The AP reports: Maybe it was facing buddy Steve Nash. Maybe it was having two point guards in the starting lineup. Maybe it was the way Phoenix kept switching defenders against him without ever finding a stopper. Something put Dirk Nowitzki into quite the scoring mood. Nowitzki scored 37 points in three quarters and wound up tying his season high of 39, and the Dallas Mavericks continued their recent surge with perhaps their best performance of the season in a 112-97 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night… “We haven’t found a rhythm or a good balance yet,” said Nash, who had 20 points and 10 assists without playing the fourth quarter… Amare Stoudemire led Phoenix with 28 points but got his fifth foul late in the third quarter and wasn’t a factor after that… Barea, who earned the start by hitting the winning shot in the final minute of the previous game, finished with a season-best 18 points. Terry scored 19, continuing his strong play off the bench to make up for the scoring punch lost by Josh Howard being out with an ankle injury. Dallas is 6-1 in the seven straight games he’s missed.
Author: Inside Hoops
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Elton Brand day-to-day
Philadelphia 76ers forward Elton Brand will miss Friday night’s game at Detroit due to a right hamstring strain. An MRI taken this morning confirmed the injury.
Brand did not travel with the team. He is listed as day-to-day.
Glance at Arron Afflalo
The Detroit Free Press (Vince Ellis) reports: Arron Afflalo does have a growing offensive game. He works constantly to be known as more than just a defensive specialist. But Curry tells him if he plays defense and keeps the ball moving, he will earn more playing time to display his offensive ability. Afflalo’s teammates aren’t all that concerned about his offense as long as he keeps accepting the challenge of guarding opponents’ top guns. “I always tell him when he gets minutes, I ain’t got to say nothing to him because he hangs his hat on defense,” Rasheed Wallace said. “He’s always wanted to guard the best guys, and he did somewhat of a good job on Manu tonight. That’s not an easy task guarding him.”
Nets need to defend perimeter
The New York Post (Dan Tomasino) reports: “[Our record of] 9-8, we’ll take it right now,” Devin Harris said. “We’re making strides. Two steps forward, one step back. We made a big stride on the road. We’ve just got to play better at home.” There are many factors involved for the Nets to become more consistent. Improved defense against 3-pointers is a must. They’re second worst in the NBA, allowing opponents to make 42 percent from beyond the arc. Offensively, finding a third scorer to complement Harris and Carter is a challenge.
Brandon Jennings doing little overseas
The Washington Times (Barker Davis) reports: The 6-foot-1, 170-pound guard has all but vanished from basketball’s collective conscious. Jennings is the fourth member of Lottomatica Roma’s backcourt rotation. Buried in the depth chart behind guards like former All-Big East performer Allan Ray (Villanova) and former Ivy League player of the year Ibrahim Jaaber (Penn), Jennings exited the team’s first eight games averaging 4.9 points and 3.0 assists in 17.3 minutes. Jennings is being well-compensated for his spot duty. Contracts with the Rome-based club and UnderArmour are reportedly earning him in excess of $3 million this season. But the long-term wisdom of his career choice remains questionable.
Cuttino Mobley may retire
The New York Post (Marc Berman) reports: Cuttino Mobley is strongly mulling a medical retirement because of an enlarged heart condition and could make the announcement tomorrow, according to a person familiar with the situation. Mobley, 33, still has one more heart test left today in Minnesota. It had been reported that Mobley had signed a waiver with the Clippers to release them of liability if he had heart problems. If Mobley, obtained in the Zach Randolph trade from the Clippers, retires, it would free open a roster spot and save the Knicks about 75 percent of the $18. 9 million left on his pact because of insurance.
Dec 3: Heat 93, Jazz 89
The AP reports: Dwyane Wade overcame his headache and foul trouble while leading Miami to a 93-89 victory over the short-handed Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, getting the Heat back above .500 as they ended a five-game Western Conference road trip. “I was going to play. Anything I can do to help my guys and try to get a win,” said Wade, who had 23 points and five assists… The Jazz were missing a large chunk of their regular lineup and the Heat took advantage inside, outrebounding Utah 45-38 as injured forwards Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko and Matt Harpring watched from Utah’s bench in suits. Udonis Haslem had 13 rebounds and Joel Anthony had four blocks for the Heat, who held off several runs by the Jazz and went 9-of-11 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to seal it… Paul Millsap led Utah with 20 points and 13 rebounds… Shawn Marion scored 15, Michael Beasley had 12 points and reserve Chris Quinn added six assists for Miami.
Dec 3: Rockets 103, Clippers 96
The AP reports: The Houston Rockets will have to win games the hard way until Tracy McGrady gets healthy. Yao Ming had 24 points, Rafer Alston sank five 3-pointers and added 21, and the Rockets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 103-96 on Wednesday night. Ron Artest scored 19 points and Yao grabbed 10 rebounds and went 12-for-13 from the free throw line for the Rockets, who played their fourth straight game without McGrady. The seven-time All-Star is out three weeks with a sore left knee… Al Thornton scored 24 and Zach Randolph had 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers, who’ve dropped six of seven road games this season. Baron Davis had 13 points and nine assists, despite leaving in the first quarter with apparent food poisoning. He started the second half and never came out of the game again, playing 34 minutes in all.
Dec 3: Bucks 97, Bulls 90
The AP reports: With Andrew Bogut ailing, Dan Gadzuric had a big game off the bench. The seldom-used center had 11 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks, and fellow reserve Charlie Villanueva scored 11 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to lift the Milwaukee Bucks over the Chicago Bulls 97-90 Wednesday night… “We made our run, we just weren’t able to sustain it,” said Gordon, who finished with 22 points… Derrick Rose, who had 18 points and nine assists along with five turnovers in 43 minutes, thought he was hit on the play.
Dec 3: Hornets 104, Suns 91
The AP reports: Peja Stojakovic finished with 24 points, his sharp shooting opening the floor for the rest of his teammates, who took full advantage. Chris Paul also scored 24 points to go with 15 assists for his 13th double-double of the young season. David West added 23 points and 14 rebounds, and Tyson Chandler narrowly missed a double-double of his own with 14 points and nine rebounds… Amare Stoudemire led Phoenix with 26 points, while Leandro Barbosa added 19 and Grant Hill 17. However, the Suns were unable to keep pace with guard Steve Nash sidelined because of an illness. Shaquille O’Neal also sat out for Phoenix, hoping to be fresh when the Suns play Thursday night at Dallas.