The AP reports: Nate Robinson scored a season-high 41 points, including the tiebreaking layup with 26 seconds left, and the New York Knicks beat the short-handed Indiana Pacers 123-119 Monday night… Al Harrington added 27 points and David Lee had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Knicks. helping the Knicks pull out a game against a team that was missing most of its best players… Jarrett Jack scored a season-high 33 points and Marquis Daniels matched a season best with 28 for the Pacers, who had won two in a row overall and four in a row at Madison Square Garden… Troy Murphy, who had 19 points and 21 rebounds, traveled on the next possession, and Robinson knocked down a pair of free throws for the final margin.
Sam Cassell could wind up with Nuggets
The Orange County Register (Art Thompson) reports (via blog),With his playing career now in its twilight, veteran NBA guard Sam Cassell could wind up ending with the Denver Nuggets, who are in the market for a seasoned guard to aid them in the playoffs. The 39-year old Cassell recently was traded by the Boston Celtics, to the Sacramento Kings, for a second-round draft pick. The floundering Kings had no plans for Cassell and it was their intention, when the trade was made, to waive him immediately.
InsideHoops.com editor says: Cassell want to become an NBA coach. As reported by the above newspaper but also told to me by Cassell himself, George Karl seems willing to work with Cassell on it.
Tracy McGrady to have microfracture surgery
Houston Rockets guard Tracy McGrady will undergo season-ending microfracture surgery on his left knee in Chicago on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Rockets Team Physician Tom Clanton will assist Dr. Brian Cole with the procedure.
McGrady played in 35 games this season and finishes with averages of 15.6 points, 5.0 assists and 4.4 rebounds.
The Rockets have gotten used to playing without some or all of their top stars, and now it’ll be for a very extended period.
Dwight Howard new shot: running hook
The Orlando Sentinel (David Whitley) writes: We all remember the moment we fell in love. For Dwight Howard, it came in Dallas. Stan Van Gundy was yelling sweet nothings in his ear. “That’s a great shot!” Ladies, gentlemen and anyone else who’s been waiting for Howard to find a steady, meet the running hook. Anybody got a spare pair of goggles? “Somebody said I should call myself Kareem Abdul-Dwight,” Howard said. His new favorite shot doesn’t have the majestic trajectory of Jabbar’s sky hook. That was perhaps the most unstoppable shot in basketball history… What makes it so good is Howard is a natural left-hander, so he can shoot it with either hand. His extension makes it unblockable.
Lamar Odom writes names of loved ones on sneakers
The Orange County Register (Kevin Ding) reports: The reason Lamar Odom writes those names on his sneakers before every game is to remember his dearly departed: his mother when he was 12, his grandmother when he was 20, his infant son when he was 26. He’s making ’em proud now. If the message is that he remembers all that they gave before their time came, Odom is right on it. Odom is seizing his days now and filling them with admirable personal development. Even though this is the year he will turn 30, Odom is showing that you don’t have to be as young as Andrew Bynum to make substantial upgrades in your game. Odom is rebounding like crazy, for sure, and he’s got a dreamy eye on a 30-rebound game before the season’s done.
West 25 in return, Cavs beat Pistons 99-78
The AP reports: It’s not often someone other than LeBron James gets top billing in a victory by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Delonte West provided a rare exception Sunday night. West scored 25 points in his first game since mid-January and led the Cavaliers to a 99-78 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. West, sidelined since Jan. 15 with a fractured right wrist, was 8-of-11 from the field and made all five of his 3-point attempts… “Was Delonte injured?” joked James, who had 20 points in 31 minutes after scoring 55 Friday night against Milwaukee… Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 16 for Cleveland, while Wally Szczerbiak scored 15. Walter Herrmann scored 13 for Detroit.
Odom shines, Lakers beat Wolves 111-108
The AP reports: Lamar Odom had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and Kobe Bryant scored 28 to move past Elgin Baylor into 20th place on the NBA’s career scoring list in the Lakers’ 111-108 victory Sunday night. Pau Gasol added 25 points for the team with the league’s best record, which is 9-1 since Bynum went down with a torn MCL in his right knee on Jan. 31… Ryan Gomes had 20 points and seven rebounds and Craig Smith scored 19 on 9-for-10 shooting for the Timberwolves, who are 1-4 without Jefferson and have lost six straight home games… Bryant also had seven assists and six rebounds.
Blake 14 first-quarter assists, Blazers beat Clippers 116-87
The AP reports: Steve Blake tied an NBA record for assists in one quarter when he handed out 14 during the first period in the Blazers’ 116-87 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. San Antonio’s John Lucas set the record of 14 assists during the second quarter against Denver on April 15, 1984… “When I run the floor like that and Blake passes you the ball like that, what can you do?” said Aldridge, who had a double-double with 28 points and 10 rebounds.
Magic top Heat 122-99 despite 50 points from D-Wade
The AP reports: Dwight Howard had 32 points and 17 rebounds, and the Magic withstood a career-high 50 points by Dwyane Wade to rout the Miami Heat 122-99 on Sunday… Hedo Turkoglu had 20 points and Rafer Alston added 12 points and nine assists for the Magic, who have won 12 of the past 15 games against their Sunshine State rival… Jermaine O’Neal and Jamario Moon were smothered, combining for just 13 points as the Magic overpowered Miami’s big men to win the rebounding battle 53-28.
Artest scores 26, Rockets beat Bobcats 99-78
The AP reports: The Houston Rockets know who they have—and won’t have—for the rest of the season, so now they can finally focus only on winning games. Ron Artest scored 26 points, Yao Ming added 19 points and seven rebounds and the Rockets continued to win without Tracy McGrady, beating the Charlotte Bobcats 99-78 on Sunday. Luis Scola had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Shane Battier sank three 3-pointers for the Rockets, who’ve won four straight games and eight of the last nine McGrady has missed with a sore left knee… Raymond Felton, Boris Diaw and Emeka Okafor scored 13 points apiece for the Bobcats, who shot 36 percent from the field and had more turnovers (21) than assists (15) for the second straight game. Charlotte’s 21 turnovers were one shy of a season high.