Jazz win seventh straight

SALT LAKE CITY – Ronnie Brewer scored a career-high 26 points and Utah increased its winning streak to seven straight with a 102-89 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night, hours after Jazz owner Larry Miller's funeral in the same building.

Mehmet Okur also scored 26 and Deron Williams added 16 points and 11 assists for the Jazz, who went 10-1 in February.

The day started somberly for the Jazz with the funeral for Miller, who died eight days before of complications from diabetes, but ended with another win — a fitting send-off for their longtime owner.

Kevin Martin had 19 points to lead the Kings, who haven't won back-to-back games since November. Rashad McCants had 17 points and Bobby Jackson scored 14 for Sacramento.

The Kings, who beat the Clippers the night before in Sacramento, faded as Utah corrected some mistakes that led to 13 turnovers in the first half. Utah had just four turnovers in the second half and outscored the Kings 23-16 in the final period. It took the Jazz until midway through the fourth period to finally pull away with an 11-0 run.

Brewer started the run with a 3-pointer, then he and the Jazz held the Kings scoreless for almost five minutes while pulling away. Brewer also had a steal that led to his own dunk and a thrilling save during the spurt that put Utah in command for good.

Brewer finished 10-for-18 from the floor and had seven rebounds, four steals, a block and two assists.

Although the Kings never led, they were never more than nine points behind until the final quarter.

After Will Solomon made a 3-pointer to get the Kings within 80-79, Brewer answered with a 3-pointer to start the decisive run. Millsap followed that by blocking Solomon's layup and starting a fast break, which Andrei Kirilenko completed on an alley-oop from Williams with 8:27 left to play.

Brewer saved the ball from going out of bounds with a blind pass to Kirilenko, who couldn't control it but dived on the floor for the loose ball and managed to roll it to Williams. Williams was fouled on the drive and made one of his free throws to put Utah up 91-79 with 5:08 remaining.

Martin made a jumper for Sacramento's first points since Solomon's 3-pointer, but the Jazz went right back to Brewer for a dunk and Utah continued to roll.

Notes@: Brewer's previous career high was 25 in December against Minnesota. ... The Jazz had a chance for a six-point halftime lead but allowed Jason Thompson to sneak behind the defense and make a dunk with 0.4 seconds left in the second quarter and cut Utah's lead to 54-50. ... The Jazz outscored the Kings in the paint 56-42. .. Francisco Garcia scored 13 and Thompson pulled down 12 rebounds for Sacramento. Spencer Hawes added 11 boards for the Kings.

NBA Weekly: Stephon Marbury To The Celtics?, Orlando Magic, Could The Pistons Miss The Playoffs?, & More

Boston Celtics: It looks like the Celtics have made their playoff moves, first by adding big man Mikki Moore and now they are looking to add Stephon Marbury as their backup PG. Both of these additions would improve the Celtics bench greatly. Moore is 6'11, but he weighs only 225 pounds, so I'm not sure how helpful he will be on defense or if he is even any good on defense. His defensive rating for his career is 108, which means he gives up 108 points per 100 possessions, and his rating has been getting worse as he gets older. Now that could partly be because the Kings are so bad on defense that no one individual defender is going to look good statistically on defense. The Celtics as a team have a defensive rating of 100.3, which means Moore is about 8 points worse than the Celtics per 100 possessions. Considering he'll probably only play 20-30 possession a game maximum, it shouldn't be too big of a deal. What he does provide is another big man who can hit jump shots, which is something Leon Powe and Big Baby can't do on a consistent basis. This should help spread the floor out some for the second unit. Yahoo Sports says this about Moore: Moore’s a hard worker and has some length, but isn’t a big rebounder/shot blocker type of power forward and he gets overpowered by bigger bodies. Guess that clears up the defensive ! part.

As for Marbury, well I don't think anyone would deny that having Marbury as your backup PG is going to help your team. Marbury can still score and should be able to create shots for the second unit as well. He also gives the Celtics another option if Rondo goes on a cold streak at the end of games or if the Celtics just want another 3-point shooter on the floor. I have no doubt that the Celtics will get the best out of Marbury, since KG alone should be able to motivate him. Now Marbury isn't guaranteed to go to the Celtics, because he still has to clear waivers I believe and it's possible someone like Miami might want to pick him up, but I'm pretty sure Marbury will choose the Celtics when all is said and done.

Orlando Magic: Unfortunately for NBA fans, Jameer Nelson is now officially done for the season, which means the Magic will not be 100% healthy to challenge the Celtics and Cavs in the East. However, they did trade for Rafer Alston to help ease the loss of Nelson and so far Alston has been playing well. The main thing Orlando needs Alston to do is distribute the ball and he is doing that for the Magic averaging 7.3 assists in 3 games. However, Alston is a terrible shooter from the floor percentage wise and typically shoots under 40% from the floor, so the Magic would do best to advise him to not shoot too much. He can knock down some open 3's, but even then he is just a 35.5% shooter from three for his career. The play of Alston, along with Courtney Lee and Anthony Johnson, will play a big part in just how deep this Orlando team can go in the playoffs.

Detroit Pistons: I mentioned a few weeks back that the Pistons were finished as a contender and you could write them off for this season. Since then, they have gone 1-7 after having lost thei! r last 7 games, including 4 straight at home. Ouch, even I didn't think they would fall off THAT bad. Right now they are only two games up on Chicago who is in 9th place in the East, which means there's a very realistic chance that Detroit might not even make the playoffs. Things don't look like they will get better for the Pistons anytime soon either, since they have 3 straight road games against New Orleans, Orlando, and Boston.

Other NBA News:

- Bad news for anyone who picked the Nuggets to win the NBA Finals: Nene will out at least two weeks with a right knee contusion. By the time he comes back, the Nuggets might have slipped out of having home court in the West for the first round.

- The Cavs could be adding Robert Horry, who could possibly help them in the playoffs. He wouldn't be a bad option to try to suck away opposing PF's from the paint and he can guard a few different positions.

- One of my personal favorites, Ryan Gomes, is averaging 20.2 points and 16.2 shots per game while shooting 47.4 percent from the field, since Al Jefferson went down with a knee injury. Nice to see Gomes stepping it up, too bad it hasn't resulted in more victories for the T-Wolves though.

- Head Coach Patrick Ewing? Hell, I'd love to see that and so would he. Imagine the sweat he would work up on the sidelines though.

More: NBA Weekly

Marbury gone now, but he was already forgotten

GREENBURGH, N.Y. – Stephon Marbury hasn't been around much over the last year, so the New York Knicks had little reaction now that he won't be back.

To them, he already was gone and forgotten.

"He hasn't really been seen in a little while," forward David Lee said Wednesday, after the Knicks' morning shootaround. "Almost somewhat of a dead issue for us because we knew at some point it would probably happen."

Marbury's exit may have taken longer than expected — there was some surprise he was even with the team when training camp opened — but the Knicks haven't been spending much time thinking about their former captain.

"It's not like, 'Oh now we can really play basketball, we're not distracted,'" coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We weren't distracted before."

Nor does D'Antoni have any regrets about the way he handled his time with Marbury.

"We said all along, tough situation," D'Antoni said. "We weren't on the same page."

The Knicks and Marbury finally parted ways Tuesday after reaching a buyout on the remainder of his contract that expires following this season. The point guard will be free to join a playoff contender once he clears waivers, and he's already been linked to the Boston Celtics.

Nobody knows how much he'll help though, since he hasn't played a regular-season game in more than a year.

"We'll see. I don't know," Knicks forward Quentin Richardson said. "I don't know what he's been doing. I assume he's been working out or whatever. I mean, only thing I can say is time will tell. Good luck to him."

Though Marbury had still been a Knick, he wasn't a part of the team much toward the end of his turbulent time in New York. He took a long leave of absence last season after his father died in early December, then had season-ending ankle surgery in January. His last official game was Jan. 11, 2008.

He was back with the team in training camp and early in the season before team president Donnie Walsh ordered him to stay away on Dec. 1 while the sides worked toward the buyout of the remaining $20.8 million Marbury was set to earn in the final year of his deal.

In the meantime, the only time the Knicks saw him was when he bought a ticket and sat courtside when they visited the Los Angeles Lakers in December.

None of the players who spoke Wednesday criticized Marbury — though Richardson ripped him after Marbury declined to play when the team was short-handed in November — but they surely won't miss the distractions he caused.

Marbury was at the center of numerous controversies during his five years in New York, from feuding with coaches to skipping games. So while the former Brooklyn schoolboy star's arrival may have been celebrated when he returned home in January 2004, his departure is probably just as popular with his former teammates.

"For whatever reason the match didn't work out and we're moving on," Lee said.

Duncan sits out, but Spurs still crush Mavs

SAN ANTONIO – Tony Parker had 37 points and 12 assists with All-Star teammate Tim Duncan sitting out with a sore right knee, and the short-handed San Antonio Spurs held the Dallas Mavericks to their worst offensive showing this season in a 93-76 victory on Tuesday night.

Parker scored 26 points in the first half and shouldered the load without Duncan and Manu Ginobili, who hasn't played since the All-Star break because of a stress reaction in his right ankle.

Michael Finley scored 16 against his former team, and Josh Howard led the flat-looking Mavericks with 19 points.

The severity of Duncan's injury wasn't immediately known, nor was his likelihood for Wednesday's game against Portland. Duncan walked around the locker room before the game but was scratched only a half-hour before tip-off.

He was not on the bench for the game.

It was the first time this season San Antonio's leading scorer sat out with an injury, and left the Spurs to manage again without two of their big three. The Spurs survived a rocky first few weeks without Parker and Ginobili, who at the time was still recovering from surgery on his other ankle.

Ginobili, who is expected to miss another few weeks, cheerleaded in street clothes as the Spurs won their third straight.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 14 points for the Mavericks, who are also still without one of their biggest offensive weapons, Jason Terry. The standout sixth man missed his sixth game with a break in his non-shooting hand.

Minus Duncan, Ginobili and Terry, the latest meeting in the Interstate 35 rivalry was a far cry from the 133-126 double-overtime thriller that the Spurs wrested in Dallas in December.

Tuesday was more of a jog than a sprint. The Mavericks shot just 34 percent from the floor and San Antonio improved to 18-2 when holding opponents below 89 points.

Matt Bonner added 11 for San Antonio and Kurt Thomas had 10.

Popovich did not mention Duncan's health in a pregame chat with reporters. But when the subject of the recent rash of notable injuries came up — Ginobili, Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire, Boston's Kevin Garnett — Popovich plainly stated that "everyone knows you got to have your horses to win it all."

Perhaps, but apparently not to eek out a February victory.

No Duncan and no Ginobili meant an obvious dependence on Parker from the start, but the Mavs still couldn't shut down what they knew was coming.

Parker set up Thomas for San Antonio's first bucket, then scored 16 straight San Antonio points on a mixture of long jumpers, twisting layups and runners. The one-man run only stopped when Parker zipped a no-look pass to Fabricio Oberto for an easy basket.

By the time Parker sat for his first breather with 2:26 left in the first quarter, the speedy Frenchman had a hand in all but two of San Antonio's 26 points.

Jose Barea had 16 points and reserve James Singleton had 14 for Dallas.

Notes@ Popovich said Ginobili had a protective boot removed from his foot over the weekend and has limited himself to lifting weights and swimming in the pool. Popovich said he expects Ginobili to be on a treadmill soon. ... Even though the Spurs returned from their annual rodeo road trip 5-3, Popovich came home feeling robbed of the usual team-building the swing provides. He was frustrated, in part, because of the schedule being interrupted by the All-Star break. "It was too disjointed than what we wanted to get out of it," he said. ...The Mavs play their next three at home and will face the Spurs again March 4 in Dallas.

West returns to lineup, leads Cavs past Pistons

CLEVELAND – Delonte West scored 25 points in his first game since mid-January and LeBron James added 20, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 99-78 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night.

West, sidelined since Jan. 15 with a fractured right wrist, was 8-of-11 from the field and made all five of his 3-point attempts. He scored 13 points in the first quarter when the Cavaliers put the game away against the sluggish Pistons, who have lost six straight for the first time since February 2004, and fell to 27-27.

James, who scored 55 points Friday night against Milwaukee, played just 31 minutes, added nine assists and five rebounds.

Allen Iverson led the Pistons with 14 points.

The Cavaliers, who trailed only at 2-0, had three big runs in the first half, the first two coming less than 15 minutes into the contest. Leading 9-8 early in the first quarter, Cleveland went on a 15-0 run, sparked by two 3-pointers by West and five points by James, pushing the lead to 16.

The Cavaliers added a 12-0 spurt early in the second quarter, building the lead to 43-19. That burst featured two 3-pointers from Mo Williams and six points by Zydrunas Ilgauskas. A 13-0 run later in the period, sparked by seven points by James and five by West, including another 3-pointer, pushed the lead to 63-29 with 1:46 left before halftime.

Cleveland built the lead to 36 in the third quarter against a reeling Detroit team. The news doesn't get any better for the Pistons, who have lost 15 of 20. Sunday's game began a five-game trip, which also features stops in Miami, New Orleans, Orlando and Boston.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers, who own the NBA's best home record at 25-1, lead the Pistons by 16 games in the Central Division.

Ilgauskas added 16 for Cleveland, while Szczerbiak scored 15. Walter Herrmanm scored 13 for Detroit.

Notes:@ Detroit G Rodney Stuckey, who totaled five points in the previous two games, scored 10. ... Pistons F Jason Maxiell was given a technical foul in the second quarter. ... The Cavaliers committed three turnovers through the first three quarters. ... Cavaliers radio play-by-play announcer Joe Tait missed the game because of kidney stones.

Alston helps new-look Magic rout Bobcats 92-80

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Hedo Turkoglu scored 24 points, Rafer Alston had eight assists hours after officially joining the Magic, and Orlando began life without All-Star Jameer Nelson by routing the Charlotte Bobcats 92-80 on Friday night.

A day after Nelson underwent season-ending shoulder surgery and Alston was acquired in a trade with Houston, the Magic toyed with the Bobcats and bounced back from their worst loss of the season two nights earlier at New Orleans.

Rashard Lewis added 18 points before leaving late after getting hit in the face under the basket for the Magic, who seemed to quickly get comfortable with Alston.

Raymond Felton scored 16 points for the listless Bobcats, who took Orlando to overtime Tuesday but were no match this time.

Alston, acquired in a beat-the-trade-deadline deal with the Rockets on the same day Nelson scrapped his rehab and had surgery, arrived in Charlotte around noon Friday. He immediately took a physical, went through a crash course of the offense with assistant coaches and was cleared to play about two hours before tipoff once the trade was finalized.

Alston, forced to wear the emergency, nameless No. 36 jersey the Magic carry with them on the road, checked in late in the first quarter and fed Tony Battie for his first assist 10 seconds later.

After throwing the ball across the floor to nobody on the next possession, Alston settled down and started finding his teammates in the right spots. While he scored just three points on 1-of-9 shooting, appeared poised to quickly replace Anthony Johnson as the starting point guard.

By halftime, Alston had accumulated five assists and the Magic had built a 49-35 lead behind Lewis' 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point range.

Three nights after Charlotte let a late lead slip away in a heartbreaking loss at Orlando, the Bobcats were overmatched from the start in front of their fifth home sellout of the season.

Sloppiness, poor shooting and Emeka Okafor's early foul trouble against draft-class nemesis Dwight Howard doomed Charlotte, which had won three of four.

The matchup of the top two picks of the 2004 draft has never been a fair fight, with the athletically superior Howard routinely dominating Okafor.

After scoring a career-high 45 points against Charlotte Tuesday, Howard took only eight shots and finished with 13 points and 16 rebounds. But Okafor struggled to defend him and picked up his fourth foul 20 seconds into the second half.

The Magic quickly built the lead to 20 points with Okafor sidelined, erasing memories of an ugly 32-point loss to New Orleans Wednesday that had dropped Orlando to 3-3 since Nelson's injury.

Top scorer Gerald Wallace was held to 11 points for Charlotte, which shot 37 percent from the field.

Notes:@ Magic coach Stan Van Gundy started Courtney Lee at shooting guard ahead of Mickael Pietrus, and then Pietrus left in the fourth quarter with a sprained right wrist after crashing to the floor on a drive. ... There was the rare sight of a 3-point shot goaltended when Howard apparently thought Raja Bell's 30-footer to beat the shot clock was going to be an air ball and caught it in front of the rim in the third quarter. ... Bobcats managing partner Michael Jordan sat courtside in a brown checkerboard striped jacket.

Suns fire Porter after 4 months on the job

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns have fired coach Terry Porter, just four months into his first season with the club and the sputtering team barely in playoff contention. Assistant Alvin Gentry was appointed interim coach.

Phoenix (28-23) lost five of eight going into the All-Star break and trails Utah by one game for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.

Gentry promised a return to the fast-paced style that best utilizes the team's talent, particularly the skills of playmaker Steve Nash.

"We are who we are and I think we have to go back to trying to establish a breakneck pace like we've had in the past," Gentry said at a news conference announcing his promotion.

The Suns are the eighth team to fire a coach this season, meaning more than one-quarter of the league's coaches are gone at the All-Star break.

This marks the second time Porter has been fired as an NBA coach. He was let go by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2005 after two seasons.

"I hired Terry because I believed in him. He's got a ton of integrity and dignity and class, and he's got a great work ethic," general manager Steve Kerr said. "I hired him because I believed he was the best man for the job."

But Kerr said he probably underestimated the difficulty of the transition from Mike D'Antoni's loose, high-speed style of play.

"I think we still can make this a very successful season," Kerr said. "This was a move I think we had to make in order to give our team the best chance for success."

Porter was in the first year of a three-year deal worth about $6 million to replace Mike D'Antoni, who left after four highly successful seasons to coach the New York Knicks.

D'Antoni is a coach who lets his players run and shoot, and maybe play defense once in a while. It was Kerr's insistence on emphasizing defense that led, in large part, to D'Antoni's departure. Porter wanted a defense-oriented team in the tough mold of the Detroit Pistons.

It was a bad fit.

Kerr said Gentry "has been an integral part of our successes the previous four years and knows our talent as well as anyone."

Extremely popular with Suns players, Gentry has been a coach in the NBA for 20 years, including interim head coaching stints with Miami and Detroit. He was coach of the Los Angeles Clippers from 2000 to 2003.

"I think Alvin is a great players' coach," Suns forward/center Amare Stoudemire said after Sunday's All-Star game in Phoenix. "He gets along with his players well. Of course, he'll have a great game plan from a basketball standpoint. I think it will be somewhat up-tempo."

Asked if the coaching change was needed, Stoudemire said, "Only time can tell."

"I think Terry Porter definitely put a lot of hard work in here to try to get us on the right track," he said, "and I'm pretty sure Alvin's going to do the same."

Gentry was the only holdover from D'Antoni's staff in Phoenix. His hiring as assistant coach in 2004 coincided with the arrival of Steve Nash and the subsequent ultra up-tempo offense that propelled the Suns to 54 wins or more in each of the past four seasons.

The decision to replace Porter came in a series of meetings between owner Robert Sarver and Kerr reviewing the entire basketball operation. The two also are considering trading Stoudemire in a move designed to clear salary-cap space, although Kerr indicated an interest in keeping the team together for a run at this season.

Porter, who played in the NBA for 17 seasons, was an assistant with the Pistons when he was hired by the Suns. The intention was for him to bring the Pistons' defense-oriented style with him. That plan was jettisoned after it became apparent the Suns were not suited to such tactics.

Porter says he's fired as Phoenix Suns coach

PHOENIX – Terry Porter was fired as coach of the Phoenix Suns, just four months into his first season with the club and the team barely in playoff contention.

Porter told The Associated Press on Monday morning that Suns general manager Steve Kerr broke the news to him at a Sunday night meeting.

"I'm going to wait a few days to gather my thoughts before I say anything," Porter said.

Assistant coach Alvin Gentry will replace Porter, although the Suns have not yet made an announcement concerning their coaching situation.

Phoenix (28-23) lost five of eight going into the All-Star break and trails Utah by one game for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.

The Suns are the eighth team to fire a coach this season, meaning more than one-quarter of the league's coaches are gone at the All-Star break. The other dismissals came at Memphis, Washington, Toronto, Sacramento, Philadelphia, Oklahoma City and Minnesota.

This marks the second time Porter has been fired as an NBA coach. He was let go by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2005 after two seasons.

Porter was in the first year of a three-year, $6 million deal to replace Mike D'Antoni, who left after four highly successful seasons to coach the New York Knicks.

D'Antoni is a coach who lets his players run and shoot, and maybe play defense once in a while. It was Kerr's insistence on emphasizing defense that led, in large part, to D'Antoni's departure. Porter wanted a defense-oriented team in the tough mold of the Detroit Pistons.

It was a bad fit.

Gentry, extremely popular with Suns players, has been a coach in the NBA for 20 years, including interim head coaching stints with Miami and Detroit. He was coach of the Los Angeles Clippers from 2000 to 2003.

"I think Alvin is a great players' coach," Suns forward/center Amare Stoudemire said after Sunday's All-Star game in Phoenix. "He gets along with his players well. Of course, he'll have a great game plan from a basketball standpoint. I think it will be somewhat up-tempo."

Asked if the coaching change was needed, Stoudemire said, "Only time can tell."

"I think Terry Porter definitely put a lot of hard work in here to try to get us on the right track," he said, "and I'm pretty sure Alvin's going to do the same."

Gentry was the only holdover from D'Antoni's staff in Phoenix. His hiring as assistant coach in 2004 coincided with the arrival of Steve Nash and the subsequent ultra up-tempo offense that propelled the Suns to 54 wins or more in each of the past four seasons.

The decision to replace Porter came in a series of meetings between owner Robert Sarver and Kerr reviewing the entire basketball operation. The two also are considering trading Stoudemire in a move designed to clear salary-cap space.

Porter, who played in the NBA for 17 seasons, was an assistant with the Pistons when he was hired by the Suns. The intention was for him to bring the Pistons' defense-oriented, slower playing style with him. That plan was jettisoned after it became apparent the Suns were not suited to such tactics.

The promotion of Gentry means the Suns will be even more committed to a fast-paced style.

Lots of points in All-Sta

PHOENIX – Shaq and Kobe were together again, and they combined to lead the West to a 72-67 halftime lead Sunday night at the NBA All-Star game.

Kobe Bryant had 13 points on 6-of-13 shooting, more than twice as many attempts as anybody else on his team. Shaquille O'Neal had five points, three rebounds and three assists in just five minutes on the court.

Amare Stoudemire, perhaps in his final game representing the Phoenix Suns, scored 10 in the first half. Paul Pierce scored 14 for the East, and LeBron James had 10.

The first half was big on scoring and short on defense, but that's to be expected. What it lacked was the much of the spectacular showmanship that usually highlights this game.

James scored eight points as the East shot out to a 20-8 lead, and it was 20-10 when O'Neal entered to be reunited with Bryant, a duo that won three consecutive NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The combination helped fuel a West rally. Shaq had a tip-in, and Kobe sank a 3-pointer before getting inside for a dunk. The baskets came in a 19-0 run that put the West up 27-20 after Tony Parker's layup, on a pass from O'Neal, with 2:03 to play.

The East bounced back to cut the deficit to 46-45 on Danny Granger's steal and breakaway jam.

Parker, with wife Eva Longoria cheering him on from a courtside seat, was 4-for-4 for eight points in nine minutes. Brandon Roy was 4-for-5 with eight points, and Pau Gasol scored 10 for the West.

The best part of the night, at least up to the halftime buzzer, came when O'Neal was introduced as the last of the West's reserves. The giant center, in a white mask like those of his smaller dance partners, wowed the crowd in a hip-hop routine that had the fans laughing and clapping in appreciation.

"He's a great dancer. I've seen that all before," Bryant said at halftime. "It was great being out there with him again."

Howard, Lewis both finish second in All-Star Saturday Night events

The Knicks' Nate Robinson is the new slam-dunk champion, while Miami's Daequan Cook is the new three point shootout champion.

For the complete recap of the three point shootout, click here

For the complete recap of the slam-dunk contest, click here

Heat swap Shawn Marion for J

MIAMI – Shawn Marion's most memorable play with the Miami Heat was his last.

Hours after Marion's last-second dunk lifted the Heat past the Chicago Bulls, he was traded Friday to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Jermaine O'Neal, ending a weekslong saga involving the expected deal of former All-Stars.

NBA officials approved the swap Friday afternoon by conference call.

"I developed an unbelievable relationship with Shawn," Heat star guard Dwyane Wade said in Phoenix, where he's part of All-Star weekend. "You're sad to lose a friend on and off the court. At the same time, Shawn and I just had this conversation that it's part of the business and we knew it was a possibility."

Toronto also gets guard Marcus Banks and cash considerations, while Miami will receive forward Jamario Moon and a future first-round draft pick, to come sometime between 2010 and 2015. It's lottery-protected, essentially meaning the first time the Raptors make the playoffs after this season, their first-rounder goes to Miami.

If Miami does not get that first-round pick in 2010, it will get an additional second-round pick that year. The Heat also get a $4.2 million trade exception, which would allow Miami to make a future trade even if the salaries involved don't match.

"This is a win-win for both Toronto and Miami and we wish J.O. and Jamario the best," said Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo, who is familiar with Marion from his time with the Phoenix Suns.

Miami and Toronto discussed the deal for weeks and, with the trade deadline looming Thursday, decided to move forward. Miami also was linked to trade talk with several other teams, including Phoenix and Sacramento, and perhaps was able to coax the draft pick out of Toronto by waiting so long to make the deal.

The Heat said they called no other teams besides Toronto, but acknowledged fielding calls from others.

Marion — whom Miami acquired just over a year ago from Phoenix for Shaquille O'Neal — was referred to by both Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and president Pat Riley in recent weeks as the team's "second-best player" behind Wade.

He took a bounce pass from Wade and dunked with 1.1 seconds left Thursday night, lifting Miami to a 95-93 win and sparking the sort of on-court, chest-bumping celebration that's rarely seen in the regular season.

It was his last hurrah, though, with Miami.

Marion was a key part of Miami's 28-24 start to this season, averaging 12 points (third on the team behind Wade and Michael Beasley, who now could replace him in the starting lineup at small forward) and a team-best 8.7 rebounds.

"They're getting a great, great player in Shawn," Riley said.

But Marion wanted a long-term contract, something Miami was not willing to provide.

One of Miami's primary areas of concentration, just like every other team in the NBA, is keeping cap space clear for the summer of 2010, when the likes of Wade, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Amare Stoudemire and Chris Bosh can become free agents.

And this trade clears another $4.8 million in cap room for that summer; that's what Banks, who had fallen out of the rotation in Miami, would have been owed in the 2010-11 season.

"It sweeps the table, clears the table, for 2010," Riley said.

Plus, it gets Miami a true center in Jermaine O'Neal. The 30-year-old averaged 13.5 points and seven rebounds for Toronto, but has been slowed by injuries. He's owed nearly $23 million next season, but that money won't affect Miami's free-agent plans for 2010.

"It gives us some power down low, which since Shaq left we've been missing," Wade said. "We really need that to compete in the Eastern Conference. Our main thing is we need to get it together fast. Making a trade at this time sometimes makes it tough on teams to get everybody on the same page. Hopefully, we can."

Miami has played an array of players at center this season, including Jamaal Magloire, Joel Anthony, Mark Blount and even Udonis Haslem, a forward who gives up several inches in height and at least 20 pounds to every other true center in the NBA.

The Heat spent about six weeks studying O'Neal, who was evaluated by doctors in South Florida a couple weeks ago, and Riley said he was satisfied the trade makes Miami better.

"You've got to get honest with yourself and say if you're going to compete with the big boys, you've got to get somebody in the middle," Riley said.

Banks averaged 2.6 points in 16 games with Miami this year. He "should benefit from the change of address," Colangelo said.

Moon averaged 7.3 points in 54 games with Toronto, and becomes a free agent after this season. Wade sounded intrigued by the Moon acquisition.

"Jamario Moon is really under the radar as far as what he can do," Wade said.

With Banks gone, Miami has only two true point guards on the roster: Mario Chalmers and Chris Quinn. The Heat do have room to sign another player, so it's likely Riley will pursue either picking up a guard through free agency or making another trade.

NBA All Star 2009 Rookie vs. Sophomore Live Streaming

The NBA All Star 2009 Rookie vs. Sophomore has just started. I am watching it live now at our local cable television and also online. Of course, Rudy Fernandez is in the game too aside from his participation in the NBA All Star 2009 Slam Dunk Contest.


There are questions online as to what time the rookie challenge will begin? Well, its 6:00 pm. and it already begun. I will update this post for the winner of NBA All Star 2009 Rookie vs. Sophomore. I dont have time to make another post aside from this NBA All Star 2009 Rookie vs. Sophomore Live Streaming.

As for NBA All Star 2009 Rookie vs. Sophomore Live Streaming, check justin.tv. I suggest also that you check punchsports.blogspot for a clear live streaming of this game. I am watching it now. Nice intro by Dwayne and Howard. Be it noted that this blog does not provide free live streaming for NBA All Star 2009 event.

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NBA sophomores defeat r

PHOENIX – Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant scored a Rookie Challenge-record 46 points to lead the NBA's sophomores to a 122-116 victory over the rookies on Friday night.

Durant shattered the record of 36 set by Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire as a sophomore in 2004. Durant helped hold off a late charge by the rookies with a three-point play, an emphatic dunk and two free throws in the final minutes.

Michael Beasley of Miami led the rookies with 29 points.

Oft-injured Portland center Greg Oden was a late scratch with a sore left knee after bumping into Golden State's Corey Maggette on Thursday night. Though he was drafted two years ago, Oden was a member of the rookie team because he missed last season with injuries.

The sophomore squad has won the last seven in the game designed to showcase some of the league's bright young talent during its All-Star weekend festivities.

The rookies closed to 119-116 on a jumper by O.J. Mayo with 11 seconds left. But Durant made two free throws to push the lead back to five.

"I approached it like a regular game," Durant said. "I wanted to go out and have fun. Fortunately my shots were going down."

A lot of shots were successful in the procession of uncontested layups and wide-open 3-pointers.

In the first of two 20-minute halves, the sophomores shot 68.4 percent from the floor, including 63.6 percent from beyond the arc. The rookies lagged at an almost embarrassing 52.6 percent from the field, and 40 percent from 3-point range, but still led 61-58 at intermission.

Each bucket brought shrieks from thousands of pink-clad schoolchildren in prime seats in the lower bowl of U.S. Airways Center.

"It is one of the bigger stages," Durant said before the game. "We just want to do it justice by coming out and playing hard."

Durant played hard from the start. He hit 17 of 25 shots from the floor, 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, and made all eight of his free throws. Durant also tied for the team lead with seven rebounds.

Durant was no ballhog. On a two-on-none breakaway in the second half, the crowd roared in anticipation as Durant dribbled toward the bucket. But Durant flicked the ball off the backboard to the 6-foot Aaron Brooks, who caught the pass but missed the jam.

Brooks may have been blinded by Durant's Day-Glo orange high-tops, easily the game's most dazzling fashion statement.

The only thing brighter was a canary vest worn by rookies assistant coach Dwyane Wade, who otherwise looked like a professor in his spectacles, bow tie and gray suit.

Wade served as an assistant to rookies coach Kurt Rambis, while Dwight Howard assisted sophomores coach John Kuester.

The teams wore jerseys — white for the sophomores, purple for the rookies — designed by 18-year-old Tim Ahmed from East Meadow, N.Y. It was the first time a fan-designed jersey has ever been worn during an NBA game or event; in the past, rookies and sophomores wore their regular team jerseys.

The game was more about having fun than actual competition. But Beasley said he came to win.

"It is not cool when you lose," he said before the game. "I like to be the cool guy. Cool guys don't lose. I will play hard."

There was plenty of good-natured showboating. Rookie guard Russell Westbrook dunked and then bobbed his head at Durant, his Oklahoma City teammate.

When Durant hung on the rim after an emphatic dunk early in the second half, Beasley signaled for a technical foul. The officials simply smiled.

Lakers snap another Boston streak, win 110-109

BOSTON – Lamar Odom made a pair of free throws with 16 seconds left in overtime to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 110-109 victory over Boston on Thursday night and snap the Celtics' 12-game winning streak.

Kobe Bryant scored 26 points with 10 rebounds and Paul Gasol had 24 and 14 for the Lakers, who also snapped Boston's 19-game winning streak on Christmas Day and sent the Celtics into a 2-7 skid that is the worst stretch of the New Big Three era.

Paul Pierce scored 21, and newly minted All-Star Ray Allen had 22, but he missed a desperation, off-balance shot at the buzzer while Boston fans clamored for a foul call. Rajon Rondo scored 16 with 12 assists, and Kevin Garnett scored 16 before fouling out with 4:22 left in the fourth quarter.

It was a physical meeting that featured a pair of double-technicals and enough shoving to pass for a playoff game, but both teams were tired when it ended.

Bryant, who scored 61 and 36 in his previous two games, hit three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, the last with 1:30 left in regulation and Pierce in his face to make it 101-100 — the Lakers' first lead of the half. But after Pierce made one of two free throws with 30 seconds left, Bryant tried to shoot over Pierce again and banged it off the rim.

After a timeout with 7.7 seconds left, Pierce dribbled the clock down before Bryant poked the ball away. Eddie House got it and put up a sideways, one-handed 3-point attempt at the buzzer that wasn't close.

Bryant missed his last five shots of the game.

Gasol made one of two free throws to give the Lakers a 108-107 lead with 1:11 left, then Glen "Big Baby" Davis made a jumper — his only basket of the game after six misses. Kobe missed over Pierce, then Davis missed again and fouled Odom, who sank them both.

The Celtics got the ball to Pierce, but his shot was off. Rondo got the rebound and drew a foul, but it wasn't a shooting foul. The inbounds pass made it to Allen, but he was out of position and never got a good look.

Notes:@ Celtics coach Doc Rivers said center Brian Scalabrine (concussions) is out until at least the All-Star break. If Scalabrine has a recurrence of his symptoms, he could be out much longer. ... The Celtics assigned rookie guard J.R. Giddens to the Utah Flash of the developmental league. ... New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick sat courtside. Running back Kevin Faulk sat two rows behind him.