Jazz will participate in Las Vegas summer league instead of Orlando

Here’s the Deseret News reporting that the Utah Jazz will make a change this offseason:

So long, Florida humidity. Hello, Nevada heat. Breaking tradition, the Utah Jazz will participate in the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League this July.

The Jazz had been going to the Orlando Pro Summer League since the Rocky Mountain Revue stopped functioning in 2008, in large part because of how the Vegas event led to the demise of Utah’s annual hoops showcase.

“Having our training camp in Orlando was difficult for us and we felt it was time to move forward,” Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which first reported the switch. “We feel there’s a natural tie-in with Las Vegas and it’ll be great for our fans to follow us (and) be able to see our young players. We’re very excited about the move.”

Pacers beat Bulls in another testy battle

Here’s the Chicago Sun-Times reporting on the Bulls:

Pick an excuse: lack of depth, bad calls, missed shots, poor rebounding, flopping. The list went on and on for the Bulls on Friday night.

The Bulls are still a feel-good story, but not every story has a happy ending. Certainly not in Indiana.

Thanks to a 19-0 run in the third quarter, the Pacers pulled away from the Bulls in a 91-79 laugher.

And, as coach Tom Thibodeau pointed out, losing the rebounding battle 51-36 is never a good thing. And reserve big man Taj Gibson fouling out because the Pacers have “floppers’’ doesn’t help. But depth seemed to be the difference. It was a big reason why Indiana (51-18) outscored the Bulls 31-19 in the third quarter to put the game on ice.

“You can use that as an excuse if you want,’’ Thibodeau said when asked about the Bulls’ lack of depth being exposed. “I choose not to.”

Philadelphia 76ers losing streak now at 23 straight games

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer discussing the 76ers, who have mastered the art of losing basketball games:

The ball bounced awry and tapped the white end line. James Anderson short-armed the pass and Thaddeus Young tried to reach it, but he never had a chance.

There were 8.6 seconds left on Friday night in the Sixers’ 93-92 loss to the New York Knicks at the Wells Fargo Center. And for a moment it appeared that the Sixers’ 22-game losing streak was no longer safe.

But the referee blew his whistle, Anderson’s pass went out of bounds, and the Sixers’ hopes were dashed.

It was their 23d straight loss. They continue to creep closer to the NBA record of 26 straight set in 2011 by Cleveland.

Before the turnover, head coach Brett Brown huddled his team and called for them to work the play around Anderson. It was Anderson’s first game back after missing two with a thigh injury. He finished with eight points and six rebounds.

Cavs sign Seth Curry to 10-day contract

Cavs sign Seth Curry to 10-day contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard Seth Curry to a 10-day contract, Cavaliers acting General Manager David Griffin announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts. To create the roster spot for Curry, the team released forward Shane Edwards from his 10-day contract that was set to expire today. The signing of Curry marks the 30th GATORADE Call-Up of the NBA’s 2013-14 season.

Curry has appeared in 36 games (35 starts) for the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League this season, averaging 19.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.4 steals  in 35.2 minutes per game. In his last six games for the Warriors, the 6-1, 180-pound guard from Duke averaged 20.8 points and 5.3 assists, while shooting . 476 (20-42) from three-point range. For the season, he has posted 21 games of at least 20 points, including a career-best 36 points in his first game with the Warriors on Nov. 22 versus Austin.

Curry was originally signed by the Golden State Warriors on August 23, 2013. This season, he was signed by the Memphis Grizzlies in December and waived in January. He appeared in one game for Memphis.

Curry will be available for tomorrow night’s game against the Houston Rockets at The Q. He will wear jersey number 31.

Celtics sign Chris Babb to multi-year contract

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed guard Chris Babb to a multi-year contract.

Babb, a 6’5” guard, has appeared in six games for the Celtics this season averaging 2.2 points and 1.3 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per game. He recorded a high of six points against Brooklyn on March 7 and a high of five rebounds against Golden State on March 5. He originally signed a 10-day contract with the Celtics on February 28 after appearing in 33 games for the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League where he averaged 12.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.18 steals in 37.5 minutes per game.