Inside Hoops – Page 1380 – NBA Blog

Gerald Wallace discusses his shooting problems

At several points during the Nets’ 105-96 win over the Bobcats on Saturday, the ball found its way into the hands of an open Gerald Wallace.

But, outside of getting fouled on an attempted layup after Deron Williams found him wide open under the basket, Wallace didn’t attempt a single shot.

Wallace confirmed afterwards what seemed to be the case to anyone who had watched the game: that six weeks of struggles since the All-Star break in mid-February have sapped the veteran’s confidence in his shooting stroke.

“My confidence is totally gone,” Wallace told The Post Saturday. “I’m just at the point now … I’m in a situation where I feel like if I miss, I’m going to get pulled out of the game, you know what I’m saying? So my whole concept is just that you can’t come out of the game if you’re not missing shots.

“I think I lost the confidence of the coaching staff and my teammates. So my main thing is those guys can score, so instead of thinking about it so much, just trying to focus on defense, try to move the ball and get those guys shots.”

— Reported by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post

Chauncey Billups has no retirement plans yet

Despite all of the injuries that have limited Chauncey Billups to 20 games this season, the Clippers starting guard said “no” when asked whether he had given thought to retiring after the season.

Billups sat out his eighth consecutive game because of a strained right groin, and he has no timetable for a return.

He sat out the first 14 games of the season recovering from left Achilles’ tendon surgery. Then Billups missed 34 games because of tendinitis in his left foot and one game because of a sore lower back.

“When I was trying to come back, they [the doctors] told me that this year would be tough,” Billups said. “I knew I would have a lot of knickknack injuries just so my body could recalibrate. And the following season, I could be 100% back to myself. So I was ready for the fight. That’s why these setbacks, these small ones, they don’t take the toll on me because I already had this set.”

— Reported by Broderick Turner Los Angeles Times

Kyrie Irving not looking to discuss job status of coach Byron Scott

Cavaliers All-Star guard Kyrie Irving isn’t addressing questions regarding the future of Cleveland coach Byron Scott.

The Cavaliers had dropped 12-of-14 games going into Sunday’s game against Orlando. The recent slide has led to speculation that Scott, who is 63-160 in three seasons, may not be back for a fourth.

Irving, who has spoken about his close relationship with Scott several times during his two seasons with the team, said Sunday he’s thinking more about the final seven games of the Cavaliers’ season rather than the coaching situation.

“Until that time comes, I’m not really worried about it,” Irving said. “To even imagine that, I’m not going down that road. I’m focused on finishing the season with him and that’s all that matters right now.”

— Reported by the Associated Press

Dwyane Wade not rushing back for Heat

Wade said he wants to get back on the court before the playoffs begin. He just isn’t sure when, but has no plans of rushing it.

Wade has missed the past four games because of ankle and knee soreness, with the knee being the bigger of the concerns.

“I don’t know,” Wade said when asked about his return. “I’m just trying to make sure I’m healthy. The most important thing is to be healthy. When I feel it, I’ll get back on the court. Obviously, I want to play but I just got to make sure that I’m right.”

Wade said he has no problem taking a few games off because the Heat have earned it by already securing the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

“A lot of people think the Heat are just resting,” Wade said. “We played a lot of games this year. We had guys banged up at certain times and different elements. We’ve got to get them healthy, just like other teams have done. It just so happens that we’ve been able to do it at the end of the year. We took care of business and we were able to say, `Ok, we have these injures, let’s try to take care of them.”‘

— Reported by Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Detroit win gives Pacers Central Division title

Welcome back to the top of the Central Division, Indiana Pacers.

It’s been too long since you’ve been there.

After eight years of watching Detroit, Cleveland and Chicago take turns being at the top, the Pacers can call themselves the best in the division again.

The Pacers didn’t win the division be beating an opponent, they got an assist from an all-too-familiar opponent.

The Detroit Pistons beat the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night, giving the Pacers their first division title since the 2003-04 season.

The victory ended an 18-game losing streak to the Bulls by the Pistons.

The streak couldn’t have ended at a better time for the Pacers.

— Reported by Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star

Jazz beat Warriors 97-90, regain 8th spot in West

Some Utah Jazz players watched the Lakers-Clippers game on a big-screen television inside the locker room while they prepared to face the Golden State Warriors. Others followed the contest on cellphones while riding on the late bus to the arena. Coach Tyrone Corbin just checked the final score when the Lakers lost.

”You could see the look on everybody’s face change,” Jazz guard Randy Foye said. ”Nobody said anything. It was just everybody had that look on their face, ‘You know what time it is. You know what we have to do.”’

While the Warriors had a chance to seal a playoff spot, Utah seized the opportunity for itself.

Mo Williams hit a huge 3-pointer in the final seconds to finish with 25 points, Al Jefferson added 19 points and 12 rebounds and the Jazz regained the Western Conference’s final playoff position over the Lakers by holding off the Warriors 97-90 on Sunday night for a monumental road win…

Williams’ 3-pointer with 13.4 seconds remaining put Utah ahead by six and spoiled Golden State’s shot to clinch a playoff berth in front of a 29th sellout crowd of 19,596. The Jazz moved a half-game ahead of the Lakers for the eighth seed. Utah also owns the tiebreaker after winning the season series 2-1 against the Lakers, who lost to the Clippers 109-95 earlier in the day…

Stephen Curry scored 17 of his 22 points in the first half and Klay Thompson had 20 points for the Warriors, who were trying to clinch a postseason spot for the first time since 2007 and just the second in 19 years…

David Lee, who has never been to the playoffs in his eight NBA seasons, added 21 points and 13 rebounds for Golden State, which was outplayed inside by Utah’s front line of Jefferson, Derrick Favors (12 points, 13 rebounds) and Paul Millsap (11 points, six rebounds) most of the way.

— Reported by Antonio Gonzalez of the Associated Press

Clippers beat Lakers 109-95, win division title

Chris Paul held up the red T-shirt reading ‘Can’t Stop Los Angeles’ for a quick postgame photo. He didn’t put it on, and neither did his Clippers teammates.

There was no celebrating on court or in the locker room after they beat the Lakers 109-95 on Sunday to clinch the Clippers’ first Pacific Division title in franchise history against a team that has long overshadowed them.

”It just feels like something we were supposed to do,” said Paul, who had 24 points and 12 assists. ”It means we’re headed in the right direction. We’re not satisfied. We understand this is something small compared to the big picture.”

Blake Griffin had 24 points and 12 rebounds as the playoff-bound Clippers swept the Lakers 4-0 for the first time since Donald Sterling bought the team in 1981.

The 1974-75 team, known as the Buffalo Braves, had the franchise’s only other sweep of the Lakers.

Fans chanted, ”Sweep! Sweep!” in the closing seconds.

Sterling accepted a congratulatory handshake from a fan after the game…

Jamal Crawford had 20 points off the bench, DeAndre Jordan had 13 rebounds and Caron Butler scored 14 points for the Clippers, who knew that even if they lost, they could have clinched later Sunday if Utah won at Golden State. Utah defeated the Warriors 97-90..

Dwight Howard scored 25 points, including 9 of 13 free throws, for the Lakers, who played without injured starters Steve Nash and Metta World Peace. Kobe Bryant added 25 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, and Pau Gasol had 12 points and 13 rebounds as the Lakers’ three-game winning streak ended.

— Reported by Beth Harris of the Associated Press

Knicks beat Thunder for 12th straight win

Driving to the basket in crunch time, Raymond Felton slipped to the floor and lost the basketball in the process. All he could do was lunge back at it and bat it toward J.R. Smith as the shot clock ticked closer to zero.

For the second straight possession, Smith beat the buzzer – this time with a 3-pointer – and the Knicks closed out a 125-120 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.

”He makes plays like that. He makes tough shots. Sometimes I think he likes to take the tougher shot than the easier shot. They still go in,” said teammate Carmelo Anthony, who had 36 points and 12 rebounds while moving ahead of Kevin Durant to become the NBA’s top scorer.

”That shot, it was a nail in the coffin.”

Smith finished with 22 points, including the two biggest shots of the game. He connected on a 23-foot jumper from the right wing as the 24-second clock expired to put New York up 117-113 with 1:30 to play, then swished a 3-pointer with 56.8 seconds left that all but sealed New York’s 50th win of the season…

The victory was the Knicks’ 12th in a row and put them at 50 wins for the first time in 13 years. They also moved 2 1/2 games ahead of Indiana for second place in the Eastern Conference and moved onto the doorstep of clinching the Atlantic Division title.

Russell Westbrook had 37 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for Oklahoma City, which fell a game behind San Antonio for first place in the West with five games left.

— Reported by Jeff Latzke of the Associated Press

Warriors sign guard Scott Machado to 10-day contract

The Golden State Warriors have signed guard Scott Machado (muh-CHAH-doe) to a 10-day contract, the team announced today. Machado joins the team from the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League, marking the 33rd D-League to NBA “Call-Up” of the 2012-13 NBA season.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle blog, “Machado just got back from New York, where he had to bury his 61-year-old father. Luiz Machado, a livery cab driver, suffered a fatal heart attack while being arrested by for taking illegal fares by Taxi and Limousine Commission officers at Kennedy Airport on March 28. The New York Daily News reported that Luiz Machado was left in a gutter and without critical medical care for as long as 11 minutes, which triggered the Medical Examiner’s Office to rule the death a homicide. “He was a big hoops fan,” Scott Machado said, “so I know he’ll be watching.”

Machado, 22, was acquired by Santa Cruz via trade from Rio Grande Valley on March 8 and has appeared in 10 games for the Warriors’ D-League affiliate, averaging 6.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 15.0 minutes. In 28 D-League games combined this year with Santa Cruz and Rio Grande Valley, Machado has averaged 8.9 points 2.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 24.0 minutes per contest.

After going undrafted out of Iona in the 2012 NBA Draft, Machado was signed as a free agent on September 7, 2012, by the Houston Rockets after playing with the Rockets Summer League squad in Las Vegas. The 6’1” guard appeared in six NBA games with the Rockets, tallying eight points and six assists in 21 total minutes. He was waived by the Rockets on January 7.

Machado, who was named the 2012 MAAC Player of the Year and led the nation in assists (327) during his senior season at Iona, will wear uniform #1 for Golden State. The Warriors roster now stands at 14 players.

Grizzlies recall Keyon Dooling from D-League

The Memphis Grizzlies have recalled guards Keyon Dooling and Tony Wroten from the NBA Development League’s Reno Bighorns, the team announced today. Both players were assigned to Reno on April 6.

Making his first career D-League assignment, Dooling (6-3, 196) recorded six points and two steals in 26 minutes in the Bighorns’ regular season finale last night against the Canton Charge. The 32-year-old logged two minutes in his Grizzlies debut on April 3 at Portland after signing with Memphis as a free agent the same day.

The 13-year veteran owns NBA career averages of 7.0 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists on .415 shooting in 19.5 minutes in 722 games (86 starts) for the Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, New Jersey Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies.

In his fourth D-League stint this season, Wroten (6-6, 208) poured in a career-high 30 points and eight assists with just one turnover in 37 minutes last night in the Bighorns’ season finale. The 19-year-old posted 17.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists on .415 shooting in 26.5 minutes in 11 games (three starts) with Reno this season.

Drafted by Memphis in the first round (25th overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft after one season at the University of Washington, the Seattle native has averaged 2.7 points and 1.3 assists in 8.0 minutes in 33 games for the Grizzlies during his rookie season.

Both players will join the Grizzlies tonight, as Memphis finishes its three-game West Coast road trip at 5 p.m. CT against the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena.