November 2012 – Page 8 – NBA Blog

Kings upset listless Lakers, 113-97

The Los Angeles Lakers had talked about bringing Showtime back to the franchise when they hired Mike D’Antoni to implement his fast and flashy offense.

The curtains are still waiting to be raised on that act.

Kobe Bryant scored an efficient 38 points but Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol struggled inside, and the lethargic Lakers lost 113-97 to the struggling Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night to snap a three-game winning streak.

”If we’re going to play Showtime, my God, they just closed the whole theatre on us,” D’Antoni said. ”Showtime, are you kidding? It was Muppet Time.”

Marcus Thornton scored 23 points and Tyreke Evans had 18 to pace Kings, who had lost five straight games. Jason Thompson added 13 points and 10 rebounds to help Sacramento run away in the fourth quarter and cement the latest Lakers setback…

Bryant finished 11-of-20 shooting and Jodie Meeks had 15 points off the bench as D’Antoni lost for the first time on the Lakers bench. A night after beating Brooklyn in Los Angeles, the Lakers might’ve been bad enough to give D’Antoni a headache to go with the pain still throbbing in his surgically replaced knee.

— Reported by Antonio Gonzalez of the Associated Press

Reggie Evans fined $5,000 for flopping

Reggie Evans has made history.

Evans, who was one of the main subjects of the NBA’s preseason instructional video about the new flopping rules, has become the first player to be fined for flopping under the new anti-flopping policy.

The Nets’ backup power forward was fined $5,000 after he committed his second flop of the season in the third quarter of Tuesday night’s 95-90 loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles, when he clearly exaggerated contact from Lakers forward Metta World Peace.

“It’s a tough spot for us, because Reggie sets physical screens, he rebounds, and I don’t necessarily consider him a flopper,” Nets coach Avery Johnson said before last night’s game here against the Warriors. “I don’t see him flopping in practice, he just plays hard and goes all out. It’s just a tough one. Hopefully he won’t be a marked man, even if there is a physical confrontation out there on the floor, that they won’t consider it flopping.”

— Reported by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post

Jason Kidd steps up, but Knicks lose to Mavs

When the Knicks beat the Mavericks 12 days ago in New York, Jason Kidd said it was “just another win” and called Dallas “just another opponent.”

In his return to Dallas on Wednesday night, however, Kidd certainly didn’t play as though the Mavericks were just another opponent. He scored a season-high 17 points, pulled down six rebounds, had five assists and five steals.

After Dallas rallied for the 114-111 victory, though, Kidd claimed there was no extra motivation in facing the franchise that he helped win the 2011 NBA title. Kidd did, however, say it was nice to be back in the American Airlines Center.

“Oh, I love Dallas,” he said. “What we accomplished as a team will always be special to me, but now I’m in New York, trying to accomplish that again. That’s to win another championship.”

— Reported by Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News

George, Hibbert lead Pacers over Hornets in OT

Paul George scored 33 of his career-high 37 points after halftime and Roy Hibbert had a triple-double to help the Indiana Pacers beat the New Orleans Hornets 115-107 in overtime on Wednesday night.

George made a team record nine 3-pointers, all after halftime. Hibbert had 10 points, 11 rebounds and a career-best 11 blocks, and David West and George Hill each scored 16 points for the Pacers (6-7), who have won three of four.

Robin Lopez had 21 points and 13 rebounds for New Orleans, but he made just 3 of 17 field goals. Jason Smith added 18 points for the Hornets (3-7), who lost their fifth straight.

Number one overall pick Anthony Davis missed his second consecutive game for New Orleans with a stress reaction in his left ankle.

— Reported by Cliff Brunt of the Associated Press

Kevin Love makes surprise season debut for Timberwolves

Kevin Love sure knows how to make an entrance.

His banged-up Minnesota Timberwolves never needing him more, Love made a surprise return to the starting lineup on Wednesday against Denver, nearly two weeks ahead of the rehabilitation schedule set for his broken right hand.

The All-Star and Olympic gold medalist’s injury was announced on Oct. 18, two weeks before the team opened its most promising season in years. The team initially set a return of six to eight weeks. But Love was able to avoid surgery, and he quietly worked to get back at just under five weeks.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Boston Celtics waive Darko Milicic

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have waived center Darko Milicic.

“Darko has asked us to release him so he could deal with a personal matter,” said Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge. “The whole Celtics family wishes Darko and his family well.”

Milicic, a 7’0” center, averaged 2.6 points and 4.2 rebounds across 5 preseason and regular season games with the Celtics this year.

Gerald Wallace wanted Kobe to shoot with his eyes closed

Gerald Wallace is rapidly becoming a cult hero amongst Nets fans, and here’s a cool example of why.

With the game on the line Tuesday night and Kobe Bryant at the charity stripe, Wallace began jawing with the Laker great.

What was Wallace talking about?

“I was trying to get him to close his eyes to shoot.”

— Reported by Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News

Kings losing, drawing small home crowds

The Kings have won just two of their first 10 games, their worst start in more than 20 years. Their home attendance has approached record lows, and discontent is a theme among fans, some of whom booed the team off the court after a recent loss.

The fans – once described by NBA executives as among the most loyal in the league – are dwindling. The Kings’ average crowd of 12,490 through their first six home games ranks last in the NBA and is their lowest at this point in three seasons.

Still, it remains slightly higher than the arena’s record-low average attendance of 12,050 for the first six games of 2008-09 – the season they went on to draw the fewest fans per game since moving into the building in 1988.

Fans offer a host of reasons for their frustration. They find the play on the floor uninspired, the talent lacking or the pieces mismatched. The Kings have not made the playoffs in six years, and have shown little sign of improvement early this season while stumbling to the worst record in the Western Conference.

— Reported by Matt Kawahara and Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee

Spurs recall guard Cory Joseph from D-League

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have recalled guard Cory Joseph from the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League.

Joseph has seen action in one game for the Spurs this season prior to his assignment to Austin on Nov. 15. For his career, the University of Texas product has appeared in 30 games for the Silver and Black, averaging 1.9 points and 1.1 assists in 8.9 minutes.

Joseph will be available tonight when San Antonio plays at Boston at 6:30 p.m.

Spurs sign guard James Anderson

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have signed James Anderson of the NBA D-League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Anderson is the second NBA D-League call-up of the season.

Anderson participated in training camp with the Atlanta Hawks this past October before signing with the D-League. He appeared in six preseason games in Atlanta and averaged 2.0 points in 10.7 minutes.

The 6-6 guard was drafted by the Spurs with the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2010 NBA Draft out of Oklahoma State University. In 77 career games in San Antonio from 2010-12, Anderson averaged 3.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in 11.5 minutes.

Anderson will be available Wednesday night, Nov. 21, when San Antonio plays at Boston at 6:30 p.m.