In a calendar week plagued by injuries for former Cats in the NBA, Terrence Jones suffered a partially collapsed lung nine minutes into a 118-108 Houston Rockets win over the Denver Nuggets on March 19. Jones is scheduled for re-evaluation on March 27, but is expected to miss at least the next three Houston contests. Three other UK alumni– Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, and Enes Kanter– ended the seven-day span on the sideline with minor injuries, but were each poised for a return to action once the week was over.Performance of the weekNerlens Noel | Philadelphia 76ers: 97, New York Knicks: 81 | March 20, 2015In the second of back-to-back Sixers wins (and Philly’s 17th victory of 2014-15), Noel guided his team with 23 points, 14 rebounds, five steals, and three blocks on the day. The 20-year-old’s historic numbers have moved him into serious contention for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year Award with under a month remaining in the regular season.
76ers’ Nerlens Noel became the youngest player in NBA history to put up at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 blocks in a game.
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 21, 2015
Cats in the spotlightEric Bledsoe | #2 PG | Phoenix Suns (37-33)In three straight Phoenix wins, Bledsoe ignited the Suns on both ends of the floor. Starting out the week with 21 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds and two steals in a 102-89 victory over the Knicks, Bledsoe capped off the winning streak with a career-high 34 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block in a 117-102 win over the Rockets.DeMarcus Cousins | #15 C | Sacramento Kings (23-45)Before missing Wednesday and Friday with a strained right calf, Cousins notched a 20-point, 13-rebound double-double (complemented by five assists, three blocks and two steals) in a 110-103 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on March 16. The defeat was the third installment in a four-game Sacramento losing streak. Anthony Davis | #23 PF | New Orleans Pelicans (37-32)Before missing games on Thursday and Friday with a sprained left ankle suffered during Thursday’s shootaround, Davis dominated his first two games of the week in one Pelicans win and one loss. “The Brow” tallied 36 points, 14 rebounds, nine blocks, seven assists and one steal in a 118-111 double-overtime loss to the Nuggets on March 15. Two days later, Davis recorded 20 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal in an 85-84 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.Archie Goodwin | #20 SG | Phoenix Suns (37-33)After filling the box score with seven points, five assists, four rebounds, and three steals in the Suns’ win over the Knicks on March 15, Goodwin averaged 10.5 points (6.5 more than his season average) over the next two Phoenix wins. A reverse alley-oop jam by way of Suns teammate Gerald Green earned the Arkansas native NBA.com’s Dunk of the Night honors on March 19.Enes Kanter | #34 C | Oklahoma City Thunder (39-30)Prior to sitting out Friday’s contest with the Hawks due to a sprained left ankle, Kanter posted three straight double-doubles to begin the week. Kanter averaged 19.7 points and 13.7 points over the span, leading OKC to a 2-1 record.John Wall | #2 PG | Washington Wizards (40-29)Thanks to two double-double performances from Wall over a three-game stretch, the Wizards finished last week with a home win over the Portland Trail Blazers, a road win over the Utah Jazz, and a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in LA. Over the span, Wall averaged 21.3 points, 9.0 assists and 8.0 rebounds.
