Category: NBA Teams

NBA teams blog

James, Williams lead Cavs to 11th straight win

The AP reports: LeBron James has taken plenty of hard hits in his career, but didn’t like the one he took from Minnesota’s Jason Collins on Friday night. “It was borderline dirty,” James said after scoring 25 points in Cleveland’s 107-85 victory, the Cavaliers’ 11th straight win. The play in question occurred in the third quarter when James broke through a double team at the top of the key and drove into the lane. As James was heading toward the basket, Collins struck him in the face with his upper arm. James went to the floor and Collins was charged with a flagrant foul. “That’s not part of the game,” James said. “Hard fouls are a part of the game. That was a little bit overboard.”

Magic beat Bucks to keep pace for East’s 2nd seed

The AP reports: The Orlando Magic are showing few signs of slowing down. Rashard Lewis scored 19 points, Hedo Turkoglu added 18 and the surging Magic beat the Milwaukee Bucks 110-94 on Friday night. Dwight Howard added 18 points and eight rebounds in another strong defensive effort for Orlando, which held Milwaukee to 39.1 percent shooting. The Magic (54-18) have won five straight and 12 of their last 14 to stay percentage points ahead of Boston for the Eastern Conference’s second seed. “We’re just trying to find that rhythm that you can stay in,” Magic point guard Rafer Alston said. “It’s all about finding that groove going into the playoffs.”

Bosh, Marion lead Raptors past Thunder

The AP reports: The Toronto Raptors put this one away early. Chris Bosh had 21 points and 13 rebounds, Shawn Marion added 20 points and 11 rebounds and the Raptors opened up a big lead in the first quarter before cruising to a 112-96 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night. “Everybody was on the same page,” Marion said of Toronto’s 17-2 scoring surge. “We got stops when we needed to, everybody was stepping up and it just started clicking.” The Raptors, who led by as many as 25, avenged a 91-83 road loss to the 2-24 Thunder on Dec. 19. Bosh called it “a good win,” but said he wasn’t motivated by revenge.

Diaw’s 24 points lead Charlotte past Philly

The AP reports: Desperate to remain in playoff contention, Boris Diaw and the Charlotte Bobcats came up big against the Philadelphia 76ers. Diaw scored 24 points and Ray Felton added 20 points for the Bobcats, who won 100-95 on Friday night and moved within 2 1/2 games of idle Detroit for the eighth playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. “We did a tremendous job in the first half,” Bobcats coach Larry Brown said. “The rebounding and shooting is what kept is in it. We did a great job on the boards. Winning on the road, against a quality team, is a real good win for us.” The Sixers, who have been outrebounded by 10 in four of the last 21 games, were led by Andre Iguodala with 25 points.

Jermareo Davidson done for season

Golden State Warriors forward Jermareo Davidson underwent successful surgery today to repair a stress fracture in his left foot (fifth metatarsal), the team announced.  The surgery was performed by Dr. John Belzer and Dr. Keith Donatto at the Presidio Surgery Center in San Francisco.

Davidson, 24, appeared in 14 games this season for Golden State, averaging 3.0 points and 2.4 rebounds in 7.9 minutes per contest.  He will be sidelined for the remainder of the season and the foot will be immobilized for approximately one month.

Fabricio Oberto out 2 games

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that Fabricio Oberto will miss the team’s next two games (3/27 vs. L.A. Clippers and 3/30 at New Orleans) due to atrial fibrillation.

Yesterday Oberto felt abnormal sensations in his chest. After being seen by the team’s medical staff he had an EKG which confirmed he was experiencing atrial fibrillation.  He then underwent a cardioversion which restored his heart to its normal rhythm.

Over the next four days Oberto will receive daily EKG exams to confirm that his heart maintains its normal rhythm. Barring any unforeseen complications, he is expected to be available for the Spurs-Thunder game on 3/31.

Nets bench Yi Jianlian

New Jersey Nets forward Yi Jianlian has played fairly awful basketball for a long time now. Coach Lawrence Frank is finally taking action. The Bergen Record (Al Iannazzone) reports (via blog):

Lawrence Frank announced this morning that Ryan Anderson will start at power forward for Yi Jianlian tonight against the Lakers.

And, the New York Post (Fred Kerber) reports (via blog):

Since returning from a broken pinkie, Yi has played 18 games and done squat: one double figure scoring game; pretty much one game (Portland) where he noticeably defended; 6.0 scoring average and .357 shooting over the 18. “Too much hesitation,” Yi said, admitting his confidence is somewhere between the sub-basement and Hell. “Yeah it’s hard for me right now. I know what happening. I must just be professional and keep doing my stuff, doing my thing.”

The Nets are weak at both forward spots, and changes need to be made this summer.

Discuss the Nets on the InsideHoops New Jersey Nets forum.

Knicks sign Joe Crawford to 10-day contract

The New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that free agent guard Joe Crawford has been signed to a 10-day contract. Crawford, a member of the Los Angeles D-Fenders, became the 18th Call-Up of the 2008-09 NBA Development League season.

Crawford, 6-5, 210-pounds, was selected in the second round of the 2008 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 58th overall pick. The Detroit, MI-native played with the Lakers during the 2008 preseason before being waived on Oct. 22. Crawford then signed with the NBA Development League’s Los Angeles D-Fenders and averaged 20.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals in 43 games.

Demetris Nichols’ 10-day contract had expired and the club elected not to re-sign him. The Knicks roster stands at 14 players.