Month: January 2013

Westbrook scores 23, Thunder beat Raptors

russell westbrook

To Kevin Durant, an early afternoon start in Toronto against an improving Raptors team was a trap waiting to be sprung on Oklahoma City.

But with a balanced offensive attack, and a defensive correction in the second half, the Thunder steered clear of getting caught.

Russell Westbrook scored 23 points, Durant had 22 and Oklahoma City beat the Raptors 104-92 on Sunday, giving the Thunder a winning start to a stretch that sees them play 11 of 13 on the road…

Serge Ibaka had 19 points and eight rebounds and Kevin Martin scored 16 for Oklahoma City, who came in having played an NBA-low 12 road games this season but improved to 9-4 as visitors…

Nick Collison had 10 points and eight rebounds to help the Thunder win for the fifth time in eight games since their season-long 12-game winning streak.

Oklahoma City is 14-0 this season when at least five players score in double figures.

”Everybody participated, everybody chipped in and everybody did their job,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. ”We’re good when we force the defense to chase the ball around and the ball finds a good shot. It’s not really who finds it, just as long as it’s a good shot.”

Westbrook and Durant each had seven assists. For Durant, that was his most since dishing out a career-high 10 against Golden State on Nov. 18…

Alan Anderson scored 19 of his career-high 27 points in the second quarter and Amir Johnson had 19 for the Raptors, who lost their second straight after winning eight of nine.

”I praised our guys, the way we fought and scrapped,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. ”But at the end of day reality set in.”

DeMar DeRozan scored 11 points but made just four of 16 field goal attempts. DeRozan made only 3 of 11 attempts in Friday’s loss to Sacramento.

— Reported by Ian Harrison of the Associated Press

Sixers waive Maalik Wayns, recall Arnett Moultrie from D-League

maalik wayns

The Philadelphia 76ers announced today that they have recalled rookie forward Arnett Moultrie from their NBA Development League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce and waived rookie guard Maalik Wayns. The Sixers roster now stands at 13.

Moultrie (6-10, 245) was the 27th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by Miami. He was traded to Philadelphia on draft night in exchange for the draft rights to Justin Hamilton (45th overall pick) and a protected future first round pick

In seven games during his assignment with the Skyforce, Moultrie averaged 9.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 26.3 minutes per game. He has appeared in 11 games for the Sixers this season.

Wayns (6-1, 195) was not selected in the 2012 NBA Draft following his junior season with Villanova. He signed as a free agent with the Sixers on July 31 and saw action in 20 games this season, averaging 2.5 points and 1.0 assists in 7.8 minutes per game.

Trail Blazers assign Will Barton and Nolan Smith to D-League

will barton

The Portland Trail Blazers have assigned guards Will Barton and Nolan Smith to the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Trail Blazers General Manager Neil Olshey.

The two players will join the Stampede for the NBA Development League Showcase in Reno, Nev. The Stampede are first scheduled to play on Monday, Jan. 7, against Texas.

Barton appeared in two games (both starts) with the Stampede from Dec. 7-8, posting averages of 19.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in 42.0 minutes per game. The 6-foot-6 rookie has played in 28 games for the Trail Blazers this season, averaging 2.9 points and 1.4 rebounds in 10.1 minutes. Barton was selected by the Trail Blazers with the 40 th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.

In 18 games this season with the Trail Blazers, Smith is averaging 2.5 points and 1.2 assists in 8.2 minutes per game. Now in his second NBA season, Smith was selected by the Trail Blazers with the 21 st pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.

Pacers waive forward Sam Young

sam young

The Indiana Pacers announced Sunday they have waived forward Sam Young, the fourth-year player out of Pitt, was signed as a free agent by the Pacers in September. He played in 28 games and averaged 3.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.

Additionally, the Pacers announced Sunday they have recalled rookie center Miles Plumlee from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA D-League.

Iman Shumpert hopes he can return for Knicks in near future

iman shumpert

Iman Shumpert is hoping to be cleared by doctors this week and could rejoin the lineup within one or two weeks.

“You’ve got to listen to the doctors because I’m just young and I just want to play,” Shumpert, the second year guard said on Saturday. “So part of it is me just being competitive and wanting to play. But I mean, we’re going to read the data and make sure everything is okay. If I feel any pain I’m not going to do no more.”

Shumpert suffered a devastating knee injury during Game 1 of the Knicks playoff series with the Miami Heat last May. Normally, it takes a player a calendar year to regain full strength which is clearly the case for Minnesota’s Ricky Rubio, who suffered a similar injury and has struggled since returning to the lineup.

— Reported by Frank Isola of the New York Daily News

Royce White suspended by Houston Rockets

royce white

The Houston Rockets suspended first-round pick Royce White for ”refusing to provide services” required by his contract on Sunday.

General manager Daryl Morey said Sunday that the team will continue to work with White in hopes of finding a resolution.

White will not be paid during his suspension.

White refused his assignment to Houston’s D-League affiliate a week ago. The 16th overall pick in the June draft has spent most of the season on Houston’s inactive list while he and the team figure out how to handle his anxiety disorder and overall mental health.

White has been vocal on Twitter throughout this saga, and he continued to voice his opinions on the Web site after the announcement Sunday.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Cleveland Cavaliers waive Samardo Samuels

samardo samuels

The Cleveland Cavaliers have waived forward Samardo Samuels, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts. The Cavaliers roster now stands at 14.

Samuels played in 18 games (one start) this season for the Cavs, averaging 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per game. He was signed by the Cavs as a free agent prior to the 2010-11 season and has appeared in 109 games (11 starts) during his career, averaging 5.9 points and 3.4 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game.

Andrew Bogut confident he will play again this season

Andrew Bogut confident he will play this season

Australian NBA star Andrew Bogut is confident he will overcome a serious ankle injury to play for the Golden State Warriors again this season.

Warriors owner Joe Lacob and the team’s coach Mark Jackson have refused to put a timeline on Bogut’s return to the court, raising the prospect that his season could be over.

However, the 28-year-old former No.1 draft pick was clear about his prospects despite missing the past 28 games.

“I’ll definitely play this season,” Bogut said on Saturday. “I think I’ll be ready to play this season. It’s just a matter of when.”

— Reported by AAP via The Age

Amare Stoudemire says he is finally being taught to play defense

amare stoudemire

Amar’e Stoudemire went with the reliable “taken out of context” defense regarding his comments that indicated he was never taught defense before Mike Woodson was promoted to Knicks head coach.

The remarks appeared to be a thinly veiled shot at Mike D’Antoni, his former coach in Phoenix and New York. On Friday, D’Antoni called Stoudemire’s comments “mind-boggling.”

“It wasn’t meant to be as exaggerated as it was,” Stoudemire said on Saturday. “For the simple fact: Woodson is a defensive coach. He’s known to be a defensive coach. So his strategies he’s teaching me now is different from what I learned before. He puts a lot of emphasis on the defensive end — more than I ever had before.

“It wasn’t a knock on any of my previous coaches. I had great success with Coach D’Antoni. He had to be doing something right because we won many games. It was more a compliment to Coach Woodson.’’

— Reported by Frank Isola of the New York Daily News