Last June, the Dallas Mavericks were on top of the basketball world, while the Minnesota Timberwolves were at rock bottom. Less than eight months later, the teams are separated by two games in the standings, and it’s hard to tell which club is better. The Mavericks (15-11) and Wolves (13-13) meet for the third time this season in Friday’s best NBA game. Minnesota has won the first two, easily handling the defending champions. If the Wolves win again, they will be one
Lakers forward Pau Gasol received news right before the game that he was not selected for the All-Star Game. He let the Celtics know how he felt about the snub with 25 points, 14 rebounds and a game-saving block to help beat the Lakers escape Boston with an 88-87 overtime win. Kobe Bryant scored 27 points and made a handful of tough shots but was generally ineffective down the stretch. He missed a potential game-tying shot at the end of the fourth
The rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics doesn’t need any added incentive. But it may have some in Thursday night’s best NBA game. The first of two meetings between the greatest franchises in league history will be televised nationally at 8 p.m. ET by TNT, which has a one-hour pregame show that will reveal the reserves for the All-Star Game later this month. Both proud teams have former All-Stars who have taken a step back this season and may
First off, we are doing away with the Roman numerals, which only are used in copyright dates and Super Bowls. They can have ’em. Now back to business. Last week’s Bernucca List was first correctly answered by reader Matthew, who said the list was players who were parts of trades involving Shaquille O’Neal. He narrowly edged Sam Millner, preventing him from winning a second straight week. This week’s list is below. Whether you are a reader or a tweeter, send an answer.
It is very rare to see the Miami Heat lose. It is even more rare to hear Rich DeVos speak. Both happened last night in Orlando, where the Dwight Howard trade situation again took center stage in what has been a circus of a season for the Magic. In a nutshell, DeVos doesn’t want to trade Howard, and the Orlando owner revealed that he has told Howard the grass is not always greener on the other side — although he did not rule
Points will be at a premium in Wednesday’s best NBA game when the Philadelphia 76ers host the San Antonio Spurs, who are in the midst of club record-tying nine-game road trip. Philadelphia’s top-ranked defense is allowing just 86.6 points a game. The 76ers have won six of their past seven games, beating contenders Orlando, Chicago, Atlanta and most recently, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Sixers (18-7) are even better at holding onto the ball. With four turnovers against LA and only 42
The Thunder have found a knack for finishing off close games, as true championship contenders do, thanks to MVP candidate Kevin Durant. (Have you voted yet in that MVP poll to your right?) After winning a closely contested and controversial game one night earlier against the Trail Blazers, Durant scored 33 points for the second consecutive night and hit the game-winning bank shot with 14 seconds left against the Golden State Warriors in a wild game. Russell Westbrook also had a
When DeMarcus Cousins looks across the court Tuesday night, he will not see Kevin Love. That’s because Cousins has finally found a fellow player who controls his emotions worse than he does. Love is sidelined by a suspension, which means Cousins could have a big game when the Sacramento Kings visit the Minnesota Timberwolves in Tuesday’s best NBA game. Both Love and Cousins showed their frustration in recent games. However, it was Cousins who kept his emotions in check, while Love lost