NBA Capsules: Spurs win ninth straight, beat Raptors

TORONTO (AP) — While "Linsanity" consumes the NBA, not too many people are paying attention to San Antonio's winning streak.

That's just fine with the Spurs. They don't mind flying under the radar. Tony Parker had 34 points and 14 assists, and the Spurs extended their season-best winning streak to nine games with a 113-106 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.

"We've been on fire lately," Parker said. "We've been playing very good basketball, moving the ball great."

But are the Spurs the league's unsung heroes? Not according to Parker.

"There's no bigger story than Jeremy Lin right now," Parker said of the New York Knicks' sensation. "I'm happy for him. It's almost like you want to cheer for him. You want him to make every shot. His story is like a movie and he's performing every night right now."

Manu Ginobili, who scored 11 points in his third game back after missing a month with a broken left hand, echoed Parker's comments.

"I think New York deserves all the attention after all they've been through and what's happening right now," Ginobili said. "They draw attention from me: the New York game finishes and I go to see what they did. It's crazy."

Danny Green scored 13 points and matched his career high with seven rebounds and Tiago Splitter also had 13 points for the Spurs, who have not lost since a 101-100 overtime defeat at Dallas on Jan. 29. But the winning streak is no big deal to the Spurs, who are hoping for more important victories come playoff time.

"No one is walking around here talking about (the streak), no one is sitting here focused on it," said Richard Jefferson, who scored 10. "It's more about how can we get better and how can we improve going into the next game?"

Parker went 12 for 12 from the foul line for San Antonio, which last won nine straight during a 10-0 stretch from Dec. 3-22, 2010.

"His 12 for 12 was really exciting because he works a lot on his shot and to have him do that is a real confidence builder," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said.

The victory was the sixth straight away from home for the Spurs, their longest run since winning eight straight road games to begin the 2010-11 season. San Antonio's Tim Duncan failed to extend his run of five straight double-doubles, finishing with eight points and three rebounds.

DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points for the Raptors, who have lost three straight and eight of 10. Jose Calderon added 16 points and 11 assists.

Toronto guard Jerryd Bayless missed his fourth straight game with a sore left ankle, while forward Linas Kleiza was sidelined with a sore left knee. Leading scorer Andrea Bargnani sat for the 18th time in 20 games because of a strained left calf.

"We're a little undermanned," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said before the game. "If anybody is looking for a 10-day (contract), we're looking for bodies."

Toronto trailed by five points to begin the fourth, but used a pair of baskets by Calderon and a driving layup by DeRozan to cut it to one at 97-96 with 4:14 left.

San Antonio answered with a baseline jump shot by Gary Neal and a pair of free throws by Parker, restoring their five point advantage with 3:25 left. Parker made all eight of his free-throw attempts down the stretch as the Spurs improved to 23-9 all-time against Toronto. Casey said Parker has developed into "the whole package."

"The last couple of weeks, he's been playing at a big time level," Casey said. "He's one of my favorite players. He's so slithery and so quick and now he's gotten a little strength. He makes it tough to get into him and guard him in these situations. Now he's developed a jump shot, so you have to honor that."

Green got all seven of his rebounds and made three of San Antonio's six 3-pointers in the opening half as the Spurs, who shot 6 for 10 from beyond the arc, led 55-45 at the break.

Toronto battled back by making its first 10 shots of the second half. DeRozan scored 13 points in less than six minutes, including two on a reverse alley-oop from Calderon, and the Raptors followed with a layup from James Johnson that tied it at 66.

San Antonio answered with a 13-4 run over the next four minutes, taking a 79-70 lead and forcing Toronto to call timeout. The Spurs led 83-78 heading to the fourth.

Notes: Parker's career high in assists is 17, set Jan. 23 at New Orleans. ... The Spurs, who evened their road record at 8-8, have four games remaining on their season-long nine game road trip. They don't play again until Saturday against the Clippers, giving them a couple of days at home to break up the trip. ... San Antonio rookie Cory Joseph became the eighth Canadian-born player to appear in a game in Toronto. Cavaliers rookie Tristan Thompson, Joseph's college teammate at Texas, also played in his hometown on Jan. 4.

Martin's 32 points lead Rockets over Thunder

HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin McHale had a talk with Kevin Martin late Tuesday night after he went scoreless for the first time in six years and was relegated to the bench for most of the second half of a loss to Memphis.

It looks as though the Houston Rockets' first-year coach got through to his star. Martin tied a season high with 32 points, including the winning free throws with 23.6 seconds remaining, to lead the Rockets to a 96-95 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night.

Before the game McHale recounted the discussion they had Tuesday night.

"We've got to do a better job of trying to get you going, but you've got to do a good job of getting yourself going, too," McHale said he told Martin. "I did it for a lot of years and it's incumbent on you to go out there and get yourself going."

Martin took his advice to heart.

"When it comes to NBA basketball, we're both pretty smart, (but) he might be a little smarter than me," Martin said. "So I was listening a little bit more and it was just a great conversation especially after the last week has gone. It was a conversation we needed to have."

Kevin Durant missed three shots in the last 16 seconds and Houston finally grabbed the rebound on the last miss to secure the win. Goran Dragic missed a pair of free throws for Houston after that, but the Thunder didn't have time to get down the court for another shot.

"I got where I wanted to get, I just missed the shots," Durant said. "That's what happens. Guys can't expect you to make every shot at the end or you're setting yourself up for failure."

Martin didn't score in the fourth quarter until his free throws for the win.

"It's not even about points," he said. "Yesterday, we got beat and I was over there sitting and that wasn't pleasant. So tonight it was good to be out there and it was a total team effort."

Thunder coach Scott Brooks was disappointed with his team's 21 turnovers and its work on defending Martin. "We did not have a handle on him all game," Brooks said. "He was aggressive, attacking our defenders and we didn't do a good job on Kevin."

Durant led the Western Conference-leading Thunder with 33 points and Russell Westbrook added 26 points. Houston got 15 points from Luis Scola and 14 from Chandler Parsons.

Kyle Lowry, who finished with 11 points, cut the lead to 95-94 with a putback layup with about a minute left. Durant missed a jump shot on the other end to give Houston the ball back and set up Martin's free throws.

Houston led by five points before Oklahoma City scored seven straight — capped by a monster dunk by Durant to take an 89-87 lead with six minutes left. He had another dunk soon after that before his alley-oop layup had Oklahoma City up 93-92 about two minutes later.

Durant has scored 25 points or more 13 times against the Rockets in his career. James Harden, who had 17 points, scored Oklahoma City's first seven points of the fourth quarter and the teams were tied at 80 after his layup with about nine minutes remaining.

The teams exchanged the lead several times in the third quarter before Houston made it 73-70 with a 3-point play by Martin, who had 15 points in the quarter. He banked on off-balance shot while being fouled by Durant and hit the free throw.

Courtney Lee sank two free throws after that, but Durant found a wide-open Reggie Jackson for a 3-pointer at the end of the quarter to cut Houston's lead to 75-73 entering the fourth quarter.

Players from both teams got technical fouls in the third quarter. Kendrick Perkins got one when he linked his arm in Scola's to try and slow his path to the basket with about five minutes left in the quarter. Lowry got one about 1 1/2 minutes later when he got tangled up with Serge Ibaka while trying to get a rebound.

Martin cooled down in the second quarter after his hot shooting first quarter and the Thunder finally got their offense going. The Rockets were up by 18 points early in the second quarter before Oklahoma City went on an 8-0 run to close the gap to 31-21 less than 10 minutes before halftime.

Oklahoma City went on a 10-2 run capped by a 3-pointer by Durant after that to get within 35-31 about five minutes later. The Thunder tied it at 42 when Samuel Dalembert was called for goaltending on a shot by Durant with a minute left in the first half.

Martin then scored his only points of the second quarter with a 3-pointer seconds later to put Houston back on top 45-42.

Martin got going early in this one, with his first basket coming on a jump shot with 9 minutes left in the first quarter that made it 6-0. A pair of 3-pointers later in the quarter gave him 10 points, pushed Houston's lead to 18-6 and had a rowdy group of fans chanting his name.

Parsons hit a 3-pointer with about 3 seconds left in the first quarter to leave the Rockets up 29-13 entering the second period.

Martin scored 28 points against Golden State on Sunday, but has struggled in his three other recent games. His 12 first-quarter points were double what he'd scored in those three outings.

Notes: Thunder G Thabo Sefolosha missed his 10th straight game with a sore right foot. Daequan Cook started in his place for the eighth straight time. ... Houston went 3-3 on the six-game road trip that ended Monday. ... Oklahoma City is 2-1 against Houston this season.

-- Kristie Rieken

Mavericks win fifth in a row, beating Nuggets

DALLAS (AP) — Shawn Marion is becoming quite a shut-down defender for the Dallas Mavericks while still contributing on offense.

Marion had game highs of 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and the 6-foot-7 forward also helped to frustrate Denver's top scoring threat as the Mavericks stretched their winning streak to five with a 102-84 victory over the Nuggets on Wednesday night.

Dallas once again often used Marion to help defend the opponent's best offensive option. Ty Lawson finished with only three points on 1-of-8 shooting.

"Lawson's penetration is something everybody in the league is trying to solve. ... We had good concentration, kept him from shredding us on the inside," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "Marion's versatility on the defensive end came up huge for us."

Marion led six Mavericks who scored in double figures on a night when the team was already without two guards before Delonte West broke his finger in the second quarter. The defending NBA champions matched their longest winning streak of the season.

"Everybody who put on a uniform contributed," Marion said. "We came out aggressive and attacked them and had them on their heels."

Dallas jumped out to a 9-1 lead in the first 3 minutes and was never really challenged.

Lawson finished 13 points below his scoring average and the Nuggets shot a season-low 36 percent (30 of 84) with their worst-scoring half followed by their lowest-scoring quarter. They came in as the league's highest-scoring team at 104 points per game.

The Mavericks' winning streak, coming after a three-day break that followed three losses in a row, includes a victory Monday night over the Los Angeles Clippers when Carlisle had Marion guarding point guard Chris Paul to start the game.

"Dallas has turned into an incredibly good defensive team," Denver coach George Karl said.

Vince Carter had 15 points for the Mavericks. Lamar Odom scored 14, Jason Kidd 13, Dirk Nowitzki 12 and Brandon Wright 10. All the starters played fewer than 27 minutes.

Rudy Fernandez led the Nuggets with 14 points. Al Harrington, another reserve, had 13.

"We struggled on offense and that affected our defense," Harrington said. "They were just a better team tonight and we've got to move on."

Kidd had consecutive 3-pointers, one from the top of the key and the other from the right corner, to cap a 16-3 run that pushed the Mavericks ahead 72-49 with 4:20 left in the third quarter.

Denver trailed 51-39 after its lowest-scoring first half of the season. The Nuggets followed that in the third quarter by scoring only 15 points, their fewest in any period this season.

"We were struggling to find points," Karl said.

At the same time, Dallas had its highest-scoring third quarter of the season, piling up 32 points to push ahead 83-54. Already without guards Jason Terry (strained right quad) and Rodrigue Beaubois (personal reasons), West went down with an ugly injury to his right ring finger. Blood was clearly visible after he fractured and dislocated his finger while playing defense.

"He's going to be out for a while," Carlisle said.

While Terry's injury isn't thought to be serious, Carlisle had already said he would also miss Friday night's game at Philadelphia because of a "personal situation."

Denver was still without Nene (left calf strain), center Timofey Mozgov (left ankle sprain) and forward Danilo Gallinari (left ankle sprain).

In a sign of things to come for the Mavs, four players scored in the opening 9-1 stretch. Carter had two free throws less than a minute into the game to put Dallas ahead to stay before Kidd converted a steal by Carter into a 3-pointer. Nowitzki and Marion followed with jumpers. Odom's putback of his own miss made it 11-4.

On the next Dallas possession, Odom became the first Mavericks player to score consecutive points when he hit a 3.

"Everybody's getting better and better as far as their game and their conditioning," Odom said. "We're having fun playing together."

Notes: Nuggets F Corey Brewer received his championship ring from the Mavericks before the game. Brewer, a bench player during Dallas' playoff run last season, was acquired from the Mavericks in a trade on Dec. 13. He had nine points. Caron Butler, now with the Clippers, got his ring Monday night when Los Angeles was in town. ... Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has stepped in to save an annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Dallas, writing a $40,000 check to ensure the parade that has been held since 1979 goes on. "I figured I had lost enough brain cells there, everybody else should get that opportunity, too," Cuban joked before the game.

-- Stephen Hawkins

Mavs' West breaks ring finger vs. Denver

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks guard Delonte West has fractured his right ring finger.

West fractured and dislocated his finger while trying to make a defensive play about halfway through the second quarter Wednesday night against Denver. It was an ugly injury with blood clearly visible.

The Mavericks said West wouldn't return to the game and that it was unclear how many games he might miss. West came off the bench on a night when the Mavericks were already without guards Jason Terry and Rodrigue Beaubois.

Terry out for Mavs with strained right quad

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas guard Jason Terry missed the Mavericks' game against Denver on Wednesday night because of a strained right quad and is expected to miss at least one more game as well.

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle says he doesn't believe Terry's injury to be serious. The coach said the guard will miss Friday night's game at Philadelphia because of a "personal situation" and is expected to be back Sunday at New York.

The Mavericks also were without guard Rodrigue Beaubois on Wednesday night. Carlisle said Beaubois missed the game for personal reasons, but the coach wouldn't give any details on what those were.

Other NBA Capsules

Lin, Knicks stay on roll, get back to .500

NEW YORK (AP) — Jeremy Lin put aside his record-setting scoring to hand out a career-best 13 assists, and the New York Knicks got back to .500 with their seventh straight victory, 100-85 over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.

Lin added 10 points, focusing more on his role as a distributor while others torched the Kings for 51- percent shooting. Landry Fields had 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Bill Walker and Steve Novak each chipped in with 14 points.

Lin scored 136 points in his first five starts, most by any NBA player since the NBA merged with the ABA in 1976. His 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds left Tuesday allowed the Knicks to pull out a 90-87 victory in a game they trailed nearly the whole way.

The Knicks (15-15) led this one almost throughout, evening their record for the first time since they were 6-6 after a loss to Oklahoma City on Jan. 14.

They host hapless New Orleans on Friday night, hoping All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony will return from a strained right groin.

Tyreke Evans scored 19 points for the Kings.

CLIPPERS 102, WIZARDS 84

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Blake Griffin had 23 points and 15 rebounds, Caron Butler added 21 points and Randy Foye scored all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter against his former team, leading Los Angeles past Washington.

The Clippers increased their lead in the Pacific Division to two games over the idle Lakers with their ninth victory in 12 contests.

The Clippers have beaten the Wizards seven consecutive times. John Wall and JaVale McGee led Washington with 18 points each.

MAGIC 103, 76ERS 87

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Ryan Anderson had seven 3-pointers and 27 points, Dwight Howard added 17 points and 14 rebounds and Orlando shot its way past Philadelphia.

Orlando made 15 of 25 attempts from 3-point range, and had all five starters reach double figures for the second consecutive game.

Jason Richardson had 14 points, including four 3s, and Jameer Nelson tied a career high with 14 assists and added 12 points. The Magic have won three straight and seven of nine since losing to the 76ers last month.

Louis Williams led Philadelphia with 21 points and seven assists.

CAVALIERS 98, PACERS 87

CLEVELAND (AP) — Rookie Kyrie Irving scored 22 points in his return after missing three games because of a concussion, leading Cleveland past Indiana.

Irving played for the first time since Feb. 7, when he banged his head following a collision in Miami. The 19-year-old was only cleared to play in the morning by Cavs doctors, who followed the NBA's new guidelines on head injuries during his recovery.

The Semih Erden, starting with center Anderson Varejao sidelined indefinitely by a broken wrist, had a career-high 18 points. Darren Collison scored 18 points for Indiana. The Pacers have lost five straight.

PISTONS 98, CELTICS 88

BOSTON (AP) — Rodney Stuckey scored 25 points and Ben Gordon hit three 3-pointers in the opening 4:09 of the fourth quarter during a game-breaking spree that Detroit past Boston.

Greg Monroe had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Gordon finished with 22 points Detroit. The Pistons won for the fifth time in seven games.

Rajon Rondo had a season-high 35 points for Boston one game after he recorded a triple-double. Chris Wilcox, starting in place of the injured Kevin Garnett, had 17 points and nine rebounds. Garnett was a late scratch because of a hip flexor.

TIMBERWOLVES 102, BOBCATS 90

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kevin Love had 30 points and 18 rebounds and Minnesota handed Charlotte its 16th loss in a row.

Nikola Pekovic added 21 points and 11 rebounds in 43 minutes for Minnesota. The Timberwolves snapped a four-game skid of their own.

Kemba Walker had 21 points and six rebounds, and Corey Maggette scored 18 points for the Bobcats, who have lost 22 of the last 23 games.

GRIZZLIES 105, NETS 100

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Rudy Gay scored 25 points, Tony Allen matched his season high with 21, and Marreese Speights added a season-high 20 points and a career-high 18 rebounds to help Memphis beat New Jersey, handing the error-prone Nets their season-high seventh straight loss. Mike Conley had 16 points and 10 assists for Memphis. The Grizzlies have won four of their last five. Deron Williams scored 20 of his 26 points in the first half for the Nets.

TRAIL BLAZERS 93,WARRIORS 91

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Gerald Wallace scored 24 points and Jamal Crawford hit a key late 3-pointer and a two free throws to lift Portland past Golden State. Nicolas Batum added 17 points for the Trail Blazers, who had lost 11 of their last 12 in Oakland. David Lee matched his season high with 29 points anded 11 rebounds for the Warriors.

HAWKS 101, SUNS 99

PHOENIX (AP) — Josh Smith matched his season high with 30 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to rally Atlanta.

Smith, whose career best is 32, had 20 points and 12 rebounds in the second half to help Atlanta snap a two-game skid and win for the third time in eight games.

Steve Nash, back after a night off as the Suns played their third game in three days, had 22 points and 16 assists. Grant Hill, who also sat out Tuesday night in a loss at Denver, scored 18 points for Phoenix.

HORNETS 92, BUCKS 89

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Marco Belinelli made a career-high six 3-pointers and scored a season-high 22 points in short-handed New Orleans' victory over Milwaukee.

Chris Kaman added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Gusvtavo Ayon had 12 points and 12 rebounds to help New Orleans (6-23) win consecutive games for the first time starting the season 2-0.

Ersan Ilyasova led the Bucks with a season-high 23 points.

Other NBA News

From New York to Asia, Lin is a hoops sensation

NEW YORK (AP) — Bigger than Shaq? Larger than LeBron? The Knicks as NBA champions? (Don't laugh too hard at that last one. The odds are getting better, according to one online sports book.)

Nothing seems too Lin-possible now after Jeremy Lin's incredible first week as an NBA starter, and the story keeps getting better.

The undrafted player from Harvard made a 3-pointer with five-tenths of a second left Tuesday night to give the Knicks a 90-87 victory at Toronto.

Lin and the Knicks returned home Wednesday night and ran their winning streak to seven games with a 100-85 victory against Sacramento that got them back to .500 after an 8-15 start.

Lin joined the rotation only then, starting the last five games, so hold off on making him a Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal or LeBron James just yet. But the Knicks have seen enough to believe this ride may last a while.

"I don't know when there's an ending, maybe there won't," coach Mike D'Antoni said.

Lin's story has blown straight past the New York sports pages and all their cute headlines such as "Va-Lin-tine's Day," all the way to a basketball-crazed continent on the other side of the world, where he's been "kind of like the great Asian hope," said Orin Starn, professor and chair of Cultural Anthropology at Duke.

Lin has done wonders for shares of Madison Square Garden Inc., the company that owns the Knicks, the Garden and the namesake sports network. The stock has surged 9 percent since Lin began his heroics Feb. 4, reaching an all-time high of $33.18 earlier this week before retreating slightly to close at $31.91 Wednesday.

"Rangers and Knicks fans do tend to buy the stock when the teams are doing well," Miller Tabak analyst David Joyce said.

And Linsanity has reached America's most powerful basketball fan, with President Barack Obama talking about Lin's winner Wednesday.

White House spokesman Jay Carney called Lin "just a great story, and the president was saying as much this morning."

Lin arrived in New York in December with no guarantee he'd last more than a few weeks. Already cut by Golden State and Houston this season, he was so hesitant to get comfortable in his new home that he refused to even get his own.

Instead, he slept at his brother's place in the city, and had crashed on teammate Landry Fields' couch the night before his breakout game against New Jersey on Feb. 4.

Even an Ivy League education couldn't help Lin explain what's happened since — the most points in any player's first five games as a starter since the NBA merged with the ABA in 1976, and a contract that's guaranteed for the rest of the season.

"No, but I believe in an all-powerful and all-knowing God who does miracles," Lin said.

If that sounds familiar, yes, Lin has been frequently compared to Denver quarterback Tim Tebow. Both relied on their faith as much as their previously overlooked skills to guide them through hot streaks that made them sensations even beyond their sports.

Tebow carried the Broncos right into the playoffs, and now there are some who believe Lin can do the same with the Knicks.

The Knicks were 40-1 odds to win the NBA championship on Bovada.lv before Lin's run began. Now, they're down to an 18-1 shot and conjuring up memories of another New York team.

"A guy like this is great for the game and has drawn a lot of interest from bettors on the Knicks games also," Kevin Bradley, the sports book's manager, said in a statement. "I am having visions of how the public was treating the Giants going into the Super Bowl being the hottest team in the NFL and costing us a mint, and right now the Knicks are by far the biggest loser for the book."

Not everybody is convinced. Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. played down Lin mania on Twitter, saying that Lin is just doing what plenty of black players do but is getting more attention because of his Asian heritage.

And Lin is certain to cool off. It's one thing to beat teams such as the Nets and Wizards when they've barely had time to learn your name. It's another when NBA defenses are prepared to stop you.

"He's a marked man now, he's not going to sneak up on anybody, and every night's going to be tough," D'Antoni said.

Then again, Kobe Bryant had said he wasn't familiar with Lin's game and would have to study up on him. The next night, Lin burned the Lakers for a career-high 38 points in a nationally televised victory.

That was a huge moment in Taiwan, which Lin's parents left in the 1970s. Asia lost its biggest basketball star when Yao Ming retired last summer, but ratings are up in China, and TV stations around the continent have rushed to add Knicks games to their broadcasts.

"I like Jeremy Lin (more than Yao Ming) because Yao Ming was already famous (when he started playing in NBA). For Lin, it's like nobody had heard of him before. Kobe gave an interview saying he did not know who Lin was. So this is truly a rising star," Taiwanese university student Zhang Gan-yu said.

Lin has been gaining followers on social media and had the NBA's top-selling jersey online in the first week it was available. With Knicks games blacked out to many New Yorkers because of a local cable dispute, the Knicks held their first viewing party in Chinatown on Wednesday night.

Their hero had a relatively quiet game, scoring only 10 points with a career-high 13 assists in a 100-84 victory at home against Sacramento. Still, when it was over, the adoring Garden fans chanted "M-V-P" as he was doing a postgame interview on the court.

Lin is the NBA's first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent. Starn called his emergence sort of a "coming-out party for Asian-Americans," who he said haven't had a significant presence in entertainment despite their growing population. And certainly not on the basketball court.

"I think it is appealing to a lot of Americans when somebody comes along that seems to break out of this set of stereotypes — and in this case, an Asian-American from the heart of the Silicon Valley," Starn said. "I think Jeremy Lin has this special kind of attraction because he seems to capture this visibility of Asian-Americans."

But Lin will have to have lasting success to be just a short-term phenomenon, even to Asians. Yao was beloved because he proved to be an All-Star. Yi Jianlian, drafted in 2007 and now with his fourth NBA team, has seen his popularity wane because he is a journeyman.

Not to worry, D'Antoni says. Lin's the real thing.

"He's going to be a good player," D'Antoni said.

-- Brian Mahoney

Ecstatic Taiwanese claim Knicks' Lin as their own

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — With only a handful of foreign embassies, and a political leadership forced into international invisibility, it's not surprising that the 23 million people of Taiwan feel their island home doesn't always get the respect it deserves.

Perhaps that's why they're now embracing emerging New York Knicks star Jeremy Lin as one of their own, reveling in his basketball exploits with a passion rare for a place better known for its flat screen TVs and computer chips.

Lin was born and raised in the United States, and his maternal grandmother comes from China, but his parents spent their formative years in Taiwan, and that's enough for people here to see him as a true-blue son of the island.

The Harvard graduate's remarkably rapid rise from NBA obscurity to stardom appeals to the Taiwanese as embodying the virtues they say propelled their island from agricultural backwater to high-tech powerhouse: hard work, devotion to family and modesty.

"Jeremy Lin may not consider himself a Taiwanese, and his success has had nothing to do with Taiwan, but Taiwanese regard him as one of their own," said political scientist Liu Bi-rong of Taipei's Soochow University. "Now he has taken the world by storm, and they are proud and enthralled by what he has done."

Across the 100-mile Taiwan Strait, China too is claiming Lin as a native son, pointing to his grandmother's roots in the eastern coastal province of Zhejiang as proof of his Chinese-ness.

He is being touted as the next big Chinese sports star after Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, whose retirement last year has tested the NBA's deep-seated popularity on the mainland.

China's pride of ownership is all too familiar to most Taiwanese, who are constantly bombarded by Beijing's assertions that they live in a political never-never land, lacking all the elementary accouterments of statehood.

The two sides split amid civil war in 1949, and China claims the democratic island as its own, to be brought back into the fold by persuasion if possible, by force if necessary.

Watching Lin's latest performance against the Sacramento Kings at a Taipei sports bar Thursday morning, 22-year-old saleswoman Tsai Shu-fan dismissed China's Lin identification with a barely disguised sneer.

"He is a native of Changhua, where his parents came from," she said. "He is not a Chinese."

Adjusting to China's domineering posture has become something of a cottage industry on Taiwan, particularly since it lost its seat in the United Nations to Beijing in 1971, and virtually all of its diplomatic allies — including the United States — abandoned it for China 30 or 40 years ago.

Its political leaders now have nowhere to travel on official international visits, except to countries like Paraguay and Burkina Faso, two of the 23 nations around the world that still recognize it.

That kind of isolation has helped engender outsized reactions when local people make it big on the world stage. Director Ang Lee became a favorite son for the wall-to-wall acclaim he received when "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Brokeback Mountain" hit the silver screen. Former New York Yankees and current Washington Nationals pitcher Chien-ming Wang was commonly referred to on local television broadcasts as "Taiwan's Glory," and Yani Tseng, the No. 1 golfer on the LPGA Tour for the past year, has given her sport a huge boost on the island.

But only a month into helping transform the New York Knicks from underachieving losers into the NBA's hottest team, Lin looks set to leave the other Taiwanese icons trailing in the dust.

His Knicks games are broadcast not only on sports stations, but also on news channels, which devote talk shows to his exploits once the games are over.

Newspapers have totally forgotten about last month's presidential elections, apparently mindful that filling their pages with Linsanity is a far better bet for attracting readers.

And a English tutoring school is airing TV ads to teach viewers newly coined words like "Lincredible" and "Linternational," noting Lin's cascading global impact.

None of that surprises Tsai, the young saleswoman, who came to the sports bar Thursday wearing a dark blue hat emblazoned with the Chinese character for her new hero's name.

"Lin is the young Michael Jordan, and he has Taiwanese blood," she said. "I am so proud of him."

-- Annie Huang

Yankees' Joba Chamberlain understands 'Linsanity'

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Joba Chamberlain is one person who can truly appreciate "Linsanity."

Chamberlain inspired the "Joba Rules," which became a New York obsession when the pitcher went 2-0 with a 0.38 ERA in 19 relief appearances after joining the Yankees in August 2007. Now Chamberlain is soaking in the exploits of Jeremy Lin, the New York Knicks' sudden star.

"It's been fun to watch," Chamberlain said Wednesday after a pre-spring training workout in Florida.

"Hopefully I get a chance to meet him and wish him the best," he added. "Just to be able to talk to him and listen to the things that he's gone through in this short amount of time. If there's anybody in New York City that knows what he's going through, it's me, and I'm very honored to be able to say that."

Chamberlain was a rookie in 2007 limited in how many innings he could pitch to protect his prized arm. He quickly became a fan favorite.

Lin, a point guard from Harvard, has come out of nowhere to lead the Knicks on a six-game winning streak.

"I'm happy for him," Chamberlain said. "Somebody that worked so hard, that got cut and was told he wasn't supposed to be anything, and looked what happens."

At the start of Chamberlain's big-league career, people would yell at him from cabs and dining out could be an adventure.

"A free meal may come here or there, but there's nothing wrong with that," a smiling Chamberlain said. "It's been fun to see the shirts, everything that goes along with it. He's got a name that fits it, and I guess I had a name that fit it, too."

It can all get overwhelming.

"Looking back at it, yeah," Chamberlain said. "Your game of life is long, but your game in basketball and baseball is really short, and have to be able to take advantage of that. You're not going to be a sensation forever."

Chamberlain is a cautionary tale of that. He's coming back from elbow ligament replacement surgery and has been cleared to start throwing off a full mound next week. He'll be able to throw curveballs and changeups in late March and said that it was "100 percent" he would rejoin the Yankees at some point this season.

"Your first impressions are most lasting," Chamberlain said, "and he made a pretty good one, I can tell you that much."

Cavaliers guard Irving back from concussion

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — No more headaches. No more sitting. No more watching.

Kyrie Irving's good to go. Cleveland's rookie point guard has been cleared to play after missing three games with a concussion and will be in the starting lineup Wednesday night when the Cavaliers host the Indiana Pacers.

"I'm back to 100 percent," Irving said following the team's morning shootaround. "It feels good to get back out there."

Irving was the first high-profile player to be concussed and have to abide by the NBA's new guidelines on concussions. Irving had to go through several steps in his recovery, the final being a full participation in practice Tuesday before he could be cleared by team doctors, who were required to consult with a league physician.

Irving was concussed in Miami on Feb. 7, when he fell in the foul lane and banged the back of his head on Dwyane Wade's knee. Irving wasn't diagnosed with the concussion until the following day after he experienced a headache and didn't feel well while warming up before a home game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Irving said he's been symptom free for days and is eager to rejoin the Cavs, who went 1-2 while he sat in dress clothes on the end of their bench.

"It was just the NBA-mandated process. I feel like I felt better than most concussions, but it was a process I had to go through and it made me appreciate what I was doing at the beginning of the season and when I was out and not being able to be with my teammates. It was a process I had to go through.

"I'm glad it's done."

Cavs coach Byron Scott was informed Irving would be available to play after he arrived at the team's training facility on Wednesday morning. Scott had assumed Irving would be cleared after the 19-year-old participated in a full practice Tuesday, when he scrimmaged and had contact for the first time since being hurt.

"It's good to have him back, no doubt about that," Scott said. "The only thing I'm thinking is he probably won't ever complain of a headache again."

Irving said he had a headache following the game in Miami and that it worsened the following morning.

"My head was throbbing a little bit when I came in and I told the doctors about it and they diagnosed it as a concussion," said Irving, who hadn't spoken to reporters in a week. "I had to go through some testing mentally and with my balance. It was a different process. I didn't know they took those necessary steps for concussion now."

The 19-year-old Irving, who is averaging 18 points, 5.1 assists and has made two last-second game-winning shots, characterized his concussion as "very mild."

However, he understands the risks involved and importance of being cautious with any head injury.

"The most important thing is my health especially in playing this type of game," he said. "Concussions are a serious thing and you never want to take them for granted. It depends on the player and where they get hit and the severity of the concussion. With me it was very mild, but I still had to take the five-step process."

As difficult as it was to endure, Irving said the week off had some benefits and he found a positive in not being able to play.

"I kind of took it as a break for me honestly," said Irving, who was selected to play in the "Rising Stars" challenge during All-Star weekend in Orlando. "It couldn't have come at a better time. I'm going to be even busier next weekend. It's good to get a break. I feel fresh and it feels good to get back out there."

-- Tom Withers

Granger out for Pacers

CLEVELAND (AP) — Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger is not playing against the Cavaliers because of a sprained left ankle.

Granger was hurt in the first quarter Tuesday night at home in a loss against Miami and did not return. The Pacers' leading scorer warmed up on the floor before Wednesday night's game in Quicken Loans Arena to see if his ankle was OK. But less than an hour before tip-off, a team spokesman announced that Granger wouldn't play.

Granger winced several times as he stiffly moved around the floor taking shots.

Dahntay Jones will start for Granger as the Pacers try to stop a four-game losing streak.

Granger is averaging 18 points and 4.5 rebounds. He has been tough on Cleveland, averaging 19.8 points and 6.1 rebounds against the Cavs.

Billups undergoes successful surgery on left leg

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clippers guard Chauncey Billups underwent a successful surgery in Colorado on Wednesday to repair his torn left Achilles tendon that cost him the remainder of his first season in Los Angeles.

The Clippers say Billups is expected to remain in Colorado for about four weeks before returning to Los Angeles to begin rehabilitation.

Billups was injured in a Feb. 6 game against Orlando when he turned to run up the court and buckled.

The five-time All-Star had been a huge addition for the club, which claimed Billups in December after he was waived by the New York Knicks under the league's new amnesty clause. He was averaging 14.9 points and four assists. But it was his impact in mentoring Chris Paul and Blake Griffin that made Billups invaluable.

Hornets sign Jones to 10-day contract

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Hornets have signed six-year NBA veteran forward Solomon Jones to a 10-day contract.

The 6-foot-10 Jones has appeared in 10 regular season games this season with the Los Angeles Clippers, who waived him on Feb. 7.

He averaged 0.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 9.6 minutes per game with the Clippers.

Jones was taken by Atlanta in the second-round of the 2006 draft and spent three seasons with the Hawks. He spent the past two seasons with the Indiana Pacers.

For his career, Jones has averaged of 3.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 10.8 minutes per game.

Celtics F Garnett a late scratch with hip flexor

BOSTON (AP) — Celtics forward Kevin Garnett has been scratched from the lineup against Detroit with a hip flexor.

Garnett missed Tuesday's practice, but Boston coach Doc Rivers said before Wednesday night's game that his status wouldn't be decided until just before tipoff.

Rivers did say about an hour before the start of the game that Garnett had a great morning shootaround.

Chris Wilcox started in Garnett's place against the Pistons.

Heat's Jones to defend All-Star 3-point title

NEW YORK (AP) — Miami's James Jones will defend his title in the 3-point contest against a field that includes All-Stars Kevin Love and Joe Johnson and teammate Mario Chalmers.

Ryan Anderson of the host Orlando Magic and New Jersey's Anthony Morrow round out the roster for the Feb. 25 contest during All-Star Saturday night.

The Heat have won three of the last five titles in the event. Last year, Jones scored 20 points in the final round to beat Boston All-Stars Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.

Former Heat players Jason Kapono and Daequan Cook won in 2007 and 2009, respectively.

Nets honor Whitney Houston with Super Bowl anthem

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The New Jersey Nets honored the late Whitney Houston by playing her rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" from the 1991 Super Bowl before their game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.

The Newark-born singer died in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Saturday at the age of 48. Her funeral will be Saturday in Newark at the New Hope Baptist Church, where she sang as a child. She will be buried in Fair View Cemetery in Westfield, where her father, John Russell Houston Jr., was buried in 2003.

Houston's stirring rendition of the national anthem came at the time of the first Gulf War.

Clippers assistant Eisley fined for verbal abuse

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Clippers assistant Howard Eisley has been fined $15,000 for verbal abuse of an official.

The league said Wednesday he had been fined for an incident at the end of the Clippers' 96-92 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.

Eisley played 12 seasons in the NBA and is now a player development assistant for the Clippers.

Related NBA News

NBA legend raising awareness after cancer fight

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Oscar Robertson is stepping back into the spotlight. After living quietly in Ohio, the NBA Hall of Famer wants to raise awareness about prostate cancer.

Robertson was diagnosed with the disease about a year ago and had his prostate removed. He is serving as honorary chairman at the International Prostate Cancer Foundation's gala in Orlando next month.

The 73-year-old said his diagnosis followed a routine PSA screening.

"I had some numbers that went up a little bit and that was the indicator something was wrong," he said in a phone interview with The Associated Press.

Most men over 50 get PSA blood tests, but they're hugely problematic. Too much PSA, or prostate-specific antigen, only sometimes signals prostate cancer is brewing. Moreover, most prostate tumors detected after screening will prove too slow-growing to be deadly. But it's hard to tell in advance who will need treatment and who can safely skip it.

Treatments include surgery or radiation; some men opt for close monitoring and treatment only if the cancer grows.

While the initial news was surprising to Robertson, it wasn't the first serious medical issue he's faced since his playing days. In 1997 Robertson donated a kidney to his then-33-year-old daughter Tia, who was suffering from lupus.

But with no history of prostate cancer in his family, Robertson went into scouting-mode against his new opponent before making his decision.

"I talked to lot of doctors about it and decided I'd rather have mine taken out," he said.

Robertson wanted a minimally invasive procedure and doctors in Ohio eventually steered him to Dr. Vipul Patel, a urologist in Orlando.

Having grown up in Los Angeles and been a fan of the hometown Lakers, Patel instantly made the name connection.

"Obviously, the Big O, everybody knows him," Patel said. "I actually met him in person the day before surgery. He'd already decided what he wanted to do."

Patel did the surgery and Robertson was able to go home the next day. Now, almost a year later, Patel said Robertson is cancer-free and has an excellent prognosis.

During his more than 60-year association with basketball, Robertson earned both championships and pioneer status. He was the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season (1961-62). He was a founder of the National Basketball Retired Players Association.

Now, Robertson has shifted his attention to helping others through his own experience. A founder of the National Basketball Retired Players Association, Robertson also has already reached out to associates across the NBA, including current NBA players' union executive director Billy Hunter, to enlist their help in future awareness initiatives.

"Years ago, born in small-town Tennessee, I seldom went to doctors. I didn't know about early detection, or about heart attack prevention or anything. Nobody knew about prostate cancer unless it killed them," he said.

According to the National Cancer Institute, African-American men have the highest incidence rate for prostate cancer in the United States and are twice as likely to die from it as white males.

"No doubt about it. I want to raise awareness in all communities," Robertson said.

He's working with Patel's newly-formed International Prostate Cancer Foundation. Patel said Robertson is having an effect.

"We can see people calling and being screened. He's having an impact already," Patel said.

Robertson said he isn't taking his current health for granted, having known people who have died from prostate cancer.

"I guess I was one of the lucky ones," he said.

-- Kyle Hightower

Lucas to scout talent for NBPA's Top 100 camp

NEW YORK (AP) — Former NBA player and coach John Lucas II will serve as a scouting consultant for the National Basketball Players Association's Top 100 high school camp.

The NBPA says Lucas will be responsible for lining up the talent from the 2013 and '14 classes to take part in the camp from June 13-17 at the University of Virginia.

Lucas was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1976 draft and played 14 years in the league. He coached three teams and since 1990 has run John Lucas Enterprises in Houston, where he works with individual athletes.

The NBPA camp is in its 19th year. Purvis Short, the organization's director of player programs, says Wednesday that "by adding someone with John's experience and expertise, we are raising the bar to yet another level," adding that Lucas has "the ability to identify the game's greatest young talent."

International Men

Spain, U.S., Argentina to play Olympic warmup event

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The United States will play Spain and Argentina in a pre-Olympic warmup event that marks the 20th anniversary of the arrival of the "Dream Team."

The three countries will play a round-robin style tournament at Palau Sant-Jordi, starting July 22. Spain will face the United States in a Beijing Olympic gold medal rematch on July 24.

Led by NBA greats Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, the Americans won gold at the 1992 Barcelona Games — the first Olympics with professional basketball players competing.

London will host this year's Olympics from July 27-Aug. 12, with men's basketball play starting on July 29.

WNBA

Dream re-signs guard Miller

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Dream has re-signed guard Coco Miller, who helped the team reach the WNBA finals the last two years.

Miller, an unrestricted free agent, is coming off the best of her three seasons with the Dream. She started five games, averaging 7.3 points 1.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists.

Coach Marynell Meadors announced Miller's return on Wednesday, calling the 12-year veteran "very instrumental in our success." She played her college ball at Georgia, leading the Lady Bulldogs to the Final Four in 1999.

The Dream also announced that backup center Courtney Paris has re-signed. She appeared in 28 games last season, averaging 3.4 points and 3.1 rebounds.