Re: NBA News/NBA Player News 2/10/07
The Can?t Miss Kid
Thanks to his declining numbers,
Dwight Howard has come under a bit of fantasy fire of late. After averaging 17.1 PPG, 13.6 RPG and 1.94 BPG in November, Howard's totals have slipped across the board each month ? until February, that is.
While the 21-year-old All-Star's rebounding and block totals continue to slide (9.6 RPG, 1.2 BPG in February), over the past few games he's reaching scoring levels we've never seen from him. And for those of you concerned with field goal percentage, Howard has been absolute gold this week. In fact, he can't seem to miss.
After last night's 11-for-14 showing for 30 points, Howard has now sunk 33-of-37 from the field over the past three games. That would be over 89 percent for those keeping score at home. Talk about being a can't miss kid. The dude is pretty much tossing peas in the ocean.
But it was one particular shot on Friday that had tongues wagging. With just 0.8 seconds left in the game,
Hedo Turkoglu threw a lob pass at the bucket that looked off target. But Howard was able to sky over
Tim Duncan to reel it in and complete the alley oop, slamming home the game-winning dunk as the Magic ended a three-game skid, 106-104 over San Antonio.
If this was a preview of what we can expect next weekend when Howard competes in the slam dunk competition, we're all in for a treat.
A game after scoring a career-high 32 points in vain, Howard's heroics last night helped cap an improbable comeback against a tough Spurs' squad. Down 18 in the second quarter, the Magic reached into its bag of tricks to pull out a victory, capped by Howard's first ever game-winning shot. And I don't need a Magic 8-Ball to know that it won't be the kid's last.
In other news Friday, we had a host of players coming back from injuries including
Paul Pierce,
Brevin Knight, Jermaine O'Neal and
Chris Quinn while it also appears we're about to get back
Sean May,
Steve Francis,
Steve Nash,
Rashard Lewis and AK-47.
Meanwhile, the Dose also has the latest medical updates on
Tyronn Lue,
Wally Szczerbiak,
Allen Iverson,
Marcus Camby,
Baron Davis,
Michael Redd,
Richard Jefferson,
Chris Paul and
Grant Hill, among others.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks are soaring on the road, pulling off a big-time upset in Phoenix Friday to bag their fourth straight win away from home, the first time they've had a streak this long since 1999.
Joe Johnson started sluggishly, but woke up with 17 points in the fourth quarter to seal the deal. All told, Johnson hit 10-of-25 from the field and 10-of-14 from the line for 32 points, eight boards, five assists and two 3-pointers.
Tyronn Lue's injury-plagued year continued last night when he sat with a hamstring woe. He's not expected to suit up again until after the All-Star break, so go ahead and ditch him if you're eyeing something better.
Boston Celtics
The cavalry has arrived in Boston. Unfortunately,
Paul Pierce's first action since December 20 wasn't enough to rescue the Celtics from a 17th straight loss. Coming back from a stress reaction in his foot (and then an elbow infection earlier this week), The Truth actually played more than expected (20 minutes), but his shooting touch was pretty much as anticipated (4-for-16). Still, he's back and that's fantastic news for his owners.
Wally Szczerbiak had his ankle taped up and took some shots last night, but wound up having to miss his 19th game of the year. He won't travel with the team for the Minnesota game on Sunday, but Wally World hopes to get back in there on Wednesday. Something tells me his wonky ankles will be an issue all season. At least his wonky knees, an issue all last year, haven't been a problem.
Charlotte Bobcats
The 'Cats got
Brevin Knight back Friday, but he was definitely rusty, shooting 0-for-5 with just one point, seven assists and no steals. Knight sure didn't affect
Raymond Felton's game last night, but it will probably take him at least a week to shake off the cobwebs. It sounds like Knight will soon bump
Matt Carroll back to the bench.
Gerald Wallace is looking like a fantasy stud again, scoring 30 points with 15 rebounds, three steals and two blocks last night. He's even hitting his free throws lately, sinking 14-of-18 in the past two games.
Sean May was off because of his sore knee, but he's expected back Saturday.
Chicago Bulls
Rookie
Tyrus Thomas was able to play last night despite suffering what looked like a bad ankle injury late on Thursday. He was scoreless in 11 minutes, but should be good to go for next weekend's dunk competition, an event, we understand, he's
quite into.
Cleveland Cavaliers
It was a good news-bad news night for
LeBron James and his owners. On the one hand, he broke out of a scoring slump that had seen him average just 17 PPG over the past four when he sunk 12-of-22 for 27 points. Seven boards and six assists were sweet, too. But concerns over his work at the charity stripe continued as the King sunk just 4-of-8 dropping him to 68 percent on the year. James' FT percentage has slipped every season since he's turned pro.
Sasha Pavlovic might be worth another gander. After scoring 15 points and dishing a career-best six dimes with five boards Friday, he has now hit double-figures in scoring in five of the past six games, averaging 14 PPG over this stretch. You could do worse in terms of waiver wire choices.
Dallas Mavericks
Josh Howard got his All-Star nod Friday, given one of the injury replacement spots. It's a well-deserved honor for Howard, who's become a much bigger outside threat this year, and he showed he belongs there by scoring 22 points to lead Dallas past Houston last night. Just two nights after his best show of the year, Disco Dirk was very ordinary last night, shooting 7-for-14 for 15 points, eight boards and two steals. I wouldn't sweat it, considering Dallas had its way with state rival Houston so Nowitzki wasn't exactly needed as much as usual.
Denver Nuggets
Well, we won't see an NBA scoring leader fail to get invited to the All-Star game for the first time.
Carmelo Anthony has been named as an injury replacement for next weekend's festivities. 'Melo celebrated by throwing 34 points, six boards and five assists at the Pacers as the Nuggets snapped a skid of seven losses in eight games. The news wasn't as uplifting for Denver's other superstar,
Allen Iverson. While an MRI revealed no structural damage in his ankle, he didn't travel with the team for their two-game Midwest swing, and A.I. may just shut it down until after the All-Star break. With Iverson out,
Linas Kleiza got the start and scored 15 points with five rebounds while nailing three 3-pointers. Kleiza and
Steve Blake look like they will each have some value over the next little while.
Marcus Camby had the flu last night, hence his absence for another night. Does that mean the groin injury that kept him out last game was better? He's expected to be a game-time decision tonight, but I wouldn't assume anything. A
Marcus Camby injury lingering? We've never seen anything like
this before.
Detroit Pistons
Antonio McDyess, nursing sore ribs, was able to practice Friday and is expected to play tonight against the Raptors. Good news for Detroit, as it will need all hands on deck to push back a hot Toronto squad looking to make a statement against the Eastern-leading Pistons.
Golden St. Warriors
Still dealing with his bruised knee,
Baron Davis is out Sunday and could miss more time next week. B. Diddy had his knee examined again, but we may not know the results until Monday. Hello? Owners have to freeze their lineup on Monday. Well, it's a shortened week anyways, so unless you hear that he's definitely playing next week, you may as well dust off a spot on the bench for Davis in Week 16. In better news regarding fallen Warriors,
Jason Richardson, out since December 30 with a broken right hand, began shooting without a hard cast at Thursday's practice. He's still aiming to play in Golden State's first game following the All-Star break.
Mickael Pietrus left Friday's game with a sprained ankle, but there was no report on his status. Watch for an update this afternoon.
Houston Rockets
T-Mac, like a fine sports car, needs plenty of maintenance to stay at full speed. He just got back from his monthly visit to John Patterson, his rehab specialist, appointments he says that are for getting a "touch-up." According to McGrady, "He popped my knee back in place, made sure there was no inflammation in my back and took out any inflammation that was there." No word on if Patterson changed McGrady's oil or not.
Bonzi Wells missed another game last night because of his back, and remains questionable for Saturday. Sounds like Bonzi could use some body shop time as well.
Indiana Pacers
The Pacers are struggling at home, dropping a third straight last night, but at least they got their stud back when Jermaine O'Neil returned after missing one game with a bruised knee. He looked rusty, managing just 16 points, four boards, two assists and two blocks, but O'Neal did have two steals, his first multi-steal effort since January 6. The doctors tell him he needs rest, but O'Neal hasn't yet considered skipping the Al-Star game.
Mike Dunleavy has been blazing of late. He sunk 9-of-15 last night for a season-high 23 points with 11 rebounds. That's five straight games with double-digit points and two games out of the last three where he's hit double figures off the glass.
L.A. Clippers
Shaun Livingston got the start over a flu-ridden
Sam Cassell Friday night, and he came through with his fourth straight double-digit scoring game. Livingston still isn't racking up the dimes, but you've got to love 10 steals in his past three games and 15 rebounds in the last two. It looks like the on-again, off-again fantasy value of Livingston is on again, so pluck away if he wound up back on your waiver wire. Cassell, meanwhile, did come off the bench and scored 22 points with six assists, so obviously he wasn't that sick.
Corey Maggette, on the other hand, is
definitely sick, missing another game because of the flu. Oh, he's sick all right. Sick of the trade rumors and sick of his decreasing role on the Clippers. He needs a change of scenery about as much as his teammate
Tim Thomas needs consistency. Come to think of it, a trade may help each of them with their problem.
L.A. Lakers
After teasing us with back-to-back double-doubles,
Andrew Bynum disappeared the past two games, managing only seven points and eight rebounds total. I barely noticed him last night, as much as you can fail to see a 7-foot, 285-pound behemoth, that is. In 19 minutes, Bynum managed just two points, four boards and a block. The reason? He's been dealing with tendinitis in his knees. If this keeps up,
Ronny Turiaf can expect more burn next week.
Maurice Evans, meanwhile, was on fire Friday, sinking 7-of-11 shots for 19 points. He and
Smush Parker kept the Lakers in it while Kobe sleep walked through the first three quarters. By the time Bryant awoke, so had the Raptors, snatching victory away from LA.
Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies signed
Junior Harrington to a 10-day contract. The 26-year-old former Wingate shooting guard has played 110 career games between Denver and New Orleans and was cut by Memphis just before the start of the season. Don't expect much, and you probably won't be disappointed.
Rudy Gay got another start Friday, and came through with 19 points, shooting 7-of-15 including hitting all three of his long ball attempts. The rookie added six boards, two blocks and a steal and will have value as long as he's starting, but will be prone to the occasional stinker.
Miami Heat
Dwyane Wade wasn't at his best last night, managing just one rebound while committing seven turnovers. But he shot well (10-of-17), scoring 27 points while adding seven assists, two steals and two blocks.
Chris Quinn was back after missing the last game with an ankle injury, but he was less than impressive, scoring just one point with one assist while backing up
Gary Payton.
Milwaukee Bucks
Michael Redd was able to participate fully in Friday's workout, but he still thinks he's doubtful for tonight's game vs. Denver.
Brian Skinner is still day-to-day with back spasms.
Minnesota Timberwolves
I guess we shouldn't have read too much into the fact that it was Minnesota that ended the Suns' 17-game winning streak. Since then, the Wolves are just 1-5, losing to Memphis last night. Don't blame KG, though. Garnett did his thing again Friday, shooting 9-of-18 for 20 points, 17 rebounds, six assists, three blocks and two steals. I suppose that will do. But again, how about some consistent support for the Big Ticket?
Mark Blount was huge last night with 25 points and nine boards and has looked great in the past two games, but on Monday, he was basically invisible. Minnesota has to surround Garnett with a winning formula or deal him already.
New Jersey Nets
Inconsistent rookie (isn't that redundant?)
Marcus Williams shot well Friday, sinking 6-of-10 for 17 points with seven boards, an assist and a 3-pointer. You've got to like the kid more than
Bostjan Nachbar right now. Boki took a goose egg last night. RJ is off crutches now, but remains out for a few more weeks.
NOK Hornets
Ahah! So there's a reason why
Bobby Jackson is shooting just 26.5 percent over the last three weeks. Apparently, he's been playing through a broken thumb, suffered January 19, but an injury "I just didn't talk about" he said. Thanks, Bobby. This is the kind of thing owners need to know about, especially since, as you said, "it's affected my shooting and my ball-handling the most." But never mind that now. Let's talk about your propensity to break bones. Have you thought of drinking more milk, perhaps?
Chris Paul hurt his triceps Thursday, but will be good to go Saturday.
New York Knicks
Steve Francis could return to active duty tonight, but he isn't exactly brimming with optimism: "I feel pretty decent," he said. "I'm never going to be 100 percent, but at least I feel better before I went down. Hopefully I'll be able to be faster and more effective." How's that for whipping up waiver wire frenzy for him?
Orlando Magic
Jameer Nelson, cut in many leagues and slumping with just 37 combined points over the past five games, woke up in a big way Friday, nailing 12-of-20 for a season-high 31 points.
Tony Battie is done until after the All-Star break thanks to that chipped bone is his hand. We won't see
Grant Hill or
Keyon Dooling until after the break either.
Philadelphia 76ers
Samuel Dalembert, questionable heading Friday because of the flu, came through with 14 points and 15 rebounds, his third straight game of at least 13 boards. His shooting touch has been off lately (8-for-22 in the past two games), but with his 14th double-double, Dalembert is now just one shy of tying his career high.
Phoenix Suns
Steve Nash skipped a second game Friday because of his shoulder ailment. Thankfully, this isn't believed to be serious, as Coach D'Antoni says Captain Canada will play on Sunday.
Portland Trailblazers
Zach Randolph continued his blazing play with 40 points and nine boards last night, leading Portland to victory. Things are going so well for Z-Bo that he even drained a rare 3-pointer. Over his last seven games, he's depositing over 30 PPG and has reached the 40-point mark twice during that stretch.
Jarrett Jack, meanwhile, struggled with his shot (3-for-10), but came through when it counted, scoring 12 of his 20 points in overtime. He filled the stat sheet with nine assists, six boards, two steals, two blocks and a 3-pointer while getting to the line 16 times. Jack is really taking advantage of the fact that
Sergio Rodriguez is out, using the time to solidify his starting gig, which looked in danger from the rookie for a while there.
San Antonio Spurs
Brent Barry finally showed what he's capable of doing as a starter when he scored 21 points and nailed a quartet of treys last night. Let's see a bit more of this before rushing to pick him up.
Tim Duncan's block party is closed with just one swat in the past two games, but his owners can't moan too much after Friday's 24-point, 16-board, six-assist effort.
Seattle Sonics
Rashard Lewis practiced Friday and is expected to be in the lineup against the Kings Saturday. He doesn't expect to be back to "full throttle" until after the break, but it sure will be nice to get him back.
Toronto Raptors
T.J. Ford returned to the starting lineup, sending
Jose Calderon back to the bench Friday night, but as I mentioned the other day, these two seem like
interchangeable parts right now. Neither player was able to duplicate their recent numbers, but their combined 14 points and 13 assists was nothing to sneeze at it, either. Ford's PT has inched up all week, and assuming he can rediscover his shooting stroke (just 6-for-17 in the past two games), he'll probably begin to get starter-type minutes soon. The Raps have a tough game in Detroit tonight, the tail end of a back-to-back, so it wouldn't shock me if Ford barely plays over 25 minutes.
Utah Jazz
Andrei Kirilenko plans to play tonight, while
Mehmet Okur skipped practice yesterday with the flu, but the Jazz hopes to have him in uniform tonight. Both players will apparently be game-time decisions.
Washington Wizards
Round Three!
Etan Thomas started another fight with
Brendan Haywood at practice yesterday, earning himself a two-game suspension from the Wizards. Haywood escaped the fracas unsuspended, so apparently the center job is his. Washington needs to split these two up already. That's three separate incidents over the past year and change.
</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD class=subHead vAlign=top colSpan=3>Nash to play against Blazers on Sunday </TD><!--<td rowspan=50 width=200 valign=top>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>Steve Francis (knee) might return to action on Saturday against the Jazz.</TD></TR><TR><TD>
