NBA Today - February 1
Associated Press
Thu, Feb 1, 2007
Cleveland at Miami (8 p.m. EST). LeBron James of the Cavaliers and Shaquille O`Neal of the Heat are day-to-day with nagging injuries.
STARS
Wednesday
- Kobe Bryant, Lakers, scored 43 points to lead Los Angeles to a 111-98 win in Boston.
- Gerald Wallace, Bobcats, scored 42 points to help Charlotte to a 104-87 win over New York.
- Mehmet Okur, Jazz, scored 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter, including eight in the final minute, to lead the Jazz to a 97-93 win over San Antonio.
- Joe Johnson, Hawks, scored 33 points to help Atlanta beat Golden State 115-94.
SAY WHAT?
Fans in the Boston Celtics` home arena cheered Kobe Bryant on Wednesday night as the Lakers star returned from his one-game suspension and scored 43 points, helping Los Angeles beat the Celtics 111-98, sending the Celtics to a team-record-tying 13th straight loss. Lakers trainer Gary Vitti, who has been with the team for 23 years, said it was the first time he saw Boston fans cheer for a Lakers player.
27th HEAVEN
Detroit set a team record with 27 consecutive free throws in its 113-89 win over New Jersey on Wednesday night.
58 PICKUP
Philadelphia had 58 rebounds in its 89-78 win over New Orleans on Wednesday night in Oklahoma City. The 76ers outrebounded the Hornets by 18.
15 STRAIGHT
Toronto`s Chris Bosh made 15 straight shots and scored 34 points in the Raptors` 119-109 win over Washington on Wednesday night. Bosh missed his first four shots, then didn`t miss again, including a 56-foot heave at the end of the third quarter.
SNAPPED
Orlando stopped a three-game losing streak by beating Milwaukee 98-73 Wednesday night.
YES, GERALD
Gerald Wallace scored 17 of his career-high 42 points in the fourth quarter of Charlotte`s 104-87 win over New York on Wednesday night.
WINNING MONTH
Atlanta beat Golden State 115-94 Wednesday night, setting a season high with 70 points in the first half, and finished their first winning month in almost three years.
HEADWAY
The Los Angeles Clippers won for the seventh time in eight games, beating Chicago 110-98 Wednesday night to move above .500 for the first time in nearly two months.
SPEAKING
``When you miss a game, you come back with a new energy,`` Bryant said. ``I was just really excited to be out there playing.`` - Kobe Bryant, who returned from a one-game suspension to score 43 points in the Lakers` 111-98 win over Boston on Wednesday night.
Duke`s McClure doubtful for Virginia game
Associated Press
DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke forward David McClure is doubtful for the 10th-ranked Blue Devils` game against Virginia on Thursday due to a knee injury.
McClure hyperextended his left knee after a collision in the second half of Duke`s 75-61 win against Boston College on Sunday. An MRI after the game showed no structural damage to the knee.
It was the same knee that was hurt in 2005 and kept him sidelined for the entire 2005-06 season.
``We`ll see how he responds to treatment this week,`` coach Mike Krzyzewski said Monday. ``We`re pleased that the test results showed no structural damage and that at some point, he will be back. He`s had a tremendous impact on this year`s team and we need him.``
McClure`s layup as time expired gave the Blue Devils a 68-66 win last week against Clemson. He is shooting 56 percent and averages 5.3 points and 5.2 rebounds off the bench for Duke.
LSU guard Tack Minor leaves school
Associated Press
Thu, Feb 1, 2007
BATON ROUGE, La. -- LSU point guard Tack Minor is no longer with the team, university officials said Wednesday night, shortly before the Tigers tipped off against No. 19 Alabama.
Minor, who had spent most of this season as a reserve, is no longer enrolled at the university, LSU officials said in a written statement.
The school did not provide any further details, citing student privacy rights.
Minor, a junior, played in 16 games this season, starting two, and averaged 3.6 points.
In his LSU career, Minor played in 78 games, starting 34, and averaged 7.7 points.
A day before the game, LSU coach John Brady said Minor was in the midst of appealing an unspecified academic infraction and would not play until the matter was settled.
From DonBest
CLEVELAND - F LeBron James (toe) missed last game, "?" Thursday vs Miami.
James said it would be a game-time decision tonight. James did not take part in
contact drills during Wednesday's practice, but said the sprained right big toe
that has kept him out of two of the past three games felt better. He said the TNT
audience, as well as the chance to play against his good friend Dwyane Wade in
front of a celebrity crowd in town for the Super Bowl, would make it difficult to
miss the game. On the other hand, he's afraid the injury will nag him the rest of
the season if he doesn't let it heal. "If I feel fine, I'm going to go out there
and play. If I don't, I'm sitting."
MIAMI - C Shaquille O'Neal (calf) missed last game, "?" Thursday vs Cleveland.
O'Neal might be out again tonight. Though O'Neal returned to the lineup last week from
November 19 knee surgery, he sat out Tuesday's game against Milwaukee complaining of a
left calf strain that is related to the recovery from the knee injury. O'Neal, who said
his calf remains "kind of sore," said he sustained the calf injury trying to run differently
to compensate for his left knee injury. He said it originally happened when he first began
working out after his knee surgery and he aggravated it while running in practice. "I was
moving well and then boom, it just went out," he said.
Timetable Unclear On Wizards' Jamison's Return
In THE WASHINGTON TIMES, John N. Mitchell writes "Antawn Jamison suffered a
sprained left knee in the Wizards' 104-99 win over the Detroit Pistons on
Tuesday. He is scheduled to have an MRI today, and at that time the team will
begin talking about a timetable. He certainly won't return before the All-Star
break in mid-February. At the time of his injury, Jamison was third on the
Wizards in scoring (19.3) and second in rebounding (7.9). Jarvis Hayes might be
in the starting lineup when the Wizards face teams with small lineups. And
second-year forward Andray Blatche likely will see his minutes in the rotation
increase."
From DonBest
CLEVELAND - F LeBron James (toe) missed last game, "?" Thursday vs Miami.
James said it would be a game-time decision tonight. James did not take part in
contact drills during Wednesday's practice, but said the sprained right big toe
that has kept him out of two of the past three games felt better. He said the TNT
audience, as well as the chance to play against his good friend Dwyane Wade in
front of a celebrity crowd in town for the Super Bowl, would make it difficult to
miss the game. On the other hand, he's afraid the injury will nag him the rest of
the season if he doesn't let it heal. "If I feel fine, I'm going to go out there
and play. If I don't, I'm sitting."MIAMI - C Shaquille O'Neal (calf) missed last game, "?" Thursday vs Cleveland.
O'Neal might be out again tonight. Though O'Neal returned to the lineup last week from
November 19 knee surgery, he sat out Tuesday's game against Milwaukee complaining of a
left calf strain that is related to the recovery from the knee injury. O'Neal, who said
his calf remains "kind of sore," said he sustained the calf injury trying to run differently
to compensate for his left knee injury. He said it originally happened when he first began
working out after his knee surgery and he aggravated it while running in practice. "I was
moving well and then boom, it just went out," he said.
LeBron and Shaq expected to play
Thu, Feb 1, 2007
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Shaquille O’Neal of the Miami Heat will both play tonight when their teams meet tonight in Miami.
Until this afternoon, both were listed as questionable.
James missed two of the Cavaliers` last three games because of a sore right big toe, while O’Neal missed Miami’s last game because of a strained calf muscle.
Cleveland is 8-2 straight up without James in the lineup, including two ATS wins in the past week.
Meanwhile, O’Neal has played in only six games for the Heat so far this year.
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