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Matt Howard had 19 points and eight rebounds, Gordon Hayward finished with 18 points and No. 15 Butler hit 13 3-pointers in an 80-61 victory over Illinois-Chicago on Friday.
The Flames (11-14, 4-11) were led by Josh Mayo with 19 points, but lost for the sixth time in seven games. They fell into a 25-8 hole midway through the first half and never got closer than seven.
Butler was 13-of-32 on 3-pointers and had five players in double figures, including Hahn with 15 -- all on 3s.
Greg Oden missed the Rookie Challenge at NBA All-Star 2009 on Friday night because of a sore left knee.
The Portland center was hurt Thursday night when he bumped knees with Golden State's Corey Maggette in the fourth quarter of the Trail Blazers' 105-98 loss to Golden State.
Though he was the No. 1 pick in 2007, Oden was to be playing with the rookies Friday night against the second-year players from his draft class because he missed all of last season after knee surgery.
Da'Sean Butler scored a career-high 43 points to lead West Virginia to a 93-72 victory over No. 13 Villanova on Friday night.
Devin Ebanks added 16 for West Virginia, which led 52-34 at halftime.
Villanova (20-5, 8-4) trimmed the deficit 13 points in the second half, but Butler and the Mountaineers went on to snap the Wildcats' six-game winning streak. Corey Fisher had 17 points to lead Villanova. Corey Stokes and Scottie Reynolds added 12 each.
Rookie Challenge: 1st Half
D-Rose and the Rookies are out a halftime lead over the Sophomores in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge.
All-Star Comedy
Check out the Pros, the Globes and the Stars having fun during the McDonald's All-Star Celebrity Game.
Rookie Challenge: 1st Half
D-Rose and the Rookies are out a halftime lead over the Sophomores in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge.
Skills Challlenge Preview
Get the lowdown on the Playstation Skills Challenge iwth NBA Digital's Kyle Montgomery.
All-Star Celebrity Game
Terrell Owens leads the West Celebrities to a victory in the McDonald's All-Star Celebrity Game.
Rodney Stuckey scored 12 points to represent the Pistons on the Sophomore team in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge on Friday. The Sophomores were able to keep their six-year win streak alive with a 122-116 victory.
The future of Suns coach Terry Porter was generating just as many questions Friday when this supposed party weekend began in the expected uncomfortable manner for the beleaguered hosts of the NBA All-Star Game.
Talk shows in Phoenix have been buzzing since the Suns' loss in Cleveland on Wednesday with the growing belief that Porter will no longer be coaching the team when the Suns reconvene for practice Monday to prepare for the final 31 games of his first season.
NBA front-office sources say that the Suns' team-wide evaluation still includes the possible trading of Stoudemire or Shaquille O'Neal before Thursday's deadline and indeed extends to Porter, even though he's barely halfway through his debut season as Mike D'Antoni's replacement. Sarver and Porter were spotted meeting Friday morning at a Phoenix hotel.
Greg Oden missed the rookie challenge at All-Star weekend on Friday night because of a sore left knee.
The Portland center was hurt Thursday night when he bumped knees with Golden State's Corey Maggette in the fourth quarter of the Trail Blazers' 105-98 loss to Golden State.
Though he was the No. 1 pick in 2007, Oden was to be playing with the rookies Friday night against the second-year players from his draft class because he missed all of last season after knee surgery.
Oklahoma City's Durant came out on top, scoring 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. Miami's Beasley was pretty good, too, leading the rookies with 29 points. "Kevin's a great player and I'm just glad to be on the court with him," said Beasley, like Durant a No. 2 overall pick in the draft. "I'm happy to be mentioned in the same breath as him."
Decked out in Day-Glo orange high-tops, Durant 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.
Rodney Stuckey Pistons G Loved the way he looked for his bigs on the drive.
Pistons' Amir Johnson mentioned in trade rumors
Like many of his teammates, Detroit Pistons forward Amir Johnson plans to use his four-day break to rest, relax and re-focus his efforts on helping the Pistons finish the season strong. But Johnson's role in Detroit's future success is becoming unclear. The Pistons are among a handful of teams interested in acquiring All-Star Amare Stoudemire from Phoenix, which is asking for at least one expiring contract. Detroit can deliver Rasheed Wallace and his $13.68 million contract that comes off the books this summer. The Suns reportedly want a young frontcourt player as well. Of Detroit's young big men, Johnson appears the most likely to be included in such a deal. Being the subject of trade rumors is new ground for the fourth-year forward.. "I'm just trying to go out here and help us win some games," Johnson said. "That's all I'm thinking about."
The Pistons have brought Johnson along slowly so he could one day become a consistent performer. He has cracked the starting lineup, but his play has been far from consistent. In Detroit's 107-102 loss at Chicago on Tuesday, Detroit coach Michael Curry said it was imperative the Pistons' young big men -- Johnson and Jason Maxiell, specifically -- step up and play well. "Amir and Max combined for one defensive rebound in 33 minutes," Curry said. "That's not going to be good enough, so Dice (Antonio McDyess) and Sheed had to be out there longer against younger, more athletic guys." Early in his career, the Pistons would have been pleased with whatever contributions they got from Johnson, who was drafted in the second round by Detroit with the No. 56 overall pick. Now that he's been a starter, there are expectations which he admits have been a challenge. "It has," he said. "But you can't look down on yourself."
His biggest hurdle this season has been staying out of foul trouble. Johnson averages 3.3 personal fouls per game despite averaging just 17 minutes. Only eight NBA players average more fouls per game than Johnson, but each plays at least 22 minutes per game. While Johnson remains confident he can help the Pistons become a better team, it remains to be seen if Detroit feels the same. Curry, an 11-year NBA veteran, understands how unsettling this time of year can be to players, especially youngsters like Johnson who never have been included in trade rumors. "But to be really good, you got to be able to handle change," Curry said. "You've got to be able to handle trade rumors -- just anything that comes up. Just stay steady. The steadier you can be, the better you perform."
Portland Trail Blazers rookie Greg Oden will not play in the 2009 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam this evening after experiencing discomfort in his left (non operative) knee.
Oden underwent a precautionary MRI today, which revealed some swelling and a chip fracture of the patella.
Oden, who practiced with the Rookie Team today, felt some discomfort after bumping knees with the Warriors' Corey Maggette in the fourth quarter of last night's game at Golden State. He is listed as day-to-day and will be reevaluated upon return to Portland.
Detroit Pistons poing guard Rodney Stuckey added 12 points and nine assists as the Sophomores made 60.8% of their shots from the field.
The biggest news of the night may have been Portland's Greg Oden not playing in the game. Thursday night he banged knees with Golden State's Corey Maggette and was still experiencing discomfort in his left knee (not the knee he had microfracture surgery on). An MRI today revealed some swelling and a chip fracture of the patella. He will be re-evaluated when he gets back to Portland.
NBA All-Star weekend
All-Star facts
When: Today and Sunday in Phoenix
Today's events: Shooting stars, skills competition, 3-point shot and slam dunk at 8 p.m.
Sunday's game: 8 p.m., TNT
Shooting stars
The object is for each team to make shots from six locations of increasing difficulty in the fastest time. The shots must come in order on the floor and within a set order among the three-person teams
• Team San Antonio: Tim Duncan, David Robinson and Becky Hammon
• Team Detroit: Arron Afflalo, Bill Laimbeer and Katie Smith
• Team Los Angeles: Derek Fisher, Michael Cooper and Lisa Leslie
• Team Phoenix: Leandro Barbosa, Dan Majerle and Tangela Smith
Skills competition
The object is to be first to complete an obstacle course with dribbling, passing and shooting stations.
Devin Harris, Nets
Jameer Nelson, Magic
Tony Parker, Spurs
Derrick Rose, Bulls
Mo Williams, Cavaliers