'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 31

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http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/pist ... /index.php

FINAL: Lakers 92, Pistons 77; Pistons fall to 34-37
It was going to be tough with Rasheed Wallace, Rip Hamilton and Allen Iverson all out. Will Bynum has a new career high with 25 but it wasn't nearly enough to make up for the absence of those three. And while it didn't seem like Kobe Bryant was on fire all night, he managed 30 points to lead all scorers. And his team is now 57-14. It must be nice. The Pistons need to get healthy -- and fast. They probably won't fall out of the playoff race but you don't want to take that chance by continuing to lose.

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http://stats.mlive.com/nba/recap.asp?g= ... e=8&vis=13

Kobe Bryant scored 30 points and helped the Los Angeles Lakers score the last 20 points of the third quarter in a 92-77 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night.

Detroit reserve Will Bynum had career highs with 25 points and 11 assists and helped his banged-up team outscore the Lakers 30-14 in the second quarter to lead 42-39.

Detroit lost its third straight game and seventh of nine to come closer to falling out of the playoff race. The once-proud franchise fell to 18-19 at home this season and three games under .500 overall in a season that unraveled when Chauncey Billups was traded to Denver for Allen Iverson in November.

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http://www.nba.com/2009/news/03/26/rose ... index.html

Bulls' Rose returns after missing game with sore wrist
Derrick Rose was ready to play, but didn't start for the Chicago Bulls against Miami on Thursday night after missing a game because of a bruised right wrist.

Although there were no limitations on Rose's minutes, coach Vinny Del Negro opted to bring his star rookie point guard off the bench and keep Kirk Hinrich in the lineup. "I'd rather just go with the guys who have been practicing and playing -- we played well the other night -- and keep it going," Del Negro said. "If Derrick goes out there and he's fine [that's good], but I know he has some pain. If he goes out there, then it throws some of the substitutions off. That's kind of how I've done it all year. I think it's the right thing to do."

Rose said the wrist responded well to treatment after he injured it on a dunk attempt in the first half of Monday's game at Washington. He sat out the following night against Detroit, and Del Negro said Rose will start once he's 100 percent. On Thursday, Hinrich got the call again after delivering 24 points and eight assists to lead the Bulls to a 99-91 win over the Pistons.

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http://www.nba.com/2009/news/03/26/rose ... index.html

Tim Thomas sat out Thursday because of back spasms.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20090326/S ... st+Pistons

Kobe's big game leads Lakers past Pistons
Kobe Bryant scored 30 points and helped the Los Angeles Lakers score the last 20 points of the third quarter in a 92-77 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night. The Western Conference-leading Lakers have won four straight to pull within a victory of Cleveland’s NBA-high total of 58, and five in a row on the road for a league-high 26 this season. Detroit reserve Will Bynum had career highs with 25 points and 11 assists and helped his banged-up team outscore the Lakers 30-14 in the second quarter to lead 42-39. The Pistons built a 10-point lead early in the second half and were ahead by five midway through the third quarter when Bryant’s layup and Trevor Ariza consecutive putback dunks sparked a 20-0 run.

The Lakers snapped a nine-game losing streak, including three losses in the 2004 NBA Finals, at The Palace, where they hadn’t won since Jan. 8, 2002. These days, it’s easy to beat Detroit home or away. Detroit lost its third straight game and seventh of nine to come closer to falling out of the playoff race. The once-proud franchise fell to 18-19 at home this season and three games under .500 overall in a season that unraveled when Chauncey Billups was traded to Denver for Allen Iverson in November. Against Los Angeles, the Pistons were without Iverson (back), Richard Hamilton (groin) and Rasheed Wallace (calf).

They expect to have Hamilton back on Saturday at Washington, where Wallace might also return, and hope Iverson will be able to play next week. Los Angeles looked as if it was going to rout the struggling Pistons when it led 25-12, marking a low first-quarter total for an opponent, but their Bynum-led bench dominated the second quarter to make it competitive. The Lakers, though, ended any doubts about the outcome by outscoring Detroit 31-13 in the third quarter before coasting to the victory. Derek Fisher scored 15 points for the Lakers, and Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol each had 12 points. Detroit’s Antonio McDyess had 14 points — making him its only double-digit scorer other than Bynum — and 12 rebounds.

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http://www.nba.com/2009/news/03/26/geor ... index.html

Mavs forward George has surgery on right knee
Dallas Mavericks forward Devean George had arthroscopic surgery to remove loose fragments from a cartilage injury in his right knee.

The team isn't certain when he will return.

George, who had surgery Wednesday, was injured March 11 against Portland. He's was averaging 3.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in 43 games this season, 17 of them starts.

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http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/ ... be_br.html

Pistons fall to Lakers, Kobe Bryant scores 30 points
Kobe Bryant scored 30 points and helped the Los Angeles Lakers score the last 20 points of the third quarter in a 92-77 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night. The Western Conference-leading Lakers have won four straight to pull within a victory of Cleveland's NBA-high total of 58, and five in a row on the road for a league-high 26 this season. Detroit reserve Will Bynum had career highs with 25 points and 11 assists and helped his banged-up team outscore the Lakers 30-14 in the second quarter to lead 42-39. The Pistons built a 10-point lead early in the second half and were ahead by five midway through the third quarter when Bryant's layup and Trevor Ariza consecutive putback dunks sparked a 20-0 run.

The Lakers snapped a nine-game losing streak, including three losses in the 2004 NBA Finals, at The Palace, where they hadn't won since Jan. 8, 2002. These days, it's easy to beat Detroit home or away. Detroit lost its third straight game and seventh of nine to come closer to falling out of the playoff race. The once-proud franchise fell to 18-19 at home this season and three games under .500 overall in a season that unraveled when Chauncey Billups was traded to Denver for Allen Iverson in November. Against Los Angeles, the Pistons were without Iverson (back), Richard Hamilton (groin) and Rasheed Wallace (calf).

They expect to have Hamilton back on Saturday at Washington, where Wallace might also return, and hope Iverson will be able to play next week. Los Angeles looked as if it was going to rout the struggling Pistons when it led 25-12, marking a low first-quarter total for an opponent, but their Bynum-led bench dominated the second quarter to make it competitive. The Lakers, though, ended any doubts about the outcome by outscoring Detroit 31-13 in the third quarter before coasting to the victory. Derek Fisher scored 15 points for the Lakers, and Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol each had 12 points. Detroit's Antonio McDyess had 14 points - making him its only double-digit scorer other than Bynum - and 12 rebounds.

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http://espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=294000007

Thabeet, the Big East co-player of the year, scored 15 points, had 15 rebounds and blocked four shots as top-seeded Connecticut overcame a sluggish first half to defeat Purdue 72-60 in the NCAA West Regional semifinals on Thursday.

Thabeet did exactly that. He scored Connecticut's first eight points of the second half and then blocked a shot to set up a fast-break layup by A.J. Price, who scored 10 of his 15 points after halftime.Craig Austrie added 17 points and Stanley Robinson had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Huskies.

"We did accomplish a lot this season," said Robbie Hummel, who led Purdue with 17 points. "We've been in the Sweet 16 now. We're going to be hungry to make it farther next year."

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http://espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=294 ... confId=100

"It definitely was big for the players, the coaches and the city," said Sam Young, who led Pitt with 19 points. "It's something we've been waiting for, for a long time."

Fields scored 14 points, and Blair had 10 points and 17 rebounds in the East semifinal victory. The Panthers overcame an eight-point halftime deficit.

Fourth-seeded Xavier (27-8) was led by Raymond with 15 points and Derrick Brown with 14.

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 5275.story

Detroit desperately needs the trio on the court to salvage some pride in a season that has steadily unraveled since trading Chauncey Billups to Denver for Iverson in November.

The Pistons lost their third straight game and seventh of nine, falling into a seventh-place tie with Chicago in the Eastern Conference. They're 18-19 at home and three games under .500 overall.

"They've had some trouble," Byrant said. "But when the playoffs come around, I don't think anybody wants to play this team."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=3955

Jazz assign Kosta Koufos to D-League
Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today that the team has assigned rookie center Kosta Koufos to the Utah Flash of the NBA Development League (D-League) and recalled second-year center Kyrylo Fesenko. Guard Morris Almond is also currently on assignment with the Flash. Per league rules, NBA teams are only permitted to have two players on D-League assignment at any given time. Koufos is expected to be in uniform when the Flash host Anaheim on Friday, March 27 at 7 p.m.

In 48 games this season (seven starts) the 7-1, 265 pound Koufos has averages of 4.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.4 assists. Koufos has been inactive 13 times this season and DNP-CD 10 times. Koufos last appeared in a game on February 17 against Memphis, scoring two points and grabbing one rebound in a 117-99 home win. The center notched his career-high when he scored 18 points and 10 rebounds in a 97-88 win over Dallas on December 2 in Salt Lake City. Selected by the Jazz out of Ohio State in the first round (23rd overall selection) of the 2008 NBA Draft, Koufos averaged 14.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 0.5 assists in his only season with the Buckeyes. The Canton, Ohio native was also named the postseason NIT MVP after leading Ohio State to the 2008 title. Koufos, who holds dual American and Greek citizenship helped lead Greece to a silver medal in the 2007 UMCOR U18 European Championships after averaging 26.5 points, 13 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots.

In 18 games with the Jazz this season (one start) the 7-1, 278 pound Fesenko has averages of 2.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.2 assists. Fesenko has been inactive 30 times and DNP-CD 14 games. In 14 games with the Flash, Fesenko has averages of 12.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 25.6 minutes per contest. Originally selected by Philadelphia in the second round (38th overall selection) of the 2007 NBA Draft, the Jazz acquired Fesenko’s rights in a draft night deal that sent the draft rights to Herbert Hill (55th overall pick) and trade considerations to the 76ers.

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http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=3956

NBA rule change on too many players on court
The NBA Board of Governors voted to approve a playing rules change in regards to “too many players on the court”, which will take effect beginning Friday, March 27. Under the playing rules change, when a “too many players on the court” violation is called, a technical foul will be assessed against the offending team and the non-offending team will have the option of either accepting or nullifying the game action that occurred during the violation.

Option 1 — Accept Game Action
The non-offending team can opt to ACCEPT all play that occurred during the violation, including any points scored, with no adjustment of the game clock.
Option 2 — Nullify Game Action
The non-offending team can opt to NULLIFY all play that occurred during the violation, other than any acts of unsportsmanlike conduct or flagrant fouls or any points scored from free throws as a result of such actions.

Under this option, following the technical foul, the game clock would be reset to the time when the ball was put into play with too many players on the court and, depending on how the ball was originally put into play, play would resume in accordance with the following:
1) If the original play commenced with a throw-in, then the ball would be returned to the original throw-in spot and play commenced with a throw-in.
2) If the original play commenced with a missed free-throw attempt where the ball remained in play, then play would be commenced with a jump ball held at center court between any two players who were on the floor at the time play was suspended due to the violation.
3) If the original play commenced with a jump ball, then play would be commenced with a jump ball held at the original jump-ball spot between the same two players who participated in the original jump ball.

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http://espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=294000014

A career night by J.T. Tiller put Missouri one win away from its first trip to the Final Four. Memphis' 27-game winning streak, meanwhile, is history.

Tiller scored a career-high 23 points -- 15 more than his season average -- and Missouri held off Memphis' frantic rally for a 102-91 win Thursday night in the semifinals of the West Regional.

Dynamic point guard Tyreke Evans scored 33 for Memphis (33-4). The second-seeded Tigers shot only 18-for-32 from the foul line -- last year, a poor showing at the foul line cost them dearly in an overtime championship game loss to Kansas.

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http://espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=294 ... confId=100

Dante Cunningham scored 14 points with 11 rebounds and third-seeded Villanova beat Duke for the first time in more than 50 years, taking advantage of the Blue Devils' poor shooting to win 77-54 Thursday night and advance to the NCAA regional final.

Duke (30-7), which spent a week at No. 1 in the nation earlier this season, failed to reach the round of eight for the fifth consecutive year.

Kyle Singler scored 15 and Jon Scheyer had 13 for the second-seeded Blue Devils. But Scheyer and Gerald Henderson combined to make just four of 32 attempts as Duke shot a season-low 26.7 percent from the floor.

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http://www.nba.com/video/games/pistons/ ... index.html

Lakers vs. Pistons: 1st Half

Check out the first half action between the Lakers and the Pistons.

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http://www.nba.com/video/games/pistons/ ... index.html

Lakers vs. Pistons

Kobe Bryant scores 30 points and grabs 8 rebounds as the Lakers defeat the Pistons 92-77.

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http://www.nba.com/video/games/pistons/ ... index.html

Postgame: Derek Fisher

Derek Fisher talks with FSN about tonight's impressive performance against the Pistons.

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http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/ ... retur.html

Injured Pistons could be returning this weekend
The Detroit Pistons are inching closer to good news on the injury front. Richard Hamilton should be back Saturday in Washington, perhaps Rasheed Wallace, too. Allen Iverson looks good for the start of next week's road games.

That was the report from coach Michael Curry on Thursday before the Pistons were overwhelmed 92-77 by the Los Angeles Lakers at The Palace of Auburn Hills. "Good workouts," Curry said of the word from Arnie Kander, the strength and conditioning coach nursing the team's trio of former NBA All-Stars. Help cannot come too soon. The Pistons are 7-8 since Iverson went missing, and 2-7 with the trio out.

Hamilton (left groin strain) missed his sixth game Thursday, while Wallace (left calf strain) was out for the ninth consecutive game, and Iverson (sore back) was absent for a 15th time.Meanwhile, Curry has juggled the eight players in his playing rotation with fewer practices and game-day shootarounds. "You try to move them around and play as few minutes as possible while still trying to win basketball games," he said.

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http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/ ... retur.html

Jackson ties Riley
Lakers coach Phil Jackson made history Thursday in tying Pat Riley for the most games as sidelines boss for the Lakers with 727.

Jackson, who coached the Chicago Bulls for nine seasons, is in his ninth year with Los Angeles.

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http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/ ... retur.html

Kobe's MVP chant
Lakers fans at The Palace tried a "MVP" chant to honor Kobe Bryant in the third quarter, but Pistons fans drowned them out quickly with boos. The same Lakers fans chanted it at the end of the game, too, as Pistons fans exited the building.