LeBron James scores 36 points in Game 2 loss
LeBron James | MIA
(May 24, 2013 11:41 PM EDT)
LeBron James shot 14-of-20 from the field for 36 points during Friday's loss to the Pacers, adding eight boards, three assists, three steals, one block and three 3-pointers.
He turned the ball over five times with two of them coming in big spots in the fourth quarter. LeBron is usually the beneficiary of his opponent's turnovers and he led the NBA in points off turnovers during the regular season. He got plenty of easy shots in this game, had a spectacular reverse breakaway dunk in the second half and hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter, so it obviously wasn't all bad for King James. Miami will look to take back home-court advantage on Sunday in Indiana.
Roy Hibbert scores 29 in Indy's Game 2 win
Roy Hibbert | IND
(May 24, 2013 11:33 PM EDT)
Roy Hibbert was dominant during Indiana's 97-93 victory over the Heat on Friday with 29 points, 10 boards and one assist in 39 minutes.
The pick-and-roll was working extremely well for Hibbert and the Pacers to level the series at one. He shot 10-of-15 from the field and 9-of-10 from the line to put him just one point shy of his career high. Hibbert has been getting plenty of playing time at 35 minutes per game in the postseason, which is up from his regular-season average of 28.7 minutes. Erik Spoelstra will have to plan better for Game 3 on Sunday night.
Mario Chalmers ready to play, start in Game 2
Mario Chalmers | MIA
(May 24, 2013 6:49 PM EDT)
Mario Chalmers (shoulder) will play and start in Friday's Game 2 against the Pacers, as expected.
Chalmers dinged his left (non-shooting) shoulder during Game 1 and ended up playing just 21 minutes. We'd expect him to be back around his usual 26-28 minutes Friday night as the Heat try to seize a 2-0 lead. Chalmers is averaging 7.3 points and 3.9 assists in the playoffs so far.
Source:
Ira Winderman on Twitter
Report: Wizards very high on Anthony Bennett
Anthony Bennett | CLG
(May 24, 2013 2:40 PM EDT)
Sources tell ESPN's Chad Ford that the Wizards are "very high" on UNLV F Anthony Bennett.
It's widely assumed that the Wiz will go for local product Otto Porter if he's there at No. 3. But don't sleep on Bennett, a prospect with significantly more offensive upside. As a freshman, he lit up the underrated Mountain West Conference for 16.1 points per game on 53.3 percent shooting -- and did it in just 27.1 minutes a night. Bennett is an excellent shooter and ball handler for someone listed at 6'8/240.
Source:
ESPN.com
George Hill has sprained big toe, will play
George Hill | IND
(May 24, 2013 1:15 PM EDT)
George Hill has a sprained big toe, but he expects to be fine and is no danger of missing time.
Hill sustained the injury in Game 1, but he's fine after treating it with some ice. We'd be surprised if it hampered him for the remainder of the series unless it becomes a more serious concern.
Source:
Mark Montieth on Twitter
Report: Raptors now ramping up Ujiri pursuit
Masai Ujiri | DEN
(May 24, 2013 12:11 PM EDT)
Sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that the Nuggets have granted the Raptors permission to speak with GM Masai Ujiri, and unless Denver extends Ujiri at what Toronto is willing to pay, Ujiri is likely to head to the Raptors.
Per Wojnarowski, the Raptors are willing to pay Ujiri around $3 million annually, an offer the Nuggets are unlikely to match. Ujiri spent time in the Toronto organization before accepting the Denver GM position, and it's unclear who would replace him for the Nuggets if he departed for a chance to rebuild the Raptors.
Source:
Yahoo! Sports
Carlesimo rips Brooklyn's roster expectations
P.J. Carlesimo | BKN
(May 24, 2013 9:01 AM EDT)
P.J. Carlesimo ripped into Brooklyn's expectations with the team's current roster, and when asked if the team could win a title with the current roster, he said, "I don't know if that's realistic the way the roster is right now."
Don't hold back, P.J. "We thought we could this year if things broke a little better for us. But if you have that on your plate, that you need to win a championship in two years, I think it makes it a little challenging." Carlesimo was a victim of unrealistic expectations and the Nets are highly unlikely to win a championship any time with the current core in place.
Source:
New York Daily News
Report: Celtics won't let Nets talk to Rivers
Doc Rivers | BOS
(May 24, 2013 8:31 AM EDT)
The Celtics have denied the Nets permission to speak with Doc Rivers regarding their head coaching vacancy, sources told ESPN Boston.
This only furthers our belief that Rivers will either coach the Celtics next season or won't coach at all. Although Danny Ainge has said Rivers is expected to return, a notion that's been supported by co-owner Wyc Grousbeck, Rivers hasn't come out and confirmed his intent to do so, but Ainge said "Doc has told me he's coming back." Nevertheless, the overwhelming expectation is that Rivers returns to Boston next season, and the Celtics have no interest in letting him out of his contract to coach elsewhere. Doc has three years and $21 million remaining on his deal. Interestingly, Rivers reportedly turned down an offer from the Orlando Magic to be the team's president last season.
Source:
ESPN Boston
Celtics owner wants to keep Pierce, Garnett
Danny Ainge | BOS
(May 24, 2013 8:27 AM EDT)
Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck said he'd like to retain both Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett next season.
Grousbeck said he wants to retire Pierce's number, and although he also acknowledged he wants Garnett to return, Grousbeck admitted to roster uncertainty after a first-round playoff exit and has not spoken to Garnett about his future. Furthermore, Grousbeck wouldn't say with certainty what the roster will look like next season and acknowledged that the team needs help after losing to the Knicks in the first round.
Source:
Chris Forsberg on Twitter
Report: Mavs will target Jack, Bayless as FAs
Jarrett Jack | GS
(May 23, 2013 5:27 PM EDT)
The Mavericks will be interested in free-agent point guards Jarrett Jack and Jerryd Bayless, a source tells Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Both players were integral parts of their team's playoff success, Jack for the Warriors and Bayless with the Grizzlies, who are down 2-0 to the Spurs. Jack and Bayless are also due hefty raises this offseason with Jack possibly commanding as much as $10 million annually. The Mavs are in desperate need of an upgrade at point guard and could look at Jack or Bayless as fallback options if they fail to land Chris Paul. One thing's for sure, the Mavs' fervent interest in free-agent guards doesn't bode well for incumbent Darren Collison.
Source:
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

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