When Chris Duhon signed with the New York Knicks this summer, Coach K predicted his former guard could become one of the NBA leaders in assists. Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni handed the keys to his uptempo offense over to Chris and the former Duke All-American didn’t take long to meet his college coach’s expectations.
Already among the top 10 in assists entering Saturday’s matchup with the Golden State Warriors, Chris exploded for a performance that immediately made its way to the Knicks record books. In a 138-125 win, Duhon dished out a Knicks franchise-record 22 assists, breaking a single-game record set almost 50 years ago on December 12, 1958 by Richie Guerin. The 22 dimes are also the most ever recorded by any player in a game played at Madison Square Garden.
“That’s what a point guard’s supposed to do, get their team involved,” Duhon said after the game. “If I can do that every night I would love it. I love sharing the ball, I love getting those guys involved. The main important thing is that we got the win.”
Chris, who has dropped at least seven dimes in 10 of his 16 games on the year, is averaging 8.2 APG and shattered his previous career high of 15 assists. The 22 dimes are the most in an NBA game since Steve Nash dished out his career-high 22 dimes on January 2, 2006, and pushed Chris to fifth in the league in APG. Only Duhon, Nash and Jason Kidd have recorded as many as 22 assists in a single game among active NBA players. To put that total in perspective, only six NBA teams were averaging more than 22 APG as of Duhon’s record-breaking performance.
With Chris pushing the ball and running the offense, the Knicks started the game with 82 first-half points (43 in the second quarter), setting records at the current MSG for points in the second quarter and first half. The 138 points in the game are the most by the Knicks since a 139-106 win on April 6, 1996 in Toronto.
“I think Duhon is the story tonight,” said Warriors head coach Don Nelson after the game. “Wow, what a player. I’ve been watching him on film and seeing him on videos, but seeing him in person is another story. Guy’s got the whole package. He looked like Steve Nash out there. Unbelievable performance. Whether we zoned him, switched him, it didn’t matter. He still found a way to hurt us. Really impressive performance.”
“It was an amazing accomplishment,” said Duhon, who only had three turnovers and added 12 points for the double-double. “Obviously, this kind of record isn’t something you can get by yourself. It’s a team effort because you can’t get assists unless the guys put the ball in the hole. It was something that I will remember forever.”
GAME NOTES
*Former Blue Devil Corey Maggette scored 32 points (12-20 FG) and grabbed 12 boards for Golden State.
*Chris’ line: 12 pts, 22 assts, 4 rebs, 1 stl, 3 TO, 4-9 FG (1-2 3pt), 3-4 FT
*The Knicks improved to 8-8 with the victory.
The San Diego Union-Tribune showed Blue Planet some love in a column about teams and athletes on the web written by Tod Leonard. The article, entited “Sites to Behold”, stated about DukeBluePlanet.com, “The Duke men’s college basketball site has to be the best effort out there…” Leonard’s sample of ”the most interesting athlete-driven sites” included DukeBluePlanet along with sites for Curt Schilling, Rafael Nadel, Maria Sharapova, Kobe Bryant, Coach Pete Carroll and Shaun White! In addition to writing for the Union-Tribune, Leonard has appeared on ESPN and The Golf Channel. Click HERE to read the full article…
Top Performer
After signing a mammoth 5-year, $82 million deal with Philadelphia over the summer, Elton Brand knew that he was going to be the focal point of the Sixers’ offense, and if the past couple of weeks are any indication, that plan is going to work out just fine. In his last five games, Elton has averaged 19.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per contest. Certainly adjusting to a new team and a new city can take some time, and in Brand’s case he had been playing for the same NBA team for the past seven seasons prior to his move to Philly. Luckily for Sixers fans, the feeling-out process appears to be over, and Brand looks to be on the verge of dominating the blocks in the Eastern Conference the same way he’s done it on the West Coast for years.
After signing a mammoth 5-year, $82 million deal with Philadelphia over the summer, Elton Brand knew that he was going to be the focal point of the Sixers’ offense, and if the past couple of weeks are any indication, that plan is going to work out just fine. In his last five games, Elton has averaged 19.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per contest. Certainly adjusting to a new team and a new city can take some time, and in Brand’s case he had been playing for the same NBA team for the past seven seasons prior to his move to Philly. Luckily for Sixers fans, the feeling-out process appears to be over, and Brand looks to be on the verge of dominating the blocks in the Eastern Conference the same way he’s done it on the West Coast for years.
Maggette Pours in 32 points Against Defending Champs
Elton Brand isn’t the only Blue Devil adjusting to being the go-to offensive option on a new team. Corey Maggette’s start with the Warriors has been hampered by a nagging hamstring injury, but Wednesday’s performance against Boston provided a pretty good glimpse of the kind of offensive output Maggette is capable of producing. Shooting 12-of-20 (60%) from the field, Corey finished with 32 points, 4 rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 36 minutes of action.
Elton Brand isn’t the only Blue Devil adjusting to being the go-to offensive option on a new team. Corey Maggette’s start with the Warriors has been hampered by a nagging hamstring injury, but Wednesday’s performance against Boston provided a pretty good glimpse of the kind of offensive output Maggette is capable of producing. Shooting 12-of-20 (60%) from the field, Corey finished with 32 points, 4 rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 36 minutes of action.
Injury Update
Injuries continue to be a big story in the early season for Duke’s NBA players. While some players returned to action this week, the injury list still hasn’t gotten any shorter. Carlos Boozer has now missed the past four games for Utah with a quadriceps injury, while Luol Deng just returned to action on November 24th after missing three games with a strained hamstring. Mike Dunleavy remains sidelined indefinitely with a bone spur in his right knee. The good news is that Shane Battier saw his first action of the season on Wednesday, returning to his accustomed place in the starting lineup for Houston and logging 30 minutes of playing time with 5 points and 7 rebounds.
Redick Getting Minutes in Orlando
J.J. Redick spent two seasons in Orlando waiting for his opportunity to show what he could do on the court. This season, due in part to an injury to guard Keith Bogans, he is finally getting his chance. He’s making the most of it, too, scoring in double figures in three of his last six games and averaging 8.2 points per game during that stretch. In addition to shooting from long range, Redick has shown an ability to attack the lane, as he displayed on November 22nd against Houston when he went to the free-throw line 10 times and finished with 13 points, including only one three-pointer.
Duke Blue Planet NBA Fantasy League Update
The Blue Devils continue to occupy the #2 spot in the fantasy league while they await the return of some of their injured stars. With players like Shane Battier, Luol Deng, and Corey Maggette back in their respective lineups, things may be turning around on the injury front, and once Carlos Boozer returns to action, look for Duke to make a move on the top spot.
The Blue Devils continue to occupy the #2 spot in the fantasy league while they await the return of some of their injured stars. With players like Shane Battier, Luol Deng, and Corey Maggette back in their respective lineups, things may be turning around on the injury front, and once Carlos Boozer returns to action, look for Duke to make a move on the top spot.
1. Connecticut Huskies: 3583.7
2. Duke Blue Devils: 3033.7
3. North Carolina Tar Heels: 2909.5
4. Kansas Jayhawks: 2520.9
5. Florida Gators: 2514.4
6. Arizona Wildcats: 2255.5
7. Kentucky Wildcats: 1768.7
Scoring summary: one point for each point scored, 1.5 point for each rebound, two points for each assist, steal or block, 0.5 points for each 3-pointer made, and -1.2 points for each turnover. Field-goal percentage is included by subtracting 0.2 points for each field goal attempt and adding 0.5 points for each field goal made, which would mean you break even by shooting 40% from the field.
Quotes of the Week
Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul featured on ESPN’s segment that aired during our game against Duquesne… The pair talked about playing for Coach K on the U.S. National Team.
(Filmed by Lance Thomas & Nolan Smith)
