Nissan #ProJackets Basketball Report

Dec. 1, 2016

THE FLATS –

Anthony Morrow had his best week as an NBA player in nearly a year during Oklahoma City’s four-game win streak … Iman Shumpert makes his opinion of Phil Jackson and Golden State loud and clear in a sit-down with Complex magazine … Big men Chris Bosh and Derrick Favors are still struggling to get healthy … All of that and more can be found in this week’s Nissan #ProJackets Report.

Chris Bosh and his financially-muddled, medically-troubled blood clot complications continue to receive extensive media coverage. Bosh has missed over 45 straight regular season games and is expected to be released in mid-February. On the court, Miami continues to struggle sitting 13^th in the Eastern Conference. The Heat host the Jazz tonight at 9 p.m. ET.

Derrick Favors is still out indefinitely since an MRI two weeks ago revealed a bone contusion in his left knee. So far this season, Favors is averaging just 24 minutes in 11 games while scoring 10.4 points and pulling down 6.5 rebounds. After losing three games in a row when Favors first went out, Utah has bounced back to win four straight. Utah looks to stretch its streak to five on Sunday night when they host Miami tonight.

The Maine Red Claws and Marcus Georges-Hunt played only one game last week, a road victory over Toronto 905. In the contest, Georges-Hunt added 19 points on 12 shots while adding 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. The rookie is averaging 17.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists in four games this season. Maine returns to action tonight in Pennsylvania against the Erie Bayhawks. The game begins at 7pm ET and is available on Facebook Live.

After scoring only 31 points in his first 10 games, Anthony Morrow feasted over the Thanksgiving holiday. The 31-year-old scored reached double figures for the first time this season with 10 points in a win over Denver on Friday. Morrow backed up his performance with a 21-point explosion against Detroit. It was Morrow’s highest scoring game since April 5, 2015. In last week’s four games, Morrow averaged 12.8 points per game while shooting 50 percent from three. Best of all, the Thunder have won four in a row, and one writer believes that Billy Donavan may be putting his trust in the sharpshooter. Oklahoma City battles New Orleans on Sunday night at 7 p.m. ET.

Iman Shumpert has never been shy about saying what he thinks, and the guard has drawn exceptional attention for his fiery comments towards Phil Jackson and the Golden State Warriors. The entire interview from Complex magazine is available here. On the court, the 26-year-old got his first off-night of the season on Sunday night against Philadelphia. This season the guard is averaging 6.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists. Cleveland hosts the Los Angeles Clippers tonight at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.

Thaddeus Young had a quieter week following multiple 20-point efforts in our last update. The forward added 11 points in wins over Brooklyn and the Los Angeles Clippers, but scuffled in a blowout loss to Portland Wednesday night with only four points. As a team, the Pacers have yet to win or lose three consecutive games this season. Their inconsistency has placed them in 10^th in the Eastern Conference with a 9-10 record. The next leg of Indiana’s long road swing takes them to the Staples Center on Sunday night to battle the Clippers. Tip is at 9:30 p.m. ET.