LeBron day-to-day with sprained finger
November 29th, 2007
Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James is listed as day-to-day with a sprained left index finger.
James did not return after halftime to the team's 109-74 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. X-rays were taken at halftime of the game, but were negative. James suffered the injury with 4:41 left in the first half, when the Pistons' Nazr Mohammed fouled him. James made both free throws and played for the rest of the half.
James, who will be a game-time decision for Friday's game against Toronto, had an MRI on Thursday that confirmed the sprain.
Parker not with the Heat due to reported incident
November 29th, 2007
Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Miami Heat head coach Pat Riley released a statement on Thursday concerning a reported incident involving guard Smush Parker.
"We are currently investigating the reported incident. Until we have concluded it, Smush will not be with the team. He has not been suspended and is currently on our inactive list. This is a legal matter and we will have no further comment until the legal process runs its course."
The Miami Herald reported on Wednesday that a woman from Miami has accused Parker of twisting her arm during an altercation about a valet parking fee and is seeking criminal charges.
The Heat signed Parker as a free-agent in the offseason and in nine game this year, the Fordham product is averaging 4.8 points and 1.7 assists per contest.
NBA Today - November 30
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SCOREBOARD
Orlando at Phoenix (9 p.m. EST). The Magic have an NBA-best 14 wins.
STARS
-Baron Davis, Warriors, scored 27 points to lead Golden State to a 113-94 victory over Houston.
-Kobe Bryant, Lakers, scored 24 points, leading Los Angeles to a 127-99 win against Denver.
BOSTON BEAT-DOWN
The Boston Celtics cruised to one of the easiest victories on Thursday night, beating New York 104-59 to send the Knicks to their third-worst loss and their second-worst scoring performance of the shot-clock era. It was the sixth-biggest win in Celtics history and the biggest since a 153-107 victory over the Baltimore Bullets in 1970.
TURNAROUND
Golden State held Yao Ming in check, beating the Houston Rockets 113-94 on Thursday night for their eighth win in nine games after an 0-6 start. The Warriors (8-7) became the fastest team in NBA history to post a winning record after losing its first six games. Cleveland took 23 games to do it in 1995-96.
HOLLYWOOD JACK
Lakers coach Phil Jackson said he has agreed to terms of a two-year contract extension believed to be worth about $24 million, putting him under contract through the 2009-10 season. Jackson announced his decision before the Lakers' 127-99 victory over Denver on Thursday night.
SPEAKING
''I'm never great in math. So I couldn't figure out if we were up by 30. I wasn't even paying a lot of attention to it. But I knew we were playing well and, obviously, I looked.'' - Boston coach Doc Rivers after a 104-59 rout of the Knicks on Thursday night. It was the sixth-biggest win in Celtics history and the biggest since a 153-107 victory over the Baltimore Bullets in 1970.
Friday's NBA matchup betting notes
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cleveland Cavaliers at Toronto Raptors
The Cavaliers have won eight of nine games against the Raptors, including four in a row.
Washington Wizards at Philadelphia 76ers
The Wizards are outscoring the 76ers by average of 10.0 points in winning the last four meetings, their longest win streak in this series since a five-game run from Nov. 15, 1995-March 4, 1997.
Milwaukee Bucks at New York Knicks
The Knicks won both of their games at home against the Bucks in 2006-07, en route to winning the season series 3-1.
New Orleans Hornets at Atlanta Hawks
The Hornets have won three of four against the Hawks, including both meetings last season.
Boston Celtics at Miami Heat
The teams met at TD Banknorth Garden on November 16 when the the Celtics edged the Heat 92-91.
San Antonio Spurs at Minnesota Timberwolves
The Spurs, who are 4-3 on the road, have won six of the last seven meetings with the Timberwolves (2-11), including two of three last season. The lone loss came at the Target Center, 103-101 in overtime on Jan. 3.
Portland Trailblazers at Dallas Mavericks
Dallas has won eight straight at home against Portland since a 100-93 loss on Jan. 26, 2003. Overall, the Mavericks had won 13 in a row against the Blazers, before falling 91-82 on Nov. 10.
Orlando Magic at Phoenix Suns
Phoenix (11-4) beat the Magic (14-3) for the fourth straight time Nov. 10 in Orlando.
Los Angeles Clippers at Denver Nuggets
The Clippers beat the Nuggets last week despite starting three players who would normally come off the bench.
Indiana Pacers at Seattle SuperSonics
Indiana has lost five of its last six games against the Sonics, including three straight in Seattle.
Los Angeles Lakers at Utah Jazz
The Lakers have split six road games this season, and have lost five of their last seven games in Salt Lake City.
Cleveland (9-7 SU, 7-9 ATS) at Toronto (8-7 SU, 9-5-1 ATS)
The Cavaliers look to rebound from their worst loss of the season when they head north of the border to take on Toronto.
Cleveland lost 109-74 in Detroit on Wednesday as a nine-point underdog. The Cavs shot just 40 percent from the field and got outrebounded 43-23 in the drubbing. The loss to the Pistons snapped a four-game winning streak and came one night after Cleveland upset Boston 109-104 in overtime as a 3½-point home ‘dog.
The Cavs have won four straight against the Raptors (2-2 ATS), including a 111-108 victory on Saturday, coming us short as a 4½-point home chalk. Cleveland is also 8-2 ATS in its last 10 visits to the Air Canada Centre, including an 86-85 win as a four-point underdog in its most recent trip back in February.
The visitor is on an 11-5 ATS roll in this rivalry.
The Raptors have won consecutive games since Saturday’s loss to the Cavs, and they’re on a 5-0 ATS run, including Wednesday’s 103-91 home win over Memphis as 6½-point favorites.
Toronto is 6-2-1 ATS in its last nine Friday games, while the Cavaliers are 17-4-1 ATS in their last 22 Friday contests.
The under is 21-7 in Cleveland’s last 28 Friday games and 17-6 in the Raptors’ last 23 against Central Division teams. The under has also been the play six of the last nine times these two have met.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
Orlando (14-3 SU and ATS) at Phoenix (11-4 SU, 7-8 ATS)
The Magic take their stellar road record to the Valley of the Sun for a matchup with the suddenly struggling Suns.
Orlando is 9-1 SU and ATS this season on the highway, including winning the first two on its current Western Conference road swing, beating Portland 85-74 on Monday as a five-point favorite and downing Seattle 110-94 on Wednesday as an 8½-point chalk. The Magic have rattled off four straight wins overall since a 128-110 loss in San Antonio on Nov. 21.
Magic center Dwight Howard was a beast on Wednesday against the Sonics, putting up 39 points, pulling down 16 rebounds and blocking five shots.
The Suns have followed up an eight-game winning streak (5-3 ATS) with consecutive upset losses, falling in Golden State on Monday 129-114 as 4½-point favorites, and then losing at home to the Rockets on Wednesday 100-94 as a five-point chalk.
Phoenix has won four straight against Orlando (2-2 ATS) and eight of the last 10 (5-5 ATS). The last time these two met in the desert was in January, when the Suns scored a 107-101 win but failed to cover as 11½-point favorites.
The over is 6-2 in the last eight head-to-head meetings between these squads and 5-3 in the Suns last eight overall. Conversely, the under has been the play in six of Orlando’s last eight Friday tip-offs.
ATS ADVANTAGE: ORLANDO
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Friday's NBA Tip Sheet
VegasInsider.com
**Celtics at Heat**
-Caesars Palace opened Boston as a slight 2½-point road favorite over Miami, with the total set at 186. ESPN will provide coverage of this contest beginning at 8:05 p.m. ET.
-Boston (12-2 straight up, 10-4 against the spread) is playing for the second time in as many nights after embarrassing New York Thursday as a 12½-point home ‘chalk,’ 104-59. The combined 163 points never seriously threatened the 189½-point closing total, ending back-to-back ‘over’ outings.
-Kevin Garnett played just 22 minutes, accounting for eight points. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen also sat out the fourth quarter in the rout, combining for 42 points. The Celtics outrebounded the Knicks, 51-35, and shot a blistering 47 percent (37-of-79) from the field.
-Boston maintains a 4-2 SU and 3-3 ATS road record, with the ‘over’ going 4-2. Boston has been winning those matchups by an average score of 102-98.
-Miami (4-10 SU, 8-6 ATS) has alternated SU and ATS wins and losses the past five games after beating Charlotte Tuesday as a seven-point home favorite, 110-90. The combined 200 points toppled the 187-point closing total, helping the ‘over’ improve to 4-1 the past five games.
-Ricky Davis led the offense with 23 points off the bench, while Daequan Cook contributed 10 on 5-of-7 shooting. Center Shaquille O’Neal had 15 and six rebounds, while Udonis Haslem added 14 and five.
-The Heat are just 2-5 SU and 3-4 ATS on their home court, with the ‘over’ going 4-3.
-Boston is 2-0 SU and 1-1 ATS the previous two meetings with Miami, while the ‘under’ has gone 4-0-1 the previous five matchups. The Celtics dumped the Heat Nov. 16 as an 11-point home favorite, 92-91, while the combined 183 points landed directly on the closing total.
-Boston guard/forward Tony Allen (thigh) is ‘questionable’ against the Heat. Miami guard Smush Parker is ‘out’ indefinitely with legal problems, while guard/forward Dorell Wright (wrist) is ‘questionable.’
**Clippers at Nuggets**
-Caesars Palace installed Denver as a nine-point home ‘chalk’ over Los Angeles, with the total set at 205. ESPN starts its coverage of this contest at 10:35 p.m. ET.
-Los Angeles (6-7 SU, 5-8 ATS) is currently mired in a three-game SU and ATS losing skid after being roughed up by Houston Monday as a 6½-point home underdog, 88-71. The combined 159 points never seriously threatened the 189-point closing total, helping the ‘under’ improve to 4-1.
-Center Chris Kaman stepped up with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Corey Maggette added 21 and five off the bench. The Clippers shot a dismal 33 percent (25-of-76) from the field, and were outrebounded, 49-38.
-Los Angeles is 2-3 SU and ATS on the road, with the ‘under’ going 4-1. The Clippers have been dropping those affairs by an average score of 104-96.
-Denver is playing for the second time in as many nights after taking on the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday. The Nuggets had dropped back-to-back outings SU and four consecutive ATS before their Lakers matchup.
-Denver sports a 6-2 SU and 5-3 ATS home ledger, winning those matchups by an average score of 110-96.
-Los Angeles had dropped back-to-back outings SU and three consecutive matchups ATS to the Nuggets before beating them Nov. 21 as a seven-point home underdog, 101-90. The combined 191 points went ‘under’ the 204½-point closing total, helping the ‘under’ cash an incredible nine times in a row between these teams.
-Los Angeles guard Sam Cassell (calf) is expected to miss this matchup with the Nuggets, while forward Elton Brand (knee) is ‘out’ for the first few months. Denver forward Kenyon Martin (knee) and guard Von Wafer (flu) are ‘questionable’ versus the Clippers.
Milwaukee rivalry renewed
ASSOCIATED PRESS
As crosstown rivalries go, there are few that have been as lopsided as Wisconsin-Milwaukee vs. Marquette.
The Panthers have never beaten the 13th-ranked Golden Eagles in 34 games, but they'll try when the teams meet for the first time in nine seasons Friday night at the Bradley Center. Marquette is an 18 1/2-point favorite at most sports books in Las Vegas.
The all-time series started in 1917, and since then Marquette has built the second-longest winning streak in Division I against a single opponent, behind only Syracuse's 41-game run against Colgate.
The teams haven't met since the 1998-99 season, when Marquette won 77-56, but they've agreed to play each of the next five seasons.
As usual, the task will be difficult for Wisconsin-Milwaukee (3-3). Marquette (4-1) hasn't played in nine days since losing to then-No. 13 Duke 77-73 in the finals of the Maui Invitational, but the Golden Eagles gave the 7-0 Blue Devils their toughest game of the season.
"Even though we didn't get what our goal was, it was a fantastic experience for our team," Marquette coach Tom Crean said. "Both teams brought out the toughness in each other. ... We will come out of here with a much broader and greater perspective of what we are as a basketball team."
Marquette, which returned its top seven scorers from last season's 24-10 club, has outscored all other opponents by an average of 15 points, and hasn't allowed 70 points to any other team. The Golden Eagles are led by junior guards Jerel McNeal (16.0 points per game) and Dominic James (13.2 ppg), though James is shooting just 35.1 percent from the field this season, below his career 40.3 percent clip.
James was just 4-of-16 overall against Duke after shooting 4-of-6 from three-point range in the previous game, a 91-61 win over Oklahoma State.
"A lot of the missed shots were layups, shots I usually make," James said.
Wisconsin-Milwaukee has lost two straight and three of four - all at home, though its losses came to teams that are a combined 13-2. On Tuesday, the Panthers lost 81-77 to unbeaten Sam Houston State despite 25 points and 10 rebounds from Paige Paulsen.
Milwaukee has struggled with slow starts, and has been outscored by an average of nearly nine points in the first halves of the last five games, twice bouncing back from double-digit deficits to win.
"If I had the answer to that maybe we wouldn't be 3-and-3," Milwaukee coach Rob Jeter said.
Jeter is in his third year with the rebuilding Panthers, who finished 9-22 last season. Earlier this month, the coach dismissed 2006-07 leading scorer Avery Smith from the team for an unspecified violation of team rules.
Without Smith, senior forwards Torre Johnson (18.7 ppg, 9.7 rebounds per game) and Paulsen (16.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg) lead the Panthers. This is Johnson's first season at Milwaukee after transferring from Oklahoma State, and Paulsen's second after coming over from Northern Illinois.
Before last season, Milwaukee had qualified for the NCAA tournament out of the Horizon League three out of four seasons, going 3-3 in NCAA tournament play over that span, including a trip to the regional semifinals in 2005.
Jeter and Milwaukee assistant coach Brian Bidlingmyer are both former Marquette assistants, serving together on former Golden Eagles coach Mike Deane's staff during the 1998-99 season.
Hurting Nuggets sign big man Jelani McCoy
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DENVER -- The Denver Nuggets signed center Jelani McCoy off the Los Angeles Lakers' Developmental League affiliate Thursday, bringing back a big man who had played with them in the preseason.
McCoy, 6-foot-10, 245 pounds, averaged eight points, 6.5 rebounds, four blocks and 3.5 assists in two games with the L.A. D-Fenders, the second of which was watched by Mark Warkentien, Nuggets vice president of basketball operations.
Earlier this week, the Nuggets released guard Mike Wilks to clear a roster spot for a big man with Nene (thumb) and Steven Hunter (knee) out for at least a month and starting power forward Kenyon Martin recovering from a bruised knee.
McCoy, 29, has played for five teams in seven NBA seasons and owns career averages of 4.7 points and 3.6 rebounds. He averaged 4.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in four preseason games with the Nuggets before being waived on Oct. 23.
NENAD WILL GET A KNEEDED REST
November 30, 2007 -- On their West Coast trip, the Nets discussed the option of shutting down Nenad Krstic, still recovering from a torn ACL. Yesterday it went from a distinct possibility to a disappointing reality, when Lawrence Frank said it will probably be two weeks or more before his starting center sees the floor in an NBA game.
"He's on the shelf for a while. He's out. After two weeks, we'll re-evaluate and go from there," Frank said.
Krstic hasn't played since a four-minute cameo on Nov. 21. After working out with strength and conditioning coach Rich Dalatri on Wednesday, Krstic sat out yesterday and should return to practice today.
"Nenad is going to work his tail off the next couple of weeks, and we'll give it a go after we feel his conditioning and rhythm (are better) and the game speed is where both he and us are comfortable where he's at."
With tomorrow's game against Philadelphia starting a stretch of four games in five nights, there won't be a lot of practices or chances for Krstic to simulate live action.
After tearing his ACL last Dec. 22, he's said his knee is fine but he's struggled with his conditioning and the speed of the games. He was 3-of-21 over his last five outings and used words like "lost and confused" when describing his comeback woes.
"We're going to take a break from the games and just try and hone in on the practice floor. He's (working) every day," Frank said. "It's physical and also mental. Until we're comfortable that it's clicking (he won't play). They say it may take a year. He had it in December; it may not be for another month or so."
It's been an inopportune injury for Krstic, in a contract season. In the last year of his deal, the Nets can either extend him or make him a qualifying offer ($2.7 million) between the end of the season and June 30; otherwise he'll become an unrestricted free agent.
*
Marcus Williams' surgically repaired right foot is sore, and best-case scenario won't return to practice for another week, meaning Dec. 8. . . . Malik Allen was ailing during the Memphis loss, getting lightheaded and dizzy. But he'll start tomorrow alongside Jason Collins, who tweaked his ankle during the game and re-aggravated it yesterday, cutting practice short halfway through.
*
Both Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter, who seems to have found his game again, said the Nets' early-game struggles are more offensive than defensive, a result of careless turnovers.
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