NEWS The Celtics are playing without Rajon Rondo after he hurt his back in Boston’s game against New York the previous night Denver Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler needs surgery to repair a labral tear in his left hip and is done for the season. Baron Davis missed the Knicks’ game at New Jersey on Wednesday night because of a stomach virus and was replaced in the starting lineup by Mike Bibby. Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau says the team’s leading scorers Derrick Rose and
There are some automatic penalties in the NBA. For example, if you throw a punch at another player, you are suspended at least one game. And if you give someone a “Wet Willy,” you are fined $25,000. That is what Dallas Mavericks guard Delonte West did to Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward on Monday night, and NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson ruled on it Wednesday with a $25,000 fine, calling it a “physical taunt.” West was not suspended for the
MIAMI — Re-introduce yourself to the Miami Heat, still the NBA’s most hated team, but now they’re hated for a new reason – because it appears they don’t always play hard, because it seems as though they get bored, they coast. Somehow, this group, despite having the NBA’s third-best record at 37-14, is re-defining Heat Hate. Who knew there was an extra flavor of Haterade? “We’re a tale of two teams sometimes,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. And that’s exactly what makes people dislike
NEWS: Suns’ forward, Grant Hill, underwent a successful procedure to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. The Cavaliers have signed guard Lester Hudson to a 10-day contract. Celtics’ center, Jermaine O’Neal, underwent season ending surgery on his left wrist. NOTES: Los Angeles Clippers’ forward, Reggie Evans, was fined $25,00o for making an obscene gesture. RUMORS: The whispers, though, have already begun to spread on the coaching grapevine that Nate McMillan will emerge as a prime candidate to replace Van Gundy if this is it for SVG
Johnson, Durant Earn Weekly Honors The Atlanta Hawks’ Joe Johnson and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played March 19-25. Johnson led the Hawks to a 4-1 week with averages of 23.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists. Johnson hit game-tying three-pointers vs. Cleveland on March 21 and Utah on March 25, as well as the game-winning three-pointer at Washington on March 24. Durant’s 29.5 ppg
Mehmet Okur will soon be on the open market as he was released Wednesday by the Portland Trail Blazers, who signed J.J. Hickson. Okur was acquired last week in the deal that sent Gerald Wallace to the New Jersey Nets. He never took the court for Portland. Okur can be claimed on waivers, but the claiming team must honor his contract. If he clears waivers, he becomes a free agent. A 7-footer with 3-point range who can rebound a little, Okur would be
Edition 14 of The Bernucca List was first answered correctly by Doug, whose response was “active players who have led the league in personal fouls.” This week’s list can be found below. The idea is to figure out the common denominators among each player on the list. First correct answer gets a pop in next week’s list. As always, submit your answers via the comments or send me a Tweet. The Bernucca List Carlos Boozer Marc Gasol Manu Ginobili Rashard Lewis Mehmet Okur Michael Redd Mo Williams
Even if Dirk Nowitzki is feeling as good as he did against the Jazz on Saturday when he scored a season high 40 points in just under 29 minutes, defeating the best home team in the league will be a tall task for the Dallas Mavericks. Nowitzki and the Mavericks (22-16) visit Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder (29-8) for their final meeting this season in Monday night’s best game. The Thunder has won two of the three meetings this season