February 12, 2013 – NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog

Raptors edge banged-up Nuggets 109-108

Rudy Gay hit a pull-up jump shot with less than five seconds remaining and the Toronto Raptors beat the short-handed Denver Nuggets 109-108 [in Toronto] on Tuesday.

DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points, Gay had 17 and John Lucas scored 12 of his 14 points in the final quarter as the Raptors won their third straight.

It was the second game-winner in three games for Gay, who beat Indiana with an overtime jumper last Friday.

Kyle Lowry had 11 points and 10 assists and Alan Anderson had 10 for Toronto, which made seven 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

Ty Lawson led Denver with 29 points, Kenneth Faried had 15 points and 11 rebounds and Anthony Randolph scored 16.

Andre Miller scored 12 points for the Nuggets, who came in having won nine of their past 10 overall and 15 of their past 17 meetings with Toronto…

The Nuggets had to juggle their starting lineup due to the absences of leading scorer Danilo Gallinari (sinus infection) and third-leading scorer Andre Iguodala (strained neck). Corey Brewer started in place of Gallinari, while rookie Evan Fournier took over for Iguodala.

Denver was also depleted by the loss of forward Wilson Chandler, sidelined by a sore groin. Things got worse for the Nuggets when center JaVale McGee left at halftime with a sore left leg.

— Reported by Ian Harrison of the Associated Press

Chicago attorney convicted in slaying of Eddy Curry`s ex-girlfriend, infant daughter

A Chicago attorney was convicted Tuesday night by a Cook County jury of fatally shooting a former girlfriend of ex-Bulls player Eddy Curry and an infant daughter Curry had with the woman.

The seven-woman, five-man jury deliberated a little more than four hours before convicting Frederick Goings, 40, of two counts of first-degree murder.

Nova Henry, 24, and her 10-month-old daughter, Ava, were found shot to death inside their South Loop town house in January 2009. Her 3-year-old son was unharmed.

— Reported by Patrick Svitek of the Chicago Tribune

Jazz guard Mo Williams takes next step toward recovery

Jazz point guard Mo Williams will have a pin in his thumb removed Wednesday in New York City, the next step in his effort to return from Jan. 4 surgery to repair a torn ligament.

He suffered the tear Dec. 22 at Miami.

The pin is in place to hold the ligament to the bone. Williams’ thumb has been in a splint for the six weeks since the surgery, which was performed by Dr. Michelle Carlson, a hand specialist who performed the same surgery on Williams in 2008, when he played for Milwaukee.

— Reported by Bill Oram of the Salt Lak Tribune

Brian Shaw helping Paul George develop

It was inevitable that they would form a bond. They both share a fondness for fishing. One played with and coached Kobe Bryant. The other was a fan of Bryant’s growing up and continues to admire his work ethic today.

With much in common, Indiana Pacers associate head coach Brian Shaw and swingman Paul George have developed a strong relationship marked by an open line of communication no matter whether the subject is positive or negative.

George also credits Shaw, along with head coach Frank Vogel, for helping him become an All Star in just his third year in the league.

“He’s really helped me out,” George said of Shaw. “He’s the one that gets on me. If I’m not playing well, if things aren’t going right, and he knows I’m the reason for it, he’ll let me hear about it.”

— Reported by Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star

Derrick Rose return date for Bulls remains unclear

The idea of Derrick Rose coming back to lead the Bulls to glory this season is sounding more and more like a figment of somebody’s imagination. Certainly not his imagination.

Judging by what Rose recently told USA Today, a return to action isn’t close to a given. That’s interesting, considering Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has repeated, ad nauseam, that Rose is “on schedule,’’ whatever that means.

Does the following sound like someone who has any idea where he’s going to be on May 1, let alone March 1?

“I’m not coming back until I’m 110 percent,’’ he said. “Who knows when that can be? It can be within a couple of weeks. It could be next year. It could be any day. It could be anytime. It’s just that I’m not coming back until I’m ready.”

Thank goodness he didn’t say 120 percent. Rose said his readiness is “probably in the high 80s. Far away. Far away.”

— Reported by Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Sun-Times

Lakers may not shake things up in trade department

The Lakers are scrambling just to scrape into the playoffs, but coach Mike D’Antoni sounds skeptical that any move before the Feb. 21 trade deadline would do anything beneficial to the team’s fortunes.

“It would add somebody who doesn’t know what they’re doing and it could take a while,” D’Antoni said. “You’re playing games you have to win and we might not even play them. That’s a hard thing. As an organization, I’m sure we’ll keep looking and talking and if something makes sense, we’ll do it.”

But Lakers fans shouldn’t get their hopes up after D’Antoni spoke with Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak last weekend in Miami.

“We are who we are,” D’Antoni said. “It’s good. We have that mindset. But I’m sure he’s always looking, thinking and talking to everybody.”

— Reported by Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News (Blog)

Celtics guard Leandro Barbosa out for season with torn ACL

The Boston Celtics announced today that guard Leandro Barbosa underwent an MRI this morning at New England Baptist Hospital after his left knee injury last night against the Charlotte Bobcats. The MRI revealed that Barbosa suffered a torn ACL in his left knee. No surgery date has been scheduled and he will be out for the remainder of the season.

Barbosa has appeared in 41 games for the Celtics this season and has averaged 5.2 points, 1.1 rebound, 1.4 assists in 12.5 minutes per game. He has shot 38.3% from three-point range which leads the Celtics. Barbosa posted a season-high of 17 points against Brooklyn on November 15 and has recorded 10 or more points in seven games this season.

According to the Boston Globe, “Barbosa was hurt, like Rondo, in non-contact fashion, twisting the knee awkwardly as he drove to the basket late in the third quarter of the Celtics’ 94-91 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. Barbosa immediately passed the ball to Jeff Green and then crumbled to the floor near the photographer’s area. He was carried off the floor by head trainer Ed Lacerte and rookie center Fab Melo without placing any pressure on any leg. He was able to walk out of the arena under his own power but a post-game examination indicated that it was a ligament tear.”

Son of Larry Bird arrested at Indiana University

The son of basketball legend Larry Bird was arrested Sunday at Indiana University, said Chief Keith Cash of the Indiana University Police Department.

Connor Bird, 21, allegedly tried to hit his ex-girlfriend with a car. Bird faces multiple charges, Cash said, including battery with injury, criminal mischief, intimidation with a deadly weapon and possession of marijuana.

Trouble began, police said, after Bird and the ex-girlfriend got into a dispute Sunday at Bird’s Bloomington apartment. Bird threw a cell phone at the female, police said.

— Reported by Bill McCleery of the Indianapolis Star

Paul, Griffin help Clippers cruise past 76ers

Some of the Los Angeles Clippers’ players were practicing a variety of high-flying dunks during pregame warm-ups. The fun continued when the real game tipped off.

Chris Paul had 21 points and 11 assists, Blake Griffin scored 20 points and the Clippers dunked their way to a 107-90 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.

Jamal Crawford also scored 20 points and Matt Barnes had 11 for the Pacific Division-leading Clippers. Eric Bledsoe scored 10 points while DeAndre Jordan grabbed 10 rebounds.

”We were out there having fun,” said Jordan, who watched some of those highlight-reel dunks on an iPad in the locker room. ”When we’re active and moving the ball, good things happen. I think dunks and layups come when we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing on offense.” …

Los Angeles won the finale with ease without guard Chauncey Billups and forward Caron Butler. Both players were nursing sore lower backs and were replaced in the starting lineup by Matt Barnes and Willie Green…

Nick Young led the Sixers with 29 points while Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner and Jeremy Pargo had 10 each. Spencer Hawes had 10 rebounds…

Lavoy Allen struggled against the Clippers, two nights after the best performance in his career. Allen had 14 points and a career-best 22 rebounds in an 87-76 win over Charlotte last Saturday. Against the much more athletic Clippers, Allen managed just four points and two rebounds in 28 minutes.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Nets rally late, beat Pacers 89-84 in OT

Brooklyn figured out how to win without its most versatile offensive player Monday night.

Feed Brook Lopez early and often, keep Reggie Evans active on the glass and put the ball in Joe Johnson’s hands with the game on the line.

It may need to keep that formula a while longer.

Lopez scored 25 points, Evans grabbed 22 rebounds and Johnson tied the score with a 10-foot bank shot to force overtime before closing it out with four straight free throws to give the Nets an 89-84 victory—their first in six tries at Bankers Life Fieldhouse…

Brooklyn (30-22) needed every one of those plays to turn things around.

They came into Monday night with three losses in four games, including a 111-86 shellacking at home Sunday. They had lost five straight in Indianapolis, one of the best home teams in the league this season, and had been struggling badly to score, too. Plus, they were missing guard Deron Williams who was diagnosed with synovitis, an inflammation of the ankle joint linings. He received platelet rich plasma treatment on both ankles and isn’t expected to return to the floor until after the All-Star break.

But without Williams, the Nets stayed focused.

They had only 11 turnovers, forced the normally proficient Pacers to shoot just 34.4 percent, limited All-Star forward Paul George to five points on 1-of-10 shooting, and rallied late in regulation in a game that looked all but lost. Then, in overtime, the Nets refused to let this one slip away…

David West Indiana’s other big scorer, got poked in the eye by Lopez 60 seconds into the game. When he returned to start the second half, he didn’t look like himself. He was just 2 of 11 from the field with seven points and six rebounds and missed three straight midrange shots at the end of regulation, the last a 14-footer that bounced off the front of the rim as time expired…

George Hill led the Pacers with 22 points and six assists while Lance Stephenson and Jeff Pendergraph each had 14. It was a season-high for Pendergraph, whose previous best was six.

— Reported by Michael Marot of the Associated Press