Fuck Yea[h] NBA

Injury update, since players are dropping like flies during this hectic schedule. Especially two integral players of international origin. 

The finest Australian basketball player this side of Luc Longley,  Andrew Bogut is out indefinitely with a fractured ankle reports Charles Gardner of the Journal -Sentinel. There’s no timetable on his return, which is code speak for: he’s done this year. As Jerry Schmidt addresses at Bucksketball, the Bucks don’t have a lot of options in terms of his replacement. 

Andrea Bargnani re-tweeked the strained calf muscle that kept him out of 6 previous games for the Raptors this year during the double OT thriller over Utah on Wednesday night. Good news for Raptor fans though, as the cranky Doug Smith reports in the Toronto Star, “According to a statement issued by the team in Denver on Friday morning, tests done Thursday ‘revealed no significant damage to the calf.’” Unfortunately though, the strain and Bargnani’s importance to the squad means “it’s unclear when Bargnani might be able to play again; he is ‘expected to be sidelined for an indefinite period of time’ according to the release.” That’s unfortunate for the Rap nation, and I hope he gets better because you guys need him. That Ian Thomsen piece for Sports Illustrated really made me appreciate what Bargnani does for the lowly Raptors and their rookie head coach: Dwyane Casey.

It’s not just the International players that are banged-up.

Rajon Rondo sat out his second straight game last night for the Celtics with a strained wrist. Eric Gordon is expected to miss 6 weeks with his knee injury, and his contract is still up in the air as his agent negotiates with the league. We all know that can’t be a good thing. Also, the New Jersey Nets might be missing Kris Humphries, Marshoon Brooks and Mehmet Okur.

It’s a long season, in a packed amount of time, 66 games in 124 days, so fans should be prepared to lose some of their pieces as the season progresses. Staying healthy is almost as important for the top teams as winning games. The playoffs could be an ugly affair if everyone is banged up. I wish the NBA hadn’t done this schedule; it’s hurting the league.

Scores from last night:

After a huge Wednesday night, and becuase we’re having another bevy of games tonight, there were only two games yesterday. 

• The Boston Celtics started yesterday’s 1st guarter with a 16 point deficit. Then they were down by 21 at the break. At one point in the second quarter, the Celtics were down by as much as 27 points. The second half is when Boston started to make a run. They made up close to half the difference in the 3rd quarter, outscoring the Magic, 27-17. Then, for the 4th quarter, they brought their old defense against Orlando from Monday night, and outscored the Magic 27-8 in the final period to win 91-83. Paul Pierce had 24 points and 10 assists for the Celtics and Kevin Garnett added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Perhaps the surprise of the night, was the stellar play of reserve guard E’Twuane Moore, a rookie from Purdue. Moore scored 16 points on 4-4 3-point shooting and was +27 when he was on the court for the Celtics. He only played 18 minutes to score those points and help Boston with their run. Avery Bradley filled in as starting point guard for Rajon Rondo. Orlando had all five starters in double figures, with Dwight Howard leading the way scoring 16 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. It wasn’t enough, and when Boson needed to shut down Orlando’s offense, they did just that, limiting them to just 8 points in the final 12 minutes of regulation. I don’t think it’s time to blow this team up—just yet. [Boston Herald; Orlando Sentinel]
• It was a topsy-turvy game in Los Angeles as superstar Rihanna looked on from courtside. The fact Rihanna is attending Clippers games is a good sign they’re the new fad in LA. I just hope their owner, one Donald “Diablo” Sterling, drops dead before he reaps any financial benefits from his new-look team. The first half was a binary affair, with the Clippers jumping out to a 12 point lead, only to see that lead shrink to 1 point by half as the Grizzlies battled back. The 3rd quarter was much closer, and then the Clippers won the game in the final period for a final of 98-91. Chris Paul had 18 points to go with 7 (all defensive) rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals. Blake Griffin had 20 points and 9 boards, and Mo Williams added 18 points off the bench for Los Angeles. Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol lead Memphis. Gay had 24 points on 9-18 shooting (including 3-5 from long range), and Gasol had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Marc Gasol also refrained from touching Chris Pauls noggin. It was a good game for the Clippers after losing to the Lakers on Wednesday night. The battle for the hearts and minds of the notoriously fickle LA crowd is ongoing.  [Los Angeles Times; Orange Country Register; Commercial Appeal]