The AP reports: The Thunder haven’t looked this good since moving to town last year. The Pistons haven’t looked this bad since long before that. Kevin Durant scored 32 points as Oklahoma City recorded the first consecutive wins in its brief history, delivering a knockout punch with a 13-point run to start the fourth quarter in an 89-79 win over Detroit on Friday night… “We can’t be satisfied with these two wins that we just got. Yes, they were against good teams, but we can’t be satisfied,” said Jeff Green, who had nine points and 14 rebounds. “We’ve got to keep moving forward.” Chris Wilcox had 17 points and 11 rebounds in a rare extended appearance off the bench, and Desmond Mason added 11 points and 11 rebounds as the Thunder mounted a 52-35 rebounding edge. Prince and Richard Hamilton scored 18 each to lead Detroit, but Prince was injured and on the bench when Oklahoma City pulled away.
Williams has 27 in Jazz’s 101-91 win in Memphis
The AP reports: After an ankle injury sidelined him for the first 12 games of the season, Deron Williams is starting to like the one of the NBA’s best again. The Utah guard scored 27 points and Ronnie Brewer added 21, leading the Jazz to a 101-91 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night… Grizzlies forward Darius Miles, who signed a 10-day contract Saturday, made his 10th appearance of the season Friday, placing the remaining $18 million of his salary back on Portland’s payroll… He finished with 10 points and seven rebounds in 14 minutes… Rookie guard O.J. Mayo led the Grizzlies with 23 points and Hakim Warrick and Mike Conley came off the bench to score 15 apiece. Marc Gasol added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Memphis forward Rudy Gay, averaging 18.8 points per game, continued his recent slump. He was held to five points and has scored only 15 points in the past two games.
Wizards use 15-0 run late in game to beat Knicks
The AP reports: Trailing 87-81 with 4:35 to play, the Wizards ran off 15 straight points to break a six-game losing streak and beat the New York Knicks 96-89. Washington has suffered 12 defeats after leading in the fourth quarter, and just two nights ago, they allowed New York to score 128 points against them. Things didn’t look promising until Antawn Jamison, who led the Wizards with 28 points, hit a layup to start the big run. Mike James added a 3-pointer and Nick Young a jumper, and suddenly the Wizards had their first lead since early in the third quarter… Mike James finished with 19 points for the Wizards, while Nick Young—who set career highs in three of his past four games, including 33 points against New York on Wednesday—finished with 13… The Knicks were led by Al Harrington’s 18 points. Wilson Chandler had 16 and David Lee had 15 points while matching a career high with 21 rebounds.
Dunleavy and Pacers sink Raptors, 111-104
The AP reports: Mike Dunleavy’s legs may not be completely healthy. Fortunately for Indiana, his wit is all there. The poised veteran goaded Toronto’s Chris Bosh into fouling him on a 3-pointer with less than a minute to go Friday night, then made all three free throws to help the Pacers avoid another monumental late-game collapse with a 111-104 victory… Dunleavy, who has missed all but six of the Pacers’ 40 games, made only his second start of the season Friday. Not surprisingly, the Pacers have pulled out wins in both games, and he matched his season-high with 22 points against Toronto. Only Granger scored more points. He led the Pacers with 23 and had five rebounds, four assists and two steals despite spending the equivalent of a full quarter on the bench because of foul trouble and making only one of eight shots in the final 12 minutes. Chris Bosh’s big night was tainted by that ill-advised foul. The two-time All-Star had 25 points and 16 rebounds, and Andrea Bargnani added 20 points for Toronto, which has lost four straight.
76ers beat Spurs to win sixth straight
The AP reports: Thaddeus Young scored a career-high 27 points, Andre Iguodala had 21 and the surging 76ers won their sixth straight game, 109-87 over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night… Iguodala hit a 28-footer to end the first quarter, a 44-footer to end the first half and Lou Williams buried a 28-footer to end the third… Louis Williams finished with 14 and rookie Marreese Speights had 13. Young made eight straight shots in one stretch from the floor, with the final bucket making it 64-53. Young was 11 of 15 from the floor. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 20 points and Matt Bonner had 13.
Delonte West out 5-6 weeks
Cavaliers guard Delonte West was injured in last night’s game in Chicago vs. the Bulls. He was re-evaluated at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health today by Dr. Peter Evans in Cleveland. X-rays and an MRI confirmed a non-displaced fracture of his right wrist. He is projected to be Out the next five to six weeks. His status will be updated as appropriate.
Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas was re-evaluated yesterday at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health and today in Baltimore at The Institute for Foot and Ankle Reconstruction at Mercy Medical Center by Dr. Mark Myerson, and in consultation with Cavaliers Head Team Physician Dr. Richard Parker. Both evaluations showed that his left ankle was progressing as expected. He is cleared to progress in his rehabilitation work and return to court activity next week in continued preparation for a return to the active roster after that. His status will be updated as appropriate.
Bobcats trade Matt Carroll and Ryan Hollins to Mavericks for DeSagana Diop
Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins announced today that the team has acquired center DeSagana Diop from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for guard Matt Carroll and center Ryan Hollins.
“DeSagana is the type of player that has a natural athletic ability to block shots, rebound and defend,” Higgins said. “This is a nice complement to our roster and someone we feel will add size, depth and experience to our power positions.”
The 7-0 Diop has appeared in 468 career NBA games spread between Cleveland, New Jersey and Dallas. He has career averages of 2.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks, while shooting .430 from the field. In 34 games with the Mavericks this season he averaged 1.6 points and 3.5 rebounds in 13.3 minutes.
Originally drafted by the Cavaliers with the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft, Diop had his best season as a professional during the 2005-06 season in Dallas, when he appeared in 81 games (45 starts) with averages of 2.3 points and 4.6 rebounds, while shooting a team-best .487 from the field and leading the Mavericks with 146 blocks. During that season he also ranked 14th in the NBA in blocks per game and set a career high with 16 rebounds and tied a career high with six blocks in 37 minutes of action versus Denver on Nov.15, 2005. Diop also appeared in 28 career postseason games in Dallas, with 22 of them coming during the Mavericks run to the 2006 NBA Finals before falling to eventual champion Miami in six games.
Carroll signed with the Bobcats as a free agent on Feb. 23, 2005 and has appeared in 289 games, averaging 8.4 points and 2.3 rebounds. His career three-point field goal percentage of .411 (302-735) coming into the 2008-09 season had him tied for 11th among the NBA’s all-time leaders and fifth among active players. In 34 games this season, he averaged 4.1 points and 1.6 rebounds in 13.9 minutes.
Hollins is in his third NBA season and averaged 3.6 points and 2.0 rebounds in 18 games played for Charlotte this season. In 105 career games, Hollins has averaged 2.6 points and 1.7 rebounds for the Bobcats, who selected him with the 50th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft.
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Spurs sign Austin Croshere to 10-day contract
The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have signed free-agent forward Austin Croshere to a 10-day contract.
The 6-10, 235-pound Croshere joins the Spurs after being waived by the Milwaukee Bucks on 1/6. Now in his 12th NBA season, he has also played for the Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors. Croshere was originally drafted 12th overall by Indiana in the 1997 NBA Draft.
This season Croshere appeared in 11 games with the Bucks and averaged 3.3 points and 2.2 rebounds in 7.0 minutes per game. Over his career he has averaged 6.9 points and 4.1 rebounds in 656 games. Croshere has also appeared in 68 playoff games where he averaged 6.7 points and 3.6 rebounds.
The former Providence Friar enjoyed his finest NBA season in 1999-00, averaging career-highs of 10.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 81 regular-season games, while helping the Pacers win the Eastern Conference and advance to the NBA Finals. Croshere ranks among the Top-10 all-time in Pacers franchise history in games (540), 3-pointers made (376) and attempted (1,095). He is also one of just six players (Reggie Miller, Rik Smits, Dale Davis, Vern Fleming and Jeff Foster) to play for the team for at least nine seasons.
Croshere will wear uniform #22.
Delonte West breaks right wrist
The Cleveland Plain Dealer (Brian Windhorst) reports: Delonte West, a major cog in the Cavs’ success over the last three months, suffered a nasty fall in the first quarter defending a Rose shot attempt. He suffered a non-displaced fracture of his right wrist on the rough landing in addition to opening a gash over his left eye that needed two stitches. He will have an MRI at the Cleveland Clinic this morning to determine the extent of the damage but is likely looking at being out at least 2-3 weeks. “I’ve been punched in the face many times before, I shook that off,” West said. “We’re on a roll here, we can’t have no pity party for me. I’m going to try not to feel sorry for myself, it hurts but I can still wear my pinky ring.”
Jerryd Bayless has breakout game
The Oregonian (Jason Quick) reports (via blog): Any worries about how the Trail Blazers were going to survive without injured point guard Steve Blake were quickly put at ease Thursday by rookie Jerryd Bayless. With a performance that was part determined, part dazzling and part redemption, Bayless scored a career-high 23 points to help the Blazers grind out a 105-99 win over New Jersey at the IZOD Center. After spending the first half of the season bottled up with anxiety over not playing, frustration at not performing well in his limited chances, all the while unwavering in his confidence, the 20-year-old said Thursday’s explosion allowed him his first NBA chance to sit back and exhale… Bayless hit 6 of 9 shots, all his baskets coming off determined drives. His attacking style helped produced 11 free throw attempts, all of which were on target. He also added three assists, one turnover and three rebounds in a career-high 25 minutes.