Grizzlies' Gasol out with sprained right ankle

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Memphis center Marc Gasol missed the Grizzlies' game against Minnesota on Tuesday with a sprained right ankle.

The 7-foot-1 Spaniard is listed as day-to-day. It is unclear exactly when he was injured, but apparently he has been playing through it for several games.

Dante Cunningham joined Marreese Speights and Rudy Gay in a front line of forwards starting for the Grizzlies.

Zach Randolph will continue to come off the bench, as Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins has decided to bring him back slowly until he fully recovers from a knee injury that forced him to miss 2 1/2 months.

Gasol is the Grizzlies' leading rebounder with 9.6 per game and second-leading scorer with a 15.5 average. He was selected to the Western Conference All-Star team as a reserve.

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/03/27/grizzlies-gasol.ap/index.html

NBA Capsules: Thunder win fouth straight, 109-95 over Trail Blazers

PORTLAND, Ore. - Russell Westbrook had 32 points and eight assists, Kevin Durant scored 25 points and the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder won their fourth straight with a 109-95 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.

Reserve James Harden added 21 points for the Thunder, who built a 65-47 lead by halftime and led by as many as 20 points.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points and eight rebounds as Portland fell to 3-4 under Kaleb Canales, who took over as interim coach when the Blazers fired Nate McMillan at the NBA trade deadline.

The Blazers, who were coming off a 90-87 victory over Golden State on Sunday, have not had back-to-back wins since Jan. 23-24 against Sacramento and Memphis.

LAKERS 104, WARRIORS 101

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Kobe Bryant, two days after getting benched late in a home loss to Memphis, made a pair of jumpers in the final 64 seconds and finished with 30 points to lead Los Angeles past short-handed Golden State.

Bryant missed his first two shots in the final period before twice rising over a pair of defenders for difficult fall-away jumpers from the corner.

Former Warriors forward Matt Barnes had 28 points and 10 rebounds, and Pau Gasol added 19 points and 17 rebounds to give Los Angeles its third win in four games.

David Lee had 23 points and nine rebounds for the Warriors.

SPURS 107, SUNS 100

PHOENIX (AP) — Tony Parker scored eight points in a 10-0 run early in the fourth quarter, helping San Antonio win its fifth straight and eighth in nine games with a victory over Phoenix.

Tim Duncan scored 17 of his 26 points in the first half and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Spurs, winners of 12 of their last 14 road games. Parker scored half of his 24 in the fourth quarter.

Shannon Brown, starting because Grant Hill was a late scratch with right knee inflammation, scored a career-high 32 points for the Suns. Marcin Gortat added 21 points and 14 rebounds in just the second home loss for the Suns in 10 games since the All-Star break.

MAVERICKS 90, ROCKETS 81

DALLAS (AP) — Jason Terry scored seven consecutive points in a minute to start a game-turning run for Dallas, finishing with 12 points and four assists in a win over Houston.

Dirk Nowitzki had 21 points despite shooting 5 of 17, Rodrigue Beaubois had 14 points and Brandan Wright added 13.

The Mavericks won 101-99 in overtime on Saturday night in Houston, which played at home again Monday and needed overtime to beat Sacramento.

Luis Scola had 22 points and eight rebounds for the Rockets, while Goran Dragic scored 17 points. Chandler Parsons had 15 points and nine rebounds.

76ERS 103, CAVALIERS 85

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jodie Meeks scored a career-high 31 points and Jrue Holiday had 19 to lead Philadelphia over Cleveland.

Evan Turner scored 12 points for the Sixers, who moved a half-game ahead of Boston and back into sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division. The Sixers have held the top spot in the Atlantic for all but a few days early in the season.

The Sixers romped without Andre Iguodala, who missed his second straight game because of left patella tendinitis. Meeks started in his place and was 7 of 10 from 3-point range.

Anthony Parker scored 14 points and Kyrie Irving had 12 for the Cavaliers.

BUCKS 108, HAWKS 101

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Monta Ellis scored 33 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter, and had eight assists to lead Milwaukee to a win over Atlanta.

Brandon Jennings added 18 points for the Bucks, who moved within two games of the idle New York Knicks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Ellis, who has struggled since coming over in a trade from Golden State on March 14, tied a season low with four points against the Knicks on Monday. On Tuesday, he made 15-of-24 shots, including 7-of-9 in the fourth quarter, sealing it with a 15-foot jumper with 1:27 left.

Josh Smith led the Hawks with 30 points and 18 rebounds.

GRIZZLIES 93, TIMBERWOLVES 86

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Rudy Gay scored 21 points, and Dante Cunningham added season highs of 13 points and 14 rebounds to lead Memphis over Minnesota.

Cunningham, inserted into the starting lineup after All-Star centre Marc Gasol sat out with a sprained right ankle, was 6 of 9 from the field as all five Memphis starters finished in double figures.

Marreese Speights had 18 points, Tony Allen finished with 13, and Mike Conley had 12 points and eight assists as the Grizzlies won their second straight.

Kevin Love led Minnesota with 28 points and 11 rebounds.

Source:http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/nba-capsules-144496695.html

Cavs' Gibson has torn tendon in foot, out indefinitely

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson has a torn tendon in his left foot and ankle and will likely miss the remainder of the season.

Gibson initially hurt his ankle on March 19.against New Jersey. X-rays were negative, but the Cavs said Tuesday that Gibson's ankle has not progressed as expected. He underwent an MRI that revealed the torn tendon. The team said Gibson is undergoing further evaluation and seeking additional evaluations to determine treatment.

The Cavs did not provide a timetable for his return, but with just over a month left in the season, it's unlikely Gibson will be back.

Gibson is averaging 7.5 points and 2.2 assists in 26 minutes for Cleveland, which has lost three straight and faded in the race for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

"I know we're going to continue to do further evaluation on him," coach Byron Scott said before the Cavs played the 76ers. "We've got the best doctors in the world at the Cleveland Clinic. They want to figure out the best way to kind of handle the situation."

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/03/27/cavaliers-gibson.ap/index.html

Game Changers: Undersized players left big mark on league

It was one of those remarks that most people thought was absurd at the time, but not so much nowadays.

Allan Bristow, former coach of the then-Charlotte Hornets, said: "Everyone talks about how we'll never see another Michael Jordan and we'll never see another Larry Bird. But truth is, we'll never see another Muggsy Bogues."

You could say a lot of folks sold Bristow short. While we are indeed waiting for the next Jordan, and perhaps we saw the next Bird during the 2011 NBA Finals, our great-grandchildren might be the only witnesses the next time a 5-foot-3 player darts around the floor like a pinball and carves out a very productive NBA career.

Plain and simple, NBA teams just aren't big on little guys anymore. Not that they ever were. But you just don't see an abundance of players under 6-feet on rosters, and definitely none in All-Star Games.

That makes Muggsy, Spud Webb and Calvin Murphy before both of them, Game Changers who paved the way for the little man -- even though the NBA still practices size discrimination.

Only three sub-6-footers were on active rosters last season. None was what you'd consider a star, or even close. And none was selected in the first round of the most recent Draft. Which means there's no Muggsy in the works. (He was the 12th pick of the 1987 Draft, in case you forgot.)

The game at the highest level remains a near-impossible goal for anyone who measures up to Yao Ming's kneecaps. And those who happen to squeeze through the cracks are mainly role players or gimmicks who don't last very long or change the minds of NBA general managers.

The reasons are obvious and numerous. Lack of size translates into big issues, mainly on the defensive end, where they're posted up more than a yellow sticky memo. And they're stuck playing only one position. And they must be exceptional athletes, or extraordinarily good at shooting and/or dribbling, to have a chance.

Webb once said: "I see myself as a basketball player, just like anyone else in the league," but not everyone else in the league could jump almost two feet over his own height. An unmatched vertical leap kept Webb (5-foot-7) in a uniform, although he was also a very efficient passer and could hit the jumper if left open. Like most short players, he compensated for, or covered up, his weaknesses very well; anything less would've been fatal to his career.

Bogues was a freak of nature. He had no business lasting 14 seasons in the NBA, or being selected in the first round, because he had no tremendous skill. He wasn't a terrific outside shooter, nor was he a leaper (and even if he were, it wasn't going to help) and as a passer he was solid but not Stockton-like. His gifts were amazing quickness, both with his feet and hands; a low center of gravity that gave him great balance and assisted him defensively; and anticipation. He was also very smart at knowing how players would try to exploit him; he'd been trained for that his entire basketball life.

The gold standard, of course was Murphy, the shortest player in the Hall of Fame at 5-foot-9. He was the purest basketball player of any little man who ever made the NBA. Murphy could shoot with range, had a tight dribble and could spot the open man (when he decided to pass the ball, anyway). He was listed as a point guard, but in truth Murphy was an undersized shooter who averaged 20-plus points five times and finished with a career scoring average of 17.9 points. And he was feisty, willing and able to challenge taller and heavier players who dared to impose their physical strength on him.

Beyond those three players, the little man has mainly been short on impact and numbers, with only a few exceptions.

Michael Adams made himself a dangerous 3-point specialist in the Doug Moe system with the Nuggets in the late 1980s. Avery Johnson, the Little General, had a decent run with the Spurs in the 1990s. Terrell Brandon was a two-time All-Star and was solid for the Cavs and Wolves in the 1990s. Damon Stoudamire, the 1996 Rookie of the Year, gradually faded as the years went on.

Allen Iverson was slightly built (160 pounds after dessert) but listed at 6-feet, whether anyone believed it or not. Isiah Thomas was 6-foot-1. In fact, there has been a host of players in the low 6-foot range who had good and even great careers. Some are still active.

But sub-6-footers? Only a small number. So to speak.

NBA announces D-League affiliation system for 2011-12 season

NEW YORK -- The National Basketball Association and the NBA Development League, the official minor league of the NBA, today announced the affiliation system for the 2011-12 season. An all-time high nine NBA teams will have single NBA D-League affiliates -- more than double last season's total of four -- including first-year partnerships between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Canton, the Golden State Warriors and Dakota Wizards, the New Jersey Nets and Springfield Armor and the New York Knicks and Erie BayHawks, along with the return of the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the Los Angeles Lakers' single affiliate.

For the seventh consecutive year, each NBA team has one NBA D-League team to which it may assign players. During the 2010-11 season, the NBA D-League saw all-time highs in NBA player assignments (56), individual players assigned (39) and NBA teams assigning a player (25), while last season marked the first time every NBA D-League team was assigned an NBA player.

"We're very excited that an all-time-high nine NBA teams will have exclusive, 'one-to-one' relationships with their NBA D-League affiliates this coming season," said NBA D-League President Dan Reed. "This clear trend of NBA teams buying into the NBA D-League is not only a testament to our past success, but also the sign of a very promising future."

The NBA D-League will again have 16 teams playing in 2011-12, including Canton, which will play its first year in Canton, Ohio, under the ownership of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Los Angeles D-Fenders, who resume operation under the ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers after taking a one-year hiatus.

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NBA At 2: Jet Psyching Out LeBron?

The NBA Finals are truly where legends are born, and after getting off to a slow start in the series Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry is starting to look like something of a legend.

After being stifled by the defense of Miami's LeBron James in the first three games of the Finals, Terry started running his mouth, more to get himself charged up than anything else. It worked, too. After saying he didn't believe LeBron could contain him for seven games "The Jet" scored 17 points in Game 4, including the two free throws that iced an 86-83 win for Dallas. He also scored eight of the Mavs' final 17 points, he was just getting warmed up.

Game 5 saw more of the same from Jet, who looked to upstage LeBron at every turn. Despite James' tough defense Jet again came up big in the fourth quarter, scoring eight of his 21 points in the final frame. None were bigger than the three he scored on a trey he somehow managed to drill while LeBron flew in his face, a shot that put Dallas up 108-101 with 33 seconds left and assured them of a 3-2 series lead as the Finals shift back to Miami.

"He played great," said Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle after the game. "He played great. During period where Dirk was out of the game, we were going to him, and he was delivering. Those are critical stretches because it's tough when Dirk is out of the game. But it's the total game that we've been preaching to Jet really since the playoffs began and tonight he did a terrific job."

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The Bulls are next

Now comes the hard part for the Bucks.

With two victories over the reeling New York Knicks and their gaffe against Sacramento behind them, the Bucks will close out the week against the Chicago Bulls, who have emerged as one of the elite teams in the league, Saturday night at the Bradley Center.

The Bucks are 0-3 against Chicago this season.

There is a limited supply of tickets available for tonight’s game.

With their 102-96 victory over the Knicks Friday at Madison Square Garden, the Bucks picked up a game in the playoff race on Indiana which lost at home to Sacramento. The Bucks lost to the Kings Wednesday in the Bradley Center.

“We don’t worry about (the Pacers) but we want to keep trying to win,” said center Andrew Bogut. “We have a tough schedule. (Tonight) is going to be a real battle and hopefully we can steal one against one of the best teams in the NBA. We did ourselves no favors (in losing to Sacramento) so we have our work cut out for us.”

Said point guard Brandon Jennings, “We have to take care of business. Now we play against Chicago, a team that’s No. 1. They’ve got the MVP of the NBA on their team (in Derrick Rose) and we have to go and take care of business. We’re trying to make that push for the playoffs.”

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