Rick Adelman’s first game as the Houston Rockets’ coach was a winning one. Kobe Bryant made it a nervous one. Bryant scored 45 points, 18 in the fourth quarter, but Shane Battier made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left in the Rockets’ 95-93 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams shouldn’t expect invitations to Baron Davis’ opulent birthday bash or Stephen Jackson’s homecoming party. The Utah Jazz stars have ruined every celebration they’ve attended in the Bay Area recently. Boozer had 32 points and 15 rebounds, Williams added 24 points and the Jazz jumped right back into last season’s playoff form with a 117-96 victory over the Golden State…
If only this one night, exacting San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich would give his players a break. With their newest championship banner hanging high above the sellout crowd and the players looking like kids in a candy store as they examined their shiny new championship rings, it was understandably a challenge for the team to buckle down for a regular old basketball game.
Tim Duncan has agreed to a two-year, $40 million contract extension with the San Antonio Spurs, an official familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday. The agreement will add to Duncan’s existing three-year deal and keep him in San Antonio at least through the 2011-12 season, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the source was not authorized to discuss…
The NBA’s All-Star weekend is going to be a working vacation. With the festivities heading to New Orleans this season, the league is planning an All-Star day of service on that Friday to kick off events. NBA commissioner David Stern will announce those plans at a news conference Wednesday before the Hornets host Sacramento that night.
Sasha Pavlovic agreed to a three-year contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, ending his lengthy holdout. Pavlovic’s agent, Marc Cornstein, confirmed the deal but declined to discuss financial terms. After a summer-long stalemate extended through the Cavaliers’ preseason, Cornstein said talks picked up over the last couple days with major concessions made by both sides.
The Boston Celtics have exercised their contract option on starting point guard Rajon Rondo for the 2008-09 season. The team is counting on the second-year pro to play that position in a lineup with stars Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Last season, the 6-foot-1 Rondo started 25 of the 78 games he played and averaged 6.4 points and 3.8 assists.
Kevin Durant’s much anticipated regular season debut won’t be overshadowed by the SuperSonics’ impending departure from Seattle. At least not on Wednesday night. Owner Clay Bennett originally set the day of the Sonics’ opener as the deadline to have a plan for a new arena in the Seattle area, or he would file relocation papers with the league to prepare for a move to Oklahoma City.
Timberwolves point guard Randy Foye will be out several weeks because of a lingering knee injury. Tests revealed a stress reaction in his left kneecap, and the team said the second-year player will be out indefinitely. Foye, an NBA all-rookie team selection last season, is an important part of this revamped, inexperienced squad that has only five returning players on the 15-man roster.
Carlos Boozer had 32 points and 15 rebounds, Deron Williams added 24 points and the Utah Jazz jumped right back into last season’s playoff form with a 117-96 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.
