WIZARDS’ WALL AND THUNDER’S
DURANT NAMED
NBA EASTERN AND
WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
NEW YORK, Jan. 18, 2016 – The Washington
Wizards’ John Wall and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant were today
named NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for
games played Monday, Jan. 11 through Sunday, Jan. 17.
Wall
led the Wizards to a 3-1 week behind averages of 25.0 points (fourth in the
Eastern Conference), a conference-leading 9.8 assists, 6.0 rebounds and a conference-leading
3.0 steals. Wall posted two point-assist
double-doubles and recorded a seven-steal game.
He tallied 28 points, eight assists and seven rebounds during a 118-104
win over the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 15.
Durant led the Thunder to a
4-0 week behind averages of 26.0 points (third in the Western Conference), 8.3
rebounds and 4.3 assists. He logged a
30-point game and two point-rebound double-doubles for Oklahoma City, which
defeated the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat and recorded two wins over the
Minnesota Timberwolves. On Jan. 13,
Durant shot 9-of-14 from the field en route to a game-high 29 points and added
10 rebounds and four assists during a 108-89 win over the Mavericks.
Here is a recap of the week for Wall and Durant:
John Wall, Washington Wizards
Jan. 11 @
Chicago: Collected 17 points, 10
assists, five rebounds and three steals during a 114-100 win over the Bulls.
Jan 13 vs.
Milwaukee: Posted 19 points, eight
assists and five rebounds in a 106-101 win over the Bucks.
Jan. 15 @ Indiana:
Tallied 28 points, eight assists and
seven rebounds during a 118-104 win over the Pacers.
Jan. 16 vs.
Boston: Scored 36 points, dished out
13 assists and added seven rebounds and seven steals in a 119-117 loss to the
Celtics.
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Jan. 12 @ Minnesota: Scored 30 points and added seven rebounds and three assists in a
101-96 win over the Timberwolves.
Jan. 13 vs. Dallas: Posted 29 points, 10 rebounds and four assists during a 108-89 win
over the Mavericks.
Jan. 15 vs. Minnesota: Tallied 21 points, seven assists and six rebounds in
a 113-93 win against the Timberwolves.
Jan. 17 vs. Miami: Collected 24 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals in a
99-74 win against the Heat.
Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference
Players of the Week were Boston’s Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas, the Los
Angeles Clippers’ Cole Aldrich, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Oklahoma
City’s Russell Westbrook and Portland’s Damian Lillard.
NBA STARS STEPHEN CURRY, JAMES HARDEN AND
JEREMY LIN GATHER IN NEW TV SPOT TO CELEBRATE CHINESE NEW YEAR
–
All 30 Teams to be Featured in Chinese New Year Games for First Time –
–
Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards to Wear Chinese
New Year Uniforms and Host In-Arena Celebrations –
NEW YORK, Jan. 19, 2016 – The National
Basketball Association (NBA) is celebrating and sharing in the joy of the
Chinese New Year Feb. 3-21 with millions of fans in China, the U.S and around
the world.
A highlight of this year’s celebration
is the launch today of a new star-studded NBA Chinese New Year television spot,
“Dining Table,” featuring the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, the Houston
Rockets’ James Harden and the Charlotte Hornets’ Jeremy Lin sharing a special
Chinese New Year reunion meal with a
Chinese family.
Additionally, the league’s Chinese New Year activation will include the
Warriors, Rockets and Washington Wizards wearing special Chinese New
Year uniforms paying tribute to Chinese culture; 51 live games broadcast and
streamed by 10 broadcasters in Greater China, showcasing all 30 NBA teams for
the first time; and the Chinese New Year Celebration Season of Giving initiative
for underprivileged communities in China.
To celebrate the launch of the
Chinese New Year, NBA champion and four-time NBA All-Star Shawn Marion traveled
to Chengdu today to help spread the joy of the holiday by hosting a basketball
clinic and distributing gifts to underprivileged students at the NBA Hope
School.
“We are grateful to our Chinese fans for welcoming all 30
NBA teams into their homes as they celebrate the Chinese New Year with family
and loved ones,” said NBA China CEO David Shoemaker. “This holiday is about joyful family
reunions, and we are thankful that our teams and players are part of the
excitement and festivities.”
“Dining Table,” a
Star-Studded Chinese New Year Television Spot:
Curry, Harden and Lin will share a special Chinese New Year reunion meal with a Chinese
family. The spot, “Dining Table,”
will air from Jan. 18 to Feb. 22 across all of NBA China’s television and digital
partners’ platforms, including NBA.com/China and mobile and social media
assets. In the U.S., the spot will debut
during the Feb. 3 contest between the Warriors and Wizards.
“Dining Table”- https://youtu.be/qSZ5IAUaWhY
Chinese
New Year Uniforms:
The Warriors, Rockets and Wizards will wear specially
designed Chinese New Year uniforms. For the first time in NBA history, two
opposing teams will wear Chinese character jerseys when the Wizards host the
Warriors on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 8 p.m. ET and when the Warriors host the
Rockets on Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Other NBA teams including the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland
Cavaliers, L.A. Clippers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers,
Sacramento Kings, and the Toronto Raptors will celebrate the holiday and pay
tribute to Chinese culture.
Chinese New Year to
Feature All 30 NBA Teams:
For the first time, the celebration will showcase the games
of all 30 NBA teams. Fans in mainland
China will also be treated to a record-breaking number of nationally broadcast
games as China Central Television (CCTV) will air 18 games and Tencent will
stream 31 games during the campaign. In
addition to CCTV and Tencent, fans will also be able to tune in to Guangdong TV, Beijing TV, BesTV, Videoland,
Fox Sports, Elta, Taiwan Mobile, and NowTV to enjoy the games.
In the opener of a five-game showcase, LeBron
James and the reigning Eastern Conference champion Cavaliers will visit
Lin and the Hornets on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. ET on Tencent.
Other highly anticipated matchups throughout the campaign
period include:
• Curry and the defending champion Warriors facing Kevin
Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 9 p.m. ET on CCTV
and Tencent.
• In a rematch of the 2015 Western Conference Finals, Harden
and the Rockets will square off against the Warriors on Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 10:30
p.m. ET on CCTV and Tencent.
• Kobe Bryant takes on James in Cleveland for the final time
when the Los Angeles Lakers play the Cavaliers on Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 8 p.m.
ET on CCTV and Tencent.
• The San Antonio Spurs visit the Clippers for the first
time since last season’s exciting seven-game playoff series on Thursday, Feb. 18
at 10:30 p.m. ET on Tencent.
Chinese New Year Community
Engagement:
Marion will continue to spread
holiday cheer by visiting three other schools in Chengdu before traveling to
Guangzhou. He will conduct basketball
clinics, donate Spalding basketballs, and host a traditional Chinese New Year
meal for underprivileged students.
Dongfeng Nissan, the Presenting Partner of the NBA Chinese
New Year Celebration, will join Official Partners American Airlines and Mengniu
and Promotional Partner Treasury Wine to engage fans through various marketing
initiatives and social media promotions. Fans will be able to participate through the
Chinese New Year Celebration’s microsite, NBA official WeChat and Sina Weibo
accounts to win NBA prizes.
Big-Picture/Top Storylines
· Turnaround Teams: Of the five East teams that won 33 or fewer games last season, four are contending for the playoffs this season with records around or better than .500. The dramatically improved quartet is composed of Charlotte, which is deep and solid on both ends of the court; Detroit, which is vying to end a six-year postseason drought, the longest active streak in the conference; New York, which has already surpassed last season’s win total; and Orlando, whose young core is coming together under Scott Skiles.
· 50-40-90: Making 50% from the field, 40% percent from three-point range and 90% from the free throw line is the ultimate (and rare) marker of efficiency for NBA shooters. The famed 50-40-90 club has only six members – Larry Bird (who did it twice), Mark Price, Reggie Miller, Steve Nash (four times), Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant – and the feat, accomplished 10 times total, has never been done twice in the same season. But Durant and Stephen Curry, the last two NBA MVPs, are both on track to do it this season.
· Shooting Spurs: The book on Kawhi Leonard when he was drafted in 2011 was that he needed serious work on his jump shot. Today, he leads the NBA in three-point percentage. Tony Parker is shooting a career-high 53 percent from the field this season, and while a lot of that has to do with his ability to get into the paint, he has become a much-improved shooter. Danny Green and Patty Mills are two other Spurs who have shown significant improvement as shooters. The common thread: Spurs shooting coach Chip Engelland, now in his 11th season with San Antonio. Engelland was team captain for Mike Krzyzewski’s 1982-83 Duke squad and spent nine years playing professionally in the Philippines, Canada and the CBA.
· Diversified Backgrounds: Cavaliers GM David Griffin began his career in PR. Hornets GM Rich Cho was an engineer. Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey once pursued a career as an actor. Warriors GM Bob Myers was a player agent. Rockets GM Daryl Morey began his career as consultant in a strategy firm. There are many general managers around the NBA who have taken interesting career paths. How do these different experiences and perspectives help with doing their current jobs?
Milestone Anniversary for Week of Jan. 18
· Kobe Goes For 81: Jan. 22 is the 10-year anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s 81-point performance against the Raptors in Los Angeles, the second-highest-scoring game in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100. Kobe and the Lakers play San Antonio at home on the anniversary date.
Top Storylines for Week of Jan. 18
· Saturday Night Fever: Jan. 23 marks the debut of Saturday Night NBA on ABC, a weekly series showcasing the league’s biggest stars in marquee matchups. The first of eight ABC games in prime time this season is Bulls-Cavs, a premier rivalry featuring two East leaders. Cleveland also plays ABC’s second night game, vs. the Spurs on Jan. 30. The Spurs appear three times total on Sat. night, as do the Warriors.
· High School Reunion: Chicago’s Doug McDermott and Golden State’s Harrison Barnes were teammates at Ames High School in Iowa, where they won back-to-back state championships in undefeated seasons and followed Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg as hoops stars at the school. Their teams meet Jan. 20 on ESPN.
· All-Star Starters: Starters will be announced on TNT on Jan. 21. Draymond Green and Kawhi Leonard, two rising stars, are vying for the third starting spot in the West frontcourt. Carmelo Anthony narrowly leads Andre Drummond for the third starting spot in the East frontcourt. Kyle Lowry needs another late push to overtake Kyrie Irving and start in the East backcourt for the second year in a row, this time in his home city.
