NBA Teams – Page 1413 – NBA Blog

Darrell Arthur set to return for Grizzlies

Grizzlies forward Darrell Arthur is expected to make his regular-season debut Friday night but insists he was ready the first time he participated in practice.

Doctors and the head athletic trainer cleared Arthur for contact workouts last week. He stepped onto the court and soon caught a lob pass from teammate Josh Selby. When Arthur threw down the alley-oop dunk, he removed any doubts about his recovery.

“A lot of guys were telling me to take my time and don’t rush,” Arthur said. “But I went and caught a lob from Josh Selby and everybody was like (darn!). That’s the type of player I am. I’m going to make those athletic plays. That’s how I knew I was ready.”

— Reported by Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal

Nic Batum playing great for Trail Blazers

In a span of 22 days, Batum already has established new career highs in scoring (35 points, twice), steals (six vs. Houston), blocks (five vs. San Antonio) and field goals made (13 vs. Houston). With averages of 20.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.09 blocks per game, Batum isn’t just averaging career highs in nearly every statistical category, he’s also among the NBA leaders in multiple areas.

Batum ranks 11th in scoring, seventh in steals, third in three-pointers made (32) and fourth in minutes played (38.9 per game). All while shooting an incredible 48 percent from the field, including 40 percent from three-point range. He’s been efficient, balanced and — for the first time in his career — consistent. As Batum’s offseason crush, the Minnesota Timberwolves, prepare to visit the Rose Garden on Friday night, he’s justifying their aggressive offseason pursuit.

“He’s such a unique player that you can do a bunch of different things with him,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. “His ability to shoot, his quickness to the rim, his length. As a coach, you see all the possibilities and you know it can’t happen all at once, but … he’s doing a little bit of everything right now.”

— Reported by Joe Freeman of the Oregonian

NBA admits error at end of Raptors-Bobcats game

Too little, too late.

The NBA admitted on Thursday to missing a foul on the decisive play of Toronto’s loss to the Bobcats a day earlier.

“On the final possession of Charlotte’s 98-97 win over Toronto on Nov. 21, the game officials missed a foul by Charlotte’s Michael Kidd-Gilchrist against Toronto’s Andrea Bargnani on a jump shot. Bargnani should have been given two free throws and the clock stopped with approximately 2.4 seconds remaining in the game,” read the missive at NBA.com.

Credit the league for admitting the error, but it won’t do much for the Raptors.

The ninth loss of the season (against three victories) stays on the books and the disappointment remains.

— Reported by Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun

Kings upset listless Lakers, 113-97

The Los Angeles Lakers had talked about bringing Showtime back to the franchise when they hired Mike D’Antoni to implement his fast and flashy offense.

The curtains are still waiting to be raised on that act.

Kobe Bryant scored an efficient 38 points but Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol struggled inside, and the lethargic Lakers lost 113-97 to the struggling Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night to snap a three-game winning streak.

”If we’re going to play Showtime, my God, they just closed the whole theatre on us,” D’Antoni said. ”Showtime, are you kidding? It was Muppet Time.”

Marcus Thornton scored 23 points and Tyreke Evans had 18 to pace Kings, who had lost five straight games. Jason Thompson added 13 points and 10 rebounds to help Sacramento run away in the fourth quarter and cement the latest Lakers setback…

Bryant finished 11-of-20 shooting and Jodie Meeks had 15 points off the bench as D’Antoni lost for the first time on the Lakers bench. A night after beating Brooklyn in Los Angeles, the Lakers might’ve been bad enough to give D’Antoni a headache to go with the pain still throbbing in his surgically replaced knee.

— Reported by Antonio Gonzalez of the Associated Press

Reggie Evans fined $5,000 for flopping

Reggie Evans has made history.

Evans, who was one of the main subjects of the NBA’s preseason instructional video about the new flopping rules, has become the first player to be fined for flopping under the new anti-flopping policy.

The Nets’ backup power forward was fined $5,000 after he committed his second flop of the season in the third quarter of Tuesday night’s 95-90 loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles, when he clearly exaggerated contact from Lakers forward Metta World Peace.

“It’s a tough spot for us, because Reggie sets physical screens, he rebounds, and I don’t necessarily consider him a flopper,” Nets coach Avery Johnson said before last night’s game here against the Warriors. “I don’t see him flopping in practice, he just plays hard and goes all out. It’s just a tough one. Hopefully he won’t be a marked man, even if there is a physical confrontation out there on the floor, that they won’t consider it flopping.”

— Reported by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post

Jason Kidd steps up, but Knicks lose to Mavs

When the Knicks beat the Mavericks 12 days ago in New York, Jason Kidd said it was “just another win” and called Dallas “just another opponent.”

In his return to Dallas on Wednesday night, however, Kidd certainly didn’t play as though the Mavericks were just another opponent. He scored a season-high 17 points, pulled down six rebounds, had five assists and five steals.

After Dallas rallied for the 114-111 victory, though, Kidd claimed there was no extra motivation in facing the franchise that he helped win the 2011 NBA title. Kidd did, however, say it was nice to be back in the American Airlines Center.

“Oh, I love Dallas,” he said. “What we accomplished as a team will always be special to me, but now I’m in New York, trying to accomplish that again. That’s to win another championship.”

— Reported by Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News

George, Hibbert lead Pacers over Hornets in OT

Paul George scored 33 of his career-high 37 points after halftime and Roy Hibbert had a triple-double to help the Indiana Pacers beat the New Orleans Hornets 115-107 in overtime on Wednesday night.

George made a team record nine 3-pointers, all after halftime. Hibbert had 10 points, 11 rebounds and a career-best 11 blocks, and David West and George Hill each scored 16 points for the Pacers (6-7), who have won three of four.

Robin Lopez had 21 points and 13 rebounds for New Orleans, but he made just 3 of 17 field goals. Jason Smith added 18 points for the Hornets (3-7), who lost their fifth straight.

Number one overall pick Anthony Davis missed his second consecutive game for New Orleans with a stress reaction in his left ankle.

— Reported by Cliff Brunt of the Associated Press

Gerald Wallace wanted Kobe to shoot with his eyes closed

Gerald Wallace is rapidly becoming a cult hero amongst Nets fans, and here’s a cool example of why.

With the game on the line Tuesday night and Kobe Bryant at the charity stripe, Wallace began jawing with the Laker great.

What was Wallace talking about?

“I was trying to get him to close his eyes to shoot.”

— Reported by Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News

Kings losing, drawing small home crowds

The Kings have won just two of their first 10 games, their worst start in more than 20 years. Their home attendance has approached record lows, and discontent is a theme among fans, some of whom booed the team off the court after a recent loss.

The fans – once described by NBA executives as among the most loyal in the league – are dwindling. The Kings’ average crowd of 12,490 through their first six home games ranks last in the NBA and is their lowest at this point in three seasons.

Still, it remains slightly higher than the arena’s record-low average attendance of 12,050 for the first six games of 2008-09 – the season they went on to draw the fewest fans per game since moving into the building in 1988.

Fans offer a host of reasons for their frustration. They find the play on the floor uninspired, the talent lacking or the pieces mismatched. The Kings have not made the playoffs in six years, and have shown little sign of improvement early this season while stumbling to the worst record in the Western Conference.

— Reported by Matt Kawahara and Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee

Spurs recall guard Cory Joseph from D-League

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have recalled guard Cory Joseph from the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League.

Joseph has seen action in one game for the Spurs this season prior to his assignment to Austin on Nov. 15. For his career, the University of Texas product has appeared in 30 games for the Silver and Black, averaging 1.9 points and 1.1 assists in 8.9 minutes.

Joseph will be available tonight when San Antonio plays at Boston at 6:30 p.m.