Kidd, A Goat In Dallas, Sent To Suns
Around the NBA
Jason Kidd and two other players were traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night for Sam Cassell, A.C. Green, Michael Finley and a second-round draft choice.
It was the first blockbuster trade of the season and sent a wealth of young talent to a pair of struggling teams.
Kidd, the co-Rookie of the Year in 1995 who has feuded with his teammates and was unhappy with the system installed by new coach Jim Cleamons, was traded along with Tony Dumas and Loren Meyer, two players who have been used sparingly this season.
The Suns gave up three players who have struggled to find playing time on one of the deepest - albeit unsuccessful - teams in the league.
Cassell, who was acquired by the Suns in the trade that sent Charles Barkley to the Houston Rockets, was leading Phoenix in scoring at 14.8 points per game despite being the backup to Kevin Johnson. He will be a free agent at the end of the season.
Finley, a first-round draft pick of the Suns in 1995, has averaged 13 points - down from his rookie average of 15.0.
Green, who has played in 840 consecutive games - the third longest streak in NBA history was averaging 5.7 points and 5.1 rebounds for the Suns, who lost their first 13 games and underwent a coaching change earlier this season.
On the court, the Mavs were outplayed over the final 3-1/2 minutes of a 113-108 loss to the Warriors.
Joe Smith had 30 points and 16 rebounds and Latrell Sprewell added 27 points, including two key baskets down the stretch as Golden State used a 10-2 run to open a seven-point lead with 1:10 left.
Camby cashes in on crash course
Marcus Camby would repeatedly crash to the court for John Calipari, even if it was only a college practice drill. It did not matter. When a loose ball would bound before him, Camby would dive and roll his 6-foot, 11-inch frame over and over on the court, as if he were on a spit.
He would do this until his sides were sore, his knees were skinned and his ribs ached, all because Calipari, his coach at the University of Massachusetts, demanded it. Now both player and coach are in the National Basketball Association, and maybe Calipari has not got that idea through to the Nets.
But the reflex is still alive in Camby. He dove until it hurt Thursday at Hamilton, Ontario, to help the Toronto Raptors beat New Jersey, 98-96, coming up with a loose ball and a blocked shot in the final 15 seconds to ruin a last-minute comeback by the Nets.
Pacers survive wild flurry from Hill
Reggie Miller scored 23 points and Eddie Johnson had all of his season-high 14 in the fourth quarter as the Indiana Pacers pulled out a wild 95-89 overtime victory over Detroit at Auburn Hills, Mich.
Indiana led 80-74 with a minute to play in regulation, but Grant Hill scored eight points in the final 51 seconds, including the tying layup with 2.5 seconds to go.
Indiana scored on its first four possessions of overtime, capped by a 3-pointer by Miller for a 91-84 lead with 2:26 left.
Christian Laettner scored a career-high 37 points and had a season-high 14 rebounds as the Atlanta Hawks snapped Chicago’s eight-game winning streak with a 108-103 victory at Atlanta.
Rookie Stephon Marbury scored 13 of his 27 points in the third quarter as the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied from a 16-point deficit to surprise the New York Knicks 88-80 at Minneapolis.
The Miami Heat held visiting Orlando to 37-percent shooting and received an offensive spark from reserves Isaac Austin (17 points) and Voshon Lenard (14 points) to beat the Magic 96-76.
Charles Barkley returned from a two-game suspension and had 20 points and 16 rebounds to help Houston snap its four-game losing streak with a 101-90 victory at Milwaukee.
Allen Iverson broke out of a shooting slump to score 31 points and Jerry Stackhouse added 20 as the visiting Philadelphia 76ers snapped a seasonhigh 10-game losing streak by routing Denver 118-89.
Karl Malone’s 10-foot jumper with 32.6 seconds left gave Utah the lead for good in a 99-94 victory over Portland at Salt Lake City.