Nov

10

Melo strikes for 32 again, leads Nuggets over Pacers 113-106

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??????????????????????????????????????? Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, left, puts up a shot against Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger during the fourth quarter of the Denver Nuggets-Indiana Pacers game played Saturday night. Denver rallied to defeat Indiana 113-106.?

Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony is playing like an All-Star - and the season’s not two weeks old.? Anthony, along with guard Allen Iverson helped Denver rally from a big first-half deficit to slip past the Indiana Pacers 113-106 at Conseco Fieldhouse.?

Indiana raced out to a 21-12 lead in the first quarter; they then extended that lead to 46-31 on Pacers center Troy Murphy’s 2 free throws.? But Denver started the 3rd quarter scoring 10 consecutive points, including three 3-pointers from Nuggets swingman Yakhouba Diawara to narrow their deficit to 74-66.? Denver got as close as 85-80 following a 9-0 run.

The Nuggets got to within 93-92 following Denver?C Marcus Camby’s jumper?with 8:23 left in the game.? Soon after, Denver took a brief 95-94 lead since early in the 1st quarter on Iverson’s jumper.? Indiana regained the lead 101-97 after Pacers F Jermaine O’Neal’s 3-point play with less than 4 minutes left, but a 12-point run by Denver secured the win.

Anthony led 5 Denver players in double-digits with 32 points and 10 rebounds, with Iverson pouring in 27 and 10 assists; reserve G/F Linas Kleiza added 21.? Camby added 10 with 4 steals and 5 blocks.? Indiana had 6 players in double figures, led by?Murphy with 18 points and 10 rebounds, with O’Neal adding 15 and 12 boards.? Indiana F Mike Dunleavy contributed 17, while G Jamaal Tinsley chipped in 11 and 10 assists.? Denver (4-3) plays again on Monday when they return home to host the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers while Indiana (3-3) do not play again until Tuesday, when they host the undefeated Boston Celtics.

Nov

10

Kings’ Hawes Available For Action

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??????????????????????????????????????????Sacramento Kings center Spencer Hawes?

The Sacramento Kings got a bit of good news, albeit they received the news unconventionally.? According to Sam?Amick of the Sacramento Bee,?the team has learned that rookie center Spencer Hawes, who has been recovering from knee surgery, is recovered and ready for action.? Last Thursday, Kings head coach Reggie Theus was under the assumption that Hawes wouldn’t be ready for about a week or so.

But the medical staff pronounced Hawes recovered; Theus said that it was a matter of being brought up to speed on Hawes’ progress.? Theus further added, “Nobody told me that he was wanting to play.? He was saying that, but I’m listening to what everybody else is saying, and nobody’s telling me that he’s ready.”? Call the latter part of that statement what you want, but it sounds like miscommunication between the coach and the team medical staff.

As Theus described Hawes’ current situation as, “He was physical (in practice), he banged, he shot, he ran, and there was no swelling.? It has a lot to do with how his knee reacts, and there was no reaction to the workouts. … I’m not counting on him.? If I can get him in for a few minutes, I will.”? My money says that Hawes gets limited minutes in the Kings’ next game; after all, starting center Brad Miller needs saomeone to spell him - and their current options aren’t that great.

Nov

10

Injury exception in Magic’s plans

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?????????????????????????????? Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic are in desperate need of a big man; to clarify, I mean a forward or center, or preferably a hybrid of the two positions.? The team, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel, has been granted an injury roster exception by the NBA as relief for the season-ending injury to F/C Tony Battie.?

Assuming the Magic use the exception (and considering their current frontcourt, they will), they will attempt to sign a big man (read: forward or center), according to Otis Smith, General Manager of the Magic.? One player currently available is F Chris Webber; I mentioned him as a possible player who may sign with Cleveland in a story posted today (http://www.slamdunkcentral.com/2007/11/10/webber-would-consider-signing-with-cavaliers/).? But as I said in the Cavaliers story, the price for Webber may be steep.

One other who comes to mind is F/C P.J. Brown; however, it appears he is leaning towards retirement.? But you never know.? Any of the other remaining “big men” who are free agents and available are what you can consider “serviceable”.? I see them using the exception, but who they inevitably sign is anyone’s guess.? And I doubt it will be Webber.

Nov

10

Webber would consider signing with Cavaliers

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?????????????????????????????????????????? Free agent forward Chris Webber?

An interesting development is brewing in Cleveland; Brian Windhorst of the Akron Beacon-Journal is reporting that some media sources are saying that free agent forward Chris Webber is looking to preferably sign with his hometown Detroit Pistons.? But - and it is a but - Webber is also considering signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers assuming his role on the team suits him.

The Cavaliers are without a doubt a bit thin in the frontcourt with forward Anderson Varejao holding out and F Donyell Marshall out with a wrist injury.? My take is that the Cavs are looking to see where Marshall is as far as his wrist recovering relatively soon.? The Cavaliers have had some limited contact with free agent forward Dale Davis, but they’re preliminary in nature.?

One thing holding Cleveland back perhaps is the fact that they have limited cap space to sign a free agent player.? Keep in mind that forward Dwayne Jones’ contract became guaranteed because he made the opening day roster.? The only player on the roster with a non-guaranteed contract is rookie Demetris Nichols, who the team would rather keep.? Considering that this is Chris Webber we’re talking about here and his contract demands, personally, I think it is highly unlikely that the Cavaliers could afford him even the need for Webber was there.

Nov

10

Bobcats’ Morrison Undergoes Knee Surgery

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???????????????????????????????????????????????????? Charlotte Bobcats forward Adam Morrison

According to SportsTicker, Charlotte Bobcats forward Adam Morrison underwent surgery Saturday to repair a torn left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) at Presbyterian?Orthopedic Hospital in Charlotte.? Morrison, who is lost for the season, suffered the ACL injury during a preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 20.

Nov

10

Aldridge’s 30 leads Trailblazers past Grizzlies 110-98

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??????????????????????????????????? Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge, right, scores against Memphis Grizzlies forward Stromile Swift during the second half of Friday night?s Memphis Grizzlies-Portland Trailblazers game. Aldridge led the Trail Blazers in scoring with 30 points to beat the Grizzlies 110-98.?

The Portland Trailblazers got a lift from two youngsters - guards Brandon Roy and Jarrett Jack, to be specific.? Roy scored 18 of his 22 points and Jack scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half as Portland won their second consecutive game, beating Memphis 110-98.

During the first half, it looked like the Trailblazers would lose this one.? Memphis forward Pau Gasol made two free throws, giving the Grizzlies a 40-27 lead with 7:33 left in the second quarter.? But Portland went to a double-team on Gasol who wouldn’t attempt a shot until the 4th quarter.? Memphis took a 12-point lead into halftime, but Roy led the Blazers’ rally.

After Portland F Martell Webster drained a 3-pointer, Roy fed center Channing Frye a pass for a layup.? Roy then stole the ball on Memphis’ next possession, making a 3-point play.? Roy then located F/C LaMarcus Aldridge for a 3-point playto cut the Memphis lead to 63-62.? Aldridge gave Portland their first lead since the 1st quarter, scoring a basket to make the score 86-84.? Roy scored twice to make the score 93-85, but Grizzlies F Rody Gay made a 3-pointer right away.

Aldreidge made a jumper, giving Portland a 97-90 lead with 3:11 to go in the game; the lead remained with Portland from that point on.? Portland was missing 4 players in tonight’s contest- F James Jones (knee), rookie F/C Josh McRoberts (left ankle), rookie center Greg Oden (knee - out for season) and F Darius Miles (knee).?

Aldridge led all Portland scorers with 30 points and 10 rebounds, with Roy adding 22 and 8 assists and Jack pouring in 21.? Memphis was led by Gay with 31 points - with 4-for-7 from 3-point range, with Gasol contributing 19 and reserve G Kyle Lowry chipping in 14.? Portland (2-3) hosts?the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, while Memphis (1-3) flies to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Jazz at the Salt Palace, also on Saturday.

Nov

10

Seattle drops to 0-6, lose heartbreaker to Utah 103-101

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???????????????????????????????? Utah Jazz guard Deron Williams shoots over Seattle SuperSonics guard Earl Watson during the first half of the Utah Jazz-Seattle SuperSonics game played on Friday night. Utah slipped past Seattle 103-101.?

Tonight’s Utah Jazz-Seattle Supersonics featured a unique matchup - Utah’s defensive whiz Andrei Kirilenko against Seattle’s offensive prodigy Kevin Durant.? Kirilenko is learning what the rest of the league is catching on to - Durant’s outside game needs some work.? This worked to Utah’s advantage as they slipped past the Supersonics 103-101.

The Supersonics took a 83-80 lead after rallying from a 11-point deficit early in the fourth quarter.? But Jazz forward Carlos Boozer scored 11 of Utah’s next 20 points? to put the Jazz up 97-93 with 4 minutes remaining in the game.? Seattle’s Durant blocked a shot by Boozer then sank a jumper to tie the game at 101 with a minute to go.? But Boozer sank the winning shot near the end of the game.

Utah was led by Boozer with 27 points and 15 rebounds, with guard Ronnie Brewer adding 16 and G Deron Williams chipping in 14 with 11 assists.? F Andrei Kirilenko showed his defensive prowess with 4 steals and 4 blocks.? Seattle’s high scorer was Durant with 20, on 7-for-21 shooting; F Jeff Green from off the bench added 19 while F/C Nick Collison contributed 10 and 12 boards.? Utah (4-2) plays again on Saturday when they return to the Salt Palace to face the Memphis Grizzlies while Seattle (0-6) stays home to host the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.

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