LeBron James had no trouble with his aching ankle Friday night. Listed as a game-time decision after spraining his right ankle Wednesday night, James had 30 points and 13 assists to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 92-84 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The NBA’s leading scorer was hurt in Wednesday’s loss in Boston.
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Jason Kidd now understands that the Dallas Mavericks want him to look for his shot. A night after being benched the final 34 seconds of a pivotal game in part because he was reluctant to shoot, Kidd scored a season-high 21 points and was an assist shy of a triple-double, leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 115-106 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.
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In seven games with Atlanta, Mike Bibby has learned that Josh Smith can jump. “All I have to do is throw the ball anywhere near the rim and he’ll go get it,” Bibby said. Bibby and Smith connected for a go-ahead, alley-oop dunk with 1:12 left, and the Atlanta Hawks overcame a shaky start to the fourth quarter to beat the New York Knicks 99-93 on Friday night.
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Tracy McGrady had 25 points and six assists, and the Houston Rockets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 116-95 on Friday night to extend their winning streak to 14, the longest streak in the NBA this season. They are one shy of the longest winning streak in franchise history, reached twice, with the last time coming in their championship season of 1993-94.
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Chris Paul had 24 points and 16 assists, and the New Orleans Hornets held off the Utah Jazz 110-98 on Friday night. David West had 25 points and 13 rebounds for New Orleans, which built a 27-point lead in the first quarter, then survived a late surge to beat the Jazz for the first time in three meetings this season.
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Antawn Jamison, Roger Mason and Andray Blatche each scored 17 points, and the struggling Washington Wizards used a third-quarter surge to overcome an 18-point deficit and beat the Chicago Bulls 97-91 on Friday night. The Wizards started the third on a 22-1 run and outscored the Bulls 35-14 in the period to turn a 52-34 deficit into a 69-66 lead, a quick and stunning turnaround for a team that shot…
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The Indiana Pacers shook off the absence of some big-name players, while the Toronto Raptors couldn’t overcome the loss of their best big man. Mike Dunleavy matched his career high with 36 points, Kareem Rush added 23 and the Pacers beat the Raptors 122-111 on Friday night. Troy Murphy scored 18 and Stephen Graham had 16 as the Pacers won for just the second time in their past seven games.
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Ray Allen scored 22 points and Kendrick Perkins added 19 in the Boston Celtics’ 108-100 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday night. Rajon Rondo had a career-high 16 assists for the Celtics, who avenged their only double-digit defeat of the season, a 95-83 loss on Jan. 9. That snapped a nine-game winning streak.
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The Detroit Pistons are expected to add center Theo Ratliff next week, a person familiar with the upcoming transaction told The Associated Press on Friday. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal couldn’t yet be completed, said the move will be made on Tuesday. The Minnesota Timberwolves requested waivers on Ratliff after reaching an agreement on a buyout of his contract. Read Original Post Here
Two men charged in a betting scandal involving disgraced basketball referee Tim Donaghy have pleaded not guilty to conspiring to defraud the NBA. Prosecutors said James Battista, a professional gambler with nicknames “Baba” and “Sheep,” and Thomas Martino entered the pleas during a brief appearance Friday in Brooklyn.
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