The AP reports: Joe Johnson scored 27 points and Flip Murray had 23 Wednesday night, leading Atlanta to a 99-95 win over Detroit… Allen Iverson scored 26 for the Pistons, who fell a game under .500 since he joined the lineup… Detroit’s Richard Hamilton scored 14, Rodney Stuckey and Tayshaun Prince each scored 12 and Antonio McDyess added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Rasheed Wallace didn’t play for the last 16-plus minutes and finished with nine points and seven rebounds.
Bobcats starters pound undermanned Wizards, 101-89
The AP reports: There were numerous contributors that helped overwhelm the banged-up Wizards. Rookie D.J. Augustin scored 24 points and newcomer Vladimir Radmanovic added 21 points. They combined to hit nine of 17 3-pointers in starting roles. Emeka Okafor dominated the inside with 16 points and 13 rebounds and Felton came close to his first career triple-double with 15 points, eight rebounds and nine assists… There was less optimism on the Washington side. Caron Butler scored 26 points and Antawn Jamison had 23 points and nine rebounds, but they got little help and the Wizards were woeful on defense in their 10th loss in 12 games.
Nuggets clamp down on Magic in 82-73 victory
The AP reports: Carmelo Anthony had 29 points and eight rebounds, and the Nuggets ended a 15-game losing streak in Orlando with an 82-73 win over the Magic on Wednesday night… Kenyon Martin scored 13 points, Nene added 12 and Billups had 11 points for Denver, which hadn’t won in Orlando since March 10, 1992. .. Dwight Howard had 16 points and Rashard Lewis scored 12 for the Magic, who finished with a season low in points, a season-high 24 turnovers and were held to a season-low 30.4 percent shooting from the floor.
Mo Williams 44 points, Cavs beat Suns 109-92
The AP reports: Before packing for Phoenix, Mo Williams padded his All-Star stats. Playing in his first home game since finally being made an All-Star after being skipped over twice, Williams scored a career-high 44 points and LeBron James added 26 as the Cleveland Cavaliers reached the break by winning their 40th game, 109-92 over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night… The Cavaliers easily outran the speedy Suns, who were without starting point guard Steve Nash. He didn’t dress to get extra rest for numerous sore spots. Amare Stoudemire scored 27 and Grant Hill 14 for Phoenix (28-23), which will host this weekend’s All-Star activities and could undergo a makeover before the Feb. 21 trading deadline.
Ukic huge, no Bosh, Raptors beat Spurs 91-89
The AP reports: Manu Ginobili wasn’t happy to head into the All-Star break after a tough loss to the short-handed Toronto Raptors. Roko Ukic scored a career-high 22 points, Andrea Bargnani had 23 and the Raptors overcame a 32-point effort by Ginobili to beat the San Antonio Spurs 91-89 on Wednesday night… Toronto forward Chris Bosh missed his fourth straight game with a sprained right knee, and point guard Jose Calderon sat out with a sore right hamstring… Tim Duncan had 20 points and 13 rebounds and Tony Parker added 22 points for San Antonio, but missed what would have been a tying jumper at the buzzer.
Andre miller huge, 76ers beat Grizzlies 91-87
The AP reports: Andre Iguodala scored 18 points and made the winning basket with 26 seconds left, lifting the Philadelphia 76ers to their fourth straight win, 91-87 over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night… Hakim Warrick, who tied a career high with 31 points for the Grizzlies, missed a dunk and Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert sealed the win from the free throw line… Andre Miller had 24 points and Young scored 12 for the Sixers. O.J. Mayo finished with 16 points and Mike Conley had 13 for the Grizzlies. Mayo helped rally the Grizzlies from a 12-point hole and nailed a 3-pointer with 48 seconds left that tied the score at 87.
Tracy McGrady health update: More exams needed
A Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) test conducted today on Houston Rockets guard/forward Tracy McGrady at the Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute revealed no change in his left knee from prior diagnosis. McGrady is expected to seek additional medical opinions in the coming days. He is not expected to play tonight for precautionary reasons. McGrady’s status will be re-evaluated when the team returns from the 2009 NBA All-Star Break.
Mo Williams replaces Jameer Nelson in Skills Challenge
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mo Williams has been selected to replace injured Orlando Magic guard Jameer Nelson (torn right labrum ) in the 2009 Playstation® Skills Challenge to be held on Saturday, Feb. 14 at US Airways Center in Phoenix.
The PlayStation® Skills Challenge will be televised live nationally as part of the NBA All-Star Saturday Night, which will also feature the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout, Sprite Slam Dunk and Haier Shooting Stars. TNT and ESPN Radio’s national coverage will begin at 8 p.m. EST from US Airways Center. The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 15, will air live on TNT, ESPN Radio and in more than 215 countries and territories in 44 languages.
Pacers notes
Positive-leaning Indiana Pacers team notes:
A leading candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award, Danny Granger is on course to become the first player in NBA history to improve his scoring average by at least five points a game in three consecutive seasons. Granger is fifth in the NBA this season with an average of 25.5 ppg, which is nearly six points per game more than his average (19.7) of a season ago.
Including 4-5 on his way to a team-high 18 points vs. Cleveland, Feb. 10, Troy Murphy has shot 24-45 (.533) from 3-pt range in his last nine games. Murphy has made a career-best 99 3-pt field goals this season.
With an average of 11.5 rpg, Murphy is fifth in the NBA, and he is the only player ranked in the top 20 in both rebounds and 3-pt field goal accuracy. Murphy’s 43.0 percent from long range is 13th best in the NBA.
With their win over Cleveland on Tuesday, Feb. 10, the Pacers became the first team in the NBA this season to post a win against each of the four teams (Boston, Cleveland, the Lakers and Orlando) with the best winning percentages in the NBA.
The only Indiana player with more steals than turnovers, Travis Diener has accumulated 14 steals and committed just 10 turnovers in his 33 appearances this season. Diener leads the team in assists-to-turnover ratio with 77 assists and 10 miscues (7.70:1).
This weekend Danny Granger will not only make his first appearance in the NBA All-Star game on Sunday, but he will also participate in the 2009 Foot Locker 3-pt Shootout during All-Star Saturday in Phoenix, Feb. 14. Granger joins the NBA’s all-time 3-pt field goals king, Reggie Miller, as the only Pacers’ players to participate in the 3-pt Shootout. Miller took part in the long distance shooting competition five times, finishing second in 1990 and 1995.
InsideHoops talks to Q-Rich
With the arrival of Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni in New York, people all around the organization knew positive changes were coming. Nobody welcomed those changes more then Quentin Richardson. After playing a season under D’Antoni’s fast-paced offense in Phoenix, Quentin found himself being traded to New York and making the best of a tough situation. Randy Zellea of InsideHoops.com recently caught up with Q and talked to him about the move to New York from Phoenix, the direction of the Knicks, the atmosphere of world famous Madison Square Garden, and his free-time activities.
Read the Quentin Richardson interview.