marko jaric

Marko Jaric has been playing some inspired basketball lately and Minnesota teammate Antoine Walker thinks he knows why.

Walker joked that Jaric is "overachieving," a reference to the fact Jaric is dating Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima. Jaric scored 21 points and the Timberwolves protected a big lead for a change to get their second victory of the season, 103-94 over the New Orleans Hornets on Monday night.

Having scored over 20 points in two straight games, Jaric smiled when told teammates had insinuated that his relationship with Lima had been a source of inspiration.

"Maybe that's the thing, I don't know," Jaric said. "They can joke for now. We won, so that's fine."

The Timberwolves hadn't had much to smile about lately; they came in on a five-game losing streak. Their most recent loss was among the most painful as they blew a 21-point lead at home against Atlanta on Saturday.

Minnesota started fast again in New Orleans, but didn't fold this time.

"We acted much more mature in the third and fourth quarter," Jaric said. "We definitely felt we needed to change something. We played well, we feel confidence, we just need to learn how to close the games. I just hope we made the first step."

Reserve Sebastian Telfair scored 20 points for the Timberwolves, while Walker scored 17, hitting three three-pointers and following his own miss for a key basket with 1:04 to go to stifle New Orleans' last-gasp rally.

Al Jefferson added 14 points for Minnesota (2-10), which led by double digits for most of the game and won its first road game of the season.

"Coach did a great job of showing us the difference of the first half and the second half against Atlanta," Jefferson said. "We refused to come out there and let them make a run. That was embarrassing what we did on our home floor last game. That's how you lose your fans."

Elsewhere in the NBA, it was: Wizards 110 Mavericks 98; Knicks 113, Jazz 109; Magic 85, Trail Blazers 74; Kings 112, Spurs 99; Rockets 88, Clippers 71; and Warriors 129, Suns 114.

At New Orleans, Chris Paul scored 31 points for New Orleans, which never led, had trouble getting inside and threw up a lot of ugly shots during the first three quarters.

Peja Stojakovic scored 17 and Bobby Jackson had 14 for New Orleans.

"We are not playing smart," Hornets forward David West said. "Tonight we had a lot of shooting turnovers and bad misses that led to baskets for them."

Minnesota shot 52 per cent from the field and was 8-of-18 on three-pointers, while the Hornets shot 41.9 per cent and went 7-of-22 from long range.

The Hornets have played before mostly small crowds in New Orleans this season and, coincidentally or not, their play at home has often reflected the lack of energy in the arena. A crowd of 8,393 showed up to watch the Hornets (10-6) fall to 3-4 in New Orleans

"It was a bad loss for our guys to come out and start the game the way we started," Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "There was just not a sense of urgency and Minnesota played harder than we did. We deserved what we got, which was a good whipping."

Minnesota, meanwhile, has seen a more promising trend in the play of Jaric, who has scored in double figures in three straight games.

"I just feel confident," said Jaric, now in his sixth season. "I see the team needs me, Coach feels confidence in me, and I just try to us my opportunity."

Minnesota played with confidence team-wide in the clutch, looking much better than their dismal record.

When New Orleans had trimmed a 23-point deficit to 14 on Stojakovic's tip-in midway through the third quarter, Walker and Telfair responded with consecutive three-pointers to push Minnesota's lead to 76-56.

When Paul's jumper early in the fourth quarter got New Orleans as close as 76-63, Minnesota punched right back with a 9-2 run capped by Ryan Gomes' three-pointer.

Against Atlanta, Minnesota shot 65.8 per cent during the first half and led by as many as 21 points before falling apart.

Jaric had had 12 points in the half, which he ended with a three-pointer that gave Minnesota a 58-37 lead.

Wizards 110 Mavericks 98

At Dallas, Caron Butler scored 35 points and Antawn Jamison added 27 to help Washington hand the Mavericks its first home loss of the season and third straight overall.


Knicks 113, Jazz 109

At New York, Stephon Marbury scored a season-high 28 points and Zach Randolph added 25 points and 14 rebounds for the Knicks.


Magic 85, Trail Blazers 74

At Portland, Ore., Hedo Turkoglu scored 21 points and Rashard Lewis had 20 and Orlando became the first NBA team to win 13 games this season.


Kings 112, Spurs 99

At Sacramento, Calif., Beno Udrih scored a career-high 27 points against his former team and Sacramento snapped San Antonio's five-game winning streak.


Rockets 88, Clippers 71

At Los Angeles, Tracy McGrady scored 19 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter and Houston capitalized on another key injury for the Clippers.


Warriors 129, Suns 114

At Oakland, Calif., Monta Ellis scored 15 consecutive
Marko Jarić
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Marko Jarić Position Point guard/Shooting guard
League NBA
Height 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Weight 224 lb (102 kg)
Team Minnesota Timberwolves
Nationality Serbian /Greek
Born October 12, 1978 (1978-10-12) (age 29)
Belgrade, Serbia, Yugoslavia
Draft 2nd round, 30th overall, 2000
Los Angeles Clippers
Pro career 1996–present
Former teams Peristeri (1996–1998)
Teamsystem Bologna (1998–2000)
Kinder Bologna (2000–2002)
Los Angeles Clippers (2002–2005)
Marko Jarić (Serbian: Марко Јарић) (born October 12, 1978 in Belgrade, Serbia, Yugoslavia) is a Serbian professional basketball player currently playing backup point guard/shooting guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA.

He was selected as the 30th overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2000 NBA Draft. He was traded to the Timberwolves in August 2005 along with Lionel Chalmers by the Clippers in exchange for Sam Cassell and a future first-round draft pick.

Jarić played on the Serbian National Team when they won the 2002 World Basketball Championships, and he was also a member of the 1998 gold medal-winning Under-22 European Championship team. Jarić is the only player ever to win back-to-back Italian League Championships on two different teams. He won it in 2000 with Paf Bologna and in 2001 with Kinder Bologna.

Marko Jarić is the son of Srećko Jarić, former Serbian basketball player.

Currently, Jaric is dating Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima.[1]


[edit] Notes
^ Yahoo Sports

[edit] External links
Player profile at NBA.com