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The Oklahoma City Thunder has assigned guard Reggie Jackson to the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.
During the 2011-12 season, the first-year guard has appeared in 41 games with the Thunder and posted averages of 3.4 points, 1.7 assists and 1.2 rebounds in 11.8 minutes.
Jackson will be in uniform tonight as the Tulsa 66ers host the Iowa Energy at the Tulsa Convention Center.
The Golden State Warriors have signed free agent center Keith Benson to a 10-day contract, the team announced today.
Benson, 23, is being called-up from the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League, where he has appeared in 20 games this season, averaging 15.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.50 blocks in 30.6 minutes per contest. He is shooting 50.2% (122-243 FG) from the field and has posted seven double-doubles, including a 17-point, 11-rebound effort last night vs. Bakersfield. This marks the 41st Call-Up from the D-League of the 2011-12 NBA season.
The 6’11” center was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round (48th overall) of the 2011 NBA Draft out of Oakland University in Michigan, but was waived prior to the start of the 2011-12 campaign. While in college, he averaged over 17 points and 10 rebounds in both his junior and senior seasons and finished second in the country as a senior in 2010-11 with 3.6 blocks per game.
Benson, who will wear #34, is scheduled to be in uniform for the team’s home game tonight against the Sacramento Kings.
The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have signed Justin Dentmon from the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League to a 10-day contract. At the same time, the Spurs released Eric Dawson from his 10-day contract.
A 6-0, 185-pound guard, Dentmon has appeared in 38 games with the Toros this season, averaging a team-best 22.9 points, 5.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.47 steals in 37.3 minutes while shooting .463 (285-616) from the field, 421 (88-209) from three-point range and .865 (212-245) from the foul line. A D-League All-Star, Dentmon has scored in double figures in 37 of 38 games, including 28 games with 20-or-more and six games with 30-or-more.
Undrafted out of the University of Washington in 2010, Dentmon spent the 2010-11 season with the Texas Legends. He appeared in all 50 games, averaging 19.1 points, 4.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.40 steals in 35.1 minutes.
For his career, Dentmon has played in 88 D-League games, averaging 20.7 points, 4.6 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.43 steals in 36.0 minutes. He’s shot .475 (601-1,264) from the field, .425 (182-428) from three-point range and .854 (439-514) from the foul line.
Dawson was signed to his second 10-day contract with the Spurs on March 16. He appeared in four games, averaging 3.8 points and 2.5 rebounds in 9.8 minutes.
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The Los Angeles Clippers today re-signed free agent forward Bobby Simmons, whose second 10-day contract with the Clippers expired on March 18th.
In 13 games played for the Clippers this season, Simmons has tallied 3.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, while shooting .371 from behind the three-point line.
Simmons, who was the 29th Call-Up from the D-League of the 2011-12 season when the Clippers signed him to his original 10-day contract on February 27th, averaged 13.5 points and 7.6 rebounds in 21 games played for the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Development League this season. Simmons also played ten games for the Bighorns during the 2010-11 season after playing two games with the San Antonio Spurs.
This marks Simmons’ second stint with the Clippers, having last played in Los Angeles during the 2003-04 and 2004-05 campaigns. He turned in his most productive NBA season while with the Clippers in 2004, tallying career-highs of 16.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists, garnering the NBA’s Most Improved Player award that season.
A nine-year NBA veteran, Simmons has averaged 9.2 points and 3.9 rebounds over his career while connecting on 44% of his field goals and 40% of his three-point field goal attempts.
Raptors coach Dwane Casey came up with just the thing to slow down the surging New York Knicks: a zone.
DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points before leaving with a sore left ankle, Andrea Bargnani had 21 and the Raptors routed the Knicks 96-79 Friday night, snapping New York’s five-game winning streak.
“The zone knocked us on our heels,” Knicks center Tyson Chandler said. “We had trouble finding ways to score against it and that really was the outcome because we never got a rhythm or momentum.” …
New York shot just 32 for 85 (38 percent) and no Knicks player made more than six field goals…
Gary Forbes scored 19 points, one shy of his career-high, and Jose Calderon had 10 assists as Toronto snapped a three-game skid. Forbes said the Raptors “played with a chip on our shoulder.” …
Amare Stoudemire scored 17 points, Steve Novak had 15 and Carmelo Anthony 12 for the Knicks, who came in having won six of seven against the Raptors, including three straight in Toronto.
Jeremy Lin made a game-winning 3-pointer on New York’s last visit to Toronto, a 90-87 victory on Feb. 14, but was held in check this time, finishing with six points.
— Reported by the Associated Press
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Russell Westbrook scored 45 points, Kevin Durant added 40 points and a season-high 17 rebounds and the Oklahoma City Thunder overcame a career-high 51 points from Minnesota All-Star Kevin Love to beat the Timberwolves 149-140 in double overtime Friday night.
Westbrook set the tone in the second overtime, stealing the ball on Minnesota’s opening possession and racing to the other end for a layup that resulted in a three-point play.
The Thunder never trailed in the period and put it away with nine straight points after Nick Collison blocked Love’s shot that would have tied it at 140.
Love, who beat Durant in the 3-Point Contest on All-Star weekend, made a career-high seven 3s and also pulled down 14 rebounds while becoming the third player to eclipse 50 points this season…
Love, whose previous career-high was 43 points, was 16 of 27 from the field and went 7 for 11 on 3s, hitting his first five attempts. Barea added a season-high 25 points and a career-best 14 assists and Tolliver chipped in a season-high 23 points.
James Harden scored 25 off the bench and Kendrick Perkins contributed a season-high 12 points despite not playing in the fourth quarter or overtime for Oklahoma City.
— Reported by Jeff Latzke of the Associated Press
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With a team led by three veteran stars playing the seventh game of a taxing eight-game road trip, it wouldn’t have been shocking to see the Boston Celtics simply run out of gas.
Instead, they had more than enough energy to slow down and disrupt the suddenly streaking Milwaukee Bucks.
Paul Pierce scored 25 points to help Boston to a 100-91 victory over Milwaukee on Thursday night, snapping the Bucks’ six-game winning streak.
“It’s a good win definitely tonight, especially the way Milwaukee’s been playing as of late,” Pierce said. “This is a mentally strong group. We understand it’s been a long trip. This is a group that wants to get the next win and make it a great trip.”
Kevin Garnett had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Mickael Pietrus scored 13 points for the Celtics, who improved to 4-3 on the long road trip.
“These last two wins have been big,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “We felt like this game, we would have enough rest to play this game. We took two days off and that helped us.”
Brandon Jennings had 19 points for Milwaukee.
— Reported by Chris Jenkins of the Associated Press
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Chris Kaman scored 20 points and the Hornets rallied for a 97-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night, spoiling Chris Paul’s return to New Orleans.
The Clippers were held to 11 points in the fourth quarter as they shot 4 for 23 from the field. Los Angeles also missed its last 19 3-point attempts.
After trailing throughout the first three quarters, the Hornets went ahead with an 11-2 run at the start of the fourth and led the rest of the way.
Jarrett Jack and Jason Smith each scored 17 as New Orleans snapped a five-game home losing streak and won for only the 12th time in 47 games this season.
Blake Griffin had 21 points for Los Angeles, which has lost three in a row for the first time this season. Paul, who forced a trade from New Orleans before the season after six years as the face of the franchise, added 16 points on 5-for-14 shooting.
— Reported by the Associated Press
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Former NBA star Allen Iverson is joining a regional basketball league in the Dominican Republic for a month.
(LATEST UPDATE: Iverson’s manager denied the report.)
Team president Milton Nunez told The Associated Press on Thursday the 36-year-old guard will play for Pueblo Nuevo. He declined to say how much Iverson will be paid.
Iverson is to arrive Sunday and play for his second-place team that same day against GUG in Santiago province, Nunez said.
“He and his agent have told us that he has been training a lot and that even if he hasn’t been playing anywhere, he has what we need to help Pueblo Nuevo,” Nunez said.
— Reported by the Associated Press
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Denver Nuggets guard Rudy Fernandez will require surgery on his lower back and is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season.
Fernandez, 26, missed 12 games this season due to a lower back strain, and the injury recently flared up against Dallas on March 19, prompting further evaluation and more diagnostic testing. A date for the surgery has yet to be scheduled.
In 31 games for the Nuggets this season (one start), Fernandez averaged 8.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.03 steals in 22.9 minutes. He was acquired by Denver, along with Corey Brewer, from Dallas in exchange for a future second-round pick on Dec. 13, 2011.