The AP reports: With all eyes on O.J. Mayo and Kevin Love, it was Al Jefferson who stole the show. Jefferson scored a season-high 38 points, including nine in overtime, and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 108-98 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night… Mayo had 23 points and Kyle Lowry finished with a career-high 12 assists, but Memphis lost its second consecutive overtime game and sixth in its last seven overall… Minnesota started the game 10-for-11 from the field, but missed 19 of its next 22 shots and entered halftime trailing by seven. The Wolves managed only one field goal in the second quarter, a franchise low. Their eight second-quarter points and 32 first-half points were both season lows.
Stuckey, Pistons end Magic’s winning streak at 7
The AP reports: Allen Iverson grinned as he looked at the boxscore after the Detroit Pistons’ 88-82 victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday night. “I’m not used to seeing myself with 15 points and knowing that I had a good game,” he said. “Before, even if I only had 20 points, I didn’t think I was doing my job.” Iverson was Detroit’s fourth-leading scorer on a night when no Pistons player reached 20… Detroit has now won four in a row, the last two without Richard Hamilton (groin)… Rodney Stuckey led Detroit with 19 points, while Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace each added 16. Antonio McDyess came off the bench with 11 points and eight rebounds despite a fourth-quarter rib injury… Rashard Lewis led the Magic with 23 points while Dwight Howard added 18 points and 18 rebounds.
Rose, Bulls drop Nets to 5-12 in New Jersey
The AP reports: Derrick Rose doesn’t remember what he was doing on April 17, 2001. “I was in grammar school, probably in the sixth grade,” Rose said after leading the Chicago Bulls to their first victory in New Jersey since that date, 100-87 over the Nets on Monday night. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 draft had 21 points and a season-high 13 assists, while Ben Gordon scored 24 points… The Nets continued their poor play at home, falling to 5-12, the second-worst mark in the Eastern Conference. The Nets (15-16) are 10-4 on the road… Andres Nocioni and Larry Hughes each added 17 points for the Bulls (14-17), who won for only the fourth time in 18 road games this season. It was Chicago’s first win in New Jersey since 2001, snapping a 13-game losing streak. Carter scored 31 points and Devin Harris added 26, 18 in the second half.
Johnson’s 25 points lift Hawks past Denver, 109-91
The AP reports: Joe Johnson scored 25 points and the Hawks beat the Denver Nuggets 109-91 on Monday night to close out the homestand with a long-awaited milestone. The Hawks (20-10) reached 20 wins before New Year’s Day for the first time since the 1987-88 season, when second-year center Al Horford was 1… The Hawks, bolstered by their strong start, are shooting for their first 50-win season since 1997-98… The Hawks made 12 of 23 3-point attempts, including 5-of-6 by Mike Bibby, who had 20 points and nine assists… Carmelo Anthony, who scored 32 points in the Nuggets’ 117-110 victory at the New York Knicks on Sunday, had only half that total with 16 points on 4-for-17 shooting from the field.
Soulja Boy: Her Booty Got Swag
Soulja Boy “Her Booty Got Swag” is a song that I assume is new, and I started laughing in appreciation of it just 15 or 20 seconds into the track. It’s hard to explain the amusement I get from this. It’s like enjoying a TV show that you know is total garbage, yet something about it hits you in just the right spot that gets you to keep watching. Hit the play (triangle) button below.
Steve Nash has back spasms
The AP reports: Former MVP Steve Nash left the Phoenix Suns’ game against Oklahoma City in the first quarter Monday night with back spasms and was not expected to return.
InsideHoops.com editor says: I’m still annoyed I didn’t go earlier to Nash’s soccer game in an NYC park last year. I saw some of it, but from a lousy angle. Now, what does that have to do with Nash having back spasms? Absolutely nothing. Hope those clear up.
Players of Week: LeBron, Kobe
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Dec. 22, through Sunday, Dec. 28.
James guided the Cavaliers to a 3-0 mark, with home wins over the Rockets, Wizards and Heat, improving Cleveland’s mark at Quicken Loans Arena to 16-0, tops in the NBA. He averaged 26.0 points on 53 percent shooting, while adding 6.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists, as Cleveland improved to 26-4, the best start in franchise history. He finished with 27 points, including 19 in the second half, as Cleveland rallied to defeat Houston. He tallied 11 fourth-quarter points and finished with 33 points and nine assists in a comeback win over Miami.
Bryant led the Lakers to a 4-0 week, averaging 30.0 points on 54 percent shooting, to go with 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He tallied a game-high 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists, as the Lakers defeated Boston on Christmas Day, 92-83, snapping the Celtics’ 19-game winning streak. He capped off the week going 10-for-10 from the free throw line en route to scoring 31 points in a 130-113 victory over Golden State.
Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Miami’s Dwyane Wade, Orlando’s Rashard Lewis, Cleveland’s Mo Williams, Charlotte’s Gerald Wallace, Atlanta’s Joe Johnson, Detroit’s Rodney Stuckey, Houston’s Yao Ming, Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant, San Antonio’s Tony Parker and Toronto’s Jermaine O’Neal.
Hornets struggling
The New Orleans Times-Picayune (John DeShazier) reports (via blog) on the current state of the Hornets: Getting steamrolled by the better teams isn’t earning the team any brownie points on the national scene. It’s not doing much for their image locally, either, because the folks in New Orleans are the ones who bought the season tickets with the expectation that their team would be among the elite and would challenge the Lakers for Western Conference supremacy. Their record says they are. Only the Lakers, at 25-5, have fewer losses in the West and for that, the Hornets are to be commended. The schedule is about to get particularly difficult, with consecutive road games against Portland, Denver, the Lakers and Utah following Tuesday’s game against Washington in New Orleans Arena. Those four games will be two back to backs, with the Portland-Denver and Lakers-Utah games separated by a two-day break. But the Hornets, with a 2-2 split on the trip, still could walk out of that blender in relatively decent shape.
Nets assign Sean Williams to D-League
New Jersey Nets forward Sean Williams was assigned to the Colorado 14ers, the Nets’ NBA Development League affiliate, it was announced today. Williams is the 15th NBA player to be assigned to his NBA D-League affiliate this season and joins Sonny Weems and Cheikh Samb, both currently on assignment from the Denver Nuggets, on the 14ers roster.
Drafted by the Nets with the 17th overall selection in the 2007 NBA Draft, Williams has appeared in 16 games for New Jersey this season, averaging 1.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 11.1 minutes. Williams appeared in 73 games for the Nets last season, 29 as a starter, and averaged 5.6 points and 4.4 rebounds.
Williams, 6-10, was a three-year contributor at Boston College where he averaged 5.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in 69 career games. During his senior season, Williams averaged 12.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.0 blocks in 15 games.
Williams is expected to join the 14ers tomorrow and be available when the team hosts the Fort Wayne Mad Ants at the Broomfield Event Center. Tip off is set for 9 p.m. ET.
Ricky Davis suspended 5 games
The NBA announced today that Los Angeles Clippers guard/forward Ricky Davis has been suspended without pay for five games for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program. Davis’ suspension will begin with tomorrow night’s game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Sacramento Kings.
Davis is playing 21.3 minutes per game this season, but doing very little: shooting 27.2% from the field for 4.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.