Archives › Brett Pollakoff
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PHOENIX — The Suns dropped their second straight home game on Sunday, falling to a Memphis Grizzlies team it had matched up well against in two earlier meetings this season. The loss itself, the team’s eighth in its last nine games, is the least of the problems in Phoenix. Offensively, the Suns have regressed completely…
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The Celtics waived Jarvis Varnado and rookie Kris Joseph on Sunday, which in itself is unremarkable news. Varnado was expected to be gone before his contract became guaranteed on Jan. 10, but the team parting ways with Joseph was a bit of a surprise, considering the positive view it was believed to have of the…
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There was afternoon basketball on Sunday, with the Thunder tipping off in Toronto against the Raptors at 1 p.m. Eastern. Toronto hosts more of these early starts than any team in the league, but it didn’t bother the Thunder as they improved their league-best record to 26-7 with a 104-92 victory. Kevin Durant finished with…
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Ty Lawson steals JaVale McGee’s shoe during Nuggets’ win over Jazz (VIDEO)
Jan 6, 2013, 5:30 PM EDT
It’s all fun and games when you’re up big late in the fourth quarter at home, as the Nuggets were against the Jazz on Saturday. With all key players relegated to the bench and simply waiting for time to expire and the win to officially be put in the books, Ty Lawson decides to have…
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Popovich calls for league to crack down on sideline activity after injury to Stephen Jackson
Jan 6, 2013, 4:00 PM EDT
Stephen Jackson suffered an injury in Thursday night’s loss to the Knicks that was completely avoidable. And Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, as you might imagine, was none too pleased. Late in the first quarter after taking a three-point attempt from the corner, Jackson’s momentum carries him slowly backward and out of bounds. A waitress…
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Report: John Wall expected to make season debut in the next two weeks
Jan 6, 2013, 2:30 PM EDT
The Wizards, at 4-27 on the season, will take any good news they can get. This would most certainly qualify. John Wall has been practicing with the team and is expected to make his season debut within the next two weeks, according to a report from Chris Mannix of SI.com. Wall has been out the…
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We thought there might be some fallout from Rockets draft pick Royce White refusing his D-League assignment earlier this week, and now we have it. Houston has suspended White immediately, and this is a situation that seems like it gets worse before it gets better. Here’s the official statement from Rockets GM Daryl Morey, via…
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Chris Paul says Warriors acted like ‘they won the NBA Finals’ last time they beat Clippers in L.A.
Jan 6, 2013, 11:00 AM EDT
The Warriors have been a nice surprise in the West this season, and with All-Star caliber performances from both Stephen Curry and David Lee for the bulk of the season, they were able to beat an equally surprising Clippers team in each of their first two meetings. The third meeting, however, was all Clippers. A…
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James Harden bails himself out with a long three after nearly dribbling out the shot clock (VIDEO)
Jan 5, 2013, 10:07 PM EDT
James Harden has the green light 100 percent of the time in his new role with the Houston Rockets, although this possession midway through the fourth quarter during a tight game with the Cavaliers probably wasn’t what his coaching staff had in mind when gifting him with that responsibility. Harden receives the ball with about…
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Wizards head coach exasperated, out of answers after double-overtime loss to Nets (VIDEO)
Jan 5, 2013, 8:24 PM EDT
This isn’t exactly on the level of a Gregg Popovich postgame presser, but really, few things are. Still, it’s interesting anytime a head coach goes beyond the cliches and shows some emotion while meeting with the media after a tough loss, so we bring you an exasperated Randy Wittman trying to find some answers after…
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More bad news on the injury front for a Timberwolves team that has had more than its fair share. Kevin Love underwent an MRI on Saturday, which revealed a re-fracture of the third metacarpal on his right hand, the team announced. The injury occurred during the third quarter of Minnesota’s win in Denver on Thursday.…
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The Bulls took it to the Heat in Miami on Friday, winning 96-89 and outrebounding the defending champs by 20 in the process. If this was an aberration, it wouldn’t be likely to bother a team that knows it has the talent to play deep into the postseason, while struggling from time to time with…
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J.R. Smith has been lauded for his play in New York this season, coming off the bench to provide a solid scoring punch at 16.6 points per game, while giving the team an active defensive presence on the perimeter. Smith’s name, along with that of the Clippers’ Jamal Crawford, has been widely mentioned when discussing…
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UPDATE: 2:49 p.m. ET: Nowitzki will indeed return to the starting lineup Saturday night at home versus the Hornets, according to a report from ESPN.com. Since returning to action six games ago for the first time this season, Dirk Nowitzki has been playing in the neighborhood of 22 minutes per game while working his way…
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Pau Gasol was essentially non-existent in the Lakers loss to the Clippers on Friday, finishing with just two points on 1-of-6 shooting in his 27 minutes of action. Defensively, he wasn’t much better, and seemed to be playing in slow motion at times against the likes of the super-athletic Blake Griffin. To make matters worse,…
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Shocking report: Orlando Magic won’t pursue Dwight Howard in free agency
Jan 5, 2013, 9:30 AM EDT
And by shocking, we mean surprising that this is something that needs to be reported at all. It hasn’t been all that long since Dwight Howard spent an entire season holding the Orlando Magic hostage, taking a relative eternity to decide whether he should stay or go elsewhere. Howard had the option of simply letting…
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Kobe Bryant may have won the battle early, but Chris Paul was the one who won the war. Bryant finished with an impressive 38 points on 15-of-25 shooting on Friday, none more eye-popping than this steal and powerful breakaway slam dunk over Paul that had Staples Center buzzing in the game’s opening minutes. In a…
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The battle of Los Angeles turned out to be not much of a contest after all, and if you’ve been paying attention to the fortunes of the Lakers and Clippers to this point in the season, the end result shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise. Chris Paul controlled the game from the very…
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Joe Johnson hits the game-winner to sink Wizards in double overtime (VIDEO)
Jan 5, 2013, 2:37 AM EDT
Joe Johnson only made seven shots in the Nets 115-113 double-overtime win in Washington on Friday, but his final one ensured his team would leave with the victory. The player known pejoratively as ISO-Joe worked that situation to perfection, taking his man off the dribble and creating space for an open 20-foot jumper that put…
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Kyrie Irving hits the game-winner to send Cavaliers past Bobcats (VIDEO)
Jan 4, 2013, 10:58 PM EDT
The Bobcats and the Cavaliers are two of the worst teams in the league statistically, with both clubs sitting just above the horrific Wizards in the East with eight wins apiece. You wouldn’t know it necessarily by watching either of them play on a regular basis, because both teams compete hard for the most part,…
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Andray Blatche returns to Washington, receives boos as expected (VIDEO)
Jan 4, 2013, 8:31 PM EDT
The most surprising thing about this video, which shows Andray Blatche checking in during the first quarter in Washington for the first time as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, is the fact that the broadcaster reminds us that Blatche played for the Wizards for seven (!) seasons. Blatche was known for whatever the opposite…
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PBT Podcast: Knicks-Spurs, Lakers-Clippers, All-Star Voting, and Nets talk with Howard Beck
Jan 4, 2013, 2:06 PM EDT
In this edition of the podcast, Kurt Helin and I sit down to discuss the Knicks’ win over the Spurs on Thursday, and whether it was New York’s dominance or San Antonio’s fatigue that was ultimately responsible for that result. We take a look at the latest All-Star voting returns, and wonder if guys like…
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Kevin Durant ejected late in Thunder’s home loss to Nets (VIDEO)
Jan 2, 2013, 10:45 PM EDT
With under two minutes remaining and a home loss to the Nets almost certainly at hand, Kevin Durant let frustration get the best of him. He argued an illegal screen call on teammate Kendrick Perkins, and was issued two quick technicals from the nearby official, which resulted in an automatic ejection. For almost anyone else…
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Mo Williams to undergo surgery on thumb, will miss at least six weeks
Jan 2, 2013, 8:55 PM EDT
The Utah Jazz have lost Mo Williams for at least six weeks due to a thumb injury that will require surgery, the team announced on Wednesday. Williams has started all 24 games he’s appeared in this season before suffering the injury back on Dec. 23 during his team’s loss to the Heat. From the official…
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Saying that Stephen Jackson didn’t enjoy his brief time in Milwaukee a season ago would be an understatement. He appeared in just 26 games, before a falling out with Bucks head coach Scott Skiles had him riding the bench and not traveling with the team while a trade to send him out of town was…
