Georgia Tech #ProJackets Basketball Report

Nov. 2, 2017

By Andrew Clausen

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Thaddeus Young scores season-high 26 points to down Cavs, 124-107, to get a third straight win for Pacers … Derrick Favors records double-figure point totals for the third straight game, including a season-high 16 points against the Timberwolves … Jarrett Jack dubbed “the leader of the team” after moving to starting point guard … Iman Shumpert out five to seven days with right knee soreness … All of that and more can be found in this week’s Georgia Tech #ProJackets Basketball Report.

Derrick Favors recorded three straight double-figure scoring outputs last week, highlighted by a 16-point performance in the three-point loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Utah Jazz bounced back, however, and downed the Denver Nuggets by 10 behind Favors’ 14 points. Still shooting at an impressive clip, his field goal percentage has been at or above .500 in all but two of his first eight games of the season. The Jazz are currently on a three-game winning streak after defeating Portland in overtime on Wednesday, 112-103. All three games have been in Utah as the Jazz are looking to reignite their home-court advantage.

After making his season debut last week, Marcus Georges-Hunt did not see action in two out of three of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ games this week. After a brief appearance against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Oct. 27, Georges-Hunt did not see playing time in wins against Miami or New Orleans. The Wolves head home for back-to-back games in Minnesota, beginning with the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.

Jarrett Jack went into this season looking to be a veteran voice on the team and, early on, it’s looking like he’s doing just that, moving to the starting point guard spot beginning Oct. 27. Teammate Enes Kanter even went so far as to say Jack is “the leader of the team” as the 12th-year point guard has averaged a steady 26 minutes per game, 4.8 points, 5.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds. The New York Knicks had their three-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday when they fell at home to the Houston Rockets, 119-97. Jack was held to just four points and two assists overall after posting season-high assist totals on Sunday and Monday with nine and 10, respectively. The Knicks remain at home against the Suns on Friday.

Head Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek: “Jarrett [Jack] is a veteran guy who’s really done a nice job finding the mismatch when there is one, getting the guy who’s hot, make sure he calls a play for that person. He’s just a good team leader that way.”

Coming off an impressive week, Iman Shumpert will be out five to seven days to receive treatment for soreness in his right knee, the Cleveland Cavaliers announced on Tuesday. Doctors evaluated Shumpert’s knee and found no structural damage. His last game came in the 22-point loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, where he logged just under 21 minutes, scoring five points on 2-of-3 shooting. The Cavs are in the midst of a four-game losing streak and will be without Shumpert until at least next week when the team said it will re-evaluate his timeline.

Thaddeus Young has caught fire of late, leading the Indiana Pacers to a three-game winning streak – winning four of their last five games. Young has scored double-digit points in four-straight games with a season-high 26 points coming in the 124-104 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Off 12-of-18 shooting, Young’s offensive production was his most since Nov. 18, 2015 (27 points at Bulls). He also recorded four steals for the second-straight night and six rebounds, making it just the eighth time in his career that Young has finished with a stat line of at least 26 points, four takeaways and six rebounds and the first since December of 2015.