PHOENIX (AP)—Kyrie Irving is a fast learner.
After playing only 11 games at Duke, he was deemed good enough to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.
In only his 10th game in the league, he scored a season-high 26 points, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 101-90 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night.
Irving, the catalyst of the improved Cavaliers, topped his previous high of 21.
PHOENIX, AZ – JANUARY 12: Ste…
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Irving did most of his damage against Steve Nash, the NBA’s two-time Most Valuable Player.
“It was definitely fun playing against a great point guard like Steve Nash,” Irving, 19, said. “I have been watching him for so long and playing against him was a little surreal.”
Irving credited his teammates.
“I was just feeding off my teammates,” he said. “I was taking it off the screens and taking what the defense gave...
Irving leads Cavaliers past Suns, 101-90
January 13th, 2012Rudy Gay helps Grizzlies beat Knicks
January 13th, 2012MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)—That was the Rudy Gay the Memphis Grizzlies have been waiting to see.
Gay scored a season-high 26 points and the Memphis Grizzlies beat New York 94-83 on Thursday night to end the Knicks’ winning streak at four games.
“That’s what we need out of him,” Memphis guard Mike Conley said. “That’s the guy we look to to make big plays down the stretch and to carry the load of the scoring. We’re a very good team when he’s scoring and being that kind of a threat.”
Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy…
AP – Jan 12, 11:17 pm EST
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Gay made 11 of 16 shots to help the Grizzlies snap a three-game losing streak and improve to 4-6. The performance was a step forward in a season where Gay is still trying to find his way after missing the closing months of last season and the Grizzlies’ playoff run because of a shoulder injury. He also is dealing with a hip pointer.
“There...
Hawks C Horford out 3-4 months with shoulder
January 13th, 2012ATLANTA (AP)—Atlanta Hawks All-Star center Al Horford will miss at least three months with a shoulder injury, a major blow to a playoff contender in the Eastern Conference.
The team announced Thursday that Horford tore his left pectoral muscle in the first quarter of Wednesday night’s game at Indiana. The injury will likely require surgery, stunning a team that has made the playoffs four years in a row and is off to a solid start with wins over Miami and Chicago in the early going.
“I did hear something kind of pop a little bit, so I thought it was something different,” said Horford, who wrenched his shoulder while battling for a rebound with Roy Hibbert. “I’m still surprised. I thought I was going to be able to rehab it for a couple of weeks and come back.”
Horford, a two-time All-Star, could be out as long as four months, which would take his rehab deep into the playoffs—should the Hawks make it that far. He will get a second opinion...
Howard breaks FT attempts mark, Magic top Warriors
January 13th, 2012OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)—With Dwight Howard getting fouled in record-setting fashion, Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy finally just sat back in his chair and stopped barking out orders.
He walked into the huddle during a timeout early in the first half Thursday night, and his assistants started bombarding him with the usual play-calling suggestions. Van Gundy could only laugh.
“I’m looking at them like, `We’re not going to run a play. He’s going to foul him,”’ Van Gundy said. “What are we going to bother with diagraming a play? Make the free throw, play some defense.”
Orlando Magic coach Stan Van G…
AP – Jan 13, 12:29 am EST
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That about summed up this historic night.
Howard broke Wilt Chamberlain’s nearly 50-year-old NBA record for most free throw attempts in a game, making 21 of 39 in the Orlando Magic’s 117-109 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors hacked...
