| Raptors fire Mitchell, Triano takes over (AP) |
| The Toronto Raptors fired coach Sam Mitchell on Wednesday and replaced him with assistant Jay Triano, one day after an embarrassing loss at Denver. Mitchell led the Raptors to the playoffs in each of the last two seasons and was honored as the NBA's coach of the year for 2006-07. Toronto was off to a sluggish 8-9 start, due in part to injuries. |
| Suns' Nash, O'Neal sit out vs. Hornets (AP) |
| Phoenix point guard Steve Nash missed the Suns' game against the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday night because of flu-like symptoms. Nash is averaging 15.1 points and 8.1 assists this season after scoring 20 points or more in each of his last three games. Also inactive for Phoenix was former LSU star Shaquille O'Neal, who has made a practice of sitting out a game in stretches when the Suns have... |
| Roy helps Blazers to sixth straight win (AP) |
| Brandon Roy took over down the stretch Wednesday night, scoring 12 of his 22 points in the final 8 minutes to help Portland beat the Washington Wizards 98-92 and extend the Trail Blazers' winning streak to six games. The well-balanced Blazers put five players in double-figures: Roy, Greg Oden, LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Fernandez and Steve Blake. |
| LeBron not distracted by NY speculation (AP) |
| LeBron James isn't bothered by the unending onslaught of questions about his free-agent future. He's sure his Cleveland Cavaliers teammates don't mind them, either. However, James thinks one team is tired of hearing about whether he'll end up in New York. 'It's a distraction for the Knicks,' he said. 'It's not a distraction for us -- we're good.' James' plans in two years -- he can hit the free-agent... |
| Hawks F Smith returns against Grizzlies (AP) |
| Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith returned to the lineup Wednesday after missing 12 games with a sprained ankle. The Hawks were playing Memphis, which signed Smith to a five-year, $58 million offer sheet four months ago. Atlanta matched the offer to keep Smith, the NBA's second-leading shot blocker for the second straight season, after he posted career-best averages in scoring (17.2) and assists... |
| Forbes: Knicks most valuable NBA team (AP) |
| For the fourth straight year, and despite front office and player turmoil, the New York Knicks are the NBA's most valuable team. The Knicks are worth $613 million, according to Forbes' latest rankings, an increase of 1 percent over their 2007 value. Throughout the past year, the franchise has made many headlines off the court, ranging from former team president Isiah Thomas being found guilty in a... |
| 76ers' Stefanski not ready to panic yet (AP) |
| Ed Stefanski sees glimpses of his 76ers playing the right way. What the team president doesn't see is enough consistency to make anyone in Philadelphia satisfied with the way the underachieving Sixers (8-10) are playing. Some players are having trouble adjusting to new roles, the reserves haven't been nearly as potent as they were last season, and the offense and defense are rarely in sync. |
| Rockets G McGrady to miss 3 weeks (AP) |
| Houston guard Tracy McGrady will miss three weeks to rehabilitate his sore left knee, another blow to an injury-plagued season for the Rockets. McGrady sat out Houston's last three games after starting the first 15. He had arthroscopic surgery on May 6, but said Tuesday that doctors have told him that the knee is not healed. |
| Murphy's tip-in at buzzer stuns Lakers (AP) |
| Troy Murphy and Danny Granger spent most of Tuesday night working to keep the Pacers close to the Lakers. They spent those final few seconds like everyone else in Conseco Fieldhouse -- watching, waiting and wondering if Murphy's tantalizing tip would actually drop through the net. It did -- just as the buzzer sounded. |
| Ginobili returns, Spurs lose to Pistons (AP) |
| Rasheed Wallace showed he knows how to use a technical foul call as motivation. Wallace made three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and scored 17 points in the final 15 minutes after picking up a technical, and the Detroit Pistons rallied from 10 points down to beat San Antonio 89-77 on Tuesday night despite the return of Manu Ginobili to the Spurs' starting lineup. |
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