As losses mount and record looms, Nets trudge onward

Devin Harris is trying to stay postive despite New Jersey's all-but-lost season.

Asked if Eduardo Najera had been rescued by the Mavericks, Devin Harris laughed the kind of laugh that hinted at something more. Harris, ever the polished pro, didn't bite.

"He's, uh, he's going to a good team," Harris said earlier this week before stepping on the Nets' team bus inside San Antonio's AT&T Center. "He got out of a bad situation at the moment, but we have to use this as motivation to make us stronger."

Sure, the Nets' plight is difficult, and the prospect of being the worst NBA team ever doesn't exactly lend itself to witty barbs. Harris isn't happy. He pointed to the scruffy beginnings of a beard and the wrap around his right wrist as an early warning sign of basketball depression.

Losing, especially in historic bunches, has a way of bringing everyone down.

"It's tough," admitted Harris, the only former All-Star on New Jersey's roster. "At this point you just try to come to work every day and play hard. We've been in a lot of games and a lot of times it hasn't gone our way."

A whole lot. This season, the Nets set the dubious mark for the worst start in league history to open a season (0-18) and haven't been much better since. Statistically, they're actually worse during the 3-16 stretch under interim coach/former general manager Kiki Vandeweghe.

At its current pace, New Jersey would finish the season 7-75. The Philadelphia 76ers sit at the all-time bottom of the standings thanks to their 9-73 stumble during 1972-73. Several franchises have made a run at Philly, with the Mavericks in 1992-93 and Nuggets five years later avoiding infamy with just 11 victories.

Turning it around, relatively speaking, isn't impossible. The same miserable speculation engulfed Oklahoma City last season when the Thunder started 3-29. Kevin Durant and Co. began to coalesce in January and OKC finished 23-59.

"You take it one game at a time," Harris said. "I know how that sounds, but you can't look at what's happened before. You have to come out with a fresh mind every day and try to play hard."

The Nets of the early 2000s and those NBA Finals trips are long gone. Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Kenyon Martin and Richard Jefferson return to the Izod Center in different uniforms now. Harris leads the current nucleus of Brook Lopez, Yi Jianlian and Courtney Lee. Of those four, only Lopez hasn't missed significant time this season.

"What we keep telling the guys is this is building towards something and you're part of the foundation that can be very good," Vandeweghe said. "We're in a dark tunnel right now, no question, but the future is very bright. We have a lot cap space, the young players are very talented, they're getting a lot of experience now and next year they'll be ready to win."

Winning next season might be an order the size of the Atlantic Yards arena project, but in addition to the money the Nets will throw at the loaded 2010 free-agent class, they've got 10 Draft picks, five in the first round, over the next three years. New Jersey could end up being a major player before the Feb. 18 trade deadline depending on the status of prospective owner Mikhail Prokhorov.

If the Russian billionaire is approved before the deadline next month, expect Nets president Rod Thorn to make a run at some of those 2010 free agents, such as Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. Prokhorov isn't allowed to influence how the Nets do business until he officially owns the team.

The new arena in Brooklyn is also on the horizon, possibly by 2012. Vandeweghe hopes to be back in the front office long before then.

"That's the idea," he said. "My experience in the past has been player development and making sure that the young guys are put in a position where they can succeed. This year we knew it was going to be a development year going in and though it's tough, this is the most difficult part of a rebuilding situation.

"We shed all the big contracts. We made a conscious decision to go with young players, not accounting for all the injuries we've had."

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich stepped into the lead role from the general manager's chair back in 1996 under less-than-ideal circumstances. The Spurs had started the season 3-15 when Pop fired coach Bob Hill. Injuries to David Robinson, Sean Elliott and Avery Johnson gutted that team, which finished 20-62.

Of course, the Spurs won the lottery that offseason and had Tim Duncan waiting. There's no way Popovich knew what was to come after his first season on the bench. His focus then mirrors Vandeweghe's now.

"It's all a mental exercise, obviously," Popovich said. "Everybody has to understand the situation. You can't hide from it. You know it's going to be a difficult year, but you concentrate on other goals. You have to have other goals. Individual development of the players that you have and then as a group to still have the character to still execute and compete as well as you can given the bar is not going to be as high as far as success is concerned.

"The real value is you can improve individually and as a group, and you're not going to win a championship, but you're still tasked with a certain job, players and coaches alike, and to feel worth your salt, you hope that you have people around you and players that want to come out every day and still do that. That's what you focus on."

Traded from New Jersey last season and in his first year with the Spurs, Jefferson was part of the Nets turnaround nearly a decade ago. He believes it can happen again.

"When we first got there, they won 26 games the year before, never won a playoff series, so as bad as things were, they were completely turned around," said Jefferson, a Nets rookie in 2001-02. "We did everything but win a championship. Now things are bad again. The only thing you can really say is, as bad as things are today, tomorrow can be just as good."

Things are pretty bad now. Harris has taken counsel outside the organization, picking the brain of fellow players, such as fellow Wisconsin product Michael Finley, on how to deal with all the losing. Finley was part of a several hopeless teams early in his Dallas career.

Harris confessed that it's hard for him and his teammates to stay positive in the face of such routine failure.

"It goes in and out," he said. "Some losses are harder than others, but for the most part we have a good bunch of guys. We come to work every day and work hard no matter what the record is.

"We have a promising future. It is unfortunate the season that we're having, but hopefully it will get better real soon."

Warriors' GM falls into tough-luck start in new gig

The drafting of Stephen Curry is one of many moves in GM Larry Riley's inaugural campaign in Oakland.

Three years into his stint as Warriors general manager ...

Wait.

It's been only eight months?

It's been only eight months.

Larry Riley became a personnel boss for the first time in May and got a chair in a wind tunnel, with just about every possible scenario flying at him before his rookie season is half over. And, of course, he has the little matter of an 11-25 team in last place in the Pacific Division.

Riley has crammed seasons worth of uniquely troubling scenarios into his first months on the job. He had one team captain trying to force a trade, and another drilling the front office for its Draft decision. Along the way, the Warriors also weighed a blockbuster trade that didn't happen (Amar'e Stoudemire), went through with an important trade (Stephen Jackson), made a lottery pick (Stephen Curry, though that decision was made by the teams that passed on Curry and turned him into a no-brainer at No. 7) and got repeatedly gut-punched by injury.

Riley, a former director of player personnel for the Vancouver Grizzlies, replaced Chris Mullin on May 11, 2009, after moving from assistant coach on Don Nelson's staff into the front office earlier in the season. The Draft came, and Curry, the Davidson guard, fell into their laps. Summer league came, and Anthony Randolph went from an impressive regular season finish to blossoming into a star of the future. Hey, this job is easy!

"At the end of July, I'm having a good summer," Riley said.

Then Jackson demanded a trade. He said it during a promotional event for a shoe company and he said it at every opening thereafter, including media day, the day before training camp opened. There went Riley's good mood.

All that came about the same time that Monta Ellis ripped the selection of Curry, who plays the same position as Ellis and has a similar style. Both players can put up big numbers in the Golden State system without much hope of stopping any opposing backcourt when they play together. Jackson eventually forced his exit and was dealt to the Bobcats on Nov. 16, but Ellis' concerns about the Smurf-sized starting lineup have been replaced by 26.2 points per game and 47 percent shooting from the field.

Nelson got sick, missing two sets of games because of pneumonia, in what unofficially became a tryout for interim Keith Smart as a potential successor. Andris Biedrins got hurt. Brandan Wright got hurt. Kelenna Azubuike got hurt. Ronny Turiaf got hurt. Raja Bell, considering wrist surgery when the Warriors got him from Charlotte in the Jackson deal, went through with the operation. Finally, and most recently, Randolph got hurt.

That makes Riley a candidate to be knocked on his heels, someone perhaps driven to frustration. Maybe even someone whose confidence is shaken.

"It's interesting you bring that up," Riley said. "I think 15 years ago I would have had those feelings. I would have thought, 'What have I stepped into? Why are the basketball gods moving in this direction?' I hate clichés. But there's an old one that's awfully good, about seek to control the things that you can control and the things that are out of your control, leave them alone. There's a prayer about 'God, grant me the wisdom to recognize the things I can control and those that I cannot control.' And that's pretty much been the way I've approached it."

He's probably still a long way from quiet time. The Warriors want to make a trade, maybe even a bold stroke for a big name. They have contracts of all sizes to offer and players of varying experience, from prospects to tested veterans. They can get into a lot of conversations, even while sticking to the company line that Curry is off limits. (Then again, that was the same company line about Randolph in the summer, and now he can be had. Golden State hasn't put him on the auction block, the way some have made it seem. But management, in a policy shift from the offseason, is open to Randolph discussions.)

The problem is, a lot of the guys they'd be interested in -- scoring bigs Stoudemire, Chris Bosh and Carlos Boozer -- are heading toward free agency and therefore are a huge risk. To rent a guy for a few months could mean years of setbacks. It's one reason they backed off Stoudemire talks on Draft night.

But the Warriors are hoping to get in the middle of something before the Feb. 18 trade deadline. It's been that kind of hectic baptism by fire for the general manager who has mostly missed the honeymoon period.

It's been that kind of three years.

Wilkins still looms large over Hawks franchise

Dominique Wilkins and Larry Bird battled memorably in the 1988 Eastern Conference semis.

One of the best things about being an NBA fan these days is how many of the game's legends have maintained an active association with the League. Whether as front office types or as broadcasters (or both), you don't have to go far to relive the glory days of the league's previous golden age, the era of Magic, Larry, MJ, and of course, the Human Highlight Film.

Dominique Wilkins occupies a unique place in the American basketball pantheon -- while he was often overshadowed during his career by the previously-mentioned triumvirate and never able to get his Hawks to the heights of the Lakers, Celtics, and Bulls, he owns as much street cred amongst his fellow players and NBA fans as any player of his generation.

At 50 years old on Tuesday, Nique is still going strong as ever, representing the Atlanta Hawks as both the VP of Basketball and the team's television analyst.

We caught up to Wilkins before the Hawks game against the Celtics on Monday night in Boston (oddly appropriate, as Boston is the site of perhaps the greatest night of Wilkins' career, the mano-a-mano showdown with Bird in Game Seven of the 1988 Eastern Conference Semis):

How does it feel to be turning 50?

Dominique Wilkins: I look at age as a state of mind. I feel great, so it doesn't feel like a big deal. It's certainly a big milestone, but I don't feel any different.

It's been awhile since you last wore a Hawks jersey, but in many ways you are still the face of the franchise. What does that mean to you?

DW: It means a lot. I love Atlanta, I love the franchise, and I've always considered myself a Hawk. I may have played for other teams, but in my heart I was always a Hawk. I am proud to still be so involved with the franchise.

What's your take on the current version of the team?

DW: This team has really grown up over the past few years. They have really good chemistry, and they enjoy playing together. The young guys have matured, so it's no surprise to me that they are playing so well.

This is your second season as a TV analyst for the franchise -- how are you enjoying your broadcasting career?

DW: I love it. It gives me a chance to give my opinion as a basketball player. It's been an adjustment for sure, but it's a lot of fun. I've enjoyed getting to be involved on both sides, within the organization as the VP of Basketball and as the color commentator on TV.

What's the biggest difference between the game when you played it and how it's being played now?

DW: The game has changed a lot from a physical perspective. Guys are bigger now, and also guys are capable of playing multiple positions. When I played, most players played one position and that was it. It makes it much harder to guard guys these days with their abilities to move to different places on the floor.

What do you think of the trend in basketball towards using advanced statistical analysis to evaluating players?

DW: There's a place for it, but at the end of the day, the thing I want to know as a basketball observer is, can the guy play? A lot of times statistics and or individual workouts don't tell you how a guy is going to play in a five-on-five setting. You have to look at a guy's talent, his work ethic, and his love of the game, and those things will go a long way in telling you if a guy is capable of being a good player or a great player.

There is a rumor you are trying to convince Josh Smith to get back into the dunk contest. Any luck?

DW: I am. I think he should do it, but ultimately it's up to him. I think it would be great to see him do it again, to entertain the fans and give something back to them, so I hope that he will.

You and Charles Barkley are pretty good friends. Did you happen to catch his performance on Saturday Night Live this week?

DW: I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but knowing Charles, I bet it was entertaining.

What's your best piece of advice for young players looking to make it to the league someday?

DW: The thing I would tell anyone, whether they want to play basketball or be successful in any other walk of life, is to work on the things you aren't comfortable with, the things you don't like to do. If you can work to perfect the things that are your weaknesses then you'll become much more well-rounded.

Last question -- you won MVP honors in a basketball exhibition in Asia a few months ago -- if the Hawks needed you to suit up tomorrow night, what do you think you could bring to the table?

DW: I think I could give them about six good minutes -- and then they'd have to take me to the hospital.

Rivers: Arenas incident not indicative of league as a whole

Doc Rivers says that one incident should not ruin the NBA's reputation.

The late-night comedians, bloggers and knee-jerkers all had their turn poking fun at an incident that shouldn't reflect the true image of the NBA. But they did anyway.

The one-liners and punch-liners came hard, totally forgetting or ignoring the seriousness of the situation involving Gilbert Arenas and the Wizards and weapons being stored inside a locker room. And it didn't help when Arenas and some of the Wizards played along and thought it was funny, too, at least until David Stern came down with the hammer, knocking some sense into the heads of those who needed it.

It left the NBA digging out of the rubble caused by an isolated incident that reverberated well beyond the league, and left many scratching their heads and wondering how it ever came to this. Among those was Doc Rivers.

The Celtics coach perhaps spoke for many in the NBA by expressing disappointment on two levels: One for the gun incident itself, and two for folks who jumped the gun when it came to jumping on the NBA.

"We're singled out more," Rivers said. "That's just the way it is. We don't have a baseball cap on, and we don't wear a helmet. So whenever something happens in the NBA, you instantly know who it is and how they look."

Rivers is a good source because, as a former player and now a coach, he spans generations. He was part of the league during the boom years of the 1980s, when the NBA broke down cultural barriers and began being accepted in homes that traditionally didn't welcome the sport for a variety of reasons. He saw Michael Jordan, the great unifier, turn folks colorblind. He played at a time when the only "heat" he ever saw in a locker room was the kind you applied to a sore leg. He played when teen-aged players spent their teen-aged years in high school or college for the most part. It was a another day and age.

"I try not to stress how things are different now, even though they are," Rivers said. "I mean, I made $65,000 my rookie year. Guys get more in one day than I made in a whole year. That puts it in perspective right there."

It's not exclusively about the money, although that does play a major part. The money, depending on the amount, empowers certain players and gives them tremendous weight within an organization. In some cases, because of the money, a player's voice is stronger than the coach's. Again, a healthy amount of players are professional about it and conduct themselves accordingly. Some do not. But the news cycle doesn't attach itself to the professionals who make up the vast majority of the league, only to the non-conformers and rebels. The more shocking the incident, the more heads that are turned.

"When I played, I was a star ath-lete," Rivers said, emphasizing the second syllable. "Now they're just stars, doing commercials and everything else. There's just so much more. We didn't have talk radio most of our careers, for example. There was no all-sports TV. It's just more attention paid to us, period, and sometimes for the wrong reasons."

Rivers isn't placing the blame on the media. He's just stating a fact about the landscape. And he saves plenty of scorn for those who do something to draw negative attention to themselves and the game.

"When players go around saying how tough it is on them, well, we're getting paid a ton of money doing something we enjoy, and our image is key," he said. "We've got to learn how to protect the image. David Stern and the league have done an amazing job of marketing us. That's part of the responsibility we bear. And we've got to understand that."

Rivers said he won't push for a ban on card-playing on the Celtics' team flights, unlike the Wizards and Nets. It's an overreaction, Rivers said, to someone who went too far. The Celtics are a more veteran team anyway. Besides, their in-flight activities are part of the lifestyle and "people who don't spend much of their time flying don't know what goes into traveling."

The NBA is understandably sensitive about image, as any business would be, mainly because stereotypes that may be attached to the league are far from the reality.

It's a battle first waged by Stern when he became commissioner, when he immediately dealt with drug and race stereotypes that contributed to the league's image problems of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Helped by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, and then Jordan, the NBA enjoyed immense success both at the gate and in pop culture. The NBA was accepted and its appeal spread worldwide.

The players today are younger and the media is larger and so the chances of an isolated incident mushrooming into something bigger is greater now than ever. Based on the last week, the impression was the league needed metal detectors and security screeners outside every locker room.

Actually, Arenas simply needed to keep his guns at home. It's really that simple. At least to a coach who is keeping it all in perspective.

"This was about one person," he said, "not one league."

Redd's career in doubt

One anterior cruciate ligament tear can be devastating to a professional basketball player.

But two?

Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Redd is facing career-threatening ACL and medial collateral ligament tears in his left knee after going down in the second quarter of Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center.

It's the same injury he suffered - to the same knee - almost one year earlier in a home game against the Sacramento Kings.

"You don't know why," he said before the Bucks played the Phoenix Suns on Monday night at the US Airways Center in Phoenix. "I don't question why. My faith is in the Lord and I'm going to stay strong as best I can.

"I've gotten an incredible response from my teammates and the organization . . . comforted me and encouraged me and loved on me. But it's been a hard, hard day today. But I'll get through it."

Redd had labored through 18 games this season while trying to come back from last year's injury and a strained left patella tendon he suffered in the home opener on Oct. 31.

The patella injury sidelined him for 16 games, but he was playing in his 13th consecutive game Sunday.

Redd said he was trying to post up against Lakers star Kobe Bryant when the injury occurred.

"I heard a pop," Redd said. "I've been slashing and I've been driving and nothing (bad) has happened to that point. And then on a move that wasn't even dynamic, it happens.

"I cried. Just because you work so hard to get back to where I was and for it to happen again, it just hurts. I feel bad for the team and the organization and my fans who supported me."

Redd said he intends to keep playing despite suffering two serious injuries in less than 12 months.

"Something in my heart won't let me give up," he said.

Redd spoke with his teammates at the arena before taking a flight back to Milwaukee on Monday night.

"We as an organization feel badly for Michael," Bucks general manager John Hammond said in a phone interview from North Carolina, where he was scouting college basketball talent. "But we will continue to support him through this process as we have always done."

No details of plans for surgery were immediately available.

Redd's surgery for the previous ACL and MCL tears was performed on March 3 last year by Chicago Bulls team doctor Brian Cole.

Redd knows all too well the amount of work it will take for him to mount a comeback. He trained in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, throughout the summer while trying to strengthen his knee and get ready for the season.

Now he must do it all over again while entering the final year of the six-year, $91 million contract he signed with the Bucks in the summer of 2005, the richest deal in franchise history.

Redd has a player option worth $18 million for the 2010-'11 season, and it's far more than he could command on the free-agent market.

The 6-foot-6 shooting guard experienced wild swings this season, putting up solid numbers in certain games and failing to be a factor in others.

For example, he had just six points on 3-of-12 shooting in the Bucks' 25-point loss to Orlando in late December. But he bounced back with 27 points to help lead the Bucks to a 103-97 overtime victory against Oklahoma City on Jan. 2.

He scored nine points on 2-of-9 shooting against New Jersey a few days later but broke through with 24 points and played a key role as the Bucks held off the Chicago Bulls, 96-93, at the Bradley Center on Friday night.

Redd's numbers this season were far off his career averages, and he was shooting 35.2% from the field, a full 10 points off his career mark entering the season. He averaged 11.9 points and 3.0 rebounds while playing 27.3 minutes per game.

The Bucks fell out of the Eastern Conference playoff race when Redd and center Andrew Bogut suffered season-ending injuries a year ago.

Redd missed the final 35 games after being injured on Jan. 24 against the Kings. This season he will miss the final 48 games.

But Milwaukee has some options in Carlos Delfino, who has started 27 games at small forward and shooting guard, and veteran Charlie Bell, who has made 16 starts. Rookie Jodie Meeks also could gain playing time, and Luke Ridnour has played in tandem with point guard Brandon Jennings.

Bell filled the starting role against the Suns.

Hammond said the Bucks would not make an immediate move to replace Redd's roster spot.

Milwaukee is down to 13 players, two below the roster limit. Included among the 13 is forward Joe Alexander, who has yet to play this season due to a right hamstring injury but has been practicing in the past week.

"We've played almost half the season without Michael to this point," Hammond said, "and we didn't feel a knee-jerk reaction was necessary at this time."

Miami Heat bans gambling in wake of Arenas incident

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Miami Heat has decided to fold when it comes to card games and gambling on team flights.

After initially declaring the move to ban gambling unnecessary, gambling was off limits on the Heat's flight from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City.

The Heat switched gears and instituted the team policy in the wake of developments that led to the league's indefinite suspension of Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas. A feud between Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton over a card game aboard a team flight last month escalated when both players reportedly brandished guns at the team's arena days later.

The New Jersey Nets were the first team to announce a gambling ban on flights in the aftermath of the Wizards' incident. The NBA is contemplating a league-wide policy.

``We understand what went on in Washington was a serious and unfortunate issue,'' Heat co-captain Udonis Haslem said before Monday's game against Utah. ``We don't have those type of guys here and don't have to worry about what happened. But you have to respect the decision.''

Haslem said poker is the most popular game on team flights. But he said it never gets out of hand.

The timing of the new in-house rule could present a challenge to the Heat, which is in the middle of a season-long, six-game trip. There are stops remaining at Golden State, Houston and Oklahoma City before Saturday's overnight flight home.

That means plenty of free time. Haslem said players would have to find something else to do .

``I don't know how to play [poker] for free,'' Haslem joked. ``I don't know that game. Nope. But we'll deal with it and obviously do whatever is necessary until this blows over.''

ON THE MOVE

The Sacramento Kings no longer might be a potential trade partner as Miami tries to dump about $2.5 million in salary to avoid the NBA luxury tax.

The Kings instead helped the New Orleans Hornets reduce their tax burden in a trade Monday that sent Hilton Armstrong and his $2.8 million salary to Sacramento for a conditional draft pick.

The Heat has had preliminary talks with Sacramento, New Jersey, Memphis, Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Clippers about trades.

Report of dispute, trade offer refuted

DENVER - Well, you don't hear this around an NBA team every day:

Timberwolves center Al Jefferson walked past teammate Kevin Love after Monday's morning shootaround, shouted out "Love you, Kevin," to which Love replied, "Love you, too, man."

It was their playful response to a Yahoo! Sports report that Indiana refused a Wolves' Jefferson-for-Danny Granger trade offer, presented partly because Jefferson and Love are at odds with each other.

Wolves boss David Kahn called the report "totally without merit" and said he will not offer any of his "core" players in trade until next summer. Kahn last week told Jefferson, through his agent, that he will not trade him this season, and Kahn met with Jefferson for about 20 minutes Monday to reassure him.

"He made me comfortable to know what I heard last night was rumors," Jefferson said Monday morning. "It's part of the NBA life. It's not the first time my name has been attached to rumors before. I've been in this league long enough to know this time of year, every year, there's going to be trade rumor before the trade deadline.

"You see stuff like this come on TV and coming out of the woodwork, that's why it went in one ear and went out the other."

Taking their time

Kahn said he and Rambis will use all 82 games to evaluate a team whose season, Kahn contends, didn't really begin until Dec. 4, when Love played his first game. The Yahoo! report said Kahn already has decided he won't build the Wolves around Jefferson. Kahn has contended Jefferson is probably the second- or third-best player on a contending team.

"I have no desire to do anything with our core pieces this season," Kahn said. "We don't know who we are yet. You can make some terrible mistakes by making decisions too quickly."

Kahn said he talked with Pacers GM Larry Bird for about 20 minutes after shootaround Friday at Target Center. He said he is constantly talking to other teams in what he calls a "feeling-out process" about what his players might be worth in a trade. "But we're not making deals or concrete offers," he said.

Feeling the Love

The Yahoo! report, quoting an unnamed NBA source, said the Wolves have "jealous stuff" going on between Jefferson and Love. Jefferson called that nonsense, but he used a very no-nonsense word to do so.

"Kevin is like a son to me in this league," Jefferson said. "I believe in tough love with him. ... I don't know where that came from or who made it up."

As Jefferson sat on a chair and spoke to reporters Monday, Love approached, threw himself down on top of Jefferson and gave him a big, heavy body hug.

"Al and I haven't had any problems since I got here," Love said. "It's kind of laughable to me. He has been helping me out all along. I took my biggest steps last year because of him, and this summer because of him."

Etc.

• Center Ryan Hollins missed his fourth game in a row because of an upper respiratory infection and is not expected to re-join the team until it returns from this four-game trip late Friday.

• Forward Ryan Gomes had dental work done Sunday in Denver to repair a fake tooth damaged Saturday by Chicago center Joakim Noah's elbow.

Dwyane Wade survives scare, but Heat can't overcome Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY - The last time the Miami Heat faced the Utah Jazz, it limited Utah to 70 points, winning by 10 last month at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Monday, Utah reached that total midway through the third quarter. And never looked back.

Falling for the second time in the first three games of this six-game Western Conference swing, about the only good that came out of this 118-89 loss for the Heat at EnergySolutions Arena was that Dwyane Wade came out of it with right wrist mostly intact.

Taking a hard fall on the wrist late in the opening period while going for a long rebound, Wade went to the locker room with what was diagnosed as a sprain.

"I just re-aggravated it," Wade said of what had been a lingering injury. "We'll take an X-ray and see."

No sooner did Wade return midway through the second quarter then the Jazz broke the game open with a 17-6 run.

"We did not respond mentally, more than physically," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "This game we didn't show the mental resolve."

Spoelstra said he let his players hear about it and said they will continue to hear about it as the Heat turns its attention to the next stop of this trip, Wednesday's game against the Golden State Warriors.

"We're all disappointed and angry," he said.

For Wade, it just kept getting worse. He was called for a foul on a 3-point attempt by fellow Marquette alum Wes Matthews with two-tenths of a second remaining in the third quarter. Matthews converted the final two of the three attempts for a 90-71 Jazz lead heading into the final period.

"They definitely played harder than us," Heat power forward Udonis Haslem said. "We've got to try to figure this out as a unit."

It was a night when little went right for the Heat, with forward Michael Beasley limited to seven first-half minutes and then called for his fourth foul 33 seconds into the third quarter.

Finally, with the Heat down 95-71 with 11:05 to play, Spoelstra tossed in the towel, much as he did late in Sunday's 94-84 loss to the Clippers, removing Wade and most of the starters.

Wade closed with 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting, his lowest-scoring game of the season. His previous low had been 15 against Atlanta on Nov. 18. It was just the fifth time he was held below 20 points this season. He entered averaging 27.

Wade said he never had a reason to truly test the wrist.

"I wasn't going to force any up," he said.

Wade said on a night the Jazz shot 57.1 percent from the field and 9 of 15 on 3-pointers, also racing to a 28-7 edge on fastbreak points, even the best of the Heat might not have been enough.

"It just happened," he said, with the Heat falling one point short of its most-lopsided loss of the season. "They played very well. It wasn't a game we could walk through and then wake up."

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan went a bit longer with his starters, with point guard Deron Williams finishing with 23 points and 10 assists, and forward Carlos Boozer contributing 25 points and 11 rebounds.

Beasley, allowed to play through the meaningless late minutes, led the Heat with 20 points, the rare recent game when he produced more late than early.

Rivers: Wallace out a week

Celtics forward Rasheed Wallace was scratched about 30 minutes before tonight's game with a foot injury. He'll miss about a week, according to Doc Rivers.

"Looks like a week, maybe," said Rivers. "It’s day-to-day, but I would say maybe a week. Maybe less. I think it’s toe, foot. I’m not sure what it is. I don’t know exactly. I know it started hurting him last night after the game. In the locker room he was saying his foot was bothering him. And then this morning it got bigger I guess. But when he came to the game he thought he was going to play. He actually went out and and tried to warm up, and he came in and said, “Hey Coach, I can’t go.” And we did x-rays and all that, and they were negative, but they also showed that he probably needs a break.”

Pistons slip into huge, early hole, lose 13th straight

Chicago -- It's not getting any better, that's for sure.

The Pistons aren't getting any closer to winning. Actually, they're perfecting the art of being blown out: painless, very systematic, gradual.

Monday's 120-87 loss, the Pistons' 13th in a row, was similar to others during this stretch.

The Pistons (11-25) can tie the franchise record for consecutive losses in a season Tuesday in Washington.

"Not much to say," Ben Gordon said. "We're not playing our type of basketball. We just have to work ourselves out of this."

But how? For some reason, the Pistons can't sustain a quality 48 minutes of anything right now.

"We just have to keep playing through this," dejected coach John Kuester said. "Our coverages were good at times but there was just too much slippage.

"We need to play with energy. We need to share the ball and shoot with confidence. When you lose this many in a row, your confidence is shot. We need to stay together and play through this tough period."

Chicago (16-20) led 28-25 after one quarter, stretched it to 61-47 at halftime, then extended the lead to 97-69 after three quarters.

The Bulls have a promotion where scoring 100 points earns a free Big Mac for everyone in attendance. That kicked in with 11 minutes left in the game.

"You hope to come out early and take control of the game," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. "But in this game anything can happen. Detroit has so many injuries. We shot a high percentage (57 percent) and caught Detroit at a good time."

The Pistons were without Tayshaun Prince, who was ruled out before the game because of a sore left knee. They lost Gordon after six minutes of playing time to a strained right groin.

Both players' status for tonight is unknown.

"I'm hoping for a speedy recovery," Gordon said. "Obviously, I wasn't able to play much tonight at all. Hopefully, tomorrow I'll have better luck."

Richard Hamilton scored 17 and Jonas Jerebko had 15 points and nine rebounds.

Luol Deng had 27 points and Derrick Rose 22 for the Bulls.

Here's an indication of how grim it's been for the Pistons for about the last calendar year.

Last Jan. 4, 2009, the Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, 88-87, improving their record to a season-best 21-11.

Since that high-water mark, the Pistons have gone 29-57, including getting swept in four games in the playoffs by the Cavaliers.

"We're allowing things to carry over," Ben Wallace said. "We can't feel sorry for ourselves."

Said Gordon: "There is still plenty of basketball left. The way the season is going now, everybody's had their ups and downs. I'm still optimistic once everybody gets healthy, we'll start to play the way we know we can and turn this around."

Armstrong traded by Hornets to Kings

PHILADELPHIA -- The Hornets traded backup center Hilton Armstrong and cash considerations to the Sacramento Kings on Monday for a 2016 second-round draft choice, a move that brings the team closer to getting under the luxury-tax threshold of $69.9 million.

By eliminating Armstrong's $2.8 million salary this season, the Hornets' payroll stands at $70.5 million -- and New Orleans is in the neighborhood of $500,000 over the luxury tax figure.

The team has until the end of the season to reach the luxury-tax limit, and the trading deadline is Feb. 18. The Hornets are expected to make another move to get below the luxury-tax limit, according to team sources.

Armstrong, a first-round draft pick in 2006 (the 12th overall), had not appeared in a game with the Hornets since Dec. 14 and has been among the team's inactives for the past seven games.

"It puts us closer, very close to that (luxury tax) line," Hornets General Manger/Coach Jeff Bower said before Monday night's game against the Philadelphia 76ers. "And it does open up a roster spot as well if there's a need for future transactions that involve multiple players as well. That's a plus.

"We didn't feel (the trade) had a big effect on our playing rotation, and the rotation we've been using is one that we think we've gotten some results with. Moving forward, we felt really solid with the front-line players we're using, including Julian Wright."

Bower also said Armstrong, who averaged 3.6 points and 2.7 rebounds during his time with the Hornets -- including 2.8 points and 3.4 rebounds this season -- felt a change of scenery might be good for him.

Armstrong already had left the team to join the Kings and was unavailable for comment.

"It's an opportunity for Hilton to get a chance to play," Bower said. "Hilton was an outstanding young man. He worked hard. This was something, in discussions earlier in the year with his agent, he knew (a move) was a possibility -- and he felt it might be in his best interest as well to be in a different situation."

Bower said the Hornets would continue to be active in trade discussions.

"We'll see if there's a situation that presents itself that can help us in one way or another," he said.

Nets complete trade with Dallas, waive Williams

There were some surprises yesterday as the Nets completed the trade for Kris Humphries, who came from Dallas with Shawne Williams, for Eduardo Najera and a $2.9 million trade exception.

The first surprise is that the Nets will keep Williams. It was widely expected that they would waive the troubled 6-foot-9 forward, but the Nets waived only Sean Williams. So Shawne, a 2005-06 Memphis teammate of Chris Douglas-Roberts, will stay.

The second was team president Rod Thorn admitting his belief some pre-deadline trades could involve the top half dozen or so free agents. Thorn said the Nets, while not a lock to be in discussions for those types, will continue talking "on a daily basis, to see if there's other things we can do [to] help, whether short term or long term" before the Feb. 18 trade deadline.

The third was how highly they think of the 6-foot-9 Humphries, who had little impact in Utah, Toronto or Dallas, but has been a favorite of the 3-34 Nets for a while.

"Most people would say he's athletic, he takes it to the basket, shoots it OK, not great," Thorn said of the Minnesota product picked 14th by Utah in 2004. "Maybe he has made too many mistakes to play a lot of minutes on the teams he was on."

The trade is a no-lose for the Nets. They pay more this year (about $1.325 million pro-rated for Shawne Williams and $200,000 more for Humphries over Najera), but neither Najera nor Sean Williams would be difference makers. Last week the Nets waived Rafer Alston and Thorn said "players used in transactions weren't going to be with us next year." So they're holding tryouts.

"We've liked Humphries, his rebounding potential. He's still relatively young (25 next month)," Thorn said. "Essentially we obviously need help rebounding . . . that had more to do with it than anything.

"Whether a second-round draft pick or younger players, we'll take a look at for the rest of the year, we're trying to build up as many assets as we can."

Shawne Williams' troubles caused him to be run out of Indiana (marijuana arrest for one -- and that was pretty much a highlight). In Dallas he was told to stay away for undisclosed transgressions. Owner Mark Cuban told Dallas reporters "we put him out to pasture." Thorn called the 5.2 ppg career scorer "a talented player who has good size, [is a] good all around type player."

It just never clicked for Sean Williams in New Jersey despite his athleticism.

"You'd think that by this time he'd establish himself as an NBA player," Thorn said. "Maybe it was us. Now we'll find out."

⇒ Devin Harris (wrist) is expected to play tomorrow against Boston after a one-game absence. . . . Shawne is the 12th Williams in Nets' NBA team history.

Irregular heartbeat hospitalizes Skiles

Phoenix — The good news for the Milwaukee Bucks after their 105-101 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday night was that coach Scott Skiles was doing fine.

Skiles, 45, had been taken to a local hospital before the game for precautionary purposes due to an irregular heartbeat.

"He's doing well, so he'll be joining us later on," assistant coach Jim Boylan said after the game. "He's got an arrhythmia. It just happens. There's no reason for it. No one knows the reasons why it happens. But it did and he's fine."

Boylan said that he knew that Skiles was having some trouble with the condition during the day and that he prepared himself just in case he would be taking over the coaching reins.

"It was pretty much a last-minute thing (before the game)," said Boylan. "He met with the doctors here in Phoenix and they advised him to go the hospital and get it taken care of. It was probably like five minutes before we were ready to walk out."

Washington Wizards suspend Andray Blatche, three more speak to law enforcement officials

The Washington Wizards suspended reserve power forward Andray Blatche on Monday for one game for conduct detrimental to the team. Blatche was sent home after getting belligerent with the coaching staff, according to sources, which left Coach Flip Saunders with just eight players available for what turned out to be a shortened practice that was less than an hour.

The Wizards already were without point guard Gilbert Arenas, who was suspended indefinitely by the NBA last week because of his conduct after it was revealed that he had a locker room incident involving guns last month with teammate Javaris Crittenton. Crittenton, who has been out with a left ankle injury, has now been granted an excused leave of absence while the legal process plays out, a team spokesman said.

The team's pool of talent grew even shallower when Brendan Haywood, Caron Butler and DeShawn Stevenson all arrived at Verizon Center on Monday wearing suits and sport coats. They did not practice and later spoke with law enforcement authorities about Arenas's gun possession case and the details surrounding the dispute between Arenas and Crittenton that led to guns being displayed on Dec. 21.

With the Wizards set to host Detroit on Tuesday -- their fourth game since NBA Commissioner David Stern suspended Arenas -- and the team playing inspired basketball in their past two games against Orlando and New Orleans, Saunders was asked after practice if things were moving closer to being more normal. Saunders chortled and made it clear that there is no such thing as normal when it comes to the Wizards these days.

"Considering that we had three guys meeting with lawyers and the district attorney this morning, during practice -- no," Saunders said. "We have people still meeting with people. That's something right now that we have to live with and fight through."

The task will get even more challenging for Saunders and the Wizards, who could be without starting shooting guard Mike Miller (sore right calf) for an extended period and will definitely play without their primary backup for Haywood and Antawn Jamison against Saunders's former team, the Pistons, who are 2-0 against the Wizards this season.

Miller had an MRI exam Monday afternoon on the injured calf that forced him to miss 21 games. He played the past two games but complained about being immobile in an ineffective 14 minutes against New Orleans. "Today, he was feeling a lot better," Saunders said. "I just think we're going to have to wait to see where he's at on a day-to-day basis."

Saunders would not get specific about what led to Blatche's suspension, saying only that it was the result of his behavior during and after the Wizards' 115-110 loss to the Hornets on Sunday. Blatche had zero points, three rebounds and three turnovers in almost 17 minutes. After the game, Blatche dressed, went to Randy Foye's locker and sprayed himself down with Foye's cologne. Head athletic trainer Eric Waters approached Blatche and asked him to head to the training room. Blatche angrily responded, "Do I look like I care about my knee?" He then exited the locker room.

A person familiar with the situation said that Saunders informed the players after the team reached 30 games that he had high expectations for them and wasn't going to tolerate the slightest lack of professionalism.

Blatche was among the four players fined $10,000 on Friday for participating in a prearranged gimmick in a pregame huddle in Philadelphia, where Arenas mimicked shooting his teammates with his fingers before a win against the 76ers. Blatche later apologized for the incident, but after being moved out of the starting lineup for the past two games, Blatche has scored a combined four points with 11 rebounds in 32 minutes.

Attempts to reach Blatche by telephone were unsuccessful. A message left with his agent, Eric Fleisher, was not returned.

In his fifth season, Blatche is averaging 8.8 points and 5.2 rebounds, but his playing time and production have dropped considerably since Jamison returned from a right shoulder injury in the middle of November. In the first nine games, he averaged 14.1 points and seven rebounds, scored a career-high 30 points against New Jersey on Oct. 31 and reached at least 20 points on two other occasions. Since then, Blatche has averaged just 6.9 points and 4.6 rebounds.

"It's too much already," Jamison said, when asked about the constant distractions with the Wizards, "but this is our job. This is what we get paid to do. The one thing we want to do is win basketball games and have playoff games here and really contend. But it's just been so many distractions that we really haven't been able to discuss those things."

He admitted that the situation surrounding Arenas and Crittenton won't go away for some time. "I think we all know that. The legal process has to go through what they have to go through. After that, the NBA's going to get on it. Unfortunately, this might be something that can drag on throughout the year," Jamison said. "You pretty much look at it as two guys really made poor judgment. They let something heated dictate a poor judgment, and people are looking at them in a different light. People are seeing them as a different person. You just wish it would have never happened."

Golden State Warriors rally, but fall short against Cleveland Cavaliers

With Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison sitting courtside Monday night, the Warriors pulled off a furious rally to nearly steal a win from the Cleveland Cavaliers.

But the Warriors fell short, losing 117-114, thanks in part to a miscommunication between coach Don Nelson and guard Monta Ellis in the final seconds.

The loss snapped a three-game home winning streak for the Warriors. Golden State has split its last eight games.

"We did all we could," Warriors rookie guard Stephen Curry said after totaling 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists. "Down 10 with three minutes left, and we clawed our way back. We had a shot to tie and put it into to overtime — and we had the momentum so we might've won."

Ellison, who reportedly has an interest in buying the Warriors, was making his first appearance at the arena that bears his company's name.

The Warriors treated him to an overall sluggish performance, shooting only 42.4 percent from the field. Ellis, who missed the morning shoot-around because he wasn't feeling well, finished with 30 points but on just 9-for-25 shooting.

Well, at least Ellison did get to see LeBron James up close, and James didn't disappoint. He dominated as the Cavaliers shot 53.1 percent. James finished with 37 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds and four blocks.

Ellison also got to see a riveting comeback by Golden State.

James capped a 10-2 run with a driving layup at the 5:28 mark, giving the Warriors their biggest deficit of the night, 108-94. With 2:20 left, Cleveland led 115-104.

But the Warriors ran off eight straight points to shift the momentum. Curry made a 3-pointer, then forward Corey Maggette hit a layup. After a steal, Curry zipped an around-the-back pass to Ellis, who drilled a 3-pointer from the corner. The Warriors trailed 115-112 with 57.9 seconds remaining.

James answered with a layup, but a driving finger roll by Curry pulled the Warriors back to within three with 30.1 seconds left.

The Warriors got a stop but didn't call a timeout when they got the ball with five seconds left. Ellis, who got the rebound off a James miss, pushed it after some hesitation. He was swarmed before he could take a shot and had to pass the ball behind him to Curry, whose 34-foot heave at the buzzer fell a few feet short of tying the game.

Nelson said he told the team in the previous timeout, at the 57.9-second mark, not to call a timeout but to push the ball instead. Ellis said if that was the plan, he didn't remember it.

"I didn't hear it, that's why I looked over to the bench," Ellis said. "I did expect to call a timeout."

The Warriors had to come from behind because they were overmatched most of the night. They learned before the game that second-year forward Anthony Randolph would be out an extended period with an injured left ankle. Then, inside the four-minute mark of the second quarter, they lost center Ronny Turiaf to a sprained right ankle. X-rays were negative, but he never returned to the game.

By the fourth quarter, Andris Biedrins and Chris Hunter were the only big men available to the Warriors. Biedrins struggled mightily. In 13 minutes, he missed all four of his shots to go with three rebounds and five fouls. Hunter was 0-for-1 with two rebounds in seven minutes.

So Nelson went small, using the likes of Maggette and Vladimir Radmanovic at center. And James took advantage. He scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, going to the post repeatedly.

"That was normal LeBron," Ellis said. "Nothing spectacular. Nothing special. That's what he does."

CAVALIERS 117,
WARRIORS 114

NEXT GAME: Wednesday,
vs. Heat, 7:30 p.m.
INSIDE

Anthony Randolph is out at least two months. Page 3

Technically speaking, Celtics can’t solve Hawks puzzle

The Celtics [team stats] are a little too touchy and proud to admit that what they have in Atlanta is a contemporary rival.

But it’s time to embrace all of the vitriol that this matchup seems to produce.

Last night, in a game-altering technical-fest in which coach Doc Rivers was ejected in the third quarter and assistant Armond Hill picked up a third misconduct for good measure, the Hawks beat the Celtics for the third time this season, including the unthinkable - a second straight win at the Garden.

Jamal Crawford, who sank the Celtics with 18 points in 25 minutes last Friday in Atlanta, came back with 17 off the bench last night, including the last six points in his team’s 102-96 win. Joe Johnson erupted with 36 points that included 5-of-7 shooting from downtown and a 12-point fourth quarter.

If there is a more challenging foil in this league than the Hawks, the Celtics haven’t played it yet.

And still their confidence runs amok.

“We still feel we’re the better team,” said an exhausted Paul Pierce [stats], who like the rest of a closing unit that included Glen Davis, Rajon Rondo [stats], Ray Allen and Kendrick Perkins [stats], played the last 19 minutes without a substitution by associate coach Tom Thibodeau, who took over for Rivers.

“The year we won the (2008) championship, we lost four times to Washington. It definitely bothered us, but we’re a better team, and it will show.”

Perkins seconded that emotion.

“It’s not like I fear them,” he said. “I don’t think anyone on this team fears them. They look at us like a rival, but I don’t think we look at them as a rivalry team.”

That much will change in due time, especially if the two meet in the playoffs come spring.

Perhaps the C’s will be healthier by then.

Rasheed Wallace joined Kevin Garnett in the locker room last night with a sore left forefoot.

Replacement starter Brian Scalabrine triggered a fast Celtics start by going 3-for-3 from long range in the first half but never saw the floor down the stretch.

But once Davis was called for a Flagrant 1 takedown of Marvin Williams with 6:16 left in the third, this game turned on its ear. The late whistle by referee Bennett Salvatore brought an enraged Rivers to his feet and earned the Celtics coach two quick whistles of his own.

Shortly after Rivers was led back to the locker room, Hill received a T from referee Marc Davis. The result was four free throws - two from Crawford for the technicals and two more from Williams for the foul - that gave juice to a 10-2 Atlanta run that chopped the Celtics’ lead from 12 points (67-55) to six (67-61).

Crawford’s second trey of the quarter pulled Atlanta even at 75 with 52 seconds left in the third. The Hawks took the lead four times in the last 5:25 of the fourth, with Crawford’s one-man 6-0 run breaking a 96-96 deadlock. From there, the Celtics [team stats] missed their last five shots, including three from Allen.

His starters, plus Davis, clearly were drained by then, but like everything else last night, Rivers was unsure of how the game ever got to that point.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I think with me getting thrown out it kind of left our staff - it happened so quick. It’s almost like (the surprise of losing Wallace for the night). So leaving the guys in that were playing well was probably the safe bet. I don’t know.”

No one else did, either.

“They compete,” Perkins said of the Hawks. “Other than that, I thought we gave that game away. There were a lot of mistakes that kind of helped them.”

Kevin Garnett to sit another 10 days

Twelve days ago, Celtics [team stats] management said Kevin Garnett would miss roughly 10 days with a hyperextended right knee.

Doc Rivers obviously had to amend that number last night, and offered up another 10-day window for the forward’s return.

But this time the Celtics coach believes he is right. The reason was Garnett’s workout yesterday, his first full-fledged run, minus the odd shootaround, since Dec. 30.

“In the next 10 days, in that area,” Rivers said before last night’s 102-96 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. “Now I’m pretty sure it’s in the next 10 days. He started working out today for the first time. Now it’s just a conditioning thing. We want to make sure he’s strong and back in shape, because he literally hasn’t done anything. Ten days to two weeks is what it will take, but I think it will be 10 days with him.

“Trying to hold him down for those extra four will be very difficult. (But) he biked and ran (yesterday). It was pretty good.”

Indeed, management is now convinced that Garnett’s knee is sound, and that he simply has to work back into shape.

“I’m confident because of what our doctors and trainers say,” general manager Danny Ainge said. “They tell us the knee is good.”

That only accentuates Garnett’s patience, a virtue he developed last season in the months leading up to his right knee surgery to sand down a bone spur.

“For him it’s been a minor miracle . . . it’s been very good,” Rivers said of Garnett’s ability to stay off the floor without imploding. “It was good for him, I guess, but I’ve never been a big believer in that whole rest thing. That’s been the talk in the league for the last three or four years. But I don’t remember Michael (Jordan) sitting out for three or four weeks so he could be ready for the playoffs.

“I think they like to play, personally, but in this case it was the smart thing to do because it was only going to get worse if he played. Players want to play. If you sit them it puts them out of it more.”

Sheed unavailable

Garnett may not be the only Celtic on the mid-range plan. Rasheed Wallace, a game-time scratch because of what the team described as a sore left forefoot, may be a week away from his next action.

“It’s day to day, but I would say maybe a week,” Rivers said. “It’s a toe, foot, I’m not sure what it is. I know it started hurting him after the game last night (in Toronto). He was saying his foot bothered him. And then this morning it got bigger, I guess. But when he came to (last night’s) game he thought he was going to play. He actually went out and tried to warm up, and then he came (back) in and said ‘coach, I can’t go.’ ”

Glen Davis started in Wallace’s place.

Join the club

The Hawks, by beating the Celtics twice in four days, joined a rather bizarre group. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the previous three teams to beat the C’s twice in four days included Washington (2008), Chicago (2007) and New Jersey (2006). . . .

Marquis Daniels, who worked on passing drills before the game, is still expected to resume playing following next month’s All-Star break. . . .

The North Station concourse will be renamed in honor of Red Auerbach, the late Celtics [team stats] patriarch, during a ceremony Friday.

Hawks’ Jamal Crawford finishes strong

Atlanta Hawks guard Jamal Crawford is a sixth man who does his best work in the fourth quarter.

Crawford dictated the Hawks’ end-game strategy in the final two minutes to secure a 102-96 victory against the Celtics [team stats] in an emotionally fueled encounter last night at the Garden.

The Hawks clinched their third win against the Celtics this season and their second in the last four days. In the Hawks’ 93-85 victory Friday night in Atlanta, Crawford scored 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter. Crawford leads the NBA in scoring (16.9 ppg) among players that have not started a game, and matched that almost exactly with 17 points last night.

“We called his number and if he didn’t have it he would kick it out to Joe (Johnson) and let Joe play,” Atlanta coach Mike Woodson said.

Crawford scored the final six points of the game with two from the line, a driving layup and a pull-up jumper along the baseline. Crawford’s final two buckets were set up by excellent ball movement that burned both the clock and the Celtics.

“They couldn’t really key on one person,” Crawford said. “When you give the extra pass you give yourself up for the team and good things usually happen.

“Everybody is doing that right now.”

Crawford had to get his defensive house in order before Woodson would allow him to call his own number in the Celtics end. C’s point guard Rajon Rondo [stats], who was coming off a triple-double Sunday in Toronto, scalded the Hawks with drives and jumpers en route to a team-high 26 points. The Hawks amped up their defense in the fourth quarter and held the Celtics to 16 points. Rondo’s lone bucket in the fourth came on a goaltending call.

“I had to turn it up (defensively),” Crawford said. “Coach challenged me at halftime and said, ‘I need you to be a better defender and now is the time to step it up.’

“I just wanted to do a better job and my teammates did a great job helping me.”

Johnson, who finished with 36 points, opened Atlanta’s scoring run in the fourth quarter with a trey and a pair of medium-range jumpers to tie the game at 84 with 7:26 to play. He gave Atlanta a 94-93 lead on a fallaway jumper along the baseline to set the stage for Crawford’s heroics.

“I just took pretty much what the defense gave me,” Johnson said. “I wanted to be aggressive, I took a lot of contested shots tonight.”

Carmelo Anthony has big impact in Denver

Carmelo Anthony scored 24 points in his return from a knee injury, hitting consecutive 3-pointers midway through the fourth quarter to help quash any chance of another upset by Minnesota as the Nuggets beat the Timberwolves, 105-94, last night in Denver.

The All-Star forward, who is leading the NBA in scoring, missed the previous five games after suffering a right knee bruise Dec. 28 against Sacramento.

Corey Brewer had 25 points for the Timberwolves, who lost their fourth consecutive game on the road.

Al Jefferson [stats] added 22 points and 15 rebounds. Earlier in the day, the former Celtics [team stats] center brushed off rumors of a potential trade after a report by Yahoo! [YHOO] cited anonymous sources in saying Minnesota offered Jefferson to Indiana in exchange for Danny Granger.

Suns 105, Bucks 101 - Steve Nash had 30 points and 11 assists, helping host Phoenix rally after blowing a 24-point lead and beat Milwaukee for the 22nd consecutive time at home.

The Bucks were without coach Scott Skiles, who was hospitalized just before the game, and high-scoring guard Michael Redd, whose knee injury will keep him out the remainder of the season.

Jazz 118, Heat 89 - Deron Williams had 23 points and 10 assists and Carlos Boozer finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds as Utah beat road-weary Miami in Salt Lake City.

Mehmet Okur added 13 points and tied his career high with five blocks.

76ers 96, Hornets 92 - Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand scored 18 points each and Allen Iverson [stats] added 16 as Philadelphia snapped a four-game home losing streak by holding off New Orleans.

Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams added 12 points each for the Sixers, who had lost nine of 10 at home.

Pacers 105, Raptors 101 - At Indianapolis, Danny Granger scored 23 points and Indiana overcame a 23-point deficit against Toronto.

Troy Murphy had 20 points and 16 rebounds for the Pacers, who had lost two straight. It was Indiana’s first win since Granger’s return from a heel injury that had kept him out for a month.

Bulls 120, Pistons 87 - Luol Deng scored 27 points on 13-of-18 shooting and host Chicago handed Detroit its 13th consecutive loss.

Derrick Rose finished with 22 points on 11-of-13 shooting for the Bulls.

Thunder 106, Knicks 88 - Kevin Durant had 30 points and host Oklahoma City won for the eighth time in 10 games by beating New York.

Durant, who entered the game with a 28.7-point average, had 15 in the first quarter as Oklahoma City built a double-digit lead.

Elsewhere in the NBA - Three more members of the Washington Wizards have met with authorities concerning the Gilbert Arenas gun investigation. Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson had to miss practice to answer questions. . . .

Dallas acquired Eduardo Najera from New Jersey in exchange for forwards Kris Humphries and Shawne Williams.

In end, argument misses point

Fourteen seconds after the technical-palooza in the third quarter last night at the Garden, the Celtics [team stats] were back ahead by eight points and still very much in position to do to the Hawks what they are supposed to do to the Hawks on this floor.

It would be patently improper to say that the Boston ‘T’ party in which coach Doc Rivers was served twice and assistant coach Armond Hill once was a valid excuse for the Celts to slunk away down the stretch. The most direct effect of the sequence is that the assistant coach who took over, Tom Thibodeau, didn’t make a single substitution in his 18:16 in charge, leaving the fatigued five to languish in the late going.

Playing on a back-to-back and for the third time in five days, the Celtics went on to squander a 14-point lead and fall to 0-3 against Atlanta this season with a 102-96 final in the Hawks’ favor.

The Celts were ahead by 10 when Marvin Williams stole the ball from Ray Allen and took off on a fast break. Glen Davis caught Williams and applied a strong hit, with the officials deciding it was a flagrant foul.

A livid Rivers was called for two techs, and when Hill made a comment (not an abusive one, according to those close by), he got one, as well. With three tech free throws, plus two for the foul and possession of the ball, the Hawks could have done some major damage. But after Jamal Crawford made the three technical free throws, Williams hit 1-of-2 from the line and Kendrick Perkins [stats] blocked a Crawford drive.

The damage had already been done to the flow, however, according to the Celts.

“Well I don’t know, the game is full of momentum changes and throughout the course of the game that’s what happens,” captain Paul Pierce [stats] said. “I mean, we gave them momentum when we were up (10) and then we got the technical fouls and you know they cut the lead basically in half with the free throws, and it becomes a dogfight after that.

“I mean, if you give Atlanta a chance with the guys they have . . . you know, it gets tough.”

Said Allen: “It was just a terrible situation, whether it was justified or not. We’re up 10, and now all of a sudden it seemed like it was a two-point game and the ball wasn’t even dribbled. I hated watching that. The lack of a good call can result in that much of a difference in a game like that.

“Up until that point, we were playing well and after that the game did change.”

Rivers took the blame. He has been ejected from games before, but generally it is a planned event designed to inspire his team. (And then there was the time it looked like he wanted to get tossed so he could watch The Masters, but let’s not get into that now.)

“I told the guys after the game, No. 1, that’s always on me,” Rivers said. “I don’t think I should ever get thrown out. I don’t know when the last time I was thrown out (March 17, 2009, in Chicago).

“I don’t care how bad you think the calls are at that moment, you know, somehow you have to try to ring yourself back in.”

Rivers thought the officials were deciding whether it was a breakaway foul, when he got word of the flagrant and blasted off. Asked if he remembers ever being that enraged, the coach cracked, “Maybe in a practice. But, no. Usually when I get thrown out, I tell my coaches, ‘Hey, I got to go. I think our team needs a lift.’ ”

According to Davis, he was trying to give Williams a lift.

“I’m a big guy and it felt like I didn’t intentionally do it,” Davis said. “When I was coming down I tried to hold him from falling. But the refs made a decision and I can’t get mad and upset.”

Others did that for him.

Spurs ready for Lakers litmus test

The wait has not exactly been killing Tim Duncan. The Los Angeles Lakers come to town tonight for the first time since winning their 15th NBA title last June, providing the Spurs with a vivid reminder of what they once were and still hope to be again.

It is a game most Spurs fans circled in silver and black the day the schedule was announced, and one Duncan — the team's captain and designated even keel — has been looking forward to for almost a whole 48 hours.

“Since last night,” Duncan deadpanned before practice Monday. “8:30ish.”

For others in the organization, including those who pull the strings and those who sign the paychecks, tonight's measuring-stick game against the NBA's best team has been a longer time coming.

When Spurs general manager R.C. Buford and coach Gregg Popovich took their team in for its extreme makeover last summer — adding Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, Keith Bogans, Theo Ratliff and a whole lot of pennies to the payroll — they did so with the Lakers on the brain.

“They're the champions,” Tony Parker said. “They're the team we have to catch.”

In a sense, today is weigh-in day for the Spurs, a chance to stand back-to-back against the team they've been chasing since June, when Kobe Bryant hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy in the middle of Orlando's Amway Arena.

Nearly every move the Spurs have made since tracks against their pursuit of the champs.

They traded for Jefferson, in hopes of adding offensive punch. They signed McDyess and Ratliff, in hopes of giving themselves a fighting chance against the Lakers' supersized frontline. They acquired Bogans, in hopes of making him the Kobe stopper — or, at least, the Kobe slower-downer — Bruce Bowen once was.

“You always look at the best in your league and say, ‘If we're playing them in the playoffs, how do we match up?” Popovich said. “That's where you start.”

The Lakers should provide the Spurs with a formidable litmus test. L.A.'s 29-8 record, though cooled since an 18-3 start, remains tops in the NBA.

Bryant, nursing a fractured index finger on his shooting hand and coming off a 4-for-21 performance against Milwaukee, entered Monday's slate as the NBA's top scorer at 30.1 points per game. Adding to Bryant's air of indestructibility, he has averaged 32.3 in 15 games since the injury.

“They have the whole package,” Manu Ginobili said. “We really want to become that kind of team.”

There is one caveat in the Spurs' quest to test themselves against the defending champs.

Lakers forward Pau Gasol, whose arrival in February 2008 tipped the balance in the Western Conference, is doubtful with a left hamstring strain. This season, the Lakers are 10-5 without him.

Given what the Spurs hope to discover about themselves tonight, they would just as soon Gasol gets off his treadmill and plays.

The Spurs' previous test runs against the NBA's elite, for the most part, have not gone well. They are 3-11 against teams at or above .500 and 19-2 against everybody else. Though a win over L.A. would count just once in the standings, it would carry more significance than a win over, say, New Jersey.

“Confidence-wise, it will help,” Duncan said. “To see things working will help. It's a process. Obviously, it's one every single one of us wants to accelerate as fast as possible, but it takes time.”

Added Popovich: “You want to get to the Finals and play for a championship. We haven't been there the last two years now. It can get frustrating, but if you hurry it or skip steps, you're not going to be there.”

Tonight, the Spurs will find out how many steps they've come since June. And, perhaps, how many more they have to go.

A big night, whether the wait has been eight months or 48 hours.

Diligence pays off for Charlotte Bobcats' Murray

The last time the Charlotte Bobcats practiced at Community College of Philadelphia, Flip Murray made sure to remind coach Larry Brown that he still holds all the school scoring records.

Intramural records.

That Murray spent a year there as a student, but not a basketball player, speaks to the uncommon path he took to the NBA. The North Carolinas and Dukes weren't all over him and he also wasn't one of those preps-to-pros phenoms.

Just a resilient kid from Philadelphia who worked his way from junior college to DivisionII Shaw to a half-dozen gigs with various NBA teams.

And now, surrounded by various former can't-miss prospects, Murray is the Bobcat who can't seem to miss. Over his past four games, Murray has averaged 17.2 points on 22-of-40 shooting from the field and 11-of-18 from 3-point range.

"Flip gives us options," teammate Stephen Jackson said recently. "Every really good team has someone like that coming off the bench."

By "someone like that," Jackson meant a versatile, mentally tough guy with the mind-set to take big shots. It was Murray's 3-pointer that changed the game in Cleveland - it broke a tie and the Bobcats never trailed again.

Based on his resume, you wouldn't pick Murray as a long-term NBA player, but it seems that disjointed background made him into a player. Unlike so many of his peers, he doesn't assume everything will go perfectly.

He came home from Meridian Community College in Mississippi to care for two sisters while his mother found work. He gave up competitive basketball for a year, but never worried basketball would give up on him.

"It's Philly - basketball's all around," Murray recalled. "There was always going to be a connection."

That connection became Joel Hopkins, the former Mount Zion Academy coach, who took over at Shaw and looked to fast-track the program via junior-college stars and disgruntled DivisionI players.

Hopkins' pitch made great sense - this is the guy who prepared Tracy McGrady for the NBA - so Murray came to Raleigh. Murray so dominated the CIAA, some coaches adopted "Murray Rules'' a la "The Jordan Rules," the Detroit Pistons' guidelines for guarding Michael Jordan.

"He knew the players and the coaches and the scouts," Murray said of Hopkins' NBA ties. "He said, 'The recognition's going to be there.'"

By the spring of 2002, Shaw was 28-5 and Murray was averaging 23.2 points. That earned him DivisionII national player of the year and a second-round selection by the Milwaukee Bucks.

But he hadn't yet made it. Murray was the fifth of five guards.

"I've never worried about what I can't control," Murray said. "I had Sam Cassell and Kevin Olie ahead of me (at the point) and Ray Allen and Michael Redd in front of me (at shooting guard). I knew I wouldn't play, but I knew I'd learn."

Things improved following a trade to Seattle and a slew of injuries to teammates. The Sonics used him plenty and others noticed.

And a pattern emerged; he'd last about two seasons with a team. He never received a long-term contract, but he was never unemployed.

His deal with the Bobcats - one season for about $2million - is typical of how he sustained a career.

"No problem with that," Murray said. "I've had a lot of coaches and learned a lot of systems. It's pretty easy at this point to adapt."