THE FLATS – Thaddeus Young has a big performance in relief for the Suns … Moses Wright lifts Olympiacos into EuroLeague playoffs … Marcus Georges-Hunt lifts Kuwait Club to cusp of Gulf League Final … more in this week’s #ProJackets Report.
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THADDEUS YOUNG HAS BIG PERFORMANCE IN RELIEF FOR SUNS
With Jusuf Nurkić out due to injury, Thaddeus Young played his best game by far with the Phoenix Suns, helping the Suns knock off the defending-champion Denver Nuggets 104-97 on the road last night.
Young finished with six points on 3-of-4 shooting, nine rebounds (four offensive) and was a team-high +15 in his 18 minutes off the bench for Phoenix (43-30). With Young on the floor, the Suns had an incredible defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) of 72.7 and an offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) of 111.4. This makes for a net rating (point differential per 100 possessions) of 38.7.
Young also had one of the most textbook rebounds you will see and a floater to beat the buzzer going into halftime.
Thad Young snatches the rebound away from Aaron Gordon from the top. WOW! pic.twitter.com/mowCeFDnAh
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) March 28, 2024
🚨🚨🚨 https://t.co/ukHjrWA2KH pic.twitter.com/wKIf4mWqxv
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 28, 2024
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WRIGHT DOMINATES AS OLYMPIACOS QUALIFIES FOR PLAYOFFS
Moses Wright scored 16 out of his season-high 20 points in the fourth quarter while draining the go-ahead 3-pointer as Olympiacos Piraeus beat Crvena Zvezda 89 – 86 on the road to clinch a spot in the EuroLeague playoffs and continue the push for a Top-4 finish.
“Pap [Kostas Papanikolaou] was just talking about how bad I did rebounding… and then I was thinking of how [Giannoulis Larentzakis] called me soft,” Wright said. “Going into the second half I was thinking about those comments from the veterans of the team.”
Moses Wright says Giannoulis Larentzakis called him “soft” at halftime and was thinking of it entering the second half.
He ended up having 16 out of his game-high 20 points in the fourth period, including the go-ahead triple. pic.twitter.com/UDH3r1DJG8
— Antonis Stroggylakis (@AStroggylakis) April 4, 2024
What a sequence from Moses Wright to hand #OlympiacosBC a big victory against Crvena Zvezda in #EuroLeague ! pic.twitter.com/uaJjYbwMF8
— Manolo77 (@ManoloAthan77) April 4, 2024
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GEORGES-HUNT’S KUWAIT CLUB NEARING GULF LEAGUE FINAL
Marcus George-Hunt’s Kuwait Club moved a win away from booking a return trip to the FIBA WASL-Gulf League Final following a 101-87 conquest of Kazma in their Semi-Finals opener, Tuesday night at the Shaikh Saad Alabdullah Sport Hall Complex.
The reigning sub-zone champions overcame a sluggish start before pulling away in the fourth quarter as the squad continued their winning ways since losing back-to-back outings during the Group Phase, which nearly cost them an outright trip to the Semis.
Veteran winger Marcus Georges-Hunt produced 15 points and 7 assists, while floor general Turki Alshemmari chipped in 11 points for the repeat-seeking Kuwait Club.
Now they have a chance to formalize their entry to the Gulf League Final in Game 2 next Tuesday, April 2, 22:00 local time, in the same battleground.
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ALVARADO HAS MISSED LAST FIVE GAMES
Jose Alvarado (oblique) is out for Friday’s game versus the Spurs.
Alvarado’s absence streak will extend to five games Friday due to a right oblique strain. His next chance to suit up is Sunday’s matchup with Phoenix.
From CBSSports.com
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