eye on the prize
4.Giricek: Happy in His New Home
First Utah then Philadelphia and now Phoenix. How many teams can one guy play for in a single season? Fortunately for
Gordan Giricek it looks like he will stop at three, as it appears he has finally found a home in Phoenix. On the season Giricek has compiled averages of 4.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.9 dimes in 12.4 minutes, making him nearly invisible to his opponents. On Saturday against the Kings, the Croatia-native made sure Sacramento knew exactly who he was as he tallied 23 points, five boards, five dimes and two steals in 33 minutes. A spark off the bench for the Suns, the six-year vet scored the second most points for the Suns' in their 127-99 victory. Following the matchup an excited Giricek told
HOOPSWORLD, "I am doing things I haven't done the last three years. The moves are coming back to me, I am playing on instinct and I am starting to get my legs under and the most important thing I am getting confident.
5.Manu: Not a Starter but a Star
While
Manu Ginobili may no longer be a starter, he continues to be a star. The sixth man helped his team gain a 22-point advantage over the Celtics on Monday night but the Spurs failed to maintain the lead as they fell to the first seeded squad in the East, 93-91. Despite the disappointing defeat, blogger
Andrew Palumbo believes, " Manu Ginobili—in this Celtics fan's humble opinion—was the best player of the game." With a boxscore at hand, it would be hard to argue otherwise as the Argentina-native registered a game-high 32 points, shooting 10-of-18 from the field, 4-of-7 from three-point land and 8-of-8 from the charity stripe.
6. Luol Deng Impresses Fans
As the Nets currently own the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, the tenth seeded Chicago Bulls knew Tuesday night's game against New Jersey was a must win. Leader
Luol Deng paced the squad with 20 points. In the second period he had fans wide-eyed and amazed with a dunk that set in motion a 16-0 run. By halftime Chicago had buried New Jersey into a 58-34 hole. New Jersey could not recover and the Bulls walked a way with a 112-96 victory. After the game the Sudan-native told the
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "We knew it was a big game. We know we're chasing them (Nets). We didn't want them to get away. It was a really big game and everyone showed up for it."
7. Hedo Leads the Magic to Victory
Orlando's 122-111 victory over Indiana on Saturday night was more than any other old win. The win clinched a postseason berth. Leading the way for the Magic was Turkey-native
Hedo Turkoglu who registered a game-high 27 points along with six dimes in 40 minutes. The star forward nailed 13-of-23 from the field and 1-of -4 from downtown. While the victory guarantees the squad a postseason appearance, the Magic who currently own the third seed in the East, refuse to get comfortable. Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy told the
Daytona Beach News-Journal, "We've still got a lot to play for."
8. Navarro Paces Memphis in Win
Memphis snapped their four-game losing streak when they defeated the Bobcats 98-80 on Monday night. Rather than an experienced vet leading the team to victory, first-year
Juan Carlos Navarro paced the Grizzlies with 21 points. The Spanish guard drained 7-of-11 from the field, 3-of-5 from downtown and 4-of-5 from the charity stripe. After a rough few games and even a bumpy first half, Navarro's teammate
Mike Conley told the
Memphis Commercial Appeal, "At halftime we came together. All of us were sick and tired of being down. We wanted to fight back. Guys showed a lot of effort." Armed with the will to win, the young squad just may have learned that desire and effort is their most powerful weapon.
9. Ilgauskas Chips In 20
Although
Zydrunas Ilgauskas has only recently returned from a seven-game hiatus that was a result of a back injury, the 7-3 center appears to already be back in the swing of things. When Cleveland faced Detroit on Wednesday night, Ilgauskas chipped in 20 points and a team-high eight rebounds en route to the Cavaliers' 89-73 victory. His deft shooting skills were apparent as he nailed 9-of-14 from the field and 2-of-3 from the charity stripe. The Lithuania-native also successfully patrolled the paint, holding Detroit's big man,
Rasheed Wallace to 16 points and six boards. With the Big Z back on the floor, Cleveland has upped their stock as the postseason steadily approaches.
Photo:
Big Z fires away
10. Pietrus Registers a Double-Double
Each player and every game matters for the Golden State Warriors. As they continue to hang on tight to the eighth seed in the West, they know that they have to leave everything on the floor if they want to make a postseason appearance. Wednesday night when the Warriors faced the Clippers, Golden State played with a refuse to lose attitude. Golden State led by as many as 26 points as they achieved balance scoring. While many of Golden State's players put points on the board, only
Mickael Pietrus registered a double-double for the squad with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Following the matchup Pietrus' teammate
Stephen Jackson explained to the
AP, "It's definitely good to come out here and take care of business tonight because we have a tough schedule coming. It's going to make or break our season, and we don't want to let the season go to waste by not making the playoffs."
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