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Brooklyn Nets win 13th straight home game

Here’s the New York Daily News reporting on the Nets, who beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-99 in Brooklyn on Sunday:

Brooklyn Nets win 13th straight home game

Sunday seemed like just another day at the office, a 13th straight win at the Barclays Center with their victory song, “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, pumping in the loudspeakers after the final buzzer.

The win meant the Nets (39-33) clinched a playoff spot if the Knicks lost Sunday night at Golden State.

Still, coach Jason Kidd wasn’t interested in indulging the prospects of clinching a playoff spot, if only because the circumstances involved the New York team that he’s made it a policy of not discussing.

“No matter what the Knicks do, we could care less,” he said.
NYC PAPERS OUT. Social media use restricted to low res file max 184 x 128 pixels and 72 dpi Andrew Theodorakis/New York Daily News Pierce (r.), here with Kevin Love in his face, shoots 8 for 11 from the field in leading the Nets to another victory.

The Nets, who’ve won 20 of their last 22 games at home, didn’t gain ground in their race for homecourt advantage in the opening round. Still seeded fifth, they remained 2 ½ games behind No. 3 Toronto – which toppled the Magic – and 1 ½ behind No. 4 Chicago – which edged the Celtics.

Kevin Garnett remains out for Nets

Here’s the New York Post reporting on the Brooklyn Nets and injured veteran Kevin Garnett:

Kevin Garnett remains out for Nets

Kevin Garnett will miss at least a few more days because of his seemingly never-ending bout with back spasms.

The Nets announced before beating the Timberwolves 114-99 in Brooklyn that Garnett, who had previously been ruled out of his 16th straight game, won’t return until either this weekend against either Detroit at home Friday, at Philadelphia on Saturday or in one of the team’s two games in Florida against the Heat and Magic early next week.

But whenever he comes back, — whether it’s one of those four games, sometime after those or not until the playoffs — Nets coach Jason Kidd said Garnett won’t need any practice time when he deems himself ready to go.

“He just needs to put the uniform on [when he’s ready],” Kidd said. “That’s it.

Kevin Durant scoring streak continues in Thunder win over Jazz

Kevin Durant

The drama was sapped early from Oklahoma City’s blowout win over Utah, except for one detail.

Thunder forward Kevin Durant is nearing Michael Jordan’s mark for consecutive games with at least 25 points.

With the crowd buzzing late in the third quarter, Durant reached the mark for the 38th consecutive time, leaving him two games short of Jordan’s accomplishment, which is the most in the past 50 years.

He finished with 31 points and nine assists to help Oklahoma City defeat the Jazz 116-96 on Sunday afternoon.

Jordan did it for 40 straight games for the Chicago Bulls during the 1986-87 season. Durant is aware of the mark, but the NBA’s leading scorer left worrying about it to the crowd at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

— Associated Press

Pacers keep losing on road, fall to Cavs

David West

Sitting in the last chair on Indiana’s bench, David West stared straight ahead, unable to look at the court.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock on another disheartening loss, West seemed dazed.

The Pacers’ promising season is unraveling

Dion Waiters scored 19 points, Luol Deng added 15 and the Cleveland Cavaliers kept their playoff push going with a 90-76 win Sunday over the skidding Pacers, who are losing their grip on the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Tristan Thompson had 16 rebounds as the Cavs snapped a nine-game losing streak against Indiana. Cleveland came in three games behind slumping, idle Atlanta for the conference’s final playoff spot. With seven games left — six against teams with losing records — the Cavs still have a chance.

The Pacers, meanwhile, are falling apart. They lost their fifth straight road game and now lead Miami by one game for the East’s top record and home-court advantage throughout the postseason.

— Associated Press

Warriors sign Hilton Armstrong to 10-day contract

Hilton Armstrong

The Golden State Warriors have signed free agent center Hilton Armstrong to a 10-day contract as a Call-Up from the Warriors’ NBA Development League affiliate in Santa Cruz, the team announced today.

Armstrong, 29, has appeared in 32 games (23 starts) with the Santa Cruz Warriors this season, averaging 12.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.75 blocks (seventh-best in the D-League) in 28.2 minutes while hitting 55.9 percent from the field (ninth). The 6-11 center has played in eight games with Golden State over two separate stints (December 11–29/February 22-March 3) this season, averaging 2.3 rebounds in 4.4 minutes.

Originally selected by the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets with the 12th overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft, Armstrong has played in six NBA seasons with the Hornets (2006-09), Sacramento Kings (2009-10), Houston Rockets (2009-10), Washington Wizards (2010-11), Atlanta Hawks (2010-2011) and Warriors, owning career averages of 3.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 11.6 minutes over 285 games (39 starts). He has also played professionally with ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne in France, Panathinaikos in Greece and Changsha Bank Guangdong in China.

He will wear uniform #57.

Clippers coach Doc Rivers sends Glen Davis to locker room during game

Here’s ESPN Los Angeles reporting on the Clippers, who on Saturday treated Big Baby Glen Davis like a big baby:

Los Angeles Clippers forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis was sent back to the team’s locker room by coach Doc Rivers with 10:21 left in the second quarter and missed the rest of Saturday night’s game for disciplinary issues.

Davis was visibly upset as he walked toward the team bench after being taken out of the game for Ryan Hollins in the 118-107 win over the Houston Rockets.

Davis exchanged words with Rivers and was told to sit down. Clippers assistant coach Alvin Gentry attempted to talk to Davis, but Rivers apparently had seen and heard enough and told team security to escort Davis back to the locker room.

“Nothing went on with me,” Rivers said after the game. “I thought Baby was just too emotional, and for me, if you’re too emotional I always send you back to the locker room and keep you back there until the next game. I love Baby. I just didn’t think emotionally he was ready to play tonight, so we told him to go to the locker room.”

Former NBA player Derek Anderson shopping movie script about his life

Here’s TMZ reporting:

Derek Anderson shopping movie script about his life

Homeless before his teens, a father at 15 … and a college basketball champ who persevered to play 11 years in the NBA. Sound like a great movie? Derek Anderson hopes some big time Hollywood types think so.

The former Kentucky Wildcat and Portland Trailblazer tells TMZ Sports he’s shopping around an autobiographical screenplay he wrote — and hoping to hook a director like Lee Daniels or Mark Wahlberg.

His story is pretty wild … while injuries hampered him at times in the pros — his game was tight enough that Michael Jordan handpicked DA to rep the Jordan brand.

76ers losing streak ends at 26 losses

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting on the 76ers, who were on a 26-game losing streak but finally won a game Saturday, beating the Detroit Pistons:

Break up the 76ers.

OK, maybe it’s early for that. But their 26-game, record-tying losing streak came to an end Saturday night. Dominating from start to finish, the Sixers defeated the Detroit Pistons, 123-98, at the Wells Fargo Center.

They improved to 16-57 while winning their first game since besting the Boston Celtics on Jan. 29. It was their first home victory since topping the Charlotte Bobcats on Jan. 15. Since then, they had lost 18 straight at Wells Fargo.

The Sixers downplayed the victory.

“It’s just like another win,” reserve guard Tony Wroten said. “It’s the NBA. You all are talking about the pressure. We weren’t worried about a streak. We were just trying to get better every day.”

Sixers coach Brett Brown said he never mentioned the losing streak to his team.

“I never went into a room and said, ‘We have to get out of the streak,’ ” he said. “We talked about, ‘Let’s bang out great days.’ I’m glad tonight that the win validates that.”