The Clippers have long been the laughingstocks of the NBA, save for one season when Sam Cassell was running the show back in 2006 – the last time the team sniffed a winning record in the past 19 years and only the second time they made the playoffs in that stretch. Through its first 42 years as a franchise, the team has yet to even win a division title. The Los Angeles Clippers (32-21) look to finally change these fortunes behind MVP
You have to admire the Rockets. They came out fast, then had a horrible second quarter and could easily have given up. Instead, they won the second half by 17 points behind the unlikely Big Three of Goran Dragic (21), Luis Scola (18) and Marcus Camby (12 PTS, 11 REB.) Chicago, which hadn’t lost two in a row all season, got 24 from Luol Deng and 16 from Carlos Boozer, but their guards were disappointing. Richard Hamilton played 20 minutes
You won’t read this sentence too many times: The Oklahoma City Thunder lost at home, and so did the Chicago Bulls. And you haven’t read this sentence in more than a year: The Bulls have now lost consecutive games. While Kentucky predictably won the NCAA championship Monday night, it was a different story in the NBA. The two best teams lost, both at home, and the playoff races got even tighter. Fasten your seat belts, because this is shaping up as a wild
The Wizards ended a nine-game streak in which they allowed less than 100 points, however they have only gone 2-7 during that stretch. Brandon Jennings had 19 points and 7 assists. Jordan Crawford lead the Wizards with 23 points. Kyle Lowry missed his 14th straight game, and Kevin Martin missed his 12th straight for the Rockets. The Bulls went 13-3 in March, but are now 0-2 in April. The Rockets are 20-8 at home this season, and 9-17 on the road. Carlos Boozer had 16 points,
All the drama surrounding Vinny Del Negro’s coaching situation evaporated during a five-game homestand that saw the Los Angeles Clippers win all five games. However, most of the team’s struggles have come on the road, where they have dropped five of their last six games. Things won’t get any easier for the Clippers, who play nine of their remaining 14 games away from the Staples Center. Seven of those contests are against teams with a winning record. Chris Paul and the Clippers hope
When Jeremy Lin sat out a playoff-implication game against Milwaukee due to a sore left knee on Monday, the absence was expected. When he sat out again two days later against Orlando, there was cause for concern. As teammates said, Lin is not the type of player to sit out games unless it was something serious. After avoiding the media prior to the game against the Hawks on Friday, it became clear something was amiss. Then suddenly, at least for now, the sensation
Things have officially gone wild in the Wild Wild West. Over the past five seasons, at least one team with a winning record has failed to make the playoffs in the Western Conference as the competition has always been fierce and close until the final day of the season. It may never have been this close, however. Currently, 1 1/2 games separate the fourth seed and the ninth seed. Two teams — the Clippers and the Mavericks — are tied for the fourth seed
The 2011-12 NBA season not only will be labeled as lockout-shortened, but as a season in which injuries destroyed many teams—fantasy teams, that is. The first significant injury (Brook Lopez) was sustained before the season commenced. Since games tipped off Christmas Day, the list of impact fantasy players missing at least 20 percent of their team’s games due to injury has been epidemic, frustrating helpless fantasy owners to no end and reducing their chances of finishing “in the money.” By my count, 15