Sunday Beat is a weekly post featuring the most remarkable performances of the week, z-points-wise.

L.A. LAKERS @ TORONTO 105-106

Hedo Turkoglu (TOR)
9 pts, 0.00 2PT%, 0.50 3PT%, 100% FT%
27 z-pts (0.81), 0.00 z2PT%, 0.49 z3PT%, 100% zFT%

Turkoglu’s free throws with 1.2 seconds left lifted the Raptors over the Lakers. “I was surprised. I thought I wasn’t going to go to the line,” Turkoglu said. “Usually I don’t rely on that because sometimes you get calls and sometimes you don’t.”

Andrea Bargnani (TOR)
22 pts, 0.54 2PT%, 0.17 3PT%, 100% FT%
28 z-pts (0.82), 0.68 z2PT%, 0.12 z3PT%, 100% zFT%

The Italian scored 12 of his 22 points in the 4th quarter. His last three points came from an And-1 with 1:15 remaining to put the Raptors one point behind the Lakers, setting up the stage for Turkoglu’s clutch free throws at the end. The Lakers only scored two points in the last 3:23.

INDIANA @ PHILADELPHIA 109-98

Dahntay Jones (IND)
18 pts, 0.57 2PT%, 0.67 FT%
25 z-pts (0.64), 0.62 z2PT%, 0.81 zFT%

In a two-minute span late in the 4th quarter, Jones scored 7 points (And-1 included) to help the Pacers pull away from the Sixers. 11 of his 18 points came in the 4th quarter.

CHICAGO @ SAN ANTONIO 98-93

Joakim Noah (CHI)
11 pts, 0.80 2PT%, 0.60 FT%
18 z-pts (0.55), 0.93 z2PT%, 0.40 zFT%

With the game tied at 93 and 37 seconds left, Noah finished strong as he scored Chicago’s last five points to give the Bulls their third win in a row.

PHOENIX @ UTAH 115-124

Wesley Matthews (UTA)
21 pts, 0.43 2PT%, 0.50 3PT%, 0.86 FT%
30 z-pts (0.66), 0.42 z2PT%, 0.55 z3PT%, 0.92 zFT%

Matthews scored 10 points in the last quarter and sparked the late run that ultimately put the game away for the Jazz.

NEW ORLEANS @ PORTLAND 98-97

Chris Paul (NOR)
24 pts, 0.50 2PT%, 0.60 3PT%, 100% FT%
41 z-pts (1.17), 0.63 z2PT%, 0.50 z3PT%, 100% zFT%

The Blazers made a defensive mistake leaving Paul open in the last seconds of the game. He made them pay as he hit a clutch jumper with 3.8 left to win the game. David West gets credit for the assist (2 assists vs. 10.23 z-assists).

CHARLOTTE @ PHOENIX 114-109

Stephen Jackson (CHA)
30 pts, 0.47 2PT%, 0.50 3PT%, 0.67 FT%
37 z-pts (1.09), 0.49 z2PT%, 0.53 z3PT%, 0.70 zFT%

Jackson wasn’t great in crunch time, scoring 6 points in the 4th quarter and OT combined on just 2-of-8, but his three-pointer with 19 seconds remaining in regulation tied the game and forced the extra period (in the last possession of regulation, Jared Dudley missed a trey that would have won it for Phoenix – see how his z3PT% drops as a result).

Steve Nash (PHO)
23 pts, 0.15 2PT%, 0.56 3PT%, 100% FT%
29 z-pts (0.85), 0.20 z2PT%, 0.61 z3PT%, 100% zFT%

Bad shooting night for Nash, who still managed to score 8 points in the last minutes of regulation to keep the Suns in the game.

GOLDEN STATE @ SACRAMENTO 96-99

Beno Udrih (SAC)
24 pts, 0.57 2PT%, 0.00 3PT%, 100% FT%
31 z-pts (0.62), 0.50 z2PT%, 0.00 z3PT%, 100% zFT%

Udrih scored Sacramento’s last five points – in the last 20 seconds of the game- from the free throw line, going 5-of-5 as the Kings escaped alive the Warriors’ late run.

MEMPHIS @ DETROIT 99-93

Marc Gasol (MEM)
15 pts, 0.40 2PT%, 0.33 3PT%, 100% FT%
20 z-pts (0.49), 0.56 z2PT%, 0.34 z3PT%, 100% zFT%

A sensational Marc Gasol scored the Grizz’s last 8 points (6 of them from the free throw line) to beat the Pistons in Detroit.

PHILADELPHIA @ MILWAUKEE 88-91

Brandon Jennings (MIL)
18 pts, 0.47 2PT%, 0.33 3PT%, 0.33 FT%
28 z-pts (0.76), 0.63 z2PT%, 0.40 z3PT%, 0.27 zFT%

With the game tied and 22 seconds remaining, Jennings scored the go-ahead bucket for Milwaukee. Those two points alone are worth 46% of the rookie’s total z-points.

TORONTO @ NEW YORK 106-104

Jarrett Jack (TOR)
9 pts, 100% 2PT%, 0.00 3PT%, 0.75 FT%
20 z-pts (0.60), 100% z2PT%, 0.00 z3PT%, 0.77 zFT%

Jack was key in the last minute as he scored the go-ahead basket with 50 seconds remaining and later hit a free throw for a two-point lead with 7 seconds to go.

BOSTON @ ORLANDO 94-96

Rashard Lewis (ORL)
23 pts, 0.60 2PT%, 0.67 3PT%, 0.83 FT%
40 z-pts (1.23), 0.85 z2PT%, 0.78 z3PT%, 0.83 zFT%

Good stuff from Lewis, who drove past Kevin Garnett to make the winning layup in the last second. Rasheed Wallace had a great look to win it for Boston in the ensuing possession but missed the shot (see how his z3PT% shows that).

WASHINGTON @ NEW JERSEY 81-79

Earl Boykins (WAS)
15 pts, 0.54 2PT%, 0.50 FT%
32 z-pts (0.97), 0.66 z2PT%, 0.50 zFT%

The little guy hit another big shot. With .4 seconds left Boykins took advantage of a screen to get off a shot and bury the Nets’ hopes for a win.

Brook Lopez (NJN)
17 pts, 0.43 2PT%, 0.62 FT%
25 z-pts (0.75), 0.52 z2PT%, 0.57 zFT%

Lopez’s layup tied the game at 79 with 13 seconds left, but Boykins last-second heroics sentenced the game.

PORTLAND @ HOUSTON 100-104

Carl Landry (HOU)
21 pts, 0.46 2PT%, 0.64 FT%
35 z-pts (0.87), 0.58 z2PT%, 0.78 zFT%

Landry scored 15 of his 21 points in the 4th and was the key to the Rockets’ win over the Blazers.

PORTLAND @ DALLAS 114-112

Andre Miller (POR)
52 pts, 0.70 2PT%, 100% 3PT%, 0.78 FT%
65 z-pts (2.53), 0.82 z2PT%, 100% z3PT%, 0.90 zFT%

Terrific game by Miller, who scored 18 points in the 4th quarter on 7-of-8 shooting and added 7 more in overtime on 3-of-3 shooting, to highlight the Mavs with an amazing 2.53 z-points.

Juwan Howard (POR)
2 pts, 0.33 2PT%
7 z-pts (0.26), 0.76 z2PT%

Howard scored the go-ahead basket with 44 seconds left in overtime to lift the Blazers over the Mavs in this highly contested game.

Dirk Nowitzki (DAL)
28 pts, 0.47 2PT%, 100% FT%
38 z-pts (1.44), 0.32 z2PT%, 100% zFT%

Nowitzki scored 14 fourth-quarter points on 5-of-8 but missed a potentially game-winning shot at the end of regulation. In OT, Dirk went cold as he made only one of five shots, including a missed fade-away jumper to tie the game at the buzzer.

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Sunday Beat is a weekly post featuring the most remarkable performances of the week, z-points-wise.

MEMPHIS @ L.A. CLIPPERS 88-98

Al Thornton (LAC)
18 pts, 0.53 2PT%, 0.40 FT%
31 z-pts (0.61), 0.60 z2PT%, 0.55 zFT%

Thornton scored 8 of his 18 points in the last 2:26 to help the Clippers pull away from the Grizzlies in crunch time.

HOUSTON @ OKLAHOMA CITY 100-91

Aaron Brooks (HOU)
21 pts, 0.42 2PT%, 100% 3PT%, 100% FT%
28 z-pts (0.73), 0.52 z2PT%, 100% z3PT%, 100% zFT%

Brooks scored 18 of his 21 in the second half, including 9 points in the last 4:39.

Carl Landry (HOU)
21 pts, 0.50 2PT%, 0.75 FT%
26 z-pts (0.67), 0.48 z2PT%, 0.75 zFT%

Landry was also key to the Rockets winning this game, scoring 17 of his 21 points in the second half on 7-of-13 shooting.

PHILADELPHIA @ DALLAS 102-104

Jason Terry (DAL)
7 pts, 0.67 2PT%, 0.25 3PT%
27 z-pts (0.63), 0.95 z2PT%, 0.23 z3PT%

Terry hit a fadeaway jumper over Willie Green with 1 second left to win this game. But we don’t need to watch the game to know what happened. Look at Terry’s stat line: he only scored 7 points but he’s got 27 (0.63) z-points, so he was clearly clutch in this game. From where? Look at his 2PT% vs. z2PT%: 0.67 vs. 0.95, which shows that he won it for the Mavs with a 2-point shot.

CHICAGO @ MILWAUKEE 97-99

Brandon Jennings (MIL)
15 pts, 0.18 2PT%, 0.75 3PT%, 100% FT%
25 z-pts (0.72), 0.27 z2PT%, 0.82 z3PT%, 100% zFT%

Brandon Jennings hit two clutch free throws to make it 98-95 Bucks with 13 seconds to go. Although those two free throws account only for 13% of his points, they amount to as much as 44% of his z-points, showing how z-scores are heavily tilted towards clutchness.

WASHINGTON @ TORONTO 106-102

Jarrett Jack (TOR)
18 pts, 0.57 2PT%, 0.50 3PT%, 100% FT%
25 z-pts (0.67), 0.42 z2PT%, 0.56 z3PT%, 100% zFT%

Jarrett Jack gets credit for keeping the Raptors close in the game. He scored 5 points in 38 seconds to put Toronto two points behind with 58 seconds left in the game.

PHOENIX @ NEW YORK 99-126

Alando Tucker (PHO)
14 pts, 0.50 2PT%, 100% 3PT%, 0.62 FT%
0.17 z-pts (0.00), 0.38 z2PT%, 100% z3PT%, 0.53 zFT%

z-points are helpful to determine clutch plays, but also to expose all those points scored in garbage time. Alando Tucker got all of his 14 points in a 4th quarter that started with the Suns 24 points behind the Knicks.

MILWAUKEE @ WASHINGTON 102-104

Earl Boykins (WAS)
13 pts, 0.60 2PT%, 0.70 FT%
41 z-pts (1.38), 0.72 z2PT%, 0.92 zFT%

Huge game in crunch time by Boykins, who scored 10 of his 13 points in the 4th quarter including four free throws on 4-of-4 in the last 17 seconds. His two last FTs came with the game tied and just one second left, virtually giving the Wizards the W in this one.

TORONTO @ WASHINGTON 109-107

Hedo Turkoglu (TOR)
20 pts, 100% 2PT%, 0.33 3PT%, 0.83 FT%
30 z-pts (1.11), 100% z2PT%, 0.22 z3PT%, 0.75 zFT%

Turkoglu scored the last 6 points of the game for the Raptors, including a baseline fadeaway jumper to put Toronto ahead 109-107 with 8 seconds left in OT.

Chris Bosh (TOR)
31 pts, 0.56 2PT%, 0.62 FT%
40 z-pts (1.48), 0.56 z2PT%, 0.78 zFT%

Bosh scored 13 of his 31 points in the 4th quarter, including two clutch free throws with 19 seconds left in regulation to put his team 96-94 ahead of the Wizards.

Gilbert Arenas (WAS)
34 pts, 0.47 2PT%, 0.45 3PT%, 0.71 FT%
40 z-pts (1.47), 0.49 z2PT%, 0.56 z3PT%, 0.58 zFT%

Agent Zero hit the jumper that sent the game to OT, then sank a 3 to tie the game at 107 with 30 seconds left in the extra period.

NEW YORK @ ATLANTA 114-107

Larry Hughes (NYK)
16 pts, 0.43 2PT%, 0.67 3PT%, 100% FT%
23 z-pts (0.49), 0.54 z2PT%, 0.65 z3PT%, 100% zFT%

Hugues scored 10 of his 16 points to help the Knicks pull away in a 4th quarter that started with New york trailing the Hawks by one.

MIAMI @ L.A. LAKERS 107-108

Kobe Bryant (LAL)
33 pts, 0.45 2PT%, 0.67 3PT%, 0.87 FT%
49 z-pts (1.65), 0.37 z2PT%, 0.93 z3PT%, 0.89 zFT%

Kobe hit an amazing 3 off the glass to win the game at the buzzer. “It was the luckiest shot I’ve ever taken, by far,” Bryant said. “It felt good, but I just couldn’t believe this ball might go in on this shot.”

Dwyane Wade (MIA)
26 pts, 0.35 2PT%, 0.67 FT%
42 z-pts (1.44), 0.49 z2PT%, 0.66 zFT%

Wade scored 12 points in the 4th quarter, 7 of them in the last 1:25. However, that wouldn’t be enough as Kobe hit that unbelievable 3. “The basketball gods were with him on that one, but we did a great job and did what we’re supposed to do on the road — give ourselves a chance to win”, Wade said. “But a great player hit an unbelievable shot. There are a couple of guys around the league that make big shots, but there ain’t many, and he’s one of them.”

PHILADELPHIA @ CHARLOTTE 105-106

Raymond Felton (CHA)
18 pts, 0.50 2PT%, 100% 3PT%, 100% FT%
36 z-pts (1.16), 0.71 z2PT%, 100% z3PT%, 100% zFT%

The Bobcats PG took it to the hole to make the winning layup with 4.7 seconds left. Felton scored 9 of his 18 points in the last 4 minutes.

Boris Diaw (CHA)
28 pts, 0.83 2PT%, 0.83 3PT%, 100% FT%
36 z-pts (1.17), 0.94 z2PT%, 0.85 z3PT%, 100% zFT%

The French man had a very effective game, as shown by his shooting %. He was also clutch down the stretch, scoring 10 points in the last seven minutes. That included a big 3 to put the Bobcats one point behind Philly with 1:22 left in the game, and a layup to take the lead with 17 seconds left.

Andre Iguodala (PHI)
22 pts, 0.29 2PT%, 0.50 3PT%, 0.80 FT%
33 z-pts (1.06), 0.23 z2PT%, 0.49 z3PT%, 0.93 zFT%

It wasn’t a great shooting night for Iguodala, who started the 4th quarter missing his first four shots, but he was there at the end to sink a couple of clutch free throws with 13 seconds left. However, he missed a potential winning shot at the buzzer (hence his lower z2PT% and his higher ZFT%).

TORONTO @ CHICAGO 110-78

Brad Miller (CHI)
11 pts, 0.29 2PT%, 100% 3PT%, 0.80 FT%
3 z-pts (0.02), 0.00 z2PT%, 100% z3PT%, 0.63 zFT%

This game was over from the first quarter, in which the Raptors outscored the Bulls 40 to 16. Miller got his points in garbage time and that’s why he put up only 3 z-points and a dismal 0.002 shooting percentage from z2PT range.

HOUSTON @ PORTLAND 89-90

Brandon Roy (POR)
28 pts, 0.61 2PT%, 0.50 3PT%, 100% FT%
51 z-pts (1.88), 0.81 z2PT%, 0.36 z3PT%, 100% zFT%

The high z2PT% together with his big z-points show that Roy was huge in the clutch from 2-point range. In fact, that was the case as Roy made an incredible layup with 3 seconds left to win this one for the Blazers. Overall, he scored 12 points in the 4th on 5-of-6 shooting.

Carl Landry (HOU)
23 pts, 0.54 2PT%, 0.82 FT%
31 z-pts (1.14), 0.39 z2PT%, 0.93 zFT%

Landry kept going to the line in the 4th quarter, hitting 9-of-10 in the quarter. 70% of his z-points came from free throws.

Luis Scola (HOU)
21 pts, 0.53 2PT%, 0.75 FT%
26 z-pts (0.97), 0.70 z2PT%, 0.81 zFT%

With 9 seconds left, Scola made a jumper to put the Rockets one point ahead, but Brandon Roy’s layup in the last play would take this game away from the Rockets.

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