Crescendo: A Utah Jazz MyLeague

[JazzMan]

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Burke Hits Game-Winning Three In OT

What a game.

Trey Burke stepped up late to score 11 points in the overtime period, including 3 three-pointers. With 4 seconds left in the game, Burke hit a three right in Zach LaVine's face to take a 104 to 101 lead, which would eventually end up being the final score of the game. But let's rewind a bit.

The Wolves came into this game riding a 29-18 record, which, let's face it, is pretty remarkable and unexpected for this young bunch. Karl-Anthony Towns is legit. Andrew Wiggins is a stud. Ricky Rubio is an improved player. LaVine is coming into his own. And they have a core of young and old guys surrounding them. They're truly a well-built team and will wreck havok on the league for years to come.

But tonight was simply the Jazz's night. Utah had lost three straight games; Saturday night against Washington, Monday night against Detroit, and Wednesday night against Charlotte. This losing streak came immediately after the Jazz went on a 10-3 stretch which got them over .500 for the first time since November. Morale was down, especially after dropping the last two games at home to start a six-game homestand, but the team did not give up. Tonight was a team effort. Everybody contributed in one way or another.

Gordon Hayward started the night out shooting very poorly, and up until the fourth, he didn't contribute much on the offensive end. But then he came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 points and sinking 3 three-pointers, including one to take the lead late in the quarter. However, Zach LaVine answered back, sending the game to overtime. Hayward fouled out in the first minute of overtime, forcing the Jazz to bring in Trey Burke, who wound up being the hero that the Jazz needed to win the game.

Derrick Favors finished with a stuffed statsheet. He had 19 points, 11 boards, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 4 blocks while shooting 50% from the floor. However, he shot just 5-9 from the line, which proved costly late for the team. Fellow big man Rudy Gobert finished with quite the statsheet himself, going for 9 points, 11 boards, 4 assists, and 4 blocks.

But it was the heroics of Alec Burks and Trey Burke off of the bench that were key in the win. Burke had 16 points off of the bench, including 11 in overtime, while shooting 6-12 and 3-5 from three. Burks finished with 15 points, 5 boards, and 3 assists while shooting 7-10 from the floor. It was a great night for Burke and Burks, or "The Lawfirm," as some Jazz fans have dubbed the backcourt bench duo.

With three more games left in the homestand followed by a three game roadtrip, the Jazz have a good chance of going into the All-Star Break with a winning record.

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[JazzMan]

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Jazz Make Move, Acquire Injured Z-Bo

This is a bit of a risky move.

The Jazz are making a splash in the trade pool today by trading for injured Memphis big man Zach Randolph. Randolph is currently nursing a spinal injury and should be out for at least 2 more months, but should he return come playoff time, he should be a huge pickup for Utah. His experience and leadership alone will be a big pickup, but he can still get it done on the court when healthy, too.

Z-Bo suffered the injury in the first game of the season after playing just 13 minutes. In those 13 minutes, he got 8 points, 10 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Z-Bo should be able to provide good scoring and rebounding off of the bench behind Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert.

The Jazz traded away forward Trevor Booker, a 2017 1st (Warriors), 2016 2nd (Warriors), and 2017 2nd (Pistons). Booker has fallen out of the rotation in favor of Trey Lyles and Jeff Withey, but he should get considerable playing time in Memphis next to Marc Gasol.

For Memphis, this is a no brainer. They shed Z-Bo's 2 year, $20M contract in favor of Trevor Booker's 1 year, $4.78M contract, and they also get a few picks in compensation.

[JazzMan]

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WEEK 14 RECAP (24-23)

Well, the week could have gone better, but at least we were treated to a win to end the week. Aside from games, we also got ourselves some interesting Jazz news all week. First and foremost is the trade for Zach Randolph. Randolph brings toughness, leadership, experience, scoring, and rebounding to the team, and he can be a very valuable mentor for the young big guys like Favors, Gobert, and Lyles. Great pick up for the Jazz, even if Z-Bo can't play for another couple months due to injury.

This trade sent Trevor Booker out of Utah. While Booker was never the most consistent or most skilled player, players, coaches, and fans all loved his grit, hustle, and grind. He played with passion, fire, and a competitive drive to win. He was definitely a fan favorite here in Utah and he will be missed.

The trade also sent away a few picks that the Jazz picked up in previous trades, notably 2 picks from the Warriors (2017 1st, 2016 2nd), and Pistons (2017 2nd). Utah still maintains their 2017 pick as well as still having a stockpile of 2nd rounders on their hands.

Dante Exum also got cleared to start doing light physical workouts and basketball related activities. Team doctors still say that he may not return this year, but at the very least this is great news for the young Jazz point guard. Exum tore his ACL last summer and has been out of action all year. Being able to do workouts and light practices will help Exum get back on his feet and start working towards returning.

Now, a recap of the games. Monday night saw the Jazz get blown out at home by the Pistons. This is definitely a result that we don't want to see, as the Pistons are undermanned (no Drummond). Brandon Jennings had a big game, scoring 21 points in 25 minutes. Derrick Favors had 18 points on the night.

Wednesday saw a rematch with the Hornets, in which Charlotte got the win on the road 95 to 88. Trey Burke scored 18 points in 19 minutes, and also grabbed 7 boards. Favors and Hayward just had 15 points each, and Rodney Hood pitched in 12, 7, and 3. Turnovers did the Jazz in, as they turned it over 22 times to Charlotte's 10. Despite Utah shooting 55% from the floor and the Hornets shooting 39%, Charlotte was able to make a 4th quarter comeback and get the 7 point win.

Friday night was when the Jazz were able to get off of the three-game skid as they got a win over the tough Timberwolves in overtime. Trey Burke hit a beautiful game-winning three pointer with 4 seconds left to knock of the 5th seed in the West.

This week sees the Jazz play the 29-16 Bulls at home, the 15-33 Nuggets at home, the 19-30 Bucks at home, and the 24-24 Suns the next night in Phoenix.

Utah Jazz Stats - 15-16
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3PT%
Gordon Hayward	47	34.9	20.3	5.3	5.1	1.5	0.8	45.3%	37.8%
Derrick Favors	47	31.5	17.9	8.9	1.5	0.9	1.7	51.3%	0.0%
Alec Burks	47	24.3	13.5	3.0	3.1	1.0	0.3	48.9%	35.2%
Rodney Hood	39	24.6	9.3	3.2	2.4	0.6	0.2	41.5%	35.9%
Rudy Gobert	47	31.5	9.1	12.9	1.5	0.6	2.3	59.8%	0.0%
Trey Burke	43	20.1	8.4	1.7	3.1	0.9	0.1	39.4%	36.0%
Zach Randolph	1	13.0	8.0	10.0	1.0	1.0	0.0	50.0%	0.0%
Shelvin Mack	51	17.7	6.4	1.8	3.1	0.7	0.0	44.0%	43.4%
Trey Lyles	47	12.7	5.1	3.3	0.7	0.3	0.4	47.8%	22.2%
Raul Neto	36	21.0	3.7	1.1	4.2	0.9	0.4	29.7%	26.7%
Joe Ingles	47	10.1	3.6	1.3	1.2	0.4	0.4	39.3%	37.9%
Jeff Withey	46	12.4	2.8	3.3	0.3	0.2	0.5	45.1%	0.0%
Tibor Pleiss	4	3.3	2.0	1.5	0.0	0.0	0.3	42.9%	0.0%
Terran Petteway	16	6.2	1.9	0.9	0.6	0.2	0.1	28.6%	15.4%
Dante Exum	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0%	0.0%

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NBA Standings - Updated: Jan 31, 2016
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Cleveland Cavaliers	33	13	--	5-2	20-8
Miami Heat	32	15	1.5	4-4	20-9
Chicago Bulls	29	16	3.5	5-5	19-10
Atlanta Hawks	30	18	4.0	5-3	19-9
Indiana Pacers	26	21	7.5	6-3	16-9
New York Knicks	26	23	8.5	8-1	17-15
Toronto Raptors	23	24	10.5	4-5	15-16
Charlotte Hornets	22	25	11.5	2-7	10-15
Orlando Magic	20	25	12.5	7-2	15-14
Detroit Pistons	21	27	13.0	5-5	12-14
Brooklyn Nets	19	29	15.0	3-6	10-19
Milwaukee Bucks	19	30	15.5	1-7	11-19
Boston Celtics	16	32	18.0	6-5	11-23
Washington Wizards	15	31	18.0	4-6	13-16
Philadelphia 76ers	12	36	22.0	3-7	8-20
WEST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Los Angeles Clippers	34	13	--	7-2	22-6
Oklahoma City Thunder	33	16	2.0	7-4	19-10
San Antonio Spurs	31	16	3.0	4-4	17-9
Houston Rockets	32	18	3.5	6-6	18-14
Minnesota Timberwolves	29	19	5.5	8-3	18-10
Dallas Mavericks	26	23	9.0	6-5	17-13
New Orleans Pelicans	24	22	9.5	7-3	17-13
Utah Jazz	24	23	10.0	5-5	13-15
Phoenix Suns	24	24	10.5	4-4	13-15
Sacramento Kings	23	24	11.0	8-4	14-16
Memphis Grizzlies	23	25	11.5	2-7	11-17
Golden State Warriors	21	26	13.0	5-6	12-16
Portland Trail Blazers	18	30	16.5	3-7	13-19
Denver Nuggets	15	33	19.5	4-8	8-25
Los Angeles Lakers	13	36	22.0	1-9	9-23

Last week, the Grizzlies made headlines by trading away star point guard Mike Conley to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Grizzlies find themselves in headlines yet again this week after trading big man Zach Randolph to the Utah Jazz. Although Randolph is injured and has only played 13 minutes this season, he's still a very capable player when healthy. He could be a big factor for the Jazz if they end up making the playoffs.

After the Conley trade, Memphis proceeded to win two straight games without him, as they beat the Magic 107 to 101 behind Gasol's 28, 13, and 6. They then beat Conley himself as the Bucks came into town. Memphis got the 111 to 102 win, but Conley had himself a good game, putting up 21 and 4 off of 9-14 shooting. Conley received a standing ovation during the starting lineups in Memphis.

The Bucks are 0-3 with Conley at the helm, but that's hardly his fault. He's averaging 21.7 points and 6.7 assists off of 54.5% shooting. The lack of a low-post presence with Greg Monroe out is hurting Milwaukee significantly, although John Henson is quietly putting up 13 points a night as the starting center. So with the Bucks being losers of 6 straight despite trading for Conley, is Jason Kidd now on the hot seat?

Sources say that Brooklyn is bound and determined to get either their 2016 or 2017 1st round pick back from the Celtics. They are reportedly offering Brook Lopez for either of the picks, but that would mean that they'd more than likely have to take David Lee in return.

All-Star Participants have been chosen!! Here is the roster for both teams:

Eastern Conference All-Stars Stats - 2016
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3PT%
G: John Wall, WAS	46	32.4	19.0	4.7	8.3	1.6	1.2	44.0%	40.0%
G: Kyrie Irving, CLE	28	34.4	20.9	2.8	7.1	2.5	0.5	48.1%	36.5%
F: LeBron James, CLE	33	35.7	23.0	7.6	7.0	1.9	1.7	43.8%	27.9%
F: Carmelo Anthony, NYK	49	33.4	21.5	8.2	5.9	1.2	0.9	42.8%	27.9%
C: Pau Gasol, CHI	45	25.9	15.7	10.8	4.0	0.6	1.9	53.3%	16.7%
Reggie Jackson, DET	48	29.2	16.7	3.9	7.5	1.6	0.3	40.9%	33.8%
Jimmy Butler, CHI	45	35.5	20.7	6.2	4.8	1.8	1.0	41.2%	37.3%
Paul George, IND	47	34.7	19.6	9.2	2.8	0.9	1.0	44.1%	34.0%
Paul Millsap, ATL	48	31.9	19.6	9.6	3.9	0.9	1.8	43.4%	30.0%
Jahlil Okafor, PHI	48	28.7	16.5	10.0	3.0	0.4	1.5	47.8%	14.3%
Chris Bosh, MIA	47	31.4	20.7	8.6	2.8	1.0	1.0	45.8%	34.9%
Nicolas Batum, CHA	47	33.9	19.0	6.4	4.8	1.1	1.1	42.7%	37.5%
Nikola Vucevic, ORL	43	31.3	17.0	12.7	1.8	0.4	1.6	51.8%	0.0%

Western Conference All-Stars Stats - 2016
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3PT%
G: Chris Paul, LAC	47	32.3	17.3	5.0	8.9	1.8	0.3	48.8%	32.8%
G: James Harden, HOU	36	33.6	20.3	6.1	7.6	1.3	0.8	40.1%	32.4%
F: Kevin Durant, OKC	44	34.4	26.5	7.2	6.6	1.3	1.6	51.3%	39.4%
F: Anthony Davis, NOP	46	32.3	23.1	12.1	2.4	0.8	3.5	49.2%	0.5%
C: Marc Gasol, MEM	48	34.4	20.8	10.5	5.8	0.3	1.9	49.8%	22.2%
Damian Lillard, POR	48	35.1	23.1	4.5	9.2	2.0	0.2	41.3%	32.2%
Klay Thompson, GSW	35	32.3	21.6	3.1	4.3	1.7	0.9	41.0%	35.6%
Rudy Gay, SAC	47	31.8	20.9	5.8	4.3	1.5	1.1	48.9%	38.3%
Blake Griffin, LAC	46	29.8	19.7	8.8	5.4	0.8	1.4	51.2%	13.6%
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN	47	32.7	17.3	12.5	2.0	0.7	2.0	46.0%	29.4%
Brandon Knight, PHX	48	36.4	20.1	4.3	7.5	1.7	0.4	38.4%	29.5%
Eric Bledsoe, PHX	47	32.0	15.9	4.9	7.2	2.3	1.0	40.1%	30.6%
Gordon Hayward, UTA	47	34.9	20.3	5.3	5.1	1.5	0.8	45.3%	37.8%

From the looks of it, notable snubs look to be:

Isaiah Thomas, Boston - 18.4 PPG, 4.9 APG
Derrick Rose, Chicago - 17.6 PPG, 7.4 APG, 1.9 SPG, 46.6% FG
Demar DeRozan, Toronto - 20.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 4.5 APG, 45% FG
Kevin Love, Cleveland - 19.3 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 45% FG
DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento - 18.6 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 4.3 APG, 48% FG
Brook Lopez, Brooklyn - 17.4 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.5 BPG, 48% FG
Derrick Favors, Utah - 17.9 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.7 BPG, 51% FG
DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles - 10.5 PPG, 15.7 RPG, 2.7 BPG

9 players will be making their All-Star game debut, including: Gordon Hayward, Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gay, Nikola Vucevic, Nicolas Batum, Jahlil Okafor, and Reggie Jackson.

[JazzMan]

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Lyles Flashes Potential In Jazz Blowout Win

Now that was a fun game. The Jazz dueled the Chicago Bulls for the first 2 quarters, and then gained a huge lead in the 3rd quarter and never looked back. Jazz reserves played the entire 4th quarter, which gave some players like Trey Lyles, Shelvin Mack, Joe Ingles, Terran Petteway, and Tibor Pleiss plenty of burn. Lyles made the most of these extra minutes, as he went off for a season-high 30 points. He was 12-17 from the floor, 3-3 from three-point land, and 3-3 from the charity stripe in 24 minutes. Joe Ingles had 9 points off of 3 three-pointers, as he helped stretch the floor in the 4th quarter to keep Chicago out of the game.

Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, and Rudy Gobert all only played 22 minutes tonight, but they were extremely effective. Hayward had 27 points, Favors had 18 points and 8 boards, and Gobert had 4 points, 8 boards, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. As a whole, the team had 27 assists on the night to just 9 turnovers. It was an all-around great team effort.

Next up is Denver on Wednesday night. Denver is just 16-33 and has to play in a hostile Salt Lake City against a surging Jazz team.

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[JazzMan]

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BREAKING: Nets Trade Lopez To Boston

Brook Lopez is now a Boston Celtic. After spending 8 years as a Net, the 27-year-old big man out of Stanford has been traded to the Celtics for David Lee, Kelly Olynyk, and a 2016 1st round pick, which originally belonged to Brooklyn. So Brooklyn got its own pick back for this year, while getting a potential replacement for Lopez in Olynyk and a mentor in David Lee.

Lopez will bring low-post scoring, rebounding, and rim protection to the table. He's a legitimate All-Star big man, and it looks like Danny Ainge is finally starting to make use of all of the draft picks that he stockpiled. Joining Lopez in moving to Boston is shooting guard Markel Brown. Brown has been playing well this season, averaging 7.8 points a night off of 54% shooting from the field.

The main thing that is concerning about the trade for Boston is the fact that Lopez is fairly injury prone, although he hasn't missed a game yet this year and played 72 games last season. His contract is also fairly large, being 3 years for $63.5M. However, there is no doubt that Lopez is a talented big man and can handle the scoring load for the Celtics, which is something that they've sorely needed.

Boston is sitting at 16-33 while Brooklyn is 19-30. I'd expect Boston to jump up ahead of Brooklyn with the acquisition of Lopez, but the trade won't really benefit Boston until next season when they have a fair shot at making the playoffs, barring a major run here.

For Brooklyn, it allows them to put an emphasis on developing their young talent, such as Hollis-Jefferson, Olynyk, Karasev, McCullough, and Bogdanovich. I'd expect this trade to set them back this season, but with their own draft pick back in their hands, it should enable them to draft at a fairly high place.

[JazzMan]

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Gobert Tweaks Knee, Will Sit Out Next Two Games

Ah, well that's a bummer. During last night's win against the Denver Nuggets, Rudy Gobert tweaked his knee in the third quarter and didn't return. Sources are saying that he hyperextended it and that while it isn't a serious injury, the Jazz will keep him out of the next two games on Friday and Saturday against the Bucks and the Suns. This will be the first time that Gobert will miss this season in what has been a relatively healthy season for the Jazz, aside from point guard Dante Exum's ACL injury in the offseason and new Jazzman Zach Randolph's injury while a member of the Grizzlies.

Jeff Withey will start for the Jazz in Gobert's place, keeping Derrick Favors at his natural power forward position. Rookies Trey Lyles and Tibor Pleiss will likely receive extended playing time with the loss of Gobert.

[JazzMan]

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WEEK 15 RECAP (27-24)

The Jazz have returned to their winning ways with a 3-1 record this week heading into the final 2 games before the All-Star Break. This week saw three blowout wins over Chicago, Denver, and Milwaukee, and a five point loss to Phoenix on a back-to-back on the road. Rudy Gobert had a minor scare this week, as he hyperextended his knee during the Denver game. He was held out of the Milwaukee and Phoenix games as a precaution, and although the Jazz did not need his services against the Bucks, they certainly could have used him in the loss against Phoenix. Jeff Withey and Tibor Pleiss filled in well, but Gobert's presence and rim protection is just nearly impossible to replace. This team needs him healthy if they want to make the playoffs.

Monday's win against Chicago allowed the Jazz to use their reserves a little more than usual. Coach Snyder played Trey Lyles 24 minutes off of the bench, and he exploded for 30 points and 5 rebounds off of 12-17 shooting. Gordon Hayward had 27 points in 23 minutes, and Derrick Favors had 18 points in 22 minutes. A great team effort led to the 108-90 victory over the Eastern Conference contenders.

Wednesday night's game against the Nuggets was yet another blowout victory, as the Jazz held Denver to just 72 points off of 30% shooting. Danilo Galinari did not play, as he was nursing a minor knee injury. Kosta Papanikolaou started in his place and finished shooting 0-8 from the floor. Alec Burks and Hayward led the Jazz in scoring with 17 a piece, and Favors had 16 points, 10 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. Rudy Gobert had 15 points, 14 boards, 4 assists, and 2 blocks, but went down with that minor knee tweak which would then keep him out for the next two games. The Jazz won 105 to 72.

Against Milwaukee, Utah surged in the 2nd half to get a 122 to 93 victory over Mike Conley and the Bucks. Conley had 26 points and 9 assists, but couldn't get much help from his supporting cast as the entire team shot 38% from the field. Utah shot 51%, and three Jazzmen scored at least 21 points. Hayward led the way with 24 points, 10 boards, and 4 assists. Derrick Favors had 21 points, 12 boards, and 3 blocks.

And last night against the Suns, the Jazz sorely missed Rudy Gobert's presence inside. Although Tibor Pleiss had 3 blocks in 11 minutes, the team just couldn't string together defensive stops. Phoenix shot 48% to Utah's 47% as the Suns picked up the 109 to 104 victory over the Jazz. Gordon Hayward had 20 points off of 13 shots, and Trey Burke had 15 points off 6 shots.

We interviewed new Jazzman Zach Randolph earlier this week about joining the team:
"I'm excited man. I've played against these guys and they play hard. They play tough basketball you know? They play my kind of basketball. I live for this kind of basketball, that grit and grind. I can't wait to get on the floor with these young guys and see what we can accomplish together. I'm already having a blast touching them what I know and just getting to know them.

"(On Dante Exum) He cracks me up, man. He's a good kid. He's got a bright, bright future man. Him and I was talking and I was telling him about how being out and injured just makes you miss the game more. He agreed... But he said he's using it to study the game more from a coach's perspective. And man I love hearing that. Especially from a kid like him. He's so young man, he's like a baby. I can't wait to play with him."

I'd certainly expect Z-Bo to become a big fan-favorite here in Utah here in the next couple of months.

Utah Jazz Stats - 15-16
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TPG	FPG
Gordon Hayward	51	34.6	20.5	5.4	5.0	1.5	0.7	45.2%	37.9%
Derrick Favors	51	31.3	17.7	8.9	1.5	0.9	1.7	51.5%	0.0%
Alec Burks	51	24.0	13.4	3.0	3.1	1.0	0.3	49.3%	37.7%
Rodney Hood	43	24.4	9.3	3.0	2.4	0.6	0.3	42.1%	36.4%
Rudy Gobert	49	31.2	9.2	12.8	1.6	0.6	2.3	59.8%	0.0%
Trey Burke	47	19.8	8.4	1.7	3.1	0.9	0.1	39.6%	37.2%
Zach Randolph	1	13.0	8.0	10.0	1.0	1.0	0.0	50.0%	0.0%
Shelvin Mack	55	17.7	6.2	1.8	3.1	0.8	0.0	43.8%	41.7%
Trey Lyles	51	13.1	5.7	3.3	0.7	0.3	0.3	49.8%	41.7%
Joe Ingles	51	10.3	3.8	1.3	1.2	0.4	0.4	40.2%	40.9%
Raul Neto	40	20.7	3.8	1.2	4.0	0.9	0.4	32.2%	26.5%
Tibor Pleiss	7	7.1	3.3	3.0	0.3	0.0	0.9	45.5%	0.0%
Jeff Withey	50	12.9	2.9	3.6	0.3	0.2	0.5	43.3%	0.0%
Terran Petteway	19	6.8	2.4	1.0	0.6	0.3	0.1	27.1%	15.0%
Dante Exum	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0%	0.0%

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NBA Standings - Updated: Feb 7, 2016
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Cleveland Cavaliers	37	13	--	6-2	23-8
Miami Heat	34	17	3.5	5-5	21-10
Atlanta Hawks	34	18	4.0	6-3	22-9
Chicago Bulls	31	19	6.0	5-5	19-10
Indiana Pacers	26	25	11.5	6-5	16-13
New York Knicks	26	27	12.5	8-2	17-17
Detroit Pistons	24	28	14.0	6-5	15-15
Toronto Raptors	23	27	14.0	4-5	15-16
Charlotte Hornets	23	28	14.5	3-8	11-17
Orlando Magic	21	28	15.5	7-2	16-14
Brooklyn Nets	22	30	16.0	4-6	12-20
Milwaukee Bucks	20	32	18.0	1-7	11-19
Boston Celtics	18	34	20.0	7-5	13-25
Washington Wizards	15	35	22.0	4-7	13-18
Philadelphia 76ers	13	38	24.5	3-8	9-22
WEST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Los Angeles Clippers	36	14	--	7-2	22-7
Oklahoma City Thunder	36	16	1.0	7-4	20-10
San Antonio Spurs	35	16	1.5	6-4	20-9
Houston Rockets	34	19	3.5	6-6	19-15
Minnesota Timberwolves	31	21	6.0	9-3	20-11
Phoenix Suns	28	24	9.0	4-4	16-15
Utah Jazz	27	24	9.5	6-5	14-16
Dallas Mavericks	27	27	11.0	7-6	18-15
Memphis Grizzlies	25	26	11.5	3-8	12-18
New Orleans Pelicans	24	26	12.0	7-5	17-16
Sacramento Kings	24	26	12.0	8-4	14-16
Golden State Warriors	23	27	13.0	5-6	12-17
Portland Trail Blazers	20	32	17.0	3-8	13-21
Denver Nuggets	16	35	20.5	4-9	8-26
Los Angeles Lakers	16	37	21.5	1-9	11-24

The big news this week is the trade between Brooklyn and Boston that sent Brook Lopez to Boston for some draft picks, Kelly Olynyk, and David Lee. Boston since the trade is 2-1, but surprisingly, Brooklyn has won their last 3 contests without Lopez down low as well. Kelly Olynyk has come on strong for them, as well as Sergey Karasev.

With just a little over a week left until the trade deadline, I'd expect for the groundwork of some major deals to be laid out this week.

The Dunk contest, 3-Point Competition, and Rising Stars game all have participants now. The Dunk Contest features three Timberwolves in it; LaVine, Wiggins, and Muhammad, as well as Victor Oladipo from Orlando.

The 3-Point Competition features Kyle Korver, Nic Batum, Kevin Durant, Trevor Ariza, Kevin Love, and Marco Belinelli. The Rising Stars game has a lineup of the following:

Stars
D'Angelo Russell
Jerian Grant
Karl-Anthony Towns
Jahlil Okafor
Andrew Wiggins
Nik Stauskas
Stanley Johnson
Nikola Mirotic
Nerlens Noel

Elites
Elfrid Payton
Marcus Smart
Frank Kaminsky
Justice Winslow
Montrezl Harrell
Zach LaVine
Rashad Vaughn
Jabari Parker
Julius Randle
Jusuf Nurkic

[trekfan]

Nice set of wins, there, and sweet trade for Z-Bo -- he's one of my favorites. Hate to see him no longer with Marc Gasol, but the Grizzlies just can't ride those two anymore.