UK in the NBA: John Wall continues hot streak

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By Cody Daniel | @KyKernelSports

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As week 22 of the NBA season comes to a close, familiar faces of former Cats once again grabbed the headlines.

Starting the week off last Tuesday, the Chicago Bulls hitting the road to face the Washington Wizards.

John Wall and the Wizards would eventually secure the win, 90-86, as Wall had another sensational night with 27 points, nine assists and eight rebounds to make it eight straight home wins for the Wizards. Marquis Teague never entered the game.

Benjamin Standig of NBA.com asked Wall about Washington’s improvement from the beginning of the season.

“Just to know where we came from to start the season to where we are now, we have a lot of pride in ourselves,” Wall said. “We want to close the season strong. This is the most wins I’ve had since I’ve been here. It feels great.”

The next day Wall would again make an appearance when the Wizards traveled to Toronto to face the Raptors. Despite shooting 5-of-17 from the field, John Wall still managed to put up 20 points along with five assists and five boards, although the Raptors were too much at home and prevailed, 88-78.

Later in the night the Houston Rockets would travel to Sacramento to square off against DeMarcus Cousins and the Sacramento Kings.

Cousins would put up 20 points and grab six boards. Chuck Hayes and Patrick Patterson would both put up only two points, which would not be enough as the Rockets defeated the Kings, 112-102.

As the weekend approached, Friday night would pit the defending NBA champion Miami Heat against Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and the Bobcats in Charlotte. Despite Kidd-Gilchrist putting up one of his better games with 18 points on 7-of-17 shooting and 14 rebounds, the Heat were too much and won, 89-79.

Next up would be the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Hornets as Anthony Davis attempted to lead the Hornets to their 27th win of the season. Davis would dominate with 24 points, shooting an efficient 10-of-16 from the field with 12 rebounds, earning his 18th double-double of the season. That performance would fall short as the Jazz cruised to a 95-83 win at home.

On Saturday, the John Wall show would again be in full effect when the Indiana Pacers hit the road to face the Wizards. Wall would have his way with the Pacers, putting up 37 points, 26 in the first half, on 16-25 shooting. Wall dropped five dimes, grabbed four rebounds and made an impact defensively with two blocks and two steals, leading the Wizards to a dominant 104-85 win in Washington.

Brandon Knight would steal the show later in the night when the Detroit Pistons traveled to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves. Knight had one of his best games of the season with 25 points and six assists.

Despite Knight’s effort, the Timberwolves pulled away late in a 107-101 victory.

To wrap up the action for week 22 in the NBA, a trio of former Cats would attempt to lead their teams to victories.

Up first would be John Wall and the Wizards traveling to Boston to face Eastern Conference foe in the Celtics.

Wall would again put up another notable performance with 16 points and 10 assists, putting him at 12 double-double games on the year.

This performance would lead to yet another road loss as the Celtics coasted to a 107-96 victory over the Wizards.

Tayshaun Prince and the Grizzlies took on Sacramento to square off against Cousins and the Kings. This would be a hard fought game on both sides as Cousins would put up 22 points and nine rebounds. Hayes also added four points and nine rebounds. Although Prince had three points and five rebounds, his team still came out victorious as the Grizzlies battled to a 89-87 road win that came down to the last shot.

To conclude Sunday’s action Teague and the Bulls traveled to Detroit to face Knight and the Pistons. Teague played just one minute while Knight shined with 20 points and five rebounds to lead the Pistons to an easy 99-85 win over the Bulls, ending an 18-game losing streak.