P.J. Steps Up
By Marty Gitlin
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer
A trade for Pau Gasol hasn’t developed beyond the discussion stage, but apparently Chicago power forward P.J.
Brown has been inspired.
After all, he would be the odd man out of the starting lineup if the Bulls did acquire Gasol.
Brown put in his two cents and then some Thursday night against the torrid Dallas Mavericks. He scored six points down the stretch and held Most Valuable Player candidate Dirk Nowitzki to just 7 of 22 shooting in a 96-85 victory in Chicago.
The Mavericks had entered on an eight-game winning streak and having won 21 of their last 22.
“Things were rolling and the ball felt good,” Brown told the Associated Press. “Sometimes you have to want to take the shot. I got in a nice rhythm and after that I just kept shooting. It was just one of those nights.
“I didn’t think we needed much from me on the offensive end. Most important was for me to stay with Dirk and not let him
have a monster night.”
The Bulls, who are second in the NBA at defensive field goal percentage, also held Josh Howard in check. Nowitzki’s frontcourt mate connected on just 4 of 20 shots. The Mavericks hit a season-worst 31.2 percent from the field.
Dallas (35-9) no longer boasts the best record in the league. That distinction belongs to Phoenix (34-8), which will shoot for its 16th consecutive win Friday night at battered Milwaukee. WagerWeb.com lists the Suns as rare (11 points) double-figure road favorites.
UNFAIR FOR TELFAIR? Boston guard and former highly coveted high school standout Sebastian Telfair has taken another step back in his NBA career.
Telfair lost his
starting job after Christmas and is now a third-string point guard with one of the worst teams in the league. He has averaged four minutes of playing time in the last three games and has dropped behind emerging Delonte West and Rajon Rondo in the rotation.
West is averaging 21.7 points and 6.3 assists in those three games while Rondo is contributing 6.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists off the bench.
The Telfair saga continues Friday night in Toronto, where the Celtics are 9-point underdogs, according to WagerWeb.com.
DRIBBLES: Is it more frustrating to be blown out or to lose at the buzzer? The New Jersey Nets are finding out these days. They suffered their third consecutive one-point defeat, 102-101, at the Los Angeles Clippers
on a 3-point bomb by Cuttino Mobley with 0.6 seconds remaining. The Nets have fallen behind first-place Toronto in the Atlantic Division. … The top seven teams in the Eastern Conference sit within three games of each other. Current top seed Detroit hosts second-seeded Washington Friday night. WagerWeb.com lists the Pistons as 5.5-point favorites.