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Phoenix guard Kendall Marshall might have the NBA's best Twitter game, as we discussed with him on TrueHoop TV last week. In the second of two episodes we get the back story behind @KButter5 tweets like "So apparently yelling 'GET A BUCKET' is frowned upon at an 8th grade girls lacrosse game. My bad."

At what age do you tell a highway it was adopted?

— Kendall Marshall (@KButter5) February 25, 2013

Suns guard Kendall Marshall has a fine Twitter game. On TrueHoop TV, he joins us as we celebrate the best of his social media work. The first of two episodes. The second is here.

• Tony Bizjak, Dale Kasler and Ryan Lillis of The Sacramento Bee: The uncertainty over the future of the Sacramento Kings will linger at least into next week. Just as Mayor Kevin Johnson announced on Tuesday that a local investor group was finally ready to present its formal bid to buy the team, league officials in New York revealed they have scrubbed plans to vote this week on a competing offer to move the team to Seattle. An NBA spokesman declined to offer a reason. League Commissioner David Stern two weeks ago said a postponement was possible due to what he called the complicated and unprecedented situation the league faces. The NBA has never before had to decide between two cities competing hard and well for the same team, Stern said. Both have well-financed groups eager to buy the team from the Maloof family, the team's current owner, and both cities assure the NBA they can build gleaming state-of-the art arenas in the next few years.
• Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times: Having Chauncey Billups back in the starting lineup for the Clippers on Tuesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers meant a lot to the team in many ways. Billups brings the Clippers championship experience. He won a title with the Detroit Pistons over the Lakers in 2004, when Billups was named the Finals most valuable player. "He's a little bit older now," Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro said about the 36-year-old Billups. "He's missed most of last season and a lot of this season, so that's not as easy to do. We still expect a lot from him with his leadership. He can make shots, obviously. He's another guy that can make plays." Billups had missed the last eight games with a strained right groin. He has played in just 21 games this season and is expected to play in a back-to-back game Wednesday night in Sacramento. Del Negro said the plan is to play Billups about 20 minutes per game.
• Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald: The photo, like so many others from Monday’s explosions, had gone viral. A young woman, her body mostly obscured by a distraught man and an EMT, lay face down on the blood-splattered Boylston Street sidewalk. Avery Bradley spotted the photo online and immediately posted it to his Twitter account with a simple hashtag — #sad. “It just caught my eye,” the Celtics guard said before yesterday’s practice. “All I could think was that this is crazy, to think that people go to an event like this to run. That’s what they train for all year. And for people to lose arms and legs, that’s just crazy.” So Bradley did what so many others could only do. He asked for help from a greater power. “All you can do is pray for their families. I definitely did yesterday,” he said. “I feel bad, and if there’s any way I can help, I will want to help. . . . It could happen anywhere. But to see it happen there or anywhere at all is just crazy.” The Celtics took the practice floor in a relieved state yesterday, most glad last night’s game against Indiana was canceled.
• Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News: With a $100 million payroll, four future Hall of Famers and a storied championship history, it's come to this. The Lakers' season finale Wednesdaytonight against the Houston Rockets could decide whether they perhaps salvage an otherwise disastrous season or miss the playoffs for only the third time in the team's history. Few would have guessed this scenario. Plenty envisioned the Lakers waltzing into the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. Many wondered if anyone could stop a star-studded lineup that featured Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol. Never shy to boast, Lakers forward Metta World Peace predicted the team would surpass the NBA's regular-season record (72-10) set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls team. "I thought we'd be at a different point right now," World Peace said. "But that's all right." Instead, the Lakers (44-37) enter Wednesdaytonight's game against the Houston Rockets (45-36) at Staples Center with a possible must-win situation. The Lakers are a pure lock for the playoffs if they win, earning a seventh seed and playing the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. A Lakers' loss coupled with a Utah loss against Memphis would leave the Lakers in the eighth spot against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
• Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune: Wishing and hoping and thinking and — oh, right — playing. With apologies to Dusty Springfield, nothing else remains for the Utah Jazz. Their season may conclude with a loss to the Grizzlies here Wednesday, it may end with a Lakers win over the Houston Rockets in Los Angeles or it may be extended into a most unlikely postseason. If the Jazz can beat the Grizzlies at FedEx Forum, they will turn into Rockets fans, hoping Houston, trying to avoid falling into the eighth seed, can beat the Lakers in a game that fittingly, cruelly, doesn’t begin until after the Jazz and Grizzlies end on national TV. The Jazz, who won the season series against L.A., would be even with the Lakers and into the playoffs. "I guess I need to try to get in touch with Kevin McHale," Al Jefferson said of his former Minnesota coach, now with the Rockets, "and tell him to handle that for me. Give me a late birthday present."
• Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: As another Toronto Raptors season crawls to its conclusion, a franchise teetering on irrelevance has a series of enormous decisions to make. There may not be any one right answer for Tom Anselmi and the board of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, but there is almost certainly a wrong one. The decisions, as they seemingly do at the end of every Raptors season, revolve around the general manager, Bryan Colangelo, and the coach, Dwane Casey. Colangelo has an option year remaining on his contract. Casey has one year left on his deal. And the team is forever paddling in circles, creating the occasional wave, but ending up nowhere in the end. The decision for Anselmi and the board isn’t in any way obvious, with the largest issue being the relationship between Colangelo and Casey. Colangelo did his best to distance himself from his coach early in the season and there has been all kind of internal speculation that the two can’t possibly work together again. That determination may wind up saving his job or costing him the position.
• Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The Hawks had a chance to control their playoff seed. Not anymore. A poor effort against the Raptors, one in which the Hawks went to their bench early and often, resulted in a 113-96 loss Tuesday night in a nationally televised game at Philips Arena. The Hawks played without Al Horford and just a half with Josh Smith in a game they trailed by as many as 23 points. Smith played 13 minutes and received treatment on his knees at the intermission. He banged a knee in the first half and did not immediately come back to the bench after halftime but later returned with both knees wrapped in ice. Regulars Jeff Teague (19 minutes), Kyle Korver (18) and Devin Harris (17) played less than a half. … The Hawks can clinch the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, and a first-round playoff against the Nets, with a victory at the Knicks and a Bulls loss at home against the Wizards Wednesday. The Bulls will claim the fifth spot with a victory or if both teams lose Wednesday. The Hawks would finish sixth and get a first-round matchup with the Pacers. The Hawks have split the season series with both the Nets and Pacers this season.
• John Rohde of The Oklahoman: Thunder three-time All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook has never missed a game in the NBA and has the league's longest active streak at 393 consecutive games played. OKC (60-21) closes out the regular season at 7 p.m. Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks (37-44) at Chesapeake Energy Arena, but Thunder coach Scott Brooks wouldn't share his starting lineup after Tuesday's practice. Westbrook playfully was asked if there would be a fist fight if Brooks asked him to sit out the finale. “No, no, no. There won't be a fist fight,” Westbrook said with a smile, “but he won't ask me (to do) that.”
• Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News: With all the twists and turns during the 2012-13 regular season, it was only fitting that the Spurs gave us one more on Tuesday, signing Tracy McGrady to fill to roster vacated after the unceremonious whacking of Stephen Jackson. It is the seventh NBA stop for the former franchise player, and eighth as a professional including his recent stint in the Chinese league. He dominated with Qingdao Double Star Eagles, averaging 25 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists — the type of numbers he put up as a seven-time All-Star before injuries sapped his athleticism. McGrady won’t find it nearly so easy back in the NBA, where he averaged 5.3 points last season with Atlanta. There’s some speculation that McGrady’s addition had been the end goal all along. But at this point, the most likely explanation is probably the simplest: The Spurs excised what they viewed to be a cancer, and they needed a warm body to help pick up the slack on a Spurs bench that suddenly isn’t so deep. That means chewing up whatever time is available behind starting small forward Kawhi Leonard. And from what Gregg Popovich has said recently, there won’t be much. Leonard, he said, could earn up to 40 minutes a night, leaving precious little for a floor-bound ex-star.
• K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: Keeping Noah and Gibson healthy is critical during the postseason. The Bulls took Tuesday off, and both players continued treatment on their respective lingering injuries, plantar fasciitis for Noah and a sprained MCL for Gibson. Coach Tom Thibodeau said "it's a possibility" the players will be on minutes limits to start the playoffs, which affects his rotation. "You don't know what the minutes are going to be, so that's another huge factor," Thibodeau said. "We have to get that sorted out in a very short amount of time. "The question is: Are we going to be sharp? You're talking about playoff basketball, where the intensity level is very high and it's the same opponent over and over. Most of the time, games are decided by one or two possessions. So how you matchup with people is critical. A bad matchup for a minute in the playoffs, that's 10 points. We have to be right and ready."
• Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News: O.J. Mayo owes an apology to his teammates in general and Vince Carter in particular. In the least, Mayo owes them maximum effort in Wednesday’s season finale against New Orleans. Why Mayo, in coach Rick Carlisle’s opinion, “didn’t compete” during his 28 minutes on the court against Memphis on Monday, is the latest baffler in Mayo’s mystifying late-season swoon. In fact, Mayo’s lack of production and Carlisle’s now-obvious frustration level seemingly increase the likelihood that Wednesday’s game will be his last in a Mavericks uniform. Of course, this could be the finale for some or all of the nine Mavericks who are in the final year of their contract or, as in Mayo’s case, have optional deals for 2013-14. Mayo holds his option, meaning it’s up to him whether to stay at a $4.2 million salary or declare for free agency.
• Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic: Luis Scola and Goran Dragic were asked whether they would recommend interim head coach Lindsey Hunter returning next season. Both players punted the topic. “That’s a tough question,” Dragic said. “ ... I’m here to play basketball. It’s not my decision to make.” Dragic did say he liked Hunter’s approach to practice. “Alvin (Gentry) was a great coach for the veteran players; he knows when to give them a day off, but for our team we have a young team and we really need to practice hard every day,” Dragic said. “When he (Hunter) took over the team I think we maybe had one or two days off. I think it should be like that.” Scola said he thought Hunter did “a great job. Circumstances were bad and he did as good as he could. But I don’t make those decisions. I’m just a player.” Would a third coach in less than a year be unsettling for the team? “I think it would be a sign of things being bad,” Scola said. “But things are bad.” Suns owner Robert Sarver declined comment when asked about Hunter’s future, and Hunter said no time has been set for a postseason meeting with either General Manager Lance Blanks or President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby.
• David Mayo of MLive.com: One day after Pistons owner Tom Gores bluntly said he wasn't satisfied with on-court performance -- Gores also praised basketball operations, which supports the notion that team president Joe Dumars' job is safe -- Frank said he and his coaching staff want another year to right the ship. Frank noted that the Pistons are ahead of schedule in terms of their financial flexibility this summer because of the Ben Gordon and Tayshaun Prince salary-purging trades within the last year, and said he wants to remain head coach of a franchise in "prime position" to make major moves. "Obviously, you want to be a part of it, because that's why you went through the bleeding," Frank said. "I know, without a doubt, we all want to be back. But at the same time, that's not our decision. "But do I want to be back? Of course, because this is what you signed up for. You want to be part of reshaping the franchise and getting it back to where it was.
• Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: With a 20-61 record entering the season finale against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Bobcats might end up with the NBA’s worst record for a second straight season. Charlotte will have a high draft pick and as much as $21 million in room under the salary cap this summer. Owner Michael Jordan and the front office face some big decisions between now and the start of training camp in October. Do they bring back the coaching staff? Which of their free agents do they re-sign? Do they cut ties with power forward Tyrus Thomas? Even what should they call themselves going forward? Coach Mike Dunlap: Winning one out of every four games isn’t the ideal NBA coaching debut, but the Bobcats’ record is about what was predicted at the season’s outset. When Jordan was asked at a season-ticketholder event about Dunlap, the owner said all his major employees’ performances would be reviewed after the season. To Dunlap’s credit, he’s had an impact in player development, the priority he was given when hired. Kemba Walker, Gerald Henderson and Byron Mullens all improved. But Dunlap has had some rocky moments in his interaction with players, particularly veterans.
• Tery Pluto of The Plain Dealer: Kyrie Irving can be great. That's right, the Cavaliers point guard can be great. But he's not there. Not yet. Great players defend. Great players help their team win. Great players find a way to stay on the court for most games. It will be up to Byron Scott or whomever coaches the Cavs to deliver that message next season. At times, Scott has tried. He has pulled Irving from games for a lack of defense. He has talked about Irving's disdain for defense. He consistently compares Irving to Chris Paul, adding that Paul is superior defensively. It's no secret that Irving is a soft defender. That's true of many young players, who believe all that matters is the points next to their name in the box score. The fact the team has yet to come close to the playoffs with him should point out that Irving still has a lot of work to do. … There are times when rolls his eyes or shakes his head in disgust when a teammate makes a poor play. It's kid stuff, but he should know better. None of this is to say Irving is a bad guy or a lousy teammate. But he has some maturing to do, and the Cavs must demand that he do it.
• Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune: Timberwolves forward Chase Budinger wants to return to the team next season if an agreement can be reached this summer, but as with any contractual agreement, there’s a bit of fine print. That is, if Rick Adelman returns to coach. Adelman is the reason the Wolves traded the 18th overall pick in last summer’s draft to Houston, where Adelman coached Budinger for three seasons before the pair was reunited in Minnesota. He’s also the reason a California kid wants to remain on the frozen tundra when he becomes an unrestricted free agent free to sign with any team this summer. “I would like to come back,” he said. “I like the organization. I like the staff. I love Adelman.” He saved the most important part for last there. “That’s a big part of it,” he said about the coach who taught a second-round draft pick in 2009 the NBA game. “Our relationship, he knows how I play. I work well in his system. It’s [Adelman’s decision] going to weigh big.”

• 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: These days — on the nights he plays — he waits out warmups on the midcourt line, intensely staring at the floor. Over the past few weeks, however, four of his teammates have resurrected his ritual, tossing the powder together as they gather underneath. “I think it was mostly J.J.,” Ray Allen said of James Jones. “We just started doing it,” Jones said, also referring to Mike Miller and Rashard Lewis. “I had never used it. Nothing special.” “It’s part of the routine now,” Lewis said. And there’s one part that never fails to make Lewis laugh. “Let me tell you the funniest thing,” Lewis said. “Before we do the powder toss, watch Ray and Mike. They run into the ref every time. Watch ‘em. Just watch ‘em.” Allen smiled when told of Lewis’s suggestion. “We set it up,” Allen said. “First, it started where Mike will shoot the little sticky tape over the thing, so then I started trying to block it.” Allen found that, as he did this, an official was always in the way. “So now he tries to fade away to where I go into the official,” Allen said. “We always find one to bump into. One official, he stepped in, and he was like, ‘Charge!’”
• Tim Bontemps of the New York Post: Deron Williams looks ready for the playoffs to start. Williams was spectacular against the Celtics last night, finishing with 29 points and 12 assists as the Nets came away with a 101-93 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 18,624 inside TD Garden. With the win, the Nets moved closer to wrapping up fourth place in the Eastern Conference and clinching homecourt advantage in the first round. They own a 3 '/‚ -game edge over idle Chicago with four games left to play in the regular season. … The reason the Nets (46-32) were able to get the win, more than anything, was the continued excellence of their star point guard. Williams was sensational from start to finish, slicing and dicing his way through Boston’s typically stingy defense with ease. Williams even was able to make Avery Bradley, one of the league’s elite on-ball defenders, look silly. Bradley, Boston’s starting point guard, managed to play just 10 minutes after Williams saddled him with four fouls, and none of Bradley’s teammates fared much better. It’s the kind of virtuoso performance the Nets have come to expect from Williams in recent weeks, as he continued his dramatic resurgence since the All-Star break. Williams came into last night’s game averaging 22.5 points and 7.8 assists a night.
• Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News: Worse, there was speculation their best two players - Blake Griffin and Chris Paul - were at odds. And Paul and Griffin both sensed it, which is why they decided to sit down and talk to each other. The gist of the conversation being the Clippers fate rested on their shoulders, and that their actions from that point on would set the tone for the entire team. "We talked about how we always need to be on the same page. We always need to be communicating," Griffin said. "Even if we might not have a good offensive game we can still contribute defensively and by passing the ball and in how we talk and how we lead during timeouts. Things like that, we can always do well. We always have control over those things." Paul agreed. "It definitely starts with me and Blake," Paul said "On the offensive end and the defensive end. When me and him are on the same page everyone else has no choice but to fall in line. Me and Blake realize we have to bring the energy every night and everyone else will feed off on it." The Clippers have won three straight games since the meeting, their defense picking up and their offense playing smoother and at a more up tempo pace in the process.
• Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News: The Lakers' 113-106 victory Wednesday over the Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden cemented a one-game edge over the Utah Jazz (41-38) for the Western Conference's eighth playoff spot with three games remaining. The Lakers also swept their first back-to-back set this season after 15 unsuccessful attempts despite playing in a venue where they have gone 5-17 since 2002. It all started with Bryant scoring 47 points on 14 of 26 shooting in 48 minutes, an output that eclipsed the Rose Garden record held by LeBron James. "He's just determined to get us into the playoffs," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said. "That's what happens when you open your mouth and guarantee we'll get in the playoffs. Now he's got to do it." Bryant became the first player in NBA history to record 47 points, eight rebounds, five assists, four blocks and three steals in a game. … Bryant converted on two free throws, thanks to a clear-path foul from Lillard. Bryant then followed that up with a 23-foot jumper that put the Lakers up 106-100 with 4:09 left. Once Bryant stepped to the free throw line with 28.2 seconds remaining, Lakers fans drowned out the Rose Garden with "MVP" chants. "That's very unexpected, particularly in this building considering all the history that we have," Bryant said. "But I appreciate it especially at this stage of this career."
• Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: Milwaukee's Larry Sanders blocks a lot of shots. And what came in the mail Wednesday? Larry Sanders blocks. See, the Bucks made wooden children's blocks that spell out LARRY SANDERS on one side and DEFENSIVE POY on another. Adorable. NBA teams like to send out these cutesy things to get award voters to consider their candidates. Nice gesture, but I believe the Nuggets' Andre Iguodala is the league's defensive player of the year — based on statistics, advanced statistics and the old-fashioned eye test. But it would be hard for the Nuggets to do something with "Andre Iguodala," short of sending out "dala" bills. That would be creative, though unethical. (That being said, my crowning achievement this season was the creation of the Iguodala nickname, in the spirit of a particular Wu Tang Clan song: "Andre Cash Rules Everything Around Me C.R.E.A.M. Get The Money Iguodala Dala Bills Yall.") The last time a perimeter player was the NBA defensive player of the year, Iguodala wasn't even in the league. That year, the former Ron Artest won the award. And since then, there has been a litany of big-man shot blockers, be it Ben Wallace, Marcus Camby or Dwight Howard. Could this be the season the trend shifts? Well, this should be the season the trend shifts. Iguodala has transformed Denver's defense, and for all players with at least 100 possessions, he has the fifth-best points allowed per possession in one-on-one scenarios, according to Synergy Sports.
• Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The Hawks got the energy — and the result — they needed. A day after a meeting between coach Larry Drew and three team leaders, the Hawks snapped a three-game losing with an impressive effort. Josh Smith, Al Horford and Jeff Teague, the addressees, combined for 77 points in a 124-101 victory over the 76ers on Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center. “That is where this whole game began,” Drew said. “… The way we played against this team the last time we played them I thought was just a total embarrassment from an energy standpoint. The point I made to all of those guys are they are the guys we fuel off of. They can’t come out lethargic. They can’t come out just going through the motions. They have to come out on top of their games, particularly with their energy. That is where everything begins.” … Drew wrote two words on the white board in the team locker room before the game. Energy. Purpose. “Forget about our coverages,” Drew said. “Forget about our matchups. Forget all that. If we bring those two things, we’ll put ourselves in good position.”
• Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: A creature of habit who lives by a day-planner, J.J. Redick didn't want anything to throw him in his return Wednesday night. "I need to be in the moment," he said. But Redick was caught off guard, learning only 90 minutes before the game that the Magic had prepared a video tribute in his honor. It was a classy gesture by the club and fans rose to give J.J. a standing ovation midway through the first period. Hmmm, don't remember the Magic showing a single Dwight Howard highlight when he came back a few weeks ago. Probably just an oversight. A fan held a sign that read, "Thank You J.J. We miss you." Redick teared up and waved to the crowd, his coolness having melted away. There was a shot of Redick's wife, Chelsea, on the Jumbotron, wiping her eyes, retouching her makeup. A nice, bittersweet moment of a forgettable season, a season of rebuilding and reunions. No need for anybody to shed any tears for Redick, though. J.J. is fine. He hated to leave Orlando, have his routine broken, his comfort zone detonated. But after the initial shock waves wear off and the annoying change of address forms are filled out, players adjust. J.J.'s adjustment has just included playing with a few ball hogs and waiting for Lake Michigan to thaw so he and Chelsea could take a walk around a park in Milwaukee. This is merely the business of the NBA, but a loud, unnerving wake-up call for guys like J.J. who are moved for the first time.
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: The Suns’ youth movement has frequently included a pair of 30-somethings. Luis Scola, who turns 33 in 19 days, returned to the starting lineup for the past 10 games, including a 38-minute outing Tuesday night at Houston. Jermaine O’Neal, 34, entered Wednesday night having taken at least 10 shots in his previous four games off the bench. In Tuesday’s loss at Houston, O’Neal and Scola closed the game on the floor together as they often have. The potential game-winning play was drawn up for O’Neal, who got it blocked, setting up Scola for a potential winner that he missed. “We kind of just go with the guys who are playing well,” Suns interim head coach Lindsey Hunter said. “Our young guys contributed really well throughout the game. Whoever’s playing well, you let them play. They root for each other.” Hunter said that he has felt the Suns needed O’Neal and Scola in the games at times for their steadying veteran influence, particularly on offense to bail the team out of extended ruts. “That’s important because you don’t want them to get in a situation where they’re trying to carry too much,” Hunter said. “You want them to learn and have as many positive things to build off than negative.” Scola and Markieff Morris are the only Suns to appear in every game this season.
• Vincent Goodwill of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Each time he was intentionally fouled, Andre Drummond calmly stepped to the free-throw line, ignoring Cavaliers coach Byron Scott's intimation he couldn't make free throws and the raucous Cleveland crowd jeering at him. Drummond, a 34 percent free-throw shooter, merely went about his business in his career-best night, and the strategy wound up working against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who fouled Drummond one time too many, leading to a 111-104 Pistons win at Quicken Loans Arena. Drummond finished with 29 points and 11 rebounds in 34 minutes, the best night of his young NBA career. Drummond was intentionally fouled seven times between the 5:20 and two-minute mark, when it's well within the NBA rules to send bad free-throw shooters to the line. He split each time except for the last trip, when he made both. Most players take the move as disrespect, but the 19-year old Drummond playfully looked at it as an opportunity to pad his stats, which is why he didn't flinch when Cavaliers players told him, "I'm about to foul you." "It gives me more points, puts us in the lead," said Drummond. "At first I tried to avoid it but there's no point because they're gonna see the fear. What are you going to run for? I tried to build confidence and that's what I did today."
• Tony Bizjak, Ryan Lillis and Dale Kasler of The Sacramento Bee: The Maloof family has given Sacramento an ultimatum: Come up with a solid bid to purchase the Kings by 5 p.m. Friday, or we won't even entertain your overtures. A source close to those negotiations told The Bee on Wednesday that the Maloofs have given the ultra-wealthy investors seeking to keep the team in Sacramento two more days to submit a written, binding "backup" offer that matches the deal the family has in place to sell the franchise to a group in Seattle. If the Maloofs receive a matching offer by the end of business Friday, they will consider it as a serious backup proposal should the NBA nullify their tentative deal with Seattle, the source said. If the offer doesn't arrive in time – or falls short of matching the Seattle bid – the Maloofs said they wouldn't negotiate with the Sacramento group. The source, who was not authorized to speak about the deal, said the NBA a few weeks ago forwarded a "statement of interest" in buying the team to the Maloofs from Sacramento-based investors. … State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, said in an interview Wednesday that the Sacramento offer is "strong and fully competitive." "I don't want to get too precise here, but it is as strong as the Seattle offer," said Steinberg, who took part in Sacramento's presentation to the NBA in New York. "It is equivalent to the Seattle offer." Steinberg declined to reveal the value of the Sacramento offer.
• Hillel Kuttler of The New York Times: For the eclectic Stoudemire, who has also written children’s books and is the subject of a documentary that will have its premiere April 19 on EPIX, the coaching role is new, but the destination will not be. He visited Israel in 2010, shortly after signing a free-agent contract with the Knicks. That trip, he said then, was spiritual in nature. The coming visit promises to be uplifting, too, especially ifCanada earns the gold medal, something it last accomplished in 1997. Canada has scored a coup just by getting a star of Stoudemire’s magnitude to Israel, notably a star who professed in his previous trip that he believed he might be part Jewish. That Stoudemire is coaching rather than playing does not disappoint the Canadian organizers, who see his involvement as spurring interest in their team and in the international Maccabi sports movement. “It was a bit of a dream scenario to reach out to Amar’e because of his discovering his Jewish roots and his playing basketball,” Alex Brainis, the head of Maccabi Canada’s delegation, said. “We figured that if he said yes, this would be a big recruiting tool.” When offered the post, “Amar’e was nothing but enthusiastic,” Brainis said. Stoudemire, who is recovering from knee surgery and may be able to return to the Knicks in the first round of the N.B.A. playoffs, will be one of the most recognizable faces at the Maccabiah, as the event is known.

Jamal Crawford has scored 40 points or more eight times in his career. In a little TrueHoop TV game show, Kevin Arnovitz resolved to test Crawford's memory of those games -- Crawford came up with eight answers, and a nice little Michael Jordan anecdote to boot.  

• NBA hopefuls, and LaMarcus Aldridge, take note: An above average NBA 3-point shooter is far more valuable to his team than an above average 2-point shooter. Ian Levy writes for Hardwood Paroxysm about how we are funny in how we perceive 3s: "Corey Brewer is routinely lambasted for being such a willing and inaccurate 3-point shooter. But while his 3.7 three-point attempts per game generate 1.3 negative blog posts per week, rarely is Joe Johnson criticized for the 9.5 2-point shots he attempts each game, even though they generate essentially the same number of points per shot."
• Magic Johnson tells the tale of his son coming out of the closet.
• The inspiring tale of Ray King, playing for North Carolina Central despite cancer, bathing in bleach every night to ward off staph infections.
• Is the Rockets re-build -- keep a bunch of cap space around for a star who'll come somehow or other -- a road map for post-Josh Smith Hawks?
• Mark Jackson's "next level boldness" has the power to rearrange your thinking.
• Watch for "Millionaire Mama's Boy," a reality show starring JaVale McGee. Not kidding.
• The many ways Carmelo Anthony can kill you.
• Does Manu Ginobili remember the moment he was drafted? He does not, because he wasn't there, nor watching, because he didn't even know it was draft night. He had to be woken up.
• To recover faster from concussion, doctors told Nikola Vucevic not to read, watch TV or text. So what did he do?
• Jim Cavan for The New York Times on the Wizards' freakish recent defense: "Over the last 42 games, the Wizards are third in defensive efficiency (98.6), fourth in opponent field-goal percentage (43.3 percent), second in opponent 3-point percentage (33.1 percent) and second in defensive rebounding percentage (75.6 percent)."
• The sports fans perennial task: to imagine what a player might be.
• Kobe Bryant's off-ball defense really perked up against the Mavericks.
• Things have gone badly for the Suns. But does that mean a change is in order? Suns bloggers chew on Lon Babby's extension.
• LeBron's best game.
• The restaurant that thrives in the building owned by the Players Association, which has offices upstairs.
• Lawrence Frank, candidate to coach Rutgers?
• Not into Jay-Z: A.J. Price.

• John Canzano of The Oregonian: When that awful video footage went public, showing the Rutgers men's basketball coach throwing balls at his players in practice, verbally abusing them, shoving them and assaulting them with gay slurs, I did the oddest thing. When I read or heard people declare, "Mike Rice must go," I quietly added "Jr." to it. If you're like me you were eager this week to separate the son -- Mike Rice Jr. -- from his father -- Mike Rice Sr. One is a deranged coach who deserved to be immediately terminated for his actions. The other is the Trail Blazers' television analyst, a guy insanely proud of his son. I have only three words to say to Mike Sr.: Hang in there. I sent them to him via text. I sent them through his broadcasting partner, Mike Barrett. I'll tell them to Rice's face when I see him next. Because even as the father and son share a name, and both coached, I can't think of a less enviable position anywhere in this than the father who raised a child who is now humiliated and ruined by his own doing.
• Harvery Araton of The New York Times: History is beckoning the Knicks these days, but which will be the more powerful calling, the individual measure of lasting greatness or the consummate joy of collective achievement? … It is no secret that collective achievement outweighs individual exploits on the most important scorecards, but that does not mean the heights King reached in the 1980s, or what Anthony did Tuesday night in Miami and on many other a night this season is not worthy of a starred archiving in the Knicks’ history book. But when the defensive intensity increases in the playoffs, the challenge for the Knicks will be to avoid deferring too much to Anthony, in the interest of finding and sustaining a delicate chemistry that would allow Anthony’s future Hall of Fame candidacy to evoke 1973-like memories of sharing, sacrifice and ultimate celebration. As LeBron James routinely proved last spring — and Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan before him — it can and has been done. Just not for four decades in New York, Monroe, Meminger & Co. will remind everyone Friday night.
• Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News: When the playoffs roll around, Deron Williams says he won’t need the high dosage pain killers that helped salvage his season. The point guard plans to ride this out cortisone-free. Having braced himself for continued ankle pain and a fourth round of shots just before the playoffs started, Deron Williams told the Daily News on Wednesday that his treatments in February were so successful that injections aren’t necessary prior to the postseason in late April. It’s a welcome development for Williams, who is aware of the longterm dangers of injecting too much cortisone – a hormone steroid which, used liberally as an anti-inflammatory, can weaken cartilage in the joints, leaving it susceptible to damage or ruptured tendons. Doctors typically recommend athletes don’t take more than four injections per year, and Williams is happy he doesn’t have to test the limits with a fourth round. “That’s a good thing,” said Williams, who indicated in February that he “probably” will receive injections before the playoffs.
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: Grant Hill has 27 appearances, a 3.2 scoring average, career-low 38 percent shooting and no regrets about joining the Los Angeles Clippers. Hill expected to return to Phoenix for a sixth Suns season when he stayed in the Valley to train last summer. The Suns made a one-year, minimum-salary offer of $1.35 million and the Clippers came with a two-year, $4 million one while Oklahoma City and Chicago also pursued him. Hill, 40, joined the Clippers, began the season on the inactive list after suffering a bone bruise to his right knee, the one which underwent two arthroscopies since 2011 in Phoenix, and did not play until Jan. 12. Hill likely will not make it to that second contract year and opt to retire this summer. “Strong chance,” Hill said. “I’m leaning toward it. I want to get to the end of the year and off-season and think about it but I’m pretty confident that’s where my mind is right now. I’ve enjoyed it.” Except for a brief 2008 experiment under then-Suns coach Terry Porter, Hill always had started in his career until this season, when he often is not in the 10-man rotation.
• Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: Seven hours before tipoff, an arena quiet, George Karl envisioned nighttime at EnergySolutions Arena — an ear-popping crowd where "the whistle gets wild and crazy against you," he said. Oh, and Utah had won five consecutive games, fighting for a playoff spot. As such, the Nuggets' coach suggested that Wednesday's game would either be close in the fourth, or a blowout — in favor of the home team. So what happened? Well, let's put it this way — Timofey Mozgov played. The Nuggets blew out the Jazz in Utah, 113-96, thanks to stat sheet-stuffing games from numerous players. "It's not very often that this building is empty by the end of the game," Karl said. It was bananas. Danilo Gallinari scored a team-high 21 points, including a huge 3 in the fourth. Kenneth Faried had 19 points and eight rebounds. Kosta Koufos gobbled up 13 rebounds in 24 minutes. And even Evan Fournier, again, made major impacts as the backup point guard, and took advantage of garbage time, finishing with 18 points.
• Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News: Spurs guard Gary Neal could not recall the last time he played as many as 30 minutes, and no wonder. Until logging 31:28 against Orlando on Wednesday night at the AT&T Center, Neal hadn’t topped 30 minutes of court time since Dec. 15, in the 25th game of the season. “I can’t remember that far back,” Neal said, “but I think it must have been when Kawhi (Leonard) and Jack (Stephen Jackson) were injured.” Indeed, Leonard and Jackson were on the injured list when Neal scored 20 points in a win over Boston. A long run on the court Wednesday produced Neal’s highest point total since that Dec. 15 game. He scored 16 on 6-for-14 shooting, including 4 for 8 on 3-pointers. “I felt good on the court,” the third-year guard from Towson said. “It’s coming back. I’ve just got to keep grinding at it, keep working, keep getting shots up and fight to get the rhythm for the playoffs. “Our goal is the playoffs. That’s what we’re playing for and trying to prepare for. I’m trying to be sharp for the playoffs so I can do my job, which is space the floor and make shots.”
• Ronald Tillery of The Commercial-Appeal: Lionel Hollins made it clear Wednesday night before the Grizzles’ 94-76 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers that this end-of-season drive presents a different set of circumstances. The Griz began a three-game road trip trying to keep pace with the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers for the third seed in the Western Conference playoff standings. So when the subject of rest came up, Hollins said he’d play it by ear and limit minutes depending on the flow of the game. “I just want us to be playing well,” Hollins said. “Everybody is talking about the playoffs, but we still have (regular-season) games to play. We’re playing to win.” The Grizzlies’ starters certainly came out as if they wanted to dominate and then rest. Memphis (51-24) was never seriously challenged as the Grizzlies set a franchise record for wins in a season by earning their 51st victory. Memphis also guaranteed it would finish this season with the best overall winning percentage in franchise history, surpassing the .621 mark set in 2011-12. The Griz will finish this season with a winning percentage no worse than .622.
• Marcus Thompson II of The Oakland Tribune: The Warriors have made a pact that everyone will grow beards until they clinch a playoff spot. No shaving. No trimming. "The worse it looks, the better it is for the team," David Lee said. From the looks of it, though, Andris Biedrins isn't on board. He looked cleanly shaven Wednesday. And the patch on rookie Harrison Barnes' chin looked well groomed. Jackson is even in on it. His shadow was turning into some rough real estate at practice, highlighted by some gray strands. But he had his facial mane neatened. There was talk about extended the beard pact through the playoffs. But Curry wasn't a fan of that idea. "This thing," he said at Wednesday's shootaround, scratching his grizzled neck. "I've already got lint all in it."
• Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald: The easy part for Brandon Bass always has been the scoring, and the Celtics forward didn’t disappoint with last night’s performance against the Pistons in a 98-93 win, scoring 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting. But defensive signal-caller is a new look, and sound, for him. “Hell, maybe the blessing is without Kevin (Garnett) we’ve removed the security blanket,” coach Doc Rivers said of the sudden need for Bass to expand his role. “And Brandon, he has to be the talker on defense now. “It’s great. He was upset at someone early in the game because they were in the wrong position, and I was thinking, ‘Wow, that’s really new. And that’s really nice.’ That’s good, so maybe it’s a blessing.” Bass acknowledged that in the Celts’ current injury vacuum, he has indeed experienced a growth spurt. “I’d rather play with Kevin being out there,” Bass said. “He’s like a big brother to my little brother. But when your big brother isn’t around, it’s time to step up and grow, basically. It gives me the opportunity to grow up and play the big brother role.”
• Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune: Let the Adelman talk commence. Wednesday’s victory in Milwaukee gave the Wolves their first winning streak since Dec. 15 and gave coach Rick Adelman his 999th career NBA victory. Friday’s game with Toronto will be the first crack at 1,000, something many of the players in the locker room were talking about. “Everybody is thinking about it,” center Nikola Pekovic said. “And I know we’ll all be honored to be a part of that.” J.J. Barea said the prospects looked good for getting Adelman his 1,000th this season, something that couldn’t be said a few weeks ago. But the Wolves are starting to play very well. They won their third straight road game for the first time this season and have won five of their last eight overall.
• Richard Walker of the Gaston Gazette: The Charlotte Bobcats will be in the NBA draft lottery for the eighth time in nine years after this season. But after a fifth win in six home games has them within two victories of 20 on the season, there’s little doubt Charlotte will at least be taking more momentum into this offseason that last. Wednesday’s 88-83 victory over Philadelphia continued the Bobcats’ recent strong play while also diminishing the 76ers’ flickering playoff hopes. “We were able to prove again that we’re very interested in the outcome coming down the backstretch,” said Charlotte coach Mike Dunlap, whose 18-57 team has won five of its last nine games overall. “Our guys are playing together. It was particularly a good night for us in terms of the character of the group of guys playing. Even the guys that didn’t get a lot of minutes played great.” As has been the case lately though, guards Kemba Walker and Gerald Henderson led the way.
• Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun: There are fewer things on a basketball court that can put a bigger smile on a coach who values defence the way Dwane Casey does than a thoroughly dominant defensive quarter. Turn that into a dominant defensive half and it’s that much better. For the first time in weeks (although it felt like quite a bit longer) the Raps enjoyed one of those halves on Wednesday night as they held Washington to just 28 points while piling up 49 of their own to put themselves in charge of a game they would go on to win 88-78. Casey has been tormented by the Raptors defensive retreat this season and has made re-establishing that defensive identity that they valued so much a year ago a priority over this final stretch of games.
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: After spending most of the last two seasons in the heart of the battle, from the near move to Anaheim through the handshake deal to remain in Sacramento and finally the Seattle-Sacramento tug of war to be decided by the Board of Governors meeting April 18 and 19, Garcia can’t begin to handicap how the competition will end. On Wednesday, the groups vying for the Kings — Steve Ballmer and Chris Hansen are seeking to buy them and move them to Seattle; Ron Burkle, Mark Mastrov and Vivek Ranadive are bidding to buy them and keep them in Sacramento — made the presentation to a Board of Governors sub-committee, which later will make its recommendation. Francisco Garcia could not help but feel empathy for the fans who supported the Kings so faithfully through much of his career. “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said. “One guy is saying this; another guy is saying that. I don’t know. I’d be sad (if the Kings leave Sacramento). It’s such a great city. They’re great fans. They’ve been supporting the team for a long time. “It’s great. It’s a great city. I have nothing but good things to say about Sacramento. I had a great eight years there.” He did return in time to get his first look at the infamous visitors’ locker room, having heard so much about it. “I was never in there,” Garcia said. “It’s pretty bad. I heard about it, but I was never in there.”

• Al Iannazzone of Newsday: Carmelo Anthony didn't have to deal with LeBron James on either end of the floor Tuesday night. It made his night much easier and infinitely more difficult for the Heat. Anthony shredded the Heat's defense and matched his career high with 50 points and led the Knicks to a 102-90 victory over the defending champs, who were without James and Dwyane Wade because of injuries. Late in the game, some Knicks fans at American Airlines Arena chanted "MVP" as Anthony attempted foul shots. He was the MVP this night as he carried the Knicks to their ninth straight win -- their longest since the 1993-94 season. … Anthony didn't do much wrong or miss many shots. Noted defender Shane Battier and Udonis Haslem could do nothing to stop Anthony. He finished 18-for-26 from the field, including 7-for-10 from three, and became the first Knick to score 50 since Jamal Crawford had 52 against Miami six years ago.
• Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald: The maintenance program has officially started. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers sat out Tuesday night’s game against the Knicks at AmericanAirlines Arena. It was the second game in a row the three starters have rested with minor injuries. James, Wade and Chalmers also did not play Sunday against the Spurs. Officially, James skipped the season finale with the Knicks due to “tightness” in his right hamstring, according to Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, and Wade was out of action due a variety of minor injuries. Chalmers missed his third game in a row due to a sprained ankle. “These are minor nicks and knacks that happen during the course of a season,” Spoelstra said. Of course, not every team in the league has the luxury of sitting its best players due to minor ailments this time of year. The Knicks, for example, hurried center Tyson Chandler back into the starting lineup for Tuesday’s game after missing 10 games with a bulging disk in his neck. The Knicks were a game behind the Pacers in the loss column for second place in the Eastern Conference standings entering Tuesday night.
• Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times: Shaquille O'Neal dominated the Staples Center court one more time Tuesday, in a halftime jersey retirement ceremony that perfectly mirrored his Lakers career. It was booming. It was poignant. It was funny. It had thousands of fans chanting and cheering. And Kobe Bryant appeared to blow him off. "Can ... you … dig … it?" asked O'Neal, repeating his trademark championship chant for a sellout Staples Center crowd that screamed its affirmation. Bryant apparently couldn't, as he chose to record only a brief video tribute that ran on the scoreboard at the start of the ceremony. It was as if he were in Russia instead of just 45 steps away in the locker room during halftime of the Lakers' eventual 101-81 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. "I would like to have been out there but I couldn't do it, this was just too big of a game," Bryant said afterward. "I had to stay back here [in the locker room] stretching and getting ready for the second half. Bryant laughed and added, "I appreciate you guys trying to start some stuff for old times' sake." Bryant briefly hugged O'Neal in the privacy of the tunnel at the halftime break before O'Neal took the court, but then the men parted ways, just as they did nine years ago to mark the end of one of the Lakers' championship eras. It's a shame Bryant couldn't have later walked those 45 steps and publicly congratulated O'Neal in front of the world, if only for a moment before returning to work. It was a long halftime. Together, as the best duo in basketball history, they won a lot of games. If Bryant is going to end his career as the face of the Lakers, then he needed to publicly, if briefly, represent them in this important connection with their history.
• Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News: If this was the end, and it had all the telltale signs, the Mavericks provided one more night of evidence that they simply are not playoff material this season. Mathematically, they remain alive. But after the Los Angeles Lakers controlled them all night for a 101-81 victory, the Mavericks must face the grim reality that their playoff hopes bit the dust at Staples Center. “We knew we were behind the 8-ball all season,” said Dirk Nowitzki. “This was a game we needed to have if we really wanted to make it interesting.” … The Mavericks lost the season series to the Lakers 3-1 and fell to 36-38, 2 ½ games behind the Lakers and Utah Jazz, who are tied for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. With only eight games left, passing both the Lakers and Jazz is virtually impossible. Dallas has already lost the tiebreaker against both teams. The postgame locker room was despondent, to say the least. The Mavericks now find themselves needing a miraculous finish.
• Mike Wise of The Washington Post: The best teams often compromise the integrity of the product to rest and protect their players with the express reason of being fresh for the postseason — see San Antonio and Miami. The worst teams sometimes don’t play their stars simply because they don’t want to miss out on the possibility of moving one slot ahead of another team in the draft for a significantly better player. Wittman and the Wizards could get away with sitting Nene or Wall the next two weeks. Lord knows the organization, headed for the lottery for the fifth straight time, has not always done what’s right for the game the past five seasons. But finishing the job, making the league and themselves believe they have something here much better than 4-28, became important. Did they cost themselves a better player the last few months? Probably, but that’s okay. The last thing the Wizards needed was another 20-something, doe-eyed kid trying to figure his game and his new environment out at the same time. They need a piece or two to be a playoff team next season. One of those pieces became showing purpose and passion this season, right up until Game No. 82. Going all out for ninth place doesn’t sound very noble, does it? But from whence the Wizards came this season, it’s a building block for next year. After all the wrong, it’s doing the right by the game. And in the dog days of another lost season that’s something, no?
• K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: With just nine games remaining, the Bulls are being conservative with Joakim Noah, whose plantar fasciitis sidelined him for the sixth straight game, andMarco Belinelli, out for the fifth straight time. "They both have the type of injury where you don't want it to linger," coach Tom Thibodeau said. Belinelli, who has an abdominal strain, said he felt pain Monday when he tried to increase running. "This injury is the worst," he said. "You can play like five minutes and it can be worse than before. At least it's better than last week." The goal is to get them in game conditioning and rhythm before the playoffs start. Richard Hamilton and Derrick Rose remain out indefinitely.
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: With his contract set to expire at the end of June, Lon Babby agreed to a two-year contract extension to remain at the helm of the Suns in what was an unconventional NBA front office format when he was hired in 2010. Babby, 62, tabbed Lance Blanks, who has one contract year remaining, to be his general manager and basketball expert while Babby was charged with remaining competitive for Steve Nash’s final two years and then transitioning to a new era this season. “I’ve had a wonderful career and I view this was a wonderful opportunity,” Babby said. “I knew it was an extraordinary challenge. Not every day is simple. It can be painful and difficult. I didn’t want to leave it at this stage. I may be like Moses. I’m on a journey to get to the promised land of a championship. I didn’t want to leave at the start of the walk through the desert. “... We’ve done a lot of heavy lifting. It doesn’t feel right to leave if Robert and the organization have faith in me when I feel like we’re about to start the climb up the mountain.” The Suns have gone 96-126 (.422) during Babby’s tenure. With the franchise’s second worst record ever this year, the Suns will miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season for the first time since 1986-88.
• Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times: By last fall, there were whispers Michael Heisley, who had decided to sell the Memphis Grizzlies, had more than a passing interest in joining forces with Kohl. Some NBA officials and insiders even contended Heisley would be part of the Bucks’ ownership group sooner rather than later, perhaps even this season. The scenario painted by some individuals was that Heisley intended on first becoming a Bucks minority owner with Kohl still in charge. Then, after approximately three years, Heisley would have the option of becoming the majority owner. According to some people close to Heisley and Kohl, though, the latter got cold feet and balked at the idea of relinquishing his franchise, just like he did in the summer of 2003 when it appeared he was on the brink of selling the Bucks to a consortium headed by Michael Jordan. Kohl, who purchased the Bucks in 1985 from Jim Fitzgerald for approximately $19 million, is apparently still receptive to bringing on an additional business partner. The possibility of the 76-year-old Heisley re-entering the Bucks’ picture is highly unlikely. Heisley suffered a debilitating stroke in February and remains in a Chicago-area hospital. I’ve been told he’s been in a coma for more than a month and the prospects of a recovery are extremely bleak.
• Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times In a Manhattan hotel on Wednesday, the months-long battle over the fate of the Sacramento Kings will turn into a daylong debate. It looms as the most critical date yet in this saga. Representatives of a Seattle group hoping to buy the Kings and move them to Seattle and a Sacramento contingent attempting to keep the team there will take turns making their cases to a combined NBA relocation and finance committee. Each side will present its plan, and likely poke holes in the other city's efforts. The relocation/finance committee will talk afterward, then send a recommendation to the NBA's Board of Governors. The board will cast a final vote on the matter when it meets in New York April 18-19. "This is one of the biggest days of my life and a seminal moment for our city," wrote Chris Hansen, who will lead the Seattle contingent, in a note onsonicsarena.com Tuesday afternoon. Hansen also wrote that 44,000 Sonics fans put their names on a priority ticket waitlist established three weeks ago, including 32,000 in the first 24 hours. He said 268 put their names on a list for suites, and 983 businesses expressed interest in sponsorship opportunities. Those figures will be part of Seattle's presentation by a group that will include Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, mayor Mike McGinn and King County executive Dow Constantine.
• Dale Kasler and Tony Bizjak of The Sacramento Bee: Dueling teams of billionaires and mayors are heading to New York for a pivotal Wednesday showdown over the future of the Sacramento Kings. Before an elite committee of NBA owners, delegations from Sacramento and Seattle will present their arguments on the issue that's been making headlines for weeks: Should the Kings stay put or be allowed to move to the Pacific Northwest? The meeting, to be held at a Manhattan hotel, comes a week after the Sacramento City Council approved a non-binding term sheet for a new $448 million arena at Downtown Plaza - a crucial piece in the city's attempt to keep the team. The committee is likely to make a recommendation sometime this month. A final decision is expected April 18 or 19, when the league's Board of Governors, consisting of all the team owners, convenes in New York. … [Mayor Kevin] Johnson is also expected to be accompanied by three of the investors who are bidding for the Kings on Sacramento's behalf - Vivek Ranadive, Mark Mastrov and Ron Burkle. Lobbyist Darius Anderson, who was instrumental in pulling the group together, also will attend.
• Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald: I've heard NBA scouts complain for months that this year's draft will be weak at the top, which is one reason why Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel might be the No. 1 pick despite suffering a torn ACL during the college season. The 2014 draft should be different, thanks to a loaded group of incoming college freshmen. All of the top players are scheduled to play in Wednesday's McDonalds All-American Game at the United Center. Basically, this game could be a 2014 lottery-pick preview. Topping the list is 6-8 Andrew Wiggins, who grew up in Toronto and attended Huntington (W.V.) Prep. He's smooth, athletic with guard skills. I've seen him compared to many NBA superstars, but Tracy McGrady might be the best match. He's undecided for college, reportedly considering North Carolina, Kentucky, Kansas and Florida State. Then there's 6-9 Julius Randle from Texas. He's the main guy in Kentucky's loaded recruiting class, which also features twins Andrew (6-5 point guard) and Aaron (6-6 shooting guard) Harrison, 6-6 James Young, 6-10 Marcus Lee and 6-11 Dakari Johnson. Another player with draft potential is 6-8 Aaron Gordon from San Jose. He's also undeclared, but might be headed to Arizona. Analysts love comparing him to Blake Griffin and it does seem justified.

• Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel: It was time for the Milwaukee Bucks to make a stand. Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard were in town Thursday night for the Los Angeles Lakers' annual visit, but it didn't matter. The Bucks knew that somehow, some way, they had to halt a four-game slide that was putting their playoff push in reverse gear. And they did it with a collective effort, posting a 113-103 victory that featured a career-high 21 points from center Larry Sanders and a stellar defensive performance by veteran Marquis Daniels, who had the difficult assignment to defend Bryant. "We came out and accepted the challenge," Daniels said. "We needed a win bad. We came out with more intensity and more energy. You just try to make all his shots tough and make him work for everything that he got." Bryant finished with a game-high 30 points and came within five points of passing Wilt Chamberlain for fourth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list. But the Bucks (35-36) pushed the pace in the second half while scoring 60 points and delighting a majority of the 16,884 fans at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, despite a strong presence of Lakers fans.
• Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News: The anxiety heightened as former Lakers coach Bill Sharman watched the television screen. He "felt that Miami had a very good chance" to surpass the Lakers' all-time record of 33 consecutive wins set in the 1971-72 season when Sharman oversaw the team's first NBA championship in Los Angeles. Even with Miami nursing a double-digit deficit for most of Wednesday night against Chicago, Sharman said he didn't feel fully at ease as he watched the game with his wife, Joyce, and sister-in-law until the Heat officially ended their 27-game winning streak. "We were all very nervous even when Chicago was ahead because the Heat team is so good and has come back from large deficits in other games," Sharman wrote in an email to this newspaper. "Who can say if the 33-straight winning streak will ever be broken? I am glad that it stays with the Lakers." Sharman, 87, has spent the past 23 years as a Lakers' special consultant, drafting monthly reports filled on the team's play. Hence, why Sharman flipped back-and-forth between the Lakers' win Wednesday over Minnesota and Miami's loss to Chicago.
• Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star: Do the Pacers need Danny Granger? Yes. But officially shutting Granger down, which was his decision, is the best thing for him and the Pacers. Don’t get me wrong, you never want a player to be sidelined with an injury. But the Pacers need to close the chapter on Granger this season. The most obvious question was: What changed from Frank Vogel saying before and after the game in Houston that Granger would play in Dallas? As of Thursday morning, the Pacers were under the impression Granger would be play. Vogel wouldn’t publicly go on the record and blatantly lie. … This was strictly Granger’s call. He knew he wouldn’t be able to play through the pain. He made the decision to have surgery at some point Thursday. … The next question is: Will Granger ever play again? No one will know the answer until Granger has the surgery and starts the rehab process. Granger is heading into the final year of his contract that will pay him $14.2 million next season. Will he back in a Pacers uniform? Nobody knows – yet. And we may not know for some time. But for now, the right thing is to shut Granger down.
• Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: While Rick Carlisle acknowledged that the workload for his players increases this time of year, the Dallas Mavericks’ coach realizes that he might lean more on 11-time All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki. “Dirk’s a superstar, and superstars have more of that burden on their shoulders than the other guys just because of who they are, what they can do and what they have done,” Carlisle said. “Dirk’s worked himself to a point now where he can carry that load within reason. “But we have to take advantage of the things that he does with his screens that gets guys open.” Owner Mark Cuban appreciates all the glorious moments Nowitzki has given the Mavs during his 15-year career. “Dirk will play 48 minutes if that’s what we ask him to do — and like it,” Cuban said. “It’s been 20 years of great stuff from him in that locker room. “He is the culture of this team and you can’t underestimate the impact.”
• Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee: If there is a cliché about the importance of statistics, it probably applies here. Because when it comes to Keith Smart and his defensive grading system, he's not likely to deviate from it when substituting players. That was evident in Wednesday's win at Golden State, when the Kings' leading scorer and rebounder, center DeMarcus Cousins, and starting power forward Jason Thompson did not play in the fourth quarter, even though they weren't having bad games based on their offensive numbers. Smart's grading system isn't based just on defensive statistics such as steals and blocked shots. It rates players for being in the right defensive coverages, being in the right spots on the floor, and if they take gambles that hurt the team, among other aspects. "The one thing about the grades is it just lets you know when I make a decision, here is the reason," Smart said. "The grade and the numbers don't lie. They come together."
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: At this low point, with nine remaining games, mounting losses are just fine with many fans and many in the organization who have an eye on draft lottery odds to reverse the franchise’s three-year spiral. Some loyalists could never wish for losses, question how much a weak draft class will help or just disapprove of what a losing atmosphere does to young players. The Suns players are the most united front. Their futures depend on performance. Some do not have certain returns in Phoenix or even the league. Most players are wired to compete, albeit now with a resigned outlook. Players are disappointed when the US Airways Center crowd turns purple and gold for a game against the Lakers but understand their fans’ conflicted support in the seaon’s final weeks. “I understand it because they want us to turn around as fast as possible,” Suns co-captain Jared Dudley said. “At the same time, I think the team with the worst record hasn’t even won the No. 1 pick for a few years (2004). At the same time, individual players are playing for their jobs, playing for next year, playing for reputation. We have to finish it out the right way. Hopefully, we win some games. You can’t always count on making shots. But playing hard and together you can do.”
• Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald: After losing for the first time in 28 games Wednesday, Miami's LeBron James sat at his locker and complained about the rough treatment he received from the Bulls. From the Bulls' perspective, those comments could serve as a chapter in the how-to guide of beating the Heat. Especially if the best-case scenario occurs and these teams meet in the playoffs with Derrick Rose back in uniform. But slow down a second. The Bulls probably reached the proper limit of physical play Wednesday at the United Center, and it paid off in a 101-97 victory, snapping Miami's 27-game winning streak. There's a tradition among NBA referees where the more aggressive team usually gets away with more. That means attacking the basket, hitting the glass and making the first contact when battling for position. The Bulls executed this concept well against the Heat. Even while putting heavy emphasis on getting back defensively, they took advantage of Miami's small lineup and won the second-chance points 22-8.
• Ronald Tillery of The Commercial-Appeal: Zach Randolph’s eyes grew wide with disbelief. Lionel Hollins cracked a joke. There is a growing belief that the Grizzlies’ veteran power forward and head coach aren’t on the same page as they prepare for a postseason run. However, both men dismissed that notion Thursday, saying there is no friction between them. “Our relationship is fine,” Randolph said. “I respect my coach.” … Memphis fell behind the New York Knicks by 30 points during a loss Wednesday night when the Knicks’ broadcasters suggested that there was a wedge between Hollins and Randolph. “The only beef I had with Zach is he was excessively late for a shootaround that started at 4:30 p.m. (last Saturday),” Hollins said. “I told him I can’t start you and he understood. Everybody’s got their opinion about what goes on in our locker room. But only the people in there know. I haven’t had a beef with Zach and he hasn’t had one with me.”
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: General manager Daryl Morey on Thursday disputed rookie forward Royce White’s contention a plan is in place for White to leave the Development League at the end of the regular season and skip the playoffs, indicating no decision has been made. Morey said in his weekly radio interview he expects White to play the remaining four regular-season games with the Vipers before a decision is reached about him playing in the playoffs. “We’ll see where it goes from there,” Morey said. “The plan is to play it by ear. See what the best plan is at that point when we reach the end.” But White said via Twitter on Wednesday that a plan for him to leave the Vipers at the end of the regular season has been in place for several weeks, citing the “hectic” schedule of the D-League playoffs. White had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists in his first game back, but eight points with two rebounds and two assists in the second game.
• Monte Poole of The Oakland Tribune: A hypothetical question has been making the rounds lately asks if the current Warriors were to play a series of crucial games against the "We Believe" team of 2007, which would prevail. It is chewy candy for the mind and the answer, for now, is the "We Believe" bunch. Not because it was more talented; it wasn't. Not because it was more athletic; it wasn't. Not because it shot better; it didn't. Not because it played better defense; it most certainly didn't. But the "We Believe" team, inferior in so many ways, would have a decisive edge in two elements crucial to success: mental toughness and NBA experience. Those ingredients are missing from the current Warriors as they stagger through the final weeks of the regular season, and every now and then they've gotten spanked because of it -- most recently in Wednesday's distressing home loss to lowly Sacramento. These Warriors are destined for the playoffs but still digesting the rules required to gain admittance to the NBA elite, the room where the sign over the entrance says "Grown Men Only."
• Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News: The turning point for Reggie Evans occurred when he held his tongue and stepped out of character, avoiding conflict after a teammate told interim coach P.J. Carlesimo that the forward needed to be benched because he was an offensive liability. Evans, typically outspoken, said he left it alone at that moment instead of lashing back, using the insult as motivation before progressing into the most positively surprising season for the Nets. Evans, who has more 20-rebound games (7) this season than any player in the league, traces it all back to an insult. "In the past when people play off me, I was still looking to be less aggressive on the offensive end. I still was looking to pass it and stuff like that. And (after a teammate told Carlesimo to bench me), I said, 'Let me just be a little aggressive and make them play us honestly instead of not playing me and stuff like that.' "I'm just doing my best to be more aggressive so if they respect me, cool. If they don't, cool. I'm not tripping. At the end of the day, they know I'm out there."
• Dan Woike of The Orange County Register: Matt Barnes, a player who has made a career of not backing down from anyone on the court, didn't back down from the touchy topic, calling for the leae to be more transparent with their officials. "One I thing I will say is I know they get graded. I think their grades should be public record," Barnes said before the Clippers' victory over New Orleans Wednesday. "Everything we do on the court is public. Our fines, our techs, everything we do is under a microscope. And the refs are supposed to be a part of this league just like we are. Their grades should be public record. Everyone should be able to see." Everyone can see the Clippers' problems with technical fouls this year – the numbers are easily available. Players have been hit with 58 technicals this season, led by Blake Griffin's 12. Coach Vinny Del Negro has picked up three technicals, with the team averaging 0.8 technicals a game, tied for first in the league with Oklahoma City. Almost all of those technicals have come because of complaining to officials, including technicals against Griffin and Crawford Tuesday night in the team's overtime loss to Dallas. "It's hard," Barnes said. "When you're playing as hard as you can and you're getting beat up and nothing is being done about it, it's frustrating." Multiple players agreed that the team has developed a reputation around the league for complaining about calls.

• 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."

• 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.”

• 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.

In 2006, things were pretty scary for NBA hearts. The Hawks' Jason Collier had recently died of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, while a collection of players -- Fred Hoiberg, Robert Traylor and Ronny Turiaf among them-- needed heart surgery to avert dangerous conditions. In the midst of all that, a controversy erupted when young Bulls center Eddy Curry was found to have an irregular heartbeat. A DNA test might have revealed more, but he and his lawyers had little interest in setting a legal precedent of letting employers get in the habit of testing employees' genes for abnormalities -- the fear was employers might then be tempted to screen out or pay less to employees prone to any number of risk factors. It's a tricky issue.

Curry went to play for New York instead of hashing that out with the Bulls.

Several players expressed concern about invasive tests including Curry's new Knick teammate, young Knick big man Channing Frye, who told ESPN.com's Darren Rovell at the time:

I think it should be freedom of choice to have it done. Because if you want it done, that means you are going to want it known, that means you are liable for it. But more guys will say, "I just don't want to know" and I understand why they say that.

More guys have heart problems than what lead on. If they find out, how are you going to put food on your table, not only for you, but for your family, your uncles, your aunts, your grandma.

Meanwhile, in the wake of all that heart talk, the NBA made more stringent heart exams -- not DNA tests, but more invasive tests than had historically been done -- part of training camp for every NBA player. Some have protested, the NBA has countered that their heart tests have detected problems early and saved lives.

Including, perhaps, Frye's.

The tests he underwent in Suns training camp last fall detected the same condition that killed Collier. And instead of playing in the NBA this season, Frye has been abstaining from strenuous physical activity, spreading the word of heart health, and taking medication that will hopefully let him return to the court with a healed heart. Frye tells TrueHoop TV about his ordeal: