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• Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald: It was an irrelevant game made even more meaningless by the horrific nightmare in Boston. How pointless was Game No.81 of the Heat’s season? Juwan Howard was in the starting lineup for the first time since 2010. Howard is 40 years old. During several timeouts, the Cavaliers’ coaches didn’t talk strategy, and didn’t talk about anything at all. They simply watched the clock, looked around at the arena and waited for play to resume. The Heat rested six players, including all five of its usual starters: Mario Chalmers, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Udonis Haslem and Chris Bosh. Wade, Haslem and Shane Battier didn’t even travel to Cleveland. But, of course, the Heat still won Monday’s game. Because that’s what this team does. The Heat defeated the Cavaliers 96-95 on Monday night at Quicken Loans Arena in Miami’s penultimate game of the regular season.
• K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: A season filled with uncertainty will close with this dose of clarity: The Bulls won't know their first-round playoff opponent until Wednesday's season finale. That's because the Bulls defeated the hapless Magic 102-84 on Monday night as both Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson returned to test their recoveries from injury and coach Tom Thibodeau said it's "a possibility" both players will be on minutes limits at the start of the posteason. The victory pulled the Bulls to within a half-game of the Hawks for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks close Tuesday at home against the Raptors and Wednesday at the Knicks. If the Hawks split or lose their final two games and the Bulls defeat the Wizards at home Wednesday, they will claim the fifth seed and open the playoffs in Brooklyn. Similarly, if the Hawks lose both games and the Bulls lose on Wednesday, they will earn the fifth seed via a tiebreaker. If the Hawks win out, the Bulls will open at Indiana regardless of what they do Wednesday. Similarly, if the Hawks split their final two games and the Bulls lose Wednesday, the Bulls draw the Pacers. Even more important than the opponent is the Bulls' health.
• Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post: With 14.2 seconds to go and down one at Milwaukee, a game the Nuggets had to have to lock up a top four spot in the Western Conference, Ty Lawson surveyed the court and lofted the ball to Wilson Chandler. Chandler handed the ball back off to Lawson who drove the lane, crossed over the defender, Monta Ellis, rose up and hit a shot that was arguably the most important jumper any Nugget has hit in the last three weeks. Lawson is back. His heel is not all the way healed, but that shot suggested his game is. Coach George Karl orchestrated that moment; all Lawson had to do was deliver. The play was designed to make a hoop hero out of his point guard and Lawson put the cape on and assumed the role. The degree of difficulty won’t go down as calculus level stuff. It was a 10-ish-foot jumper. But Lawson’s speed and quickness, which was in full display on the play, got him free for an open look. And in the process wiped away – or should have – any of the doubt about what he is and can be in the playoffs.
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: That little “w” next to Oklahoma City on the standings page of NBA.com? It stands for clinched Western Conference. That’s what the Thunder did tonight in taking care of the Sacramento Kings. And now, for the first time in the franchise’s Oklahoma City era, the Thunder will have home-court advantage through the Western Conference Finals should the team advance that far. “It’s possible we’ll need it in a series, in every series,” said Nick Collison. “So it’s big.” Not only did the Thunder clinch the top spot in the conference, but OKC also won for the 60th time this season, marking the first 60-win season in Oklahoma City’s brief basketball history. “It’s shows that we’re improving every year,” said Thabo Sefolosha. “It’s a big number. There’s not a lot of teams that can do it, and to be part of that group and just to get to that number is big.” With a win in the season finale Wednesday against Milwaukee, the Thunder can finish with a .744 winning percentage. Win or lose, though, the Thunder will have increased its winning percentage in each of its first five seasons, from .280 in 2008-09, to .610 in 2009-10, to .671 in 2010-11, to .712 last year. Even with a loss Wednesday, the Thunder would finish with a .732 winning percentage.
• Kurt Kragthorpe of The Salt Lake Tribune: The Jazz will be able to say they took the race for the Western Conference’s last playoff spot down to the final night of the season. Sorry, but that’s more of an indictment than an achievement. Thanks to Monday’s 96-80 victory at Minnesota, the Jazz will play Wednesday at Memphis, knowing they need to win and have the Los Angeles Lakers lose to Houston. Judging by the Lakers’ recent performance, including Sunday’s win over San Antonio without the injured Kobe Bryant, such assistance is asking a lot of the Rockets. When the Lakers’ Antawn Jamison and Jodie Meeks are combining for five 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter against San Antonio, there could be only one conclusion: The Jazz are cursed, right? No. You can blame an NBA conspiracy, the Lakers’ opponents or just plain bad luck for everything that’s transpired in April in damaging the Jazz’s playoff chances. Ultimately, this problem is their own creation.
• Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News: After couple years of having his fitness criticized while playing with the Wizards – and logging an infamous DNP-Conditioning last season – Andray Blatche was lauded for getting himself into shape during the summer before signing his one-year deal with the Nets. But the backup center was called out Monday by coach PJ Carlesimo for his conditioning, following a game when Blatche played 37 minutes and looked winded. “Dray was the only one I felt bad about (playing a lot of minutes). And frankly, he needs conditioning,” Carlesimo said “So I thought it was okay. He needs some conditioning and he obviously wants to play against (the Wizards) because he played there. … We thought Dray was going good and the conditioning is good for him.” This is less of an issue considering Blatche won’t play so much in the playoffs. But the 26-year-old admitted he wasn’t ready for the heavy minutes he got because most of the starters rested Monday. “It’s surprising when you play 37 minutes compared to playing 12,” he said. “It did catch me off guard. When you play 12 minutes, and then you go out there for 37 minutes, it caught me a little bit.”
• John Mitchell of The Philadelphia Inquirer: The 76ers continue to ward of questions concerning the impending end of Doug Collins’ coaching career in the Philadelphia later this week. Moments before Collins conducted his pre-game press conference prior to a meaningless game here against the Detroit Pistons, team director of public relations Michael Preston announced that Collins would not answer any questions regarding multiple reports in the last week that Collins will not coach the team next season. Collins has one year at $4.5 million left on his contract and he will not ask for an extension. The players have heard the rumors, however, and they are willing to talk about it. “It’s Doug’s decision from what I understand, and whatever he decides to do more power to him,” forward Evan Turner said. “I haven’t spoken on it with him.” “It is definitely the business of basketball,” forward Thaddeus Young said. “We have heard the rumors because they have been out there for months in some cases. But when I say it’s about the business of basketball, I mean, I don’t’ think there are too many teams that have that structure where they keep coaches for more than four of five years.”
• Terry Foster of The Detroit News: Lawrence Frank looks like a boxer after a brutal 12-round heavyweight championship bout. He's a little battered and bruised. And, he won't admit defeat. Before the Pistons won their fourth consecutive Monday night, 109-101 over the 76ers, Frank sounded like he wants this fight to continue. He wants to go another round, another season. Rumors, however, say Frank's fight is over. That he'll be fired after the season ends Wednesday. Pistons owner Tom Gores did nothing to dispel those rumors when he gave Frank and team president Joe Dumars less than a ringing endorsement. "I expected to be in the playoffs so I am disappointed by that," Gores said. "When I said that last year, I meant it." Frank, meanwhile, is preparing for the regular-season finale at Brooklyn. … Pistons president Joe Dumars could be facing the end of his tenure, too. My guess is Dumars stays because, over the course of the year, he created the cap space for the team and drafted Andre Drummond, the franchise piece this team can build around. But this is Dumars' last dance. If he does not return the franchise to the playoffs he should be gone.
• Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News: Joe Dumars' job also could be in jeopardy, and his situation is more complicated, the biggest test of Gores' two-year ownership. If judged solely on the current four-year stretch that includes a 111-200 record, multiple coach firings and one infamous player insurrection, Dumars should be dismissed. On the whole of his executive career, including the 2004 NBA championship and six trips to the Eastern Conference Final, he warrants another shot. But someone has to explain the losing and the fan apathy and the inability of anyone to firmly lead a once-proud franchise. Eventually, Gores will have to do something impactful, as he promised when he bought the team. If Frank was the owner's choice — not Dumars' choice — then Gores needs to admit his mistake and fire him. It's hard to trust Dumars to hire yet another coach, but Gores has to show complete faith, or get rid of both.
• Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle: The Warriors played only about 4 1/2 minutes of playoff-caliber basketball Monday night, but that was enough to beat San Antonio's junior-varsity squad and move back into sole possession of sixth place in the Western Conference. Stephen Curry scored 11 of his 35 points during an electric 4 1/2-minute stretch in which the Warriors put away the Spurs for a 116-106 victory that had Oracle Arena's 32nd consecutive sellout crowd chanting his name during offensive possessions. Curry hit 7 of 13 three-point tries in the game. "He put on an incredible shooting clinic," Warriors head coach Mark Jackson said. "I don't know who is in second place for the best shooter in the world, but he certainly has first place locked up." … Curry had 35 points, eight rebounds and five assists and is a three-pointer shy of tying the NBA's single-season record (269), set by Seattle's Ray Allen in 2005-06.
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: Chances are that most athletes did not even know Monday was the filing deadline for income taxes. Chances are that they did know how much they are targeted for taxes all year. For all of a pro athlete’s riches, an exorbitant tax withholding is a small price to pay to live the good life of playing games they love for money beyond dreams. But it can still be an alarming line on the check to see when an athlete gets taxed by states and cities for road games. “It was crazy. I was barely there and I was taxed $6,000 or $7,000,” Suns swingman Jared Dudley said of an Oklahoma City trip. Forty-one of 50 states and 5,000 local municipalities have laws allowing them to collect taxes on visitors, according to the Tax Foundation, a non-partisan tax research group. That includes 20 of the 24 states that have pro teams. A Suns game in cities like Philadelphia and Cleveland will get the players taxed by the city and the state. “Jock taxes” have become an effective way for governments to generate revenue without taxing their local constituents, much like how Arizona’s rental car tax helped build University of Phoenix Stadium. The genesis was a 1991 Illinois law that was a reaction to the Chicago Bulls being taxed for their road games in the 1991 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Joseph Henchman, the Tax Foundation’s vice president for legal and state projects, said any traveling business is increasingly subject to such tax targets, but athletes and celebrities became the easiest aims with accessible schedules.
• Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: If the Charlotte Bobcats ask the NBA for a name change, it would be at least 18 months before such a request was implemented. NBA commissioner-to-be Adam Silver met with the Observer and other print media outlets Monday during a visit to Charlotte. Much of his 20-minute interview addressed the possibility the Bobcats might switch their nickname to “Hornets” now that the New Orleans Hornets are switching to “Pelicans.” The Bobcats have done some market research but have yet to make a request with the NBA. Silver said he is fine with whatever the Bobcats decide, but that the team’s deliberate approach is the right course. Silver said this would be a “very expensive process for the team,” so it’s “a weighty process, not just what ‘X’ amount of fans say in an opinion poll.” Rather, it’s about whether a rebranding would be lucrative enough to justify spending millions on new uniforms, logos and signage.

• Ethan J. Skolnick of the Palm Beach Post: So is this his best season? “I don’t know,” LeBron James said. “I’ve had some really good individual seasons. I think, as far as efficiency, yeah. I don’t know if they’ve got all the numbers settled yet, but I felt I played some really good basketball this year.” How good? He has averaged 8.0 rebounds, highest of his career. He has shot 40.3 percent from 3-point range, highest of his career. He has averaged 7.3 assists, highest of his three seasons with Miami. Miami has outscored opponents by 720 points when he’s been on the floor. “Whatever I try to do, I want to be as close to perfect as possible,” James said. And now that Kobe Bryant is finished for the season, James is likely to lead the NBA in field goals made, holding a 36-make lead over Kevin Durant. “I don’t even shoot that much,” James said. “That’s pretty cool. I like that stat.” There’s a statistic that James appreciates even more, the one that tallies wins. Miami now has 64 with two games remaining, and a chance to tie James’ 2008-09 Cavaliers and Ray Allen’s 2007-08 Celtics for 10th on the single-season victory list. Those Cavaliers lost in the Eastern Conference finals to Orlando. These Heat, however, are stronger and deeper than that squad.
• Howard Beck of The New York Times: The scene was set Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden — for payback, for message-sending, for a modest celebration and for a timely, well-earned rest. All the Knicks needed on this first day of the final week of the season was a sound victory over the Indiana Pacers. That, and four quarters without anyone being bruised, battered or broken. The Knicks got everything they wanted, and with a minimum of pain. With a suspense-free 90-80 victory, they clinched the second seed in the Eastern Conference and secured home-court advantage for the first two rounds of the playoffs, including a potential second-round meeting with the Pacers. The Knicks will open the playoffs Saturday against the seventh-seededBoston Celtics — the team that swept them two springs ago, in Carmelo Anthony’s first postseason in New York. “That’s in the back of our minds,” said Anthony, who scored 25 points. “We want to beat Boston — I mean, let’s be quite frank. This would be a great series for us.” Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, who is injured, are the only Knicks left from that 2011 series. Yet the memory remains fresh, and for Anthony, painful.
• Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News: Even if Stoudemire does return, what can the Knicks expect when he hasn’t played since March 7? His blue practice jersey hangs these days in his locker. That’s the only sign of him. Since he had to get knee surgery, the Knicks definitely seem to operate better and win more when it’s Carmelo Anthony and the current supporting cast. If the Knicks are smart, they’ll tell Stoudemire, “See you in training camp.” Donnie Walsh disagrees with that notion. “I would think he would help them,” he said. “Of course, if he’s healthy.” Stoudemire is a proven playoff scorer, something that J.R. Smith and everyone else who gets shots after Anthony aren’t able to list on their resume. But his presence on the floor with Anthony has never made for a smooth-running operation. Quite the contrary. On defense, well, Stoudemire talks a better game than he plays. The Knicks would probably have to get to the second round, potentially against Walsh’s Pacers, for there to be a Stoudemire sighting. Maybe even longer. When Woodson went down his list of walking wounded, he did not mention the player Walsh brought to New York to start the grand rebuilding program.
• Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News: Life without Kobe Bryant, Day 1, was nothing if not unpredictable. And in a crazy, wonderful, astonishing way, actually quite beautiful. On a night when Pau Gasol was the 7-foot invisible Spaniard, Steve Blake told him, "I've got your back." Blake went on to have the performance of his career while standing on one of the biggest stages of his life. In a game in which the Lakers hovered around 35 percent shooting all night and Gasol clanked 14 of 17 shots, they shook off their notoriously soft-defending ways to harass the San Antonio Spurs into 36.5 percent shooting. And with their playoff hopes resting in the balance, they somehow, someway managed to band together without Bryant and miraculously beat the San Antonio Spurs 91-86 while sold-out Staples Center rocked as loudly as it has in years. Imagine that. With Bryant watching from home, they beat a Spurs team that will finish no worse than the second seed in the Western Conference. And in the process, inch one win closer - or a Utah Jazz loss - to the playoffs. The Lakers finish the season Wednesday at home against the Houston Rockets. Utah plays at Minnesota and at Memphis to finish its season. Any combination of a Lakers win or a Jazz loss does the trick.
• Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: Given a chance to state his case, Nuggets coach George Karl places this team, the 2012-13 Nuggets, among the top three in NBA franchise history — with a chance to enhance the position. "I think it's top three, from what I know about Denver," Karl said. "I think the year we had (in 2009), the one year Doug (Moe) had (1987-88) and this year. You can argue whatever you want to argue. ... And I think that argument is probably going to be more definitive from how we play in the playoffs." The playoffs can't come fast enough. Because while the Nuggets were busy setting a franchise record for victories in a season with Sunday's harder-than-it-had-to-be 118-109 win over a Portland team that started four rookies, it also was dampened a bit because of an injury. Starting power forward Kenneth Faried went down in the first quarter with a sprained left ankle and did not return. Though he's considered day to day, Faried did not make the trip to Milwaukee for Monday night's game and is scheduled to get an MRI exam. "I tried to power up and stepped on Will's foot when I tried to go," Faried said, referring to Portland's Will Barton. "Just twisted it. I'm relieved it ain't a break." Asked if he thought he'd be ready for the playoffs, Faried said, "I'm going to play."
• David Barron of the Houston Chronicle: This finale, thankfully for the Rockets and their fans, is not the last word. The Rockets will be back at Toyota Center this month, matching up with a playoff opponent to be determined. So Sunday’s last regular-season home game was considerably more upbeat than those of the last three playoff-free seasons, representing a celebration for a Rockets team that has wildly exceeded expectations with hopes of more to come. With their 121-100 win over the Sacramento Kings, the Rockets improved to 45-35 and tied Golden State for the sixth seed in the Western Conference playoffs. They hold the tiebreaker over the Warriors and can clinch the sixth spot with wins Monday night at Phoenix and on Wednesday in Los Angeles over the Lakers. There are scenarios aplenty for playoff series against any of the five teams in front of them — too many for coach Kevin McHale to focus on. Besides, McHale said, he knows how the form chart will read under any circumstances. “Whoever we play, we will not be favored,” he said. “We’ll be underdogs to whoever we play. That’s fine with us. We want to get in there and get the guys playing well.”
• Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Let the shaving begin. All those bushy beards the Dallas Mavericks sported over the past two months were able to come off Sunday night after the Mavs posted a 107-89 blowout against the New Orleans Hornets. A little more than two months ago, the Mavs vowed not to shave until they reached the .500 barrier. The win over the Hornets pushed the Mavs to 40-40, the first time they were .500 since they were 11-11 on Dec. 12, and Dallas pushed a few whiskers onto the floor inside its locker room. The first player to trim his beard was Dirk Nowitzki, who collected 19 points and six rebounds in Sunday’s win. “It’s been too long,” Nowitzki said. “Even my wife stopped kissing me somewhere in February. It feels good to shave again.” And how quickly did Nowitzki shave off his beard? “I did it in a minute or a minute and a half, and then I did the coach’s meeting,” Nowitzki said. “And then I ran back in right before the interviews and cleaned up the rest on my neck and behind the ears and the nose hair a little bit, and then I did the interviews.” Nowitzki said he used a small razor to get the fuzzy hair off his neck and chin.
• Phil Sheridan of The Philadelphia Inquirer: Doug Collins told reporters anything other than the titanic clash against the Cavaliers was "moot," refusing to answer questions about his future as if they were somehow a product of the media's collective fever dream. John Langel, Collins' agent, stood up and declared that Collins would coach the team in 2013-14. "He's the coach and he's going to be the coach," Langel said, either lying or badly behind the curve. The Sixers honored their 1983 championship team on the 30th anniversary of its achievement, with Julius Erving pointing out that the team isn't going to find a better coach than Doug Collins. It must be noted for the record that Sixers owner Josh Harris was not available to the media, even though he was standing about 30 inches from Langel while the agent was spouting off. A little earlier, during the halftime ceremony for the '83 team, Harris had blurted out that the Sixers would "work really hard to make next year even more exciting for the fans." Really? Even more exciting than this debacle? Please don't set the bar too high. …Collins sounded like a man who was moving on. He just declined to say so. And that really is a shame, because he's otherwise been a standup and accountable and, frankly, admirable figure here. … If this is the end, no one is going to walk away looking good. Not Collins, who owed the fans and his players better. Not Harris, who looks like an empty suit. Not anybody.
• Tom Moore of phillyBurbs.com: The 76ers haven’t publicly criticized Andrew Bynum during a season in which he was paid $16.5 million and played no games due to knee injuries. Hall of Famer Julius Erving, who is the team’s strategic advisor to the Sixers’ ownership group, didn’t hesitate to give his opinion on Bynum. Prior to the Sixers’ home finale, a 91-77 victory over the Cavaliers on Sunday afternoon, Erving was asked about Bynum, whom the team acquired in a blockbuster Aug. 10 trade. “I know what the net result is,” said Erving, smiling. “The net result is Robert Parish’s old number — 00. We have not benefited one degree. I guess he has. “If the Bynum situation is one of total uncertainty for another year, I don’t think the organization should stand for that or the fans should stand for that.” On the other hand, if the Sixers don’t re-sign Bynum or any of their other impending free agents, they could have about $12 million to spend this summer in free agency. “I think if he’s not here, you’re going to free up a lot of money,” Erving said. “Washington and Lincoln can’t play the corners for you, but they can get somebody that can play the corners for you. We need somebody to play a corner for us and play the middle for us. It’s going to be costly.” As for his role, Erving said he’s pretty happy with it, though, “There’s probably room for more communication.”
• Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun: The irony of the afternoon wasn’t just limited to both men playing so well off the other. The three-point barrage from both men also answered the major deficiency is each man’s respective games, DeRozan since he has been a pro and Gay moreso this season. As for being able to co-exist, well, the two think that theory has just about been put to rest. “People were saying that as soon as he came,” DeRozan said of the trade that brought Gay to Toronto at the end of January. “Me and him laughed about it. Before he came here Rudy was a good friend of mine. We played all the time in L.A., take Nike trips to China together and be over there for weeks at a time. It was funny when people were saying that because they really don’t know. They don’t know we understand each other’s games and that’s why it’s so beneficial.” DeRozan has no hesitancy is predicting many good things ahead for the duo. “We are definitely going to be something to be reckoned with without a doubt,” he said. “I don’t see any team being able to stop us, especially if we play the way we played tonight. We are just trying to get better every day and every game.” As Dwane Casey is wont to say, it’s a process, and right now the process is moving along nicely. As for Gay, it’s a case of the more the merrier.

• Tom Moore of phillyBurbs.com: In the wake of a published report saying the organization privately hopes Doug Collins doesn’t return next season as 76ers coach, his agent claims it will be Collins’ call. “The relationship with Doug, me and Sixers management has been terrific,” said John Langel during a Thursday afternoon telephone conversation. “What they told me beyond this season and as recently as today and yesterday is how long Doug stays here is Doug’s decision.” Langel denied rumblings that the story, which cited multiple unnamed NBA sources, in Thursday’s Philadelphia Inquirer originated from Collins’ camp. Sixers spokesman Mike Preston said, “We are aware of the report and will not comment on a column loaded with innuendo and speculation.”
• Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News: An NBA source reached Thursday said the decision of staying or going is up to Collins, that Harris and Co. are on board with him being the coach of the team "for as long as he wants." That stance hasn't seemed to change since the beginning of the season. But through all this, one thing seems to be clear - Collins most likely won't be coming back as head coach next season. This type of talk usually doesn't arise unless a change is going to happen. Should Collins quit, he would leave the last year of his salary, reportedly at $4.5 million, on the table. No one wants to leave that kind of money out there. But coming back at age 62 and overseeing yet another rebuilding year certainly can't be enticing to Collins, though, again, management would welcome him back with open arms.
• Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald: In the history of its franchise, the Heat has won less than a handful of games in San Antonio. Up the road a ways from the Alamo is Oklahoma City, where the most hostile home crowd in the NBA cheers for the Thunder. Consider these two cities Exhibit A and Exhibit B for why locking up the best record in the NBA was important for the Heat. In clinching the league’s best record Wednesday, Miami earned itself home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, and that includes a Game 7 scenario at AmericanAirlines Arena in the Finals. In other words, the Heat bought itself an insurance policy. “We’re not going to use that as a crutch, but it’s a nice break-in-case-of-emergency box that we have installed in the ‘Triple A,’ ” Battier said. Since the beginning of the LeBron James Era, the Heat has only played one Game 7. It was the final game of last season’s Eastern Conference finals, and the Heat defeated the Celtics 101-88 at AmericanAirlines Arena. The Heat did not begin the 2012 Finals with home-court advantage but turned that series in its favor with a win in Oklahoma City in Game 2. Miami then won three consecutive games at home to prevent the series from going back to Oklahoma.
• Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald: Danny Ainge doesn’t drink alcohol, but he’s having a shot of reality with his beverages these days. He has a genuine good feeling about his Celtics as they lug duffel bags filled with question marks through the last four regular-season games and into the playoffs. But the president of basketball operations is well aware the odds are not smiling kindly on his lads as they take the court against the Heat in Miami tonight — and beyond. Even with both Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett traveling to Florida, the two stars are battling ankle issues and will not play tonight, according to the team. (Dwyane Wade, who has missed six straight games with right knee soreness, expects to play for the Heat.) In terms of psychological edge, the best thing the Celts may have going for them in a week is they may catch an opponent looking beyond their blip on the screen. “I don’t know,” said Ainge, pondering the point, then reaching for real. “Usually when you’re under the radar and you have low expectations, it’s because you’re not as talented as the teams you’re playing. So I don’t know if that’s good or bad. “We’ve been the favorites in a lot of series over the last years, and our guys have responded to that. This will be a chance to see what our guys are made of being the underdogs.” Ainge then commenced with what would be considered stock talk from a guy at the top of an organization. But even in this case, he didn’t dodge the harsher facts. “I love our team going into the playoffs,” Ainge said. “I think our team has good chemistry, we have a lot of resolve and I think they’re fun to be with.”
• Joe Freeman of The Oregonian: Knock on wood. The most important piece of theTrail Blazers’ future is about to be jinxed. For all the accolades Damian Lillard has received, for all the history-making statistics he has accumulated, for all the hypehe has generated, perhaps his proudest achievement during this runaway Rookie of the Year season has gone unrecognized. Lillard is one of just 39 players in the NBA — and the lone person on his own team — to play in every game this season. His basketball ability is so dynamic and so polished, its easy to forget that Lillard also is quickly proving to be one of the toughest and most durable players in the NBA. “He’s the closest thing I’ve seen to Andre Miller since Andre Miller,” Blazers trainer Jay Jensen said, referring to the former Blazers point guard and one-time NBA Iron Man who played in 632 consecutive games before a suspension ended the streak. “Damian is one of the toughest I’ve seen.” No NBA franchise has had its foundation and future rocked by injuries more than the Blazers in recent seasons, as one-time franchise cornerstones Greg Oden andBrandon Roy had promising careers sabotaged and a host of other players endured various ailments. But Lillard is breaking the Blazers’ bad mojo. Not only has he started all 78 Blazers games, Lillard also has played extensive minutes. Lillard ranks second in the NBA in minutes played (3,012) and third in average per game (38.6).
• Ronald Tillery of The Commercial-Appeal: Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins doesn’t think his future in Memphis is tied to how far the team advances in the playoffs. His players certainly don’t believe a contract extension for Hollins should come down to the postseason. … Hollins is in the third and final year of his contract. There is nothing in place beyond this season and the Grizzlies have not discussed an extension with him yet. Griz management has not laid out criteria for Hollins, either. Majority owner Robert Pera and CEO Jason Levien have tinkered with the roster while continuing to afford Hollins coaching autonomy. But there is a growing perception that the organization could be waiting to see whether the team advances past the first round after losing an opening-round Game 7 at home to the Los Angeles Clippers last year. Hollins doesn’t believe that is the case.
• Bob Finnan of The News-Herald: The Cavaliers will be facing the hottest team in the NBA when the Knicks visit Quicken Loans Arena on Friday. Now is not the time for Kyrie Irving to wear down before our eyes. In the five games since his return from a sprained left shoulder, Irving is shooting 33.7 percent from the field (29 of 86) and 29.2 percent from behind the arc (7 of 24). He admitted after the Cavs' 111-104 loss to Detroit on Wednesday, he's a bit worn down. "Going into the fourth quarter, I was obviously a little fatigued like everyone else on the court, but that's no excuse for not executing on both ends of the floor," Irving said. Irving has committed an uncharacteristically high 13 turnovers in his last two games. During that span, he's dished out 15 assists. He has averaged 28 points in those two games. The 6-foot-3, 191-pounder has been very good vs. the Knicks this season and has averaged 31.5 points. Included in that total was a career-high 41 points against the Knicks on Dec. 15. "I think he looked more tired in the first half," Cavs coach Byron Scott said. "In the second half, he picked it up."
• Jody Genessy of the Deseret News: Depending on how things play out — in both the impending postseason and the upcoming offseason — tonight could be the last time Paul Millsap ever wears a Utah Jazz uniform at EnergySolutions Arena. Utah finishes its regular season in Minnesota and Memphis, so Friday's game against the Timberwolves could possibly be the free-agent-to-be's home finale after a seven-year stint in Salt Lake City. The longest-tenured Jazz player clearly didn't want to think about that fact, somewhat brushing off a question about whether he'd have extra emotions going into what could be his last home hurrah in a No. 24 Jazz jersey. "I don't approach it differently than any other game, especially in these past few weeks," Millsap said. "The main focus, the main goal, is to win." Millsap smiled when asked to talk about the growth he's experienced since coming to Utah out of Louisiana Tech in 2006.
• Dale Kasler, Ryan Lillis and Tony Bizjak of The Sacramento Bee: In another day of chaos and confusion over the Sacramento Kings, a respected sports publication said Thursday that the NBA is asking Sacramento's bidders to compensate Seattle investors if the team stays put. Sports Business Daily, quoting an unnamed source, said the NBA wants Sacramento's investment group to compensate Seattle investor Chris Hansen for the $30 million nonrefundable deposit he already paid to the Maloof family. The report came one day after a source told The Bee that the Maloofs have demanded a written purchase offer from the Sacramento investors as a backup to the purchase agreement they signed in January with Hansen. The two developments, coming less than a week before the NBA is expected to decide the Kings' fate, underscore the fluid nature of a process that league Commissioner David Stern has called unprecedented. Michael McCann, a legal expert at NBA TV, said the league may have asked Sacramento's investors to compensate Hansen out of fear he might sue the league for damages. "If the NBA is going to, in effect, pick Sacramento over Seattle, it wants to do so in a way that eliminates any legal exposure," McCann said.
• Jeff Faraudo of The Oakland Tribune: The playoffs are secure, a No. 6 seed is not quite so certain. And suddenly neither is the status of center Andrew Bogut, who aggravated a sprained left ankle in the first quarter Thursday night and did not return in the Warriors' 116-97 loss to Oklahoma City. Golden State hung with the Thunder for a half before the NBA's Western Conference leader pulled away. With three games left in the regular season, the Warriors have just a half-game lead over the Houston Rockets in the race for the No. 6 spot in the West. A seventh-place finish would mean a daunting first-round playoff assignment against either the San Antonio Spurs or the Thunder. Bogut, who had microfracture surgery on the same ankle late last April, suffered the sprain in Tuesday's playoff-clinching victory over Minnesota, according to a team spokesperson. He aggravated it Thursday and exited the game with 2:55 left in the first quarter. He went to the locker room for the remainder of the night. It was not immediately clear whether his removal from the game was precautionary or indicative of something more serious.
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: In a must-win of sorts, a game the Thunder needed to stay in control of its own destiny, OKC came out and absolutely demolished the Warriors, a team that historically puts pressure on the Thunder inside Oracle Arena. “We emphasized before the game 48 minutes of just toughness and (being) locked in,” said Kevin Durant. They’re going to score, but we stayed locked in and poised. And I think we did that throughout the whole night.” In the race for the West’s top seed, the Thunder is now a half game ahead of San Antonio with three games remaining. In many ways, the final three games will be as challenging as the past five. Unlike the past five, the next three will come against sub-.500 teams, only one of which (Milwaukee) will make the postseason. It’ll be more of a mental challenge to take care of business in these final three than it was to get up for the previous five. Those were about executing and the Thunder playing up to its potential. These final three will be about showing up.
• Frank Isola of the New York Daily News: The next time you hear a team owner, executive or player say “We’re a family,” just remember the unfortunate ending to Kurt Thomas’ career. Family doesn’t treat family that way — unless, I suppose, you are a Soprano or a Manson. Thomas will lose the title of the NBA’s oldest player Friday once the Knicks, desperate to add a healthy body for their depleted front line, release the 40-year-old forward and sign journeyman James Singleton. The expected move — Singleton was in town Thursday but unable to play because the deal was not finalized — comes eight days before the playoffs begin and 23 days since Thomas saved the Knicks’ hide on the West Coast by playing the game of his life. The Knicks’ winning streak, which was snapped at 13 games here Thursday night, began in Utah with Thomas’ selfless and courageous performance. Thomas played with a broken foot, knowing that he could possibly damage it further by playing. Next week, Thomas will have pins inserted in his right foot. “For him to go out there and be playing on a fractured foot and do the things he did for that game, (he) helped us right the ship,” Carmelo Anthony said. “I don’t think he gets enough credit for that.” Instead, Thomas is essentially being fired. This is a necessary evil of the business, of course. The Knicks need frontcourt insurance and Thomas wouldn’t be available even if the Knicks reach the NBA Finals. With Thomas gone, 39-year-old Marcus Camby is now the second- oldest player on the roster behind Jason Kidd and the only active player from the Knicks team that reached the 1999 NBA Finals.
• K.C.Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: The only timeline the Bulls have given regarding Derrick Rose's return is eight to 12 months. That means, given the surgery took place May 12, missing the 2012-13 season always was a possibility. Now that Rose sitting out all season is all but a certainty, the Bulls and Rose have drawn some criticism. Asked in light of that whether the Bulls should have just declared Rose out for the season last fall, coach Tom Thibodeau shrugged. "They were just being forthright," Thibodeau said of management and team physician Brian Cole. "That's what everyone thought. We didn't know, and we still don't know. We were just being honest.” … Rose was cleared for full scrimmaging on Feb. 18. He has practiced well but has given no signs of playing in games. … Thibodeau reiterated there is no drop-dead date for Rose to return, leaving the possibility open he could play in the playoffs after missing the regular season. Nobody expects that scenario to transpire, however, which means Rose likely would return next training camp.

In the summers of 2011 and 2012, ESPN.com has asked a panel of experts to rate every player in the NBA. The scope wasn’t quite as wide for this week’s “in-season” #NBArank, but even the smaller-scale project produced a lot of insight. After each voter rated each player, 9,546 individual ratings had been processed. And while simply averaging each player’s rating and producing a ranking from that is the backbone of #NBArank, there are countless other ways to parse the information to gain insight on how the panel of experts views the players involved.

The first important thing is to not get hung up on the actual rank, which may seem counter-intuitive for a project called #NBArank. For example, the players ranked 20th through 30th were separated by just .208 ratings points. A couple of changed ratings by a handful of voters here and there could’ve completely reshuffled that group. In fact, had one voter given Paul Pierce (30th) a rating a point higher and Zach Randolph (29th) a rating a point lower, they would’ve flipped spots. That’s how close things were in that range of the rankings.

Interesting: The group of elite players is shrinking (or the panel is evaluating players more critically as time goes on):

• In 2011, 22 players rated an 8 or higher.
• In 2012, that number fell to 19.
• The ratings compiled near the end of the 2012-13 season produced just 16 players rated 8 or higher.

Injuries may have been a factor in that. Seven different players -- most of whom are currently expected to miss the rest of the season -- received a zero. It’s also a big contributing factor in Derrick Rose’s fall from No. 5 to No. 23 and Andrew Bynum’s fall from No. 13 to dead last among the players rated this time around. Bynum received a dismal 4.84 average rating, which would’ve ranked him 146th in the offseason (for perspective, it’s the same rating Ramon Sessions received).

Injured players also accounted for the top three biggest drop-offs from August: Andrew Bynum (-73), Steve Nash (-39) and Danny Granger (-36).

On the opposite site of the spectrum, 25 different players received a high rating of 10, including three players who didn’t crack the top 30 in the rankings. The voters, though, remained stingy with the 10s. While every voter handed out at least one (and one voter handed out 15), on average voters gave 10s to just under four players. Three injured players -- Kevin Love, Rajon Rondo and Derrick Rose -- received at least one 10 and at least one 0.

Obviously the player on whom the panel agreed the most was LeBron James, who received a 10 from every voter. Using standard deviation, we can find that the next most agreed-upon players were Kevin Durant (who received exclusively 10s and 9s), Russell Westbrook and James Harden.

Excluding injured players, the player with the largest standard deviation was J.J. Hickson, who had a high rating of 8, a low rating of 1, a median of 6 and a standard deviation of 1.27. So good luck trying to calculate what his contract will be this offseason.

Last, but not least, special mention needs to go out to Jimmy Butler. The second-year Bulls guard made a leap in the ratings usually reserved for rookies (who are sometimes under-ranked in the preseason version of the rankings, with no NBA data to go on). Butler jumped nearly 300 spots, though he was helped because only 86 players were rated this time. It’ll be interesting to see how Butler holds up against the full player pool rather than the reduced one the panel worked with here. Butler’s rating of 5.29 was good for 80th here, but would’ve only placed him 108th this past summer.

• Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald: The streak hasn’t been without some lucky breaks. In five of the Heat’s past six games, opponents have been without key contributors. On Wednesday at United Center, the Bulls were without starting center Joakim Noah, starting two-guard Richard Hamilton, reserve Marco Belinelli and, of course, Derrick Rose. Before the game, Heat coach Erik Spoelstraacknowledged “luck” as a contributing factor to the streak. The Heat defeated the Cavaliers after trailing by 27 points. Would that comeback have been possible if Cleveland was playing with Dion Waiters and Kyrie Irving? And what about that two-point victory in Boston when the Celtics were without Kevin Garnett andRajon Rondo? The Pistons played in Miami without Brandon Knight and Andre Drummond last week. The Magic went up against the Heat’s winning streak without center Nikola Vucevic and Arron Afflalo.
• Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: We now resume the dog days of the season already in progress. So who starts alongside Juwan Howard in New Orleans? And what exactly are NBA TV and ESPN going to do with those extra upcoming Heat games they added? It had to end sometime. And it became clear the Heat were running on fumes. There was an undeniable mental aspect of the streak. History would have been nice. A second consecutive championship would be nicer. LeBron James simply has to get some time off now. He pushed as hard as anyone during the streak. And Dwyane Wade would be wise to going back to resting that knee. So it still will take one more Heat victory or one more Knicks loss for the Heat to wrap up No. 1 in the East. That will happen. But it will be interesting to see how hard, if at all, Erik Spoelstra pushes for the top overall playoff seed. We may get that read on Sunday in San Antonio. It could be argued that the Spurs game is the only game that matters on the Heat's remaining schedule.
• K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: Wednesday morning, hours before the Bulls applied the brakes to the Heat's run at history, Tom Thibodeau was asked if he had mentioned their 27-game winning streak. "What streak?" Thibodeau said. Indeed, on a night when the only Derrick Rose appearance came via a bobblehead doll and Joakim Noah, Richard Hamilton and Marco Belinelli also sat with injuries, the Bulls made history disappear. The second-longest winning streak in North American major professional sports league history is over thanks to a 101-97 victory that, out of nowhere, rekindled talk of a substantive Bulls' postseason run. The Bulls clinched their fifth straight playoff berth, handing the Heat their first loss since Feb. 1. "We've been saying it all year: When we're at our best, we can beat anybody," Luol Deng said. … And just like that, chants of "End the streak!" and "Beat the Heat!" from the United Center faithful rang out. "I mean, everyone is aware," Thibodeau said of the Heat's chasing the 1971-72 Lakers 33-game streak. "But we're more concerned about them being the defending champion. Everyone is chasing them, regardless of whether there is a streak or no streak." Emphasis on no streak.
• Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times: The 1971-72 Lakers can exhale. Their 33-game winning streak is still the NBA's longest. The current crop of Lakers took some pride in its preservation after the Miami Heat's streak ended at 27 with a 101-97 loss Wednesday to the Chicago Bulls. Some players were even happy. "In a big way, I am," said Pau Gasol, who in his six seasons with the Lakers has become friends with the coach of that '71-72 team, Bill Sharman. "I'm glad that we kept the streak. It was about time that Miami lost." … "I guess now that it's over, it's kind of nice that the Lakers still have it," Steve Blake said. Kobe Bryant, in his 17th season with the Lakers, was diplomatic. "I think as a student of the game, as a fan of the game, you appreciate those kind of streaks," he said. "You realize how difficult it is to put together that big of a streak. Obviously, the Lakers winning 33 in a row was phenomenal. The Heat's run was just as impressive." The present-day Lakers weren't lighting up cigars to commemorate the continued life of the 41-year old record. It didn't even matter that they also beat Minnesota on Wednesday, 120-117.
• John Rohde of The Oklahoman: Washington Wizards point guard John Wall didn't hesitate when he was asked if the Thunder's Russell Westbrook is the NBA's fastest player. “No, I'm going to say myself,” Wall said after shooting just 3 for 18 from the field in the Wizards' 103-80 loss to OKC before a sellout crowd of 18,203 at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Wall wouldn't even say for certain that Westbrook was the league's second-fastest player. “It's tough man,” said Wall, who was coming off a career-high 47 points Monday against Memphis and finished with 18 points and 12 assists against the Thunder. “There's a couple fast guys in this league. He (Westbrook) is up there, Derrick(Rose) is up there, when he's healthy. Mike Conley's pretty quick. There's a couple guys. Ty Lawson's quick. So there's a lot of guys, but I put myself first.” Wall was still complimentary of Westbrook, admitting he is at a place in his career where Wall hopes to some day find himself.
• Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe: His mechanics looked sound, as they often do for a player whose shooting stroke is simply textbook, and Bradley buried jumpers from all over the hardwood. But Bradley had a rough shooting performance in the Celtics’ 93-92 win over the Cavaliers, hitting just 1 of 7 shots, scoring just 3 points. And in the last 12 games, Bradley is shooting 32.2 percent (39 for 121) and several misses have been layups or other shots right around the rim. “I’ve just got to stay confident,” Bradley said before the game. “Sometimes I forget that I had surgery [on both shoulders]. “And I always think that everything will be perfect all the time. Obviously I’m going through a slump right now. I’ve just got to stick with it.” Bradley struggled against the Knicks in the Celtics’ 100-85 loss Tuesday night, missing 8 of his 11 shots. After that game, coach Doc Rivers said that Bradley was “clearly going through something” and that “I’m probably going to have to do something to get him going more, not less.” Rivers did acknowledge that Bradley’s offensive role has shifted with point guardRajon Rondo out.
• Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News: Wednesday’s game against the Nuggets, one of the NBA’s hottest teams, was slipping from the Spurs before Danny Green went on one of the season’s hottest long-range shooting streaks during the last four minutes of the second quarter. In just 93 seconds, Green made four 3-pointers to help trim a 14-point deficit to three by halftime. The Spurs went on to win 100-99. “Only reason why we stayed in the game,” said Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, whose 3-pointer with 1:25 left to play proved to be the game-winner. “He made some tough threes when we were really struggling. They were feeling good, and he made four in the quarter. That kept us alive, and it was huge to keep the game close.” The four rapid-fire 3-pointers gave Green six for the half, a franchise record for 3-pointers in one half. “They found me in pretty good scenarios,” Green said. “I was pretty much open every time Tony (Parker) drove. He drew the defense and kicked it and found me — what he does best. I’m happy he’s back. I got some open threes and luckily, some of them dropped.” Parker was happy Green’s shot was back after a Sunday game in which he only made two.
• John Jeansonne of Newsday: Just because he can doesn't mean he should. Knicks shooter J.R. Smith is just that, a shooter, who can nail jump shots from binocular range. But what coach Mike Woodson has liked about Smith's contribution to this Knicks season, and particularly to the team's six-game winning streak down the stretch, is that "he's starting to figure out some things. He's not just taking jump shots. He's taking it to the rim, getting to the free-throw line. He's rebounding, he's playing defense." In Wednesday night's uneven 108-101 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies -- the Knicks were like an orchestra on offense in the first half, harmonizing movement, passing and spot-on shooting, and mostly off-key in the second half -- Smith again was the leading scorer. He had 35 points, the night after scoring 32 against Boston. In a reserve role, as usual, he made 10 of 18 field goals -- 3 of 7 three-pointers -- and, as Woodson said, earning free throws. He made 12 of 13 and shared team-high rebounding honors with Carmelo Anthony (7 apiece).
• Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News: Gerald Wallace has reasons to be celebrated in Portland, and it’s mostly because he was the means to Dame Lillard in a trade that has been universally evaluated as a steal for the Trailblazers. Nets GM Billy King – who also dealt for Deron Williams and Joe Johnson -- has been most scrutinized for his one trade at the 2012 deadline, when he gave up a first-round pick for Wallace on an expiring contract. But it’s more complicated for the Nets. For starters, Brooklyn wouldn’t have drafted Lillard had they kept the pick that became sixth overall. The top candidate for Rookie of the Year has surpassed all expectations, plus the Nets had their own point guard they were trying to re-sign. Tyler Zeller was a name the Nets considered as reported by ESPN, but more likely they would’ve traded the pick in a draft their scouts distrusted, according to a source. To me, the only question of the trade was whether that pick would’ve been enough convince Orlando to trade Dwight Howard within in the Eastern Conference? Otherwise, the logic for acquiring Wallace is easy to follow. It also shaped two franchises and their futures. “Obviously it changed the course of the franchise,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said Wednesday.
• Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times: Chauncey Billups started for the first time in three games for the Clippers and was playing well until he aggravated his strained right groin early in the third quarter. Billups left the game with 10 minutes 40 seconds left in the third and was replaced by Willie Green. Billups didn't return and has been listed as day to day by the Clippers. "Yeah, it's frustrating," Billups said. "It's always frustrating to be banged up and in and out a little bit. I just mark it down as part of the process. I'm not going to be depressed or nothing like that. I'll get back right." Billups had missed just one of his five first-half shots and he had made all three of his three-point shots. His final shot was when Billups banked in a three-pointer at the buzzer ending the first half, giving the Clippers a 56-48 lead. Billups said he felt the injury late in the second quarter but kept playing through the pain. He had it wrapped up at halftime and came back out to play.
• Richard Walker of the Gaston Gazette: Like most rookies, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has shown signs of wearing down late in the season, even as Dunlap has played him 30 or more minutes only three times in the last month. “For all rookies, there’s the emotional ups and downs,” Dunlap said of Gilchrist, whose scoring has dropped to 8.9 after hitting a season-high of 12.7 six games into the season. “And there’s also endurance. He’s had some tough times but he’s also gotten some good lessons.”… Wednesday’s win continued a strange trend for the Bobcats as it relates to attendance. In the 16 home games this season in which Charlotte has played in front of 16,000 or more fans, the Bobcats are 1-15 while they are 10-10 in games with less than 16,000 fans; The attendance Wednesday was 11,839.
• Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star: I’m sure most of you would like for the Pacers to have the No. 2 seed in the East already locked up so that they could rest some players and also use the time to give Danny Granger plenty of minutes to work his way back into shape. I personally like what’s going on with the Pacers, Knicks and Nets. Every game means something. The Pacers, Knicks and the Nets can’t take any nights off because each team has little room for error in the standings. The only team that doesn’t have anything to play for are the Heat, who had their 27-game winning streak come to an end Wednesday in Chicago. The goal is to avoid the fourth seed because that likely sets you up for a second round match up against LeBron and his crew. The Pacers don’t want the three seed because that likely means opening the second round in Madison Square Garden in a city that’s passionate about its team and the fans can blow the roof off the Garden with their excitement.
• Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune: Al Jefferson has been the focal point of the Jazz offense since his arrival in 2010. There is no surprise when the Jazz pound the ball to the center on the left block. That part of the court is his workshop, where he toils and tinkers, finding new ways to frustrate competent, professional big men into looking foolish. Jefferson took 23 shots on Wednesday. His role in the Jazz offense is not diminished. But is it changing? That was the sense given by both Mo Williams and Paul Millsap following the Jazz's 103-88 win over the Phoenix Suns. Jefferson finished with 25 points on 12-of-23 shooting, and he scored six of the team's first 10 points to start the game. However, both Williams and Millsap said the Jazz have changed the offensive philosophy at beginnings of games, which could explain the fast starts in Monday's win over Philadelphia and Wednesday. Both nights, the Jazz made their first six shots. "I think we got a little carried away with just coming down, starting the game, just throwing it down to Al, letting him work." Millsap said. "It made it too tough on him, made it too tough on everybody else. It's basically just getting everybody moving, moving the basketball around." Millsap said the Jazz's focus needs to be "getting different options."
• Mike Kern of the Philadelphia Daily News: In 1973-74, the Milwaukee Bucks were three seasons removed from their lone NBA title and they still had a center by the name of Jabbar. That was also the last time they swept the season series with the Sixers. It still is. Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center, the Sixers beat the Bucks for the first time in four tries, 100-92. They have 11 games left, only three more at home, in what has been a season gone horribly wrong. They're ninth in the Eastern Conference standings, 7 1/2 games out of the last playoff spot that currently belongs to Milwaukee. So … "Until the math says [we're eliminated], we're going to keep playing like we're fighting for it," said center Spencer Hawes, who finished with 15 points, his seventh straight double-digit effort, and a career-high 17 rebounds. Fair enough. On Fan Appreciation Night, the Sixers opened up an 18-point lead midway through the second quarter.
• Tony Bizjak of The Sacramento Bee: The basketball war between Sacramento and Seattle ratcheted up Wednesday as both cities made moves to strengthen their claim to the Sacramento Kings. The day after his City Council approved a $448 million downtown arena plan, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson released a list of 24 businesses that have pledged $50 million in team corporate sponsorships for the next five years. He also said he plans to gather 10,000 season ticket purchase pledges to take with him to New York when he makes his case next week to keep the team in town. As of 9:35 p.m. Wednesday, the www.herewebuy.org website, which has been up since late January, had 7,369 pledges. But Seattle scored a big headline of its own Wednesday. According to court documents, the Seattle group seeking to buy the Kings has signed a tentative $15.1 million deal in bankruptcy court to take control of the 7 percent of the team owned by Sacramento businessman Bob Cook, who is in bankruptcy. The group, led by San Francisco investment fund manager Chris Hansen, already has a deal in hand to buy a 65 percent share from the Maloof family, the team's current majority owners, and minority owner Bob Hernreich. Their plan calls for a $490 million arena south of Seattle's downtown. … Hansen's 7 percent purchase in bankruptcy court is not final, either, court officials said. Any of the team's other four minority owners has the right to match that bid in the next 15 days. If one matches the bid, he has priority to buy the shares.

• Andre C. Fernandez of The Miami Herald: The streak was threatened again. Could have fooled the Heat, which again turned a seemingly precarious situation into a victory in a matter of minutes. Even with Dwyane Wade sidelined for the second game in a row and LeBron James scoring only six points through 21/2 quarters, the Heat’s winning streak hit 27 games Monday night with a 108-94 win against the Magic at Amway Center. The Heat used a 13-0 run after finding itself tied at 68 with 2:59 left in the third quarter and scored 20 of the game’s next 22 points to pull away for good and move closer to the 1971-72 Lakers’ NBA-record 33-game winning streak and the Eastern Conference’s top seed. The Heat can clinch the conference’s top record Tuesday if the Knicks lose to the Celtics or by beating the Bulls on Wednesday in Chicago. The Heat also won its 13th consecutive road game, which is one away from matching its franchise record away from home and three away from matching those same Lakers for the longest road-winning streak in league history (16).
• Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: Perhaps no one on the Magic roster wanted to play against the Heat more than Arron Afflalo, one of Orlando's most competitive players. But an injury to his right hamstring prevented him from playing Monday and will keep him out the rest of the season. He suffered the injury during the Magic's loss Friday to the Oklahoma City Thunder. "I don't know if my leg was kind of turned inwards as I kind of reached down for the ball, but whatever movement I made caused me to have a slight tear in my muscle down there," Afflalo said. "Obviously, we didn't have that much time left in the season, so there'd be no way I could even get remotely back ready to play for one or two games." Afflalo is the Magic's leading scorer, averaging 16.5 points per game. He's also the team's leading shot-taker, attempting 14.1 shots per game. The team will treat his injury with rest and physical therapy, and on Monday he walked through Amway Center with a pronounced limp. He hopes that his injury will have a silver lining. He hopes the time off will allow other nagging injuries to heal fully, and he said he hopes to begin training for next season in about six to eight weeks.
• Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune: New Orleans Hornets guard Brian Roberts may be the best 27-year rookie in the NBA. Robert played three years in Bamberg, Germany before making an NBA roster as a 26-year-old when he stuck with the Hornets following a nice showing in the Las Vegas Summer League. In only his second NBA start Monday night against the Denver Nuggets, who came into the game on a 15-game winning streak, Roberts exhibited the poise expected of a seasoned veteran, or at least one who has been through the rigors a a professional basketball season in the past. Roberts accumulated a career- and Hornets' season-high 18 assists against the Nuggets, drawing praise from veteran Denver Coach George Karl who said "That little kid played great; he passed as well as any one who has passed against us in a long time." That "little kid" might have earned his way back for a second stint next season based on Monday night's effort in relief of injured starter Greivis Vasquez.
• Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: It was over, garbage time, time for the no-names to check in -- when one realized the no-names were already in. The rebuilding Hornets, without their two top players, ended the Nuggets' 15-game win streak abruptly and abrasively, 110-86 on Monday, with guys such as Brian Roberts and Darius Miller having huge nights. Denver was disheartening. By halftime, Denver trailed 59-38 -- the 21-point halftime deficit was the Nuggets' largest of the season. … Folks are learning as much about Ty Lawson's importance when he's not playing as when he is. After a scorching couple of months, the point guard missed his third consecutive game with a heel bruise. In the previous two, Denver barely beat two lottery teams. And then the first half in New Orleans was atrociously abysmal (abysmally atrocious?). Fill-in starting point guard Andre Miller was minus-28, seldom getting Denver into a rhythm. It's been six days since Lawson injured the heel at Oklahoma City. Karl said Monday that it looked "tender." Lawson will get treatment and go through a light workout in San Antonio on Tuesday, as he aims for the big matchup against the Spurs on Wednesday. Sure, the streak was going end at some point. But like this?
• Phillip B. Wilson of The Indianapolis Star: Two more Indiana Pacers were affixed the dreaded “day-to-day” injury tag Monday as the starting backcourt of George Hill and Lance Stephenson sat out against Atlanta at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Hill, the starting point guard, is bothered by a left groin strain. Stephenson has a right hip flexor. The Pacers were also without starting forward David West (back strain) for a fifth consecutive game and 2009 NBA All-Star forward David Granger, who has played just five games as a reserve due to a seasonlong knee problem. “George’s is probably more serious than Lance’s,” Vogel said before the game. “(Hill) still has a good chance of playing on Wednesday, (but) they’re more concerned with his groin than they are Lance’s hip.” The Pacers are about to embark on a four-game trip with the first stop Wednesday at Houston. “David is going to be still day-to-day,” Vogel said. “There’s an outside chance he could play Wednesday, but not 100 percent sure. And Danny as well. Those guys both could see action in Texas.” The Pacers started D.J. Augustin for Hill and Gerald Green for Stephenson. Vogel wanted Orlando Johnson to come off the bench. The plan had Sam Young spelling Paul George and Ben Hansbrough backing up Augustin.
• Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: This one was over early. Or was it? The Pacers were missing four starters. The Hawks were playing to clinch a postseason berth. All signs pointed to a blowout. That is exactly what happened, at least for much of the game, but it certainly didn’t go the way most would expect. It was the Pacers that led by as many as 28 points late in the third quarter. However, they had to hold on for dear life as a group of Hawks reserves nearly erased the entire deficit. In the end, it was a 100-94 Pacers victory Monday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Hawks (39-32) could have clinched a playoff berth, the team’s sixth straight, with a victory and a 76ers loss at the Jazz later Monday night. The loss dropped the Hawks into a tie with the Bulls, who own the tiebreaker, for sixth in the Eastern Conference. … The Hawks continue a four-game road trip, with a 1-1 mark, at the Raptors Wednesday.
• Brandon Parker of The Washington Post: As John Wall stepped to the free-throw line late in the fourth quarter of Monday’s game against Memphis, his new career high and the Wizards’ sixth straight home win in hand, faint chants of “M-V-P” arose within the Verizon Center. When asked about it later, the third-year guard shrugged off the praise. “Nah, I’m not no MVP, man,” Wall said with a grin. “I’m just glad to finally be able to play good, be healthy, help change things around. Like I said, if this team’s healthy from start to finish, we’d easily be a playoff team. That’s how we feel.” With the way the Wizards have fallen prey to injuries, especially of late, that’s something fans will never know this season (Five players missed Monday’s game with injury or illness). But with the way Wall has played, especially of late, one can’t help but wonder “what if” about this resilient group. After recording a career-high 47 points in Washington’s 107-94 win against playoff-bound Memphis, Wall is now averaging 25 points and 9.3 assists during his past nine games. The Wizards have gone 6-3 during that stint and are now 21-16 since Wall’s return from a leg injury. … Wall has also shown patience with his jumper, steadily working to eliminate the hitch in his shot and add another dimension to a skill set built on speed and flash. By doing so, he also seems to be indirectly addressing the questions surrounding his value as a franchise and max-contract player.
• Ronald Tillery of The Commercial-Appeal: Grizzlies guard Tony Allen exhaled with disappointment several times while standing in front of his station in the visitor’s locker room. For the second straight game, the Grizzlies didn’t look like themselves. Memphis played fast relative to its standard pace over the weekend and won. But the Griz were rendered defenseless Monday night and that led to a bad result in the form of a 107-94 loss to the Washington Wizards before 17,868 in the Verizon Center. “We need to decide what team we want to be,” Allen said, lamenting a belief that the Griz are beginning to play down to the level of their competition — especially on the road. The combination of Allen’s observation and Wizards guard John Wall’s offensive onslaught defined the Grizzlies in a not-so-flattering way. … The Griz, fifth in the Western Conference standings, are a game behind the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets for third and fourth place, respectively. “They deserved to win,” Hollins said. “They were the aggressors from the get go.”
• Jody Genessy of the Deseret News: Speaking from experience, Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin knows how difficult of a position some of his guys are in right now. Eight Jazz players will be free agents this summer — nine if Marvin Williams doesn’t exercise his player option for 2013-14 — and it's only natural to be affected by the unknown. Though he believes his players are usually able to tune out noise about the future, Corbin admitted it's possible that has played a small role in the team's recent struggles. "With this group, I like to say that they've been tremendous all year," Corbin said. "Right from the beginning of training camp, we talked about the number of free agents we had. Everybody keeps mentioning it. We tried to get the guys — as much as they could — to not worry about it as much, but it's been there." Corbin said it's been more evident since nobody was moved on the final day of player transactions Feb. 21. "Once the trade deadline was over and everybody realized we were going to be this way for the rest of the year, I think we relaxed a little bit," Corbin said of his team that was 3-11 since that deadline before Monday's 107-91 win over the 76ers.
• John Mitchell of The Philadelphia Inquirer: The inability to be consistent, something that has haunted the 76ers all season long, reared its ugly head again Monday night. One night after the lowest-scoring team in the NBA played with bounce in its stride, the sluggishness that has been a hallmark all season returned in an ugly 107-91 loss to the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. The Sixers (27-43) shot the ball poorly and never led. They trailed by 19 at the end of the third quarter. Utah, which began the night 11/2 games out of the final Western Conference playoff spot, led by as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter. The loss came at the end of a four-game Western Conference road trip for the Sixers. It also came one night after they ended their road losing streak at 15 games.
• Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle: With 0.5 of a second still remaining on the first-half clock Monday night and his team trailing the Warriors by 23 points, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant walked off the court and headed dejectedly for the locker room. The message had been sent. "We've played 72 games, and the survey says that we're the better basketball team," Warriors head coach Mark Jackson said. "That cannot be debated. We were not going to come into this game on our heels. "We respect them. They've got some guys who are going to be in the Hall of Fame. ... But this is a different day, and we're a different basketball team." The Warriors can make those types of claims for the first time in nearly 20 years and now have more proof with Monday's 109-103 victory, during which they generally dominated the Lakers in front of the 25th consecutive sellout crowd at Oracle Arena.
• Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register: The Lakers' hope was that Pau Gasol's return from injury would help them develop a consistently solid second unit. The Lakers figured to have enough depth that fill-in starter Earl Clark wouldn't even have regular minutes once Gasol got back to his usual level of conditioning. But the Lakers' depth was woefully lacking Monday night at Golden State with Antawn Jamison struggling to adjust to a sprained right wrist suffered last game and then starting small forward Metta World Peace not playing the second half because of a strained left knee. Welcome back, Earl. Shooting guard Jodie Meeks started the second half in World Peace's place. World Peace did return to the Lakers' bench before the fourth quarter, moving around some on the leg. The Lakers have Tuesday off before a back-to-back set at Minnesota on Wednesday and Milwaukee on Thursday. World Peace has been one of the few Lakers to avoid significant injuries this season, although Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said World Peace wasn't full strength in his lower body earlier this season and struggling to defend small forwards. Aside from the first half Monday night against Golden State exposing Gasol as moving very poorly in his second game back from the torn plantar fascia in his right foot, it showed again that the Lakers' second unit is heavily reliant on 3-point shots.

• Ethan J. Skolnick of the Palm Beach Post: Perhaps it is possible to have more fun playing basketball than the Heat have had lately. Perhaps other professional teams, the Harlem Globetrotters not included, have turned the court into their personal playgrounds. Perhaps it will get this good for some of these guys somewhere down the line, at some other stage of their careers. Still, after scenes like so many seen Sunday during the Heat’s 26th straight victory — this one 109-77 against the beleaguered Bobcats — it’s not a stretch to believe otherwise. On an evening in which the biggest stars were observers – such as Rory McIlroy and Novak Djokovic – rather than opponents, AmericanAirlines Arena was again a funhouse, with giggles galore. Dwyane Wade didn’t join the on-court party, sitting out to rest a sore right knee, not the same knee that he had repaired last offseason, and not really a concern. More likely, there will be maintenance to come, particularly during back-to-back sets like this one, with a Monday date in Orlando.
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: There wasn’t a person in the arena who did not know the ball and the Rockets’ fate would be in James Harden’s hands. The Rockets trailed the San Antonio Spurs by a point Sunday night with less than 10 seconds left. It was Harden’s decision who would take the last shot. He chose himself. Harden inbounded to Omer Asik, dashed around Asik’s screen to take a handoff and, with Kawhi Leonard closing from behind and Tim Duncan approaching in front, drilled his off-balance jumper from 16 feet for the lead. And 4.5 seconds later, the Rockets had a remarkable 96-95 win over the Spurs and sat eight games above .500 for the first time this season. “This was huge for us,” forward Chandler Parsons said. “They are not No. 1 for no reason. This was a good test for us going forward, because they are a great team. We know that if we can beat them, we can beat anybody.”
• Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Anthony Tolliver called it. Not a game-winning shot but a game-winning rebound. Tolliver’s rebound of a missed free throw by teammate Dahntay Jones with 22.4 seconds remaining preserved the Hawks’ 104-99 come-from-behind victory over the Bucks Sunday afternoon. With a one-point lead, 100-99 after Jones’ first free throw, Tolliver looked at Jeff Teague and told his teammate a missed shot would be all his. “Yeah, I told him right before it happened, ‘I am going to get this rebound,’” Tolliver said. “I just tried to analyze the situation. I knew he has missed a few free throws earlier so I just wanted to be aggressive toward the rebound. I saw an opportunity. They didn’t box me out and I jumped and it came to me.” Tolliver called timeout after gathering the loose ball forcing the Bucks to foul. Al Horford and Teague each made two free throws in the closing seconds for the final margin.
• K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: But if you wanted to hear Tom Thibodeau rave on and on about the Bulls' 104-97 victory over the Timberwolves Sunday night at Target Center, just ask about Luol Deng. In particular, ask about the offensive rebound Deng grabbed with just under six minutes remaining and the Timberwolves having whittled a 16-point deficit to six. Deng fed Robinson for a 3-pointer after corralling one of the Bulls' 20 offensive boards as part of a 52-32 rebounding advantage. The Bulls never again were seriously threatened. "That's finding a way to win," Thibodeau said of Deng, who tallied 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists. "We're a little disjointed right now. We have a lot of guys in and out, so it's hard to build a rhythm. But that's a big-time play. That, to me, is what gets overlooked with Luol all the time. People look at him not shooting the ball like he's not playing well. That's never the case with Luol because of all the other things he does on the floor."
• Roderick Boone of Newsday: As for Joe Johnson, he suffered the bruised quadriceps when he bumped into Blake Griffin in the third quarter of the Nets' 101-95 loss to the Clippers. He said it was swollen and tight Sunday, so the Nets made the decision to sit him out, starting Keith Bogans in his place. Johnson was unsure if he'll be able to play when the Nets face the Trail Blazers on Wednesday. "It's frustrating for me because all these little knick-knacks are starting to happen with me down the stretch of the season," Johnson said before the game, "and this is the most important part of the season at this point right now. So that's probably the most frustrating thing. It's not about where we are playing and who we are playing. I always want to be out there with the guys. I hate sitting out and watching. That's the hardest part." Since the All-Star break, Johnson hasn't been the same explosive player. He's averaging 13.8 points, down from the 17.0 he posted before the break, and his three-point percentage has taken a serious dip, dropping by nearly 8 percent. "Yeah, I'm concerned, because he's come back and he's not healthy yet," Carlesimo said.
• Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Dallas Mavericks guard Rodrigue Beaubois confirmed Sunday what had already been speculated by coach Rick Carlisle. Beaubois will miss the rest of the season after fracturing the second metacarpal on his left hand during a 107-101 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 17. But Beaubois, who is out four-to-six weeks, amended the medical report by saying he could return for the playoffs, depending on how deep the Mavs go. As far as his plans for this summer when he becomes a free agent, Beaubois said, “Right now I don’t want to think about it, even though I can’t play right now. I’m still on the team and I really want us to make the playoffs, so I’m going to be behind the guys and do anything I can to help them make the playoffs. “And once the season is going to be over for us, then I’ll think about the summer. But right now I’m just focusing on this season.” Beaubois doesn’t expect his latest injury to linger into next season. “I’ll be good,” he said. “It’s nothing bad.”
• Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman: Serge Ibaka trudged to the bench midway through the second quarter, with three fouls and not so much as a shot taken. Frustration mounted. Sometimes, it doesn't go away. “Sometimes,” Nick Collison said, “guys are out of it” all game long. But Ibaka's maturation continued Sunday night. He returned in the second half unshackled by his first-half performance. “Hungry,” Ibaka said. “I was hungry after the first half.” Ibaka ate well. In the Thunder's 103-83 victory over Portland, Ibaka scored 16 points in the second half and blocked more shots (four) than he missed (two). “Didn't seem like he missed a shot,” said Blazers coach Terry Stotts. “I can't remember the two he missed.” And it wasn't like Ibaka was rattling home his jumpers. One swish after another. Ibaka's misses came on a 16-footer early in the third quarter and an air-balled baby hook. Otherwise, he was money.
• Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee: Spencer Hawes doesn't mince words. He's from Seattle and wants his hometown to land an NBA franchise, even if it comes at the expense of the team that drafted him moving there. "I won't make any qualms about where I stand," Hawes said. "I want to see my hometown get a franchise. There is some confliction, but I'm not going to beat around the bush about what my stance is." Predictably, that stance earned Hawes scorn in his return to Sacramento as a Philadelphia 76er for Sunday's game at Sleep Train Arena. Hawes' celebratory tweets about the possible return of the NBA to Seattle in January drew the ire of Kings fans. They began an online campaign to boo the center anytime he touched the ball or his name was mentioned by the public-address announcer, and he got an earful Sunday. Hawes hated seeing Seattle "sold a false hope" when the Oklahoma City-based ownership group bought the SuperSonics and discussed keeping them there. And he admits he "kind of gets hypocritical and my hometown fandom comes out more than maybe it should" in the situation because he believes the only way Seattle will get a team is if the city takes a franchise in the manner Oklahoma City took the Sonics.
• Zach Buchanan of The Arizona Republic: Suns center Hamed Haddadi has been paying attention to the University of Oregon’s run in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Specifically, he’s been watching his former teammate on the Iranian national team, Arsalan Kazemi. Kazemi, a 6-7 forward from Esfahan, Iran, has started both games for Oregon and totaled 43 rebounds in upsets over Oklahoma State and Saint Louis as Oregon has made a run into the Sweet 16. Haddadi sent Kazemi a text on the Iranian New Year on March 21, and is rooting for the Ducks. “I wish him good luck,” Haddadi said. “He’s my boy.” The 27-year-old Haddadi and 22-year-old Kazemi first played together on the national team in the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey. Iran went 1-5, but both Haddadi and Kazemi played well. Haddadi finished in the top 10 in points (20 per game), rebounds (8.6) and blocks (2.6), and Kazemi was ninth in rebounds (7.4) and first in steals (2.8). But Kazemi had been on Haddadi’s radar much earlier than that. As a 19-year-old, Haddadi’s club team played in Kazemi’s hometown, and Haddadi took notice of a 14-year-old Kazemi at a practice. “(I) said, ‘This kid is going to be a baller,’” Haddadi said. “He’s got long arms, he can jump and he can run. He was dunking when he was 13 or 14.”
• Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel: It can be a lonely existence for Milwaukee Bucks forward Gustavo Ayon. The 6-foot-10 Ayon arrived from Orlando in the same February trade deadline deal that brought J.J. Redick to the Bucks. Ayon has played sparingly since his arrival, averaging 3.8 points and 3.0 rebounds in six appearances. The soon-to-be 28-year-old is working hard with the coaching staff before games and is hoping Milwaukee can be the place to launch his NBA career. Ayon played with the New Orleans Hornets last season before being traded to Orlando in the Ryan Anderson deal. He also has played with several professional teams in Spain. As the only current Mexican-born player in the NBA, he feels some pressure to succeed as Eduardo Najera did before him. "It is a responsibility because you are representing an entire country," Ayon said in an interview translated from Spanish to English. "No matter what you do, if you play well or you play poorly, it reflects on your country. You have a responsibility both on and off the court and I like it. I consider it a privilege and I do it with pleasure and pride. I wish that many more Mexican players shared in this responsibility. I hope for a future with many more players in the league."

• Joe Freeman of The Oregonian: It’s been four-and-a-half months since Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen unexpectedly showed up to the first day of training camp and revealed his secret wish to see his team play better defense. Four-and-a-half long months of head-scratching, mediocre and sometimes awful oh-lay performances that made you wonder if the young and defensively-challenged Blazers would ever show the heart and grit required to stifle an opposing offense. Well, the answer finally arrived in emphatic fashion Thursday night in Chicago, where the Blazers were — gasp! — rugged, determined and connected on defense en route to a 99-89 victory over the Chicago Bulls before 21,946 at the United Center. “Hands down,” All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge said, when asked if it was his team’s best defensive outing of the season. “I don’t think we’ve ever rotated like that in pick and roll (coverage), ever controlled the ball like that in a game.”
• Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times: It wasn’t supposed to look like that. Not with so much that had gone on for the Bulls lately. A high-energy week of practice, the return of both Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson from injuries, a group of players still angry about an overtime loss to Denver on Monday. No, Thursday was supposed to be the start of the playoff push, and Portland was expected to be the team that was just standing in the way of that progress. Following the 99-89 loss to the Trail Blazers, however, the fading Bulls had more questions than answers. “It’s really disappointing,’’ Joakim Noah said. “We’re not playing good right now. This is the final stretch and we’re not getting it done, so we got to find a way.’’ When asked what needed to change, however, Noah paused and replied, “I don’t know.’’ That was the running theme, as the Bulls (36-31) have now lost two straight on the three-game homestand, and dropped into a sixth-place tie with Boston in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
• Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: How? How?? It was unreal, surreal. This thing was over — the 76ers up eight points with less than two minutes left — but the Nuggets, resuscitated, climbed back into the game and won 101-100 on Thursday night at the Pepsi Center. Corey Brewer made three free throws with 2.1 seconds left to give Denver the lead for good, cemented by an Anthony Randolph block on Damien Wilkins at the buzzer. Brewer scored — poured? — a career-high 29 points, including a 3-pointer with 9.2 seconds left. "It was crazy. To be honest, I didn't think we had any chance of wining," Brewer said. "Even when (Evan Turner) missed those two free throws, it gave us life." After Turner missed both, Denver was able to get Brewer open for the 3-ball foul. "We ran it for Andre (Miller) to come off, and then (Danilo) Gallinari, to keep it," Brewer said, "and then I was going to come for the handoff, and I was able to get it — and I saw the defender coming, so I tried to get it off quick." That makes 14 consecutive wins for the fellows in yellow, a team NBA franchise record, while also tying the longest streak in coach George Karl's career, a streak that occurred in 1996, when his SuperSonics ultimately went to the NBA Finals. Denver is an incredible 31-3 at home and on a 16-game home winning streak.
• Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: TRUST. That's what it said on the locker room's dry erase board, in letters as big as the Nuggets' win. It was Tuesday in Oklahoma City, where Denver would win an eye-popping, back-to-back finale against the mighty Thunder. Why do the Nuggets win games they should lose? I can give you a lot of fancy stats about fast-break scoring and improvements in all facets of defense, but the incalculable intangible is that they're among the league leaders in trust. "We talk a lot about the word trust," Nuggets coach George Karl said, "trusting each other, trusting the concepts, trusting the intensity. The word trust has been in our game plans a lot. And I have to trust them, they've earned that trust." … On the offensive end, Karl said the Nuggets are as good as any team at sharing the ball with the open player, regardless of the name on that player's back. That was the curse of the Iverson-Melo Nuggets. It's Spurs-esque. No, the Nuggets are not as good as the Spurs. But they trust each other like they do, and that could be something come mid-April.
• John Mitchell of The Philadelphia Inquirer: The ending was emblematic of just how things have gone for the 76ers. Leading by six points late in the game against the Denver Nuggets, the Sixers let it all slip away and lost a game they had won, falling to the Nuggets, 101-100, Thursday night at the Pepsi Center. With 7.1 seconds left and the Sixers leading, 100-98, Evan Turner missed a pair of free throws, allowing the Nuggets, who called a timeout, one last shot to win the game. Then Damien Wilkins fouled Denver's Corey Brewer as he attempted a three-pointer. Brewer stepped to the line and sank all three free throws to give the Nuggets the victory and extend their winning streak to 14 games. "I don't know; the referee said I fouled him, so I must have fouled him," Wilkins said. "I was just trying to challenge the shot aggressively and not let him get a clean look. I was a little bit too aggressive tonight and I cost my team a win tonight. I can't foul a guy shooting a thee-pointer when we're up two. "So we didn't deserve to win the game. Being overly aggressive cost us one, so you live and you learn."
• Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee: Tuesday's win over the Los Angeles Clippers might have been the Kings' best home victory of the season, considering the opponent. But it also was a game the NBA deemed to have had too much acting. Kings guard Tyreke Evans and Clippers guard Chris Paul both received warnings for flopping during the game. The league defines flopping "as any physical act that appears to have been intended to cause the referees to call a foul on another player." "The primary factor in determining whether a player committed a flop is whether his physical reaction to contact with another player is inconsistent with what would reasonably be expected given the force or direction of the contact."
• Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune: Timberwolves forward Chase Budinger returned Thursday night after four months away with a three-pointer made and a big smile in a 101-98 loss at Sacramento, but neither of those two things were quite enough. Budinger’s 17-plus minutes played and nine points scored on 3-for-7 shooting included one three-pointer — the only one in his team’s 1-for-19 night — as the Kings recovered from a 12-point, first-half deficit to win their third consecutive home game. The Kings had beaten the Bulls and the Clippers at Sleep Train Arena and on Thursday completed the trifecta, thanks to a game-changing 13-2 fourth-quarter run when Tyreke Evans attacked the basket at will. Evans scored 11 of his 21 points in a fourth quarter when the Wolves led by a point with 9:44 left, trailed by 10 with 5:32 left and still had a chance to tie the score at the final buzzer when Dante Cunningham’s desperation three-pointer went wide right. “We gave them too many spurts, too many easy opportunities, too many easy baskets,” Wolves coach Rick Adelman said.
• Dale Kasler, Tony Bizjak and Ryan Lillis of The Sacramento Bee: Sacramento's drive to keep the Kings took a dramatic detour Thursday as a new lead investor emerged for the team and the city missed its self-imposed deadline for wrapping up a deal for a new arena. The dual developments, announced within minutes of each other during a chaotic afternoon, suggested that Sacramento was still laboring to finalize its plan to keep the Kings from moving to Seattle. Although city officials said they're confident they'll get a deal done on a new arena, there isn't a lot of time: The plan must get OK'd first by the City Council, and Sacramento has to pitch its proposal to a group of key NBA owners in less than two weeks. Vivek Ranadive, an Indian-born software tycoon who lives in Silicon Valley, was unveiled as the man who will lead the bid for the team itself. Already a part owner of the Golden State Warriors, he takes the reins from East Bay health-club financier Mark Mastrov. A source familiar with the situation said Mastrov – whose initial bid was described as inadequate by the NBA – will remain a major partner in the bid. The third investor in the Sacramento effort, Beverly Hills billionaire Ron Burkle, was continuing to negotiate a deal with city officials on a new arena at Downtown Plaza. But in a somewhat unsettling development for the city, officials were unable Thursday to complete the so-called term sheet outlining the city's subsidy and other elements of the deal. The document was supposed to be released to the public in the afternoon.

Lost in the shadow of the Miami Heat's 24-game win streak is the Denver Nuggets' win streak.

The Nuggets will try to extend their franchise record win streak to 14 games on Thursday when they play the Philadelphia 76ers at the Pepsi Center, where they have won 15 straight games.

This season, the Nuggets:

• Are 9-4 against their fellow top-five teams in the Western Conference (Spurs, Thunder, Grizzlies, Clippers). That’s the best combined head-to-head record among those five teams.

• Have won the season series (and therefore any tiebreaker) against the Thunder, Clippers and Grizzlies. Denver can still win the season series against the Spurs -- they've split the first two of four meetings this season.

• Have outscored opponents in the paint in 50 straight games. (Denver has been outscored in the paint only twice this season.)

• Dealt the Thunder a double-digit loss on Tuesday when, at the time, Oklahoma City had an NBA-low five double-digit losses.

• Are the only team to beat the Thunder three times this season (although not every team will play Oklahoma City three times).

• Are one of three teams -- along with the Spurs and Heat -- to beat the Thunder more than once this season.

• Flipped the script on Tuesday when they beat the Thunder in Oklahoma City. Denver was playing on the road, its second game of a back-to-back, against a very good team. Teams with zero days rest on the road against a .600+ team were just 8-46 this season.

• Haven’t lost to a Western Conference team in more than two months, winning 14 straight such games.

• Have put their road woes behind them, winning six straight outside of Denver after starting the season 11-19 on the road.

• Are tied with the Heat for the best home record (30-3).

• Along with the Heat's 24-game win streak, it marks the first time in NBA history that two teams have active win streaks of 13-plus games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

• Ethan J. Skolnick of the Palm Beach Post: The game-winning jumper was a perfect capper to another brilliant night for James, one that included 37 points, seven rebounds, 12 assists and a vicious dunk off a Norris Cole lob that left Heat nemesis and nuisance Jason Terry flat on his back, an emasculation that warrants an aside. It was Terry who teased and tormented Miami in the 2011 Finals, and who had said over the weekend that he “wasn’t impressed” by anything the Heat did, even the streak. “I seen him down there,” James said. “I don’t think he saw me.” James could smile about that second quarter encounter, because of what occurred in the game’s final 10.5 seconds. Because, even after James’s jumper, there was still that little time left — time that, in Boston for the Heat, is usually too much. Green drove on Shane Battier, but Battier, in as a defensive substitution, stuck with him and blocked the ball out of bounds. … with all that hooting and hollering clearly heard from behind the closed door. In NBA history, over a 23-game stretch, only one team has been better. “If you’re not first, you’re last,” Wade quipped. “That’s what Ricky Bobby said.” That’s a reference to the movie Talladega Nights. The race to the Lakers continues Wednesday in Cleveland, as everyone is now fully aware.
• Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: At the Nuggets' pregame shootaround Monday, this exchange happened between coach George Karl and some local TV guy. TV guy: "You scored 64 points in the paint in the Bulls game in Denver. I wouldn't expect you to get that here at the United Center, would you?" Karl: "Wanna make a bet?" Sure enough, Denver scored 64 in regulation time and finished with 68 in its 119-118 overtime victory over the Bulls. The Nuggets' brand of basketball leads to persistent paint penetration. It's NASCAR basketball. The fast-breaking Nuggets entered Monday leading the NBA with an average of 57.6 points in the paint, scoring 60 or more 27 times. In the NBA this season, the six-highest paint-point totals have come from the Nuggets, with 78 as their high. Nuggets fans should appreciate what they're watching — few teams win this way. The Nuggets are just different. … Denver could finish with the highest average of paint points since the league started keeping that stat in the 1996-97 season. The record was set by the 1997-98 Lakers, who averaged 54.1. Denver entered Monday leading the NBA with an average of 19.7 fast-break points and trailed only the Clippers with 19.7 points per game off turnovers.
• Bob Conney of the Philadelphia Daily News: How the Sixers will move forward will be the biggest question surrounding the organization in quite some time. DiLeo said repeatedly during the season that Bynum was "Plan A." But Bynum, who is making $16.5 million this season on the final year of a contract he signed with the Lakers, can become an unrestricted free agent after the season. The Sixers will have to decide whether Bynum will be healthy enough to continue his career, if indeed he wishes to return to the team. Bynum, 25, was obtained during a four-team trade in August that cost the Sixers Andre Iguodala, Nikola Vucevic, Maurice Harkless and a protected first-round draft pick. In mid-September, Bynum hurt his right knee while working out to get ready for training camp. It was announced the day before training camp that he would be out for about 3 weeks, but could be ready for Opening Night. … Hopes were high for the Sixers after they obtained Bynum, who averaged career highs in points (18.7) and rebounds (11.8) last season with the Lakers, playing 60 of 66 games in a lockout-shortened season. Hopes have faded to disappointing reality as Bynum will not see the court this season. Whether the team is willing to take another chance on him will no doubt be a heavy topic.
• Al Iannazzone of Newsday: The Knicks didn't go winless on their five-game road trip, and hobbled Kurt Thomas was a big reason for it. The 40-year-old Thomas showed his toughness after a pregame X-ray revealed a bone spur in his right foot. It could be worse than that; there are fears that Thomas has a stress fracture. He will undergo an MRI Tuesday to determine the severity of the injury. But Thomas, the oldest player in the league, pushed aside the pain. He logged 27 physical minutes in the finale of the trip, and his interior defense helped the shorthanded Knicks to a 90-83 win that snapped their four-game skid. "That's a pure warrior right there," said J.R. Smith, who led the Knicks with 20 points. "We gave him the game ball after the game," Mike Woodson said. "He deserved it, too.''
• Tim Bontemps of the New York Post: Jerry Stackhouse hadn’t played for nearly two months. He looked, however, like he hadn’t played for about two days. Stackhouse, playing his first minutes for the Nets since scoring six points in Houston on Jan. 26, went 5-for-6 and scored 10 points in 19:22 to help the Nets cruise to a 119-82 win over the Pistons in front of 16,072 inside The Palace of Auburn Hills. “It’s always good to get out and compete,” Stackhouse said afterward. “I kind of understood the dynamic of what needed to happen. Coach [P.J. Carlesimo] came to me and told me what the deal was a couple months ago. ... He told me he was going to give the younger guys some time, and that the odd guy out would probably be me.” … Part of the reason Stackhouse made his return to the lineup was because Keith Bogans sat out with a sore left ankle. After the game, however, Bogans said his injury won’t force him to miss any more time, and he’d be ready to go when the Nets take the floor again tomorrow in Dallas.
• Ronald Tillery of The Commercial-Appeal: Reserve guard Jerryd Bayless’ open-court windmill slam highlighted a third-quarter surge that featured alley oops and 3-pointers that helped the Grizzlies run away with a 92-77 victory Monday night in FedExForum. “We knew we had to come out and put them away,” Bayless said about the Griz building a 25-point lead in the third quarter. The Grizzlies (45-21) played their first home game after a taxing road trip that featured four games in five nights. There was plenty of pep in their step for the homecoming, and Memphis nailed its eighth straight home win. … Mike Conley picked up two steals and broke his own franchise record (144) for steals in a single season. Conley needed just one steal, and got it with 6:27 left in the opening period. He now has 146 steals and has recorded a steal in an NBA season-high 57 straight games.
• Richard Walker of the Gaston Gazette: When Charlotte Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap was hired, the directive was to develop players, even if it was at the expense of winning games. When you can accomplish both tasks – as Charlotte did Monday night in the 119-114 win over the Washington Wizards – it certainly has to feel good. Fourth-year forward Gerald Henderson led the way in the early going, then second-year guard Kemba Walker closed out a comeback rally on both ends of the court. “I was brought in to develop players,” Dunlap said in response to a question about Henderson’s recent improved play. “His development is not deniable. So is Kemba’s.” Their development has coincided with a recent surge for the Bobcats, as they have won two straight home games in a year in which they once lost 16 straight home contests.
• Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star: Go ahead, scratch your head. Rub your eyes. The boxscore is not wrong. Gerald Green, the player who has spent the past two months on the bench other than garbage time, was back in the rotation against the Cleveland Cavaliers. And he was very effective during his 23 minutes off the bench. Green was so effective that he led the Pacers in scoring. Green, getting a shot to prove he’s worthy of playing time, scored 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting in the Pacers’ easy victory. Green’s stay on the bench lasted way longer than D.J. Augustin’s demotion earlier in the season. Part of the reason is because rookie Orlando Johnson stepped in and hasn’t done anything to make coach Frank Vogel want to yank him from the rotation. I give Green credit, he didn’t become a distraction during his time on the bench. He easily could have, especially considering he hasn’t lived up to the three-year contract the Pacers gave him last summer. … Now it’s up to Green to continue to play well off the bench.
• Tyler Killian of The Arizona Republic: After establishing himself as a reliable starter through the first five seasons of his career, all with the Houston Rockets, Luis Scola has often found himself in an unfamiliar place this year with the Suns: on the bench.Scola is averaging the least playing time (26 minutes, 11 seconds entering Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers) since his rookie season in 2007-08 with Houston, when he seized the starting power-forward job midway through the year and never again came off the bench for the Rockets. With the Suns struggling to forge an identity under interim coachLindsey Hunter, Scola’s role often has been reduced as Hunter experiments with different rotations. The 6-foot-9-inch Argentinian admits to feeling discouraged at times. “It’s hard for me. It’s hard,” Scola said. “It is (frustrating), but I try to use that frustration to work a little harder. Just try to stay ready and in shape.” Whatever frustrations he may be feeling, Scola is keeping them private, living up to his reputation as a team player.
• Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News: Then came the 30-point triumph on Sunday, followed by the squashing of New Orleans on Monday. So I asked Lacob: Can you say that Mark Jackson definitely will be the coach next season or that you're contemplating an extension offer past next season? "Honestly, we will not even discuss this until after the season," Lacob said in the email, adding that all focus is on making the playoffs this season. "We are clearly better now than a year ago. That matters." It does matter. And it's fair for Lacob and the Warriors brass to defer on any public statement on Jackson or anybody else until after the season. But read between the lines: The start of this trip was a landmark period for this team and this coach; getting the ship headed back the right way was the only thing that mattered. Everything else flows from there -- making the playoffs, playing credibly once they're there, ensuring Jackson is the coach next season. There are clearer answers now, because of what the Warriors have just done, and it will get clearer and clearer if they continue to do it.
• Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Although guard Dahntay Jones would have loved to have remained with the Dallas Mavericks, he believes he’s in a much better situation with the Atlanta Hawks. The Mavs traded Jones to the Hawks for Anthony Morrow on Feb. 21. At the time, the Mavs were just 24-29, while the Hawks were 29-23 and in the middle of the playoff picture. After beating Atlanta on Monday, the Mavs are 32-35 and chasing a playoff berth, while the Hawks are 37-30 and in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings. “They have a great group of guys, they play hard, they play together, they’re very focused, they have fun with the game, so I have no complaints,” Jones said of the Hawks. “And they’re playing for something. “And the sky’s the limit for this team, so it’s a great situation to be in.”

As a former nemesis of Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, and many others, Bruce Bowen was long one of the NBA’s nastiest defenders. Years after retirement, his most dangerous plays still draw traffic on YouTube.

And even Bowen thought Dahntay Jones crossed a line, endangering Bryant, on the decisive play of the Lakers’ key road loss to the Hawks on Wednesday night.

"Replay shows he kind of walked up under him a little bit there," said Bowen on ESPN. "You're wondering why is he continuing to walk toward Kobe at that particular moment."

Bryant (who has been upset by Jones fouls in the past) was livid postgame, telling reporters and his Twitter followers that the league needs to do more to protect shooters.

"As defensive players, you can contest shots, but you can't walk underneath players," Bryant said. "That's dangerous for the shooter."

#dangerousplay that should have been called. Period.

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) March 14, 2013

Jones was on Twitter later, saying he'd never try to hurt Bryant, and suggesting Bryant's ankle was injured hitting the floor -- not by landing on Jones' foot -- and that Bryant might have been called for an offensive foul for kicking out his leg.

Jones, by rule, must give the airborne man room to land. He did not. And why are the rules so clear on that point? Because if defenders are allowed to move under shooters, that's a way to alter a scorer's shot and mental approach to the shot without actually playing defense. At a minimum, that's a foul. Period.

Furthermore, this is a brand of dirty play with a history of causing injury – not only did Bowen face accusations during his career, but Jalen Rose recently admitted intentionally injuring Bryant with this trick in the 2000 NBA Finals, and talked about it again on ESPN last night. Rose pointed out he was just doing whatever it took to win.

The NBA must consider stronger medicine, to rearrange how players like Jones think about safety.

Bryant is out indefinitely with an ankle sprain, while the Lakers are fighting for their playoff lives.

"Kobe has every right to feel the way he does," concludes Bowen. "This is his career."

The real problem: This play was not a one-off. It’s part of every NBA game.

It’s a form of cheating so diabolical and so wrapped up in the culture of the sport that it’s hard to even see it. The ref missed it, and it took replays to reveal why Bryant was writhing on the floor in pain after the play.

So why would NBA coaches be OK with this behavior?

NBA coaches know that the game's most talented players, the superstars, the take-you-off-the-dribble scorers, can be unstoppable when guarded cleanly. It's not hard for a player like LeBron James to beat his man on the perimeter.

What to do about that? Many NBA coaches have found ways to make sure those scorers see multiple defenders on their path, and that helps. But in addition, defenders know what most coaches expect -- no layups, no buckets. As every fan knows, this is the no-layup rule.

When Jones got under Bryant, he was merely applying a variation of the same rule.

Is it cheating? Yes and no.

The problem is, NBA rules provide such weak penalties that this is essentially like the speed limit on the highway -- something most drivers ignore.

But it is cheating according to the spirit of the rules. Bryant was playing basketball, while Jones was trying to stop basketball from being played.

Yet it’s what the NBA rules essentially encourage -- every night, teams foul intentionally and often, and it works.

When a superstar beats his man off the dribble, look out.

For a recent Working Bodies project on concussions, we reviewed thousands of plays where players got hurt, or could have been badly injured. A big, stark trend emerges: A ton of those fouls are intentional.

When superstars get close to scoring, their likelihood of getting intentionally fouled -- by strategy -- goes off the charts. The video evidence is plentiful.

About the same time Bryant was getting hurt in Atlanta, in the visiting locker room in Philadelphia, LeBron and Dwyane Wade acknowledged they expect to get beat up as they approach the rim. On a first-half dunk, Sixers center Spencer Hawes, never regarded as one of the league's big enforcers, hit James so hard in the head that James’ head was still rattling from side to side.

Wade says Hawes got him too: “One of the first plays of the game, Spencer Hawes hit me. I thought I lost my teeth. Once my mouth went from being numb, I was good to go.”

Neither play merited special comment in any of the game coverage, and for one big reason: This is every night for the league’s best scorers. Endangering superstars with dirty play is on almost every team’s agenda, whether they’ll ever talk about it publicly or not.

Now a transcendent star, Kobe Bryant, in the middle of an amazing, late-season charge by one of the NBA’s marquee teams, the Lakers, is out indefinitely, with a playoff berth at stake, because the rules protect a role player with a rep for questionable plays -- and yet Jones didn’t even have a foul called against him.

Who’s next? James Harden sure beats his man off the dribble a lot. How will his playoff opponents handle that? The no-layup rule? That’s a license to kill, figuratively speaking. Derrick Rose knows that upon his return he'll be facing far more than shot-blockers when he gets into the paint.

Kobe, D-Rose, Kevin Durant, D-Wade, Russell Westbrook, Tony Parker, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Ty Lawson, Stephen Curry, LeBron and many more of our greatest players -- these are the players the fans want to see.

Yet they are not only the NBA’s most precious commodities, the stars who drive the ratings and traffic and revenues and fun, but also the players who are most commonly facing dirty opponents with the potential to end their seasons.

Everyone understands that basketball is tough and physical -- a contact sport. Everyone accepts that. That’s not the problem Kobe is addressing.

Bryant did a rare thing in declaring he, as a scorer, could use more protection from the league. Asked about the league doing more, Wade said, "I love contact." James said he has a "football mentality," and will never let injury concerns deter him from attacking. In other words, the stars usually read from the script, never letting anyone know that they are afraid of anything.

Meanwhile, despite such pronouncements, there's evidence Bryant speaks for other stars as well. Recent research from Microsoft's Justin Rao and U.C. San Diego's Matt Goldman suggests that with their teams trailing late in games, stars drive hard to the hole. With a small lead, however, and the game still just as much in the balance, their offense is far more timid. The undeniable conclusion: Drive only when absolutely necessary.

The pressing problem the NBA needs to fix is that intentional, brutal fouls are good strategy.

There are many benefits to fouling hard: missed shots, hobbled opponents and superstars who have to stay on the perimeter because they know the rules won’t protect them.

Sure, some fouls draw free throws -- and some don’t, as Kobe found out last night.

And so what? As coaches have long known, those free throws are not as valuable to a team as a superstar getting to the rim -- we can determine this from the optical tracking data provided by SportVu.

So the guys doing the fouling aren’t renegades, maniacs and jerks. They're not "out of control." This is not about Metta World Peace losing his cool. It’s not about players being overeager. These are not accidental injuries.

It’s about doing what the coaches want defensive players to do -- clobber the other team to gain an advantage.

It’s just good strategy -- a good way to win games. Dahntay Jones knew what he was doing.

Lost in the conversation of last night is that Jones’ dirty play was a game winner. This stuff works.

While MVP front-runner LeBron James has captured most of the Miami Heat’s headlines this season, Dwyane Wade quietly is having one of the most efficient stretches of his career.

In Tuesday’s win over the Atlanta Hawks, Wade scored 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting. He has scored at least 20 points and shot at least 50 percent from the field in a career-high 10 consecutive games. The streak is tied for the third longest in the NBA this season and is the longest among guards.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Wade is the first guard to score 20 points and shoot 50 percent in at least 10 straight games since Michael Jordan during the 1995-96 season (11 games).

During the Heat’s 19-game win streak, Wade has seen an overall increase in his scoring as well as his efficiency from the field. Wade, who was already shooting a career-high 50.8 percent from the field in his first 39 games of the season, is averaging 24.2 points on 55 percent shooting during Miami’s win streak. Five of his eight 30-point games this season have come during the win streak, including a season-high 39 points on Feb. 26 against the Sacramento Kings.

One of the primary reasons for Wade’s spike in his field goal percentage has been his aggressiveness in getting to the basket. Following offseason knee surgery, Wade lacked his usual explosiveness at the beginning of the season. But since the start of February, he is averaging 5.2 dunks and layups per game, including a season-high five dunks on March 4 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Wade continues to be one of the best slashers when it comes to attacking the paint, an area where he leads all guards in scoring for a fifth consecutive season. Since the start of February, Wade has been able to get even closer to the basket, averaging 11.5 points inside the restricted area (four-foot arc around the basket). He averaged just 8 points in that area in the first three months of the season.

On Wednesday, Miami starts a five-game road trip against the Philadelphia 76ers, a team the Heat have beaten 13 consecutive times during the regular season. With a win, Miami will be just the fourth team in NBA history to win 20 consecutive games in a single season, and set the mark for the longest win streak by a defending champion.

• Paola Boivin special to The Denver Post: With just 17 games remaining in the season, Andre Iguodala is closer to making a decision about his future. Iguodala's contract gives him the opportunity to "opt out" and become a free agent after the season. Although the issue will get his full attention then, he admits he is aware of what is happening around him. "Obviously, you're talking to your agent and you're paying attention to trades, and salary caps that are being opened up through sign and trades and other guys who are in the same position as you," he said. "It's in the back of your mind. But as far as making a concrete decision, you really don't size it up until the season's over, because we have some opportunities to do some really good things here.”
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: The Suns did not get to this position of three consecutive non-playoff seasons and a 29-53 pace for this season by making many right choices, but Managing Partner Robert Sarver deserves credit for one. Sarver offered Stoudemire a $96.6 million contract in 2010 but with built-in stipulations to ensure he was healthy. Less than three years later, Stoudemire’s regular season is done in New York after 29 appearances because he needs another surgery on his right knee. For years, the Suns were more concerned about his right knee, which required arthroscopy, than the more-discussed left knee, which underwent microfracture surgery in 2005. Sarver was willing to give Stoudemire a maximum contract, but only if Stoudemire met thresholds for minutes played. New York, in desperate need of a splash after snubs from LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, was willing to give Stoudemire a guaranteed five-year, $100 million contract. … Stoudemire’s contract is untradeable because it is worth $45.1 million for the next two seasons and is uninsured for knee and eye injuries. … Sarver was right on this one.
• Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard had just completed the type of workday for which he should be entitled to hazard pay, clocking in for 35 minutes of chasing NBA leading scorer Kevin Durant in Monday’s hard-fought 105-93 victory over Oklahoma City. Rising from the chair in front of his locker at the AT&T Center, Leonard emitted the type of groan that, escaping from his 21-year-old lips, sounded like something reserved for yoga day at the rest home. “It’s a great sound,” Leonard said, smiling slightly. “It means I played hard.” The Spurs followed their baby-faced, cornrow-sporting Pied Piper through an early 13-point deficit and to perhaps the best win of their regular season so far. With the comeback, the Spurs washed away the taste of Friday’s 136-106 loss to Portland and pushed their lead over the Thunder in the Western Conference standings to two games. Leonard had nine of his 17 points during a game-changing 26-4 run in the second quarter, highlighted by a steal ripped from Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook and taken for a dunk. Tiago Splitter added 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Danny Green had 16 points and made all four of his 3-point tries, as the Spurs (49-15) won for the third time in four games without All-Star point guard Tony Parker.
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: Derek Fisher decided to view Monday’s defeat not so much as a setback but a reminder, a harsh one, no doubt, but one that him and his Thunder teammates can tuck in their back pockets and pull out whenever the moment calls for it on this continued journey. But in the moments immediately following the Thunder’s 105-93 loss at San Antonio, the wound was still fresh, causing nearly every player to sit half dressed in their game attire long after the final buzzer. They lingered at their respective lockers. Some stared blankly into their cellphones, others into space. All made it known in their own subtle way that they preferred to be left alone, with thoughts that in all likelihood centered on what had just transpired. … Left unsaid but made abundantly clear on the court was the reminder of how troublesome these Spurs still are and will continue to be in the event the two teams do indeed meet in a playoff series for the second consecutive season.
• Jason Wolf of The News-Journal: New Eagles coach Chip Kelly visited with 76ers coach Doug Collins before the Sixers tipped off against Brooklyn on Monday. “It was nice to meet him,” Collins said. “It’ll be exciting to see the team he puts on the field. I know he’s very excited. So it was good to just be able to say hello and hopefully we’ll be able to get together once the season is over.” Collins developed a relationship with former Eagles coach Andy Reid, who led the Birds to five NFC Championship games and Super Bowl XXXIX before his 14-year tenure came to an end with last season’s 4-12 record. “The couple of years he had to go through ... were very tough, not only professionally but personally with the loss of his son and all. I think as coaches we’re all sort of kindred spirits,” Collins said. “We feel the pain of each other losing. That’s sort of the way it goes in this business.”
• Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News: Gerald Wallace sat at his locker following another disappointing performance, isolated in the room with his head down and his hands crossed. Wallace didn’t play the entire fourth quarter in a 106-97 defeat Monday night. He signed a four-year, $40 million contract last summer to become the team’s defensive stopper, and he was on the bench as Brooklyn’s defense faltered against the lowly Sixers. “I’m not talking,” he said. Whether it’s the nagging injuries or a sign that he’s breaking down, Wallace, 30, has often disappeared on the court since the end of January, a stretch where he has failed to score in double-digits in 29 of his last 34 appearances. P.J. Carlesimo said he didn’t play Wallace in the fourth quarter — preferring to go with Reggie Evans and Keith Bogans — because “we just put the guys out there that gave us the best chance to win.”
• Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune: The Jazz applied a tourniquet more than cured the disease, but their 103-90 victory over the slumping Detroit Pistons on Monday night was still a welcome relief. Mo Williams scored 20 points, Al Jefferson added 16 and Utah’s bench contributed big-time as the Jazz snapped a four-game losing streak at EnergySolutions Arena. For a moment, coach Tyrone Corbin and his team could forget last week’s nightmarish road trip, during which Utah lost three games in the final seconds before a blowout defeat in New York. For a moment, the Jazz could look ahead to the final 18 games of the regular season with a hint of optimism instead of head-shaking frustration. Yes, Utah handed lottery-bound Detroit its eighth loss in the last nine games. Yes, the Pistons aren’t the caliber of the teams Utah will have to beat over the next month to reach the Western Conference playoffs. But the Jazz won and, for the first time in 10 days, no team in the playoff race with them gained ground. Not the Lakers. Not Golden State. Not Houston.
• Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News: If given the benefit of hindsight and knowing the reaction that would come from the outside world, most would take a step back as DeAndre Jordan launched his 7-foot frame near the rim for a thunderous dunk, especially if you're eight inches shorter. But Brandon Knight? Nah. He'd go after Jordan again because in his mind and heart it was the right play. He took things personally. Not the reaction from the public, which used Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to make fun of Knight becoming a poster, but of the Los Angeles Clippers clowning the Pistons on Sunday night without much resistance. "When I step on the court, I don't take people dunking six, seven or eight times and not attempting to stop it. It's personal to me," said Knight with crutches under his arms after sustaining a "severe" ankle injury in the first quarter of Monday's 103-90 loss to the Utah Jazz. "Where I'm from and where I grew up, you just don't let that happen." He wasn't dejected or upset about the turn of events; Knight was merely thankful his left ankle wasn't broken and genuinely laughed about the situation.
• Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle: Led by a tenacious defensive effort by Klay Thompson on Carmelo Anthony, the Warriors limited New York to 27.4 percent field-goal shooting. The Warriors hadn't held an opponent to 63 points or fewer since the Philadelphia Warriors did it to the Milwaukee Hawks in 1953, before the NBA had a 24-second clock, and they hadn't yielded a sub-30-percent shooting night since Washington clanked up a 26.9-percent performance in 1975. "I don't know how many teams in history have nights like that," Jackson said. "I think it's closer to who we truly are, and it's a great way to stop the bleeding." The Warriors had allowed 106.8 points per game on 46 percent field-goal shooting and 39.4 percent three-point shooting during their 17-game swoon, falling seven games back of fifth-place Denver. But on a night when the trio of Thompson, Stephen Curry and David Lee outscored the entire Knicks squad, the Warriors found themselves still leading seventh-place Houston by 1 1/2 games and the eighth-place teams, the Lakers and Utah, by 2 1/2 games.
• Al Iannazzone of Newsday: Mike Woodson said the Knicks don't plan to waive Rasheed Wallace to add another healthy big man, but he wouldn't rule out making a move. Wallace (foot surgery) and Amar'e Stoudemire, who had his right knee scoped yesterday, are lost for at least the regular season. Woodson said he will talk to general manager Glen Grunwald after this five-game trip "and start assessing" their options. "I think we have until the latter part of March to make some decisions," Woodson said. To add someone, the Knicks would have to subtract someone. It doesn't make sense to cut a healthy body. But Woodson was adamant that it won't be Wallace, who is on this trip. "I never made that statement about waiving Rasheed," he said. "Rasheed still has a chance to bounce back. As we go up this road, we've just got to wait and see -- are these guys able to come back for us?" This means a bigger role for Kenyon Martin.