FT Chronicle

PHILADELPHIA – Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson has left the team and is out indefinitely to spend time with his ill daughter.

Iverson will miss at least the remaining three games of Philadelphia’s road trip. Iverson missed five games and the All-Star game to be with his family when the health issue surfaced earlier this month.

Iverson has not disclosed what is ailing his 4-year-old daughter, Messiah.

Sixers president Ed Stefanski says it was in the best interest of the team and Iverson to allow him time with his family to deal with a “very serious issue.” - AP

DALLAS (AP)– Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers won’t play in the All-Star game this weekend.

Both former NBA MVPs were voted into the starting lineups by fans.

The NBA announced Thursday that Bryant will be replaced by Dallas point guard Jason Kidd on the Western Conference roster. Iverson’s spot in the Eastern Conference will be filled by New York forward David Lee.

Bryant missed his third straight game for the lakers Wednesday night with a sore left ankle.

Iverson missed his fifth straight game for the 76ers Wednesday night to be with his sick daughter.

Kidd will be making his 10th All-Star appearance, while Lee is a first-time All-Star.

The coaches will determine which players will replace Bryant and Iverson in the starting lineup.

The game is Sunday at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

CHICAGO (AP)— The Chicago Bulls suspended forward Tyrus Thomas for their game against the Miami Heat on Saturday for undisclosed conduct detrimental to the team.

Thomas’ suspension was another blow to a team that had lost three straight and was already short-handed up front, with Joakim Noah sidelined by plantar fasciitis in his left foot and expected to be out until after the All-Star break next weekend.

“It’s unfortunate timing, but in the short run, there’s a responsibility,” coach Vinny Del Negro said. “No one player is bigger than the team, and there’s a responsibility to do things right. … It’s not one person. It’s a group, and you have to be committed to what your role is on the team. You have to be committed to your teammates, your coaches, the organization.”

Thomas, who missed seven weeks with a broken left forearm, was averaging 8.5 points and 6.2 rebounds over 25 games in his fourth season.

“We all get frustrated,” veteran guard Lindsey Hunter said. “You can’t act out your frustrations. At some point, you have to grow up and be a man about it.”

CLEVELAND (AP)–  Cleveland Cavaliers won over Los Angeles Lakers with LeBron James’ 37 points and without Mo Williams, beating Kobe Bryant and the NBA champions 93-87 on Thursday night.

J.J. Hickson grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds and Anderson Varejao made three free throws in the final 20 seconds as Cleveland swept the season series between the league’s top two teams. That could give the Cavs home-court advantage if they meet the Lakers in June’s NBA finals.

A lot can happen between now and then, but the win gave Cleveland confidence it might be able to survive despite losing Williams, their All-Star point guard who will miss at least one month with a shoulder sprain. Williams scored a team-high 28 in Cleveland’s Dec. 25 win at Staples Center.

Bryant finished with 31 points but was only 4-of-15 in the second half as the Lakers lost the opener of an eight-game road trip. Pau Gasol scored 13 for Los Angeles.

Bryant surpassed 25,000 career points in the first half, but he was unable to match James in the fourth quarter as both teams turned to their superstars.

With the score tied 80-all, James hit a 3-pointer from the left side, and after a miss by Bryant, the reigning MVP dropped another jumper to put Cleveland ahead by five. James then hit another shot to make it 87-80 with 2:48 left and the Cavs looked to be in control.

But Ron Artest hit a big 3 for the Lakers and Bryant made two free throws and a quick jumper to tie it 87-87 with 1:32 remaining.

James then blasted down the left side for a layup with 40.5 seconds to go, prompting chants of “M-V-P” from the raucous Quicken Loans crowd. After Gasol missed two free throws that would have tied it, the Cavs called a timeout and before play resumed, James was caught by cameras rapping to Eminem’s song “Forever” before the ball was inbounded.

James then split a pair of free throws, but Varejao grabbed the rebound on the miss and was fouled by Artest. Varejao, a 66 percent shooter from the line, made both attempts for a 92-87 Cavs lead with 20.7 seconds left. Bryant misfired on an off-balance 3-point attempt and James saved the long rebound, flying into Cleveland’s bench to make the save.

As Varejao went to the line again with 4.1 seconds left, James popped his maroon Cavs jersey, making sure everyone knew who came out on top.

James wanted this win badly. While trying to run down a loose ball in the third quarter with the Cavs down two, he leaped over the head of Lakers assistant coach Frank Hamblen and hurdled two rows of chairs before landing in the lap of an unsuspecting female Cavs fan, whom he hugged before returning to the floor.

Moments later, Cleveland took its first lead when Anthony Parker drilled a 3-pointer from the right corner with 4:42 left in the quarter.

James and Bryant both hit jumpers in the final 1:33 of the quarter, which ended with Bryant and Gasol exchanging in a somewhat heated conversation as they returned to the bench. Bryant would stay seated for the first 6:37 of the fourth, and when he returned the Lakers trailed 83-80.

Bryant went just 11 of 25 from the floor, not much of an improvement from his 11 of 33 effort against Cleveland last month.

Delonte West, who started in place of Williams, spent most of the fourth guarding Bryant.

Shaquille O’Neal scored 13 and Hickson, who had just two points in the first meeting with L.A., had 11 and was the difference inside.

NEW ORLEANS – Pain on his left foot may bar Tony Parker to play but it transformed him to be aggressive and to redeem himself.
Parker scored 25 points as the San Antonio Spurs handed New Orleans a rare home loss, 97-90.

Parker recounted his experience and said he’s still in “surviving mode”.

Parker said his back was stiff two nights ago when he scored only four points on 2-of-8 shooting at Memphis, which was San Antonio’s second straight loss during a four-game road swing that concluded in the Big Easy.

Against New Orleans, he routinely drove hard to the hoop, losing defenders on screens and finding lanes to the basket.

Tim Duncan added 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Spurs, while George Hill scored 16 points and Manu Ginobili had 11.

David West scored 18 points for New Orleans, which lost for only the second time in its last 15 home games. Chris Paul, who fouled out in the final minute, had 18 points and nine assists for the Hornets, while Marcus Thornton scored 16 points.

San Antonio led by double digits for most of the game, going up by as many as 21 points when Duncan hit one of two free throws to make it 76-55 late in the third quarter.

The Spurs went into the fourth quarter with a 17-point lead, which the Hornets quickly trimmed with a 7-0 run to open the period. Thornton’s fast-break layup made it 78-68 and the Hornets pulled to 80-72 on Darren Collison’s free throws with 7:06 remaining.

New Orleans missed several chances to get closer and still trailed by eight when Parker’s driving scoop made it 84-74 with 4:40 to go. Parker scored seven more points in the final minutes.

San Antonio outrebounded New Orleans 50-38, with DeJuan Blair grabbing 13 for the Spurs, including five on the offensive end. The Spurs were the more forceful team drawing fouls inside. Despite missing 14 free throws, they still outscored the Hornets 24-10 from the foul line.

The Spurs were 7 of 18 from 3-point range with Keith Bogans hitting three. New Orleans went only 4 of 13 from long range.

Ginobili’s 3-pointer made it 24-12 at the end of the first quarter. The lead got as large as 18 in the second quarter on Hill’s reverse layup, which capped a 9-2 run and made it 47-29.

Parker had 16 points by halftime, when the Spurs led 56-41.

NEW YORK – National Basketball Association owners and players announced Friday they have made a combined contribution of one million dollars to the UNICEF relief effort for earthquake victims in Haiti.

Philadelphia 76ers center Samuel Dalembert, a native of Haiti, videotaped a public service announcement for UNICEF encouraging NBA supporters to contribute to relief efforts in the disaster-stricken Caribbean nation.

The messages will start playing immediately on all league telecasts.

Dalembert is making a $100,000 donation and was set to match the amount of donations collected for UNICEF Haitian relief efforts at the 76ers’ Friday home game.

“NBA players are deeply affected by this tragedy,” National Basketball Players Association president Derek Fisher said.

“We hope our contribution helps provide immediate relief to those suffering in Haiti.”

BOSTON (AP) – Joe Johnson scored 36 points, going 5 of 7 from 3-point range, to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 102-96 victory over the Boston Celtics on Monday night.

The Celtics have dropped only 10 games all season and three have been to Atlanta, which had lost seven straight to Boston coming into the season.

Rajon Rondo had 26 points and seven assists for Boston. Rasheed Wallace was a last-minute scratch because of a sore left foot, and Boston was already without Kevin Garnett.

The Hawks trailed by 14 points early in the second quarter but closed the gap in the third thanks to three straight technical fouls on the Celtics coaching staff.

Head coach Doc Rivers was ejected.

Al Horford had nine points and 12 rebounds for Atlanta, and reserve Jamal Crawford scored 17 — including the last six of the game. Mike Bibby had just five points and two assists in 18 minutes for the Hawks.

Crawford hit a 3-pointer to make it 75-75 in the final minute of the third quarter — the first tie since the first quarter. Boston opened an 84-77 lead, but Johnson hit a 3-pointer followed by a fastbreak layup and, after the teams traded a few misses, made another basket to tie it with 7:26 left.

It was 96-96 after a three-point play by Glen “Big Baby” Davis with 2:33 left before Crawford was fouled attempting a 3-pointer; he hit two of three foul shots. Boston’s Ray Allen missed a 3-pointer, then Crawford drove to the basket to make it 100-96. Allen missed a foul-line jumper before Crawford hit a long 2-pointer to clinch it.

The Celtics were left short-staffed when Wallace was scratched from the lineup about a half-hour before the opening tipoff with a sore left forefoot. Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss said Wallace was having trouble pushing off when he jumped, so Rivers decided to give him the rest.

Wallace had been starting since Garnett went down on Dec. 28 with a hyperextended right knee, and Rivers said Monday that he expects him to miss another 10 days.

“He got to start working out today for the first time,” Rivers said. “Now it’s just a conditioning thing. We want to make sure he gets strong and back in shape because he literally hasn’t done anything. We figure 10 days to two weeks, that’s what it’ll take.”

But Rivers joined them in the locker room with 6:16 left in the third quarter when he picked up two technical fouls arguing about a flagrant foul call on Davis. Assistant coach Armond Hill took over for Rivers — and then drew a “T” of his own.

The Celtics led 67-57 when Davis rode Marvin Williams away from the basket on a fast break. Crawford made three free throws, then Williams hit one of two for the original foul to cut the deficit to six points.

NOTES: Rivers, who played for the Hawks from 1983-91, is still their all-time leader in assists. … Scalabrine hit consecutive 3-pointers in the second quarter to help Boston open a 13-point lead. … Kendrick Perkins had 11 points and nine rebounds for Boston.

WASHINGTON (AP) – An NBA official says the Washington Wizards are planning to fine some players for participating in Gilbert Arenas’ on-court antics that made light of his gun troubles.

The official told The Associated Press that the team will review details from the Tuesday game at Philadelphia before determining who will be fined and how much. The official has direct knowledge of the team’s plans and spoke on condition of anonymity because the review was still ongoing.

Before the game, Arenas was surrounded by his teammates when he knelt on the court and pointed his index fingers at them, as if he were firing a pair of guns. A photograph shows nearly all the players laughing or smiling.

MIAMI (AP) – Dwyane Wade had 28 points and eight rebounds, Michael Beasley scored 20 of his 22 points in the first half and the Miami Heat took control in the opening minutes on the way to beating the Atlanta Hawks 92-75 on Monday night.

Udonis Haslem scored 12 points and Quentin Richardson added 10 rebounds for Miami, which snapped a three-game losing streak and moved within 3 1/2 games of Atlanta for the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Heat held Atlanta — which came in averaging 104.9 points — to a season low, plus finished with a 52-30 rebounding edge.

Agence France-Presse

LOS ANGELES – Kobe Bryant’s buzzer-beating three-pointer capped a rally that saw the Los Angeles Lakers erase a 20-point deficit to beat Sacramento 109-108 Friday in a National Basketball Association thriller.

Bryant finished with 39 points, while Lamar Odom added a season-high 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Lakers.

Spain’s Pau Gasol had 17 points, 16 rebounds and four assists, one of which set up Bryant’s game-winner from in front of the Sacramento bench.

Bryant buried the three-pointer as time expired and Lakers fans at Staples Center chanted “M-V-P”.

It was Bryant’s third game-winning shot of the season. He scored 27 of his 39 points in the second half.

Andrew Bynum added 16 points and four rebounds for the Lakers, who improved to 26-6.

Spencer Hawes had a career-high 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Kings, Omri Casspi scored 23 points, and Beno Udrih added 19 points and 13 assists.

The Lakers’ Shannon Brown had a three-pointer fail to drop with 8.9sec to play, and the Kings were up 108-106 when the ball went out of bounds off Gasol’s knee.

But Sacramento’s Ime Udoka left the door open for the Lakers when he missed two free throws with 4.8 seconds to play.

After a Lakers timeout with 4.1 remaining, Bryant sealed the win, avoiding stepping out of bounds as he released the ball in the nick of time.

Los Angeles were without Ron Artest for the fourth straight game as he continued to recover from a concussion suffered in a fall at his home.