Category: General NBA insight

General NBA insight

Hawks continue push for playoffs, beat Pacers 107-88

Atlanta got Indiana at exactly the right time.

The Pacers couldn’t shoot early, couldn’t defend most of the night, couldn’t protect their home court and kept All-Star center Roy Hibbert on the bench for the final 30 minutes — all against a team that still hasn’t clinched a playoff spot.

Jeff Teague scored 25 points in his hometown, Pero Antic finished with 18 and the Hawks handed the NBA’s best home team an embarrassing 107-88 loss Sunday that could have a major impact on playoff seeding in the East.

“I think as many games as we play, sometimes you just have a half like that,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “I think we participated in it some, but I think we just caught them on a rough night.”

The truth is the Hawks (34-42) are back on track.

— Associated Press

LeBron scores 38, Heat beat Knicks 102-91

LeBron James couldn’t wake up Sunday. He was sluggish when his alarm went off at 8 a.m. and still in a funk when the Miami Heat and New York Knicks tipped off five hours later.

He eventually got into form, just in time to perhaps doom the Knicks’ playoff chances.

James scored 38 points and the Heat survived an NBA-record 22 3-point attempts from New York’s J.R. Smith in a 102-91 victory that kept Miami atop the Eastern Conference standings…

Chris Bosh added 14 points and Ray Allen had 12 for the Heat.

Smith was 11 for 28 from the floor, 10 for 22 from beyond the arc, and took 10 3s in the fourth quarter alone while Carmelo Anthony didn’t attempt a single shot in the period…

Smith finished with 32 for the Knicks, who got 14 from Raymond Felton and 13 from Anthony on 4 for 17 shooting. Anthony has been bothered by a sore right shoulder, but played 44 minutes.

— Associated Press

NBA player advocates for marijuana: Larry Sanders defends his marijuana use

Here’s the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporting on Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders, who may be one of the first (if not the first) active NBA players to ever advocate for the use of marijuana:

NBA player Larry Sanders defends his marijuana use

Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders was apologetic about a five-game drug suspension but also vigorously defended his marijuana use in an interview Friday night before the Bucks played the Chicago Bulls at the United Center.

Sanders’ season-long saga took another wrong turn earlier Friday when he was penalized by the league for using marijuana in violation of the NBA/NBPA (National Basketball Players Association) drug program.

Sanders already was sidelined due to right orbital fractures suffered when he was elbowed inadvertently by Houston’s James Harden in a Feb. 8 game, an injury that required surgery…

“It’s something I feel strongly about, just to let you know something personal about me,” Sanders said in an interview with the Journal Sentinel and nba.com. “I will deal with the consequences from it. It’s a banned substance in my league. But I believe in marijuana and the medical side of it. I know what it is if I’m going to use it.

“I study it and I know the benefits it has. In a lot of ways we’ve been deprived. You can’t really label it with so many other drugs that people can be addicted to and have so many negative effects on your body and your family and your relationships and impairment. This is not the same thing.

“The stigma is that it’s illegal. I hate that. Once this becomes legal, this all will go away. But I understand for my work it’s a banned substance. I will deal with the consequences and I apologize again to my fans for that.”

Dirk Nowitzki passes Dominique Wilkins on NBA all-time scoring list

Here’s ESPN Dallas reporting on Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki, who is a scorer of historical proportions:

Dirk Nowitzki has climbed higher than “The Human Highlight Film.”

The Dallas Mavericks star passed Dominique Wilkins for 11th place on the all-time scoring list Friday night when Nowitzki hit a free throw with 8:47 remaining in the third quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers.

“Unbelievable,” said Nowitzki , who finished with 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting in the Mavs’ 107-95 win, giving him 26,678 points for his career. “It’s been a crazy ride. I used to be a big fan of Dominique. I watched all his dunk contests and the many ways he could score, sometimes missing his own shot and he’d be the person to dunk over two people. He was just so much fun to watch.

“It’s been surreal. It’s been a crazy ride for 16 years, and I’m going to keep competing for a couple more years.”

Timberwolves edge Heat in 2OT thriller

Making one free throw at the end of regulation wasn’t enough for the Miami Heat, nor was making just one again at the end of the first overtime.

In the second extra session, one made all the difference for Minnesota.

Corey Brewer hit one of two free throws with 1.8 seconds left after getting a call on an awkward-looking play, and that was enough to help the Timberwolves escape a three-hour thriller with a 122-121 victory over the Heat on Friday night.

Kevin Love scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Minnesota, which got 24 from Chase Budinger, 15 from Gorgui Dieng and 13 apiece from J.J. Barea and Ricky Rubio, who also added 14 assists. Referee Ken Mauer called the last foul on Miami’s Norris Cole, who was guarding Brewer near the basket as a pass was coming his way.

— Associated Press

Bradley Beal scores 28, Wizards edge Knicks 90-89

Bradley Beal made the go-ahead jumper with 22 seconds left and scored 28 points, and the Washington Wizards took advantage of nine turnovers by Carmelo Anthony to edge the New York Knicks, 90-89 on Friday night.

Wall added 19 points, combining with Beal for Washington’s final 12.

The loss dropped the Knicks out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, with the struggling Atlanta Hawks taking a one-game lead after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier Friday.

J.R. Smith scored a season-high 32 points for the Knicks but misfired on a potential game-winning 3 with 2.2 seconds remaining after Anthony lost control of the ball.

Anthony, held to 10 points, made a jumper to cut the Wizards’ lead to 88-86 lead with 1:33 remaining.

— Associated Press