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Janis Carr of the Orange County Register reports:
Lamar Odom and Shannon Brown are world champions and also world-record holders.
The Lakers teammates made 25 free throws in 60 seconds Saturday, Brown’s final attempt hitting at the buzzer, to set the Guinness Book of World Records mark of made free throws in 60 seconds or less. The record of 10 makes had been held by a pair of British non-professional basketball players, who set the mark last month.
New Jersey Nets forward Yi Jianlian is not a good basketball player. He can make open mid-range jump-shots, drive past slower defenders, and not a lot else.
Julian Garcia of the New York Daily News reports:
Nearing the end of his second injury-plagued season in New Jersey, Yi has already worn out his welcome with many in the organization, and his biggest supporter – GM/interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe – may not be around long after the season finale on April 14 since he is in the final year of his contract. With Vandeweghe gone, the Nets would be more likely to trade Yi in the offseason, or at least bring him back in a significantly reduced role.
Vandeweghe helped bring Yi to the Nets from Milwaukee as part of the Richard Jefferson deal two summers ago and has continued to stick with Yi while others have called for his benching, even putting him right back into the starting lineup last night against the Raptors after he missed six games and took part in just one practice after suffering a high ankle sprain two weeks ago.
In 31.8 minutes per game this season Yi is averaging 11.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game, but those scoring and rebounding stats are actually a bit inflated as quite often those numbers come when the game has already been decided.
George M. Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal reports
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Ask Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao about his reputation as a flopper, and his reply is direct.
”I don’t flop; I samba,” said the curly-haired Brazilian.
For this season, he’s right. Varejao isn’t the King of Flop in the NBA. In fact, the number of offensive fouls he’s drawn this season is down markedly from past years.
Last year, he had lured competitors into 52 offensive fouls. In 2006, it was 99. This season, he’s drawn a mere 25 offensive fouls.
It would be easy to assume, then, that Varejao’s game is off. Not at all. Varejao isn’t drawing as many offensive fouls on opponents, but he is still bringing needed energy off the bench for the Cavs and contributing in more ways.
The AP reports:
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The fans sure expected a bleary-eyed, weary-legged Milwaukee Bucks team to show up at the Pepsi Center, where the Denver Nuggets were 30-5.
Chauncey Billups swears he knew better, even though he and his Denver teammates were powerless to do anything about it in a 102-97 loss Saturday night to the Bucks, who didn’t arrive in their hotel rooms until 3 a.m. following a double-overtime win in Sacramento…
The surging Bucks secured their signature road victory even though point guard Brandon Jennings (nine points) and center Andrew Bogut (two points, three rebounds) had nights to forget.
Carlos Delfino scored 26 points, John Salmons added 21, Ersan Ilyasova pitched in 14 points and 10 rebounds and Luke Ridnour hit 5 of 8 shots for 11 points.
The AP reports:
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The Boston Celtics got the split they wanted with the Dallas Mavericks.
Paul Pierce scored 29 points, Rajon Rondo added 20 points and 10 rebounds, and the Celtics stretched their winning streak to four games with a 102-93 victory over the Mavericks on Saturday night.
Ray Allen had 21 points for the Celtics, beaten by the Mavericks 99-90 in Boston on Jan. 18 in their only other meeting this season.
Boston’s Rasheed Wallace vowed “retribution” in the rematch, complaining after the game in January that the referees give Dallas’ top scorer Dirk Nowitzki preferential treatment. Wallace refused to comment after Saturday night’s game, but Rondo said the Celtics weren’t dwelling on the past…
This time, Garnett and Wallace took turns guarding Nowitzki, who still went 11 for 19 from the floor and finished with 28 points.
The AP reports:
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With the Toronto Raptors in the midst of a slump, Chris Bosh got a little pep talk from Jarrett Jack(notes), Antoine Wright and Marcus Banks before their game with the woeful New Jersey Nets.
The message was simple. Play some basketball, have some fun and score 30 points.
Bosh did that and more, scoring 23 of his 36 points in the second half and the Raptors kept the Nets on the road to an NBA single-season record for losses with a 100-90 victory Saturday night.
“They were just on me about playing basketball and that made it fun,” Bosh said after the Raptors won for only the third time in 13 games.
“They were telling me what they wanted to see from me and what they wanted me to do, and anytime that happens, I see that as a challenge, and you know you don’t feel like you are out there by yourself.”
Playing in his 500th game as a Raptor, Bosh hit 16 of 27 shots from the field in helping the Toronto rally from a seven-point deficit early in the third quarter.
Tim Buckley of the Deseret News reports:
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Ejected from Friday’s loss at Phoenix after making contact in the game’s final second with referee Michael Smith, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said he was merely trying to defend himself.
“I put my arm up to keep him from coming any farther,” said Sloan, whose forearm met Smith’s chest. “I’ve had trouble with him before. So that’s why I did that.”
Sloan first tried to approach the referees while they were reviewing a hard last-second Grant Hill foul that floored Jazz backup point Ronnie Price, who appeared to try for a meaningless dunk as the 110-100 loss came to a close.
Security stopped him because coaches and players aren’t allowed to be near the refs during video reviews, but the two met after the review had concluded.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have assigned forward Darnell Jackson to the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League, Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.
Jackson has averaged 0.7 points on .333 shooting and 0.8 rebounds in 4.2 minutes per game in 26 games. In his one game with the BayHawks this season, he posted game highs of 34 points on 14-22 shooting (.636) and 12 rebounds while adding two assists, four steals and one block in 42 minutes in Erie’s 114-108 victory over the Dakota Wizards on Feb. 25th. The second-year forward will be available to play tonight for the BayHawks in their game versus the Dakota Wizards at 7 p.m. at the Tullio Arena in Erie. The game will air on VERSUS presented by Papa John’s at 11:30 p.m.
The BayHawks are the D-League affiliate of the Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors.
Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reports:
Sure, it would have been fun for two parts of the NBA Rookie of the Year debate to duel on the court Friday night at Arco Arena.
But the Kings’ star rookie wouldn’t be around late. And there’s no telling when he might be back.
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Tyreke Evans left the game late in the fourth quarter as the Milwaukee Bucks rallied for a 114-108 double-overtime win.
Evans suffered a concussion in a fall and went to the locker room with 24.4 seconds left in regulation and the Kings ahead 91-89.
Evans also suffered lacerated gums and a chipped tooth, and doctors will check to see whether he has a broken jaw. Evans will not travel today with the team to Los Angeles for Sunday afternoon’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
MARCH 20 AFTERNOON UPDATE
Sacramento Kings’ guard Tyreke Evans had an X-ray and CAT Scan taken this morning, of which the results came back negative for a fractured jaw. He will not travel with the team this afternoon to Los Angeles for tomorrow’s game against Clippers. Evans also suffered a slight concussion in last night’s 114-108 double overtime loss to Milwaukee at ARCO Arena. He will be re-evaluated Monday.
Evans, currently in his rookie NBA season, is averaging a team-leading 20.3 points (.461 FGs, .252 3FGs, .746 FTs), 5.6 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.45 steals per game through 64 outings of which he has started in all 64.
Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed guard Shaun Livingston for the remainder of the season. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced.
Livingston originally signed with Washington on February 26, and was signed to a second 10-day contract on March 9. In 10 games for the Wizards (two starts), Livingston has averaged 4.9 points and 3.3 assists in 15.5 minutes per game, including season-highs of 18 points and eight assists vs. ORL (3/13).