NBA Today - Monday, Nov. 19
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SCOREBOARD Monday, Nov. 19
Orlando at New Orleans (8 p.m. EST). The Hornets (9-2) look to win their sixth straight game.
STARS Sunday
-Dwight Howard, Magic scored 24 points to lead Orlando to a 104-102 victory over Boston.
-Beno Udrih, Kings, had 23 points and six assists to help Sacramento beat Detroit 105-95.
SNAPPED
Dwight Howard scored 24 points, Rashard Lewis added 22 and the Orlando Magic dealt the Celtics their first loss of the season, 104-102 on Sunday night.
WELCOME BACK
Stephen Jackson, back from his suspension, scored 17 points to help Golden State to a 106-100 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. Jackson began the season by serving a seven-game suspension, the result of his guilty plea to a felony charge of criminal recklessness for firing a gun outside an Indianapolis strip club in October 2006.
MAKING MOVES
The Golden State Warriors signed center D.J. Mbenga before opening their five-game East Coast road trip, waiving second-round draft pick Stephane Lasme to make room. Mbenga has been out of the league since Dallas cut him Oct. 30. He averaged 1.3 points and 0.9 rebounds in 79 games over the Mavericks' past three seasons, but played only 21 games last season before tearing ligaments in his right knee Feb. 7.
SPEAKING
''We're not perfect. We didn't think we were going to go 82-0. But we are a team of character. We do play hard. We do play together - just not perfect.'' - Kevin Garnett after the Celtics' first loss of the season, 104-102 to Orlando on Sunday night.
Monday's NBA betting matchup notes
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Portland at Charlotte
The Blazers have never lost to the Bobcats franchise. Portland is 3-0 on the road and 5-1 overall against the Bobcats since that team began play in 2004. The Blazers swept the season series in 2006-07, earning a 108-100 overtime win in Charlotte on Feb. 9 and a 127-90 home blowout March 1.
Seattle at Memphis
This will be the second meeting this season between the Grizzlies and Sonics. Memphis limited Kevin Durant to 17 points on 3-for-17 shooting in a 105-98 victory at Seattle on Nov. 7.
Orlando at New Orleans
These teams split last season's two-game series, during which Orlando struggled on offense, averaging 82.0 points and shooting 39.7 percent from the field.
New Jersey at Utah
The Nets have won six of the last seven matchups with the Jazz.
Warriors sign C DJ Mbenga, waive draft pick Lasme
ASSOCIATED PRESS
OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Golden State Warriors signed center DJ Mbenga before opening their five-game East Coast road trip, waiving second-round draft pick Stephane Lasme to make room.
Mbenga has been out of the league since Dallas cut him Oct. 30. He averaged 1.3 points and 0.9 rebounds in 79 games over the Mavericks' past three seasons, but played only 21 games last season before tearing ligaments in his right knee Feb. 7.
Lasme, the 46th overall pick out of Massachusetts, appeared in just one game with the Warriors.
Mbenga will join the Warriors in New York in time for Tuesday's game against the Knicks.
Golden State also assigned Kosta Perovic to Bakersfield of the NBA D-League. The Serbian center was the 38th overall pick in the 2006 draft, but hasn't played with Golden State.
Monday's Top 25 NCAAB betting matchup notes
ASSOCIATED PRESS
No. 11 Marquette at Chaminade
Chaminade (1-0), currently a Division II school, has a 4-63 all-time record at the Maui Invitational, a tournament that usually draws a high-profile field on an annual basis.
Maryland vs No. 2 UCLA
This is the eighth meeting between UCLA and Maryland. The Bruins lead the series 5-2, including a win in the second round of the 2000 NCAA tournament.
Princeton vs No. 10 Duke
Princeton, which won 72-55 on Dec. 12, 1981, for its only win over Duke, looks to avoid an 18th straight loss to a ranked team dating to a 69-64 victory over then-No. 23 Wake Forest on Dec. 19, 1997.
Missouri vs No. 12 Michigan St.
Michigan State has not faced Missouri since snapping a four-game losing streak to the Tigers with a 79-61 win on Dec. 15, 1984. Missouri, which leads the all-time series with the Spartans 4-2, is coming off a 95-50 win over Southern on Friday.
UMKC at No. 17 Arizona
Missouri-Kansas City, which is 0-3 versus Pac-10 schools, will face its second ranked team after losing 85-62 at then-No. 4 Kansas on Nov. 11 to open the season.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Maryland (3-0 SU and ATS) vs. No. 2 UCLA (3-0 SU, 2-1 ATS), at Kansas City
The Terrapins take on second-ranked UCLA tonight in a battle of unbeatens in the semifinals of the CBE Classic in Kansas City, Mo.
Maryland has struggled in two of its three games this season, narrowly beating Hampton 70-64 a week ago as a 16-point home chalk and then escaping against Northeastern on Thursday, 74-72 in overtime, failing to cover as a 16½-point home favorite. The Terps have only covered the number once in their last six games dating back to last season.
Mistakes plagued Maryland in Thursday’s win over Northeastern, as they committed 23 turnovers and shot just 40.4 percent from the floor.
The Bruins have opened the season with three home blowouts, winning by an average of 29 points a game. UCLA failed to cover in its season-opening 69-48 win over Portland State, but got the cash in the last two, an 83-52 rout of Youngstown State as a 29½-point favorite and a 76-41 win over Cal State San Bernardino as a 31-point chalk.
Freshman sensation Kevin Love has led the way for the Bruins thus far, averaging 20.7 points and 10.3 rebounds in his first three collegiate contests. Last year’s National High School player of the year is shooting 65.6 percent from the floor with UCLA.
The last time these two teams met was in the second round of the 2000 NCAA Tournament, and the Bruins scored a 105-70 win as a 3½-point underdog.
The under is 6-1 in the last seven games for the Terps dating back to last season and 7-3 in the Bruins’ last 10 overall.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UCLA and UNDER
NBA
Orlando (9-2 SU and ATS) at New Orleans (9-2 SU and 7-3-1 ATS)
The Magic travel to the Big Easy for a matchup with the surprising Hornets in a battle of teams tied with the second-best record in the NBA.
Orlando comes into New Orleans off Sunday’s 104-102 victory over Boston, handing the Celtics their first loss of the year as a two-point underdog. The Magic, who are on an 8-1 SU and ATS tear, have scored at least 95 points in each of their last eight contests and average 102.7 per game.
The young Hornets have rattled off five straight wins (3-1-1 ATS), four of which came on the road. In its most recent effort on Saturday, New Orleans went into Minnesota and destroyed the Timberwolves 100-82 as four-point favorites. That win came on the heels of Friday’s 120-118 OT victory in Memphis, coming up short as a 3½-point chalk.
The home team prevailed in each of last year’s meetings. However, the Hornets got the cash in both and are 4-1 ATS in the last five clashes.
The Magic are a perfect 6-0 SU and ATS on the road, and they’re 11-1-2 ATS in their last 14 road games dating to last year. Also, the straight-up winner has covered the spread in all 11 of Orlando’s games this year.
New Orleans is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 against Southeast Division squads.
On defense Orlando holds the opposition to 95 points a game and 41.8 percent shooting.
Like the Magic, New Orleans is getting it done on defense, limiting opponents to 90.5 points per game overall, a figure that drops to 89 ppg at home.
The over is 14-5-1 in the Hornets’ last 20 home games, but the under has been the play in six of their last seven head-to-head matchups with the Magic. The under is also 7-2 in New Orleans’ last nine overall.
ATS ADVANTAGE: NONE
gametimepicks.com
Bulls: Deng out until at least Saturday
The back injury Luol Deng sustained Thursday kept him out of Sunday's game. It's also expected to sideline him until at least Saturday, according to the Chicago Tribune. "I'm going to wait for [the pain] to go away," he said. " I thought it was one of those injuries I could play through, but I can't run or bend down. I don't even know how it occurred. I've never had anything like this."
Pistons: Stuckey could make NBA debut this week
Rodney Stuckey is scheduled to have his broken left hand examined today. If all goes well, he'll be fitted for a protective glove that he would wear on the court, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Knicks: Carter could hit hardwood Monday
Vince Carter is making a steady recovery from his sprained ankle. In fact, he flew with the Nets to Utah Sunday and could play against the Jazz tonight, according to the New York Daily News.
Lakers C Brown sprains knee, ankle
November 18, 2007
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Lakers center Kwame Brown was helped off the court Sunday night after injuring his left leg in the first quarter of a game against the Chicago Bulls.
Lakers spokesman John Black said Brown sustained moderate sprains of his left ankle and knee when Bulls center Ben Wallace fell into him under the Los Angeles basket with 8:18 left in the opening period.
Black said X-rays were negative, adding the Lakers would probably have a better idea Monday about the severity of the injuries.
Kobe Bryant charged into Wallace while driving toward the basket and passing underneath to Brown, who went down in a heap clutching his left leg after the contact, which came as he was going up for a shot.
Brown was averaging 4.7 points and 5.5 rebounds in his first six games.
Raptors center Nesterovic could miss 2 weeks
November 18, 2007
Associated Press
TORONTO (AP) -- Toronto Raptors center Rasho Nesterovic will miss one to two weeks with a sprained right ankle.
He will not travel with the Raptors on an upcoming road trip to Dallas and Memphis, the team said Sunday, when Maceo Baston started in Nesterovic's place in Toronto's game against Golden State.
Nesterovic was injured in the third quarter of last Wednesday's home loss to Utah, when he landed on the foot of Mehmet Okur after coming down with a rebound.
Nesterovic is averaging 3.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game this season.
Brister leaves ISU for personal reasons
November 19, 2007
Associated Press
AMES, Iowa (AP) -- Iowa State freshman guard Marcus Brister is leaving the team for personal reasons, coach Greg McDermott said Monday.
Brister was only with the program for three games, averaging 2.3 points per outing. McDermott said that Brister, who is from Dallas, has a personal matter in Texas that needs his attention.
Brister plans to finish out the first semester academically.
Brister was one of five freshman guards on Iowa State's roster.