NBA Capsules: Stoudemire scores 23 in Suns' win over Rockets

HOUSTON — Amare Stoudemire and the high-scoring Phoenix Suns turned to their defense to pick up another victory in Houston.

Stoudemire scored 23 points, Steve Nash had 16 assists and the Suns recovered from a slow start to beat the Rockets 111-105 on Tuesday night.

Jason Richardson scored 20 points for the Suns, who have won eight of their last 11 games in Houston.

The Suns held the Rockets to 32 percent shooting (9 of 28) in the fourth quarter and outscored Houston 14-8 in the final 3 minutes to pull out the win.

"We’ve got a little toughness," Nash said. "We’re not physically the toughest group, but mentally we’re tough. We started to battle at the end of the game and we got a lot of stops."

Carl Landry scored a career-high 27 points off the bench and Aaron Brooks had a career-best 13 assists for the Rockets, who were outscored 33-23 in the final quarter.

"We started missing shots and they started making shots," said Brooks, who scored 16. "We were in a position to win the game at the end. They made the plays and we didn’t."

The Suns (10-2) rallied from a double-digit deficit to win for the fifth time this season. They’re the only team to reach 100 points in all of their games so far.

Nash didn’t score in the first half and went 2 for 10 from the field in the game. He went 8 for 8 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter and finished with 12 points. All five Phoenix starters reached double figures.

"We had a really good team effort," Nash said. "It was a bit of a struggle tonight, we weren’t great. But we got some really good contributions from a lot of people."

Richardson’s 3-pointer with 8:11 left in the third quarter gave the Suns their first lead since the opening minutes. Brooks hit a shot from the baseline before Nash made a pull-up jumper for his first field goal, giving Phoenix a 63-62 lead.

The pace of the game picked up and the lead changed hands eight more times over the next 6 minutes. Landry dunked and Luis Scola sank a baseline jumper in the last minute of the quarter to give Houston an 82-78 advantage.

Nash returned from a short rest with 9 minutes left in the game and the Rockets leading 85-84. He immediately found Leandro Barbosa cutting inside for a layup, and the Suns moved back in front.

The teams traded baskets into the final minutes before Nash delivered his 15th assist to Richardson for a layup with 2:59 left that put the Suns up 100-98.

Brooks missed a short jumper and reserve forward Channing Frye sank a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:51 remaining that made it 103-98. Landry split two free throws and backup center Jarron Collins converted a three-point play to put it out of reach.

Suns reserves scored 34 points.

"The second unit, the guys off the bench, do a great job of keeping themselves in shape," Stoudemire said. "It’s great to see those guys come in and contribute the way they do."

The Rockets, meanwhile, are still trying to identify their best scoring options late in games, with All-Stars Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady sidelined with injuries.

"We are still in the emerging stages," forward Shane Battier said. "We are trying to figure out what’s good for us, especially down the stretch. That’s something we are going to have to go through and look at this game, learn from our mistakes in the fourth quarter and grow."

The Rockets finished 9 for 26 from 3-point range, after hitting five of their first seven attempts to take a 21-9 lead. Houston (6-5) also outrebounded Phoenix 14-5 in the opening quarter and led 34-22.

NOTES: The Rockets have reached 100 points in 10 straight games, the team’s longest streak since a 12-game run in 1995-96. ... Phoenix is 10-2 for the third time in six seasons. ... The Suns’ 22 first-quarter points were a season low. ... Hall of Famer and former Rockets C Hakeem Olajuwon had a courtside seat. He shook hands with referee Joe Crawford during a timeout in the first quarter.

Yao foundation to help rebuild Ike playgrounds

HOUSTON — Some playgrounds in Houston damaged or destroyed by 2008’s Hurricane Ike will get a boost from Yao Ming.

The Houston Chronicle reports the NBA superstar’s Yao Ming Foundation on Tuesday planned to announce a $100,000 donation. The money will support four Houston early education centers.

The Houston Rockets standout says Galveston still has not totally recovered from the storm. Yao says people in the area "treat me like family, and I want to give back."

The nonprofit Collaborative for Children will receive the foundation grant.

Stephanie Sandler, who helped Yao set up the foundation, says he toured two schools with nature-based playgrounds before deciding to donate the funds.

Yao established the school rebuilding foundation last year following the deadly earthquake in his homeland of China.

Mutombo joins NBA as global ambassador

NEW YORK — Dikembe Mutombo is joining the NBA as a global ambassador.

The league announced Mutombo’s hiring to the newly created position Tuesday, with commissioner David Stern calling the eight-time All-Star "one of sports’ outstanding humanitarians."

Besides being a four-time defensive player of the year, Mutombo is known for his charitable work. He opened a hospital and research center in his native Democratic Republic of Congo and is the only two-time winner of the league’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, given for "outstanding service and dedication to the community."

Mutombo, who retired last season after 18 years in the league, will work on numerous international events and programs, including the Basketball without Borders camps.

Knicks have to decide if Iverson is their Answer

GREENBURGH, N.Y. — The New York Knicks passed on a chance to sign Allen Iverson last summer. A few months and only one victory later, they have to decide if he’s worth reconsidering.

Iverson is on the market again after the Memphis Grizzlies waived him Tuesday night. And while the Knicks weren’t interested in the offseason, they won’t rule the former scoring champion out yet.

"We had our little group from last year we wanted to keep together and that was the decision in the summertime, not to disrupt what we had," coach Mike D’Antoni said Tuesday. "Now, basketball’s fluid and things change every second."

D’Antoni and team president Donnie Walsh both praised Iverson’s abilities, but said the organization still had to discuss whether it’s worth bringing him to a 1-9 team that is off to the worst 10-game start in franchise history.

Walsh wouldn’t say much more, because Iverson hadn’t even been waived yet by the time the Knicks finished practice. That happened Tuesday night, making Iverson eligible to be signed 48 hours after that.

"I’ve always had a lot of admiration for him because I had to play against him every year when I was in Indiana and I have a lot of respect for his career," Walsh said. "He’s a small man who did everything he could to win games and took a lot of hard knocks and always got up."

But the Iverson of today would give any team pause. He’s been hurt and unhappy over the last two seasons, with the Grizzlies the only team to make him an offer last summer after his turbulent stay in Detroit.

Things were even worse in Memphis. Iverson played only three games, voicing his displeasure about coming off the bench, just as he’d done in Detroit, before leaving the team to attend to personal matters. Walsh said that alone wouldn’t make him rule out Iverson, saying, "You’ve got to consider everything when you’re talking about anybody."

Iverson would be intriguing because the Knicks could sign him for only this season and not use up any future salary-cap space. Plus, he’s still popular with many fans — some of whom have already grown impatient with Walsh’s plan to rebuild through free agency next summer that left the team so vulnerable this season.

"I don’t think we’ve changed our philosophy in that we want to be competitive now. We want to do everything we can to win right now, within the framework of keeping 2010 open like we talked about," D’Antoni said. "Whatever it takes that makes us competitive and to win right now, I think we’ll do as an organization."

D’Antoni said both he and the former MVP could adjust to each other, even though Iverson might not be a natural fit in his offense. But he stopped short of saying the Knicks would or should pursue the 34-year-old guard.

"He’s been a force in this league for God knows how long, so I’m not taking anything from him," D’Antoni said. "But at the same time, there’s a lot of organizational stuff we’ll talk about and see if it makes sense."

Grizzlies officially waive Iverson

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis Grizzlies officially have ended their relationship with Allen Iverson by waiving the 10-time All-Star.

The Grizzlies announced Monday they had mutually agreed to end a one-year contract with the former league MVP.

But the team did not waive Iverson until late Tuesday afternoon.

Iverson began an indefinite leave of absence on Nov. 7 to deal with a personal issue. The 34-year-old guard played only three games with Memphis, all in California. He averaged 12.3 points and 22.3 minutes coming off the bench in each.

LeBron believes he could star in NFL

CLEVELAND — LeBron James watched the Cleveland Browns get shut out by Baltimore on Monday night and came to one simple conclusion: He could help.

"If I put all my time and commitment into it, if I dedicated myself to the game of football, I could be really good," the Cavaliers superstar said before facing the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. "No matter what team I was on."

The Browns have one of the NFL’s most anemic offenses, a key problem during their 1-8 start. The NBA’s reigning MVP certainly couldn’t make things any worse.

James was an All-Ohio wide receiver at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School before quitting football after his junior year to focus on basketball. But he still follows the game closely and believes he could have been a hybrid tight end/receiver in the mold of San Diego’s Antonio Gates or Atlanta’s Tony Gonzalez.

Gates, who played basketball in college and not football, is listed at 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds. James is listed at 6-8 and 250 pounds.

"They’re not always lined up next to the tackle," James said. "Sometimes they go against strong safeties and linebackers. It’s tough to match up with those guys because they’re so athletic."

James filmed a commercial last year for an insurance company that depicted him in a No. 23 Browns jersey with "LeBron" stitched across the back.

He has no serious plans of returning to football, but said playing the two sports takes entirely different types of stamina.

"I’d be in football shape during football season, then I’d go to basketball and feel like I was out of shape," he said. "It’s totally different. And another thing you have to get used to is getting hit again."

Since James never went to college, it was mentioned he still may have eligibility remaining if he wanted to try playing college football. There is just the issue of the $90 million shoe contract James signed with Nike before ever playing a game in the NBA.

"What if I gave it all back?" he joked.

Cavs’ Shaq, Varejao inactive for Tuesday’s game

CLEVELAND — Shaquille O’Neal and Anderson Varejao are inactive for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ game against Golden State.

Varejao is scratched with a hip contusion. O’Neal is missing his second straight game with a strained shoulder, and coach Mike Brown doesn’t expect either player back for Wednesday night’s game at Washington.

With both players inactive Tuesday night, along with Leon Powe, who is recovering from knee surgery and not expected back until the All-Star break, the Cavaliers were forced to activate troubled guard Delonte West.

West has been inactive for the last three games while dealing with personal issues, and Brown would not commit to playing him extended minutes against the Warriors.

Warriors dress 8 players against Cavaliers

CLEVELAND — Playing against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers is a tough assignment anytime.

For Golden State, the task was even tougher Tuesday night.

The Warriors, ravaged by injuries and illness, dressed the league minimum eight players against the Cavaliers, including newly acquired guard Raja Bell, who is expected to have wrist surgery next week. Bell and Vladimir Radmanovic were acquired from Charlotte on Monday for Stephen Jackson and Acie Law.

Warriors coach Don Nelson said Bell only would be used in an emergency.

In addition to Bell and Radmanovic, who started his first game with his new team, Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry, Mikki Moore, Anthony Morrow, Anthony Randolph and Corey Maggette also dressed.

Bell was hoping to play through the injury, but came to the conclusion surgery was necessary. He will see a doctor Monday in Charlotte and could be sidelined for four or five months.

"The X-rays showed a tear," Bell said. "They don’t know exactly how severe it is. I’m hoping they miraculously tell me I’ll only be out for a month. I’ll prepare myself for the four months and if it’s anything less than that, I’d consider it a blessing."

Bell appeared in five games with the Bobcats, averaging 12 points.

"I was able to shoot and do perimeter things fine, but anytime it got into close quarters, my game requires me to grab and push and do some of the unsavory things," Bell said. "I’m not able to do those things very well. In my opinion, that’s why teams would want me. If I can’t do it, I should go ahead and get it fixed."

Nelson knew it was possible Bell would need surgery before the trade was made.

"I think it’s a good thing," Nelson said. "If it’s a short period of time, like four weeks or five weeks, it was well worth it. If he needs more than that it will be harder, but I still think it’s good to get it taken care of."

Forward Kelenna Azubuike will have surgery Wednesday for a torn patellar tendon in his left knee and is out for the rest of the season. Guard C.J. Watson is out after testing positive for the H1N1 virus. Forward Ronny Turiaf, who is out with a sprained left knee, is with the team but didn’t dress.

The Warriors play in Boston on Wednesday night.

Azubuike injured his knee last Saturday in Milwaukee. He was averaging 13.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists in nine games this season.

-- Brian Mahoney

Magic’s Nelson to have surgery on left knee

ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson needs surgery again.

The All-Star will have arthroscopic surgery Wednesday on torn cartilage in his left knee, the team said. He is expected to miss four to six weeks.

Nelson was injured in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s win against Charlotte. But he finished the game on the court and showed no signs of injury.

"I feel pretty good," Nelson said after the game. "My energy level just physically wasn’t there, but mentally ... I think that’s one of the parts of my game that adds toughness to this team."

This is the second straight season he has been sidelined.

Nelson injured his right shoulder in February and had surgery. In a surprise move, he returned for the NBA finals, struggling to regain his form as Orlando lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. Nelson is averaging 13.7 points and 5.5 assists this season.

This is the latest in a series of setbacks this season for the Magic.

Rashard Lewis missed the first 10 games of the season, suspended by the NBA for testing positive for an elevated testosterone level. Vince Carter and forwards Ryan Anderson, Mickael Pietrus and Brandon Bass all have missed time with injuries, and backup center Marcin Gortat is out indefinitely with the flu.

That leaves Jason Williams, who will turn 34 on Wednesday, to start at point guard. Anthony Johnson will move to the backup spot.

After taking a year off, Williams has returned to give Orlando (8-3) a solid guard who brings energy off the bench. Williams, who helped the Miami Heat win the championship in 2005-06 as a starter, is averaging 5.4 points and four assists in 18.4 minutes.

The Magic were off Tuesday. They host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, the same team that beat them by 28 points in their first meeting this season.

Pierce, who hurt knee, returns to Celtics practice

WALTHAM, Mass. — Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce has returned to practice after missing a day with a sore left knee.

Pierce was hurt on Friday night against Atlanta. The 32-year-old says it was only a slight sprain, and he took part in the team’s workout after missing Monday’s practice. He says his return went smoothly.

Coach Doc Rivers gave him an occasional rest on the sideline.

Rivers and Pierce both say they expect him to be available against Golden State on Wednesday.

Rivers also says guard Tony Allen is moving well but might not be ready to return. Allen has yet to play this season after offseason knee surgery.

The Celtics are 8-3 but have lost two games in a row.

Thunder’s Livingston to have knee staples removed

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City forward Shaun Livingston had surgery Tuesday to remove staples from an earlier procedure on his left knee and is expected to be out three to four weeks.

"Everything went well," coach Scott Brooks said before the Thunder played the Heat in Miami. "It was minor surgery."

Livingston has spent nearly three years trying to recover from tearing three ligaments in an ugly spill during a game in February 2007.

Dr. James Andrews, who has worked on Livingston before, handled Tuesday’s operation in Birmingham, Ala.

"Shaun Livingston had successful minor arthroscopic surgery on his left knee," Andrews said in a statement released by the Thunder. "His knee surfaces and previously repaired ligaments look excellent. He should be back to 100 percent in a few weeks."

Clippers’ Rush hurts right knee

NEW ORLEANS — Clippers guard Kareem Rush has been helped to the locker room with an apparent right knee injury late in the first quarter of Los Angeles’ game against the Hornets.

Rush’s knee appeared to buckle as he hopped into the lane to receive a pass Tuesday night. He crashed to the floor, holding his knee while grimacing in pain.

Rush also was fouled by Marcus Thornton on the play, but contact appeared to be minimal. Rush had entered as a reserve only two minutes before the injury occurred.

Blazers F Outlaw to have foot surgery

PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Trail Blazers forward Travis Outlaw will have surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left foot.

Outlaw will have the procedure on Wednesday. It is now known yet when he might return.

Outlaw fractured the foot last Saturday during the first quarter of the Trail Blazers’ game against Charlotte.

Playing off the bench, Outlaw averages 10.9 points per game.