All it took was for me to speculate here that something “must be wrong” with Monta Ellis, and he finally had a huge night — 33 points and 8 assists — to lead the Bucks to a much-needed win. Brandon Jennings added 18 and Drew Gooden (16 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST) was solid. Ekpe Udoh played well in place of Ersan Ilyasova, who sat out with back spasms. For Atlanta, Josh Smith stuffed the scoresheet with 30 PTS, 18
Everything is back to normal in the Western Conference: Kobe Bryant is hitting late daggers for the Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs are putting upstarts back in their place, the Oklahoma City Thunder are cruising, and the defending champion Dallas Mavericks are appearing title-worthy again. Well, not everything is hunky-dory. Andrew Bynum getting benched by coach Mike Brown for the final 9:10 means there is still a whiff of controversy in the stronger of the NBA’s two conferences. “I don’t know what was
LeBron James injured the ring finger on his left hand during Miami’s 105-90 loss at Indiana on Monday, according to league sources. ESPN.com The severity of the injury is not known at this point, but sources indicated the finger might be dislocated. The Heat did not practice Tuesday and had no comment on James’ injury. The injury, which is to James’ non-shooting hand, occurred in the first half and did not force James to leave the game. Instead, after having it taped by a
The Houston Rockets currently share an identical record with Utah and Denver. That will change tonight — as the other two teams have the night off — when the Rockets look to avenge their recent overtime loss against the well-rested Dallas Mavericks in Tuesday’s best game. The two teams faced off last Saturday in a game filled with playoff intensity. The game featured 15 ties, 17 lead changes and four stitches above the right eye of Dirk Nowitzki, but his team ultimately
OK, so maybe there is a sprinter on the Australian track and field team that is faster than Patrick Mills. Maybe. The speedster who spent two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers and the earlier part of this season in China and Australia was signed Tuesday by the San Antonio Spurs, the fourth addition they have made to their roster this month (Boris Diaw, Stephen Jackson, Justin Dentmon). Mills, a 6-0, 185-pound point guard out of St. Mary’s (CA), was drafted by Portland
MIAMI – Let’s put it out there. The last two nights, the Miami Heat has played like ass. “The last two games,” coach Erik Spoelstra allowed, using more intelligent language, “it’s been a struggle for us.” Miami lost at Oklahoma City, 103-87, on Sunday, and it lost at Indiana, 105-90, on Monday. Two losses in two nights by a total of 31 points. A big reason for the struggles has been the halfcourt offense, and that reflects poorly on the point guard play.
Jim Buss made an appearance in Los Angeles last week and apparently did not see his shadow because he said he will no longer play hide and seek. Which is good because now that he has ventured into the public, he can get himself familiar with the Thunder, Spurs, defending champions and … the potential shadow cast by Larry Brown? If only the basketball gods will cooperate. But first, let’s address Buss – a man who has been a shadowy figure, unwilling to
