January 2013 – Page 23 – NBA Blog

Suns assign guard Diante Garrett to D-League

The Phoenix Suns today assigned rookie guard Diante Garrett to the Bakersfield Jam, Phoenix’s NBA Development League affiliate. The assignment is the record 100th of the 2012-13 NBA and NBA D-League seasons while Garrett becomes the record 49th NBA Player to have been assigned this season.

Garrett (6-4, 190, Iowa State) has appeared in six games for the Suns this season, scoring five points and dishing out seven assists in 30 minutes.

Signed by Phoenix as a free agent in Oct., 2012, Garrett was a member of the Suns’ Las Vegas Summer League team following a season playing overseas in 2011-12. A four-year contributor at Iowa State, he is one of only three players in Big 12 history to amass 1,300 points and 600 assists in his collegiate career.

Garrett is expected to join the Jam today and be available on Friday, Jan. 11, when the team hosts the Los Angeles D-Fenders at 10 p.m. ET.

The Suns are struggling this season, and with a 12-25 record are currently the 14th seed in the Western conference. They are in Brooklyn Friday to face the Nets.

Miami Heat bring back center Josh Harrellson on a 10-day contract

The Miami HEAT announced today that they have brought back center Josh Harrellson, signing him to a 10-day contract.

Harrellson, who was signed by Miami earlier this season on September 17, appeared in five games with the HEAT totaling 10 points, seven rebounds, one steal and a block in 28 minutes of action while shooting 4-of-8 from the field before being waived on January 7.

Harrellson was originally a second-round draft choice (45th overall) by the New Orleans Hornets in the 2011 NBA Draft. His draft rights were then acquired by New York as he appeared in 37 games (four starts) last season with the Knicks and averaged 4.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 14.6 minutes while shooting 42.3 percent from the field.

The HEAT’s roster now stands at 15.

Anderson Varejao undergoes knee surgery, out 6-8 weeks

Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao underwent successful surgery today at the Cleveland Clinic to repair a small split in his vastus medialis muscle that was part of the knee contusion he experienced on December 18th during the Cavaliers game against the Toronto Raptors at Quicken Loans Arena. The surgery was performed by Cavaliers Head Team Physician Dr. Richard Parker and Dr. Jim Rosneck. Varejao is resting comfortably and will be admitted overnight. Rehab guidelines will be established today and he is expected to miss the next six to eight weeks.

Cavs guard Daniel Gibson (concussion) and guard/forward C.J. Miles (low back strain) both practiced today and are listed as PROBABLE for tomorrow night’s game in Denver.

Greg Oden hopes to return to NBA next season

Nearly a year removed from his latest knee surgery, former No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden has decided to resume his playing career but is not planning to return to the NBA before the 2013-14 season, according to sources close to the situation.

Sources told ESPN.com that multiple teams have already expressed interest in signing Oden to a multi-year deal before the end of this season that would allow him to continue his rehab until he can get back on the court in training camp next fall.

The Miami Heat are at the front of the line in pursuing Oden, two sources said, and have been keeping tabs as he recovers while also taking classes at Ohio State.

Sources say that the Heat, though, are not alone in their pursuit of the former No. 1 overall pick.

— Reported by Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein of ESPN.com

Grizzlies beat Warriors to complete 3-0 road trip

Mark Jackson figured his Golden State Warriors could be in for a tough night, calling the Memphis Grizzlies ”the best frontline in basketball” hours before tipoff.

At this point, the Warriors coach should know.

Zach Randolph, Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol had their way inside on both ends of the court to help the Grizzlies complete a 3-0 road trip with a 94-87 victory over the Warriors on Wednesday night. Memphis, which has won eight straight against Golden State, outscored the Warriors 60-34 in the paint.

”Those are our horses,” said Grizzlies guard Tony Allen, who had 10 points and four rebounds off the bench. ”We ride those guys.”

Randolph finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds, Gay scored 18 points and Gasol added 12 points and nine rebounds as Memphis made its quick West Coast swing more memorable. The Grizzlies (23-10) also won at Phoenix on Sunday and at Sacramento on Monday, building a 1 1/2-game lead over Golden State (22-12) for fourth place in the Western Conference.

”We needed this,” said Gay, who also had six assists and five rebounds. ”We’ve been going through some ups and downs and had some lapses, some kind of lapse games. We lost a couple at home. We had to come out here for ourselves to get three out of three.”

Consider it done.

Stephen Curry scored 24 points and Klay Thompson had 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists as the Warriors lost back-to-back games for only the second time this season.

— Reported by Antonio Gonzalez of the Associated Press

Hornets beat Rockets for 3rd straight win

Roger Mason understands playing time is fleeting, especially as a role player, so the New Orleans Hornets guard stays prepared for when he gets the call.

Mason scored 15 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter Wednesday night to rally the Hornets to an 88-79 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Mason, who played 26 seconds in the first half and did not play in a victory over San Antonio on Monday, made all five of his shots in the fourth quarter, including three 3-pointers for the Hornets, who have won three in the row for the first time this season…

Greivis Vasquez and Jason Smith also scored 17 points for the Hornets, and Robin Lopez chipped in with 14.

James Harden scored 25 points for the Rockets, who had won 10 of their past 12 games and five in a row. Harden, who was held to three points in the final quarter when the Rockets were outscored 29-10, was the only Houston player in double figures.

Jeremy Lin scored nine points on 4-of-12 shooting and have five assists for the Rockets, who committed 23 turnovers…

Eric Gordon struggled with five points on 2-of-12 shooting, but the Hornets have won four of five since his return.

Ryan Anderson, New Orleans’ 3-point specialist, was 0 of 7 from the field, including 0 of 4 from behind the arc.

No. 1 pick Anthony Davis, who along with Lopez did not play in the fourth quarter, had six points and three rebounds.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Thunder wreck injury-riddled Timberwolves

The Oklahoma City Thunder got caught overlooking a short-handed opponent once.

Not twice.

Kevin Durant scored 26 points, Russell Westbrook added 23 and the Thunder pulled away for a 106-84 victory Wednesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were without All-Star forward Kevin Love and four other injured players.

Oklahoma City had lost its last game on a buzzer-beater against a last-place Washington team saddled by injuries to its top three players…

”We don’t really change anything different when we have a bad game,” said Durant, who blocked four shots. ”Every time we lose and we don’t play well defensively, it’s just miscommunications and lapses. Once we take those out of the game, we’ll be all right.”

Alexey Shved scored 18 points for Minnesota, which announced earlier in the day that Love would miss eight to 10 weeks after breaking his right hand for the second time…

Nikola Pekovic added 17 points and 10 rebounds in the opener of a four-game road trip for the Timberwolves. Derrick Williams, forced into playing time at guard because of all the injuries, had 14 points and a season-high 11 rebounds.

Kevin Martin chipped in 19 points off the bench for Oklahoma City, which had a 12-game winning streak in the series snapped last month in Minnesota. Love had 28 points and Barea scored 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter of that 99-93 win.

— Reported by Jeff Latzke of the Associated Press

Tony Parker scores 24, Spurs edge banged-up Lakers

Not even a hard-fought loss against a longtime rival did little to brighten the mood of one of the more tumultuous seasons in the storied history of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Tony Parker scored 24 points and the San Antonio Spurs handed the slumping Lakers their fifth straight loss with a 108-105 victory Wednesday night.

Manu Ginobili added 19 points and Tiago Splitter and Stephen Jackson had 14 each for San Antonio (28-10), which has won 11 straight at home. Splitter also had a career-high 14 rebounds.

Kobe Bryant had 27 points, Metta World Peace added 23 and Earl Clark 22 for Los Angeles (15-20). Bryant was 10 for 24 from the field, missing a 3-pointer on his final attempt that would have tied the game. Clark missed a follow-up 3 off a long rebound…

Leonard finished with 11 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one blocked shot in 33 minutes while primarily guarding Bryant and World Peace.

”Kawhi Leonard was the start of the show as far as I’m concerned,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. ”He had a great night and is getting better and better defensively and starting to find his way offensively. I thought that was great.” …

Lakers G Steve Blake (abdominal surgery) missed his 28th game of the season. Howard (shoulder), Gasol (concussion) and Hill (hip) also sat out the game. The Spurs had every player on their current roster active.

— Reported by Raul Dominguez of the Associated Press

Brandon Jennings scores 35 in Bucks win over Bulls

Brandon Jennings stretched out his arms and held his hands just over the ground as he glided toward center court, celebrating another big 3-pointer with one of Nate Robinson’s usual moves.

Yup, Jennings was listening to Robinson’s trash talk, and he had the perfect response.

The speedy point guard scored 20 of his 35 points in the third quarter, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 104-96 on Wednesday night for their second consecutive victory under interim coach Jim Boylan.

Robinson scored 13 of his 19 points in the first period, but was unable to stop Jennings once he got going in the third.

”A little trash talking before the second half,” Jennings said. ”I guess he felt like he had it going, he was getting the best of me. I really don’t take trash talking too kindly because I don’t really do a lot of trash talking. I warned him, so, hey, it happens.”

Mike Dunleavy had 16 points and Monta Ellis finished with 14 for Milwaukee, which made 10 of 22 3-point attempts. Larry Sanders grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked seven shots…

Carlos Boozer had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls, who have dropped their last two games against Milwaukee at United Center. The Bulls blew a 27-point lead in the third quarter as Milwaukee snapped a nine-game losing streak against Chicago with a 93-92 victory on Nov. 26…

Luol Deng scored 18 points for Chicago, which was seeking a season-best fourth consecutive victory.

Robinson got the start in place of Kirk Hinrich, who was sidelined with a right elbow injury.

— Reported by Jay Cohen of the Associated Press

Supporting cast steps up in Celtics win over Suns

The ”Big Three” leading Boston to its latest win was an unlikely bunch.

Jeff Green, Jason Terry and rookie Jared Sullinger carried the Celtics through a game of streaks, each outscoring their starting teammates as Boston recovered from a dreadful third quarter and held off the slumping Phoenix Suns 87-79 on Wednesday night.

Green had 14 points, Terry scored 13 and Sullinger finished with 12 points and pulled down a career-best 16 rebounds as Boston’s reserves outscored their Phoenix counterparts 47-16.

”They won the game for us basically. The bench played well. The starters didn’t play good at all tonight,” said Rajon Rondo, who had eight points and eight assists.

It was an emotional game for Green, who was playing exactly one year after having surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm.

”I can’t put it into words. I mean, it’s a wonderful day,” said Green, who missed all of last season with the heart condition. ”I reflect a lot on what I’ve been through and it’s just a blessing and I’m glad I’m here.”

Kevin Garnett was the only Boston starter to score in double figures, finishing with 10 points and five rebounds, and Paul Pierce had seven points and seven rebounds…

Marcin Gortat had 12 points and 14 rebounds, and Jared Dudley scored 14 while pulling down 10 boards for the Suns, who lost their fourth straight and fell to 2-16 on the road. Luis Scola scored 16 and Goran Dragic finished with 10 points for Phoenix, which gave the Celtics a scare in the third quarter with a 17-0 run…

Boston coach Doc Rivers was called for a technical late in the third period, then Rondo and Phoenix’s P.J. Tucker drew dual technicals early in the fourth.

— Reported by Doug Alden of the Associated Press