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NBA Blog: The NBA basketball news blog section of Inside Hoops
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Looks like Kobe Bryant still has plenty of spending cash, because he just dropped a HUGE chunk of change on a sick new car. Must be nice.
According to our sources, Kobe’s new ride is a Ferrari 458 Italia. We’re told the Black Mamba paid $329,000 yesterday for the car … which he paid for in full with a check.
— Reported by TMZ
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Joe Johnson scored 37 points, Josh Smith added 22 and the Atlanta Hawks ended Utah’s six-game winning streak with a 139-133 victory Sunday night in the NBA’s first quadruple-overtime game since 1997.
The four overtimes tied for the third-longest game in NBA history. It was the ninth NBA game to go four OTs and the first since Phoenix beat Portland 140-139 on Nov. 14, 1997.
Al Jefferson finished with 28 points and 17 rebounds, and Paul Millsap had 25 points and 13 boards for the Jazz before both players fouled out in the final overtime…
With 16.9 seconds remaining in the fourth OT, Johnson’s 20-foot jumper over C.J. Miles gave the Hawks a 135-131 lead.
Jeff Teague, who had 18 points and nine assists, added a pair of free throws with 13 seconds to go to make it 137-133. Johnson’s two free throws sealed the victory with 5.5 seconds remaining.
Smith fouled out with 1:57 left in the first overtime.
Zaza Pachulia, who pulled down 20 rebounds, hit a short jumper in the final seconds of the second quarter that gave the Hawks a 17-point lead, their biggest of the game.
— Reported by George Henry of the Associated Press
Lucky? Maybe. Luol Deng’s timing was awful good, too. He grabbed a shot that had been blocked and put it in the basket just before the buzzer sounded Saturday night, rescuing the Chicago Bulls and giving them their NBA-leading 40th victory.
At 40-10, the Bulls clinched a playoff spot.
Teammate C.J. Watson drove for the basket but his shot was partially blocked by Toronto’s James Johnson and Deng was there for the winner. After officials reviewed the play to make sure Deng’s shot beat the buzzer, the Bulls had a 102-101 overtime victory on a night in which they were often outplayed by the 16-win Raptors.
“We’re lucky we had enough time to get the rebound,” Deng said. “When it left my hand it felt good because I saw the light after it left my hand. But then again, you never really know. We waited until they made the decision.”
Johnson, an ex-Bull, had 20 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots, part of another determined effort by the Raptors, who gave Chicago a scare three nights ago before losing.
“That’s what happens sometimes,” Johnson said.
“The ball happened to fall short after I blocked it and Luol Deng made a great play. We deserved to win tonight, but they made the game-winning play.”
Carlos Boozer had 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls, Deng added 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Watson had 23 points.
— Reported by the Associated Press
The Oklahoma City Thunder has recalled guard Reggie Jackson from the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.
Jackson appeared in one game (one start) for the 66ers scoring 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in 41 minutes.
During the 2011-12 season, Jackson has appeared in 41 games with the Thunder and posted averages of 3.4 points, 1.7 assists and 1.2 rebounds in 11.8 minutes.
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Arron Afflalo of the Denver Nuggets has been suspended one game without pay for throwing an elbow to the head of Gordon Hayward of the Utah Jazz, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations.
The incident occurred with 6:32 remaining in the third quarter of Utah’s 121-102 win over Denver on March 23 at EnergySolutions Arena.
Afflalo will serve his suspension Sunday, March 25 when the Nuggets visit the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Video of incident is here.
The Golden State Warriors today re-assigned rookie forward Chris Wright to the Dakota Wizards, the Warriors’ NBA D-League affiliate. The assignment marks the 57th time an NBA player has been assigned to his NBA D-League affiliate during the 2011-12 season and is the second for Wright this season.
Wright returns to the Wizards following a three-game assignment in January, when he averaged 18.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 31.0 minutes.
Wright, who earned a Call-Up to the Warriors from the Maine Red Claws in December 2011, has appeared in 17 games for Golden State this season, averaging 2.1 points, 1.1 rebounds and 4.7 minutes. Prior to his Call-Up, Wright played in four games for the Red Claws, averaging 17.0 points and 10.8 rebounds in 31.3 minutes
The Oklahoma City Thunder has assigned guard Reggie Jackson to the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.
During the 2011-12 season, the first-year guard has appeared in 41 games with the Thunder and posted averages of 3.4 points, 1.7 assists and 1.2 rebounds in 11.8 minutes.
Jackson will be in uniform tonight as the Tulsa 66ers host the Iowa Energy at the Tulsa Convention Center.
The Golden State Warriors have signed free agent center Keith Benson to a 10-day contract, the team announced today.
Benson, 23, is being called-up from the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League, where he has appeared in 20 games this season, averaging 15.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.50 blocks in 30.6 minutes per contest. He is shooting 50.2% (122-243 FG) from the field and has posted seven double-doubles, including a 17-point, 11-rebound effort last night vs. Bakersfield. This marks the 41st Call-Up from the D-League of the 2011-12 NBA season.
The 6’11” center was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round (48th overall) of the 2011 NBA Draft out of Oakland University in Michigan, but was waived prior to the start of the 2011-12 campaign. While in college, he averaged over 17 points and 10 rebounds in both his junior and senior seasons and finished second in the country as a senior in 2010-11 with 3.6 blocks per game.
Benson, who will wear #34, is scheduled to be in uniform for the team’s home game tonight against the Sacramento Kings.
The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have signed Justin Dentmon from the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League to a 10-day contract. At the same time, the Spurs released Eric Dawson from his 10-day contract.
A 6-0, 185-pound guard, Dentmon has appeared in 38 games with the Toros this season, averaging a team-best 22.9 points, 5.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.47 steals in 37.3 minutes while shooting .463 (285-616) from the field, 421 (88-209) from three-point range and .865 (212-245) from the foul line. A D-League All-Star, Dentmon has scored in double figures in 37 of 38 games, including 28 games with 20-or-more and six games with 30-or-more.
Undrafted out of the University of Washington in 2010, Dentmon spent the 2010-11 season with the Texas Legends. He appeared in all 50 games, averaging 19.1 points, 4.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.40 steals in 35.1 minutes.
For his career, Dentmon has played in 88 D-League games, averaging 20.7 points, 4.6 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.43 steals in 36.0 minutes. He’s shot .475 (601-1,264) from the field, .425 (182-428) from three-point range and .854 (439-514) from the foul line.
Dawson was signed to his second 10-day contract with the Spurs on March 16. He appeared in four games, averaging 3.8 points and 2.5 rebounds in 9.8 minutes.
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The Los Angeles Clippers today re-signed free agent forward Bobby Simmons, whose second 10-day contract with the Clippers expired on March 18th.
In 13 games played for the Clippers this season, Simmons has tallied 3.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, while shooting .371 from behind the three-point line.
Simmons, who was the 29th Call-Up from the D-League of the 2011-12 season when the Clippers signed him to his original 10-day contract on February 27th, averaged 13.5 points and 7.6 rebounds in 21 games played for the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Development League this season. Simmons also played ten games for the Bighorns during the 2010-11 season after playing two games with the San Antonio Spurs.
This marks Simmons’ second stint with the Clippers, having last played in Los Angeles during the 2003-04 and 2004-05 campaigns. He turned in his most productive NBA season while with the Clippers in 2004, tallying career-highs of 16.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists, garnering the NBA’s Most Improved Player award that season.
A nine-year NBA veteran, Simmons has averaged 9.2 points and 3.9 rebounds over his career while connecting on 44% of his field goals and 40% of his three-point field goal attempts.