NBA.com reports: Jan. 27 may now be considered an official NBA holiday. We can call it, Cool/Clutch Performance Day. On Sunday, Hedo Turkoglu buried a game-winning buzzer-beating 3-pointer to lift the Magic; Kevin Martin nailed a corner jumper at the final buzzer to give the Kings a W; Brandon Roy sank a go-ahead free throw with 2.3 seconds remaining to propel the Blazers; Mo Williams hit back-to-back treys in overtime and Royal Ivey drained one of his own to ice Milwaukee’s win; and Al Jefferson fired in four straight free throws in the final seconds to cap Minnesota’s miraculous comeback triumph.
Author: Inside Hoops
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Jefferson, Biedrins making noise
NBA.com reports: Al Jefferson and Andris Biedrins are two of the NBA’s rising inside sensations. It was well featured on Sunday as these two stuffed the stat sheet with authority. Jefferson, first off, recorded a career-best 40 points and added 19 rebounds and three assists in Minnesota’s miraculous comeback win over New Jersey. Biedrins, meanwhile, grabbed an NBA season-high 26 boards to go along with 11 points in Golden State’s triumph over New York.
InsideHoops.coms says: Of course, Jefferson is a rising star, while Biedrins is more of a star role player. Just to be clear.
LeBron or Kobe for one game
If I had to choose between LeBron James or Kobe Bryant for one game, it would probably come down to who their teammates are. LeBron looks to create for others a bit more, Kobe looks to take over the game himself. But both players are perfectly good at everything on offense. If a dude is open, Kobe can nail him. And LeBron can completely dominate all on his own, teammates or no teammates. Still, if I had to pick one or the other for one game, I’d probably still go with Kobe.
Anderson Varejao sprains left ankle
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao left today’s game versus the Los Angeles Lakers with 3:12 remaining in the third quarter with a Left Ankle Sprain. X-rays taken at the Staples Center were negative. He will be re-evaluated tomorrow in LA and his status will be updated after that.
With Sasha Pavlovic’s recent injury, the last thing Cleveland needs is Varejao being hurt as well.
New statement from Nene
Denver Nuggets forward/center Nene released a new statement today:
“I would like to apologize for the incorrect information that was disclosed. There was no bad-faith or intention to fool anyone upon the announcement of a wrong result for the biopsy – it was a miscommunication within our staff and we were all very upset with what happened. But the worst part is over, I am very happy with the result of the exams, happy for feeling better. It was wonderful to meet my basketball family, my Denver teammates, and I was surprised with the support and the way they welcomed me back. It is because of emotions like this that I see how difficult it will be to stay away from the courts.
“My mind is there, with the team, but my body needs to rest and to recover. And to know that I am recovering is a big comfort. I had the opportunity to talk with my coach Karl, who also faced very difficult moments and won such battles. I must thank God, my family, which has always been by my side, my team, my friends, my staff and my fans, from all parts of the world, who sent messages of support and affection, became solidary with me in such difficult moment, comforted me and gave me even more strength to believe that I would be well. I am well, feeling strong and grateful for all this affection that came from so much people, from so many places, and which was a very strong support point to me in the course of the last month.”
Knicks handle Sixers in New York
It wasn’t a pretty game, but Friday night in Madison Square Garden the New York Knicks, thanks to a balanced scoring effort and a good game from Zach Randolph, beat the Philadelphia 76ers 89-81.
For the Knicks, who have played well lately, Jamal Crawford (just 6-of-19) had 18 points and 5 assists. Zach Randolph (8-of-12) had 16 points and 15 rebounds. David Lee (6-of-8) had 14 points, Nate Robinson 13, and Eddy Curry 11.
For the struggling Sixers, Andre Iguodala (10-of-20) had 24 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals, Willie Green (just 5-of-13) scored 13 points, Samuel Dalembert 12 with just 5 rebounds, and Andre Miller had 10 points with 6 assists.
Both teams struggled from the free throw line and three-point range. The Knicks controlled the glass. And they had 22 assists, while the Sixers only totaled 14.
“I just think, right now, we are playing again with a lot more trust,” said Knicks president and head coach Isiah Thomas. “We have good shot distribution. Everyone feels a part of the game.”
Randolph was especially impressive. “He had a nice offensive game,” said Sixers head coach Maurice Cheeks.
Iguodala recognized Crawford’s scoring ability: “Crawford is good. He can shoot.”
Crawford continues to nail tons of tough, off-balance, outside jumpers, often with time running out on the clock. It’s an impressive skill.
Fred Jones didn’t play for the Knicks. He has flu-like symptons. Also, Stephon Marbury is out for a long time after surgery.
The Knicks are now 10-14 at home. And the Sixers have now lost 7 of their last 8 road games.
New York now heads out West for a five game road trip. They face tough competition and could rack up several losses.
Only the Miami Heat are lower than the Knicks and 76ers in the Eastern conference standings.
Wizards-Bucks team connections
Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld was the Bucks General Manager for four years prior to joining the Wizards; a stint that included three playoff berths and the drafting of current Bucks guard Michael Redd with the 43rd overall pick in the second round of the 2000 NBA Draft…Bucks forward/center Michael Ruffin played three seasons in Washington from 2004-07…Bucks swingman Awvee Storey was with the Wizards during the 2005-06 NBA campaign…Bucks forward Bobby Simmons was a Wizard from 2001-03.
Jerry Stackhouse out 1 week
Jerry Stackhouse had an MRI today that revealed he has a mild right hamstring strain. He will miss approximately one week of action.
In 38 games with two starts, Stackhouse has averaged 9.9 points, 2.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 24.4 minutes this season. The 12-year pro suffered the injury at Charlotte on January 23, 2008.
Brent Barry out 3-4 weeks
The San Antonio Spurs today announced that a MRI had revealed that Brent Barry suffered a grade II strain of the medial head of his gastrocnemius muscle in his left calf. The injury occurred during the third quarter of the Spurs-Miami Heat game on 1/24. He is expected to miss three-to-four weeks.
Barry had previously torn the plantaris muscle in his left calf on 12/26 against Chicago. He missed nine games due to the injury.
Jazz assign Morris Almond to D-League
Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today that the team has re-assigned rookie guard Morris Almond to the Utah Flash of the NBA Development League (D-League). Almond joins fellow rookie Kyrylo Fesenko, who is already on assignment with the Flash.
Almond, a 6-6, 225-pound guard out of Rice was selected by the Jazz in the first round (25th overall selection) of the 2007 NBA Draft. He has appeared in six games for the Jazz, totaling three points, one assist and one steal in 25 minutes of action. He appeared in two games for the Jazz during his most recent stint with the team, averaging 1.5 points and 0.5 assists in 7.0 minutes per game.
Almond was previously assigned to the Jazz’s D-League affiliate from December 6 – January 8 and appeared in 10 games (all starts) for the Flash, averaging a league-leading 29.8 points, along with 3.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 37.6 minutes per game. He was named D-League Player of the Week (Dec. 17-23) after averaging 43.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals while shooting 32-of-68 (.471) from the field. During that week, Almond scored a D-League record-tying 51 points in a win over the Austin Toros on December 21.
Almond will join the Flash for its game vs. Sioux Falls tonight.