It didn’t take Corey Brewer long to impress his new Rockets teammates, reports Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Brewer, acquired from the Timberwolves in a December 19th deal, was 6 of 8 on three-point shots in Sunday’s loss to the Spurs. “Corey’s been excellent for us,” said Houston guard James Harden. “He brings energy off the bench, defensive mindset, shoot the basketball, attack the rim. He’s been playing well.”
There is other Southwest Division news:
- Rockets forward Donatas Motiejunas, who was replaced in the starting lineup Sunday by Josh Smith, tells Feigen that his only concern is playing well whenever he is called upon. “I’m not a coach,” Motiejunas said. “I’m not making decisions. I’m following. They think it’s better and will help us win more games. I’m trying to put these things in my mind. I just try to use my time as productive as possible and do what I can do to win.”
- The Mavericks have been struggling a bit since the Rajon Rondo deal and they need to start playing like a contender, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Dallas is 3-2 since the deal and one of its wins came against a Kobe Bryant-less Lakers team.
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was non-committal Sunday when asked about the prospect of signing free agent big man Jermaine O’Neal, Sefko reports. “I don’t know if he wants to come here,” Cuban responded. “[There are] a lot of decisions to be made before then.”
- After hosting Pelicans big man Anthony Davis in his hometown, Bulls forward Joakim Noah came away impressed, writes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. “He’s a great player,” Noah said. “Great, well beyond his years. I thought that for somebody to come in, playing in front of your hometown, usually there’s some anxiety. I just saw a lot of composure out of him tonight. He came in, first shot, boom, knocked it down. You can’t give him any open looks at his size. He’s a very, very talented kid.”
Zach Links contributed to this post.