May 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) handles the ball against Memphis Grizzlies forward Tayshaun Prince (21) during the second half in game five of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Grizzlies defeated the Thunder 88-84. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Conference Semifinals for the NBA playoffs continued last night.  The Miami Heat played the Chicago Bulls and the Memphis Grizzlies took on the Oklahoma City Thunder.  The Heat and Grizzlies both had a 3-1 series lead and were looking to close out their series and move on to the conference finals.  A total of two former Wildcats played in those games yesterday.

Miami Heat 94 – Chicago Bulls 91

> Nazr Mohammed, Center, Chicago

The Heat were able to close out this series last night by narrowly defeating the short-handed Bulls.  The Heat jumped out to an early lead but trailed by double-digits in the second half.  The Heat went on a run at the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth to trim Chicago’s lead and eventually take the lead for themselves.  Mohammed contributed 2 points, 3 rebounds, and a blocked shot.  Marquis Teague didn’t play for the Bulls due to the coach’s decision.  Miami now advances to the Eastern Conference Finals and will either play the New York Knicks or the Indiana Pacers.

Memphis Grizzlies 88 – Oklahoma City Thunder 84

> Tayshaun Prince, Forward, Memphis

Although the Thunder grabbed an early lead in the game, it didn’t take long to surrender it to the Grizzlies.  Like the Bulls, the Thunder have been short-handed without Russell Westbrook and just didn’t seem to have enough firepower in this series.  The Thunder went on a 16-4 run at the end of the third quarter to bring them within two points, but the Grizzlies responded with a 10-2 run to begin the fourth quarter.  Oklahoma City was able to get back within two points in the closing seconds but couldn’t capitalize.  Prince recorded 8 points, 6 rebounds, and an assist.  The Grizzlies now advance to the Western Conference Finals and will either play the Golden State Warriors or the San Antonio Spurs.

There will be two more NBA playoff games for the conference semifinals tonight.  The Indiana Pacers will play the New York Knicks in New York at 8 p.m. ET. The Pacers lead the series 3-1 and look to close out the series and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals to play the Miami Heat.  Then the Golden State Warriors will play the San Antonio Spurs at home at 10:30 p.m. ET.  The Spurs lead the series 3-2 and aim to close out the series and advance to the Western Conference Finals to face the Memphis Grizzlies.

May 13, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies small forward Tayshaun Prince (21) prepares to take a shot in game four of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder at FedEx Forum. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

There were two playoff games that took place last night for the NBA.  The Miami Heat played the Chicago Bulls and the Oklahoma City Thunder took on the Memphis Grizzlies.  There was a total of three former Wildcats in those games.  Let’s see how each of them performed.

Miami Heat 88 – Chicago Bulls 65

> Marquis Teague, Guard, Chicago

> Nazr Mohammed, Center, Chicago

The Bulls have been short-handed throughout the playoffs.  Especially in this series with the Heat as Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng, and Derrick Rose have sat out.  Last night it seemed that fatigue had set in for the Bulls and the Heat took advantage.  The Heat are a very deep team and were simply too much for the Bulls to handle.  Teague has seen extended minutes in Rose’s absence and had 3 assists and a rebound yesterday.  Mohammed returned from being ejected in the previous game and recorded 2 points, 2 rebounds, and a blocked shot.  The Heat now lead the series 3-1 and game 5 will be played this Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Miami.

Memphis Grizzlies 103 – Oklahoma City Thunder 97  (OT)

> Tayshaun Prince, Forward, Memphis

The Thunder had the Grizzlies right where they wanted them in the first half.  The Thunder had a 17-point lead and were on track to even the series at 2-2.  However, the Grizzlies had other plans.  The Grizzlies went on a 19-10 run to end the first half to only trail by 8 points at halftime.  Memphis then came all the way back to force overtime.  The Thunder have struggled without Russell Westbrook (knee) and couldn’t keep up with the Grizzlies in overtime.  Prince contributed 8 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds.  The Grizzlies now lead the series 3-1 and game 5 will be played this Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. in Oklahoma City.

The second round of the NBA playoffs will continue tonight with two more games.  The New York Knicks will play the Indiana Pacers and the Golden State Warriors will take on the San Antonio Spurs.

May 8, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat point guard Norris Cole (30) drives to the basket as Chicago Bulls point guard Marquis Teague (25) defends during the fourth quarter in game two of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA playoffs continued last night as the Golden State Warriors played the San Antonio Spurs and the Chicago Bulls took on the Miami Heat.  Let’s take a look at how the two former Wildcats that were in action performed.

Miami Heat 115 – Chicago Bulls 78

>Nazr Mohammed, Center, Chicago

>Marquis Teague, Guard, Chicago

Despite it being a blowout, this game was very physical and intense.  Tempers ran high all throughout as nine technical fouls were issued and the Bulls’ Joakim Noah was ejected.  Nazr Mohammed and Marquis Teague saw more playing time since Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich sat out for the Bulls.  Mohammed contributed 6 points, 3 rebounds, and a steal.  Teague was able to record 3 assists in 14 minutes of action.  The series is now tied at 1-1 and will resume this Friday at 7 p.m. in Chicago.

Golden State defeated San Antonio tonight to even their series to 1-1 as well.  Game 3 of the series will be this Friday at 9:30 p.m. at Golden State.

May 2, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Andray Blatche (0) goes to the basket against Chicago Bulls center Nazr Mohammed (48) during the first half in game six of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the United Center. The Nets beat the Bulls 95-92. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

The first round of the NBA playoffs continued on Thursday.  Nazr Mohammed and Marquis Teague were the two former Wildcats in action last night.  Let’s take a look at how they performed.

Brooklyn Nets 95 – Chicago Bulls 92

> Nazr Mohammed, Center, Chicago

> Marquis Teague, Guard, Chicago

With Luol Deng sitting out for the Bulls due to illness, the Nets were able to take advantage and control the game.  The Nets led since the end of the first quarter and always had an answer whenever the Bulls tried to make a run.  Nazr Mohammed had 2 points and 1 rebound for the Bulls.  Marquis Teague contributed 2 points, 1 assist, and a steal.  Keith Bogans, a former Wildcat who plays for the Nets didn’t play last night due to the coach’s decision.  The series is now tied at 3-3 and game seven will be Saturday at 8 p.m.

The Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets played last night as well.  The Warriors were able to get the win and take the series.  The Warriors will now face the San Antonio Spurs in the next round.

Apr 30, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers small forward Matt Barnes (22) gets tangled up with Memphis Grizzlies small forward Tayshaun Prince (21) under the hoop during 2nd half action in game five of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA playoffs continued last night as the Golden State Warriors played the Denver Nuggets and the Memphis Grizzlies played the Los Angeles Clippers.  Tayshaun Prince and Eric Bledsoe were the two former Wildcats in action and had to play against each other.  Let’s take a look at how they performed.

Memphis Grizzlies 103 – Los Angeles Clipper 93

> Tayshaun Prince, Forward, Memphis

> Eric Bledsoe, Guard, Los Angeles

With the Clippers being the #4 seed and Grizzlies the #5 seed, this series has been as close as expected.  Prince had 15 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 blocked shot, and a steal to propel the Grizzlies to victory last night.  Bledsoe contributed 7 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, and a blocked shot for the Clippers.  The Grizzlies now take a 3-2 game lead, needing just one more win to take the series.  These two will play again on Friday.

The Denver Nuggets defeated the Golden State Warriors last night to get their second win of the series.  Golden State leads the series 3-2.  These two will play again on Thursday.

April 10, 2013; Sacramento, CA, USA; New Orleans Hornets power forward Anthony Davis (23) drives to the basket against Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) during the fourth quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Sacramento Kings defeated the New Orleans Hornets 121-110. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Former Kentucky Wildcat All-American and current New Orleans Pelican (wow that felt awkward) Anthony Davis saw his first season in the NBA end recently, and in a recent interview with CoachCal.com, he talked about this past year, and what made the 2012 National Champion Wildcats such a special group of players:

It’s not as easy as people think. People say all the time, ‘You guys had this person, this person, this person, so you were supposed to win.’ That’s not how it works. We just all came together as a team from day one and said this is what we’re going to do and this is how we’re going to do it. We stuck with that game plan throughout the year and ended up winning.

Davis finished his rookie campaign averaging 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.2 steals in 28.8 minutes per game.

When talking about Kentucky Football and what they were able to accomplish this spring after a disastrous 2012 season, most of the focus has been on the offense and the rise of quarterback Jalen Whhitlow, but a Saturdays Down South pointed out, there was a lot to be happy about when it came to the play of the defensive ends:

Dynamic duo: Kentucky fans were already excited about Bud Dupree. The former linebacker turned defensive end should have a big season in 2013. Early enrollee and JUCO transfer Za’Darius Smith should create a very sexy one-two pass rush for the Wildcats defense. DJ Eliot’s defense should improve just by making Dupree play with his hand down and adding Smith on the other side. There are questions at linebacker and in the secondary, but the defensive line should be a stronger aspect of the overall team.

Apr 29, 2013; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Chicago Bulls center Nazr Mohammed (48) takes a shot against the Brooklyn Nets during the first quarter of game five of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

There were 3 playoff games last night and 3 former Cats seen action last night. Here is a recap of those games.

Brooklyn Nets (49-33) 110 – Chicago Bulls (45-37) 91

Nazr Mohammed-Center-Chicago
Marquis Teague-Guard-Chicago

After scoring 134 points in a 142-134 loss in game 4 the other night, Brooklyn came out tonight to again score in the one hundreds, scoring 110 points in a 110-91 win over Chicago. Brook Lopez led the assault, scoring 28 points with 10 rebounds and 2 assists. His teammate, Deron Williams, scored 23 points with 10 assists. Chicago still has the series lead at 3-2. Nazr Mohammed played 12:41 minutes for Chicago, scoring 6 points with 4 rebounds and 1 block. Marquis Teague also played for Chicago, playing a little over 3 minutes scoring 2 points.
The two teams will meet up again Thursday, May 2 at 8:00 pm ET.

Houston Rockets (45-37) 105 – Oklahoma City Thunder (60-22) 103

DeAndre Liggins-Guard-Oklahoma City

The Houston Rockets finally found a way to beat Oklahoma City last night to keep from being swept in a four game series. Chandler Parsons came up big for Houston, scoring 27 points with 10 rebounds and 8 assists. DeAndre Liggins saw action for Houston last night logging a little over 14 minutes scoring 3 points with 5 rebounds and 1 assist.
Of course Kevin Durant was his usual self as he scored a game high 38 points with 8 rebounds and 6 assists. The Thunder hold a 3-1 series lead.
The two teams will meet up again Wednesday, May 1 at 8:30 pm ET.

*Note: Daniel Orton did not play due to a coaches decision.

Apr 14, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Jodie Meeks (20) celebrates in the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at the Staples Center. The Lakers defeated the Spurs 91-88. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

There was only one former Kentucky Wildcat suiting up for an NBA team in the Playoffs last night, Jodie Meeks of the Los Angeles Lakers.  Unfortunately for Jodie and the Lakers, Meeks was sidelined with a sprained ankle for what ended up being the final game of the Lakers season.  Let’s take a look at how Meeks did individually this season, as well as final team results.

San Antonio Spurs 103 – Los Angeles Lakers 82

• Jodie Meeks, Guard, Los Angeles

The Lakers ended their season on a sour note, getting swept by the San Antonio Spurs in convincing fashion.  The Lakers were crippled with injuries, as Kobe Bryant, Jodie Meeks, Steve Nash and Metta World Peace all remained sidelined during most of the series.  Last night was the final game of their season, losing 103 to 82 to the Spurs.  Former Cat Jodie Meeks had a just a so-so season, but that is to be expecting when you are the second string to a Hall of Famer in Kobe Bryant.  Meeks averaged 7.9 points per game, in 21.3 minutes per game, starting in 10 out of the 78 games he played in.  Meeks also averaged 2.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.7 steals per game.  He shot 38.7% from the field with a 35.7% clip from 3-point range, and 89.6% from the free throw stripe.  Meeks has two years remaining on his contract with the Lakers, as they most likely go through another roster overhaul, as the Kobe Bryant-Pau Gasol-Dwight Howard-Steve Nash combination didn’t work out well for them this season.

Stay tuned to Wildcat Blue Nation for all of your Kentucky Wildcats sports news.

The NBA playoffs are in their first series of play. Here is a look at what Kentucky’s former player’s teams did.

Oklahoma City Thunder (60-22) 105

Houston Rockets (45-37) 102

Terrence Jones-Forward-Houston

DeAndre Liggins-Forward-Oklahoma

Daniel Orton-Center-Oklahoma

The Rocket’s James Hardin scored a game high 36 points with 11 rebounds and 6 assists in a losing effort against Oklahoma City Wednesday night. Terrence Jones did not play for Houston due to a coaches decision.

According to box scores, DeAndre Liggins played 4 seconds for The Thunder with no stats. Daniel Orton has seen his career in the NBA go up and down and this year was no different as he is once again inactive for Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City holds a 2-0 series lead over Houston.

The two teams will meet up again Saturday Night, April 27 at 9:30 pm ET in Houston.

San Antonio Spurs (58-24) 102

Los Angeles Lakers (45-37) 91

Jodie Meeks-Guard-Los Angeles Lakers

The San Antonio Spurs insisted that the playoffs were a new season for them and it is showing. Tony Parker led the Spurs with 28 points and 7 assists as they beat L.A. again to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference series. Jodie Meeks did not play for L.A. due to a sprained left ankle.

The two teams with meet up again Friday Night, April 26 at 10:30 pm ET in Los Angeles.

Chicago Bulls -(45-37) 90 – Brooklyn (49-33) 82

Nazr Mohammed-Center-Chicago

Keith Bogans-Guard-Brooklyn

Some would say that it was Chicago’s 48 Percent shooting that took them over the top, some would say it was their defense that held Brooklyn to 35 percent, some would say it was their 3rd quarter, 22 – 11 run, some would say the game was won on the boards where Chicago out rebounded Brooklyn, 44-39. Some would say. Some would be wrong. As much as it pains me to say this, it was the return of Joakim Noah that was the difference for Chicago. They are just a different team when he is on the court. He has an injury to his foot, so bad that he couldn’t even run up the court Saturday night, but he fought through it last night and helped his team take a win from the home team Brooklyn Nets. Joakim would finish the night with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists. Nazr Mohammed played 17:37 minutes and had 8 points with 2 rebounds and 1 assist. Marquis Teague did not play due to a coaches decision.

Keith Bogans played almost 13 minutes for Brooklyn but did not score. He did have 2 assists. The teams will next meet up in Chicago for game 3.

Los Angeles Clippers (56-26) 93 – Memphis Grizzlies (56-26) 91

Eric Bledsoe-Guard-Los Angeles

Tayshaun Prince-Forward-Memphis

The Clippers now take a 2 game lead over Memphis but it didn’t come easy. The game was put on the shoulders of Chris Paul as he put up a last second shot; a shot that went through for the win. Most kids grow up dreaming about making a last second shot for their teams victory, but Chris Paul lived it. Memphis did all they could to steal an away game but they fell just a little short. All of the starters scored in double figures except Tayshaun Prince who had 6 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist.

Eric Bledsoe came in for the Clippers scoring 8 points with 4 rebounds and 1 assist.  The teams next meeting will be at Memphis for game 3.