NBA News Blog – Page 1323 – NBA Blog

T-Wolves get 5 Ts in 10 seconds in loss to Spurs

The AP reports:

Referee Ken Mauer certainly won’t be accused of being biased toward his hometown Minnesota Timberwolves anytime soon.

Mauer, a cousin of Twins superstar Joe Mauer and a St. Paul native, whistled the Wolves for five technical fouls in a dizzying 10 seconds of the third quarter, allowing the calm and collected San Antonio Spurs to take control of another head-scratchingly tight game between the best team in the NBA and one of the worst.

Manu Ginobili had 19 points, making all five of those technical free throws, and the Spurs beat the Timberwolves 107-96 on Tuesday night.

“I’ve never seen that before,” said Wolves forward Kevin Love, who picked up the final technical of the spree. “Five in a row, that had to be a first. That was crazy.”

Richard Jefferson scored 17 and Tony Parker had 12 points and 13 assists for the Spurs, who beat the Timberwolves for the 16th straight time. Ginobili also had nine rebounds and six assists.

Love had 20 points and 20 rebounds for the Timberwolves, his sixth 20-20 game of the season. Orlando’s Dwight Howard led the league with three 20-20 games all of last season.

Matt Barnes out eight weeks after knee surgery

Los Angeles Lakers forward Matt Barnes underwent successful surgery today on a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee, it was announced today.

The surgery was performed by Lakers team physician Dr. Steve Lombardo at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles. Barnes is expected to be out for approximately eight weeks.

Barnes suffered the injury on January 7 in a game against the New Orleans Hornets.

In 37 games this season, Barnes has averaged 7.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 20.8 minutes.

January 11 Bucks at Hawks game rescheduled for March 15

The National Basketball Association game scheduled for this evening between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena has been postponed due to severe weather conditions in the Atlanta area.

Tonight’s postponed game has been rescheduled for Tuesday, March 15 at 7 p.m. ET at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

Overseas: Mario Bennett beaten up in Bucharest nightclub

The AP reports:

American basketball player Mario Marcell Bennett says he was beaten by security guards at a nightclub in Bucharest.

The 37-year-old Bennett, who plays for CSM Bucharest, says he was attending a concert by U.S. rapper Ja Rule on Saturday and the artist recognized him and invited him on stage.

Bennett, a Denton native, says security guards surrounded him and hit him and “beat me like a dog.” On Pro-TV, Bennett showed gashes on his scalp and injuries to his legs.

InsideHoops.com adds: Bennett went to Arizona State University and was drafted by the Phoenix Suns in the first round (27th pick overall) of the 1995 NBA Draft.

Mavericks sign Sasha Pavlovic to 10-day contract

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed forward Sasha Pavlovic to a 10-day contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Pavlovic (6-7, 235) is a seven-year NBA veteran and joins the Mavericks as a free agent. He holds career averages of 5.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 16.5 minutes in 452 career games (127 starts) with Utah, Cleveland and Minnesota.

Originally a first round draft pick (19th overall) of the Utah Jazz in 2003, Pavlovic played one season in Utah before being selected by the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2004 expansion draft and traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a first round draft pick. Pavlovic played in Cleveland from 2004-09 and had a career year in 2006-07 when he averaged 9.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists while helping the Cavaliers win the Eastern Conference Championship and earn a trip to the 2007 NBA Finals.

The native of Bar, Yugoslavia, was also a member of the Serbia and Montenegro 2004 Olympic Team that competed in Athens, Greece.

Suns recall Garret Siler from D-League

The Phoenix Suns have recalled Garret Siler from the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League, the team announced. Siler will be available tonight when the Suns host the Cleveland Cavaliers at US Airways Center.

Originally assigned to the Energy on Jan. 2, Siler appeared in four games (one start) with Iowa, averaging 4.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in 16.3 minutes. Siler’s best game with Iowa came Jan. 7 at Bakersfield when he scored a season-high eight points and a season-high tying seven rebounds.

Anderson Varejao likely out for season

Anderson Varejao injured his right ankle and foot during Thursday afternoon’s team practice at Cleveland Clinic Courts. He was examined and received X-rays and MRI at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health immediately following practice, the results of which revealed an injury to the peroneus longus tendon.

In order to confirm the extent of the injury and diagnosis, a follow-up MRI was obtained today in Phoenix at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. The results confirmed a complete tear of the peroneus longus in the midfoot of the right ankle and foot.

Anderson will return to Cleveland in the near future for further consultation and treatment decisions will be made and he will likely miss the remainder of the current season. Cavaliers Head Team Physician Dr. Richard Parker will coordinate additional consultations and facilitate subsequent treatment plan recommendations.

Lakers recall Devin Ebanks from D-League

The Los Angeles Lakers have recalled forward Devin Ebanks from the NBA Development League’s Bakersfield Jam, it was announced today.

Ebanks, who was assigned to Bakersfield on December 27, played six games with the Jam, averaging 16.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 steals in 27.7 minutes.

Selected by the Lakers with the 43rd pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, Ebanks has appeared in 12 games for the Lakers this season, averaging 2.9 points and 1.5 rebounds in 6.4 minutes.

Suns sign Zabian Dowdell to 10-day contract

The Suns have signed guard Zabian Dowdell (ZAY-bee-in dow-DELL) to a 10-day contract, the team has announced.

The 6-3, 191-pound Dowdell spent training camp with the Suns in 2010 before being waived on Oct. 19. Dowdell then signed with the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA D-League, where he has appeared in 18 games (18 starts) this season, establishing averages of 14.5 points, 4.6 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 29.3 minutes. Dowdell, who also spent 10 games with the 66ers in 2009-10, has seen both his scoring and assist averages increase in 2010-11.

Dowdell, a four-year performer at Virginia Tech (2003-07), was a member of the Suns’ 2009 and 2010 Las Vegas Summer League entries. As a Hokie, he was a 2006-07 All-ACC First Team honoree and a two-time All-ACC Defensive Team selection.

The Suns’ roster now stands at 14.

Kings recall Hassan Whiteside from D-League

The Sacramento Kings today recalled center Hassan Whiteside from the Reno Bighorns of the D-League, it was announced by Kings’ President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie.

Whiteside averaged 4.4 points (.509 FG%, .412 FT%), 2.7 rebounds, 0.1 assists, 2.14 blocks, and 10.5 minutes per game in 14 games, including three starts with the Bighorns. He was assigned to Reno on November 29, 2010.

Selected by Sacramento in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2010 NBA Draft out of Marshall University, Whiteside appeared in one NBA game, playing two minutes in the season opener at Minnesota on October 27, 2010.