Basketball fans the world over were horrified when George suffered a compound fracture of both of the bones in his right lower leg during a televised Team USA scrimmage on August 1st of last year.
In a press conference announcing his return, both Larry Bird and George stressed that this is another step in the long rehab process and his minutes would be limited while they evaluate his progress.
On Sunday, George came off the bench and received an emotional standing ovation when he checked in to the game.
George played a full 15 minutes going five for 12 from the field and 3-6 from the 3-point line. He finished with 13 points as well as two steals, two rebounds and two assists. Two of George’s threes came in the final quarter and helped Indiana pull away for the 112-89 win.
Though George did look hesitant in his first game back, more floor time will surely help him get his confidence back. Hopefully he’ll be back to his playmaking self sooner rather than later.
The Brooklyn Nets seem to have made a move and look like the only team in lower end of the playoff race in the East that actually wants to be in the playoffs.
Thad Young’s tip-in with 22 seconds left in the Nets’ game against the Raptors on Friday sealed Brooklyn’s sixth win in a row and their tenth win in their last twelve games.
The victory put the Nets into the seventh spot in the East, a game clear of the the Heat, who occupy the eighth spot. In their last 12 games, the Nets have notched key wins over both the Cavs and Raptors as well an OT thriller against the Bucks and two wins over the Pacers who still have playoff aspirations.
The Nets arguably have one of the toughest slates to close out the season of any team fighting for a playoff spot in the East. Brooklyn will play Atlanta twice this week with a game against the Blazers sandwiched in between. They come down the stretch with tilts against the Wizards, Bucks and Bulls before closing the season with a supposed cupcake against the hapless Magic.
It’s a tough road to hoe and even if they get through the gauntlet their reward is either the Hawks or Cavs in the first round.
DeMarcus Cousins recorded 24 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists in the Kings loss to the Rockets on Wednesday. Boogie followed that performance by dropping 24 points, 20 rebounds and 13 assists on Anthony Davis and the Pelicans on Friday.
Cousins joins Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to record consecutive triple-doubles with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. For Cousins, it was his third straight 20-20 game and his fourth 20-20 game this season. Somewhat unbelievably, the Kings are 0-4 in those games.
Demarcus Cousins has had a roller coaster of a season. Cousins came out of the gates hot, recording 12 double-doubles in the Kings’ first 15 games of the season. That was before Boogies sat out for three weeks due to injury.
Boogie rallied and put together an All-Star worthy first half of the season and was rewarded with a selection to the West squad.
The Kings floundered and soon George Karl was brought in to right the ship to the extent a coach taking over an 18-34 team can right things. Boogie’s attitude changed and though the team will not be making the playoffs, Cousins is determined to finish the season on a strong note.
In more history-making news out of Sacramento, the Kings signed the league’s first Indian born player when they inked the 7 foot 5 inch Sim Bhullar to a ten day contract. It will be interesting to see if Bhullar can stick on the roster through the off season.
Either way, the signing of the league’s first Indian born player is a historic moment for the league. The NBA has spent years developing the game in India and this is the first sign that the inroads made there could finally be establishing a pipeline for talent to enter the league.
