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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mo Williams has been named by NBA Commissioner David Stern to replace injured East All-Star forward Chris Bosh (sprained right knee) of the Toronto Raptors in the 2009 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix.
Williams will be making his first All-Star appearance.
The AP reports: O.J. Mayo scored 12 of his 16 points in the fourth period, including nine straight, and the Grizzlies held on to defeat the Toronto Raptors 78-70 on Saturday night. Mayo’s 3-pointer with 25.7 seconds left was costly for the Raptors, who had erased a 13-point lead in the second half and lost their sixth straight. Mayo had struggled from the field through the first three quarters, missing nine of his 11 shots. He saved the best for the stretch… “We were wide open for shots,” said Raptors guard Jose Calderon, who led Toronto with 18 points and five assists, but was 5-of-15 from the field… Hakim Warrick matched Mayo’s 16 points and both grabbed eight rebounds. Mike Conley scored 15 points and handed out eight assists.
Chris Bosh left Wednesday’s game versus Los Angeles in the fourth quarter with a sprained right knee. Images taken postgame revealed no structural damage. He will travel with the team to New Orleans and his status is doubtful for Friday night’s game and day-to-day for the remainder of the trip.
Jose Calderon sat out last night’s game against the Lakers to rest his sore right hamstring. He will accompany the team and is listed as probable for Friday’s game in New Orleans.
The AP reports: Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers warmed up for their showdown in Boston with a victory over Toronto. Kobe Bryant scored 36 points, Pau Gasol added 31 points and 15 rebounds and the Lakers beat the Toronto Raptors 115-107 on Wednesday night for their fourth straight victory and eighth in nine games… Toronto lost its fourth straight, but didn’t go quietly. Joey Graham had a career-high 24 points, and Jermaine O’Neal added 22 points and nine blocks. Andrea Bargnani scored 21 points, and Anthony Parker had 18 for the Raptors, 5-21 overall against the Lakers.
The AP reports: LeBron James scored 33 points, eclipsed 12,000 for his career, blocked Chris Bosh’s dunk attempt during a crucial stretch in the fourth quarter and guarded almost every one of Toronto’s starters as the Cleveland Cavaliers remained flawless on their floor by winning their 23rd straight home game, 101-83 over the Raptors on Tuesday night. James became the fastest player in NBA history to reach the 12,000-point plateau. At 24 years, 35 days, he did it quicker than Los Angeles superstar Kobe Bryant, who was 25 years, 220 days… Chris Bosh scored 29 and Jermaine O’Neal 20 to pace Toronto.
The AP reports: For once, Chris Bosh had a bad game against the Orlando Magic. Dwight Howard had 29 points and 14 rebounds, Jameer Nelson added 18 points and 10 assists, and the Magic never trailed in a 113-90 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. Mickael Pietrus scored 22 points and Rashard Lewis had 15 for the Magic, who led by as many as 25 and have won three straight following back-to-back losses to Boston and Miami… Nelson had eight rebounds, falling just shy of the first triple-double of his career… Jose Calderon scored 16 points for Toronto, reserve Joey Graham had 14 and Andrea Bargnani had 12.
The AP reports: Without Michael Redd’s scoring punch, the Milwaukee Bucks hope a stifling defense can carry them into the playoffs. It was good enough to shut down the Toronto Raptors. Charlie Villanueva had 26 points and 13 rebounds, Richard Jefferson added 17 points and the Bucks beat the Raptors 96-85 Friday night, their first win since leading scorer Redd suffered a season-ending knee injury… Bogut returned to the lineup against the Raptors after missing eight games with back spasms and scored 13 points. Luke Ridnour added 15 points for Milwaukee.
The AP reports: With Jose Calderon back in the lineup, the Toronto Raptors are hoping the second half of the season is a lot better than the first. Calderon had 17 points and 11 assists and the Raptors escaped with a 107-106 victory over New Jersey on Wednesday night after Nets point guard Devin Harris missed a wide-open 16-foot jumper at the buzzer… Anthony Parker added 21 points, and Chris Bosh had 18 for the Raptors, who shot almost 56 percent and had six players in double figures. Andrea Bargnani had his streak of 15 straight games of at least 15 points stopped, scoring eight. Vince Carter had 27 points to lead the Nets, who rallied in the final minutes by hitting four of their 15 3-pointers. Harris added 25 points and 10 assists, but he missed the biggest shot of the night after Calderon had left the door open by missing a jumper with about 21 seconds to play.
The AP reports: Chris Bosh scored 31 points, Andrea Bargnani added 24 and the Toronto Raptors beat Sacramento 113-97 on Sunday, handing the Kings their fifth straight loss… Jose Calderon had 16 points and eight assists as Toronto won its second straight following a season-high seven-game losing streak. Jermaine O’Neal had 11 points and 10 rebounds and Anthony Parker scored 11 points for the Raptors. John Salmons scored 21 points for the Kings, who are 0-18 against Eastern Conference opponents this season and have not beaten an East team since a 106-100 home win over Toronto on March 16, 2008. Francisco Garcia added 18 points and Brad Miller had 15 for Sacramento, which has lost 15 of its past 16 road games and is 3-20 overall away from home.
The AP reports: Jose Calderon made it clear just how important he is to the Toronto Raptors in his return from a hamstring injury. Calderon had 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting and added 10 assists to help the Raptors snap a seven-game losing streak with a 114-94 victory over Chicago on Friday night… Andrea Bargnani finished with 22 points, and Bosh had 17 points and six rebounds. Ben Gordon scored 19 points for Chicago. The Bulls have lost four straight.