NBA Teams – Page 1380 – NBA Blog

Raptors destroy Magic by 35 points

DeMar DeRozan scored 21 points and Jose Calderon added 15 points and 10 assists, helping the Toronto Raptors to an easy 123-88 victory over the injury-depleted Orlando Magic on Saturday night.

Rookie Ed Davis had 18 points and seven rebounds as Toronto won for the seventh time in eight games. The Raptors, who hit a season-high 15 3-pointers, got 16 points apiece from Kyle Lowry and Terrence Ross.

Rookie Andrew Nicholson led Orlando with a career-high 22 points. Arron Afflalo added 14 points and Ish Smith had 13 points and six assists.

The Raptors hit nine of their first 10 attempts from behind the 3- point line and built a 67-47 halftime lead. Orlando cut the deficit to 76-65 after two free throws by Nicholson with 5:16 left in the third quarter, but that was as close as the Magic would get the rest of the game.

The Magic played without starting point guard Jameer Nelson (hip) and his backup E’Twaun Moore (elbow). But their real problem was at the defensive end.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Houston Rockets assign Royce White to D-League

The Houston Rockets today assigned rookie forward Royce White to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets’ NBA Development League affiliate. The assignment is the record 84th of the 2012-13 NBA and NBA D-League seasons, while White becomes the 45th NBA player to be assigned to the NBA D-League this season, another new League record.

White (6-8, 260, Iowa State) was selected in the first round (16th overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft by the Rockets and appeared in four preseason games for the team, averaging 2.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 12.3 minutes. He has been on Houston’s inactive list for much of the season.

White is expected to join the Vipers tonight and be available Sunday, Dec. 30, when the team travels to face the Bakersfield Jam at 10 p.m. ET.

It’ll be interesting to see if White can progress to eventually becoming a true member of the Rockets.

Brandon Roy issues statement, plans to continue his basketball career

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Brandon Roy issued the following statement today regarding his recovery:

“Last week while practicing, I suffered a setback in my recovery. I’ve felt better since the recent surgery, but I am not all the way better. The past two days I have been weighing all of my options as I try to continue my basketball career. I have decided to explore additional treatment options and an extensive rehabilitation plan. My goal has been, and continues to be, to return to the basketball court as healthy as possible in order to help our team. “

Eric Gordon set to return for Hornets

New Orleans Hornets shooting guard Eric Gordon will make his much-anticipated season debut off the bench Saturday night against the reeling Charlotte Bobcats, losers of 17 straight games.

Gordon, who spent nearly two months in Los Angeles rehabilitating his sore right knee, will likely play about 25 minutes against the Bobcats, he said, as he gradually works back into game conditioning with a future return to the starting lineup still undetermined.

“I’m just looking forward to getting out there and playing and I thought this was somewhat of a good time to get started,” Gordon said before the game. “It’s still somewhat of a progression for me. I’m just going to get out there and play.”

— Reported by Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune

Brandon Roy again considering retirement

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Brandon Roy’s career is in jeopardy again after he suffered another setback to his surgically repaired knees, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Roy, 28, has considered the possibility of retirement for the second time in three years, sources said, but no final decision has been reached. Doctors continue to have questions about whether his knees can withstand the grind of playing in the NBA.

Roy had surgery on his right knee on Nov. 19 and left the team again for further tests after returning to practice on Thursday.

— Reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports

Tulsa 66ers (D-League) acquire Chris Quinn

The Tulsa 66ers, proud affiliate of the Oklahoma City Thunder, announced Friday that they have acquired guard Chris Quinn.

Quinn, 6-2/174, brings five seasons of NBA experience to Tulsa. After four years at the University of Notre Dame, Quinn was signed as an undrafted free agent to the Miami Heat. Quinn spent three seasons (2006-2009) with Miami, averaging 5.6 points, 2.2 assists 1.3 rebounds in 168 games (26 starts).

The guard spent the next two seasons with the San Antonio Spurs and New Jersey Nets, bringing his NBA average to 4.6 points, 1.9 assists and 1.1 rebounds.

The 29 year-old played overseas in 2011-12 with Khimki Moscow in Russia, averaging 7.6 points, 1.9 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 21 league games.

Quinn’s most recent NBA experience came as part of the Utah Jazz 2012-13 training camp and preseason roster. Following Utah’s training camp, Quinn signed with Valenica in Spain, averaging 9.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in four league games.

He is expected to be in uniform when Tulsa takes on the Canton Charge on Friday night at 6:30 in Canton.

Nets may want Phil Jackson as next head coach

Undaunted by Phil Jackson’s reported reluctance to coach their team, Brooklyn Nets officials have established Jackson as their top target in the wake of Avery Johnson’s dismissal, according to NBA coaching sources.

Sources told ESPN.com on Thursday the Nets have Jackson atop their list of potential replacements for Johnson and will make a hard push for the 67-year-old, who appeared close to returning for a third stint with the Los Angeles Lakers in November before L.A. unexpectedly gave the job to Mike D’Antoni.

Jackson’s longtime representative, Todd Musburger, told TNT’s David Aldridge on Thursday that his client has “no interest in the Nets’ job at this time.” But a source told ESPN that Jackson would indeed entertain an approach from Brooklyn and that his flirtation with the Lakers after Mike Brown’s dismissal five games into the season got him “thinking about coaching again.”

— Reported by Marc Stein and Chris Broussard of ESPN.com

Clippers beat Celtics by 29 for 15th straight win

Matt Barnes tied his season high with 21 points off the bench, Chris Paul had 11 assists and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated Boston 106-77 on Thursday night, becoming the first team to win 15 consecutive games since the Celtics four years ago.

Fellow reserve Jamal Crawford added 17 points, Blake Griffin had 15 points and Caron Butler 14 to help the Clippers improve the NBA’s best record to 23-6.

Kevin Garnett scored 16 points for Boston, which never led in dropping to .500 at 14-14 with its fifth loss in seven games. Paul Pierce and Jeff Green added 12 points each to go with 10 apiece from Jason Terry and Rajon Rondo…

Barnes had the Clippers’ first five points in a 9-0 run that opened the fourth quarter and boosted their lead to 90-67. Willie Green briefly played; otherwise the Clippers’ other starters rested to close out the game.

The Celtics were held to 10 points in the final 12 minutes…

The game got chippy at times. In the third, Jared Sullinger was called for a flagrant-1 foul for grabbing the front of Griffin on his way up to dunk. Then Butler and Pierce emerged from a big mass both holding onto the ball, leading to a jump ball. In the first, Rondo was lying on the ball and Paul tried to take it out from under him on the sideline, leading to a testy moment…

Justin Bieber (who had Paul’s young son sitting on his lap), Billy Crystal and Olympic 200 sprint champion Allyson Felix were among the Clippers’ 67th consecutive sellout crowd.

— Reported by Beth Harris of the Associated Press

Kevin Durant scores 40, Thunder beat Mavericks in overtime

Kevin Durant scores 40, Thunder beat Mavs in overtime

Kevin Durant scored 40 points while Russell Westbrook added eight of his 16 points in overtime to help the Oklahoma City Thunder beat Dallas 111-105 on Thursday night for their 11th straight win at home.

Serge Ibaka added 19 points and matched his season high with 17 rebounds as Oklahoma City charged back from 10 points down in the final 7:17 of regulation and found a way to win after losing back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Darren Collison scored a season-best 32 points for Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki scored nine points in his second game back after offseason knee surgery, showing some rust down the stretch.

Westbrook turned the game around with six straight points after the Mavs had gone up 104-101 on Chris Kaman’s bucket inside midway through overtime. Westbrook had a layup, hit a jumper over Nowitzki and then made a leaping steal of an O.J. Mayo pass that led to a fast-break layup. The sequence left Mavericks owner Mark Cuban shaking his head in his seat near the team’s bench…

Kaman ended up with 17 poitns and Marion chipped in 14 points and nine rebounds for the Mavericks, who were swept on a treacherous three-game road trip that featured stops at West contenders Memphis, San Antonio and Oklahoma City despite getting Nowitzki back. Dallas has lost seven of eight…

Beaubois, a reserve guard for the Mavericks, did not play because of an illness. Carlisle said he hoped to have Beaubois back for Friday’s home game against Denver. … Reggie Jackson took Eric Maynor’s minutes as Westbrook’s backup at point guard for the second straight game.

— Reported by Jeff Latzke of the Associated Press

Dwyane Wade suspended one game for kicking Ramon Sessions

Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade has been suspended one game without pay for flailing his leg and making contact with the groin of the Charlotte Bobcats’ Ramon Sessions, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred with 8:12 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Heat’s 105-92 win over the Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena on December 26.

Wade will serve his suspension when the Heat play the Detroit Pistons on December 28 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

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