January 2011 – Page 2 – NBA Blog

Notes from Mavericks Jan. 29 win over Hawks

Notes from Dallas Mavericks 102-91 win over Atlanta Hawks Friday, January 29, 2011

TONIGHT’S KEY RUN: With the score knotted at 79, Dallas used a 14-3 run from the 10:24 mark of the fourth quarter until the 8:07 mark of the period to take an 11-point advantage (93-82) en route to the win.

NOTES

For the second consecutive game (second time this season) seven Dallas players scored in double figures. The Mavericks are now 9-0 when at least six players record 10-plus points. The last time seven Mavericks scored in double figures in back-to-back games was in the 50-point win (128-78) over New York on 1/24/10.

Mavericks guard Jason Terry posted his first double-double of the season with 18 points (5-11 FGs, 2-4 3FGs, 2-2 FTs) and a game-high 11 assists. Mavericks center Brendan Haywood tallied 10 points (2-2 FGs, 6-9 FTs). It marked the first time he’s scored in double figures since the third game of the season (at L.A. Clippers 10/31/10). Dallas is now 2-0 when Haywood scores 10-plus points in a game.

Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, who entered Saturday’s meeting with Atlanta shooting 38.9 percent since returning from injury at Memphis on 1/15/11 (54.5 percent before suffering a right knee sprain at Oklahoma City 12/27/10), shot 6-of-7 from the field to open the game and finished 6-of-8 from the floor in the first half. Nowitzki and Mavericks guard Jason Terry both recorded 12 first-half points to help give Dallas a 52-49 advantage at the break.

Dallas shot 13-of-14 (.929) from the line in the first half, while the Hawks went just 4-for-5 (.800). The Mavericks finished 22-of-27 (.815) from the stripe compared to the Hawks’ 17-of-22 (.773) clip. Dallas trailed by one (78-77) at the end of three, but opened the fourth quarter on a 14-1 blitz to take a 91-79 lead. The Mavericks outscored the Hawks 25-13 in the fourth en route to the win. Atlanta was 25-2 when leading going into the fourth quarter prior to tonight’s game (fourth-best in the NBA). The Mavericks improved to 8-10 when trailing heading into the final period, which is the fifth-best in the league.

Hawks guard Joe Johnson went 8-of-12 from the floor en route to 16 first-half points. He led all scorers through two quarters of play. Johnson finished with a game-high 27 points (13-24 FGs, 1-1 FTs) on the night.

Dallas led by six (41-35) with just over 5 minutes gone by in the second quarter, but Atlanta used a 10-2 run to take a two-point lead (45-43) with 3:50 to play in the period. The Mavericks then outscored the Hawks 9-4 to close the half and led by three (52-49) at intermission.

With the win, Dallas swept the season series and has now won 19 of the last 25 meetings with Atlanta, including 11-of-13 at home against the Hawks.

The Mavericks are now 21-1 when tallying 100-plus points in a game.

The attendance for tonight’s game was 20,309. The Mavs have sold out 384 consecutive regular season games at AAC. Dallas currently owns the longest running sellout streak in the NBA. Dallas has sold out all 41 games in each of the past seven seasons.

Notes from Spurs win over Rockets

Notes from San Antonio Spurs 108-95 win over Houston Rockets on Friday, January 29, 2011

The Spurs won their 40th game of the season with a 108-95 victory over the Rockets, improving to 40-7 on the season. The 40 wins through the first 47 games of this season is the best record in team history at this point of the season. They become only the eighth team in NBA history to post a record of 40-7 or better through the first 47 games of a season. The best record in NBA history through 47 games is 43-4, which has been achieved once by Philadelphia in the 1966-67 season. San Antonio’s previous best record through 47 games was 37-10, which has been accomplished twice (2005-06, 2004-05).

San Antonio improved to 25-2 at home through the first 27 games played in the AT&T Center. This marks the best home start in team history, matching the 2004-05 Spurs who also won 25 through the first 27 home games. Tonight’s win marks the 18th consecutive win at home, which is the longest home winning streak since the Spurs won 20 in a row from November 11, 1989-February 6, 1990.

The Spurs had balanced scoring tonight, with all five starters reaching double figures, led by Manu Ginobili’s 22. Richard Jefferson scored 18, Tony Parker 17, DeJuan Blair 14 and Tim Duncan 12. This marks the seventh time all five San Antonio starters have reached double figures in the same game.

Ginobili finished the night with 22 points, shooting .636 (7-11) from the field, .667 (4-for-6) from behind the arc and a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. This marks the 23rd game he has scored 20 or more points. Last season, he scored at least 20 points 24 times.

Jefferson recorded 18 points on 7-for-8 (.875) shooting from the floor, 2-for-3 (.667) from three-point land and 2-for-2 (1.000) from the free throw line. This marks the 33rd game he has reached double figures in points. Of his 18 points, half came in the third quarter.

POSTGAME QUOTES

SPURS HEAD COACH GREGG POPOVICH: (On Richard Jefferson) “He was aggressive all night, he played well. He caught with the idea of trying to be a scorer whether it was shooting the ball or driving it. He did a good job the entire time he was on the court. He also did a good job on the defensive end.”

SPURS GUARD MANU GINOBILI: (On the importance of getting a home win before the Rodeo Road Trip) “Very important. We’re going to have nine on the road, the usual rodeo trip. It’s important to finish the last home game with a win. Houston for us is always a tough match-up. They play hard, they know us very well, and it’s a team that I like. They’ve been struggling with injuries, but they are a tough team. We played a great second half.”

ROCKETS HEAD COACH RICK ADELMAN: “They’ve had a great year so far. They move the ball very well. They’re very unselfish. They’ve got a lot of guys that can contribute for them. They have all the ingredients of a team that’s going to be very difficult to beat. I’m very impressed with what they’ve done because I don’t think anyone expected this at the start of the year. They’ve been very consistent game-in and game-out.”

ROCKETS FORWARD SHANE BATTIER: (On Tim Duncan) “He’s just solid and he’s always in the right spot. He just knows how to play the game. You can put anyone around him and he makes them better. He’s just a pillar, he is one of the few pillars in this league.”

Spurs recall James Anderson from D-League

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have recalled rookie James Anderson from the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League. He will be active for San Antonio’s game tonight against the Houston Rockets at the AT&T Center.

Anderson, a 6-6, 215-pound guard, was assigned to the Toros on January 26 for a rehab assignment. He has been out since November 11 when he was diagnosed with a stress fracture in the fifth metatarsal of his right foot. In Austin, Anderson played in two games, averaging 14.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in 14.0 minutes per game. He shot .556 (10-18) from the field, .444 (4-9) from three-point territory and .714 (5-7) from the free throw line. Before the injury, he appeared in six games for the Spurs, averaging 7.0 points and 1.5 assists in 17.7 minutes per game. He is shooting .424 (14-33) from the field and .500 (10-20) from three-point land.

NBA suspends Marvin Williams and Shawne Williams for punches

The Atlanta Hawks’ Marvin Williams has been suspended two games without pay for throwing punches and fighting with the New York Knicks’ Shawne Williams, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations. Shawne Williams has been suspended one game without pay for throwing a punch during the altercation.

The incident occurred with 43.7 seconds remaining in the fourth period of the Hawks’ 111-102 win over the Knicks at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

Marvin Williams will serve his suspension during the Hawks’ next two games: tonight at the Dallas Mavericks and Wednesday, February 2 vs. the Toronto Raptors.

Shawne Williams will serve his suspension tomorrow when the Knicks play host to the Detroit Pistons.

Blazers assign Armon Johnson to D-League

The Portland Trail Blazers have assigned rookie guard Armon Johnson to the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by General Manager Rich Cho.

Johnson, 21, is averaging 3.1 points, 1.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 8.1 minutes in 28 games this season with the Trail Blazers.

He becomes the 35th NBA player assigned to the D-League this season, and the second assigned by the Trail Blazers (Luke Babbitt, Dec. 8-18).

Portland selected Johnson in the second round (34th pick overall) of the 2010 NBA Draft out of the University of Nevada.

Hawks sign Damien Wilkins for rest of season

The Atlanta Hawks today signed guard/forward Damien Wilkins for the remainder of the season according to Executive Vice President/General Manager Rick Sund. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Wilkins has appeared in 20 games off the bench for Atlanta this season, averaging 2.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.7 apg and 0.6 spg (.447 FG%, .739 FT%) in 12.3 mpg. The seventh-year veteran was originally signed by the Hawks on December 3, 2010, and waived on January 5, 2011, before signing consecutive 10-day contracts on January 8 and 18.

Dwyane Wade`s tinted goggles rejected by NBA for game

The AP reports:

The NBA has rejected the tinted goggles that Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade(notes) planned to wear for the start of Thursday’s game against the New York Knicks to protect his eyes from the bright lights as he recovers from a migraine headache.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says the league disallowed the glasses when they inspected them after Miami’s shootaround Thursday morning. The NBA said the tinting was too dark, giving Wade an unfair advantage because the opponent could not see his eyes.

2011 NBA All-Star East starters announced

The starters for the Eastern conference 2011 NBA All-Star team are as follows:

At guard, Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose and Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade.

At forward, Heat small forward LeBron James and New York Knicks power forward Amar’e Stoudemire.

And at center, Orlando Magic big-man Dwight Howard.

O.J. Mayo suspended 10 games by NBA

The NBA announced today that O.J. Mayo of the Memphis Grizzlies has been suspended without pay for 10 games for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program. His violation of the program involved a positive test for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA).

Mayo’s suspension will begin with tomorrow night’s game between the Grizzlies and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Statement from Memphis Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo regarding the suspension: “I’m extremely disappointed that I’m going to miss the next 10 games, particularly as our team is making a push for the playoffs. I had no idea that the over-the-counter supplement that I took was a substance banned by the NBA. It was an honest mistake, but I take full responsibility for my actions. I apologize to my fans, teammates and the Grizzlies organization for regrettably not doing the necessary research about what supplements I can put in my body.”

Statement from Memphis Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley regarding the suspension: “O.J. had a lack of judgment but has shown complete accountability. We will continue to support O.J. during this time as we have from the moment he joined the team in 2008. He has unselfishly done everything we have asked of him, and we expect him to grow as a player and a person from this experience. He will continue to contribute to the organization during this suspension, as he will practice with the team leading up to his return on Feb. 15 vs. Philadelphia prior to the All-Star break.”

Mayo has mostly come off the bench for the Grizzlies this season, starting just 15 of their 46 games. He is averaging 12.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game.

It’s been a down year on the court for O.J. As a rookie he averaged 18.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 3.2 apg. As a second-year player he put up 17.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 3.0 apg. He received 38.0 minutes per game in both those seasons.

The 22-24 Grizzlies are currently 9th in the Western conference.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Derrick Rose recovering from stomach ulcers

The AP reports:

Derrick Rose plans to cut back on the spices.

The Bulls’ star point guard is recovering from stomach ulcers he believes his diet caused and hopes to play when Chicago hosts the Orlando Magic on Friday.

Rose said his energy is “kind of low. But I should be all right.”

He said he started experiencing heartburn on Monday and still is having difficulty eating, drinking and swallowing. He initially thought he had stomach flu, but doctors at Rush University Medical Center found two ulcers on Wednesday.