NBA Capsules: Haywood leads Mavericks past Pacers 91-82
DALLAS — Brendan Haywood came to Dallas to ease the burden on Erick Dampier's balky left knee. Turns out a dislocated finger is giving the newest Mavericks player in the middle a chance to shine.
Haywood tied his career high with 20 rebounds — most of them uncontested while he controlled the lane on defense — and the Mavericks improved to 4-0 with him as their starting center in a 91-82 victory against the Indiana Pacers on Monday night.
The 7-footer became a starter when Dampier injured his finger the first game after Haywood, Caron Butler and DeShawn Stevenson were acquired from Washington on Feb. 13. He scored 13 points for his second straight double-double and added three blocks to anchor a defense that was struggling before the deal.
The Mavericks, whose four-game winning streak is their longest in two months, have held all five opponents since the trade to less than 100 points after the previous eight broke that mark.
"Both teams didn't shoot well, so I had a lot of opportunities to get some rebounds," said Haywood, who had 20 rebounds Jan. 15 at Chicago when he was still with the Wizards. "I was trying to attack the boards and be aggressive."
Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 23 points.
Playing his second straight game in his native Texas, T.J. Ford led the Pacers with 14 points.
Indiana played without Danny Granger, making it consecutive games that the Dallas opponent was missing its leading scorer. Granger didn't play for unspecified personal reasons after Dwyane Wade sat out Miami's loss in Dallas on Saturday night.
"Granger obviously is their go-to guy and he always makes big shots, so we definitely caught a break that he wasn't here," Nowitzki said.
Without Granger, the Pacers shot 26 percent in the first quarter and 37 percent for the game. Despite plenty of open 3-pointers, Indiana shot a season-low 13 percent (3 of 23) from beyond the arc.
"Got to make some shots to win in this league," Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said. "We missed 27 open looks, and that was the difference in the game."
Still, Indiana was down just eight in the third quarter before Jason Kidd had two of his seven assists and the punctuating 3-pointer on an 11-3 run that put the Mavericks ahead 64-48. Their lead was never less than nine after that.
Dallas wasn't much better from the field, though. The Mavericks shot 39 percent, winning for just the fifth time this season when shooting less than 40 percent.
"We played a sloppy game," said Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, whose team faces the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. "The ball movement wasn't crisp, and we had questionable shot selection. Defensively, we had too many breakdowns. We have to get better."
Haywood was the exception. He had nine rebounds in the game's first nine minutes, and his 10th was an emphatic put-back dunk in the closing seconds of the first half. During the key third-quarter run, he had four points, a rebound and a block.
"The guy has rejuvenated himself," Jason Terry said. "It's funny. When you're on a losing team, people don't see what kind of talent you have. Now that he's with us, he's able to showcase his skills."
Coming off a 23-point night during a win in his hometown of Houston, Ford played despite a sore groin and kept the Pacers close in the first half. He led all first-half scorers with 10 points. He used his quickness to draw fouls, converting a three-point play and going 6 of 7 from the line.
NOTES: Terry made his first shot and finished 5 of 10 with 14 points after missing all 10 shots in Saturday night's win against Miami. ... Kidd went without a steal and remained sixth on the career list with 2,306, one behind Scottie Pippen. ... It was the third Dallas victory this season in which the game was never tied and the Mavericks never trailed. ... Dallas swept the two-game season series with Indiana, which is 1-8 against Southwest Division teams.
Spurs' Parker listed as day-to-day with hip injury
SAN ANTONIO — Spurs guard Tony Parker has a mild strain of his left hip flexor and is listed as day-to-day.
Team physicians made the diagnosis Monday after an MRI. Parker missed Sunday night's 109-101 overtime loss at Detroit after scoring just two points on 1-of-9 shooting Friday night at Philadelphia.
The 27-year-old Parker leads the Spurs in assists and is second in scoring.
The Spurs return to play Wednesday night against Oklahoma City, their first home game since Jan. 31.
Knicks celebrate 40th anniversary of title team
NEW YORK — Knicks fans might have thought everything was going to be OK when Willis Reed came out of the tunnel for Game 7 of the 1970 NBA finals.
Reed had something entirely different on his mind.
"It's a hell of a predicament to be in. You're going to try to play Wilt Chamberlain, who's the greatest offensive big man to ever play the game, only guy to average 50 points, only ever to score 100 points in a game ... and I've got to try to do it on one leg," Reed recalled Monday night. "This is not the way you want to be playing a championship game. But it worked out."
It sure did. Reed shook off a leg injury to make two jumpers to start the game, and the Knicks went out to beat the Los Angeles Lakers to win the title.
Reed made the walk onto the Madison Square Garden floor again Monday when the Knicks celebrated the 40th anniversary of their first championship team at halftime of their game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The players and members of the families of those who had died walked out on a red carpet — Reed was last, of course — in jackets with their numbers on the sleeves and posed for pictures in front of the NBA championship trophy the core of that team won twice.
"The memories abound and astound," Hall of Fame guard and current TV analyst Walt Frazier said in addressing the crowd.
Nine members of the team were back for a dinner Sunday night and the celebration Monday. It was one of the few get-togethers for a team that is fondly remembered in New York, even more so now since the Knicks haven't won another since 1973.
"Across the court, you had Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman wanting to be there because they wanted to see the games, and you had a few other people wanting to be there because they wanted to be seen being there," Bill Bradley said. "Then you knew that there was something going on here."
The Knicks thought they had a championship team after they were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in 1969, especially since they'd have a full season with forward Dave DeBusschere, acquired the season before. They seemed right early on, rolling to a 23-1 start that is the best ever for a team before its second loss.
But it didn't look good in the series against the powerful Lakers after Reed, the MVP of the league, went down with an injured hip and thigh early in Game 5. The Knicks rallied from a halftime deficit — being 40 years later, there's a difference in memory of what it was. Reed said nearly 20 points, Bradley guessed about 10. It was actually 13 — to win the game before dropping Game 6 without Reed.
His status was unknown before Game 7, though Reed said he knew he would try to play. Reserve Cazzie Russell, who was kneed in Game 6 and didn't come out with his teammates before the finale while getting treatment, remembers the roar of the Garden crowd when he came out, then a groan when the fans realized he wasn't Reed.
"He's not who we're looking for," Russell said. "We're looking for the Captain."
Reed eventually made it out, and the Knicks won big behind Frazier's 36 points and 19 assists. Bradley recalled the game as an "iconic moment in American sports and one of the one or two biggest moments in New York sports history."
Frazier recalled looking toward the other end of the court after Reed's entrance and seeing Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Jerry West "mesmerized by his presence."
"I say to myself, 'We got these guys,'" Frazier said. "I started to believe I could do anything and almost did."
Reed said he's often asked about that night by fans, and hopes he and his teammates will be able to talk about old memories again soon.
"I'm hoping all of us will still be around when we get to 50," he said.
-- Brian Mahoney
Blazers struggling to find way in tough West
PORTLAND, Ore. — After seeing a 25-point lead evaporate, two days removed from a 20-point rout, Nate McMillan was rightfully angry.
Portland's coach has guided his team through a minefield of injuries and changes this season to where sitting eighth in the Western Conference with 23 games remaining isn't necessarily a bad position.
But when his team fails to capitalize on a chance to strengthen its position in the loaded West, like Sunday night when Portland blew a 25-point lead in a loss to Utah, that's when the veteran coach lets his disappointment surface.
"If we are serious about making a run, we've got to act like it and we've got to play like it," McMillan said after the 93-89 overtime loss to the Jazz. "... The moves we've made and having guys back, if we're serious about making a run down this stretch, that's got to show."
There are plenty of built-in excuses for the Blazers' inconsistent play. Injuries are the most prevalent obstacle. Centers Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla are done for the season. All-Star Brandon Roy missed 12 games with a gimpy hamstring that's still not healthy. Promising young forward Nicolas Batum was out for 45 games with a shoulder injury.
But it was only a month ago that Portland matched its high mark of being nine games above .500 and was holding a solid spot in the Western Conference. Since that Jan. 23 win in Detroit, the Blazers have dropped eight of 13, capped by two brutal post-All-Star break setbacks. First was Friday's 20-point rout by Boston. Then came Sunday's loss, where Portland led 64-39 midway through the third quarter before the Jazz rallied for the stunning win.
"They just outfought us down the stretch of the game," Roy said. "If we want to get into the playoffs we've got to do better."
Portland went out at the trade deadline and addressed its most glaring need by acquiring center Marcus Camby to solidify a middle that was decimated by the left knee injury to Oden, followed by a right knee injury to Przybilla that had veteran Juwan Howard trying to hold down the post almost alone.
There is no set time to the acclimation process for Camby to gel with his new team and the offensive and defensive systems McMillan likes to run. Some veterans say it can take upward of five games for a new player to start fitting in following a trade.
Throw in Roy returning this week after missing a few weeks and McMillan said it was essentially a new unit trying to figure out how to play off each other.
"There is no set number of games. We're left with the situation of that group being out there and having to find the chemistry and learn to play off each other and learn tendencies on the court together," McMillan said.
For 2 1/2 quarters Sunday night it appeared seamless. Camby was an influence that seemed to fit with the Blazers, providing rebounding, and was a shot-altering presence in the middle on defense.
But the late collapse only added more questions for McMillan and his players to answer about the state of the team with two months remaining in the regular season.
Portland can answer some of its questions in the next two weeks. The Blazers start a five-game road trip on Tuesday in New Jersey, but have a better record than eight of their next 10 opponents — road games at Toronto and Denver the only exceptions.
"It real tough when you look around and see the teams around us like Houston and San Antonio losing ... and we come out here and lose, that's a lost opportunity," Camby said. "Now we have to find a way to sum up some energy and win on the road."
-- Tim Booth
Collison's rise keeping Hornets alive, for now
NEW ORLEANS — The plan called for first-round draft pick Darren Collison to spend his rookie season learning the NBA in a backup role behind Chris Paul.
The harsh reality is New Orleans will miss the playoffs if Collison is unable to produce in Paul-like fashion while the Hornets' three-time All-Star remains sidelined with a left knee injury.
Judging by the rookie's recent starts, the postseason may still be within New Orleans' reach in a couple of weeks, when Paul is expected to return from arthroscopic surgery he had on Feb. 4 for a meniscus tear.
Collison has averaged 23.6 points and 8.7 assists in his last six games, during which the Hornets have gone 4-2 and moved one game behind Portland for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference — and two games behind San Antonio for seventh.
"Whether they make the playoffs or don't make the playoffs, I think they had a heck of a draft," said Pacers coach Jim O'Brien, whose team lost to the Hornets last week when Collison recorded his first career triple-double. "Any time you have somebody out at the level of a Chris Paul and you're able to still maintain a certain level, I think it's a credit to their coaches and certainly a credit to the guy that's filling in."
Paul, who has played in 38 of the Hornets' 56 games this season, has averaged 20.4 points and 11.2 assists.
During New Orleans' last 10 games, Paul has been on the sideline in a suit, acting like Collison's personal coach. Paul is constantly in Collison's ear when the rookie comes to the bench.
"Sometimes I actually expect him to tell me to shut up or leave him alone, but he never does that," Paul said Monday before the Hornets left for a Tuesday night game at Cleveland. "He knows how badly I want to play and right now I'm sort of playing through him. So when I see him getting and-ones and make nice moves, that's why I'm off the bench and going nuts."
Collison, an agile ball-handler with exceptional quickness, has strung together a slew of highlight-worthy plays lately — everything from blow-by lay-ups to tough running floaters off the glass, breakaway dunks, clutch 3s and pinpoint alley-oop lobs.
"What I like about DC is, when he makes a mistake, he makes it at full speed. But that's exactly how he does damage, at full speed, shooting and getting the ball to the open man," Paul said. "I love it."
Collison was drafted 21st overall last summer after spending four years at UCLA and helping the Bruins reach three NCAA Final Fours. Hornets coach and general manager Jeff Bower said he was counting on Collison's maturity to help him be a quick study and reliable fill-in in his rookie season.
"The position calls for a lot of responsibility and what we've tried to emphasize is what the point guard position needs to do. Not what Darren needs to do," Bower said. "We didn't have a number placed on what his points would be or what his shooting would be. ... His numbers are a byproduct of his nature and his aggressiveness."
Collison said he never expected to play as much as he has, but wasn't about to shy away from the early chance to make his mark.
"This is the NBA; everybody gets hurt and somebody's got to step up and play that role," Collison said. "I'm just trying to take full advantage."
Collison said he considers himself and student of the game and worked hard at making the advice Paul gives him translate on the court.
"He's telling me who to hit, who to give the ball to at certain times," Collison said. "So it's like he's playing out there on the court and I'm just obeying what he's telling me to do, just listening, because I know at the end it's going to help us out."
Collison remains prone to rookie mistakes. He's turned the ball over 13 times in his last two games. Yet the Hornets seem willing to live with that, given how aggressively he plays.
In a victory over Houston on Sunday night, Collison had 26 points and nine assists. He turned the ball over five times, but compensated somewhat with four steals.
"He's fearless from what I've seen," Houston coach Rick Adelman said. "There's games where he's had a lot of turnovers and it doesn't phase him. He just keeps coming at you."
The Hornets have a difficult stretch of games coming up. Four of the next five teams they play — Cleveland, Orlando, Dallas and San Antonio — all currently occupy playoff spots.
It means more pressure on Collison, who doesn't seem to mind.
"Granted, Chris being out, I still feel like we've got pieces to win games," Collison said. "It would be nice if we got to the playoffs and Chris comes back. I think we definitely could make a push."
-- Brett Martel
Brown expects to start Jamison on Tuesday
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Cavaliers coach Mike Brown and general manager Danny Ferry were adamant that the addition of Antawn Jamison would be seamless.
It seems Cleveland has hit a stitch.
The Cavaliers have lost all three games they've played since trading center Zydrunas Ilgauskas to Washington for Jamison as part of a three-team deal. It's the first time Cleveland has lost three straight since 2008 and it follows a 13-game winning streak, which was tops in the league this season and tied the franchise record.
"Anytime you make a trade, it's going to take you a little bit to get used to it and get a rhythm," Brown said on Monday. "Particularly if the head coach is searching, the players are going to feed off that. I'm in search mode a little bit."
Brown eased Jamison into the rotation by bringing him off the bench the first two games. Now he is leaning toward starting the two-time All-Star Tuesday against New Orleans.
Jamison started the second half of Cleveland's 101-95 loss to Orlando on Sunday, finishing with 19 points and eight rebounds. He is still adjusting to the Cavaliers' after a dreary stay in Washington, where Gilbert Arenas' suspension and the constant losing wore down the spirit of the team.
"When you come from a losing team, something wasn't right," he said. "You have to erase all of that and start over from scratch. There are some bad habits I incorporated. What I've known for the last 50-some games, you have to throw it out the window and get accustomed to what we do here."
Jamison played well Sunday with starters LeBron James, Mo Williams, Shaquille O'Neal and Anthony Parker. Brown said he likes Jamison's ability to score and make the game easier for those around him.
"If I can play the bulk of those guys together at the start and end of games," Brown said, "then it makes sense to make the change."
Cleveland's struggles are similar to the start of this season, when the Cavs started 3-3 while new additions like O'Neal, Parker and Jamario Moon were finding their way. The Cavaliers eventually got it right, racing out to the league's best record at the All-Star break. Brown believes the Cavaliers are close to breaking out again.
"Every game, I've felt more comfortable," he said. "The bright spot is I can walk away from that game saying, 'OK, I like the way we're heading, we're going to get this thing going so we have a nice chance at the end (of the season).'"
Brown has been most irritated with Cleveland's defensive play, or lack of it, over the past few weeks. The Cavs have allowed an opponent to score at least 100 points in 17 games this year. Five of those have come in the last six games.
"The physicalness is not quite there. We haven't made our opponents feel us like we were doing early in the season," Brown said. "We can't have the mindset that we're going to outscore our opponents. If we do, then it could be a short season. For anybody, it would be a short season. Teams that do that don't win."
Source: NBA will not block Z's returning to Cleveland
NEW YORK — An official within the league told The Associated Press on Monday the NBA has not threatened to stop a potential reunion between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
The Cavaliers traded their longtime center to Washington last week in the three-team deal that brought Antawn Jamison to Cleveland. The Wizards may decide to buy out Ilgauskas, allowing him to become a free agent.
The Los Angeles Times quoted an unnamed source Sunday saying the NBA had told other teams it wouldn't let Ilgauskas go back to the Cavs. However, the official told the AP the league would only step in if there was proof of an agreement before the trade was completed.
The person was granted anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly about the Ilgauskas situation. A message was left with Ilgauskas' agent seeking comment.
If a buyout is reached with the Wizards, Ilgauskas would be placed on waivers. No team is far enough under the salary cap to absorb his $11.5 million salary for this season, so he would become a free agent eligible to join any team for a pro-rated share of the veteran's minimum.
NBA rules allow a player being traded and then waived to rejoin his old team after 30 days, as long as that wasn't planned before the deal was completed. Last season, Antonio McDyess went back to Detroit after the Pistons dealt him to Denver along with Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson, and players such as Brent Barry (San Antonio) and Gary Payton (Boston) have also gone back to clubs that dealt them in recent seasons.
Though he lost his starting job this season after the Cavs traded for Shaquille O'Neal, a return to the Cavs could be attractive for Ilgauskas. He's spent his whole career in Cleveland after he was drafted in 1996, and the Cavaliers are one of the favorites to win the championship this season.
-- Brian Mahoney
Pierce questionable for Knicks game with bad thumb
BOSTON — Celtics forward Paul Pierce could miss Boston's game against the New York Knicks because of a sore right thumb, a hiatus that could help him heal in time for this week's matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"It's pretty banged up right now," Pierce said Monday night before the Boston premiere of the HBO documentary, "Magic and Bird, A Courtship of Rivals."
"We're talking about taking a few days off to get it back," Pierce said. "It's definitely something that's been affecting me the last few days. If it feels how it feels right now, I probably won't" play against the Knicks on Tuesday night.
Pierce injured the thumb Thursday against the Los Angeles Lakers, and on Friday and Sunday against Portland and Denver he went a combined 5 for 19 from the floor. The Celtics have a day off between the Knicks and Cavaliers, so Pierce would have three full days to rest before LeBron James comes to town.
The Celtics invited a few hundred fans to the Boston Garden on Monday night for a showing of the movie that chronicled the rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. A giant video screen was hung across one of the foul lines, and the Celtics' championship banners from the Bird era were lowered just above it.
Also at the movie were new Celtics Nate Robinson and Marcus Landry, who were acquired at the trading deadline. Robinson and Landry got a welcoming round of applause when they were introduced, and Pierce addressed the crowd briefly before the movie.
Ross Greenburg, the president of HBO sports, set the mood when he asked the fans for a "Beat L.A!" chant.
-- Jimmy Golen
Kings forward Nocioni pleads no contest to DUI
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento Kings forward Andres Nocioni has pleaded no contest to drunken driving and will serve two days of community service.
Attorney William Portanova entered the misdemeanor plea Monday in Sacramento County Superior Court on behalf of Nocioni, who was not present.
Nocioni was arrested about 2 a.m. Nov. 5 when a police officer noticed his car weaving in downtown Sacramento, hours after the Kings had lost a home game to the Atlanta Hawks.
Portanova says his client wants to "take his medicine and move on."
As part of his sentence, Nocioni will serve two days in a work program operated by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department. He also must complete a three-month alcohol class, pay a $480 fine and court penalties and serve three years' probation.
Nash to sit out Suns game at Oklahoma City
PHOENIX — Steve Nash didn't make the Phoenix Suns' trip to Oklahoma City in order to rest his sore lower back and abdomen.
The two-time league MVP has been bothered by the pain in recent games, so coach Alvin Gentry said it was an easy decision to keep Nash out of Tuesday night's game against the Thunder.
Otherwise, Gentry said, the Suns risk losing Nash for a more extended period of time.
Gentry says Nash played with a lot of pain in Phoenix's 104-88 home win over Sacramento on Sunday night, although the 36-year-old point guard did have 17 assists. It will be the first game Nash has missed this season.
Second-year pro Goran Dragic will start in his place.
76ers G Iverson out indefinitely
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson has left the team and is out indefinitely to spend time with his ill daughter.
Iverson will miss at least the remaining three games of Philadelphia's road trip. Iverson missed five games and the All-Star game to be with his family when the health issue surfaced earlier this month
Iverson has not disclosed what is ailing his 4-year-old daughter, Messiah.
Sixers president Ed Stefanski says it was in the best interest of the team and Iverson to allow him time with his family to deal with a "very serious issue."
Oklahoma City signs free agent guard Anderson
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed free agent guard Antonio Anderson to a 10-day contract and waived forward Matt Harpring.
Thunder General Manager Sam Presti announced the moves Monday. Anderson has been with the NBA Development League's Rio Valley Grande Vipers where he averaged 15.5 points, 4 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.3 steals in 32 games.
Anderson is a 6-foot-6 guard who was undrafted out of Memphis in 2009. He went to training camp with the Charlotte Bobcats and appeared in five games before being waived Oct. 22.
Wizards F Josh Howard out with strained knee
WASHINGTON — Wizards forward Josh Howard has strained his left knee in a game against the Chicago Bulls and won't return.
Howard, acquired from Dallas on Feb. 13 in a seven-player trade, was playing in his fourth game with Washington.
He collided with Chicago's Flip Murray while trying to catch an outlet pass under Washington's basket with 4:23 to play in the first quarter Monday night. Howard fell on the floor, stayed there for a minute and was helped up as he clutched his left knee. Two trainers assisted him off the floor.
Howard had seven points when he was injured.
Pacers' Granger out for personal reasons in Dallas
DALLAS — Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger will miss Monday night's game at Dallas for unspecified personal reasons.
Granger's absence came two nights after he scored a season-high 36 points in a 125-115 victory at Houston. He also had seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Granger was out a month earlier this season with a heel injury.
T.J. Ford was a game-time decision with a sore groin after scoring 23 points to help knock off the Rockets in his hometown of Houston. Ford led the Texas Longhorns to the 2003 Final Four.
Jazz stars Williams, Kirilenko out
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz are playing without All-Star Deron Williams and forward Andrei Kirilenko against the Atlanta Hawks.
Williams sat out Monday night with a bruised right quad and Kirilenko had back spasms.
Williams briefly left Sunday's game at Portland with a leg injury, but returned to help the Jazz win 93-89. Williams, who averages 18.3 points and 9.9 assists, missed two games in January with a sprained wrist and three games for personal reasons. The Jazz are 3-2 in games without their starting point guard.
Kirilenko left the game against the Trail Blazers in the first quarter with back pain. He has sat out six games this season with the ailment, most recently in early December.
Wolves to cut '10-11 season ticket costs in March
MINNEAPOLIS — The struggling Minnesota Timberwolves don't want to lose any more support.
During the month of March, the Wolves will cut their 2010-11 season ticket prices by up to 50 percent in the arena's lower level.
President of basketball operations David Kahn also wrote a letter to fans, seeking their support. The team printed it as part of a full-page ad on the back of the sports section in Monday's Star Tribune newspaper.
The Wolves have lost six straight games to fall to 13-44, the second-worst record in the NBA.
