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| Deron Williams had 18 points and 12 assists as the Utah Jazz scored a 104-99 victory over Los Angeles on Friday night. |
Our View: Williams was more aggressive in Game 3, and was able to get teammate Carlos Boozer (27 points) more involved in the offense.
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| Kobe Bryant scored 34 points for the Lakers, but it wasn't enough as the Utah Jazz registered a 104-99 victory over Los Angeles on Friday night, cutting the Lakers' lead in the series to 2-1. |
Our View: Bryant added six rebounds and seven assists in the loss.
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| Carlos Boozer broke out of his slump with 27 points and tied his career playoff-high with 20 rebounds, leading the Utah Jazz to a 104-99 victory over Los Angeles on Friday night. |
Our View: Boozer, however, missed two free throws at the end of the game. While they didn't matter to this game, he has to be more efficient at the charity stripe. At some point in this series they will count.
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| The Wizards expect free agent guard Roger Mason Jr to sign elsewhere when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, the Washington Post reports. |
Our View: The Wizards need to concentrate on bringing back Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison. Mason will probably be able to find more money and a sixth or seventh-man role somewhere. He seems to have found a nice niche as a hot-shooting chucker off the bench.
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| Dorell Wright is making good progress as he recovers from early March surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, the Miami Herald reports. The 22-year-old swingman is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, but signs point to him returning to Miami. Wright remains roughly a month away from returning to basketball activities. |
Our View: Wright was just starting to step into a bigger role when he injured his knee on March 2. Shawn Marion and Dwyane Wade will be the Heat's leaders in 2008-09, but there's a sizable void behind those stars. There's a spot for Wright to step into a No. 3-like role if he can get healthy and progress as hoped.
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| President Ernie Grunfeld confirmed on Thursday that Etan Thomas will be at full speed by the start of next training camp, the Washington Post reports. The big man missed the entire 2007-08 season after undergoing open-heart surgery to repair a cardiac irregularity. |
Our View: Thomas isn't much of a fantasy factor, but he's a good banger and shot blocker who can backup Brendan Haywood.
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| The Nets have promoted Kiki Vandeweghe from special assistant to general manager. "We've still got a lot of work to do, which I'm excited about. I'm looking forward to getting right at it," Vandeweghe tells the New York Post. He received a two-year deal worth roughly $3 million. |
Our View: The Nets have some nice pieces in Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, Devin Harris, and Nenad Krstic. Their future seems to rest on if young players like Josh Boone, Marcus Williams, Sean Williams, and Maurice Ager can turn into productive parts of the rotation. Coincidentally, Vandeweghe helped the Nets build that young group, as the former Nuggets GM once traded the franchise three first-round picks for Kenyon Martin.
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| Chauncey Billups is feeling better today, according to the Detroit News. Billups said, "I am feeling a little better today, but it's still tough to say whether I will be ready to play in Game 4 Saturday. It's a soft tissue injury and it's tough. It's very restrictive. Even when I just try to walk fast, it's restrictive. I have to be careful." Pistons' physical therapist Arnie Kander said, "The fact that he has improved this quickly is a great sign. Usually Day 2 after you irritate a muscle feels terrible. That fact that he is walking normally is really positive."
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Our View: Billups added that he might shoot some Friday, but he wouldn't full-out test the leg until Saturday morning. He is really needed for pivotal Game 4 in Orlando, as Detroit holds a 2-1 lead in the series.
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| Kevin Garnett recorded a double-double in Thursday's 89-73 win over Cleveland in Game 2. Garnett scored 13 points and 12 boards, with four assists, one steal, and one block. |
Our View: That was his fifth double-double of the playoffs. He helped guide the Celtics to a 2-0 lead in the series against the Cavs.
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