Tag: In the News

LeBron erupts for season-best 41 to head Tuesday’s S&Ds

The Miami Heat didn’t have Dwyane Wade Tuesday night, who rested after some recent struggles.

It  didn’t matter to teammate LeBron James, who singed Philadelphia for a season-best 41 points to lead Miami’s 99-93 victory over the Sixers.

James scored 14 consecutive Miami in the fourth quarter as the Heat clinched a playoff berth with the victory.

“We’re happy to get a win against a very good playoff team,” James told ESPN.com’s Heat Index. “I needed to take control a little bit more.” 

He did just that, scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter as Miami claimed its 16th straight home victory.  In the process, James scored at least 30 points for the first time since March 14 — a nine-game streak that was his longest since 2004-05.

And in the process, he finished at the top of Tuesday’s Studs and Duds.

STUDS

Miami F LeBron James: Erupted for a season-high 41 points, along with six rebounds, four assists, three steals and was plus-12 in the Heat’s triumph over Philadelphia.

Detroit C Greg Monroe: Went for 22 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and was plus-10 in the Pistons’ victory over  Orlando.

Sacramento C DeMarcus Cousins: Notched 41 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, two steals and was plus-3 in the Kings’ loss to Phoenix.

New Jersey F Kris Humphries: Muscled for 18 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and two steals in the Nets’ loss at the Lakers.

Indiana F Carmelo Anthony: Went for 39 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals in the Knicks’ loss at Indiana.

DUDS:

Sacramento G Jimmer Fredette: Missed all six field-goal attempts and was minus-7 in the Kings’ loss at Phoenix.

Philadelphia G Jrue Holiday: Went 4-for-11 from the field with six turnovers and was a game-worst minus-13 in the Sixers’ loss at Miami.

Miami G Norris Cole: Missed both shots, had  five turnovers and was minus-7 in the Heat’s trimph over Philadelphia.

Memphis G Tony Allen: Went 1 of 6 from the field with four turnovers in the Grizzlies’ victory over  Golden State.

New Jersey C Johan Petro: Missed all eight shots  from the field and was minus-8 in the Nets’ loss at the Lakers.

Orlando G J.J. Redick: Went 1 for 9 from the field with a turnover and was minus-5 in the Magic’s loss at Detroit.

Silly String battle enlivens Utah-Spurs game

The Spurs and Utah were playing in a huge game Monday night for the Jazz in terms of playoff implications.

San Antonio brought a depleted roster to Salt Lake City and were ahead after three quarters. It would seemingly be a time when the volatility of the situation would have had true basketball fans squirming on the edges of their seats as they worried about their team’s playoff hopes and fervently rooted for a comeback.

But with the Spurs nursing a 68-64 lead after three quarters, Utah and its Jazz Bear mascot found a unique way to get the crowd going. They had a huge Silly String fight where 300 cans were reportedly used in one section.

Silly String fights must be something in the Utah collective ennui, if another video indicates anything. At , more than 8,000 cans were employed in what is billed as the world record for most cans used at one time.

So the 300 cans last night at the Energy Solutions Arena were kind of small potatoes, even if it was incorrectly billed on the You Tube tease as the world’s record for Silly String. But it still got the crowd going, as. 

Whether it helped spur the Jazz’s comeback victory, we’ll never know.

But it sure made for a sticky mess for the cleaning crew in the arena after the game.

Popovich unapologetic for resting aging stars

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Spurs open their second and final back-to-back-to-back of the season tonight at Golden State.

That means at some point over the next three nights, coach Gregg Popovich will likely draw the ire of basketball purists, talking heads and fantasy geeks everywhere.

Though Popovich has announced no definitive plan to rest players on the whirlwind trip to visit Golden State, the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento, 30-somethings Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Stephen Jackson — as well as soon-to-be 30-something Tony Parker — would be wise to pack a sport coat just in case.

Popovich’s penchant for sidelining perfectly healthy players in the name of rest and relaxation has taken fire from two fronts.

One is from those who argue along “integrity of the game” lines. When Popovich chose not to take any of his Big Three on the road to Utah last week, for instance, it helped the Jazz get a win vital to their pursuit of the Western Conference’s final playoff seed, artificially affecting the race.

Popovich’s counter-argument? If a team is unhappy with its playoff lot, it should have won more games.

“I think people should mostly take care of their own business and end up where they end up based on how well they play, not based on other people,” Popovich said.

Popovich harbors more sympathy for fans who plunk down their hard-earned cash to watch an NBA game, only to have a D-League contest break out.

After Popovich sat four players in Portland in February, he received a disgruntled letter from such a fan.

“I understand completely,” Popovich said. “I would feel exactly the same. If I went to watch Miami, and LeBron (James) and Dwyane (Wade) weren’t playing, I’d feel shorted.

“It’s natural human reaction and totally understandable, but I have a different priority. I have a different responsibility, and that rules for me.”

Jedi mind trick: The last time the Spurs faced a back-to-back-to-back, from March 23-25, Popovich sat Duncan, Ginobili and Parker one game apiece.

The Spurs swept the set from Dallas, New Orleans and Philadelphia anyway, becoming the fifth team to win three games in three nights this season.

Might Popovich approach this trip the same way?

“You never know what Obi-Wan’s going to do,” Jackson said. “At the end of the day, everybody’s going to have to be ready.”

Green clocks out: Starting shooting guard Danny Green did not play in the second half Saturday against Phoenix, as Popovich opted to replace him with Ginobili to start the third quarter.

Though Green has been playing much of the year with a sore left shoulder, the move had nothing to do with an injury, Popovich said.

“He’s been playing a lot,” Popovich said. “It was a good opportunity to give him a bit of a rest.”

jmcdonald@express-news.net

Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN