The Hawks are running away with the East, but the few expect the Cavaliers to go out quietly when the playoffs arrive. The two teams meet Friday in a potential playoff series preview.
E'Twaun Moore played the best game of his professional basketball career on Thursday, but you wouldn't be hearing his name unless he hit his final shot.
Moore's corner three-pointer was the decisive bucket in the Bulls 108-105 comeback win against Oklahoma City. It placed a spotlight on the relatively unknown fourth-year veteran who has already played with three teams. He finished the game with a career-high 19 points on 9-10 shooting, adding four rebounds, two steals and a block in 22 minutes.
But to stand out, he had to make that shot from the corner, too. Thursday's game was all about Russell Westbrook up until that moment. While Westbrook failed to continue his four-game triple-double streak, he still put up 43 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Yet with under five seconds to play, Pau Gasol made a beautiful read and touch pass to Moore in the corner, who nailed it for. Westbrook turned the ball over on the next play to seal a Bulls win.
Where did Moore come from?
Moore was drafted by the Celtics with the 55th pick of the 2011 NBA Draft after spending four seasons at Purdue. He's a 6-foot-4 combo guard with a respectable three-point stroke, hitting 35 percent from downtown in his career. But he only played 38 games in Boston his rookie year.
After he was traded to and waived by the Rockets the following summer, a larger role appeared for Moore in Orlando. In two seasons with the Magic, he played 154 games while averaging 20.7 minutes and 7.1 points.
On Sept. 18, Moore signed a two-year partially guaranteed contract with Chicago and earned his roster spot in training camp, where he has most of his time as an end-of-the-bench player.
Why was Moore even on the floor?
With injuries to both Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler, Chicago is very short-handed in the back court. The Bulls were already down 13 early in the second quarter when Moore first subbed in. He missed his first shot and then scored a quick six points to help the Bulls pull back within two points at halftime.
Because he was so effective, Moore got the nod in the second half, too. It was the first time he played more than 20 minutes in a game since Dec. 27, but it clearly worked.
Can Moore help kept Chicago rolling despite the injuries?
With as few options as Tom Thibodeau has until his team gets healthy -- it's just Moore, Tony Snell, Aaron Brooks and Kirk Hinrich -- and considering how well he played Thursday, you'd certainly hope Moore has a chance to play his way into the rotation in the next couple of weeks.
He's had some stretches of his career where he raised his play, such as the start of the 2012-13 season with Orlando where he scored double digit points in seven of his first nine games in an increased role. He may be able to do that again given the opportunity.
If Thursday was a test for Moore, then he passed with a nearly perfect score.
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