Rafer Alston’s absence from the Miami Heat took another turn Wednesday, with the team denying that the embattled point guard was told shortly before his sudden departure he would no longer get playing time.

On Wednesday, Spoelstra — who, like the rest of the Heat organization, said he still has not heard from Alston since a text-message exchange last week — denied Alston was told that his minutes were gone, saying only that the 11th-year guard was informed before Miami’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers last Thursday that Carlos Arroyo was taking over the starting job.

“Actually, he probably still would have been in the rotation,” Spoelstra said. “Probably not with the minutes he would have liked, and I also told him that the way the year’s been going, that it’s still up for grabs. I’ve had those conversations with everybody in the locker room. It’s about production right now.”

The Heat hosted the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. Alston remains listed on the roster, but his image did not appear in the team’s pregame introductory video.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Rodney Stuckey doesn’t know when he will play again, but he hopes it will be this season.

Three doctors cleared Stuckey for exercise Wednesday after extensive cardiac tests. He collapsed on the bench during Friday’s game at Cleveland and was taken away on a stretcher. He missed Sunday’s game against Houston and will be out again Wednesday against Utah.

“I really don’t know what that means — they told me I can exercise, but I haven’t talked to anyone about if that means I can practice or what,” he said before the Utah game. “I want to play, but we’ll have to see what they tell me.”

Pistons coach John Kuester said he expects Stuckey to return to the lineup before the season is over, but said the team doesn’t have a timeline.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

LeBron James is expected to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ lineup against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, while Antawn Jamison will be a game-time decision.

They were just two of six players to miss practice Wednesday for the Cavaliers, who took advantage of a break in the schedule to rest all five of their regular starters.

James missed two games after twisting his right ankle last Friday against Detroit, but is likely to play at Philadelphia, Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. James has played the sixth-most minutes in the league this season, averaging 39 per game.

Jamison won’t practice the rest of the week after revealing Wednesday he has a cyst behind his left knee that is filled with fluid. Shaquille O’Neal continues to rehab following surgery on his right thumb, while Anthony Parker and Mo Williams also took Wednesday off to rest nagging injuries. Key sub Anderson Varejao also missed practice, but it wasn’t clear if he had an injury or just took the day off.

All are expected to play Friday except for O’Neal and perhaps Jamison. An MRI earlier this week showed no damage to the knee and Jamison said it’s the same injury that hampered him early in the season when he was with Washington.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Top scorer Dirk Nowitzki was struggling, and the Dallas Mavericks needed points from other sources.

Jason Kidd, Caron Butler, rookie Roddy Beaubois and Shawn Marion picked up the slack.

Kidd had 20 points and nine assists, hitting 5 of 8 from 3-point range, and the Mavericks recovered from a lethargic start to match the NBA’s longest winning streak this season with their 13th straight victory, 96-87 over the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday night.
Butler and Beaubois each added 16 points and Marion had 14 points and 13 rebounds, helping the Mavericks equal Cleveland’s winning streak from Jan. 10-Feb. 11.
Nowitzki, who’s had 16 games this season with 30 or more points and two with 40-plus, went 3 for 16 from the field and finished with 12 points.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

When he arrived in Cleveland, Shaquille O’Neal made it clear there would be no more double-teaming Orlando’s Dwight Howard.

He’d handle things himself, as he did Thursday night. Oh, and he wants his cape back.

“I don’t really consider it manning up until you play me straight up,” O’Neal said. “I’ve never doubled anybody. So you tell me who the real Superman is.”
LeBron James had 32 points and 13 assists as the Cavaliers — with a big fourth-quarter defensive effort from O’Neal — matched their franchise record by winning their 13th straight game with a 115-106 victory over the Magic.
It was a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference finals, and both teams are again on top of the East this year, but O’Neal, who had 10 points and six rebounds on Thursday, has made a huge difference for Cleveland.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Would-be starters Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson are out of the NBA All-Star Game.

Jason Kidd of the hometown Dallas Mavericks has been chosen to replace Bryant. New York’s David Lee is replacing Iverson.

An ankle injury has prevented Bryant from playing in the Los Angeles Lakers’ past three games. Iverson has missed Philadelphia’s last five games because one of his young children is ill.

Both informed the league on Thursday that they needed to withdraw from Sunday’s game, sources said.

NBA commissioner David Stern, who makes all selections on All-Star injury replacements, then chose Kidd to make his 10th All-Star appearance. Kidd — who ranks fifth in the league in assists (9.3 per game) — had already left Dallas to begin an All-Star break vacation in the Phoenix area and is expected to fly back to Dallas on Friday.

Click here to read the full article – By Marc Stein of ESPN.com

Dallas Mavericks rookie Rodrigue Beaubois’ playing status is in question after the guard suffered a bruised back during a hard fall against the Utah Jazz on Monday night.


Beaubois soared to try to swat away a layup attempt by Utah’s Paul Millsap on a fast break. The Mavs’ first-round draft pick fouled Millsap but got the worst of the collision, crashing to the hardwood and landing with a thud.

Coach Rick Carlisle said Beaubois might have been able to return in the first half, but the rookie’s back stiffened up during halftime of the Mavs’ 104-92 loss. He’ll spend Tuesday getting treatment in Dallas.

“Hopefully by Wednesday, he’ll be OK,” Carlisle said.

Click here to read the full article – By Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com

Hornets All-Star point guard Chris Paul is out indefinitely with a left knee injury.

Hornets coach Jeff Bower said on Monday that an MRI revealed more damage to the knee than the initial diagnosis of a bruise. The coach refused, however, to confirm reports that Paul had a meniscus tear and would miss at least a month.

Sources close to the situation confirmed to ESPN.com on Sunday that Paul tore cartilage in his left knee and will be forced to undergo arthroscopic surgery.

“We’re in fact-finding stages right now, gathering as much information as possible for decisions to be made to take the next steps,” Bower said. “It is likely there will be a surgical solution for it. We don’t have a timetable [for Paul's return] right now, nor do we know a surgical procedure right now.”

Paul first hurt his left knee in a game at Golden State on Wednesday. He struck the same spot against a camera when he went out of bounds near the end of regulation against the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.

He missed the Hornets’ game at Memphis on Saturday.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

The struggling Boston Celtics just got Kevin Garnett back from injury. They’ll hope he doesn’t trade places with Paul Pierce.

Pierce injured his left foot in the first quarter of Boston’s 99-88 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday. He sat out part of that quarter and all of the fourth even though the win was not certain. The Celtics outscored the Wizards 25-10 without their captain to beat the Wizards.

“I’ll get some X-rays tomorrow, but I think it’s not going to be too bad,” Pierce told reporters after the game, adding that he thought it was a sprain. “I would have known by now [if it was broken]. I think I’ll be all right.”

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said the injury was nothing serious, but he didn’t want to risk aggravating it by pushing Pierce.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

Kobe Bryant got the Los Angeles Lakers’ franchise scoring record, but the Memphis Grizzlies spoiled the celebration.

Bryant scored 44 points, passing Jerry West as the Lakers’ career scorer, but it wasn’t enough as the Grizzlies got 22 points and 17 rebounds from Zach Randolph to defeat the Lakers 95-93 on Monday night.

“It’s a great honor to say the least [because] of the great players that have played here and the tradition we have,” Bryant said of becoming the Lakers’ career leading scorer. “[West] taught me so much when I was 17 years old. He showed me a lot about the game, the jump shot and spin moves and all the others.

“Even though it’s me passing him in the record books, it’s still us, and it’s still Magic and all the other great players.”

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com