Thunder recall Byron Mullens from D-League

Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced today that the team has recalled center Byron Mullens from the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League.

Mullens appeared in one game (one start) for the 66ers and recorded 19 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block in 33 minutes.

Mullens will join the Thunder for tonight’s 6:00 PM game against the Cavaliers at the Oklahoma City Arena.

Hornets score just 23 first-half points vs Sixers

The New Orleans Hornets apparently were mislead and thought that today’s game in Philadelphia against the 76ers was being played with golf rules, with victory going to whoever scores the fewest points.

In the first half, the Hornets shot just 14.3% (6-of-42) and missed all five of their three-point attempts. They scored just 13 points in the first quarter and 10 in the second.

Chris Paul was solid with 10 points on four shot attempts. But fellow starters Marco Belinelli shot 1-of-6, Trevor Ariza 1-of-9, David West 1-of-6, and Emeka Okafor 0-of-5.

The Sixers shot 45 percent and were led by Andre Iguodala’s 10 points.

Damion James suffers broken right foot

KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 11: Damion James #5 of the Texas Longhorns looks on while taking on the Baylor Bears during the quarterfinals of the 2010 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center on March 11, 2010 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

New Jersey Nets forward Damion James has suffered a broken right foot. It is not yet known how much time he’s expected to miss. More details on the injury will be added to this page later today.

The 6-7, 220-pound rookie, who attended Texas, has played limited minutes in his first professional season, averaging 3.1 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per game.

The 6-17 Nets currently have the worst record in the Eastern conference. They have a higher winning percentage than the Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers, who are all in the West.

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Sixers recall Craig Brackins from D-League

The Philadelphia 76ers announced today that they have recalled rookie forward Craig Brackins from their NBA Development League affiliate, the Springfield Armor.  Brackins was assigned to the Armor on November 30.

In five games for Springfield, Brackins averaged 17.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.80 blocks in 37.4 minutes per game.  He has appeared in one game for the Sixers this season, scoring 6 points in 10 minutes of play at Toronto on November 24.

Brackins (6-10, 230) was the 21st overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft by Oklahoma City.  His rights were traded to New Orleans along with the rights to Quincy Pondexter in exchange for Morris Peterson and the rights to Cole Aldrich.  The Sixers acquired Brackins and Darius Songaila from the Hornets in exchange for Willie Green and Jason Smith on September 23.

Ron Artest still does not understand the triangle offense

Los Angeles Lakers NBA player Ron Artest wore his championship winning team s colors, purple and gold, as he made his way through a sea of fans outside Voyeur Nightclub in West Hollywood, California on June 24, 2010.Ron Ron sported a large necklace that reads True Warier.  Fame Pictures, Inc

Elliot Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News reports:

Ron Artest acknowledged during an interview with ESPN what almost every Lakers watcher has assumed since he signed with the team as a free agent during the summer of 2009. He admitted he doesn’t know the Lakers’ offense.

“See, I can’t really understand the triangle,” he said in a story posted Saturday on ESPN.com. “There’s 1,000 plays in the triangle. It’s such a challenge. I get so frustrated about it. So I just stay in my one spot in the corner.

“If I leave my spot, I get yelled at. (Lakers coach) Phil (Jackson’s) gonna say, `What are you doing over there!’ So I just don’t move.”

Artest made his comments Dec. 3 during a day-long visit with Rick Reilly.

The Lakers called off Saturday’s scheduled practice, so Artest was not available for comment. He was the first player to leave the locker room after the Lakers’ loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday, the first game on their six-game trip.

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