The AP reports: “We’re scoring way too many points,” Popovich said jokingly after the Spurs beat the Suns 114-104 on Thursday night. “We shouldn’t be having this much fun.” Manu Ginobili had the most fun. He made 18 free throws, setting a franchise record for foul shots in a game without a miss, and finished with 30 points and nine rebounds. Tony Parker added 26 points, and Tim Duncan had 20 points and 15 rebounds for the Southwest Division leaders (31-14)… Amare Stoudemire led the Suns with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Grant Hill had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Steve Nash finished with 16 points and 18 assists, and Shaquille O’Neal and Matt Barnes each scored 13 points. It was the first time in 20 games that O’Neal failed to score at least 15 points.
Category: NBA Teams
NBA teams blog
Magic beat Cavs 99-88
The AP reports: The Orlando Magic are looking more and more like a contender in the Eastern Conference. Dwight Howard had 22 points and 18 rebounds, Hedo Turkoglu added 19 points and 11 rebounds, and the Magic took advantage of LeBron James’ shooting struggles to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-88 on Thursday night… Orlando finished 11-of-31 from 3-point range—most of them open shots because Cleveland double- and triple-teamed Howard down low… Mo Williams, trying to prove he belonged in the All-Star game over Nelson, was 4-of-15 shooting and finished with 12 points. Wally Szczerbiak scored 14 points in his first 7 minutes on the floor, but he didn’t get another bucket the rest of the way.
Carmelo Anthony set to return
Denver Nuggets F Carmelo Anthony was cleared to return to action by the team’s medical staff today. He will play tomorrow night when the Nuggets face the Charlotte Bobcats at the Pepsi Center.
Anthony suffered a non-displaced third metacarpal fracture on his right hand on Jan. 5 against Indiana and has missed the last 10 games.
In 31 games this season, Anthony is averaging a team-high 21.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg and 3.6 apg.
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Desmond Mason out for season
Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Sam Presti announced today that guard Desmond Mason will miss the remainder of the season after hyper extending his right knee.
“We are disappointed to lose Desmond for the remainder of the season,” said Presti. “He is a valuable part of our efforts on and off the court. We will support Desmond and work with him throughout the rehabilitation process. Unfortunately, the timing of the injury does not allow Desmond to return this season.”
Mason suffered a hyper extended right knee at 4:02 in the third quarter of last night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies. He underwent an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) exam this morning that revealed bruising to his right femur and tibia. Team physicians will perform arthroscopic surgery to remove debris caused by the hyper extension.
The Oklahoma State product appeared in 39 games (19 starts) for the Thunder this season. He averaged 7.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 27.3 minutes per contest.
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Bobcats sign Cartier Martin to 10-day contract
Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed forward Cartier Martin to a 10-day contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Bobcats roster now stands at 15 players.
The 6-7 Martin has played in 21 games for the Iowa Energy in the D-League this season, where he is averaging 20.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 37.6 minutes per game. Martin is shooting .477 from the field, .390 from beyond the three-point line, and .813 from the free-throw line. He has scored in double figures 17 times, with nine games of 20 points or more and five games of at least 30 points. Martin scored a season-high 37 points on January 3 at Fort Wayne and recorded his lone double-double of the season with 31 points and a season-high 11 rebounds on January 27 against
Tulsa.
Martin spent the 2007-08 season playing for Antalya BSB in Turkey. In 25 games, he averaged 8.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. Martin scored in double figures on nine occasions, including a season-high 20 points against Turk Telekom on November 10, 2007.
Martin played four seasons at Kansas State University, where he became the third player in school history to top 1,500 points and 500 rebounds in a career. He was named Second Team All-Big 12 after his junior and senior seasons and received the inaugural Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year Award as a senior in 2006-07.
Luke Ridnour suffers concussion
The Bucks are in Toronto today preparing for tomorrow night’s 6:00 p.m. (CT) tilt with the Raptors. The game can be seen on FS Wisconsin and heard on AM 620 WTMJ and the Bucks statewide radio network.
In last night’s loss to Indiana, Luke Ridnour received a blow to the face in the fourth period that resulted in a bloody nose. Ridnour left the game and was examined by Indiana doctors. The exam revealed a mild concussion and Ridnour did not return to the game. Ridnour was evaluated this morning and has been cleared to play tomorrow night.
Ridnour will be listed as probable and joins Andrew Bogut (day-to-day; lower back spasms) and Michael Redd (out; left knee injury) on the Bucks injury report.
Andrei Kirilenko to have ankle surgery
Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko will undergo surgery Friday to remove a bone fragment from his right ankle, Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today.
The surgery will be performed by Dr. John Edwards at 7 a.m. Friday morning.
A report on the surgery and an estimated timeline for Kirilenko’s recovery will be provided following the procedure.
Devin Brown steps up
NBA.com reports: Tyson Chandler was sidelined. Ditto for David West. If being without two starters wasn’t enough for the Hornets, James Posey had a poor shooting night. What was New Orleans to do against a formidable opponent like the Nuggets? Enter Devin Brown. Moved up in the rotation after a first-half injury, Brown answered the call with a season-high 18 points on 6-for-7 shooting. “It’s funny. I’ve been getting some extra shots up before practice and staying late, just working on different things and it showed up tonight,” Brown said, a satisfied smile on his face. “That just goes to show that extra work helps out.” Brown led a needed effort by the Hornets’ reserves, who combined to outscored Denver’s reserves 42-13. Brown’s effort, along with Peja Stojakovic’s 26 points, was needed considering Mr. Do Everything, Chris Paul, had a relatively quiet night with 12 points (3-for-12 shooting) and 10 assists. “That’s one thing about this team, the opportunity right now for guys to come in and contribute,” Posey said.
Clippers sign Fred Jones for remainder of season
The Los Angeles Clippers today signed guard Fred Jones for the remainder of the season.
A six-year NBA veteran, Jones has averaged 7.5 points, 3.6 assists, 1.9 rebounds and 25.6 minutes in 16 games with the Clippers this season, making four starts after originally being signed as a free agent on December 28th. Jones was waived by Los Angeles on January 5th, and then signed to a 10-day contract on January 8th and signed to a second 10-day contract on January 19th.
Jones played 70 games with the Knicks last season, averaging 7.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 25.1 minutes. The Clippers are the fifth NBA team for Jones, who has appeared in 378 total games and is averaging 7.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in his NBA career.
A star at the University of Oregon, Jones helped lead the Ducks to the Elite Eight of the 2002 NCAA Tournament and was drafted by the Indiana Pacers with the 14th selection of the 2002 NBA Draft. Jones played four seasons with Indiana, winning the 2004 NBA Slam Dunk Contest as a Pacer before signing with the Raptors prior to the 2006-07 season.
Jones joined Portland midway through the 2006-07 season in a trade, teaming up with current Clipper Zach Randolph and then going to New York along with Randolph in a five-player deal on June 28, 2007.
Deng, Rose lead Bulls past Clippers 95-75
The AP reports: Luol Deng had 23 points and nine rebounds, rookie Derrick Rose added 21 points and six assists, and the Bulls blew open a close game in the third quarter to beat the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers 95-75 Wednesday night. Tyrus Thomas had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Ben Gordon had 11 points and a season-high eight assists, and Joakim Noah added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Bulls (19-27), who outscored the Clippers 26-9 in the third period to take a 20-point lead. Los Angeles wasn’t closer than 15 points after that… Rookie Eric Gordon had 19 points and seven assists to match a career high, Fred Jones added 11 points and Al Thornton had 10 points and six rebounds for the Clippers (10-35), who shot under 40 percent for the 13th time this season while losing for the 17th time in 19 games.