NBA Capsules: Mavericks beat Nets for 13th straight victory
Comments 0DALLAS — Top scorer Dirk Nowitzki was struggling, and the Dallas Mavericks needed points from other sources.
Jason Kidd, Caron Butler, rookie Roddy Beaubois and Shawn Marion picked up the slack.
Kidd had 20 points and nine assists, hitting 5 of 8 from 3-point range, and the Mavericks recovered from a lethargic start to match the NBA's longest winning streak this season with their 13th straight victory, 96-87 over the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday night.
Butler and Beaubois each added 16 points and Marion had 14 points and 13 rebounds, helping the Mavericks equal Cleveland's winning streak from Jan. 10-Feb. 11.
Nowitzki, who's had 16 games this season with 30 or more points and two with 40-plus, went 3 for 16 from the field and finished with 12 points.
"Dirk didn't play that well, but he's not always going to have 20 or 30 points," Kidd said. "So everybody stepped up. When I get the ball, I know what to do with it."
New Jersey led by as many as 18 in the first half before the Mavericks got untracked to match the third-best winning streak in franchise history, even while Nowitzki was falling 13.3 points under his season average.
"My jump shot was all over the place," Nowitzki said. "But the guys were great. We really wanted this game."
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said Nowitzki could be excused for occasionally falling short of his All-Star standards.
"He had an atypical night," Carlisle said. "You're not going to play like an MVP every night. He's earned the right to have an off night."
Former Mavericks guard Devin Harris scored 21 points and Terrence Williams had 18 points and a season-high 13 rebounds for the Nets, who've lost nine of their last 11 and fell to 7-57.
The Mavericks carried a 70-62 advantage in the fourth quarter, but the Nets pushed back with 11 unanswered points, including six from ex-Maverick Kris Humphries, to pull within 81-80 with 7:40 remaining.
Butler scored eight of Dallas' next 11 points, including a 20-footer with 1:45 left to extend Dallas' lead to 92-87.
"They're a good team and they're going to make a run," Harris said. "They came out and put their foot on the gas. But I'm proud of the way the guys responded. We got it to one, but we couldn't get enough stops to overturn it."
The Nets charged to a 17-3 start, getting seven points from Harris and connecting on seven consecutive field goal attempts.
New Jersey shot 67 percent, converting 14 of 21 from the floor in the first quarter, to build a 33-19 advantage.
The Nets went on to a 41-23 second-quarter lead before the Mavericks finished with a 16-6 run over the final 7:36 of the quarter to cut New Jersey's edge to 47-39 at the break.
Dallas opened the third quarter with a 24-9 spurt that included a pair of 3-pointers from Kidd to grab a 63-56 lead.
"Our defensive disposition was stronger," Carlisle said. "We were more physical. We were more alert."
The Mavericks welcomed back centers Brendan Haywood and Erick Dampier from injury absences. Haywood started after sitting out the two previous games with lower back tightness and had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Dampier, who missed the previous 12 games with a dislocated right middle finger, had one point in five minutes.
NOTES: Mavericks G Jose Juan Barea was out due to an injured left ankle sustained in Monday night's 113-93 victory at Minnesota. Dallas is also without No. 2 scorer Jason Terry, who missed his fourth consecutive game (surgery to repair facial injuries). F Tim Thomas (personal reasons) is also out for the Mavericks. ... Beaubois fouled out with 5:36 remaining. ... New Jersey lost its 10th in a row in Dallas. ...With a second-quarter free throw, Nowitzki passed George Gervin's 20,708 points and took over 30th place on the career scoring list. ...Dallas' best winning streak was 17 games during the 2006-07 season. ... Dallas' 39-point first half matched its worst-scoring output for any half during the winning streak.
Dampier, Haywood back for Mavs; Barea out
DALLAS — Centers Erick Dampier and Brendan Haywood returned to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night against the New Jersey Nets.
Dampier missed the previous 12 games with a dislocated right middle finger. Haywood sat out two games with lower back tightness.
Dallas played long stretches of zone defense and used small forward Shawn Marion at center while its two big men were sidelined.
The Mavericks ruled guard Jose Juan Barea out with an injured left ankle sustained in Monday night's 113-93 victory at Minnesota. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle doesn't expect Barea's injury to be long-term.
Dallas remains without No. 2 scorer Jason Terry, who missed his fourth consecutive game after undergoing surgery to repair facial injuries.
Knicks set franchise losing record against Spurs
SAN ANTONIO — Losing Tony Parker hurt, just like when Manu Ginobili went down around this time last season.
Parker picked up the slack then. Ginobili is doing the same so far.
Ginobili scored 28 points and the San Antonio Spurs won for the fifth time in six games with a 97-87 victory over the New York Knicks, who guaranteed themselves a franchise-record ninth consecutive losing season.
They might have postponed the clinching loss if it wasn't for Ginobili. After carrying the Spurs with 38 points in a loss Monday at Cleveland, Ginobili shined again in his second start since Parker broke his right hand, which likely ended his regular season.
"It depends on how the opponents guard you," Ginobili said. "The last two games I had the opportunity to score more, some others I'm going to pass. It's about everybody doing a little bit more."
David Lee led New York with 21 points and 10 rebounds. The Knicks (22-42) haven't finished with a winning record since 2001. They can take some comfort in this season likely not being their worst, since New York needs just two wins to surpass its 23 victories in 2005-06 and 2007-08.
Starting a five-game road trip, those wins might not come easily.
The Knicks go to Memphis on Friday before coming back to Texas to face Dallas. But they didn't leave San Antonio without a fight.
"Whether we win or not ... everybody wants to win, but the objective is, we'd better be competing," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said. "And that's what we did tonight."
The Knicks whittled a 15-point deficit to four early in the fourth when Al Harrington took a pass deep under the basket and went over Matt Bonner for an easy layup. After Danilo Gallinari coasted by Duncan to make it 81-77, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich sharply signaled a timeout and Duncan bounced the ball hard in frustration.
Gallinari wasn't done. He slipped along the baseline for a layup two possessions later to make it 83-81, then went to the foul line with a chance to tie — but made just one of two.
That was as close as New York would get. Coming back into the game between Gallinari's free throws, Ginobili calmly hit a running floater, then hit his second 3-pointer of the night to all but seal the win.
"I just find myself watching him," Spurs forward Keith Bogans said of Ginobili. "He's fun to watch."
Ginobili finished 10 of 18 and also had six rebounds. Tim Duncan had 18 points, Antonio McDyess had 10 points and 12 rebounds, and all Spurs starters were in double figures.
The Spurs will try building more momentum against Minnesota and the Los Angeles Clippers before entering their toughest stretch of the season: a span of seven games that includes Orlando, Atlanta, Oklahoma City, the Lakers, Cleveland and Boston.
They'll have to do it without Parker, who isn't expected to be back until the playoffs. The Spurs had lost three straight with Parker out of the lineup, but climbed back to 6-6 this season without him.
Last year it was Ginobili who was knocked out late in the season because of a bad right ankle, which also kept him out of the playoffs. Parker's injury isn't believed to be that severe.
Gallinari finished with 14 points and Wilson Chandler had 17 for the Knicks. Eddy Curry didn't make his Knicks return, which D'Antoni hoped would come Wednesday.
Curry hasn't played since having left knee surgery on Jan. 18, and sat on the bench in uniform. He said afterward he was bothered by a right calf pain and will take it game by game.
NOTES: Richard Jefferson was scoreless in 18 minutes off the bench, the first time he has not scored in a game since Jan. 8 2006, when he played just two minutes in a New Jersey win. ...The Spurs signed G Cedric Jackson on Wednesday to a 10-day contract. Jackson played for the D-League's Erie BayHawks and is the first Spurs addition since waiving Michael Finley last week. ...The Knicks lost their seventh straight in San Antonio, having not won here since 2003.
-- Paul J. Weber
Lakers struggling to escape late-season funk
LOS ANGELES — The euphoria from Kobe Bryant's latest game-winning shot didn't last much longer than it took for the celebratory streamers to fall from the Staples Center roof onto the Toronto Raptors' heads.
Despite their 47-18 record and their perch atop the Western Conference standings, Bryant and his teammates say the Los Angeles Lakers are in their worst funk of the season. If they constantly must rely on Bryant's brilliance to bail them out at the buzzer, as he has done roughly twice a month this season, the superstar realizes their NBA title defense is likely to be gut-wrenching — and short.
"This thing tonight was garbage," Bryant said Tuesday night after the Lakers beat Toronto 109-107 on Bryant's 17-foot fallaway jumper with 1.9 seconds left.
Bryant was referring to the Lakers' efforts to correct the bad habits they evinced during a winless road trip last week, resulting in their first three-game losing streak in two years. But no Lakers player has been terribly happy with any part of their play over the past three weeks, dating back before their one-point loss to Boston on Feb. 18.
Coach Phil Jackson says they're overthinking on offense, and Bryant is questioning their defensive effort. Lamar Odom is angry that the pedestrian likes of Orlando's Matt Barnes and several Raptors have been cocky enough to trash-talk the champs.
"It's giving these teams a quiet confidence where they think they can beat us," said Odom, visibly furious after the narrow escape against Toronto. "I don't expect that. We've got to take it to teams. (They're) way too confident against us."
After ending their skid against the Raptors despite getting outplayed for most of the first three quarters, the Lakers are headed down the home stretch of the regular season, starting another three-game road trip Friday in Phoenix. They'll play 11 of their last 17 on the road, with every game a marquee event for opponents attempting to prove themselves for a playoff push.
The Lakers' purple road jersey always has a metaphorical target on its back. But the fast-starting, hard-finishing club that led the NBA standings for much of the season before falling behind Cleveland is having trouble playing with the consistency necessary to thrive under all that scrutiny.
"We need to play harder and execute a little better," said forward Ron Artest, who has scored more than 15 points just once in the last month. "Overall, we are not playing great. We're trying, and we continue to try. We had some awesome plays at the end (against Toronto), and we just have to make plays like that throughout the entire game."
Bryant has hit six or seven game-winning shots this season, depending on who's counting, including a preposterous banked-in 3-pointer to beat Miami in December. He has also missed a few, including a shot in Toronto and another last Sunday in Orlando, where the Lakers ended their trip with a loss in an NBA finals rematch.
When Bryant connects, it's the only memory of the game for most fans — yet Bryant knows his buzzer-beaters only mask problems because the Lakers didn't play terribly well in the previous 47 minutes.
"We scored a lot of points tonight, (but) that's not going to win championships," Bryant said after beating Toronto. "You've got to stop people."
Bryant is particularly disappointed by the Lakers' defense, which has allowed the last five opponents to score at least 96 points. Bryant committed two offensive fouls and generally played with a scowl during the first half against Toronto, clearly disappointed the Lakers hadn't built on their improved defensive effort last Sunday — one day after he yelled at his teammates during a meeting.
"Our defense in Orlando was much better," Bryant said. "The effort we had in Orlando will make it tough for teams to beat us four times in a series."
Jackson has been similarly critical of his team, though not with Bryant's outspokenness. Jackson noted five players at Monday's practice had hand injuries, including Bryant's broken finger, affecting their flow on offense.
"That leads to fumbles, turnovers and bad shots," Jackson said. "Everybody is guilty of not moving the ball, though."
Until last weekend, Los Angeles had never lost three straight since All-Star big man Pau Gasol arrived and helped them to consecutive Western Conference titles, culminating in last year's championship.
Gasol seems less upset about the Lakers' slump than many of his teammates, noting their road-heavy schedule in the second half of the season after playing a home-loaded early-season schedule.
"So far, we've been struggling," said Gasol, who contributed little in the second half against Toronto. "We've been playing well in stretches, but not consistently, and we've got to figure that out. We couldn't really find the energy for a while. Once we do, we'll be back on track."
-- Greg Beacham
Bulls fading in tough stretch
DEERFIELD, Ill. — One year ago, the Chicago Bulls were piling up wins and building momentum that carried them into the playoffs and an epic showdown with the Celtics.
Now? It's losses that are piling up, along with injuries.
If the season ended now, the Bulls would be out of the playoffs. At 31-32 and with five straight losses, the Bulls were ninth in the Eastern Conference and trying to orchestrate another turn in a season that has seen no shortage of them.
From the slow start and speculation about the coach's job status to a mini resurgence to the recent struggles and injuries to key players such as center Joakim Noah and now Luol Deng, it's easy to see why coach Vinny Del Negro used the word "interesting" to describe it all on Wednesday.
Difficult might be appropriate, too.
The Bulls will have a tough time duplicating what they did around this time last season, when they went on a run in mid-March that took them to that thrilling first-round playoff series with Boston. They're in the middle of a brutal nine-game stretch against contenders and are fading after winning eight of 10 against mostly lighter competition.
Help could come in the offseason, when the Bulls will have enough room to offer a maximum contract in a star-studded free agent market, but visions of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh possibly in Chicago probably do little for Del Negro, considering he might not be around to coach them.
"Right now, everybody's thinking about winning games," All-Star point guard Derrick Rose said. "That's the biggest thing — trying to move up and win games and waiting for Joakim and Luol to come back because we need them."
Del Negro's job security, Rose said, is not on the players' minds. For the record, though, the coach has at least one backer.
Rose called the former guard "a good guy" and credited Del Negro for his development, saying, "He's been helping me a lot — letting me watch video with him, talking to him, having a lot meetings, asking me what we should do about our offense, working just to better my game."
A more pressing issue for Del Negro is what to do about the Bulls right now.
They're missing their leading rebounder and inside defender in Noah, who's out with plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Deng, their second-leading scorer, sat out a game last week because of swelling in his left knee and will likely miss the next two at Orlando and Miami because of a strained right calf.
Forward Taj Gibson, a rookie who has emerged as a key contributor, might not play against the Magic because of plantar fasciitis in his left foot, and Brad Miller has a sore thumb.
Otherwise, there's no better time to face Dwight Howard. Right?
"We have our top guys out," Del Negro said. "That's what makes it tough."
Miller said: "You just have to keep your head up and know that there are a lot of games left to play. In this league, you can win five games in a row just as quickly as you can lose five games in a row."
Considering the next five are at Orlando, Miami, Memphis and Dallas before a home game against Cleveland, chances are that streak comes later, if at all.
Losing Noah was a particularly big blow for the Bulls, who shut him down for at least three weeks late last month with no guarantee that the time off will heal his foot. Their emotional leader, Noah is essential to their style — get the stop, get the defensive board and run.
The Bulls have allowed at least 100 points in the past five games, with opponents scoring 116 or more in three of them. And they've been outrebounded by 10 or more in three of the past four, including 63-37 by Atlanta last week.
With Noah out and the rest of the front line dinged up, Del Negro acknowledged the Bulls can't play their style and must adjust. They had to do that early in the year, too, when Rose was slowed by an ankle problem and the since-traded Tyrus Thomas broke his left arm.
"One of the reasons we became a better defensive team when we were healthy was we really had a nice foundation of what we were doing and there was accountability to it and we were demanding that we had these things covered," Del Negro said. "Now, with the lack of bodies and the lack of control in the paint, we've had to make some adjustments and I think we've gotten a little slow on some of our rotations and gotten away from what helped us win games because of the injuries."
-- Andrew Seligman
Heat: Still no word from Alston
MIAMI — Rafer Alston's absence from the Miami Heat took another turn Wednesday, with the team denying that the embattled point guard was told shortly before his sudden departure he would no longer get playing time.
Alston was quoted by ESPN.com saying that he chose to leave because of a personal issue involving a family member, plus said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told him that he "wouldn't be playing any more."
On Wednesday, Spoelstra — who, like the rest of the Heat organization, said he still has not heard from Alston since a text-message exchange last week — denied Alston was told that his minutes were gone, saying only that the 11th-year guard was informed before Miami's game against the Los Angeles Lakers last Thursday that Carlos Arroyo was taking over the starting job.
"Actually, he probably still would have been in the rotation," Spoelstra said. "Probably not with the minutes he would have liked, and I also told him that the way the year's been going, that it's still up for grabs. I've had those conversations with everybody in the locker room. It's about production right now."
The Heat hosted the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. Alston remains listed on the roster, but his image did not appear in the team's pregame introductory video.
Before the game, Spoelstra said he was aware of the comments attributed to Alston.
"My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family," Spoelstra said. "But we still have not talked to him, so our stance is the same. ... I think we're all curious just to find out more."
Alston played the first 6 minutes of Miami's win over Golden State last Tuesday, then appeared to be upset when removed from that game. Alston didn't play two nights later against the Lakers, and has not been with the team since.
Alston played in 25 games for the Heat since signing with the club on Jan. 7, averaging 6.6 points and 2.9 assists.
Spoelstra said the team has continued reaching out to Alston, to no avail. He wouldn't say if Alston would be welcomed back, should he even try to return to the Heat.
"As soon as we find out more, I'll be able to tell you more," Alston said.
Alston told ESPN.com, "the way I handled it was wrong" and that "I still want to go back and tell them face to face" about the situation.
The Heat have been having internal discussions for several days about adding a player to the roster, because Arroyo and Mario Chalmers are the only two full-time point guards currently in the locker room — where Alston's nameplate has stayed on his dressing stall. They are carrying 14, one under the league minimum, so they would not have to formally part ways with Alston before making a move.
"We have one spot available," Spoelstra said. "Like a lot of teams that have a spot, you're weighing whether bringing somebody in can actually help, whether it might be a development player, somebody you can secure for the summer, and you're also weighing whether that person can disrupt the continuity based on their expectations."
-- Tim Reynolds
Peja Stojakovic out with lower abdominal strain
OKLAHOMA CITY — The New Orleans Hornets' depleted starting lineup is taking another hit.
Forward Peja Stojakovic joined All-Star point guard Chris Paul on the injured list Wednesday, and he's expected to miss at least two weeks with a lower abdominal strain.
"That's a minimum timeframe, and it will all be dictated by the healing process," Jeff Bower, the Hornets' coach and general manager, said before his team's game at Oklahoma City.
Even before Stojakovic was hurt Monday in a victory against the Golden State Warriors, the Hornets had been scuffling. Entering Wednesday night, they had lost six of their last eight games to fall five games behind eighth-place Portland for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Paul has missed 19 games following surgery on his left knee last month and was also sidelined for eight games earlier this season with an ankle injury.
"Injuries are a part of this, and they've had an impact on us, but our players have shown resiliency in the past and have understood that we have to just figure out a different way whenever someone goes down," Bower said. "Our job is to put them in position to be successful, and we'll try to use the strengths of the players that we have available to us to help our team."
Julian Wright made his eighth start of the season Wednesday night in place of Stojakovic, who had played in all but two of the Hornets' first 64 games this season and started 55 times.
"That phrase 'if we stay healthy,' is not one that we use or will rely on," Bower said. "We intend to continue to compete with whatever the injury situation is."
Stojakovic averages 12.6 points and leads the team with 132 made 3-pointers this season. Wright had made only two 3-pointers in 52 games.
"That changes the defensive floor. The fact that he's spaced in the weakside corner or on the weakside wing changes how the lane is going to look," Bower said. "That's going to be a big thing for us to have to deal with and overcome from an offensive flow and movement standpoint. That will have a big impact that we'll have to handle."
Bower said he hoped Wright, a first-round pick in 2007, would use the extra playing time to further his development. With Paul out, rookie Darren Collison has emerged as a budding star for New Orleans, averaging 18.9 points and 8.8 assists in his 26 starts.
"I think he's done a good job using his physical talents, looking to be a bigger factor in transition and offensive board work," Bower said of Wright. "I think his overall offensive game is coming along in a limited role.
"I think this opportunity is going to be a stretch where he'll get extended minutes and be able to settle into a comfort zone on the floor perhaps, and we could see an increased level of production from that standpoint."
Paul casually shot around on the Ford Center floor prior to the game but Bower said he's progressing toward a return.
"When he's able to get back on the court and begin running, the transition will really take on a faster pace, and he's getting very close," Bower said. "That's the next step for him."
-- Jeff Latzke
Wolves F Hollins suspended for 2 games
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Timberwolves forward Ryan Hollins was suspended on Wednesday for two games after separate run-ins with the Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki and DeShawn Stevenson in their game Monday night.
Hollins punched Stevenson while boxing him out on a free throw in the second quarter. He then struck Nowitzki in the head with his left forearm late in the fourth quarter, drawing a Flagrant-2 foul and an ejection.
Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis said before the game on Wednesday night against Denver that he didn't believe either act had malicious intent.
"It's just not the kind of player or person that Ryan is," Rambis said. "He wants to play hard. He is trying to do the physical things that we're asking him to do. Any time there is physical play out there, there's going to be a certain amount of aggression level that increases."
After the game, Nowitzki called Hollins "a little out of control, but that's part of the game."
Rambis reviewed tape of the incidents and said he felt the suspension came as the result of Hollins' shot to Stevenson, not the "striking" of Nowitzki, as the league referred to it in a news release.
Rambis said he agreed that Hollins may have been a little out of control with Stevenson, but "the one where the Flagrant-2 foul was called with Dirk, I thought Ryan was making a play on the ball and Dirk flopped on it."
Hollins has been starting for the Timberwolves in recent weeks and is averaging 6.8 points and 3.0 rebounds.
Darko Milicic took Hollins' spot in the starting lineup on Wednesday night against Denver. Hollins was not available for comment.
"He was disappointed and he was sad," Rambis said. "He stressed to us that he wasn't trying to do anything. It was not his intent. That wasn't what was going on. There was no ill feelings toward the Mavericks, the organization or those players."
-- Jon Krawczynski
LeBron to play vs 76ers, Jamison could miss game
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — LeBron James is expected to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers' lineup against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, while Antawn Jamison will be a game-time decision.
They were just two of six players to miss practice Wednesday for the Cavaliers, who took advantage of a break in the schedule to rest all five of their regular starters.
James missed two games after twisting his right ankle last Friday against Detroit, but is likely to play at Philadelphia, Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. James has played the sixth-most minutes in the league this season, averaging 39 per game.
Jamison won't practice the rest of the week after revealing Wednesday he has a cyst behind his left knee that is filled with fluid. Shaquille O'Neal continues to rehab following surgery on his right thumb, while Anthony Parker and Mo Williams also took Wednesday off to rest nagging injuries. Key sub Anderson Varejao also missed practice, but it wasn't clear if he had an injury or just took the day off.
All are expected to play Friday except for O'Neal and perhaps Jamison. An MRI earlier this week showed no damage to the knee and Jamison said it's the same injury that hampered him early in the season when he was with Washington.
"Perfect timing for something like this to happen," Jamison said, referring to the three days off between games. "This organization is looking at the overall picture to make sure guys are healthy when it counts."
Even if Jamison doesn't play Friday, he insists he'll be back on the floor Sunday when Cleveland hosts Atlantic Division leader Boston.
He said the cyst is a product of his mechanics and the way he runs. There are certain exercises he must do to keep the knee flexible, but admitted he hadn't done as much maintenance on it lately because of the trade to Cleveland and trying to get settled in a new city.
"They want me to relax and let it calm down this week," Jamison said. "It feels pretty good. It's something that occurred earlier in the season. With proper treatment, it went away, so I don't see this lingering any longer than it has the last couple of days."
Pistons' Stuckey cleared for exercise
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Rodney Stuckey doesn't know when he will play again, but he hopes it will be this season.
Three doctors cleared Stuckey for exercise Wednesday after extensive cardiac tests. He collapsed on the bench during Friday's game at Cleveland and was taken away on a stretcher. He missed Sunday's game against Houston and will be out again Wednesday against Utah.
"I really don't know what that means — they told me I can exercise, but I haven't talked to anyone about if that means I can practice or what," he said before the Utah game. "I want to play, but we'll have to see what they tell me."
Pistons coach John Kuester said he expects Stuckey to return to the lineup before the season is over, but said the team doesn't have a timeline.
"He's had some of the best doctors in the world looking at him, and they've given him a clean bill of health," Kuester said. "If they tell us that he shouldn't play, he won't play, but they've been encouraging. His basketball career isn't our biggest concern until we're sure about his basic health."
Stuckey missed two games last season after experiencing dizziness during a game, but said that he's not worried about further incidents.
"I'm done thinking about it, and I'm done talking about it," he said. "I've had all the tests, and now I'm just waiting for them to tell me when I can play again."
The third-year pro from Seattle is averaging 17 points, five assists and four rebounds for the rebuilding Pistons.
Jordan brushes off speculation about future
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia 76ers coach Eddie Jordan says he's not worried about a newspaper report stating he could be fired soon.
The Philadelphia Inquirer, citing unidentified sources, reported on Tuesday that Comcast-Spectator was ready to fire Jordan, likely after his first season with the team is complete.
The 76ers are 23-40 heading into Wednesday night's game against Charlotte, 8½ games out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Jordan signed a four-year contract when he was hired. He said of the speculation, "that if you know how to handle it, then it won't bother you."
Jordan says he hasn't approached his bosses regarding the report.
Karl misses game against Timberwolves
MINNEAPOLIS — Denver coach George Karl stayed at home to receive treatment for cancer and did not make the trip to Minnesota for the Nuggets' game against the Timberwolves on Wednesday.
It has long been planned that Karl would remain in Denver for this trip to the Twin Cities. Assistant Adrian Dantley filled in as head coach for the fourth time in his career and second time this season.
Karl, who has neck and throat cancer, had surgery on Monday to have a feeding tube inserted into his stomach.
Karl was diagnosed last month with cancer and is undergoing a rigorous six-week treatment program of radiation and chemotherapy.
He hopes to be back on the sideline Friday night when the Nuggets travel to New Orleans.
Warriors C Andris Biedrins undergoes surgery
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Golden State Warriors say center Andris Biedrins has undergone surgery to repair a small tear of an abdominal muscle.
Biedrins had the surgery Wednesday in Philadelphia. The team says it will be four to six weeks until Biedrins can resume basketball-related activities.
With only five weeks remaining in the season, that means Biedrins is not expected to return until next season.
Biedrins is averaging 5.0 points and 7.8 rebounds in 33 games this season. If he does not return this season, his 16 percent free throw shooting (4-for-25) would be the worst in NBA history for a player with at least 20 attempts.
The previous low is held by Boston's Garfield Smith. Smith made 6 of 31 attempts for 19.4 percent in 1971-72.
Ex-Spurs player Alvin Robertson returns to jail
SAN ANTONIO — Former NBA All-Star Alvin Robertson, facing sexual assault of a child and sex trafficking charges, is back in jail in San Antonio after a judge increased his bond.
Prosecutors say they had asked that Robertson's bail be doubled to $450,000 on Wednesday after allegations surfaced that he was threatening two women. The 47-year-old Robertson was still in jail late Wednesday.
He has been accused of being part of a sex trafficking ring that kidnapped a 14-year-old girl. Robertson, through his lawyer, has denied the allegations.
Attorney Jimmy Parks Jr. told the San Antonio Express-News the bond change was unusual because his client hasn't been charged with a new crime.
Orlando Magic players help build playground
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Magic lent a helping hand to give some children a new playground.
Magic players Dwight Howard, Brandon Bass and Jason Williams were among about 300 volunteers who helped build a new playground in Kissimmee on Wednesday.
Team executives, elected officials, residents and organizers from KaBOOM! also helped construct the playground. The event began at 9 a.m., and a ribbon-cutting ceremony took place by the afternoon.
Players practiced in the morning before helping to build the playspace. KaBOOM! is a national nonprofit organization that aims to put playgrounds within walking distance of every child in America.
Jayson Williams being evaluated in prison
TRENTON, N.J. — Officials are deciding where former NBA star Jayson Williams will serve his prison sentence.
Williams arrived at the Corrections Department's central reception and assignment facility in Trenton.
Corrections Department spokeswoman Deirdre Fedkenheuer says Williams will be treated the same as any other inmate.
Williams was sentenced last month to five years in prison for fatally shooting a hired limo driver in 2002. He will be eligible for parole in 18 months and could be released as early as the summer of 2011.
Williams pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in the death of Costas Christofi on Feb. 14, 2002. He was acquitted of aggravated manslaughter but convicted of four counts of covering up the shooting.
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