Tuesday's NBA betting news and notes
Tue, Mar 6, 2007
By Associated Press
New Jersey at Dallas (8:30 p.m. EST). The Mavericks have won a team-record 15 straight, as well as 22 in a row at home.
STARS
Monday
-Jason Richards|~Player');">Jason Richardson|~Player');">Jason Richardson, Warriors, scored a season-high 29 points in front of his friends and family, leading Golden State to a 111-93 victory in Detroit.
-Eddie Jones, Heat, had 14 of his season-high 21 points in the final quarter to help Miami beat Atlanta 88-81.
-LeBron James, Cavaliers, had 32 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists as Cleveland beat Houston 91-85.
-Mehmet Okur, Jazz, scored 32 points in Utah's 120-95 win over Charlotte.
COMING BACK
Miami's Dwyane Wade will delay surgery and rehabilitate his dislocated left shoulder with the goal of returning for the playoffs. Wade underwent extensive tests and received a second opinion Friday before announcing his decision. He was hurt Feb. 21 at Houston, tearing his labrum and dislocating his shoulder when he collided with the Rockets' Shane Battier.
GOLDEN MOMENTS
Golden State ended a six-game losing streak with a 111-93 victory over Detroit on Monday night. The victory also ended the Warriors' seven-game road losing skid, and gave them a lopsided sweep of the season series against the Pistons, who they beat at home on Nov. 11. The Warriors had lost 11 straight in Detroit since a 91-88 victory on Nov. 28, 1993.
STREAKING
San Antonio extended its season-high winning streak to nine games with an 88-74 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night. The Spurs' victory was their 12th in the last 13 games against the Clippers. ... Hedo Turkoglu hit 10 of 14 shots from the field and scored a season-high 25 points in Orlando's 99-81 victory over Milwaukee. Turkoglu is 29-for-41 (70.7 percent) in his last four games, averaging 22 points over that span.
SLUMPING
Charlotte extended its losing streak to six-games with a 120-95 loss to Utah on Monday night. Without injured power forward Emeka Okafor, the Bobcats are 0-5 and giving up an average of 116 points a game. Charlotte has lost nine of its last 10 games.
ARRESTED
Sacramento forward Ron Artest was arrested Monday and excused indefinitely from the team after a woman said he shoved her to the floor inside his home and prevented her from calling 911. Artest, the central figure of the infamous 2004 brawl between Indiana Pacers players and Detroit Pistons fans, was booked into the Placer County Jail and released later on $50,000 bail. His arraignment is scheduled for March 22. Geoff Petrie, the Kings' president of basketball operations, said the team was removing Artest from the team, pending a full investigation.
SPEAKING
''We should have been ready for this. They beat us by 30 out there, and we played the same way again tonight.'' - Detroit coach Flip Saunders after Monday night's 111-93 loss to Golden State. The win gave the Warriors a lopsided sweep of the season series. They beat the Pistons 111-79 at home on Nov. 11.
Silas, Anderson suspended for fight; Silas will miss Big 12 opening round
Mon, Mar 5, 2007
By Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Colorado's Xavier Silas and Nebraska's Ryan Anderson were suspended one game each for fighting, meaning Silas will miss the opening round of the Big 12 tournament.
''The incident was ruled a fight, and of course the rules stipulate that the punishment is a one-game suspension,'' Colorado coach Ricardo Patton said on the Big 12 coaches' conference call Monday.
Nebraska coach Doc Sadler said Anderson would serve the suspension Monday night when the Cornhuskers make up a weather-delayed game against Oklahoma State.
The second-leading scorers on each team tangled during the Buffaloes' 73-69 win on Saturday. Patton came onto the court to pull Silas off Anderson after the two fell to the floor while wrestling for the ball in the first half. Both players were ejected.
Silas averages 13.6 points and is the team's top 3-point shooter with 33, shooting 42.3 percent from behind the arc. He will be out Thursday when the 12th-seeded Buffaloes (7-19, 3-13) face No. 5 seed Texas Tech (20-11, 9-7) in the first round of the Big 12 tournament in Oklahoma City.
Sportsbetting.com has Colorado listed at +10000 and Texas Tech at +700 to win the Big 12 Tournament.
Anderson averages 10.5 points for the Cornhuskers.
''All I know is Ryan is not playing tonight,'' Sadler said. ''In my opinion, he was just reactive to his situation like anyone else would have reacted.''
Patton said he hadn't spoken with athletic director Mike Bohn about whether the Buffaloes would try to appeal but said: ''At this point, I don't think that there is any grounds for an appeal.''
Silas and Anderson become the third and fourth players suspended for altercations in Big 12 play this season. Oklahoma's Longar Longar was suspended two games for elbowing Texas Tech's Esmir Risvic in January. Oklahoma State suspended Mario Boggan one game after he head-butted Kansas State's Cartier Martin last week.
''The thing that concerns me is there's an awful lot of suspensions going on,'' Sadler said.
Sonics Luke Ridnour (questionable; neck)
Raptors: Andrea Bargani (questionable; personal)
Anthony Parker (expected to miss, ankle)
Kings Ron Artest (out; suspenstion)
Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony (questionable; personal)
Marcus Camby (probable; tailbone)
Lakers: Luke Walton (questionable, ankle)
Knicks: David Lee (probable, ankle)
Q. Richardson (questionable; flu)
Durant says ankle will be OK
Mon, Mar 5, 2007
By Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas freshman Kevin Durant said his left ankle feels ''pretty good'' and should be ready for the Big 12 tournament.
Durant twisted the ankle in the second half of No. 15 Texas' loss at Kansas on Saturday. He had 25 points in the first half but only seven in the second.
''It's feeling pretty good,'' Durant said Monday. ''It's just a little bit of rehab. I'll be all right.''
He was held out of practice but plans to return Tuesday. The Longhorns open Big 12 tournament play on Friday.
Durant averages 25.1 points and 11.4 rebounds per game.
Kapono leaves game
Mon, Mar 5, 2007
By Associated Press
MIAMI -- Miami Heat guard Jason Kapono, the NBA leader in 3-point percentage, left Miami's game with Atlanta late in the third quarter Monday night with a left ankle sprain.
Kapono jumped to defend a jumper by Atlanta's Joe Johnson, and his left foot landed on the foot of Heat teammate James Posey. Kapono's left ankle twisted awkwardly, and he was also grabbing his knee and hamstring areas as he was tended to by Miami trainer Ron Culp.
Kapono, who entered the game shooting 51.6 percent from 3-point range and also won the NBA 3-point Shootout during All-Star weekend, was helped off the court by Culp and Miami center Michael Doleac and taken to the Heat locker room for evaluation.