Darrell Armstrong - Nets
Darrell Armstrong will likely miss close to a month after suffering a severe contusion of his right thigh in Wednesday's loss to the Celtics.
He ran into a tough pick while not looking and probably injured other parts of his body, like his head and neck, in addition to the thigh. This should have no fantasy impact, although the Nets are thin at the point with Marcus Williams still recovering from foot surgery. Williams is due back in late November, so the Nets are even more hopeful than usual that Jason Kidd will stay healthy.
Steven Hunter - Nuggets
Nuggets forward/center Steven Hunter will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, the team announced Thursday.
Hunter, who will be sidelined indefinitely, will undergo the procedure Friday and a target date for a return will be determined after the surgery. He was not getting minutes for the Nuggets anyway, but could have some late value if they continue to suffer front-line injuries.
Chauncey Billups - Pistons
Chauncey Billups got good news on Thursday, after an MRI on his injured left knee came back negative. Billups is questionable for Friday's game.
If you own Billups, you can start breathing again. Wait until you hear an update before playing him on Friday, but he should be fine going into next week's three-game schedule.
Antonio McDyess - Pistons
Antonio McDyess had an MRI performed on his ailing shoulder on Thursday, but it came back negative. His status for Friday's game against the Lakers is questionable.
McDyess was having trouble just raising his arm over his head on Wednesday, so this is welcome news for the Pistons. It is unknown how many games, if any, McDyess will sit out, but in his absence Jason Maxiell will continue to see a tremendous boost in value.
Kyle Korver - 76ers
Kyle Korver had an MRI done on Thursday, which revealed a strained adductor in his groin. He missed time in the preseason with the same exact injury, and is expected to miss 7 to 10 days.
Ronny Turiaf - Lakers
Lakers' starting power forward Ronny Turiaf suffered a moderate left ankle sprain during Thursday's practice, and might miss Friday's game against Detroit.
Randolph to miss Friday's game
Zach Randolph will miss Friday's game at Sacramento in order to attend his grandmother's funeral in Indianapolis that day.
He will head back to Indiana on Thursday's day off and attend the funeral on Friday, causing him to miss the meeting with the Kings. He should be back in full force after Friday's game, while David Lee will probably get another start.
rotoworld.com
NBA Today - Friday, November 16
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SCOREBOARD Friday, Nov. 16
Miami at Boston (7:30 p.m. EST). Kevin Garnett and the unbeaten Celtics (7-0) take on Dwyane Wade and the Heat (1-7).
STAR Thursday
-Leandro Barbosa, Suns, scored 25 points, including 5-of-7 3-pointers to lead Phoenix to a 112-102 victory over Chicago.
HOME SWEET HOME
Dallas extended its NBA-best run of sellouts to 238, 276 counting the playoffs during a 105-92 win over San Antonio on Thursday night. Detroit is second-best at 187. The Mavs' streak is 10th-longest in NBA history. The Mavericks improved to 4-0 at home.
WAIVED
The Sacramento Kings waived guard Orien Greene on Thursday after just seven games with the club. Greene, a third-year pro, started two early games as Sacramento's point guard in place of injured Mike Bibby. But Greene lost the job early on, and newcomer Beno Udrih had 17 points and five assists in the Kings' loss to Minnesota on Wednesday night.
SPEAKING
''We definitely respect San Antonio, but I don't think as much as (others) do. Still, they've got the hardware and we don't.'' - Dallas reserve Jerry Stackhouse after the Mavericks' 105-92 win over the Spurs on Thursday night.
Friday's NBA matchup betting notes
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Portland at Philadelphia
The teams have split their last eight meetings, going 1-1 against each other each of the last four seasons.
Indiana at Toronto
Last season, the Raptors won two of three over the Pacers, including both games at Air Canada Centre.
Utah at Cleveland
The Cavs have won their last three home games over the Jazz, and are 11-4 against them in Cleveland since 1991-92.
Seattle at Atlanta
Atlanta has lost four straight at home to Seattle, which it hasn't beaten at all since a 91-81 win on Nov. 9, 2003.
Orlando at New Jersey
Boston and New Jersey split their four meetings in 2006-07.
Miami at Boston
The Heat have won nine of 12 against the Celtics, including three of four in Boston.
Washington at Minnesota
The teams split two games last year, with each club winning at home. Jamison missed both games due to a sprained left knee.
Houston at San Antonio
The Kings and Knicks split two meetings last season, each winning at home.
New Orleans at Memphis
New Orleans won three of four meetings with Memphis last season and has taken six of seven overall.
New York at Sacramento
The Kings and Knicks split two meetings last season, each winning at home.
L.A. Clippers at Golden State
The Warriors have won three straight games over the Clippers at Oracle Arena, and 13 of their last 16 over them at home.
Detroit at L.A. Lakers
The Pistons have dominated the Lakers since improbably ending the Shaquille O'Neal-Kobe Bryant dynasty in the 2004 NBA finals in five games.
Detroit has won five of six regular-season meetings since that series - the victories were by an average of 16.2 points - and posted double-digit wins in both meetings last season.
Nuggets' Hunter to undergo knee surgery
November 15th, 2007
Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Denver Nuggets center Steven Hunter will undergo arthroscopic right knee surgery Friday.
The surgery will be performed by Nuggets team physician Dr. Steve Traina and a timetable for Hunter's return will be determined following the procedure.
Hunter is averaging 0.8 points and 1.3 rebounds in four games for Denver this season.
Friday's NCAAB Top 25 matchup notes
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Prairie View A &M at No. 7 Tennessee
This game will be the first meeting between Prairie View and Tennessee.
Idaho at No. 9 Washington State
The Cougars will try for their fifth straight victory over the Vandals (1-1), who face their second straight ranked opponent after losing 80-43 at Gonzaga on Tuesday. Idaho is winless in its last 14 games against Top 25 opponents.
UC Davis at No. 16 Texas
Texas looks for its 13th straight home victory over a non-conference opponent when it meets UC Davis (1-1) for the first time.
Providence vs. No. 18 Arkansas
This is the first time the Friars and Razorbacks have met since Dec. 23 1999, when Providence won 87-81 at home. Arkansas won 118-79 the season before in the only other game between the teams.
Connecticut vs. No. 3 Memphis
John Calipari and Jim Calhoun are finally getting a chance to face off again 17 years after their series was temporarily halted following the 1989-90 season.
Mickael Pietrus - Warriors
Forward Mickael Pietrus, who traveled to France to see the birth of his son, Evann, on Sunday, might be back in time for Friday's game against the Clippers.
Eddie Gill - Nets
The Nets signed point guard Eddie Gill on Friday.
With Darrell Armstrong likely out for a month and Marcus Williams still recovering from foot surgery, the Nets needed a backup for Jason Kidd for the short term.
rotoworld.com
Cleveland's Hughes out at least four weeks
November 16th, 2007
Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Cleveland Cavaliers guard Larry Hughes will be sidelined approximately four weeks with a deep bone bruise and soft tissue swelling in his left leg.
X-Rays and an MRI performed Thursday at The Cleveland Clinic revealed the severity of Hughes' injury, which was originally sustained November 4 against the Phoenix Suns.
Hughes, who has continued to experience discomfort, will undergo treatment for the injury over the next four weeks.
In six games this season, the former St. Louis product has averaged 6.8 points per contest.
MSG Matchup: Memphis-UConn
November 16, 2007
By VI News
When John Calipari was building Massachusetts into a powerhouse, he longed for the chance to play against Jim Calhoun and Connecticut after their series was temporarily halted following the 1989-90 season.
The two coaches are finally getting a chance to face off again 17 years later, and each has a terrific guard at his disposal.
Calipari's Memphis team - ranked third and led by star freshman Derrick Rose - meet A.J. Price and Connecticut on Friday night in the championship game of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic at Madison Square Garden.
While this will be the first meeting between Connecticut (3-0) and Memphis (3-0), the two coaches have some history between them. As Calhoun built the Huskies into a nationally-recognized program, Calipari did the same with the Minutemen.
Calhoun won both matchups against Calipari in 1989 and 1990, but UConn and UMass didn't meet for the next six seasons amid rumors of a rift between the coaches. By the time the schools met again during the 1996-97 season, Calipari was coaching the NBA's New Jersey Nets.
Calipari appears to have the edge in this matchup, with nearly every player back from last year's team that went 33-4 and fell one game short of the Final Four. He's made a major addition with Rose, who's averaging 18.3 points per game.
Rose led the Tigers with 17 points despite making just 4-of-13 shots in a 63-53 win over Oklahoma on Thursday. Still, he displayed his ability to get to the basket by getting 12 free-throw attempts, making eight.
Like Rose, Price also was a highly sought recruit but has had to endure a rocky college career. He suffered a brain hemorrhage in October 2004 and spent nearly three weeks in critical condition, and he was suspended in 2005-06 due to his involvement in the theft of laptop computers from dorm rooms.
Price finally played last season, appearing in 31 games with 23 starts, but he averaged 9.4 points and shot less than 39 percent from the field. He appears to have improved after scoring 18 points in a 78-66 victory over Gardner-Webb on Thursday.
"That's the A.J. Price I remember," Calhoun said. "He can run the team, he has a feel for the game. He's really putting things together. That's obviously very encouraging for us."
Connecticut's two starting post players - Jeff Adrien and Hasheem Thabeet - combined for just 17 points. The Huskies may need more from them on Friday.
That's because Memphis has more than great play from Rose and preseason Conference USA player of the year Chris Douglas-Roberts. Starting power forward Joey Dorsey made his season debut Thursday and did an excellent job inside with nine points, 12 rebounds and five blocks.
But Dorsey, who missed the first two games of the season with a shoulder injury, banged it during the game and was icing it down afterward.
"I hurt it, I hurt it bad, so I'm going to get some treatment tonight," he said. "It's real tight and I can't lift my arm."
The Tigers are looking to cut down on their turnovers after committing 20 on Thursday compared to just 10 assists. It marked the second straight game they have had more turnovers than assists.