NBA Capsules: Nowitzki, Terry lead Mavs to ninth straight win
DALLAS — Jason Terry left the Dallas locker room with his left eye nearly swollen shut and possibly a broken nose. Jason Kidd wasn't even there, having gotten a needed break.
And the Mavericks still stretched their winning streak to nine games, the current best in the NBA.
Terry scored seven of his 26 points after taking an elbow to the face on a play late in the third quarter when he was called for a foul, Dirk Nowitzki had 22 with the go-ahead basket and the Mavericks held on for a 112-109 victory over the last-place Minnesota Timberwolves 112-109 on Wednesday night.
The concern after the game was for Terry, who will be evaluated by a doctor Thursday.
"He's tough, but he'll be all right," Nowitzki said.
Terry was hurt with 4½ minutes left in the third quarter, called for a foul even though he was sprawled on his back with a bloody nose after taking an elbow from Corey Brewer. Terry went to the locker room and Brewer hit two free throws. Terry was back three minutes later and played the rest of the game with cotton sticking out of his left nostril.
While J.J. Barea started for Kidd, it was Terry and rookie Rodrigue Beaubois who really stepped up in his place for Dallas (41-21). Beaubois matched a season high with 17 points and Nowitzki come on late for the Mavs after a slow start.
Nowitzki missed his first five field goals before finally sinking a 17-footer with 8 minutes left in third quarter. When he penetrated for a 12-footer with 6:08 left in the game, that gave Dallas the lead for good.
"They are a spunky team," said Mavs forward Shawn Marion, who had 17 points. "We had them on their heels and we should have put them on their backs."
Minnesota (14-48), the last-place team in the Western Conference which won in Dallas a month earlier, closed the third quarter with 10 consecutive points and pulled to 89-87 when Jonny Flynn had a putback after rebounding his own missed layup.
Ramon Sessions' layup a minute into the fourth quarter tied the game at 91-91. The teams traded missed shots and turnovers for three minutes until Brewer made a 10-foot floater in the lane to put the Timberwolves up 93-91.
After Terry and Flynn traded 3-pointers, Nowitzki hit the go-ahead shot that made it 99-98 and Dallas held on for its first nine-game winning streak since March 2007. Minnesota has lost 10 of 11.
Nowitzki finished 6 of 14 shooting and made all 10 of his free throw attempts in his 900th game — all with Dallas since 1998.
"We made some silly mistakes, which has been the hallmark of our team," Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis said. "But I'm proud of how hard they played."
While the 36-year-old Kidd was just getting a day off, Timberwolves leading scorer Al Jefferson missed the game while serving the first of his two-game suspension without pay after his arrest on suspicion of DWI early Sunday, hours after Minnesota's last game. Jefferson has apologized to the team and fans and said he accepted the team's punishment.
Brewer had 24 points and Flynn had 19. Kevin Love had 14 points and 14 rebounds.
But Minnesota had 22 turnovers that lead to 29 Dallas points.
"They bring out the best in us. It's a really good matchup for us," Flynn said. "But we turned the ball over too much. It's a recurring theme for us. ... What we've got to get better at is finishing off games."
When the Mavericks led 60-53 at halftime, Terry had 19 points and Beaubois 11. Their combined 30 points matched the scoring total by the Dallas starters and was one point more than Minnesota's starting five had at the break.
Kidd averaged 36 minutes a game in 60 starts, and was only 1 of 9 shooting with five points in Monday's victory at Charlotte. The All-Star guard, who turns 37 later this month, missed only one game before Wednesday. Dallas has three more games in four days starting Friday.
NOTES: Minnesota guard Wayne Ellington, who sprained his left ankle during practice Monday, was inactive. ... The Mavericks went on a 22-6 run after Minnesota coach Kurt Rambis was called for a technical foul early in the second quarter. That spurt gave Dallas its largest lead, 54-41. ... Minnesota jumped out to a quick 11-4 lead and didn't trail until Beaubois' 3-pointer broke a 24-all tie with 2 minutes left in the first quarter.
Mavericks' Kidd getting a night off
DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Kidd got a needed break Wednesday night. Kidd, who turns 37 later this month, was inactive for the Mavericks' game against Minnesota, their 10th in 16 days since the All-Star break.
"We're going to sit him because of the string of games we've had," coach Rick Carlisle said before the game. "He's perfectly healthy and we want to keep it that way. It's been a grueling stretch for us and this is what we're going to do."
Kidd has averaged 36 minutes a game in 60 starts, and was only 1-of-9 shooting with five points in Monday's victory at Charlotte. The All-Star guard missed only one game before Wednesday.
Carlisle said Kidd "was very agreeable" to having the night off.
On Friday, Kidd had his first triple-double this season and 104th of his career, the third most in the NBA history behind Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson. Kidd had 19 points, 17 assists and 16 rebounds in the Mavericks' 111-103 overtime victory at Atlanta.
Dallas plays three more games in four days starting Friday.
Landry leads Kings past Rockets 84-81
HOUSTON — Carl Landry's most memorable game in Houston may be the first one he played in a visitor's uniform.
The former Rocket had 22 points and 10 rebounds against his old team, leading the Sacramento Kings to an 84-81 win Wednesday night.
The Rockets traded the popular power forward to the Kings in a three-team swap just before the deadline in a deal that sent Tracy McGrady to New York.
Landry was smiling through much of his return game, talking playful trash to the Houston bench and dominating close friend Chuck Hayes, who guarded him most of the night.
"They're all like my brothers, and just to have the chance to play against those guys was really great," Landry said. "It was fun, I love Houston, everything about it. But this is a new beginning for me."
Houston picked up Kevin Martin in the trade, and Sacramento's leading scorer over the last three seasons struggled against his former team, scoring 14 on 3-for-13 shooting.
The Rockets have lost five of seven since the trade.
"We wanted that one, it just didn't happen for us," Martin said. "We played good defense, but we just didn't get into any type of rhythm. There was just no flow or anything."
Beno Udrih scored 13 points and Spencer Hawes also grabbed 10 rebounds for the Kings, who snapped a four-game road losing streak.
Aaron Brooks scored 22 points and Luis Scola had 19 points and 18 rebounds for the Rockets.
Landry was nervous before the game, but Kings coach Paul Westphal calmed him with a pep talk.
"He said not to be too aggressive, that I didn't need to go out there and score 40 points," Landry said. "I didn't really know how to go about this game, and he said, 'Just be relaxed, be comfortable and play your game.'"
Landry got a standing ovation when he was introduced, and the fans chanted "Landry! Landry!" in the moments before the tipoff.
The Rockets played a video of Landry highlights from his two-plus seasons on the scoreboard during the first timeout of the opening quarter, and fans cheered him again.
Landry missed the montage and showed little emotion when he returned to the floor.
"I just tried to stay calm, cool and collected and let the game come to me," Landry said.
Landry then won a jump ball against the shorter Hayes and drew Hayes' second foul to send him to the bench. Landry promptly drove around backup center David Andersen for a slam, then blocked a shot that led to Tyreke Evans' breakaway dunk and a 20-12 Kings' lead.
Houston mustered only 17 points in the opening quarter after reaching 30 in the first quarters of each of its previous three games.
"We made a few of the same mistakes we have been doing the whole year," Scola said. "We started a little bit badly. We made a lot of mistakes and they made us pay."
Sacramento led 43-37 at halftime after Francisco Garcia just beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer from 30 feet. The Kings generated 19 second-chance points in the half, but went 18 for 61 (30 percent) from the field.
Brooks and Martin, Houston's top two scorers, combined to shoot 5 for 18 from the field in the half. Martin also had four turnovers. Brooks finished the game 2 for 13 from 3-point range.
The duo continued to misfire in the third quarter and Sacramento stretched the lead to nine. The Rockets pulled within two in the last minute, Evans missed an off-balance shot and Scola rebounded with 8.5 seconds left.
Evans fouled Brooks going for a steal and Brooks split two free throws with 6 seconds remaining to cut the Kings' lead to 82-81. Shane Battier fouled Landry with 4 seconds left, and Landry calmly swished two free throws to make it 84-81.
"I wanted to hit those free throws," he said. "It was just a sigh of relief, I was so happy."
NOTES: Brooks sank a 3-pointer for the 34th consecutive game, the NBA's longest active streak. He's three games shy of the franchise record, set by Luther Head during the 2006-07 season. ... Houston coach Rick Adelman said Trevor Ariza and Kyle Lowry were "doubtful" to return from injuries this weekend. Ariza has missed the last four games with a left hip pointer and Lowry has sat out the last nine with a sprained left ankle. ... Kings forward Andres Nocioni sat out to conclude his league-imposed two-game suspension stemming from a drunken driving arrest in November.
-- Chris Duncan
China fans ask, will Yao Ming's baby be American?
BEIJING — Houston Rockets center Yao Ming is going to be a father this summer — and fans in China are buzzing about whether the baby will be an American.
Yao, who is sidelined this season with a broken left foot, recently returned to the United States with wife Ye Li. That prompted speculation among his followers that the baby girl due this summer could be born in America.
Yao's personal life is closely followed by his many fans at home, from his 2007 Shanghai wedding to the former basketball player to reports last month the couple is expecting a baby girl in July.
Yao said before the Rockets' game on Wednesday that where the baby is born is a "private" matter.
"We just need some space," he said. "It's just between me and my wife."
He said he appreciated the positive feedback shown by his fans.
"We're excited about a new member of the family," he said. "We appreciate everyone who has given us good wishes. I really want to say thanks for that. It's a good thing for us."
Yao's baby would be an American citizen if born in the U.S. She also could claim Chinese citizenship as the child of Chinese nationals. However, Chinese law does not recognize dual citizenship.
A few say it would be a betrayal of China, not to mention the Chinese basketball team could be denied a future basketball star. But most say they support Yao and don't care which country claims the baby.
"Yao Ming is an individual, not a political tool," said one comment on popular basketball Web site Hoop China. "He has the right to choose where his child is born and what kinds of medical care and education will be available to her. His child's citizenship has nothing to do with loyalty."
"Only an idiot would pass up American citizenship," said another fan on online portal sina.com, underscoring the common belief in China that life overseas is preferable.
Yao and his camp have been tightlipped on the pregnancy and have not issued any public statements on the matter. It was not clear if Yao and his wife were indeed planning to have the baby in the U.S. or how they would handle any citizenship issues.
A number of Chinese celebrities have been criticized for becoming naturalized citizens of other countries. Chinese are subject to stringent visa requirements and some of the celebrities argued it was easier to travel internationally with passports from countries such as Singapore or the U.S.
Baby Yao has captured the imagination of fans in China. They wonder about her potential basketball skills with a 7-foot-6 (2.25-meter) father and 6-foot-2 (1.88-meter) mother, who was a center for China.
Scientists have predicted the girl will grow up to be the size of her mother, state media has reported.
-- Anita Chang
Cavs reach out to Ilgauskas
CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers are applying full-court pressure to Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
Several of the center's former Cleveland teammates visited him in New York on Tuesday, hoping to persuade him to re-sign with the Cavs and help them make a run at an NBA title. Ilgauskas, who has a place in SoHo, was traded last month to Washington in the deal for forward Antawn Jamison.
"They told him they want him to come back," said agent Herb Rudoy. "(Cavaliers general manager) Danny Ferry flew in the other day and met with him, too."
Ilgauskas recently bought out his contract with the Wizards, freeing him to sign with any team after 30 days.
"I talk to Z a lot, not just because he was a teammate of mine," LeBron James said after Cleveland's 111-92 win over the Nets in New Jersey. "We'll see what happens."
The Cavs need him.
With Shaquille O'Neal out for the remainder of the regular season following thumb surgery, Cleveland's frontline is woefully undersized. On Monday, coach Mike Brown started 6-foot-9 forward J.J. Hickson at center. Hickson scored 17 points with nine rebounds and two blocks in a rout of the Knicks, and he added 20 points and 13 rebounds in a win over the Nets.
However, it's uncertain whether he can continue the pace.
Ilgauskas has drawn interest from several other teams, including the Atlanta Hawks. Rudoy said Ilgauskas is weighing his options and that the 34-year-old has mixed feelings.
"He's got a big emotional investment in Cleveland, in the city and the team," Rudoy said. "On the other hand, he was not happy to be used as a pawn in the trade."
Rudoy expects Ilgauskas to make a decision by this weekend. Ilgauskas can announce where he'll play at anytime but cannot sign a contract until March 22.
"He'll tell me when he's ready to tell me," Rudoy said. "I'm waiting to hear from him."
Brown said before the Cavaliers' game against the Nets on Wednesday night that he had not spoken with Ilgauskas.
Cleveland's career leader in rebounds and games played, Ilgauskas is one of the Cavs' most popular players. But this has been a strange season for the 7-foot-3 veteran, whose career was nearly ended prematurely because of serious foot injuries that cost him two full seasons.
Ilgauskas first lost his starting job to O'Neal, an understandable move by the Cavs who felt they needed more interior size to dethrone Orlando in the Eastern Conference. But on Nov. 28, the night Ilgauskas was set to break Cleveland's record for games played, he was inexplicably benched by Brown.
The sensitive Ilgauskas was miffed by the slight and expressed his disappointment days later following a Cavs' home win, choking back tears as he spoke.
"I'm going to be a bigger man and walk away from this," he said at the time. "I know when I go to bed at night my conscience is clear. I love this team. I love my teammates. They are like a family to me. I'm going to come every day to work and try my hardest. Hopefully we can win a championship for this city because they deserve it.
"It has not been an easy ordeal."
And then came the trade, which although it had been rumored for weeks, caught Ilgauskas off guard.
Ilgauskas has hinted about this being his last season and he would like nothing more than to end it by winning a championship for the only team he has ever known. He never suited up for the Wizards.
Rudoy said he has received hundreds of e-mails, letters and phone calls from Cleveland fans who want Ilgauskas to return.
"They've really reached out to him," he said. "He loves the fans of Cleveland and I know how much the Cavaliers mean to him. But again, he was not happy to be a pawn. It was really disappointing."
-- Tom Withers
Bulls' Noah to miss 3 weeks with foot problem
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah will miss three weeks because of plantar fasciitis in his left foot that has been bothering him since mid-January — a blow as his team starts a brutal stretch of games against some of the NBA's better teams.
Noah missed seven straight games at one point in February and played limited minutes in his first three games back before getting 11 rebounds in 27 minutes against Portland on Friday. He did not accompany the team to Indiana the following day and sat out the Bulls' loss to Atlanta on Monday.
The injury has interrupted a breakout season for Noah, who is averaging 10.7 points and 11.4 rebounds. He has missed 10 games in all because of the condition and will likely miss at least 10 more, with no guarantee the time off will cure him.
"It's a very difficult injury," coach Vinny Del Negro said Wednesday. "It's very difficult to treat. He might rest for three weeks, he might rest for two months, come back and it's still bothering him. Rest will help usually, no question, but he's got to come back, fight through the pain. Give him a few weeks (and) hopefully, he reacts better to that."
Even if the news was hardly shocking, this is still a big blow for a team that's trying to secure a playoff spot and get through a bruising scheduling stretch. The Hawks game was the first of nine straight against playoff contenders, with Memphis visiting on Thursday.
The Bulls then host Dallas and Utah and go to Orlando, Miami, Memphis and Dallas before hosting Cleveland on March 19.
"When we play bigger front lines, not having (Noah's) length back there is an issue," said Del Negro, who is also concerned about wearing down veteran Brad Miller. "Other guys have to step up, play well."
While Noah got shut down, All-Star point guard Derrick Rose and forward Luol Deng were held out of contact drills on Wednesday because of knee problems and are questionable for the Grizzlies game.
Rose has banged his knees in each of the past two games, while Deng — the Bulls' second-leading scorer at 18.2 points per game — has some swelling in the left one stemming from a hit in a home game against Indiana last week. He said the swelling has "gone down a little bit" and hopes to play Thursday, but he still has some pain and stiffness.
The timing, he said, was bad, with the Bulls in a playoff race and one of their best players out.
"I told Jo he's got to make sure he's close to 100 percent before he gets back," Deng said.
The Bulls got some help in the frontcourt on Wednesday when they signed forward Chris Richard, who appeared in five games for Chicago before getting released last month. They also waived veteran guard Lindsey Hunter, the league's oldest player at 39. He will remain with the team in some sort of mentorship role after spending the past year-and-a-half in Chicago, ending a 17-year career in which he won championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2002 and Detroit Pistons in 2004.
"Never in a million years would I have thought that I would play as long as I have," Hunter said. "It's truly a blessing for me."
-- Andrew Seligman
Tulsa's Richard signs with Bulls again
TULSA, Okla. — Forward Chris Richard of the Tulsa 66ers has signed a contract with the Chicago Bulls for the remainder of the season. It will be the second stint with the Bulls for Richard, who signed a pair of 10-day contracts last month and played in five games with Chicago.
The Bulls are expected to be without center Joakim Noah for three weeks because of plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Richard is expected to join the Bulls in time for their game against Memphis on Thursday night.
Knee sidelines Wallace for first time this season
NEW YORK — Detroit center Ben Wallace missed a game for the first time this season Wednesday, sitting out the Pistons' game against the New York Knicks with a sore right knee.
Wallace was hurt in Tuesday's home loss to Boston. Coach John Kuester said he would be "very surprised" if the 35-year-old veteran played through the weekend.
The former Defensive Player of the Year has been one of the most durable players on an injury-plagued Detroit team, joining guard Rodney Stuckey as the only Pistons to appear in every game.
Knicks swingman Wilson Chandler missed his second straight game for personal reasons.
Trail Blazers sign Travis Diener
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers signed free-agent Travis Diener on Wednesday to fill their final roster spot.
Diener, a 6-foot-1 point guard, played four games for Indiana earlier this season before undergoing surgery on his big toe. The Pacers released him on Monday.
The Blazers traded Steve Blake to the Los Angeles Clippers in the Marcus Camby deal Feb. 16 but have three other point guards on the roster: Andre Miller, Jerryd Bayless and rookie Patrick Mills.
"We're very happy to have Travis on our roster," Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard said. "He is a veteran point guard who will be a good complement to our existing backcourt."
The 28-year-old Diener began his career in Orlando and posted career-highs of 6.9 points and 3.8 assists in 2007-08 with the Pacers.
Jazz pick up D-League guard
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor says the team will sign Othyus Jeffers of the NBA Development League's Iowa Energy to a 10-day contract once he passes a physical.
Utah has been one below the NBA minimum with 12 players since trading shooting guard Ronnie Brewer to Memphis just before the deadline last month.
Jeffers has been averaging 14.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists with the Energy.
Jeffers will join former D-League guard Sundiata Gaines, who signed a 10-day contract with the Jazz in January and ended up earning a spot for the rest of the season.
Hornets C Marks out 10 days with shoulder strain
NEW ORLEANS — Hornets reserve center Sean Marks will be sidelined at least 10 days by a right shoulder strain. Team spokesman Dennis Rogers says Marks will be re-evaluated when those 10 days are up.
Also hampered by a calf strain earlier this season, the 6-foot-10 Marks has played in 14 games, averaging 0.7 points and 1.6 rebounds in 5.4 minutes per game.
The Hornets made the announcement about Marks' status before their game Wednesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.
