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Ersan Ilyasova suspended one game for punching Reggie Evans

Ersan Ilyasova suspended for punching Reggie Evans

Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova has been suspended one game without pay for punching Sacramento Kings forward Reggie Evans in the stomach, it was announced today by Rod Thorn, President, Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred with 5:49 remaining in the fourth quarter of Milwaukee’s 116-102 loss to the Kings on Wednesday, March 5, at BMO Harris Bradley Center.

Ilyasova will serve his suspension tonight when the Bucks visit the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center.

To view the play, click on this link.

Kevin Love is a special offensive talent

Here’s the Washington Post blog reporting on Minnesota Timberwolves star Kevin Love, who is a brilliant talent on offense, but still in need of improvement as a defender:

The intrigue surrounding Love begins with his unique offensive prowess. In averaging a career-high 26.5 points per game, good for fourth in the NBA, Love is shooting 37.7 percent on three-pointers and has already recorded a career-high 14 games with at least four three-point baskets. His efficiency from behind the arc makes him tough for opponents to guard and would stretch the floor for a team like the Knicks or Lakers, who already feature capable post players.

The UCLA product also has a knack for getting to the foul line. Of the top 10 scorers in the league, only Kevin Durant (9.9) and James Harden (8.7) attempt more free throws per game than Love’s 8.6 through Wednesday, according to NBA.com/stats.

Many of those opportunities stem from Love’s rebounding proficiency, which has helped him record a league-high 50 double-doubles. At 13.1 rebounds per game and 19.6 rebound chances per contest, Love ranks second in the league, according to NBA.com’s player tracking stats. Of those rebound chances, Love grabs 66.8 percent of them and 37.8 percent of those that were contested by other players.

Wizards: Al Harrington trying not to focus strictly on his jump shot

Harrington has appeared in seven games since returning from his right knee injury but he has had to adjust his game and find other ways to be effective while he continues to search for his rhythm.

That has meant more slashing and driving until his perimeter shot starts dropping. Harrington scored eight points in the Wizards’ 104-91 win over Utah but he failed to make a three-pointer for the fourth straight game. He has shot just 2 for 13 from long distance since returning.

“That’s how it is sometimes. I’m still thinking about my shot and that’s the worst thing I can do,” Harrington said.
As long as I keep doing that, I’m not going to be consistent. More opportunities I get to shoot, I’ve got to let it rip. Once I get one or two going, I’ll feel good about myself.”

— Washington Post blog

LeBron James dislikes sleeved NBA jerseys

Here’s ESPN.com reporting on Heat superstar LeBron James, who says he does not like having to play while wearing sleeved NBA jerseys:

James partly blamed the jersey for his off shooting night in the Miami Heat’s 111-87 loss Thursday to the San Antonio Spurs. He was 6-of-18 from the field, his second-worst shooting game of the season.

“I’m not making excuses, but I’m not a big fan of the jerseys,” said James, who had 19 points. “Every time I shoot it feels like it’s just pulling right up underneath my arm. I already don’t have much room for error on my jump shot. It’s definitely not a good thing.”

James said the sleeves affect him on long-range shots, especially 3-pointers. He was quick to point out that the jersey also bothered him on Christmas Day, when he shot 0-of-4 from 3-point range in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers, and during the All-Star Game last month, when he was 0-of-7 on 3-pointers in sleeves.

Clippers beat Lakers by 48 points

Five seconds into the second half, Chris Paul picked up a steal and Matt Barnes finished after Paul missed a reverse layup.

Less than a minute into the third period, the Clippers had run off six points to hike their lead to 39 points and then, finally, there were some boos for the Lakers at Staples Center.

There might not have been enough fans left by the end to release their frustration after the Clippers scored a 142-94 thrashing that was about as lopsided as any NBA game could be.

“We took a body blow and it looked like it just took us to our knees,” Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni said. “For whatever reason, maybe we couldn’t finish and make plays or anything. They smelled blood in the water and they killed us.”

It was the Clippers’ largest winning margin in their history, eclipsing the previous mark of 45 points. The Lakers equaled the worst loss in their history.

— Los Angeles Daily News Clippers blog

Blake Griffin had 20 points and 11 rebounds during three thunderous quarters by the Clippers, who routed the Lakers 142-94 Thursday night to extend their winning streak to a season-best six games. It was the most lopsided victory ever for the Clippers’ franchise and the most one-sided loss in Lakers history.

”Since Day 1, there’s always going to be something to talk about since we both play here in this building. During the game, all the fans were yelling: ‘It’s still a Laker town.’ And it is – no secret,” Clippers point guard Chris Paul said. ”But we just have to worry about us and keep playing. It’s going in the right direction. We don’t want to get too high or too low. We just want to try to keep getting better.”

Darren Collison had a team-high 24 points while starting at shooting guard for the injured Jamal Crawford. Paul added 13 points and 11 assists for the Clippers, who have won the teams’ last two meetings by a combined 84 points.

— Associated Press

The Clippers had a 64-33 rebounding advantage and increased their lead in the Pacific Division to 4 1/2 games over Golden State.

The Lakers are one defeat away from clinching the franchise’s first losing season since 2004-05 – when newly hired coach Rudy Tomjanovich resigned midway through the team’s 34-48 season.

— Associated Press

The Clippers had eight players score in double figures en route to a 142-94 blowout of the Lakers on Thursday night at Staples Center. The 48-point margin was the worst defeat in Lakers history and the largest win in Clippers history. The 142 points were a season high for the Clippers.

— Sports Xchange

The Clippers blew the game open in the second quarter. They enjoyed a 29-4 run, and they took a 58-31 lead after a dunk by Griffin. The Clippers outscored the Lakers 44-13 in the quarter for a 73-40 advantage at the half. They also outrebounded the Lakers 22-5 in the second period. Overall, the Clippers had a 64-33 edge on the boards, including a 16-4 difference on the offensive end.

Collison outscored the entire Lakers team 14-13 in the second quarter.

Collison said the Lakers’ 116-103 victory in the season opener between the teams in October provided additional motivation for the Clippers in the past two meetings.

— Sports Xchange

Magic sign Dewayne Dedmon, Adonis Thomas to second 10-day contracts

The Orlando Magic have signed center Dewayne Dedmon and guard-forward Adonis Thomas each to a second 10-day contract, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today. Dedmon and Thomas both originally signed 10-day contracts on Feb. 25.

Dedmon (#3, 7’0”, 255, 8/12/89) has appeared in two games with Orlando, averaging 2.5 ppg. and 1.5 rpg. in 2.2 minpg. He has played in 17 combined games this season with Golden State, Philadelphia and Orlando, averaging 2.5 ppg. and 3.1 rpg. in 9.4 minpg. He also appeared in 15 games with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League, averaging 15.2 ppg., 13.1 rpg., 1.3 apg., 2.33 blkpg. and 1.53 stlpg. in 33.7 minpg.

Thomas (#8, 6’7”, 235, 3/25/93) has appeared in three games with Orlando, averaging 2.3 ppg. and 1.0 rpg. in 7.6 minpg. He played in 26 games (21 starts) with the Springfield Armor of the NBA Development League, averaging 16.2 ppg., 4.2 rpg. and 1.3 apg. in 35.1 minpg., while shooting .469 (38-81) from three-point range.

Not drafted by an NBA team in 2013, Dedmon played in 51 games (49 starts) during his two-year career at USC, averaging 7.1 ppg., 6.7 rpg. and 1.67 blkpg. In 2012-13 as a redshirt junior, he appeared in 31 games (29 starts), averaging 6.7 ppg., 7.0 rpg., 2.13 blkpg. and 1.10 stlpg. in 22.3 minpg. He led the Trojans in rebounding and blocked shots. Dedmon did not play organized basketball until his senior year of high school due to religious reasons and played one season at Antelope Valley College in his hometown of Lancaster, CA, before transferring to USC.

Also undrafted in 2013, Thomas played in 55 games (44 starts) during two years at the University of Memphis, averaging 10.7 ppg., 4.0 rpg. and 1.5 apg. in 27.5 minpg. He was named to the Conference USA All-Tournament Team in 2013.

Orlando’s roster stands at 14 players.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich handles timeouts in his own special way

Here’s ESPN.com on Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, who marches to the beat of his own drum, as the expression goes:

Gregg Popovich handles timeouts in his own way

Gregg Popovich, famously curt and sarcastic, revealed one of the secrets to the San Antonio Spurs’ success in a moment of candid reflection Tuesday, saying empowering his players to communicate on the court as he does during timeouts is key to getting them to make the right decisions throughout a game.

Popovich, speaking to media before a typically efficient 122-101 rout of the host Cleveland Cavaliers, said he often mines the “competitiveness and the character of the player” in shaping them into confident, productive components of the Spurs’ offense.

“Sometimes in timeouts I’ll say, ‘I’ve got nothing for you. What do you want me to do? We just turned it over six times. Everybody’s holding the ball. What else do you want me to do here? Figure it out,’ ” Popovich said, according to the San Antonio Express-News, not long before the Spurs used 14 3-pointers and a season-high 39 assists to dispatch the Cavs. “And I’ll get up and walk away. Because it’s true. There’s nothing else I can do for them. I can give them some bulls—, and act like I’m a coach or something, but it’s on them.”

Nate Robinson plans to return to Nuggets

Here’s ESPN News Services reporting on explosive scoring guard Nate Robinson, who is good at coming off a bench, scoring in a hurry and creating havok:

Denver Nuggets point guard Nate Robinson, who is out for the season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee in January, vows that he’ll exercise his player option and return to the team next season.

“Things happen,” Robinson told the Denver Post on Wednesday. “God always has a plan for everybody. So, it’s just another obstacle that I’ve got to hop over and keep pushing. But for me, it’s going push me to continue to work hard.

Nuggets finally end losing streak

Here’s the Denver Post reporting on the Nuggets, who for the moment can hold their heads high once again:

These postgame shindigs had become so nuts-and-bolts, it took until the end for anyone to remember to step back and take a look at the entire forest. The Nuggets had won. There were reasons for that, of course. Many of them.

But the Nuggets had won on Wednesday night, after losing six straight. After not winning at home since Feb. 5. That, in and of itself, no matter how it was accomplished, was a relief.

Nuggets 115, Mavericks 110.

The Pepsi Center crowd could finally exhale.

Finally.

“It’s been a long time,” a relieved Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said. “It feels good. Especially here, where we’ve let down our crowd so many times. It just goes to show that when we have the healthy bodies and we play the way we’re capable of playing, we can play with anybody.”

LeBron, Durant doing big NBA things

Here’s the San Antonio Express-News with a look into the further development of already-great LeBron James:

It speaks to the greatness of LeBron James that, in a season Kevin Durant would otherwise be the runaway candidate for MVP, he’s still worth discussing.

Indeed, after a month in which James averaged 30.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.7 steals, punctuated by a career-high 61 points on just 33 shots against Charlotte, the award might not be quite the mortal lock it appeared even a few weeks ago.

A strong likelihood? For sure; Durant has been nothing short of brilliant. But with James enjoying historic efficiency, and the Heat lurking just behind Indiana for the league’s best record entering tonight’s game against the Spurs, it’s no longer a foregone conclusion.

The raw numbers — 27.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists — are right in line with what James has been putting up for the last decade. But for Durant, he’d be on pace to lead the league in Player Efficiency Rating (30.2) for a seventh straight season, and win shares (12.2) for a sixth. (Only Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain have been as prolific in those categories.)