Finley out with toe sprain
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES -- Dallas Mavericks guard Michael Finley missed Friday night's game against the Los Angeles Lakers because of a sprained right big toe.
Finley injured himself in a 100-99 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. He scored 38 points, a season-high for the Mavericks.
He isn't expected to play Monday night when the Mavericks host Toronto. Dallas coach Don Nelson said Finley could be "out for some period of time."
Josh Howard started in place of Finley against the Lakers. Finley stayed at the team hotel and received treatment.
Finley is averaging 19.3 points over the last 14 games, nearly double what he averaged in the season's first seven games.
Celtics swing deal for Ricky Davis
Ryan Stetson
The Celtics' score sheet is normally a pretty lonely place for Paul Pierce.
It seems he may soon get some company from Ricky Davis - just don't talk to him about triple-doubles, LeBron James or Cleveland coach Paul Silas.
On Monday, Boston sent Eric Williams, Tony Battie and Kedrick Brown to the Cavaliers in exchange for Davis, Chris Mihm, Michael Stewart, and a second-round draft pick that Boston had traded to Cleveland last summer.
There's no question Davis could add some oomph to the Celtics' offense - his scoring numbers speak for themselves. Last year, the 6' 7", 24-year-old led Cleveland in scoring (20.2 points per game), assists, steals, minutes and 3-point percentage.
But his numbers couldn't keep Cleveland off the phones with league GMs in the last few weeks, trying to trade him.
Many say Davis is a selfish player and with good reason. In one unsuccesful bid for a triple-double last season, he purposely shot at his own basket so that he could grab his rebound.
It's no secret that Cleveland coach Paul Silas was unhappy with Davis' lackluster effort on defense and his willingness to fire the rock as soon as it graced his fingers - despite which his offensive output dipped to 15.3 points per game this season.
But likely even more troublesome for the Cavaliers than Davis' performance were rumors that the 1998 first-round pick didn't like the media attention showered on LeBron James and the playing time the 18-year-old was taking from Davis.
It remains to be seen whether Davis can play as a second-option behind Paul Pierce, who's scoring 24.3 points per game - third-best in the NBA.
On the other side of the deal, Cleveland grabbed three solid veterans that will help lower the 95.7 points it gives up per game. With 11.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, Eric Williams provides a steady presence to play alongside James while the 6' 11" Battie and Brown combine to average more than eight rebounds a game.
The Cavs also grab some room on the salary cap when Williams' deal is up next summer.
Ryan Stetson
The Celtics' score sheet is normally a pretty lonely place for Paul Pierce.
It seems he may soon get some company from Ricky Davis - just don't talk to him about triple-doubles, LeBron James or Cleveland coach Paul Silas.
On Monday, Boston sent Eric Williams, Tony Battie and Kedrick Brown to the Cavaliers in exchange for Davis, Chris Mihm, Michael Stewart, and a second-round draft pick that Boston had traded to Cleveland last summer.
There's no question Davis could add some oomph to the Celtics' offense - his scoring numbers speak for themselves. Last year, the 6' 7", 24-year-old led Cleveland in scoring (20.2 points per game), assists, steals, minutes and 3-point percentage.
But his numbers couldn't keep Cleveland off the phones with league GMs in the last few weeks, trying to trade him.
Many say Davis is a selfish player and with good reason. In one unsuccesful bid for a triple-double last season, he purposely shot at his own basket so that he could grab his rebound.
It's no secret that Cleveland coach Paul Silas was unhappy with Davis' lackluster effort on defense and his willingness to fire the rock as soon as it graced his fingers - despite which his offensive output dipped to 15.3 points per game this season.
But likely even more troublesome for the Cavaliers than Davis' performance were rumors that the 1998 first-round pick didn't like the media attention showered on LeBron James and the playing time the 18-year-old was taking from Davis.
It remains to be seen whether Davis can play as a second-option behind Paul Pierce, who's scoring 24.3 points per game - third-best in the NBA.
On the other side of the deal, Cleveland grabbed three solid veterans that will help lower the 95.7 points it gives up per game. With 11.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, Eric Williams provides a steady presence to play alongside James while the 6' 11" Battie and Brown combine to average more than eight rebounds a game.
The Cavs also grab some room on the salary cap when Williams' deal is up next summer.
I've learned a few things over the years...when a line seems too good to be true, it usually is. Dallas at -3.5, eh??? The entire public AND their grandmama's are gonna be pounding the Mavs. I agree, Dallas is the better team, but this line seems about 3-4 points too low. Understanding that, I'm going with the home dog.
I'll even go out on a limb and take Boston ML at +140....don't discount the addition of Ricky Davis and the second white stiff they've added this year. OK, more Ricky here, but that boy can PLAY. When he's not being selfish or shooting at his own basket, he's one of the top shooters in the NBA and he can jump over the moon!!!!
Over 209.5 is also the play...don't be afraid to lay the large # here...Celtics win 112-109 as Antoine (as usual) bricks a 3 at the buzzer
I'll even go out on a limb and take Boston ML at +140....don't discount the addition of Ricky Davis and the second white stiff they've added this year. OK, more Ricky here, but that boy can PLAY. When he's not being selfish or shooting at his own basket, he's one of the top shooters in the NBA and he can jump over the moon!!!!
Over 209.5 is also the play...don't be afraid to lay the large # here...Celtics win 112-109 as Antoine (as usual) bricks a 3 at the buzzer
