NBA Wrap: Aussie quartet Baynes, Mills, Exum and Ingles make history in Utah’s upset win over San Antonio
IT was a historic night for Australia during the NBA game between Utah Jazz and the San Antonio Spurs.
IT was a historic night for Australia during the NBA game between Utah Jazz and the San Antonio Spurs.
In an upset 90-81 win for the Jazz, Joe Ingles, Dante Exum, and Aron Baynes all started, just the second time three Aussies had the honour in a single NBA game. But it was the first time three Aussies started and four Aussies played in an NBA fixture.
.@aronbaynes & @Patty_Mills with fellow Aussies @daanteee & @Joeingles7 pic.twitter.com/e2TkjH39WR
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) February 24, 2015On January 30 earlier this year when Golden State played Utah, three Australians started for the first time — Andrew Bogut, Exum and Ingles — and the first time four Aussies were on court during an NBA game at the same time was back on January 18. Both feats have not been achieved in the same game until today.
Utah’s Ingles was the topscorer among the four Aussies playing in today’s game, with ten points, three rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
But teammate Exum’s improved performance had pundits talking, particularly his defence. The rookie scored five points, with two assists, two steals, one rebound and two turnovers.
“Having the defensive mindset, I came in there and tried to put as much pressure on Tony [Parker] as possible and it make it hard for him,” Exum said after the game.
“He got a bit frustrated and it worked in my favour. Quin [Snyder] made sure we know we’re building for the future and the future starts now.”
Parker's reverted to his early 2000s flop game in an effort to deal with Exum's stellar defense.
— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) February 24, 2015Dante Exum was great on defense tonight. Trey Burke was great offensively. They made a pg combo tonight
— Tony Jones (@Tjonessltrib) February 24, 2015Exum got yanked early in the second half vs. Portland for a lack of energy. No issue tonight. Has looked good. Just took a second charge.
— Aaron Falk (@tribjazz) February 24, 2015That Exum pass was unbelievable. Quickness on D and that vision are both special. Still expecting great things from him despite struggles
— Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) February 24, 2015San Antonio’s Mills is still finding his feet since returning from injury. Against the Jazz he only managed ten minutes of game time, scoring four points and a steal.
Meanwhile Spurs tall Baynes had four points and six rebounds in a quiet night. But Baynes still made a statement on court.
Make no mistake, this guy is an intimidating sight for opposing teams.
BAYNES is shooting 44 percent on jumpers, which isn't bad for a guy built like a cross between a weight lifter and a defensive end.
— Dan McCarney (@danmccarneySAEN) February 24, 2015I'm really starting to like Baynes. Even though he reminds me of a James Bond villain.
— Pounding the Rock (@poundingtherock) February 24, 2015Aron Baynes looks like he can kill someone with his hands. Looks like an overgrown Chucky doll.
— Skip Bayless (@FunSkipBayless) February 24, 2015Baynes has gone from strength to strength this season since barely making the roster at the end of last year over contract negotiations. Injury to Tiago Splitter this season gave the Cairns local more gametime than ever and has taken him from garbage time bench player, to a genuine frontcourt dangerman tying together consecutive starts.
Trey Burke scored 23 points to hand San Antonio its third straight loss since returning from the All-Star break.
The Jazz used an energetic defensive effort to turn a season-high 22 Spurs turnovers into 17 points. Forward Gordon Hayward scored 18 despite a poor-shooting night, while Derrick Favors added 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Jazz centre Rudy Gobert set the defensive tone early with two first-quarter blocks of Tim Duncan and finished with seven points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. The Jazz have held their last five opponents under 100 points.
Duncan had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Boris Diaw chipped in 13 points and Cory Joseph had 10.
ROCKETS 113 — TIMBERWOLVES 102
James Harden had 31 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double this season, leading the Houston Rockets to a 113-102 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.
Harden got off to a slow start, missing his first seven shots. He got going late in the first quarter, had 13 points at half-time and was a rebound away from wrapping up his fourth career triple-double entering the fourth.
Houston led by nine at the start of the final period, but Andrew Wiggins led a charge that cut the lead to one point with less than 4 minutes left.
The Rockets took over after that, using a 14-2 run, with five points from Harden, to make it 111-98 with less than a minute to go.
Wiggins scored 30 for the Timberwolves, who lost for the third time in four games.
HEAT 119 — 76ERS 108
Luol Deng made 11 of 14 shots and scored 29 points, Goran Dragic added 23 points and 10 assists, and Miami set a season high for scoring.
Dwyane Wade scored 18 for the Heat, who stayed in the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference. Hassan Whiteside added 12 points and 14 rebounds for Miami, which shot 55 per cent.
Hollis Thompson scored 22 points for Philadelphia, which got 18 from Nerlens Noel, 16 from Robert Covington, 12 from Henry Sims and 11 from Isaiah Canaan.
It was a good-news day all around for Miami. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before the game that Chris Bosh — who has blood clots on a lung, a season-ending issue — will be going home “soon” from a hospital where he’s been treated since late last week.
BULLS 87 — BUCKS 71
Tony Snell scored 20 points, Nikola Mirotic had 16 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, and surging Chicago pounded Milwaukee on the boards.
Pau Gasol added 15 points and 10 rebounds as the Bulls enjoyed a whopping 62-41 advantage on the glass. Joakim Noah had eight points and 16 rebounds on his bobblehead night, and Jimmy Butler finished with 11 points and nine boards.
Milwaukee shot 34 per cent (30 for 89) from the field in its second straight loss after a stretch of nine wins in 10 games. Ersan Ilyasova had 15 points and 11 rebounds in his first start since Jan. 27 at Miami.
Chicago played without key reserves Taj Gibson and Kirk Hinrich, who were away from the team due to an illness.
NETS 110 — NUGGETS 82
Brook Lopez led seven Nets players in double figures with 19 points, and Brooklyn won its second consecutive road game.
Deron Williams added 16 points and 12 assists, and Thaddeus Young scored 15 in another solid outing for the Nets since his acquisition last week from Minnesota in exchange for Kevin Garnett. Brooklyn, coming off a 114-105 win at the Los Angeles Lakers last Friday, won back-to-back road games for the first time since mid-January.
Danilo Gallinari had 22 points for the struggling Nuggets, who have lost 16 of 18 — including seven in a row at home. It matches their longest losing streak at the Pepsi Center since also dropping seven straight from Feb. 6 to March 2, 2003.
PELICANS 100 — RAPTORS 97
Alexis Ajinca capped a 16-point performance with a go-ahead layup in the final minute, and New Orleans erased an 18-point deficit to beat Toronto.
Luke Babbitt scored a season-high 18 for New Orleans, including a clutch 3-pointer that gave the Pelicans their first lead of the game with 1:55 to go.
The clutch outings by the two reserves helped New Orleans overcome the absence of All-Star Anthony Davis and Ryan Anderson, who were both injured Saturday night in Miami.
Newly acquired Norris Cole scored 15 for New Orleans. Omer Asik added 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Tyreke Evans had 13 points and 12 assists.
Kyle Lowry scored 22 for Toronto, which lost its second straight. Jonas Valanciunas had 17 points and 14 rebounds.
CELTICS 115 — SUNS 110
Avery Bradley scored 23 points, Isaiah Thomas burned his former team with eight critical points in the last two minutes, and Boston held off Phoenix.
Boston made a season-high 14 3-pointers, 10 in the first half as the Celtics ran out to a 19-point league against the struggling Suns. But Phoenix cut the lead to one on a 3 from Eric Bledsoe with 2:33 remaining.
Thomas, just four days removed from his deadline-day trade to Boston, scored 21 points in his return.
Bledsoe had 21 points and 10 assists in the Suns’ eighth loss in the past nine games. Brandon Knight, acquired in another Suns deal last Thursday, had 20 in his first start for his new team.
GRIZZLIES 90 — CLIPPERS 87
Mike Conley scored 18 points, Jeff Green added 16 and the Memphis Grizzlies hung on to beat the Clippers 90-87 Monday night, ending Los Angeles’ four-game winning streak.
Marc Gasol added 14 points and Zach Randolph had 10 rebounds as the Grizzlies improved to 15-3 since Green joined the team on Jan. 12. They won using balanced scoring with no one getting 20 points.
Memphis led by eight before the Clippers scored seven in a row to close to 88-87, but Chris Paul lost the ball and Conley was fouled. He made both and the game ended with Matt Barnes throwing the ball into the hands of Courtney Lee.
Paul had 30 points and 10 assists for the Clippers, with Jamal Crawford scoring 15 points off the bench.
Originally published as NBA Wrap: Aussie quartet Baynes, Mills, Exum and Ingles make history in Utah’s upset win over San Antonio
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