Hoops News Blog

Soaring through the air for a jaw-dropping, 360-dunk off an alley-oop pass, J.R. Smith showed everyone what teammate Chauncey Billups already knew — the Denver Nuggets are so much more than a two-man team. Even though they held Billups and Carmelo Anthony in check for much of the game, the Minnesota Timberwolves were still powerless [...]

Jason Kidd had 20 points and nine assists, Caron Butler added 16 points, and the Dallas Mavericks recovered from a lethargic start to match the NBA’s longest winning streak this season with their 13th straight victory, 96-87 over the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday night. Rookie Roddy Beaubois’ 16 points and Shawn Marion’s 14 points [...]

Most NBA coaches would be thrilled by their team scoring 247 points in two nights, especially in consecutive road victories. Jerry Sloan, though, wasn’t impressed. A night after putting up 132 points in a rout of Chicago, Sloan’s Utah Jazz put on another offensive show, beating the Detroit Pistons 115-104 on Wednesday.

By the time Dwyane Wade left the court Wednesday night, by the time Erik Spoelstra finished his postgame remarks, the Miami Heat turned their collective thoughts in two directions. Away from the Clippers. And on to the Bulls. Wade had 27 points and eight assists, Jermaine O’Neal finished with 19 points and nine rebounds, and [...]

Rudy Gay scored 28 points to lead Memphis to a 111-91 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night and give the Grizzlies a franchise-record seventh straight road win. It was the Grizzlies’ first victory over Boston in seven tries since 2006. O.J. Mayo scored 17 points and Zach Randolph had 13 points and 10 [...]

Chauncey Billups scored 25 points and got a huge lift from role players Chris Andersen, Nene and J.R. Smith in the Denver Nuggets’ 110-102 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. Andersen had 14 points and 10 rebounds, Nene had 17 points and nine boards and Smith scored 15 to shake the Nuggets out [...]

Kevin Durant scored 29 points, Russell Westbrook added 17 points and came up just shy of a triple-double, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the injury-depleted New Orleans Hornets 98-83 on Wednesday night. The Hornets got off to a hot start in their latest return to the building they called home for two seasons following [...]

Gerald Wallace scored 28 points on 9-for-10 shooting from the field, Stephen Jackson added 24 points and 10 rebounds, and the Charlotte Bobcats won their fourth straight game with a 102-87 victory over the reeling Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night. Boris Diaw contributed 13 points for the Bobcats (32-31), who entered the game in seventh [...]

The New Orleans Hornets’ depleted starting lineup is taking another hit. Forward Peja Stojakovic joined All-Star point guard Chris Paul on the injured list Wednesday, and he’s expected to miss at least two weeks with a lower abdominal strain. “That’s a minimum timeframe, and it will all be dictated by the healing process,” Jeff Bower, [...]

Centers Erick Dampier and Brendan Haywood returned to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night against the New Jersey Nets. Dampier missed the previous 12 games with a dislocated right middle finger. Haywood sat out two games with lower back tightness. Dallas played long stretches of zone defense and used small forward Shawn Marion at center [...]