When Josh Smith is in the right frame of mind, meaning attack the basket and not settling for perimeter shots, the Atlanta Hawks are a difficult team to beat. In fact, when Smith scores at least 20 points, the team is undefeated. They improved to 11-0 in such situations as Smith scored 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder — the team with the NBA’s best record coming into the game — 97-90 Saturday night. It was an
Insiders say that David Stern is planning to tell NBA owners at their April Board of Governors meeting that he’s good for two more seasons, and that he’ll step down as commissioner then. “At one point, he had talked about doing it for one more season, but it looks now like two more,” said a league source. New York Daily News Josh Robbins: Dwight Howard did acknowledge his whole situation has worn on him. Tough to block it out even during games, he said. Twitter But
While the swirl around Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo has calmed down to something less than a tornado, it is picking up elsewhere, specifically around the Portland Trail Blazers. After a quick start that saw the Blazers win at Oklahoma City and briefly hold the best record in the Western Conference, Portland has fallen to 18-18 and is on the outside looking in at the playoff picture. The Blazers have movable parts – the expiring contracts of Raymond Felton ($7.5 million) and Marcus Camby
Adrian Wojnarowski: Atlanta had talks with Minnesota during draft on Josh Smith for No. 2 pick, but Hawks haven’t been aggressive in trying to trade Smith. Twitter Rajon Rondo might be leaving, too, with the Lakers and Utah seen as possible destinations. New York Daily News Adrian Wojnarowski: Atlanta did express an interest to Boston about Ray Allen or Kevin Garnett, but purely exploratory conversations, sources said. Twitter Gasol did acknowledge to ESPN.com that he has received a level of clarification about his status from Lakers general manager Mitch
Dwight Howard has asked the Orlando Magic for a lot, hasn’t he? Over the past couple of years, Howard has asked management to try to acquire a handful of players, including Monta Ellis and Deron Williams. During the preseason, he asked for a trade. Then he asked that any trade be limited to a handful of teams – the New Jersey Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks — that his agent was given permission to talk to. Now, Howard apparently again is
The only place Kevin Durant had never won in his career was the Amway Center. He can finally cross that off on his to-do list. The Thunder put an end to the long road drought — they hadn’t won in Orlando in eight years — by staging a big comeback behind Durant to win 105-102 and pushed their winning streak to seven games. Russell Westbrook went off for 29 points and 10 assists, only his second double-digit assist effort this season. Dwight Howard took
Marc Stein: Lamar Odom latest: Sources tell ESPN that Odom likely to play one game (Saturday) for Mavs’ D-League affiliate to “get his legs back” Twitter Do you think Boston and New Jersey would be enticed with this package: Rondo & O’neal to New Jersey, Gasol & Morris to Boston and D-Will to the Lakers? Steve Kyler: Maybe… I am not sure how to read the Deron Williams situation… I can tell you Dwight;s circle was not at all happy with D-Will this weekend
Kevin Durant has won in every building in the NBA in his career except one: the Amway Center. Durant and the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder (28-7) put their six-game winning streak on the line as they visit Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic (23-13) in Thursday’s best game, airing on TNT. The Thunder last won in Orlando in March 2004, when they were still wearing the Seattle Supersonics uniforms and Durant was 16 years old. Although you’d never guess after watching him put