Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose and J.J. Redick: NBA’s top players from April 26th playoff games
Rose- adding fireworks to the victory
On Tuesday night, Derrick Rose fought through his sprained ankle to sting the eighth seeded Indiana Pacers once and for all. In yet another dazzling performance,
the point guard played like the game was totally in his hands. The 22-year-old posted a game-high 25 points and dished out six assists in 30 minutes of play. Rose shot 3-of-8 from the three point zone and 8-for-17 from the field. With this win, the Bulls crushed
the Pacers 4-1 and also sealed the first round playoff series.
Rose was in his zone right from the tip off and added 11 points in the very first quarter to set the tone early. He also finished with two blocked shots along with
two steals.
Deng’s finishing touches
Rose started the game and Luol Deng carried it forward. The Bulls’ small forward followed Rose with 24 points in a game high time of 41 plus minutes. Not only that,
but the 26-year-old also dished out seven assists and grabbed six rebounds in the win.
Bryant’s spectacular play
Kobe Bryant was awesome. Any other player would have writhed in pain with the amount of swelling he had over his foot, but Bryant just did not seem to care. The Lakers
shooting guard not only spurred on his team by braving through the injury, he also proved to be a major catalyst in his team’s big victory over the New Orleans Hornets. It was his crucial dunk over opposition’s Emeka Okafor in the dying seconds of the first
half that made the Hornets lose momentum of the game. The 32-year-old scored a team high 19 points on an 8-for-13 shooting from the field.
Bryant had 13 points in the first half after remaining scoreless during the same stretch in game 4.
His performance was so superb that it raised curiosity among the opposition as to whether he was really injured or faking an injury. Monty Williams, the New Orleans
coach was quoted as saying, "That's what he does. All this talk about his ankle, did it look like his ankle was hurting? OK then. See that's why I don't even get into all that."
Gasol leaving that slump behind
Pau Gasol also had a tremendous game. The 7 foot tall Spanish giant pulled off 16 points for the second straight game. He also grabbed eight rebounds to go along
with four assists in 37 plus minutes of action.
Richardson’s rich game
After returning from a one game suspension, Jason Richardson set the Amyway centre ablaze as he propelled the Orlando Magic to a comprehensive win over the Atlanta
Hawks. The 30-year-old shooting guard 17 points and grabbed three rebounds in 25 minutes of play. The player also shot three 3-pointers in the win, including one that gave his team a 17 point lead over the Hawks at the very start of second quarter.
Redick’s back to back shots
J.J. Redick also played incredibly well as Orlando Magic came back to cut their series deficit against the Atlanta Hawks to 3-2. Redick scored 11 points on six back-to-back
possessions in the final moments of the first quarter. He finished with 14 points off the bench on a 6-for-8 shooting from the field. The player also grabbed three rebounds along with three assists.
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