The AP reports: Kevin Martin hit four 3-pointers while scoring 26 points, and the Sacramento Kings avoided a four-game sweep by the last-place Los Angeles Clippers with a 110-98 victory Thursday night. Francisco Garcia scored 17 points and Mikki Moore added 16 for the Kings, who took a 20-point lead in the third quarter of their fourth victory in five games… Corey Maggette scored 28 points and Elton Brand had 15 points and nine rebounds in his second game back from a 74-game absence for Los Angeles. Injured veterans Chris Kaman, Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas sat out their second straight game for the Clippers, who still beat the SuperSonics on Wednesday night in Brand’s first game of the season after surgery on his Achilles’ tendon. Clippers rookie Nick Fazekas, who played college ball two hours away at Nevada, scored a career-best 18 points.
Author: Inside Hoops
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Apr. 3: Bulls 101, Cavs 98
The AP reports: Ben Gordon made five clutch free throws down the stretch and Larry Hughes scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half against his former team, rallying the Bulls to a 101-98 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night. The Bulls, with nothing to play for in the season’s final weeks, overcame a 17-point deficit in the second half and snapped a six-game road losing streak… Hughes, traded by the Cavaliers to Chicago at the Feb. 21 deadline, added nine assists and eight rebounds in 45 minutes. Gordon scored 24 points and Luol Deng and Andres Nocioni had 15 each… Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 23 points for the Cavaliers, who are trying to nail down the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Lucky fan can win game-worn Durant jersey
The NBA commercial starring Kevin Durant removing his career worth of jerseys will become reality for one lucky fan on Friday, April 4 after the Sonics take on the Houston Rockets. Fans will have the chance to bid on the Rookie of the Year candidate’s game-worn jersey from Friday, and receive it directly from Durant at the conclusion of the game.
The jersey auction is part of the Sonics’ third annual “Jerseys Off Our Backs” fundraising initiative. Bidding for the Durant jersey will begin at 6 p.m. outside of aisle 118 on the concourse level of KeyArena. The winning bidder will be escorted to the player tunnel following the game and receive Durant’s jersey during a personal meet-and-greet. Durant will also autograph the jersey and be available for a photo with the winner.
All auction proceeds will benefit the Sonics & Storm Foundation’s community outreach initiatives. The “Jerseys Off Our Backs” program was founded during the 2005-06 Sonics season and allows fans to bid on game-worn Sonics jerseys during home games. Last year, the program raised more than $14,000 for the Foundation.
Sonics assign Mouhamed Sene to D-League
The Seattle Sonics announced today that the team has assigned center Mouhamed Sene to the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League. This marks Sene’s second assignment to Idaho this season. In 27 games with the Stampede (12/23/07 – 3/13/08), Sene averaged 12.4 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.
Under the affiliation system with the D-League, NBA teams can assign up to two players who are rookies or in their second season to their D-League affiliate. Players can stay with the D-League team for as long as the team wishes, and be recalled back to the NBA at any time. A player can only be sent to the D-League a maximum of three times during the season.
The Stampede, the D-League affiliate for the Sonics and the Portland Trail Blazers, are coached by Bryan Gates, who worked as an assistant for the Sonics during summer league play in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City last July.
DeShawn Stevenson talks injuries, Gilbert Arenas and more
Here’s what Washington Wizards shooting guard DeShawn Stevenson said to local media today:
DeShawn Stevenson on tomorrow’s game: “I’m going to try to play. I haven’t missed a game, but my ankle is really hurting right now. I got treatment today and it actually didn’t swell up. I’m going to try to play tomorrow but we will have to wait and see.”
Stevenson on injuries: “It seems like whenever we get our whole team back, someone else gets hurt. Antawn (Jamison) got hurt. I got hurt. It is difficult, every time you get your team back something else happens.”
Stevenson on Antawn’s injury: “It would be tough to play without Antawn because he has been our leader all year. He has been the veteran that has played every game. He has been awesome this year. He was an All-Star this year, so I want to see him be able to play all 82 games.”
Stevenson on Gilbert Arenas: “It was wonderful to see him back out there and knocking down his first shots. He had a smile on his face. Yesterday he was really focused so I knew he was coming back.”
Stevenson on Gilbert’s return: “Everybody expects that from him. You just overlook it. For some teams that would probably be a distraction but we just overlook it. When Gil comes on the court he is ready to play so I think that is why nobody really pays attention to it.”
Stevenson on his birthday party: “The party was great. Everybody came. We had a good time dressing up.”
Sonics sign Ronald Dupree to 10-day contract
Sonics General Manager Sam Presti announced today that the team has signed Ronald Dupree to a 10-day contract.
Dupree has played in nine games for the Tulsa 66ers in the NBA Development League this year, averaging 17.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. The 6-7 forward also appeared in one game with the Detroit Pistons earlier this season.
Dupree has appeared in a total of 150 NBA games over five seasons, averaging 3.7 ppg and 2.2 rpg during that span.
In a related Sonics roster move, the 10-day contract of Eddie Gill expired and he was not re-signed.
Rocky Mountain Revue to happen in 2008
The Deseret Morning News (Tim Buckley) reports: Despite facing competition for entrants from a well-attended summer league in Las Vegas, Jazz officials said after last July’s Rocky Mountain Revue that they hoped — and planned — for the long-running league to be held again in 2008. And now they know for sure that it will be. “We will have a league,” Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor said. O’Connor had no other details, including how many team will participate.
Overseas: Denmark a longshot to host 2014 World Championship
Fiba.com reports: Denmark coach Allan Foss admits his country is a long shot to be awarded the 2014 FIBA World Championship. The Danes, along with Spain, France and Russia have also expressed an interest in bidding for the event. Foss, whose team was relegated to EuroBasket Division B last year, said to FIBA: “Well, clearly it is a long shot, but it would really mean something to (improve) the knowledge of basketball in Denmark.”
Apr. 2: Lakers 104, Blazers 91
The AP reports: Pau Gasol had 10 points, six rebounds and seven assists in his first game in nearly three weeks, and the Lakers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 104-91 for their second straight win after a pair of losses to two of the NBA’s weaker teams. Kobe Bryant scored 14 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter, and also had 13 rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers (51-24), who trail New Orleans by 1 1/2 games and San Antonio by one game in the Western Conference standings… Derek Fisher scored 13 points, Lamar Odom had 12 points and eight rebounds, and Vladimir Radmanovic and Jordan Farmar added 10 points each for the Lakers, who have been without Andrew Bynum since he injured his left knee Jan. 13 against Memphis… Travis Outlaw and Martell Webster scored 23 points each for the Blazers. Steve Blake added 12 points and 10 assists and Aldridge had 11 points and 12 rebounds, but shot just 4-of-15. Brandon Roy, averaging a team-leading 19.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists, missed his third straight game because of a strained right groin.
Apr. 2: Clippers 102, Sonics 84
The AP reports: Elton Brand made his long-awaited season debut on Wednesday night, scoring 19 points and leading the Clippers past the Seattle SuperSonics 102-84. His stat line looked like so many others Brand has posted over the last few years—7-of-15 shooting, five rebounds, three assists, one block, and most importantly, 13 points in the fourth quarter… Down 70-69 to start the fourth, the Clippers went on a 13-2 run and took an 82-72 lead on Brand’s leaning jumper in the lane with 7:09 left… Al Thornton led the Clippers with 21 points and Corey Maggette added 20. Los Angeles had lost 11 of 12 entering Wednesday night… Kevin Durant led Seattle with 30 points, but the struggles only continued for the lowly SuperSonics… Jeff Green added 17 points and Nick Collison had 12 points and 17 rebounds for Seattle, which was outscored 33-14 in the fourth quarter.