Hoops News Blog

Al Jefferson returned to the Minnesota Timberwolves starting lineup on Monday night against Dallas after serving a two-game suspension for a DWI arrest. “It feels good, man,” Jefferson said at the team’s morning shootaround. “It was the longest seven days of my life. I feel good. I’m glad I’m back and I have to make sure I stay back this time.” It didn’t take long…

Mike Conley and Rudy Gay had 21 points each, and Marc Gasol added 19 points and 13 rebounds and the Memphis Grizzlies withstood a second-half rally to defeat the New Jersey Nets 107-101, snapping an eight-game home losing streak. Memphis got help from DeMarre Carroll and Sam Young, who scored 10 points each, ending the Nets’ three-game road winning streak.

Darren Collison had 16 points and a career-high 20 assists, and the New Orleans Hornets snapped a four-game losing streak with a 135-131 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Monday night. Collison’s assists total tied Phoenix’s Steve Nash for the most in an NBA game this season. Marcus Thornton and David West each scored 28 points for the Hornets, who shot 59 percent (54 of 92) and had…

Upon further review, the Atlanta Hawks still can’t beat the New York Knicks. The Knicks beat the Hawks for the third time this season, holding on for a 99-98 victory Monday night when video replay showed Al Horford’s basket came after the buzzer. Wilson Chandler blocked Josh Smith’s drive to the hoop with 1.7 seconds to play and the ball bounced out to Horford in the lane.

Shawn Marion had a season-high 29 points and 14 rebounds and the Dallas Mavericks stretched the league’s longest active winning streak to 12 straight games with a 125-112 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night. Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points and Caron Butler had 23 for Dallas, which has flourished since acquiring Butler and Brendan Haywood from the Washington Wizards at the…

Mo Williams made two free throws with 9 seconds left and Delonte West made the kind of plays down the stretch reserved for LeBron James as the Cleveland Cavaliers won without their superstar, beating the San Antonio Spurs 97-95 on Monday night. Williams finished with 17 points for the Cavs, playing their second straight game without the injured James.

Cavaliers forward Antawn Jamison has left Cleveland’s game against San Antonio in the third quarter with stiffness behind his left knee. The Cavaliers provided a vague update on Jamison, who was recently acquired in a trade with Washington. Jamison did not appear to injure himself but walked gingerly to the locker room before being evaluated by Cleveland’s medical staff.

Zach Randolph, the Memphis Grizzlies’ leading scorer and rebounder, missed Monday night’s game against the New Jersey Nets with lower back stiffness. Randolph, who was traded to Memphis during the offseason, was a last-minute scratch. Second-year forward Darrell Arthur started in Randolph’s place.

Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin will receive therapy on his aching left knee and is expected to return before the end of the season. The team announced Monday that Martin will begin platelet rich plasma therapy, a treatment which uses a patient’s own blood components to stimulate healing. Martin has been playing through persistent pain and swelling in the knee the last few weeks.

Tracy McGrady is sitting out the Knicks’ game against Atlanta because of soreness. McGrady had played all nine games since New York acquired him from Houston at last month’s trade deadline, but decided to rest Monday night in the Knicks’ third game in four nights. McGrady is still trying to get in shape after playing only limited minutes in six games in December after returning from…