Brewer’s shots starting to fall, complementing rest of game
After Corey Brewer scored his season-high 15 points in Tuesday’s win over Charlotte, helping to fill some of the void left by Eric Gordon’s absence, Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni made a point to say he has been happy with Brewer’s play well before he made seven of 10 shots. Brewer has made 42.7 percent of his shots but just 22.2 percent of his 3-pointers.
Brewer, however, has led the team in net rating, with the Rockets outscoring opponents by 12 points per 100 possessions with Brewer on the court.
“He’s been playing well for a while,” D’Antoni said. “He might not have made all his shots, but his defense, his energy, his running the floor, he’s played well.”
Brewer said he never lost confidence in his shot because he was playing well in other ways.
“You can tell the difference. You can tell when you’re making shots,” Brewer said. “I’ve actually been playing pretty well. It’s one of those things, when you’re playing well, you know shots are going to start to fall. For me, keep playing. I’m not playing bad, and I’m getting good shots. And I’d rather they go down late in the season.
“It’s funny, because a lot of people who don’t really know basketball (say), ‘Ah, he’s shooting bad.’ But I effect the game in a lot of different ways. It’s about helping the team win. You know when you play well and you know when you don’t. If I’m out there playing bad, I know it. If I’m helping the team win, it’s good. Lately, I’ve been helping the team.”
Extra minutes, no extra players
With guard Eric Gordon out with a sprained left big toe, the Rockets shortened their rotation and extended the minutes for other players off the bench, rather than add a reserve who had not been playing in the mix, a plan coach Mike D’Antoni said he intended for the second half of the backto-back Wednesday in Minneapolis.
“Sam (Dekker) and Corey (Brewer) both could use more minutes,” D’Antoni said. “It doesn’t hurt them. They’ve been playing for the last three months and the other guys haven’t played too much, and I think it gives us a better chance to win.”
One early vote for D’Antoni
Though there are months to go before votes are cast for NBA awards, Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau was asked if he considered Mike D’Antoni the front-runner for coach of the year. He acted as if that was not in doubt at the midpoint of the season.
“Oh, certainly, yeah,” Thibodeau said. “The way their team is playing? Mike’s been around a long time. He’s a terrific coach.
“Right coach for right team. I think he’s got a style of play. He’s always had that. And then their personnel fits it, too. And they’ve always been a high-volume 3-point shooting team. Now, last year probably didn’t reflect who they truly are. They had a number of injuries. But I think with James (Harden) playing the way he has, (Trevor) Ariza is playing well, (Pat) Beverley. The addition of (Ryan) Anderson and Eric Gordon has pushed them further along. Impressive.”