Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Andrew Bynum triple-double leads Lakers past Nuggets in Game 1

Andrew Bynum

Kobe Bryant scored 31 points, Andrew Bynum posted the Lakers’ first playoff triple-double in 21 years with an NBA postseason record-tying 10 blocked shots, and Los Angeles thoroughly controlled the tempo in a playoff-opening 103-88 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.

Bynum, the Lakers’ All-Star center coming off his best regular season, also had 10 points and 13 rebounds while incredibly blocking 11 percent of the Nuggets’ 90 shots.

While Bynum had the Lakers’ first playoff triple-double since Magic Johnson in the 1991 NBA finals, fellow 7-footer Pau Gasol added 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the playoff-tested Lakers, who never trailed while forcing the NBA’s highest-scoring team to play Los Angeles’ preferred half-court style.

Game 2 is Tuesday night.

Danilo Gallinari scored 19 points for the sixth-seeded Nuggets, but the NBA’s second-youngest playoff roster struggled to run. Andre Miller had 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists while helping out Ty Lawson, Denver’s leading scorer, who managed just seven points while failing to make a shot in the first three quarters.

Bynum blocked eight shots in the first three quarters before surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s franchise-record nine blocks in the fourth. He swatted Timofey Mozgov’s shot for No. 10 in the closing minutes to equal the NBA record set by Utah’s Mark Eaton on April 26, 1985, and matched by Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon on April 29, 1990.

— Reported by Greg Beacham of the Associated Press

Tony Parker scores 28, Spurs beat Jazz in Game 1

tony parker

Tony Parker scored 28 points and added eight assists to lead the Spurs to a 106-91 victory over Utah Sunday afternoon in Game 1 of the NBA playoffs at the AT&T Center.

The victory snapped a six-game losing streak of Game 1 losses in the Spurs’ most recent playoff series. And coming into Sunday’s game, the Spurs had won only two of their 10 most recent playoff games.

But a big effort by the Big Three help lead them to the victory. Tim Duncan added 17 points and 11 rebounds and Manu Ginobili added seven points in the victory.

The Spurs are 12-0 this season when Ginobili, Duncan and Parker combine for at least 50 points this season.

The Spurs are 27-6 in NBA playoff series where they won the first game.

New acquisitions Stephen Jackson accounted for 14 points and Boris Diaw scored nine for the Spurs, who claimed their 11th straight victory this season.

Paul Millsap led Utah with 20 points and nine rebounds and Al Jefferson added 16 points and nine rebounds.

The victory came despite an injury to Tiago Splitter, who sustained a sprained left wrist in the second quarter and did not return. Splitter finished with four points and a rebound in seven minutes.

— Reported by Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News (Blog)

Examining the Warriors starting lineup

stephen_curry

Pending no rehab setbacks with point guard Stephen Curry, power forward David Lee and center Andrew Bogut, who each had surgery last week, the Warriors will go into next season with four solid starters.

Soon-to-be sophomore shooting guard Klay Thompson will join the trio, but the team still has a big decision to complete the starting lineup. At small forward, the Warriors have Richard Jefferson and Dorell Wright under contract, are expected to put a qualifying offer on Brandon Rush and have voiced interest in re-signing Dominic McGuire.

“I think he’s there now; I think we have a starter,” general manager Bob Myers said. “The question is who is going to embrace that role and own it? He has to fit with the other players on the floor.”

Since Curry, Lee and Thompson are proven scorers and Bogut is a capable offensive player, Myers said the right small forward would have to be able to be effective without the ball in his hands. Myers and coach Mark Jackson said they’d like to find a small forward who defends and rebounds and can knock down the occasional three-pointer.

— Reported by Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle

Austin Toros win 2012 D-League championship

The 2012 NBA Development League Most Valuable Player Justin Dentmon scored a team-high 30 points to lead the Austin Toros to its first-ever NBA Development League Championship with a 122-110 victory over the Los Angeles D-Fenders Saturday night at the Toyota Sports Center in L.A.

The Toros led end-to-end for the second straight game in L.A., and overcame a Game One loss to beat the D-Fenders in three games. The team finishes the 2012 postseason a perfect 6-0 in elimination games.

Eric Dawson, the 2012 NBA D-League Impact Player of the Year, scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while six Toros, including all five starters, scored in double figures. Julian Wright netted 19 points, while Brad Wanamaker poured in 18.

“We expected to win every game,” said Toros head coach Brad Jones. “We beat one heck of an L.A. D-Fenders team and we did it as a group so I’m really really excited for our guys.”

Mardy Collins finished with a game-high 31 points off the bench for the D-Fenders, while teammate Elijah Millsap scored 26. Malcolm Thomas recorded 17 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.

Knicks guard Iman Shumpert injury will keep him out 6-8 months

iman shumpert

The Knicks were smoked by the Miami Heat in Game 1 of their first round series, but the loss wasn’t even the worst news of the day for New York.

After losing 100-67 in Miami, the team learned that guard Iman Shumpert, who suffered an injury during the game, has a torn left ACL and torn lateral meniscus. He will need surgery and is expected to miss 6-8 months, which means he will likely not be healthy until perhaps the second half of next season.

An athletic rookie, Shumpert averaged 9.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game for the Knicks during the regular season. He is also one of the team’s most enthusiastic defenders.

Phoenix Suns face interesting summer

steve nash

The Suns’ six free agents could create about $23 million in salary-cap space on the team payroll, depending on where the NBA salary cap lands in July and what the Suns do about restricted free agent Aaron Brooks, who has a $5 million cap hold. That would be more space than any NBA team has set up.

The most prominent Suns player who will become a free agent, Steve Nash, sees generally what is coming but also is waiting to hear the plan. If he stayed, a new deal would eat up a large portion of that cap space.

“The team and the club need to really analyze what their philosophy is moving forward and put a contingency plan together to build the best team,” Nash said. “It’ll be an interesting period.”

Of the seven players under contract, most have something to do with the current front office. This brass traded for Marcin Gortat. It drafted Markieff Morris. It signed Sebastian Telfair. It extended Jared Dudley. Josh Childress was a former client of President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. Channing Frye and Hakim Warrick also remain under contract.

— Reported by Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic

Derrick Rose injury update: Torn ACL

derrick rose

The Chicago Bulls played well this season while Derrick Rose was out with injuries, but they’d still rather have their star guard healthy and on the court.

Unfortunately, the team will have to push forward without the player’s services.

The Bulls beat the Philadelphia 76ers 103-91 in Game 1 of their first round playoff series, but during the game, Rose suffered a knee injury. It’s now been confirmed by the team that Rose tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). He’ll miss the rest of the playoffs, and he won’t be able to play for Team USA during the summer Olympics in London.

ACL injuries take a long time to heal. This is bad for the Bulls as well as every fan of good basketball.

Deron Williams wants new deal before Olympics

deron williams

All-Star point guard Deron Williams wants to have a new contract before the Olympics start in late July.

Speaking a day after the New Jersey Nets’ season ended, Williams refused to say whether he will be a Net when the team moves into its new arena in Brooklyn.

”The season just ended yesterday,” Williams said. ”We have time, playoffs. A lot of stuff is going to happen. Just take my time. But I don’t want to take too much time. I want to try to have something done by the Olympics.”

Williams has said all season that he would opt out of his contract and test the free-agent market, and that remains his plan after the Nets (22-44) missed the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season.

Williams, who toured the under-construction Barclays Arena this week, said he can see himself playing in the building, but his desire is to be a member of a championship team.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul named Players of Month for April

The New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul today were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in April.

Anthony led the Knicks to a 9-4 month and helped them secure their second consecutive playoff berth. He led the league in scoring, averaging 29.8 points, connecting on 135-of-273 shots from the floor. Over the month, he compiled seven 30-point and two 40-point performances, to go along with his second career triple-double in an April 17 victory over the Celtics. On April 8, Anthony scored 43 points and connected on both game-tying and game-winning three-pointers to knock off the Bulls 100-99 in overtime.

Paul helped the Clippers to a 9-5 record and steered them to their first playoff berth since 2005-06. He averaged 20.7 points, ranking fourth in West while pacing the league with 3.0 spg and leading the conference with 9.9 apg. He engineered six double-doubles, seven 20-point games and three 30-point games. On April 22, Paul scored 33 points, handed out 13 assists and had a season-high eight steals in a 107-98 win over New Orleans.

Other nominees for NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month were Atlanta’s Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, Boston’s Avery Bradley, Indiana’s David West, Miami’s LeBron James, Memphis’ Rudy Gay, Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant, San Antonio’s Tony Parker and Utah’s Al Jefferson.