NBA Today - February 10
Sat, Feb 10, 2007
By Associated Press
Toronto at Detroit (7:30 p.m. EST). The Pistons have won five straight.
STARS Friday
- Dwight Howard, Magic, dunked an inbounds pass with 0.2 seconds left, giving Orlando a 106-104 victory over San Antonio.
- Zach Randolph, Blazers, scored 40 points in Portland's 108-100 overtime win over Charlotte.
- Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets, scored 34 points and Denver topped Indiana 102-95.
- Joe Johnson, Hawks, scored 32 points to lead Atlanta to a 120-111 win over Phoenix.
NO HELP
Despite the return of Paul Pierce, Boston's franchise-record losing streak reached 17 games after Friday night's 92-78 loss to New Jersey. Pierce, who missed 24 games with a stress reaction in his left foot and infected left elbow, struggled in his first game since Dec. 20, scoring nine points on 4-of-16 shooting.
ROLLING
Josh Howard, chosen as a Western Conference All-Star earlier in the day, had 22 points and seven rebounds to lead Dallas to its team-record 17th straight home victory, 95-74 over Houston on Friday night. The franchise record of 16 in a row at home was set from Jan. 3-March 3, 2006, then matched this season from Dec. 9-Feb. 7.
ALL-STAR REPLACEMENTS
Carmelo Anthony was picked by commissioner David Stern on Friday as an injury replacement and will make his first All-Star game appearance on Feb. 18 in Las Vegas. Stern also added Dallas forward Josh Howard to the Western Conference team. He needed to replace Houston center Yao Ming and Utah forward Carlos Boozer, who will be unable to play because of injuries.
STREAKS
Toronto won its season-high fifth straight, 96-92 over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
STRONG IN DEFEAT
San Antonio's Tim Duncan had 24 points, 16 rebounds, and six assists in a 106-104 loss to Orlando on Friday night. ... Gerald Wallace had 30 points and 15 rebounds in Charlotte's 108-100 loss to Portland. ... Amare Stoudemire had 29 points with 13 rebounds, but Phoenix lost to Atlanta 120-111. ... Minnesota's Ricky Davis had 16 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds in a 105-97 overtime loss to Memphis.
SNAPPED
The Los Angeles Clippers snapped a nine-game losing streak in Philadelphia with a 90-89 win over the Sixers on Friday night.
SUSPENDED
Washington suspended center Etan Thomas for two games Friday because of conduct detrimental to the team. He will not practice with the team during the suspension.
SPEAKING
''He better have missed the All-Star game by a half-vote. He's dominant at times against two or three people a night. I'm not taking anything away from Carmelo Anthony and Josh Howard, they've both had great seasons, but it better have been like the George Bush vote.'' - Portland's Jarrett Jack on teammate Zach Randolph, who was passed over for the NBA's All-Star game. Randolph scored 40 points in a 108-100 win over Charlotte on Friday night.
Wizards suspend Thomas for 2 games
Sat, Feb 10, 2007
By Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- The Washington Wizards suspended center Etan Thomas for two games Friday because of conduct detrimental to the team.
Thomas will miss games Sunday against Portland and Wednesday at Philadelphia. He will not practice with the team during the suspension.
''This is a team matter which has been handled internally,'' president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld said. ''Etan will miss the next two games and return after the All-Star break. We will have no further comment on this issue.''
Thomas began the season as the starting center, but he sprained his ankle in early December and lost the job to Brendan Haywood. Thomas missed 13 games with the injury before returning in a backup role.
Thomas and Haywood had a physical altercation in the locker room early in the season, but neither player was publicly disciplined by the team.
Douglas to sit out with fractured hand
Sat, Feb 10, 2007
By Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida State point guard Toney Douglas will be out for at least a week with a fractured hand, the team reported.
The 6'1", 196-pound sophomore injured the fourth metacarpal on his right hand during Florida State's 71-58 loss to Clemson on Wednesday night, assistant athletic director Rob Wilson said.
The hand was placed in a cast Thursday, and Douglas will go in for a follow-up visit next Thursday.
"Clearly Florida State is in a race for the NCAA tournament, with a chance for outstanding seeding in the ACC tournament," Wilson said. "So losing any starter for any period of time is difficult right now."
Douglas is the second leading scorer for Florida State (17-7, 5-5 ACC). He has started all 24 games this season and averages 13.1 points per game.
Delaware's Calvin Cannon has been ruled out of Saturday's game for academic problems.
Xavier's Josh Duncan has been downgraded to doubtful for Saturday with a sprained ankle.
Georgia Southern's Dwayne Foreman is questionable for Saturday's game with a hamstring injury.
Nuggets Allen Iverson is out for Saturday's game and Marcus Camby is doubtful.
Bucks Michael Redd is listed as doubtful, and reports say he isn't expected to play Saturday.
Jazz Andrei Kirilenko is questionable for Saturday's game.
Sonics Rashard Lewis is probable for Saturday's game, and is expected to return to action after missing the last 22 games with a hand injury.
Gonzaga players suspended following drug arrest
ESPN.com news services
Gonzaga players Josh Heytvelt and Theo Davis have been indefinitely suspended from the team after their arrest Friday night for investigation of drug possession, ESPN.com's Andy Katz reported.
A Gonzaga spokesperson told Katz that Gonzaga coach Mark Few is disappointed and shocked by the arrest, in which police in Cheney, Wash., said they found marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms in a car in which the two players were riding.
Both players have told Gonzaga officials they are innocent.
However, Gonzaga has suspended both indefinitely, so Heytvelt and Davis will not play Saturday against Saint Mary's or on Monday against Santa Clara, Katz reported.
Both players were booked into Spokane County Jail for investigation of drug possession, The Associated Press reported.
Cheney Police Commander Rick Campbell said the amount of marijuana was only enough for a misdemeanor, but that possession of mushrooms is a felony.
Police said they pulled the car over because its tail lights were not working. Campbell said officers smelled marijuana and searched the car, and the players were cooperative.
"It was close to midnight. They needed to have their lights on," Campbell said.
Heytvelt, a 6-foot-11 sophomore forward, is averaging 15.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game and has been considered a frontrunner for West Coast Conference player of the year. Davis, a 6-9 freshman, is red-shirting this season undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder to repair ligament damage.
From a basketball perspective, the timing is poor for Gonzaga (17-8, 7-2 WCC). The Bulldogs are tied for first with Santa Clara atop the WCC and saw the next two games as a chance to clinch the regular-season conference title. Gonzaga won its previous meeting with Santa Clara