That’s what we should be expecting from Ray Allen as the sixth man. Five 3-pointers, four steals and 19 points in 33 minutes. Avery Bradley (4 PTS in 29 minutes) is starting mostly for defensive purposes, and Paul Pierce (24) is the main scoring option. Kevin Garnett (15 PTS, 7 REB) got a lot of support from Greg Stiemsma (10 PTS, 9 REB, 5 BLK) up front. Many of the Pacers played just as well as they had in upsetting
NEWS Cavalier guard Anthony Parker will miss the next two games with a bruised sternum. Derrick Rose will miss his twelfth straight game with a groin injury. The Chicago Bulls have signed Mike James for the remainder of the season. Magic coach, Stan Van Gundy, says that Dwight Howard has asked that he be fired. NOTES LeBron James was flattered that Shaquille O’Neal said he’s his choice at this point for MVP. “It’s great, James said. “He’s a former MVP, a champion, a teammate of mine (with
NEW YORK — Last night in Orlando, the Knicks utilized a balanced attack to defeat the Magic, 96-80. The victory giave them a record of 28-27 on the season and improved their lead over the Milwaukee Bucks to 1 1/2 games for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Prior to the game, Stan Van Gundy offered this, “You don’t want to face the Knicks in the playoffs because Carmelo scares the hell out of you.” (And yes, he
NOTES The Eastern Conference’s two best teams since the All-Star break go head-to-head tonight when the Chicago Bulls host the Boston Celtics (TNT, 7 p.m. ET). Only the San Antonio Spurs (14-4, .778) have a better winning percentage than the Bulls (15-5, .750) and Celtics (15-6, .714) in the second half. The league-leading Bulls (42-13, .764) have had success despite reigning MVP Derrick Rose missing significant time due to injuries. According to NBA.com, Chicago has been without Rose for 21 games this season, including
For the second straight game, LeBron James carried his team, with 34 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds, four steals and a refusal to lose. Dwayne Wade did play, but had “only” 19 with 5 TO, while Chris Bosh (12) was quiet again. The Heat overcame 30 from Kevin Durant and 28 from Russell Westbrook by effectively shutting down everyone else. This game was rough and intense; if it really was a Finals preview, I can’t wait. In Other Games IND @ WAS:
NEWS/NOTES: Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks is likely to miss the remainder of the season with a torn meniscus in his left knee. Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose missed his 10th consecutive game Sunday afternoon because of a groin injury. He remains unsure of when he’ll return to the floor, but he doesn’t expect to miss the remainder of the regular season. Rose, the NBA’s reigning MVP, injured his groin in a March 12 game against the New York
This week, there was a groundswell for Kevin Love’s inclusion in the MVP conversation. Thanks for joining us in 2012, folks. Love should should have been in it months ago. We know all the names that already comprised the conversation – LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul – with Tony Parker and Dwight Howard on the periphery. Those six candidates differ from Love in two ways. 1. They all play on winning teams. 2. This season, they all couldn’t wash Love’s socks. Yes,
Jody Genessy: Denver guard Arron Afflalo has been suspended one game for throwing an elbow at Gordon Hayward’s face in Friday’s blowout. Twitter Brian Schmitz: Magic PF Glen Davis says team needs to have a “Jedi force” to carry it rest of season. Nice to know Star Wars hasn’t jumped the shark. Twitter “(I’m feeling) way better,” Rose said. “(When the injury occurred) I was actually bleeding, my groin was bleeding, but now it’s healed. It’s just scar tissue and it’s pretty hard trying to get that