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Turner's 34 points on Wednesday night helped Philadelphia grab their only win of the week as the team's struggles continued. Turner's 76ers isn't the only team that is struggling in the Atlantic Division, with Jared Sullinger's Celtics sitting with the 76ers in the division basement. It isn't all bad for the former Buckeyes in the association though. Mike Conley helped the Grizzlies keep rolling along since they were boosted by last week's return of Marc Gasol. The Grizzlies have won eight of the last 10 and are working their way back into the mix in the Western Conference playoff hunt.
Mike Conley - PG - Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis only had two games on the schedule last week, and they both were against Houston. The Southwest Division foes played back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday nights, with the Grizzlies sweeping the pair. Conley was very consistent in his play, scoring 14 points in Friday night's 88-87 win in Houston, and followed that up with 17 points in Saturday night's 99-81 win back in Memphis. Conley was feeling it from long range, combining to go 5-8 from distance in the two contests. The Grizzlies have hit their stride of late, going 8-2 over the past 10 games, and now only sitting two games out of the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference. Currently Conley is leading the Grizzlies in scoring with 18 points per game, sitting a point ahead of Zach Randolph for best on the Grizzlies.
Kosta Koufos - F/C - Memphis Grizzlies
Much like last week when the Grizzlies played back-to-back games, Koufos saw very little time on the court the first night, but saw a significant increase on the second night. In Friday night's win in Houston, Koufos was only on the court for four minutes of game time, and the only contribution he made to the victory cause was the two rebounds he picked up. Saturday night in Memphis Koufos played a lot bigger role, playing 24 minutes and going 7-8 from the field to finish with 14 points. Not only did Koufos produce on the offensive end, but his defense was solid too, as he grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots. With the return of Marc Gasol, the minutes for Koufos have been anything but consistent lately, but in the time he does get extended minutes he has given the Grizzlies solid play.
Evan Turner - G/F - Philadelphia 76ers
The week got off to a phenomenal start for Turner and the 76ers with a 110-106 win over the Knicks on Wednesday night. Turner poured in a career-high 34 points and pulled down 11 rebounds as the former Buckeye was able to out-duel Carmelo Anthony, who would go on to drop 62 on Charlotte a couple nights later. The rest of the week wasn't quite so noteworthy for Turner and Philadelphia, as they went on to drop their next three games. After going 13-22 from the field against the Knicks, Turner really struggled with his shot the next two games, combining to shoot 9-28 in losses to Toronto and Oklahoma City. Turner did fare better against Phoenix from the field, shooting 7-12 to finish with 21 points, but the 76ers couldn't keep pace with Phoenix in the 124-113 loss on Monday night. Even with some lulls in his scoring at times, Turner has still managed to score a career-high 18.5 points per game on the season, which is pretty impressive for being on a Philadelphia team that isn't too good.
Jared Sullinger - F/C - Boston Celtics
After joining the 20/20 club the previous week, Sullinger was able to notch double-double performances in Boston's first two games last week. The only win the Celtics were able to register in the four games they played last week was a 113-111 nailbiter against Washington, in which Sullinger scored 14 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Then in the first quarter of Friday night's loss to Oklahoma City, Sullinger dislocated a finger which really put a damper on the final two games of the week. Sullinger did return to play 24 minutes, but his shot was noticeably off, as he was only able to shoot 3-10 from the field to finish with 8 points. Sunday night's loss to the Nets was a even worse shooting performance, only hitting one of seven shots, as Brad Stevens went with Kris Humphries over Sullinger to start the second half. One thing to watch out for the rest of the season with Jared Sullinger is how he deals with the rigors of a full NBA season. Sullinger has already played 44 games this season after only playing 45 games during his injury-shortened rookie season.
Byron Mullens - F/C - Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers finished up a seven-game road trip on Monday night with a 114-86 win against Milwaukee, which gave them a 5-2 record during their travels. Mullens didn't see much action while the team was on the road, with his five minutes on Monday night being the most that he posted in the three games that he played. In those five minutes Mullens made a lot happen, but it wasn't too much good as he committed three fouls and two turnovers. One of the games the Clippers lost on the trip came on Wednesday night in Charlotte, in which Mullens got two minutes against the team he spent the previous two years playing for. In his return, Mullens hoisted a couple shots but neither or them was able to fall as the Clippers dropped a 95-91 decision. While he's playing on a team with a much better record this year, it has come at a price for Mullens, who is now averaging 20 less minutes on the floor this year (when he is lucky enough to even get on the floor).
Greg Oden - C - Miami Heat
The comeback of Greg Oden continued last week, with the big man playing in all three of the Heat's games, and culminating with a 13 minutes performance in the 113-101 win over San Antonio on Sunday. In each of the three games Oden had a block, but his best perfomance of the week came in Thursday night's 109-102 win over the Lakers. Oden played 10 minutes and scored five points and grabbed a season-high five rebounds against Los Angeles. The former number one pick has seen his minutes steadily increase since his return, and looks to be responding well after four years on the sidelines. The seven-footer looks like he could be a factor off the bench the rest of the season and in the playoffs for the two-time defending NBA champions.