It was mostly Dwight Howard, with 29 points and 18 rebounds, as the Magic won in Chicago. Jason Richardson added 18 (including four 3-pointers) before leaving with a sprained ankle. Orlando doesn’t play again until Sunday, giving him some time to recover. J.J. Redick would fill in if J-Rich can’t go. For the Bulls, Carlos Boozer had 26 but Derrick Rose shot 6-22 and Luol Deng was 1-9, then admitted the torn ligament in his left wrist might need some
The lowly Charlotte Hornets upset the Magic as Corey Maggette scored 29 points and teenager Bismack Biyombo, matched up against Dwight Howard, had 10 PTS, 15 REB and 7 BLK. Boris Diaw, who wants to be traded or released, was benched in favor of D.J. White. This is fantasy gold in some deep leagues. You can pick up White as a FA, then get Diaw ridiculously cheap and hope he ends up in a better situation. If you already own Boris,
Kobe Bryant, wearing a mask to protect his broken nose, had 31 PTS, 7 REB and 8 AST as the Lakers trounced Minnesota. We know that Mamba is also playing with a sore wrist and maybe even a mild concussion. He’s one of the few athletes in any sport who seems impervious to pain. Kevin Love did not play, due to sore ribs and the flu, so this one was no contest. Anthony Randolph got 19 minutes and played well;
You knew the Knicks weren’t going to go unbeaten forever with Jeremy Lin, right? If you knew they would lose at home to the Hornets, you should be wealthy. Lin poured in another 26 points, added 5 AST and 4 STL, but 9 TO is a problem. Let’s hope that one weak spot in his fantasy game improves when Carmelo Anthony returns, probably tomorrow. For New Orleans, Jarrett Jack made a quiet return, coming off the bench behind Greivis Vasquez,
BEIJING — As one CBA (collective bargaining agreement) goes down, another CBA (Chinese Basketball Association) is just getting ready to fire up. The Chinese season is scheduled to begin Nov. 19. The CBA is a little-known league for American readers, so I will provide you with a preseason power ranking. The defending champs, as always, are accorded the deserved honor of starting the new season atop any power rankings, apart from their new addition of Yi Jianlian. 1. Guangdong Southern Tigers Including Yi, the
By Chris Bernucca We all remember last year’s free agency extravapalooza – LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh heating up South Beach, Amar’e Stoudemire making the Knicks relevant, Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce making career commitments to their teams and Joe Johnson landing the biggest contract of them all. Next year could be a quality sequel, with a star-studded cast that includes Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Ray Allen, Jason Terry, possibly Jameer Nelson and Gerald Wallace, and oldies but goodies Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and Steve