Nissan #ProJackets Basketball Report

Jan. 5, 2017

By Wiley Ballard –

Thaddeus Young and the Pacers have won a season-high three straight games and are poised to make a run in 2017 … Derrick Favors put together his most complete game since returning from his troublesome knee injury … Chris Bosh fills time away from basketball with a new conquest, learning to play the guitar… All of that and more can be found in this week’s Nissan #ProJackets Report.

Chris Bosh continues to sit idly by while the 2016-17 Miami Heat occupy the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Exiled from the court due to recurring blood clots, the 11-time all-star has found other outlets. This past week speaking with SLAM Online, Bosh revealed his newfound love: the guitar. In the piece, the 32-year-old explains “Playing music is therapeutic, and I wanted to be able to do that. I had never had a feeling like that about anything else outside of basketball.” Elsewhere, Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan eclipsed Chris Bosh’s Raptors scoring record of 10,275 points. It hardly bothered Bosh who spent his New Year’s holiday with dear friends in South Florida.

Derrick Favors’ recovery from a troublesome bone contusion in his knee has been purposefully gradual. Since returning in mid-December, Favors played no more than 16 minutes in his first five games off the bench. Then in each of four consecutive starts, the forward logged no more than 25 minutes. Finally, on Tuesday night in Boston, Favors broke through the glass ceiling with 29 minutes and his first double-figure scoring night since Nov. 11. The 6-foot-10 veteran added 12 points, six rebounds, and a career-high seven assists in the 115-104 loss to the Celtics. Although Utah’s four-game winning streak was snapped, the Jazz have surged to fifth in the Western Conference with a 22-14 mark. Favors and his teammates travel north of the border tonight to battle the Raptors. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.

Marcus Georges-Hunt and the Maine Red Claws are red-hot and leading the NBA D-League’s Atlantic Division at 13-7. Maine has won three straight, and in that stretch Georges-Hunt has averaged 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists while shooting a torrid 68.8 percent from three-point land. The rookie has proven himself as a balanced and valuable piece through Maine’s first 20 games. In two months, the College Park, Ga., native leads the team in minutes played (37.2), ranks second in assists (4.4) and third in rebounding (6.5). Maine, a Celtics-affiliate, travels south to Brooklyn Friday afternoon to face the Long Island Nets. Tip is at 1:30 p.m. ET at the Barclays Center and be viewed on Facebook Live.

Anthony Morrow’s playing time slipped over the past week for the Oklahoma City Thunder. In three games, the Thunder deployed Morrow for a combined nine minutes. It’s likely the dip hardly bothered the 31-year-old who made his annual return to his hometown of Charlotte on Wednesday night. NewsOK profiled the guard’s homecoming and his recent family additions, twin boys, Amari Jace and Malachi Josiah. Morrow laughed that his family’s focus has shifted saying, “They don’t even ask about me. It’s about my kids. It’s cool.” The Thunder return to the Central time zone tonight for a nationally televised matchup against the Houston Rockets. Tip is at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.

Iman Shumpert and the Cleveland Cavaliers experienced a rare home defeat last night at the hands of the Chicago Bulls. In the game, Shumpert added four points on 1-of-5 shooting, three rebounds, and two assists. The guard is still searching for the rhythm he had through the season’s first seven weeks in which he shot 48.7 percent from the field. In his last 10 games, Shumpert has connected on only 28.9 percent of his shots. Cleveland travels to last-place Brooklyn Friday night looking to avoid consecutive losses. Tip is at 7:30 p.m. ET. 

Thaddeus Young and the Pacers are hoping they may have finally turned a corner. Riding a season-high three-game winning streak and with an even 18-18 season record, Indiana sits tied for seventh in the Eastern Conference. Over the streak, Young is shooting 48.4 percent and boasts a plus-minus rating of +26. Indiana’s upcoming schedule aligns favorably with four consecutive home games and six straight against teams with losing records. Tonight, Indiana hosts Brooklyn at 7 p.m. ET.

.@chrisbosh on life off the court… #SBIatCES pic.twitter.com/BvwVBse5Xm

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 5, 2017

Talked to @chrisbosh about the six string. He listens to Nine Inch Nails and has jammed with @Miguel. https://t.co/jd4PYdgXQd

— Max Resetar (@maxresetar) January 3, 2017