The AP reports: It’s that time of year, where little aches and pains are starting to add up for Dwyane Wade. Sore knee, stiff ankle, that sort of thing. He tried to say it was a problem Wednesday. “I was only able to get 32,” Wade said, unable to hold in a laugh— knowing those 32 points were good enough for the Miami Heat. Wade continued his post-All-Star offensive tear, hitting the game-sealing 3-pointer with 34 seconds left, and the Heat held on to beat the injury-depleted Boston Celtics 107-99… Ray Allen hit his first six shots and finished with 27 for Boston, but only three of those came after halftime—as he missed six of his final seven shots. Leon Powe had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Celtics, who got 16 points from Paul Pierce.
Robinson scores 30, helps Knicks top Pistons in OT
The AP reports: The Knicks rallied after halftime on the road for the second time in two nights Wednesday, beating the Detroit Pistons 116-111 in overtime… Nate Robinson had 30 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter and overtime. In Tuesday’s win over Milwaukee, the reserve scored 13 of his 32 points in the fourth… Antonio McDyess had 21 points and a career-high 22 rebounds—Detroit’s first 20-20 game in over 11 years, and his first since 2001. That, though, wasn’t enough to overcome the absence of Rasheed Wallace (calf) and Allen Iverson (back)… David Lee had 16 points and 18 rebounds for the Knicks, who trailed 83-71 in the early seconds of the fourth.
Magic clinch playoff berth, beat Bulls 107-79
The AP reports: Tony Battie had 18 points and eight rebounds, and the Magic got a big boost from the bench to clinch a playoff spot with a 107-79 win over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night… J.J. Redick had 13 points, and Marcin Gortat added 13 points and 15 rebounds in reserve for the Magic, who have won five of their last six games and moved closer to taking another Southeast Division title… John Salmons had 18 points and eight rebounds, and Brad Miller added 11 points for Chicago, which shot a mere 31.4 percent from the floor and had 16 turnovers.
Hawks end Utah’s 12-game winning streak, 100-93
The AP reports: Deron Williams knew the Jazz wouldn’t go unbeaten through the end of the regular season. Even so, Utah’s star point guard wished his team had given itself a better chance against the Hawks to extend its winning streak to 13 games… Joe Johnson scored 31 points and Josh Smith had 22 points and 12 rebounds to help the Atlanta Hawks end Utah’s 12-game winning streak with a 100-93 victory Wednesday night… Flip Murray scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter for the Hawks. Smith ended the scoring with a pair of free throws with 24.3 seconds remaining.
Paul’s triple-double leads Hornets past Wiz 109-98
The AP reports: Taking over the game when he wanted to—no matter what defensive schemes he faced—Chris Paul compiled 30 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds Wednesday night, steering the New Orleans Hornets to a 109-98 victory over Washington… Guarded by Wizards reserve Juan Dixon, Paul did pretty much whatever he wanted over the next 3 1/2 minutes, engineering a 12-0 run that tied the score. During that stretch, Paul scored 10 points and assisted on the other basket. He probably should have had two fewer points and an extra assist, but Rasual Butler somehow missed a layup off a perfect pass. So all Paul did was grab the rebound and drive for a layup himself.
Young, Dalembert lead 76ers over Raptors 115-106
The AP reports: Samuel Dalembert heeded the advice of Hall of Fame center Moses Malone earlier this week when the former Philadelphia center told him to get mean. Thaddeus Young scored a career-high 29 points, Dalembert snapped out of his recent slump, and the Philadelphia 76ers handed the Toronto Raptors their sixth straight loss with a 115-106 victory Wednesday night… Dalembert, who entered the night with only three blocks over the last four games, recorded his 11th double-double of the season with a season-high 19 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots… Chris Bosh was limited to 17 points for Toronto after consecutive 30-point outings.
Charlotte Bobcats sign Dontell Jefferson to 10-day contract
Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed guard Dontell Jefferson to a 10-day contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Bobcats roster now stands at 15 players.
The 6-5 Jefferson has played in 32 games for the Utah Flash in the D-League this season, where he is averaging career highs of 18.6 points, 5.5 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 36.7 minutes per game and is tied for ninth in the league in assists and tied for 14th in scoring. Jefferson was named D-League Co-Player of the Month in January after averaging 21.4 points and 6.2 assists in 11 games, including a career-high 38 points on Jan. 26 against Fort Wayne.
In three D-League seasons, Jefferson has career averages of 14.1 points, 4.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 114 games with the Dakota Wizards and Utah Flash. He also spent part of the 2007-08 season with Barons/LMT Riga in Latvia were he averaged 8.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 15 games with the Latvian League and 7.5 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in seven games in the Baltic League.
Sacramento Kings lowering ticket prices
The Sacramento Bee (Melody Gutierrez) reports: As a response to the bad economy, the Kings will announce season-ticket price reductions today that will cut the cost of some plans by as much as 44 percent for the 2009-10 season. One-third of all tickets in Arco Arena will be $25.50 or less, and the franchise will continue to offer 1,000 tickets at $10 for next season. The move mirrors what most NBA teams have done in recent weeks to reach out to fans struggling to pay their mortgages and retain their jobs… The price cuts will save season-ticket holders an average of $594 and as much as $1,562 for one ticket plan compared to 2008-09 prices. The savings of up to 44 percent will be on a portion of tickets previously priced at $40.50, which will now cost $22.50. The rest of the tickets previously priced at $40.50 will be $36.50, depending on their location.
Chicago Bulls sign Linton Johnson to 10-day contract
The Chicago Bulls today signed forward Linton Johnson III to a 10-day contract. Johnson, a 6-8, 205-pound forward, will be in uniform tonight when the Bulls take on the Orlando Magic at Amway Arena at 6:00 p.m. (CT).
Johnson, a five-year pro, most recently played with the Charlotte Bobcats during the start of the 2008-09 campaign. He appeared in two games with the Bobcats before being waived on Nov. 19, 2008.
The Chicago native will re-join the Bulls for the second time in his career. During the 2003-04 season, he appeared in 41 games with Chicago and posted averages of 4.2 ppg and 4.5 rpg in 17.9 mpg. Johnson has also enjoyed stints with the San Antonio Spurs (member of the 2005 NBA Championship team), New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets, Toronto Raptors, Phoenix Suns and Bobcats. For his career, he has posted averages of 4.0 ppg and 3.4 rpg in 14.5 mpg. He owns career shooting averages of .417 from the field and .699 from the line.
Johnson, 28, was undrafted out of Tulane University.
Chicago’s roster now stands at 14.
Jay Triano, Raptors struggling
The Toronto Star (Dave Feschuk) reports: Toronto Raptors coach Jay Triano, think about it, has to make daily attempts at explaining a dud of a campaign without trashing the wafer-thin roster that has been assembled by Bryan Colangelo, the resident president and general manager. Repeatedly suggesting that a lack of talent is at the heart of these past couple of years of woe, after all, is one of the key reasons a truth teller named Sam Mitchell got a paid vacation after 17 games. Unlike Mitchell, Triano doesn’t have a multi-million-dollar golden handshake awaiting him if he loses his gig. He has to remain in Colangelo’s favour if there is any chance of him retaining the job come autumn (and there is, make no mistake, a good chance that he will).