Kevin Love will be in the Three-Point Contest. The field was announced by the NBA on Wednesday, and Love is among the six gunslingers who will be hoisting on All-Star Saturday night Feb. 25. Known more for his rebounding, Love is shooting 36 percent (44-of-122) from 3-point range this season, slightly below his career mark. The All-Star forward of the Minnesota Timberwolves is participating for the first time. Also in the field are defending champion James Jones and Mario Chalmers of the Miami
Bernucca: Bulls banged up but not beaten down
Injuries may have finally caught up with the Chicago Bulls. But no one has caught up with them in the Eastern Conference. Late in Wednesday’s loss to Indiana – Chicago’s first at home this season – Derrick Rose turned on the afterburners, sped to the basket and whipped a bullet pass to the weakside corner for a potential go-ahead 3-pointer by his small forward. However, standing in the corner was not Luol Deng, who is out with a wrist injury. In his
Love, Gallinari get extensions in cautious market
Kevin Love got paid. So did Danilo Gallinari and Kosta Koufos – yes, Kosta Koufos – as the Nuggets dropped a cool $50 million. The rest of the 2008 draft class, including Eric Gordon, Brook Lopez and Nicolas Batum? Please take a number, young man. A dose of fiscal responsibility by owners – brought on by the new CBA – and a combination of trepidation and smarts by executives make it unlikely for most 2008 first-round picks to get some early financial
Melo makes a point (one) as Knicks end slide
// Louis Amundson, Jeff Pendergraph, Gana Diop, Bismack Biyombo, Dexter Pittman, Ed Davis, Gary Forbes, Robin Lopez, Sam Young, Luke Babbitt. No, it’s not another edition of The Bernucca List, because we’re going to give you the answer right away. Of the 115 players who took the floor in Tuesday’s five NBA games, those were the 10 who did not score. Those were also the same 10 who Carmelo Anthony managed to outscore. That’s Carmelo Anthony, fourth in the NBA in scoring at
Thunder’s 7th consecutive win is Boston’s 5th straight loss
One of these days, Kevin Durant will score 30 points again. It hasn’t happened in a while, but Durant doesn’t mind. One of these days, the Boston Celtics will win again. That also hasn’t happened in a while, but it will. Durant scored 28 points, his 10th consecutive sub-30 game, as the Oklahoma City Thunder handed the Boston Celtics their 5th straight loss – the longest losing streak since Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett have been teammates. Russell Westbrook scored 26
Kravitz: Fantasy Basketball Surprises after Week 3
To win your fantasy basketball league, or at least finish “in the money,” you must have a successful draft on a number of levels, including deciding when the right time is to select a particular player. Through the first eight rounds of a draft I tend to go for value picks, players who dropped lower than my projections dictate. In our 9-CAT league, which includes Assist/Turnover Ratio, point guards are valued at a premium. I projected Kyle Lowry as the #7
Gibson Column: Team USA’s “Other” Preliminary Roster
BARCELONA — Four days ago, this site was the first to publish Team USA’s preliminary roster, 19 names out of which Mike Krzyzewski is expected to whittle another Olympic champion. After winning golds at both the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2010 World Championships with entirely different dozens, I’m in no position to question how the Jerry Colangelo regime at USA Basketball does business. But the problem with these 19 is that they don’t leave you with much firepower for friendly argument. Sure,
Tonight’s best game: Chicago at Orlando
There are a dozen games on the slate Friday night, including the Mike D’Antoni Death Watch in Washington. However, the best of the bunch has the Chicago Bulls taking their five-game winning streak to Orlando, where their primary concern may not be Magic center Dwight Howard. Yes, Howard has been his usual monstrous self lately, ignoring the trade rumors to average 20 points, 18 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in his last five games. Right now, the best strategy appears is to