Wednesday Morning Basketball Report
12/9/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 9, 2009
To the delight of New Orleans Hornets fans, Chris Paul returned to the lineup on Dec. 4 against Minnesota after missing the last eight games due to a severe left ankle sprain. He immediately made his presence felt totaling a season-high eight steals to go with 15 assists and 16 points. Last night, Paul started in the two-point win over Sacramento, adding another double-double with 15 points and 12 assists.
Darius Songaila totaled six points, two rebounds and one steal in the Hornets' win over Minnesota. He went 5-of-5 from the floor in last night's victory, notching 11 points, two rebounds and a steal.
Former Demon Deacon Josh Howard also returned to action this week and helped propel the Mavericks to a one-point triumph over the Suns on Tuesday night after missing 13 games. With 16 of his total 20 points coming in the second half, he contributed on both sides of the ball with six rebounds, three steals, a block and an assist in his first action since Nov. 11.
For the Atlanta Hawks, rookie Jeff Teague played his most minutes of the season in a win over Toronto last Wednesday, recording career highs in points scored (13), three-point attempts (2), free throws made (6) and defensive rebounds (3).
The Spurs dropped three games this week but Tim Duncan continued his strong 2009-10 campaign. On Monday night, he recorded his ninth double-double of the season combining for a total of 23 points and 11 rebounds at Utah. Earlier in the week against the Nuggets, Duncan netted 26 points on 10-of-12 shooting. He added six rebounds and four blocks in the losing effort. Duncan had another double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds last Thursday against Boston.
James Johnson played in three Bulls' losses this week. Johnson had four points, three rebounds and two blocks at Cleveland last Friday. On Saturday, he had four points, three rebounds, two blocks and an assist against the Raptors. Last night in a loss to the Nets, Johnson did not record any points but finished the contest with three rebounds, one assist, one steal and a block.
Check back to WakeForestSports.com next week for another update on how the former Deacons are faring in the NBA.
