The AP reports: Although Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs led the Detroit Pistons from start to finish Tuesday night, the finish got pretty close before Dallas pulled out a 103-101 victory. “Hey, stuff happens in this league,” said Nowitzki, who scored 30 points. “We’ll take the wins as we can get them.” Richard Hamilton was a late scratch for Detroit because of an aggravated groin problem. With Rasheed Wallace (calf) and Allen Iverson (back) also out, the Pistons were missing a combined average of 48.5 points per game, and were out of whack from the start… Prince scored 28 points and Bynum set a career high with 19. Rodney Stuckey added 17, Arron Afflalo had 16 and Antonio McDyess 10 as the Pistons lost their second straight and fourth in six games to slip back to .500 (33-33).
Month: March 2009
LeBron scores 43, Cavaliers edge Magic 97-93
The AP reports: LeBron James finished with 43 points, including a long 3-pointer with 47.4 seconds left and two clutch free throws with 8.7 seconds to go, as Cleveland avoided just its second loss at home with a 97-93 win over Orlando on Tuesday night… James, who scored 15 in the fourth, added 12 rebounds, eight assists and four steals. Mo Williams added 21 points for Cleveland, which held the Magic to 18 points in the fourth quarter and won its sixth straight. The Cavs are a league-best 14-2 since the All-Star break. Howard had 13 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks for the Magic. But Orlando’s big man attempted just eight shots, none in the fourth quarter as the Magic chose to attack from outside.
Hawks streak at 6 after 119-97 win over Kings
The AP reports: Al Horford had 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Josh Smith finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in the Atlanta’s sixth straight victory, 119-97 over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night… Kevin Martin scored 31 for Sacramento, which fell to 0-27 against teams from the East and extended its losing streak to four. The Kings have dropped four straight and 13 of 14 away from California, where they are 4-30 this season… Joe Johnson finished with 20 points for the Hawks, ending his four-game stretch of 30 or more after missing his first eight attempts from the field and finishing 8-for-21.
Josh Howard hopes to practice later next week
The Dallas Mavericks announced today that guard/forward Josh Howard will continue to treat and rehab his left ankle. He will receive a cortisone injection this week and will attempt to practice with the team later next week. Arthroscopic surgery will be planned to address chronic issues regarding his ankle at a later date.
Howard (6-7, 210) has missed the last five games due to a sore left ankle. In 45 games this season, Howard has averaged 18.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 32.3 minutes per game.
Danilo Gallinari leaves for Italy, ponders back surgery
The New York Post (Mark Hale and Marc Berman) reports (via blog): Knicks rookie Danilo Gallinari’s season could be over. Gallinari left the team today for Italy and is again exploring whether to undergo back surgery, the Knicks announced this morning before practice. Gallinari returned to the club in late January after resting for more than eight weeks as the club opted again surgery for the bulging disc in his back. Gallinari, who had a disappointing road trip, punctuated by going scoreless in Cleveland, saw a back surgeon in New York yesterday and is off to Italy to seek more opinions.
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Knicks sign Demetris Nichols to second 10-day contract
The New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that free agent guard Demetris Nichols has been signed to a second consecutive 10-day contract.
Signed to his first 10-day contract on Mar. 6, Nichols, 6-8, 216-pounds, has yet to appear in a game for New York.
The Knicks roster is currently at 14 players.
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Isiah Thomas is resurfacing
The New York Daily News (Frank Isola) reports: Isiah Thomas is slowly making the transition back into public life, first resurfacing with his successor and current boss, Donnie Walsh, at last week’s Pac-10 Tournament in Los Angeles and then appearing on an NCAA Tournament show in Las Vegas with his college coach Bobby Knight on Sunday. When reached by the Daily News Monday, Thomas politely declined an interview request. He would only say that he’s “feeling good” and that the last few weeks have been emotionally draining, referring to his former Pistons coach and long-time friend, Chuck Daly, being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and the death of Detroit Pistons owner William Davidson last week.
Shaq says he has years of good ball left in him
The Arizona Republic (Paul Coro) reports: “I’m going to be putting up big numbers until I’m 40,” Shaquille O’Neal, 37, said. “I can play at any pace. It’s just that no one my age has done what I’ve done. Because of what went on last year (in Miami), they thought I was done. But I’m the type of player I don’t really harp on my injuries. I say it once, ‘I was injured,’ and that’s it. But people want to be the unauthorized author of my book. Last year, I was messed up. Then Nellie (Suns head athletic trainer Aaron Nelson) and them fixed me up. Now, I’m loose again and ready.” O’Neal continues to say he can deliver big games nightly if he gets enough shots. With the Suns’ increased pace, there are shots for everyone.
Nick Collison breaks finger
The Oklahoman reports: Playing with a broken left thumb the past two months, the Thunder’s Nick Collison suffered a chipped fracture in his middle finger on his right (shooting) hand Monday vs. San Antonio. He sustained the injury while blocking a shot and slapped the backboard. The injury occurred during the fourth quarter. Team officials said Collison will play Wednesday night against the Chicago Bulls unless the pain is too severe.
Carl Landry OK after being shot in leg
The Houston Chronicle reports: Houston Rockets forward Carl Landry suffered a gunshot wound to his lower leg early this morning in a possible drive-by shooting or failed robbery near downtown, police said. Landry, 25, was released after treatment at Memorial Hermann Hospital. A team spokesman said he suffered a flesh wound and is expected to be out of the lineup for one to two weeks. The incident happened in the 3100 block of Leeland, a short distance southeast of downtown, about 4:20 a.m., Houston police said in a preliminary report.
InsideHoops.com says: The report continues to say that, according to police, a car bumped Landry, and when he got out to see if his own car was damaged, shots were fired from the other vehicle at him. It’s great that he’s OK. And it’s a shame that we have to live on the same planet as the type of people who go around harming other people like this.
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