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Kobe Bryant played 12 minutes Friday at Indiana, missed all four shots and then went to the bench for good.
It was all his severely sprained left ankle could take.
Bryant spent two days trying to fight his way back after landing on the foot of Atlanta’s Dahntay Jones in the waning seconds of Wednesday’s loss at Atlanta.
— Reported by Michael Marot of the Associated Press
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The banged-up New York Knicks need all the healthy bodies they can get. Veteran forward Kenyon Martin qualifies.
Knicks Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations and General Manager Glen Grunwald announced today that the team has signed Martin for the remainder of the season, following two consecutive 10-day contracts originally signed on Feb. 23.
Martin, 6-9, 230-pounds, is averaging 5.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.17 steals over 18.9 minutes in six games.
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[Lakers head coach Mike] D’Antoni said Pau Gasol could return as soon as Monday at Phoenix, and Gasol could be in the starting lineup against the Suns, too. The forward from Spain has been recovering from a torn plantar fascia in his right foot since early February. Gasol spent the last part of the shootaround working one-one-one against center Dwight Howard.
But the focus Friday was on one swollen ankle that D’Antoni hasn’t even taken a peek at yet.
”I think if you look at his tweets, you’ll see it,” he said, drawing laughter.
The Lakers need Bryant to continue their surge toward the playoffs.
He is the NBA’s third-leading scorer at 27.5 points and has helped stabilize his team during a tumultuous season that has included the early firing of coach Mike Brown, a prolonged skid, All-Star center Dwight Howard’s struggles to fit in with his new team, and the death of owner Jerry Buss.
— Reported by the Associated Press
The San Antonio Spurs today re-assigned center Aron Baynes and guard Nando De Colo to the Austin Toros, San Antonio’s NBA Development League affiliate. The assignments are the record 156th and 157th of the 2012-13 NBA and NBA D-League seasons, while the pair are two of the record 56 NBA players to be assigned to the NBA D-League this season.
Baynes (6-10, 260, Washington State) has played in 11 games for the Spurs, averaging 2.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 6.5 minutes. Signed by San Antonio on Jan. 23, Baynes rejoins the Toros following two previous assignments, when he averaged 17.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 26.7 minutes.
De Colo (6-5, 200, Saint Catherine, France) has appeared in 57 games for the Spurs this season, averaging 3.4 points, 1.7 assists, 1.6 rebounds and 11.5 minutes. He returns to the Toros averaging 14.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 36.5 minutes in two games during two previous assignments.
Baynes and De Colo are expected to join the Toros today and be available when the team hosts the Los Angeles D-Fenders in Austin tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET.
The Los Angeles Clippers today signed Maine Red Claws forward DaJuan Summers to a 10-day contract. It is the 26th Call-Up of the 2012-13 NBA Development League season. Summers joins 121 players with NBA D-League experience currently on NBA rosters.
Summers (6-8, 240, Georgetown) has played in 29 games, 16 starts, for the Red Claws this season, averaging 18.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 33.1 minutes. He has led Maine in scoring 13 times, finishing with more than 20 points in 11 games and recording 30 or more points in two other contests. A 2013 NBA D-League All-Star, Summers scored 28 points in 25 minutes for the Prospects Team in Houston.
A three-year contributor at Georgetown, Summers averaged 11.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 27.6 minutes in 101 career NCAA games for the Hoyas.
Summers is expected to join the Clippers today and be available on Sunday, March 17, when the team hosts the New York Knicks at 3:30 p.m. ET.
The Wizards are playing better than their overall record suggests. They have won eight of their last 11 home games, including triumphs vs. the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks in the last month. But since starting 4-28, they get losses vs. teams such as the Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors and Sacramento Kings overshadow those accomplishments.
“I don’t know what that’s about,” forward Trevor Ariza said of the Wizards’ improved focus vs. winning teams. “We need to fix that. We got 19 games left. We have to play that way, not worried about the records or anything and just play.”
The fact is, however, that good teams aren’t good by accident. They have better individual talent which gives them a bigger margin for error, but they also know how to close out.
— Reported by J. Michael of CSN Washington
The Los Angeles Clippers today waived forward Trey Thompkins. The 37th overall selection of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Clippers out of Georgia, Thompkins averaged 2.4 points and 1.0 rebounds in 24 games during his rookie season. He did not appear in a game this season due to a left knee bone bruise.
“We want to thank Trey for his contribution to the Clippers,” Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro said. “Unfortunately, he was never able to truly showcase his talents this season due to injuries. We wish him all the best and believe he has a bright future.”
The Clippers roster currently stands at 14.
Jack Curran, who spent more than a half century at Archbishop Molloy High School and was among the nation’s winningest prep coaches in basketball and baseball, has died. He was 83.
His death was confirmed Thursday by the Queens school. The family has yet to release further information, the school said.
Curran had been weakened by lung and kidney problems. He broke his kneecap last month when he slipped on ice while on his way to church. The mishap did not prevent him from attending church that day.
Curran coached 55 years at the school. In 1958, he became the basketball coach at what was then St. Ann’s Academy. He succeeded Lou Carnesecca, who left to coach St. John’s.
NBA players Brian Winters, Kevin Joyce, Kenny Smith and Kenny Anderson played under Curran at Archbishop Malloy. Curran was the winningest coach in New York state, with 972 victories in basketball and 1,708 in baseball.
— Reported by the Associated Press
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Being the warrior that he is, Shawn Marion doesn’t particularly like to sit out basketball games.
Especially a game that’s as big as the one the Dallas Mavericks play tonight at 7 at the AT%T Center against the San Antonio Spurs. But Marion will sit out tonight’s game with a left calf contusion, marking the fourth straight game he’s missed since suffering the injury during a Mar. 6 home game against the Houston Rockets.
“It’s real frustrating, but everybody’s been very supportive and I’m just trying to get myself right,’’ Marion said after this morning’s shoot around at the AT%T Center. “I’m here to support the team the best way I can and let’s keep it going.’’
— Reported by Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Blog)
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Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed guard Jannero Pargo to a 10-day contract.
The 6-1 Pargo is in his ninth NBA season and has career averages of 6.4 points, 2.0 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 443 games played with the Lakers, Raptors, Bulls, Hornets, Hawks and Wizards. For his career, Pargo has shot .388 from the field (1104-2845), .350 from beyond the three-point line (338-966) and .867 from the free-throw line (301-347). He has also seen action in 40 playoff games, averaging 5.8 points, 1.5 assists and 1.4 rebounds in the postseason.
Pargo has played in 14 total games this season, seven each with the Wizards and Hawks, with overall averages of 4.0 points and 2.4 assists in 15.4 minutes.
Pargo will wear No. 5.
The Bobcats roster stands at 15 players.