Heat rally past Knicks, win 14th straight game

lebron james

LeBron James had 29 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, and Miami tied a franchise record with its 14th straight victory, rallying for a 99-93 victory at New York on Sunday.

”We feel like this is one of our better wins of the season, even under the circumstances that we went through tonight, a little adversity being down double digits,” James said.

Dwyane Wade added 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Heat, who had to overcome a 16-point deficit to beat the Knicks for the first time in three tries this season. Chris Bosh bounced back from a dismal first half to finish with 16 points and Shane Battier hit all four 3-point attempts to score 12.

The Heat won their sixth straight on the road by controlling the final minutes against a team that had a pair of 20-point victories over them this season and looked ready to run them out of the building again…

Carmelo Anthony scored 32 points for the Knicks, who had won three in a row. Jason Kidd emerged from a lengthy slump to finish with 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists. J.R. Smith had 13 points and 12 rebounds, but shot 5 of 18 from the field…

The Heat matched their 14 straight wins during the 2004-05 season and finally beat one of their closest pursuers in the Eastern Conference after dropping their first four against the Knicks and Indiana Pacers…

[Jason] Kidd missed his 14 3-point attempts in the last three games and had been in a 7-for-49 slump behind the arc since Feb. 1, finally losing his starting job before Friday’s victory at Washington.

But he made a 3 early in the second quarter, then hit three more in the period. The Knicks rattled off eight points in a row to make it 59-43, their only concern coming when Anthony went to the locker room before the half ended with what the team said was pain in his ribs. He was back when the second half started and said the injury didn’t bother him.

— Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Celtics decide to keep Terrence Williams

terrence williams

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed guard/forward Terrence Williams to a multi-year contract.

Williams, a 6’6” guard/forward, joined the Celtics on February 20 on a 10-day contract and has appeared in four games for the Celtics this season averaging 3.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 11.5 minutes per game.  He joined the Celtics after playing earlier this season for the Guangdong Southern Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association where he averaged 17.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals in 29 games.

According to the Boston Herald, “Over a short period Ainge has been able to identify one special trait in Williams’ game. With Rajon Rondo out for the season, Williams is already the best passer on the roster. “He’s a better passer than anyone on our team,” Ainge said. “He can play (point guard, shooting guard and small forward) and handle the ball. The reason I like Terrence is that we don’t have a true point guard. All of our guys can play the point guard in pinches, and all of them can share ballhandling responsibilities. But Terrence can be the best on our team right now.”

The Boston Globe reports: “Though the 6-foot-6-inch Williams may be oversized for that position, his playmaking skills and court vision make the Celtics believe that’s the spot for him. The Celtics first developed that belief when Williams worked out for them last summer. “Just pickup games and just watching the way he played, you really felt that even in those situations that he’s more point than [shooting guard],” Rivers said. “I don’t think he’s ever going to be a great scorer in our league, but he can be a great playmaker.”

Hornets sign center Henry Sims to 10-day contract

The New Orleans Hornets today signed center Henry Sims for the 19th Call-Up of the 2012-13 NBA Development League season. Sims joins more than 116 NBA players with NBA D-League experience currently on NBA rosters.

Sims (6-10, 245, Georgetown) has started all 36 games for the BayHawks this season, averaging 17.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. Sims was a 2013 NBA D-League All-Star and scored 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the floor for the Prospects team in a 139-125 win over the Futures squad. Sims recorded 12 double-doubles on the season, ranking him second among NBA D-League players. He scored in double-figures in 32-of-36 games for the BayHawks this season.

Sims signed with the New York Knicks during training camp, but was waived before the start of the regular season.

Sims is expected to join the Hornets today and be available when the team hosts the Orlando Magic on Monday, March 4.

According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune,  “It’s a good opportunity for him to see how he plays in practices and workouts and maybe he’ll get a shot in the game,” Hornets Coach Monty Williams said. “We need a backup center at this point with Jason (Smith) out for the season. We’ll probably piecemeal it together from here on out, but I like him (Sims) and his big body. It’s unfortunate when a guy has a decent body of work in college and has yet to make it with an NBA team. “I watched him at Georgetown. I love watching JT3 guys (John Thompson III). You have to have a clue if you’re going to play in his system. Guys are typically pretty smart players that come from Georgetown. I actually saw him play in the Big East tournament and he played pretty well.”

Cavs recall forward Kevin Jones from D-League again

The Cleveland Cavaliers have recalled forward Kevin Jones from the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers exclusively owned and operated NBA Development League team, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Jones played in last night’s Charge game against Springfield, notching his seventh double-double of the season and finishing with 17 points and 12 rebounds in 27 minutes.  He has appeared in nine games for the Charge this season, averaging 22.4 points and 12.1 rebounds in 38.3 minutes per game. Jones has played in 19 games for the Cavs this season and is averaging 2.1 points and 1.7 rebounds in 9.0 minutes per game.

Cleveland Cavaliers waive Josh Selby

Cleveland Cavaliers waive Josh Selby

The Cleveland Cavaliers have waived guard Josh Selby, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts. The Cavaliers roster now stands at 14.

Selby played in  11 games for the Canton Charge this season, averaging 15.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 32.9 minutes per games.  He also appeared in 10 games for the Memphis Grizzlies this year, averaging 2.0 points in 5.9 minutes per game. Selby was acquired by the Cavs  from the Grizzlies via a trade on January 22nd, 2013.

We have to assume that Selby will be picked up by another team. He’s a solid ability to score and compete.

Bucks beat Raptors 122-114 in overtime

Monta Ellis scored six of his 23 points in overtime and Ersan Ilyasova and Brandon Jennings added five apiece in the extra period to spark the Milwaukee Bucks to a 122-114 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night.

Ilyasova finished with 29 points and 11 rebounds, while Brandon Jennings had a career-high 19 assists, including one in overtime.

Kyle Lowry had a triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, Alan Anderson scored 21 points off the bench and Amir Johnson added 19 for Toronto, which lost for the fourth consecutive time and fifth in six games since tying a season best with a five-game winning streak.

Toronto was without Rudy Gay, the team’s leading scorer at 18 points per game, who was a game-time decision due to back spasms.

Tied at 104 at the end of regulation, Larry Sanders dunked in a miss by Ellis to put the Bucks ahead 106-104 – a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

— Reported by Joe Totoraitis of the Associated Press

Noah, Boozer lead Bulls past Nets 96-85

Joakim Noah had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Carlos Boozer scored 20 points and the Chicago Bulls beat the Brooklyn Nets 96-85 on Saturday.

The Bulls went on a 19-0 run that started in the second quarter and stretched into third, giving them an 18-point lead. They opened March on a winning note after going 5-8 in February, just their second losing month in 2 1/2 seasons under coach Tom Thibodeau.

Noah followed up the third triple-double of his career with another terrific performance that also included four blocks. He committed five turnovers, but even so it sure was an impressive follow-up to Thursday’s gem, when he had 23 points, 21 rebounds and a career-high 11 blocks in a win over Philadelphia.

Boozer added eight rebounds. Jimmy Butler had 13 points, Nate Robinson and Kirk Hinrich scored 12 apiece, and the Bulls won their second straight after dropping seven of 10.

Brook Lopez led Brooklyn with 22 points – 14 in the first quarter – but the Nets fell for the fourth time in five games. Deron Williams cooled off, finishing with 14 after averaging 27 over the previous three games.

Joe Johnson scored 11 in his second game back after missing three with a foot injury and committed five of Brooklyn’s 21 turnovers.

— Reported by Andrew Seligman of the Associated Press

Turner, Holiday lead 76ers over Warriors

One assist shy of his first career triple-double, Evan Turner took pride in getting the win.

Turner had 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, Jrue Holiday scored 27, and the Philadelphia 76ers snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 104-97 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night.

”I wasn’t going to force anything to get a triple-double,” Turner said. ”It was cool and it’s great to get a win. We competed and gave a lot of effort.”

Thad Young had 14 points and 16 rebounds and Royal Ivey chipped in with 17 points for the Sixers, who are 5 1/2 games behind Milwaukee for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 25 games left.

Stephen Curry scored 30 and Klay Thompson added 29 for the Warriors, who’ve lost four in a row.

Despite losing 10 of 13, Golden State remains sixth in the West. The Warriors are one game up on eighth-place Houston and 3 1/2 ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers, who are fighting for the last spot.

”Our problem was not offensively, our problem was defensively,” Warriors coach Mark Jackson said.

— Reported by Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press

Heat sign Juwan Howard to 10-day contract

The Miami HEAT announced today that they have signed forward Juwan Howard to a 10-day contract.

“Juwan is a key part of the Championship culture here in Miami,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “He is essential to this team and can still play this game at a high level in some of our biggest games yet to come. He has a unique veteran savvy and will provide leadership and experience to our team.”

Howard, an 18-year NBA veteran, has appeared in 1,201 career games (898 starts) averaging 13.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 30.5 minutes while shooting 46.9 percent from the field. He appeared in 85 games with the HEAT over the last two seasons averaging 2.1 points, 2.0 rebounds and 9.2 minutes while shooting 40 percent from the field. Additionally, he appeared in 11 postseason games during Miami’s 2012 NBA Championship run, totaling 17 points, 10 rebounds and an assist in 60 minutes of action while shooting 4-of-9 from the field.

The former NBA All-Star was originally signed by the HEAT as a free agent on July 20, 2010 and then re-signed on December 9, 2011.

Tony Parker injured, out around 4 weeks with ankle sprain

tony parker

Bad news for the 46-14 San Antonio Spurs. They’ll be without their floor general until early April.

Spurs guard Tony Parker underwent an MRI examination this morning in San Antonio. The MRI confirmed that Parker has a Grade 2 left ankle sprain. He is expected to be out for approximately four weeks. The injury occurred in the third quarter of last night’s Spurs-Kings game.

Additionally, Spurs forward Boris Diaw (low back strain) is out for tomorrow’s game vs. Detroit. Guard Gary Neal (tightness, left calf) and forward Stephen Jackson (sprained right ankle) are listed as doubtful.