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NBA Jammed: Your weekly wrap of all things NBA, including news, social media, gossip and the latest on Australia’s NBA stars

THE contenders for the NBA’s worst feet, Dante Exum a food thief and a player’s mum tunes out at the wrong moment, all in our weekly NBA Jammed column.

Adrian Ballantyne
4 min read
November 18, 2014 - 10:35AM
News Corp Australia
HOUSTON, TX - NOVEMBER 14: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets celebrates after a three-point basket during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Toyota Center on November 14, 2014 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Scott Halleran/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
HOUSTON, TX - NOVEMBER 14: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets celebrates after a three-point basket during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Toyota Center on November 14, 2014 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Scott Halleran/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

THE contenders for the NBA’s worst feet, Dante Exum a food thief and a player’s mum tunes out at the wrong moment,

It’s all in our weekly NBA Jammed column. Read on below!

WHOSE FEET ARE THE MOST MANGLED?

It’s reasonable to expect that NBA players’ feet would be somewhat mutant in form, given they spend almost every day pounding the boards and jamming their toes up against the end of their shoes.

But photos of LeBron James’ were still beyond disturbing.

Those four toes don’t appear to be doing much of anything, other than getting up in our faces and grossing us out.

LeBron James feet are more than a little freaky.
LeBron James feet are more than a little freaky.

But there’s a new contender in town for the most mangled feet in the NBA.

Enter James Harden, whose feet need some urgent attention from a podiatrist.

Here’s hoping the league mandates that no one shall enter an arena without socks on, from this moment on.

James Harden’s feet have been scaring people on Twitter this week
James Harden’s feet have been scaring people on Twitter this week

AUSSIES ON A ROLL

Aside from Matt Dellavedova’s knee injury, the Aussie assault on this year’s NBA season is gathering steam.

A fit and healthy Andrew Bogut is braining them at Golden State, posting big numbers each game, including yesterday’s 15-point outing in a 31-point demolition of the LA Lakers.

Bogut’s boys now sit at 8-2 and would appear to be genuine title contenders if they can avoid the injury curse this time around.

Dante Exum continues to win plaudits in his first NBA season and is scoring 5.5 points a game despite receiving less than 20 minutes of court time most nights, but the real surprise has been his teammate Joe Ingles, who is playing big minutes and a critical role for the Jazz, including getting the job guarding LeBron James for extended periods when Utah played the Cavaliers.

Defending champion San Antonio’s season is building slowly, but already Aron Baynes is getting far more minutes than he ever received last year. Baynes is averaging almost 16 minutes a game, compared with just nine last year, and has boosted his points her game to 4.8.

EXUM’S APPETITE CANNOT BE TAMED

Either the food in the Utah Jazz’s player lounge is terrible, or it just doesn’t have enough to satisfy the appetite of a 19-year-old Aussie.

Dante Exum was spotted loading up on whatever he could get his hands on in a media dining room a couple of days ago.

It’s kind of hard to sneak in for a cheeky snack when you’re 1.96m tall and the only bloke in the room without an American accent.

HAWKS HAVE A LAUGH AT THEIR OWN PAIN

What else can you do but shake your head and have a giggle when your opposition steps out on court and drains its first nine three-pointers without missing, setting an NBA record.

The Atlanta Hawks were on the receiving end of a white hot Cleveland Cavaliers barrage, and their Twitter commentary got more and more amusing as the Cavs piled on more and more points.

Enjoy.

WHEN MUM MISSES YOUR FIRST DUNK

Denver rookie Gary Harris missed the first seven games of the NBA season with an injury, so you’d think his mum would be hanging on every moment as he took to the court for the first time against the Indiana Pacers.

But Mrs Harris took her eyes off the prize at just the wrong moment - the exact second that her son drove to the basket and posterised two Pacers with a monster dunk.

Let this be a lesson to parents everywhere.

STEPHENSON’S ACTING A REAL FLOP

If you thought that world football had a real problem with flopping, check out serial NBA pest Lance Stephenson’s effort.

No need to inconveniently have to wait for someone to make contact with you, apparently.

Just hit yourself in the face and down you go!

THE BEATDOWN OF THE YEAR

The Philadelphia 76ers aren’t as bad as their record suggests. Just kidding - they’re 0-9 and exactly as bad as their record suggests.

They did almost manage to beat the 9-1 Houston Rockets a couple of days ago, but squandered a three-quarter time lead to lose by one point.

Tanking talk aside, NBA games rarely blow out too badly, as the winning team usually rests its stars for as long as it can once the result is beyond doubt.

But when the Sixers headed to Dallas no one expected the kind of pain the Mavericks inflicted.

By the time Dirk Nowitzki and Co. were done, they’d chalked up a 123-70 pummeling, with the 53-point margin surpassing its franchise record 50-point win over the New York Knicks in 2010.

Incredibly, the Mavericks led by 44 points at half-time and could have not scored a single point in the second half and still won, given Philly managed just 41 points after half-time.

JAZZ THE SMARTEST TEAM OF ALL

Their on-court record mightn’t be that flash, but at least the Utah Jazz are an educated lot.

The team was quick to pounce when it spotted Atlanta player Paul Millsap with a missing “L” in his name on the back of his jersey.

Atlanta quickly responded with a classic “look at the scoreboard” retort.

The Hawks have them there, given they currently sit at 5-4, with the fifth best record in the Eastern Conference, while the Jazz are at 4-7 and 11th in the West.

Utah later issued a retraction. Sort of.

Originally published as NBA Jammed: Your weekly wrap of all things NBA, including news, social media, gossip and the latest on Australia’s NBA stars

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