Cavs’ Gibson likely out a few more days
January 31, 2012
CLEVELAND (AP)—Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson could be sidelined for a fewmore days with a neck infection that landed him in a Boston hospital.
Gibson was released Tuesday from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center with a“soft tissue” infection in his neck. Gibson stayed behind after the teamplayed the Celtics on Sunday night. The 25-year-old is being treated withantibiotics.
Cavs coach Byron Scott said Gibson will undergo more tests Wednesday inCleveland.
“He’s feeling a lot better,” Scott said before the Cavs hosted theCeltics. “I do know the Cleveland Clinic (doctors) are going to do more teststo make sure everything is OK. But other than that, we’re just glad he’s OK.”
Scott said Gibson’s return to the floor will be determined after he’sevaluated by team doctors. The Cavs play at Orlando on Friday and host Dallas onSaturday.
With both Gibson and Anthony Parker (back) out, rookie Mychel Thompson madehis first career start at shooting guard against the Celtics.
Thompson played the entire fourth quarter in Cleveland’s comeback win onSunday in Boston, and Scott was impressed with the youngster’s poise.
“He’ll be fine with the veterans we have out there,” Scott said ofThompson, whose father, Mychal, was a No. 1 overall pick and played 12 seasonsin the NBA. “I thought he was excited to get in and play. When I called hisname I looked dead at him and didn’t get the deer-in-the-headlights look. Hejust took his shirt off like he was ready to go and he went out there and playedthat way.”
Parker doesn’t know when he’ll be back. He’s had a back issue for severalweeks and he aggravated the ailment in the first quarter on Sunday.
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Accuser: Fine’s wife slept with players
January 31, 2012
Bernie Fine(Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP)—An affidavit filed in a slander suit against SyracuseUniversity and basketball coach Jim Boeheim says the wife of fired assistantBernie Fine had sex with players, and several people associated with the programknew about it, including Fine.
In the affidavit, Bobby Davis, a former ball boy with the men’s team, sayshe was present on several occasions with basketball players when he heard themspeaking of having sex with Laurie Fine. Davis said players joked about it andit seemed to be an openly known fact that Laurie Fine had sex with basketballplayers. A lawyer for Laurie Fine said the accusations were “disgusting.”
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After Davis and his step-brother, Mike Lang, accused Bernie Fine ofmolesting them when they were boys, Boeheim vehemently defended his longtimefriend and assistant coach. He said Davis was lying to cash in on the publicitygenerated by a sexual abuse scandal unfolding at Penn State University. The Hallof Fame coach later backed off, saying he based his defense on loyalty and twoprevious claims of abuse against Fine that authorities could not substantiate.
Boeheim apologized after a third accuser came forward at the end of Novemberand a years-old audiotape surfaced of a phone conversation between Davis andLaurie Fine that some have interpreted as Fine acknowledging Davis was abused byher husband.
In December, Davis and Lang filed a slander suit in state court. Theaffidavit filed Monday repeatedly makes the point that Davis believes Boeheimknew or should have known what his players were up to. He also believes Boeheimshould have backed his accusations.
“He knew or purposefully chose to ignore Fine and his wife’s behavior,”Davis said in the affidavit. “He had every reason to know that I was tellingthe truth, but he instead lashed out at me and called me and my brother liars.”
A lawyer for Boeheim did not return calls seeking comment.
Kevin Quinn, a spokesman for the university said: “We will respond to theplaintiffs’ lawsuit and their various allegations at the appropriate time.”
The court document also says Davis spoke directly to Bernie Fine about hiswife’s sexual relationships with players and that “Bernie Fine did not react inthe slightest.”
Davis, who lived with the Fines for a time, said Laurie Fine would lavishcertain players with attention, including doing their laundry, lending them hercar and giving the player money and gifts.
A lawyer for Laurie Fine calls the accusations in the affidavit a“desperate” attempt to keep the suit alive.
“Only the news media can think that 20-year-old hearsay is newsworthy if itis salacious enough,” Edward Z. Menkin said in an email to The AssociatedPress. “This is both desperate and disgusting, an example of an irresponsibleand unprofessional lawyer flailing about to keep a dying lawsuit in the publiceye.”
The affidavit was filed Monday in New York State Supreme Court byhigh-profile lawyer Gloria Allred.
“If Laurie Fine was having multiple sexual relationships with basketballplayers, then the university must explain how this could have been taking placefor years right under Coach Boeheim’s nose without his being aware of it andwithout the university’s doing anything about it,” Allred wrote in an email toThe Associated Press.
Davis, now 40, and Lang claim they were repeatedly forcibly touched by Finein the 1980s. Fine, who was fired Nov. 27, has not been charged and has deniedany wrongdoing. His lawyer declined comment Tuesday.
Davis tried to get Syracuse police to investigate Bernie Fine in 2002 butwas told the statute of limitations had expired. The same was true of anycharges brought by Lang.
The U.S. attorney’s office is investigating the claims of a third man,23-year-old Zach Tomaselli of Lewiston, Maine, who says Fine abused him in aPittsburgh hotel room in 2002.
——— Associated Press writer Jennifer Peltz in New York City contributedto this report.
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Clippers end Thunder’s 4-game win streak
January 31, 2012
LOS ANGELES (AP)—Blake Griffin’s jaw-dropping one-handed jam over KendrickPerkins sent Los Angeles Clippers fans into a frenzy, fired up his teammates,lit up the Twitterverse and burned the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Griffin had 22 points to go with Chris Paul’s 26 points and 14 assists in a112-100 victory Monday night that snapped the Thunder’s four-game winning streakin a matchup of division leaders.
Griffin downplayed his monster move after the game, a sly smile only brieflybreaking his serious expression.
“CP commands so much attention out there. He came off the pick-and-roll andhe hit me in stride,” Griffin said.
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Paul added: “I told Blake after the game, `Thanks for letting me be part ofthat.”’
DeAndre Jordan grabbed Griffin from behind in a celebratory bear hug as thebasket got replayed over and over in the third quarter.
Jordan, who had 11 points and 11 rebounds, couldn’t help himself.
“I was shocked. I didn’t know what to do, so I just grabbed him. I hit himkind of hard,” he said. “I’m going to go home and watch it again. It’sprobably going to be the screensaver on my phone.”
Griffin said he knew he’d made an impression judging by the crowd’s raucousresponse. Then he felt Jordan behind him.
“He armlocked me,” Griffin said. “I couldn’t breathe.”
The reaction on Twitter came fast and furious.
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald tweeted: “Blake Griffinjust made one of the top dunks of the season. Maybe even his career. (hashtag)Beast.”
Tracy McGrady of the Atlanta Hawks weighed in with “yo, crazy crazy dunk bythe dude Blake Griffin.”
Even Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-wife was impressed.
Shaunie O’Neal tweeted: “OMG!!! Did y’all just see Blake Griffin dunk!!!!!Daaayyyummm!”
Paul had 26 points and 14 assists, Caron Butler also had 22 points, ChaunceyBillups scored 13 and Mo Williams 12 as the Pacific-leading Clippers dunked withhigh-flying abandon against the team with the NBA’s best record at 16-4. Theywon their third in a row to follow up a 109-105 victory at Denver a nightearlier that began a stretch of five games in seven nights.
“We’re not going to read too much into it,” Paul said of the back-to-backwins. “It let us know what we’re capable of. We can explode offensively.”
Kevin Durant had 36 points and 13 rebounds, and Russell Westbrook added 31for the Northwest-leading Thunder, whose league-best road record dropped to 8-3.They had won 11 of their previous 12.
“Chris Paul was running around, getting what he wanted to get on the floorand making passes to guys for wide-open dunks and 3s,” Durant said. “It’stough to stop.”
Griffin’s monster mash had everyone talking and tweeting, but the Clippersput together a stunning sequence going into halftime.
They shocked the Thunder with four consecutive 3-pointers in less than aminute to lead 64-46. The flurry by Williams (two), Butler (one) and Billups(one) stopped the Thunder’s 11-2 run that had drawn them within six points.
“I told Mo that might have been the greatest exchange I have been part ofsince I’ve been in the NBA,” Paul said. “That got the crowd into it. Four 3sin under a minute is unbelievable.”
Jordan said: “We were just hot. It really didn’t look like it was real. Wewere on a high, but we knew we had to come out in the third and knock them outflat.”
The Thunder bumbled their way into the half, with Westbrook and Durantcombining on three straight turnovers that led to the Clippers’ long-rangefireworks. Williams and Butler had two steals in the run.
“That doesn’t happen, and it probably won’t happen again the rest of theyear, that a team will make that many 3s in a minute,” Thunder coach ScottBrooks said. “But they made the shots. They started the game with a lot ofurgency and they had us back on our heels.”
Los Angeles shot 71 percent from long range in a half that also featured aseries of huge dunks by Jordan, Griffin, Durant and Westbrook, although bothteams missed their share of dunks, too.
Daequan Cook was the only other Oklahoma City player in double figures with12 points. Durant and Westbrook scored all but two of the Thunder’s 25 points inthe third quarter, which the Clippers ended on a 3-pointer by Paul to lead90-70.
Durant and Westbrook began the fourth on the bench, although they both stoodup when Cook hit his second 3-pointer of the period to get the Thunder to 95-81.Griffin then scored five in a row, capped by a two-handed jam that extended theClippers’ lead to 100-81.
The Thunder outscored Los Angeles 30-22 in the fourth, but never made a bigrun to get close.
The Clippers made 13 3-pointers—just off their season high of 14 againstDenver on Sunday.
They made 10 3s in the first half, led by four from Butler, who connectedfrom his favorite spot in the left corner.
The Thunder’s only lead was four points to start the game.
Notes: Butler reached the 10,000-point mark on his third 3-pointer in thefirst quarter. … Durant and Westbrook have scored at least 25 points each 37times in their four seasons together. … The Clippers improved to 10-2 at home.… It was the Clippers’ 12th consecutive sellout this season and 24th in a rowoverall dating to last season. The crowd of 19,404 included Larry King and LosAngeles Angels pitcher Dan Haren.
Hayward comes up big late as Jazz rally
January 31, 2012
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)—Gordon Hayward certainly could have been the goatMonday night after moving over to shooting guard for the Utah Jazz and tossingup nothing but bricks early.
Yet the second-year pro kept playing and hustling, and it ultimately paidoff in a 93-89 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Hayward shook off an 0-for-8 start to finish with 12 points. Late in thegame, he had a block, a steal and a key rebound, and sank three of four freethrows down the stretch as the Jazz prevailed.
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Utah Jazz head coach Tyrone Co… AP – Jan 31, 12:10 am EST Portland Trail Blazers head co… AP – Jan 31, 12:10 am EST
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Utah Jazz guard Gordon Hayward… AP – Jan 30, 11:57 pm EST
Utah Jazz forward Josh Howard … AP – Jan 30, 11:57 pm EST
Utah Jazz forward Paul Millsap… AP – Jan 30, 11:57 pm EST
Utah Jazz forward Josh Howard … AP – Jan 30, 11:49 pm EST
Portland Trail Blazers forward… AP – Jan 30, 11:49 pm EST
Utah Jazz forward Paul Millsap… AP – Jan 30, 11:49 pm EST
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Utah Jazz forward C.J. Miles (… AP – Jan 30, 10:27 pm EST
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“I was trying to forget the first half,” Hayward said. “It’s something Idon’t think any player wants to do … missing layups, missing wide-open shots.… You need to keep shooting.”
The Jazz called this win especially big considering it came against theirNorthwest Division rivals, a team that had beaten them three straight times toend last season.
“With the records and the standings and being in the same division, weneeded to win. When it comes to the end of the year, we need to have thetiebreakers,” said C.J. Miles, who had 15 points off the bench for Utah.
Paul Millsap led Utah with 19 points and 15 rebounds, and the Jazz held a51-37 edge on the boards.
Still, they appeared headed for their fourth loss at home, especiallyplaying without starting center Al Jefferson (right ankle inflammation) andguard Raja Bell (strained right adductor).
The Jazz were shooting just 27.3 percent at one point in the first half, andLaMarcus Aldridge started lighting them up in the second.
Aldridge scored 14 of his team’s first 18 points in the third, hitting hisfirst six shots as Portland built its lead to 63-52 with 5:32 left.
“We definitely had control and we let it slip away,” said Aldridge, whofinished with 25 points and seven rebounds. “No excuses. They kept playing hardand they ended up coming back and stealing one.”
The Jazz started their comeback late in the third with a 10-0 run behindpoint guard Devin Harris. He hit a long jumper, sank a free throw, then stolethe ball from Jamal Crawford and fed Millsap for a jam that cut Portland’s leadto 63-59 with 2:58 left in the quarter. Harris capped the run with a shortjumper off a fast break.
Hayward hit a 3-pointer to tie it at 65 with 1:26 left in the quarter. Inthe fourth, the Jazz trailed 79-74 when they went on a 13-0 run.
Millsap had four points in the spurt, but reserves Earl Watson, Jeremy Evansand Miles provided the spark.
Watson scored on a fast-break layup and 19-foot jumper, and passed to Evansfor an alley-oop dunk.
“One to 13, the guys did a tremendous job just staying in there,” Jazzcoach Tyrone Corbin said. “Things weren’t going well for us early. But westayed together, kept encouraging each other and forcing each other to play alittle harder. It’s a great team win for us.”
Aldridge ended a 6-minute Blazers scoring drought with a hook shot, andNicolas Batum followed with a 3-pointer to pull Portland to 87-84.
But Hayward blocked Crawford’s layup, and Millsap hit a jumper for afive-point Jazz lead with 1:43 left.
The Blazers were down 90-87 with 13.3 seconds left, but Wesley Matthewsdrove the lane for a layup rather than look for a 3-pointer, and Portland triedto force the Jazz to make free throws to close it out.
Miles went to the line and made one but missed the second, only to haveHayward grab the rebound. He sank both foul shots to seal the win with 2.3seconds left.
The loss was the eighth in 11 road games for the Blazers. They also lostBatum to an injury late in the game. He had to be helped off the court and isexpected to have an MRI on his left knee Tuesday.
“We simply got outworked,” Portland coach Nate McMillan said.
The Trail Blazers gave up 24 second-chance points and were outscored 20-6 onfast-break points.
“They were the aggressors throughout, not only on the offensive end but ondefense,” McMillan said. “Earl Watson was really good on the ball, and (rookieEnes) Kanter came in and was real good defending the post. They were thephysical team tonight and earned the right to win this game.”
NOTES: Jefferson, bothered by inflammation in his right ankle, missed histhird game in two seasons with the Jazz. Bell had started every game this seasonbut strained his right adductor Saturday against Sacramento. … In the firsthalf, the teams were a combined 2 of 14 from 3-point range. … Gerald Wallacewas assessed a technical foul in the fourth quarter in the midst of the 13-0Jazz run. … The Trail Blazers gave up a season-high 38 free throws.
Bucks’ Jackson held out against Pistons
January 31, 2012
MILWAUKEE (AP)—After sitting out the last game for his verbal abuse of anofficial, Stephen Jackson was held out of Milwaukee’s victory over Detroit onMonday night.
“It was my decision,” Bulls coach Scott Skiles said. “I liked the waywe’ve played the past couple games. He’ll have an opportunity to work himselfback in there.”
Jackson, acquired in a 2011 draft-day trade from Charlotte, has alreadymissed two games this season—one for missing shootaround against the Knicks onJan. 20 and Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers while serving theone-game suspension his tirade after the Bucks’ loss at Chicago on Friday.
Jackson was on the active roster Monday and suited up, but never played.
“I ain’t surprised,” Jackson said. “They know how I feel. Everybody knowsthe situation. One thing I’m not going to do is not be professional. I’m goingto cheer the team on and do what I have to do.
“My situation is going to get better soon. Until then, I’m going to supportthese guys and continue to collect my check.”
Jackson also agreed with Skiles’ assessment of the team’s recent play.
“You know what? For the most part, Scott is right,” he said. “We areplaying well without me in the lineup but it’s all good. It’s all about winning.It happens. Like he said, the team is playing well. The rotation is great, andas long as we’re winning, there’s nothing for nobody to complain about.
“I’m expected to be prepared for anything. I came in, did my work. I’mgoing to come in tomorrow and work at practice and continue to work on my game.But at the end of the day, I have to be able to perform wherever I’m at.”
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No. 4 Missouri scrapes by Texas 67-66
January 31, 2012
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)—Michael Dixon’s flagrant foul down the stretch nearlycost his team the game. About 40 seconds later, he won it.
Dixon’s layup with 31 seconds left gave No. 4 Missouri the lead and MarcusDenmon’s rebound after a final miss by Texas’ Myck Kabongo sealed a tough 67-66victory for the Tigers on Monday night.
Texas has rallied from 13 down to take the lead on J’Covan Brown’s jumperwith 56 seconds left. The Tigers had held a three-point lead when Dixon,dribbling away time at midcourt, was whistled for a flagrant when he swung anelbow at Julien Lewis’ head.
Missouri guard Marcus Denmon, … AP – Jan 30, 11:59 pm EST Texas center Clint Chapman rea… AP – Jan 30, 11:52 pm EST
Texas guard Myck Kabongo, rear… AP – Jan 30, 11:49 pm EST
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Texas guard Myck Kabongo (12) … AP – Jan 30, 11:33 pm EST
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Lewis’ free throws and Brown’s basket had Texas in position for its biggestwin of the season.
Then Dixon made up for his blunder with a high, floating bank shot layupover Jaylen Bond that put the Tigers back on top to stay.
“In the heat of battle things happen,” Dixon said. “You just have to lookat the next play.”
Dixon’s layup capped a sparkling game. He was 9 of 10 shooting in a matchupagainst Brown, dished out four assists and consistently hit the big shots forthe Tigers (20-2, 7-2 Big 12) all night.
Missouri continues its impressive season under first-year head coach FrankHaith, who was a Texas assistant under Longhorns coach Rick Barnes from 2002-04before taking over the University of Miami program.
Haith was with Barnes during a three-year stretch that ranks among the bestin school history. The Longhorns advanced to the round of 16 twice and made theFinal Four in 2003. The Texas crowd gave him a welcome round of applause when hewas introduced before the game.
“It was a great win for us,” Haith said of his homecoming. “I felt weshowed toughness down the stretch.”
For Texas’, it was another crushing loss for a team in desperate search of abig win. The Longhorns (13-9, 3-6) are 0-7 in games decided by six points orfewer and dropped their fifth loss in six games, all to ranked teams, two ofthem to Missouri.
After the game, Barnes and Kabongo were left complaining that a foul wasn’tcalled on the Tigers’ Matt Pressey on the final play.
Pressey appeared to catch Kabongo’s non-shooting left arm when he went upfor the final shot on the baseline. Kabongo short-armed the shot, which thenfell to Denmon.
“He did get fouled,” Barnes said. “(But) what we needed was to get a stopon the other end and we didn’t get it … It’s tough when you’re trying to getover the hump and it seems plays like that don’t go your way.”
Brown scored 20 for Texas and the Longhorns considered working the ball tohim for the final shot. But Missouri’s tough zone defense kept the ball on theperimeter and it fell to Kabongo for the final play.
“We did not want (Brown) to shoot it,” Missouri guard Kim English said.“He was guarded well on that play.”
Lewis scored 12 and Kabongo finished with 10 for the Longhorns. Texasoutrebounded Missouri 38-26, but a ragged offense didn’t have an assist onoffense in the first half and the Longhorns were just 2 of 12 on 3-pointers.
Missouri seemed to have the game in control when it opened the second halfwith a flurry. Dixon was the catalyst, making three straight baskets over Brownand Kim English made a 3-pointer to push the Tigers’ lead to 36-29.
“I basically gave up half his points,” Brown said of Dixon.” I have to goout there and be a better defender than I was today.”
Brown, who has struggled badly shooting at home, started finding his touchand kept Mizzou from pulling away. Brown and Phil Pressey matched each other’s3s and Brown added a driving layup and a free throw cut the Tigers’ lead to46-43 with just under 11 minutes to play.
The Longhorns trailed 50-48 with a chance tie or take the lead when PhilPressey picked the ball from Kabongo, who had opted not to shoot an open3-pointer and then was whistled for a flagrant foul. Pressey made both freethrows.
Missouri had another chance to slam the door on Texas but couldn’t. RicardoRatliff made a tough layup, then finished a three-point play after a steal byEnglish. A 3-pointer by English with 4:43 to play put the Tigers ahead 63-53before Texas rallied again behind Brown and Kabongo.
“In the timeouts, we stressed to our guys it was `win time,”’ Haith said.“We were going to win the game.”
Bucks roll past skidding Pistons 103-82
January 31, 2012
MILWAUKEE (AP)—Bucks coach Scott Skiles is not quite ready to call BrandonJennings an All-Star. With a few more victories, he might be.
Jennings had 21 points, reserve Mike Dunleavy added a season-high 20 on8-of-10 shooting and Milwaukee rolled to a 103-82 victory over the skiddingDetroit Pistons on Monday night.
“Realistically, we’ve got to have a better record,” Skiles said when askedabout Jennings’ All-Star chances. “Let’s see what our record is when the votecomes across my desk. I think you have got to be on a winning team. That shouldbe one nice measurement, and we’re getting close to being a winning team.”
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Milwaukee, which has won four of six after losing three straight, improvedto 9-11.
“It would be nice for us to go ahead and punch through .500 and see whathappens,” Skiles said.
Drew Gooden shot 7 of 9 and scored 16 points for the Bucks, including sevenstraight during a decisive 12-2 run to open the second half. Detroit, which haslost five straight and nine of 10, never led in falling to 4-18.
Rodney Stuckey led the Pistons with 19 points, and Greg Monroe added 16points and 10 rebounds.
“We’ve been inconsistent this whole year,” Stuckey said. “It comestogether, then it falls apart. We’ve just got to make it sustain for 48minutes.”
Jennings scored nine points in the first 7 1/2 minutes, helping the Bucks to a30-16 lead after the first quarter. He added 12 in the third period.
“We were just moving the ball well,” Jennings said. “We just looked likea good team out there.
“We’re just rolling right now,” he added. “We’ve just got to keep theteam spirit and just keep everything positive. … I think we should be above.500.”
Milwaukee, led by Gooden, opened the third on a 12-2 run to turn a 47-41halftime lead into a 59-43 advantage.
“We’ve been having a lot of third-quarter woes around here, and Coach isalways talking about not letting a team come back,” Gooden said. “I waskeeping that in my mind, just knowing that I was going to start the thirdquarter off with a lot of intensity. Just keep that mindset that we’re not goingto let up and be front-runners and just kind of go for the jugular.”
Detroit got within 10 points in the third, but the Bucks sealed it by makingnine of 10 shots spanning the third and fourth quarters—with the only missbeing a three-quarters-court try by Jennings at the end of the third—to extendthe lead to 75-60.
Milwaukee led by as many as 23 points in the fourth.
“Jennings, in that third quarter, I don’t think he missed a shot,” Pistonscoach Lawrence Frank said. “Dunleavy had catch-and-shoot jump shots. Theyblitzed us in the third quarter. This team, when you allow them to make 3s, it’strouble.
“Jennings was dominant. Dunleavy was dominant.”
The Bucks got off to a strong start, shooting 68.8 percent in the firstquarter (11 of 16). They led by as many as 18 in the second, but the Pistonsrallied, closing the half on a 9-1 run to pull to within six at halftime.Stuckey had 11 in the period for Detroit, which outscored Milwaukee 25-17.
“It always hurts when you cut down a lead and give it right back to them,”Monroe said. “Whenever you do fight back, you have to be perfect the rest ofthe game and that’s something we didn’t do.”
Jennings came in averaging 20 points per game and has scored 20 or more ineight of the Bucks’ last nine games. The only time he didn’t during that stretchwas Milwaukee’s 100-89 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. He had12 points and seven assists in that game.
“He’s playing great, making good decisions, shooting the ball really well,doing a great job of leading our team. What else can you say?” Dunleavy said.
Dunleavy, too, has seen patience pay off after he struggled to start theseason. He had 10 points in the fourth quarter Monday.
“In Vegas, I’m a blackjack guy,” Dunleavy said. “Numbers, they alwayscome back. You can start off and be getting crushed by the house and losing allyour money, but if you stick around the tables long enough, you’ll make itback.”
Milwaukee shot 10 of 17 on 3-pointers and 51.4 percent overall for the game.Detroit was 1 for 9 on 3s—connecting for the only time with less than a minuteleft—and shot just 38.6 percent for the game.
Tayshaun Prince had 14 points for Detroit, which dropped to 1-10 on theroad. Milwaukee is 6-2 at home.
One second-quarter possession pretty much summed up the Pistons’ struggles.It started positively, with Stuckey’s steal, but Damien Wilkins missed an easybreakaway layup. Stuckey then missed two point-blank follows, but Detroit gotanother chance—before Monroe picked up a charge as he ran over Ersan Ilyasovaon his way to the basket.
“We’re just getting off to bad starts,” Stuckey said. “We’re lettingteams score. Tonight, they had it their way in the first quarter, getting easyshots, just doing whatever they wanted to do. When you are letting teams dothat, it’s hard to win games.”
Detroit, which has the second-worst record in the NBA behind Charlotte, waswithout Ben Gordon (sore left shoulder), Charlie Villanueva (sore right ankle)and Will Bynum (strained right foot). All three are day-to-day.
Notes: Milwaukee’s Stephen Jackson was on the active roster but did not playafter serving a one-game suspension for verbal abuse of an official and failureto leave the court after the Bucks’ 107-100 loss at Chicago on Friday. Jacksonwas also held out of a game Jan. 20 for missing shootaround. Skiles said Jackson“will have an opportunity to work himself back in there.” Jackson said that’sfine with him. “Everybody knows the situation. My situation is going to getbetter soon. Until then, I’m going to support these guys and continue to collectmy check,” he said. . It was the first of two back-to-back-to-back stretchesfor Detroit this season. The Pistons play the New York Knicks on Tuesday and NewJersey Nets on Wednesday.
Surging Mavs roll past Nash-less Suns
January 31, 2012
PHOENIX (AP)—The Dallas Mavericks, with their offense rolling in highgear, gave Phoenix fans a glimpse of how ugly life could be without Steve Nash.
With the Suns’ 37-year-old star point guard sidelined with a bruised leftthigh, the Mavericks routed Phoenix 122-99 on Monday night, the third victory ina row and sixth in seven games for the reigning NBA champions.
“We caught a break with Nash not playing,” Dallas coach Rick Carlislesaid. “I don’t think you can overlook that as a big factor in the game. Weplayed and I thought our effort was even and consistent. We were able to keepfresh guys on the floor. We moved the ball well and made shots and our defensewas good enough to win.”
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Nash is certainly no defensive stopper, though, so his absence could notexplain the Mavericks’ onslaught in Dallas’ eighth straight victory overPhoenix.
“They’ve always been tough for us,” the Suns’ Jared Dudley said. “It’sjust a tough team to guard and once they start hitting shots, the flood gatesreally opened.”
A strained right calf sidelined Dallas point guard Jason Kidd for the secondnight in a row, but the Mavericks were just fine without him, amassing aseason-high in points for a half (66) and for a game.
Delonte West scored a season-high 25 for Dallas on 9 of 12 shooting,including 5 of 6 3-pointers. Vince Carter, still being paid by Phoenix after theSuns waived him before the season began, scored 21 for the second night in arow.
“We have so many playmakers, so many guys who can put the ball in thehole,” West said. “We just have to trust each other and that was on displaytonight. We didn’t have our leader, Jason Kidd out in the mix. He can knock down3-pointers. We hope we can build on this and get him back as soon as possibleand get him back in the flow of things.”
The Mavericks were 13-5 in January, wrapping the month up with wins onconsecutive nights over San Antonio and Phoenix.
Carter was waived by Phoenix when the lockout ended, but his contract stillguaranteed him $4 million. He would have made $18 million had he stayed withPhoenix. He had missed five games with a sprained left foot before returning twogames ago. He has matched his season high with 21 points in each of his last twoappearances.
“Just getting into the flow,” he said. “With the injury, I had some timeto get my body right and focus on getting healthy. I was trying to do all thethings I could to just to get back and step back in and continue to play.”
The 122 points surpassed Dallas’ 116 against Utah two games ago. It also wasthe highest score for a Phoenix opponent this season, topping the Bulls’ 118-97victory at Chicago on Jan. 17.
Longtime Sun Shawn Marion scored 20 for the Mavericks, winners of threestraight and six of seven.
Dirk Nowitzki had 10 points in his second game back after missing four gamesto rest his sore right knee.
Marcin Gortat had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Phoenix. Dudley added 15points, Sebastian Telfair 13 and Grant Hill 12.
Dallas shot 55 percent, including 14 of 27 on 3-pointers.
Phoenix had cut Dallas’ lead to 55-47 on Gortat’s 9-footer with 1:56 left inthe half, then the Mavericks finished the half with an 11-1 run, taking a 66-48lead on West’s layup at the buzzer. Officials reviewed the play and called itgood. West had a pair of 3-pointers to start the run.
The Suns got no closer than 16 early in the second half, with Dallas leadingby as many as 28.
Notes: Nash needs seven assists to pass Kevin Johnson as the Suns’ careerassists leader. … Dallas had never beaten Phoenix eight times in a row untilMonday night. … Phoenix last beat Dallas on Jan. 28, 2010. … The Maverickshave scored 116, 101 and 122 in their last three games after reaching thecentury mark four times in their first 19 games.
Bonner’s 5 3s lift Spurs over Grizzlies
January 31, 2012
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)—The San Antonio Spurs hardly looked like an aging teamplaying the second night of a back-to-back.
But the Memphis Grizzlies sure appeared to be a team still in a haze from afour-game road trip.
Matt Bonner scored 15 points, going 5 of 9 from outside the arc, and TimDuncan added 14 points as San Antonio sent Memphis to its fourth straight losswith an 83-73 victory over the Grizzlies on Monday night.
The win was a nice rebound for the Spurs, who lost 101-100 in overtime atDallas on Sunday night.
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“We had a disappointing loss (Sunday), but fortunately enough, our benchplayed a lot of the minutes,” Duncan said. “So, we wanted to get off to a goodstart, came out with pretty good energy and got a little lead, and our defensesustained it throughout.”
That’s despite the Spurs earning a reputation of not playing well onconsecutive nights.
“I guess that’s what everybody is saying,” Duncan said. “This season hasbeen a tough one, and it’s going to be exhausting on everyone. After the losslast night, I was really disappointed, and I think a lot of us wanted to come inhere and give a much better effort.”
Memphis couldn’t answer the effort, looking sluggish from the start, leadingto poor shots, lackadaisical play and lethargic defense.
“Did you see effort out there?” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins responded inhis postgame remarks. “That’s the problem. We’re not working. First effort,second effort, third effort—when we give effort, it’s just for a few seconds,and then we let up.”
Rookie Kawhi Leonard had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs, whosnapped a two-game skid. Richard Jefferson scored 13 points, while Danny Greenfinished with 11 points.
Even though Parker managed only five points, he did hand out 12 assists, twoless than the entire Grizzlies team.
O.J. Mayo led Memphis with 17 points, shooting 7 of 11. Mike Conley had 15points for Memphis, and Marreese Speights scored 10, all in the first quarter.
But Memphis was held to 37 percent shooting on the night, primarily becauseRudy Gay and Marc Gasol, the Grizzlies’ two leading scorers, were a combined 3of 18 from the field. Gay finished with one point, missing all seven of hisshots. Gay was held scoreless in three games his rookie season, and had not gonewithout a field goal in a game since April 16, 2007, against the Spurs, also inhis rookie season.
“I don’t think it was too much about what (the Spurs) did,” Gay said ofhis night. “It’s about me finding the spots to make shots. I will takeresponsibility for that.”
The Spurs built the lead to 17 points in the first half, and Memphis nevergot it under double-digits after halftime.
San Antonio outrebounded Memphis 46-37, including 14 offensive boards, andheld a 32-28 advantage in the paint.
“That’s what we are going to have to bank on,” Duncan said of the energyand hustle. “We’re not going to score a bunch of points each night. Sometimeswe’re not going to shoot the ball the way we need to. … One thing we can bringis that energy and rebounding and defensively be solid.”
It was the Spurs’ first trip to Memphis since the Grizzlies ousted them inthe first round of last season’s playoffs. San Antonio had lost six straight onthe road to Memphis, including last year’s postseason.
The Spurs had energy from the start, and Memphis looked out of sync. TheGrizzlies were getting beaten on the boards and outhustled for loose balls. TheSpurs were the aggressors on both ends of the floor.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said the performance after Sunday’s loss atDallas was “a hell of an effort to come back and play with the intensity theyplayed with. It was really nice to see.”
San Antonio shot 5 of 10 from outside the arc in the first half as Bonnerhit a trio of 3-pointers. His nine points and eight by Leonard led the Spurs toa 45-35 lead at the break, but it took San Antonio going scoreless over thefinal 3:34 of the half for the Grizzlies to get that close.
Memphis didn’t start the second half much better. The Spurs extended thelead, but Tony Allen was able to put a bit of a charge into Memphis’ play withsteals.
However, every time Memphis got close to pulling within double-digits, theSpurs would answer with a couple of baskets. A 3-pointer by Bonner gave SanAntonio a 64-47 lead, matching the Spurs’ largest at that point.
“Firing them up as always,” Bonner said of his shooting. “It’s all aboutthe shooter’s mentality. You treat every shot independent of what happened tothe last shot, whether it went in, it didn’t go in, whether you banked it in. Itdoesn’t matter. You are going to step in and fire.”
The lead would reach 20 when Gay received a technical arguing a no call.Parker’s free throw made it 67-47.
By the time the game reached the end of the third, San Antonio was still up70-50.
Memphis cut into the lead opening the fourth with seven unanswered points, astreak stopped by yet another 3-pointer from Bonner, and Memphis neverthreatened the rest of the way.
Notes: The Spurs are in the midst of playing 16 of 21 games on the road, oneof the toughest road stretches in franchise history. . Memphis was playing itsfirst home game in 10 days. The Grizzlies were 1-3 on a West Coast swing. . TheGrizzlies played their 16th game since All-Star forward Zach Randolph went downwith a torn right MCL. Memphis is now 9-7 without Randolph. . With two steals,Gay moved within two of tying Shane Battier for the career franchise lead inthat category.
Recruiting class kept Cristobal at FIU
January 31, 2012
MIAMI (AP)—Mario Cristobal is a Miami native, played his college footballfor the Hurricanes and often speaks of how appreciative he is to have the chanceto coach in his hometown at Florida International.
He’s in no hurry to leave, either.
Despite being pursued by Rutgers to replace Greg Schiano, Cristobal saidMonday night he is staying with the Panthers, the once-moribund program he hasled to consecutive bowl appearances. While there were widespread reports Mondaythat he was leaving FIU, Cristobal insisted to his team that he remainscommitted—and said Wednesday’s signing day will be a big day for the program.
About 45 players visited Cristobal’s office Monday, prompting the coach tocall an impromptu team meeting to alleviate their concerns.
“This will be the best recruiting class we have ever had,” Cristobal saidin an email to The Associated Press on Monday night.
Rutgers turned to assistant Kyle Flood to replace Schiano as the team’scoach, hours after Cristobal passed on a chance to take over, a person withknowledge of the decision told the AP on Monday. Schiano left Rutgers to coachthe Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Known as a strong recruiter, Cristobal has energized the FIU program. FIUlost 31 of its first 40 games under Cristobal, and has gone 15-7 since, winninga bowl game to close the 2010 season and losing to Marshall this season inanother postseason appearance.
That success has led to interest from other schools. Cristobal, who also wasa candidate to take over at Pittsburgh several weeks ago, got a four-yearextension from FIU in August, and it’s believed that talks have been ongoingabout yet another deal.
Even though he’s a Miami native, Cristobal—who makes just under $500,000annually at FIU in base salary—has Rutgers ties, having once been an assistantat the school.
“We have built a great program,” Cristobal said. “It is a great time tobe a Panther.”
