NBA
LAKERS KEEP ROLLING BEHIND KOBE
The Seattle SuperSonics did their best to reward the 13,000 faithful fans who turned out at the Key Arena to watch them take on the LA Lakers, but the Lakers just had too much Kobe for a 9-27 team to overcome.
Kobe Bryant scored 48 points for LA, including the game-winning shot in overtime as the Lakers nipped the Sonics 123-121. With the win, the surprising, surging Lakers improved to 26-11 and took over a share of the lead in the West. They are tied with division-rival Phoenix for that top spot.
Bryant took 44 shots on Monday night on his way to another plus-40 performance (the 87th of his career), but his biggest came with just over 4 seconds left in the extra session. He nailed an 18-footer to give the Lakers the win.
The Sonics stayed close thanks to a big game from Nick Collison. He scored 24 points and nabbed 18 rebounds. Rookie Kevin Durant added 19, but he missed 20 of his 26 shots along the way.
Seattle outshot LA 48 percent to 46 percent. They outrebounded them 55-45. They had more assists 28-24. They did everything but suit up Kobe Bryant, and that made the difference.
OTHER NBA SCORES
Sacramento 122, Dallas 120
Washington 88, Boston 83
Portland 99, New Jersey 73
San Antonio 89, Philadelphia 82
Utah 98, Milwaukee 87
Charlotte 119, Denver 116
NBA NOTES
• Statement time: The Washington Wizards have made a huge statement with two straight wins over the Boston Celtics. They are four games over .500 now and they know that help is on the way. Gilbert Arenas is on track to return before the playoffs start.
• Kevin Martin must have been practicing his shooting when he was off for a month and a half to heal up from a groin injury. He’s played two games since rejoining the Sacramento Kings, and he’s scored 66 points already, including 39 Monday. He hit 14 of his 16 shots on Monday.
• Meanwhile at the other end of the shooting scale, there are the big three of the New Jersey Nets. On Monday, in their home arena against Portland, Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, and Jason Kidd combined to shoot 7 for 33 from the floor and score just 29 points. The Nets shot 33 percent and scored just 73 points.
• Eight weeks. That’s how long young Andrew Bynum will be away from the Lakers as his injured knee heals.
NHL
MALKIN, CONKLIN LEAD PENS AGAIN
Evgeni Malkin and Ty Conklin don’t have superstar appeal around the NHL—but if they keep this up they sure will be! On Monday, Malkin scored his second hat trick in two weeks, and Conklin stopped 43 shots to lead the Penguins past the New York Rangers 4-1.
Malkin, last season’s rookie of the year, moved into a tie for sixth place in the Eastern Conference lead for goals scored. Conklin, the former NHL castoff, helped the Pens improve their record to 26-16-2.
Pittsburgh superstar Sidney Crosby handed out a pair of assists. He is now tied with Tampa Bay’s Vincent Lecavalier for the NHL lead with 63 points on the season.
FACT OF THE DAY
40 PLUS
Kobe Bryant has scored at least 40 points in a game 87 times in his career. That puts him third on the all-time list of 40-point performances. Bryant is behind Elgin Baylor, who put together 88 40-plus games. The second-place holder is Michael Jordan, who blasted through opposing defenses for 40 or more 170 times. But you can add Jordan’s 170 and Baylor’s 88 and still not reach Wilt Chamberlain, who did the trick 271 times in his career.
MINI MEMOS
Putting the SS spin on today’s sports news
STILL THE TWINS?
Could Johan Santana actually pitch for the Minnesota Twins again in 2008? While that scenario still seems unlikely, the reality is that spring training is just one tantalizing month away, and no one has sprung a deal yet for the talented pitcher. The field of possible suitors for Santana is small—Boston and both New York teams—but the Twins aren’t about to give the former Cy Young Award winner away. The Yankees realize that they would have to give up both a future frontline pitcher (Phil Hughes) and an everyday player to put Santana in pinstripes. Same with the Mets, who have a couple of valuable young outfielders and pitchers to offer. Boston could still deal Coco Crisp and Jon Lester and others for Santana. But for now, as Santana begins working out in Florida, he is a member of the Minnesota Twins, which could have quite a strong starting staff if Francisco Liriano returns healthy.
JUNIOR GETS STARTED
The day was cold. The car was an ugly gray and black. And the number was 88. None of this shouts Dale Earnhardt Jr. We are accustomed to seeing junior drive in warm weather in a red car with the No. 8 emblazoned all over it. But this is 2008, and a new era in Earnhardt’s racing career has begun. He no longer drives for DEI but for Hendrick Motorsports. On Monday, he tooled around the track at Daytona at 184 miles an hour for Team Hendrick. So now it has happened. Dale Earnhardt Junior and Jeff Gordon are teammates. It makes you wonder what fans of both drivers will do, since clearly those fans have taken pride in loving one of those drivers and despising the other. Will the arrival of Earnhardt at Hendrick spell an end to that kind of silliness?
CLEMENS AND YOU
Last week the Daily Poll asked you to weigh in on the Roger Clemens situation. He was accused in the Mitchell Report of having been injected with steroids by Brian McNamee, and although Mitchell gave Clemens an opportunity (it now appears that it was two opportunities) to respond before the report was published, he refused. Now he is on a campaign to clear his name. Sports Spectrum asked you: Roger Clemens: What do you think? Here are the responses:
He took steroids administered by Brian McNamee
29 percent
He’s clean and has never taken steroids
17 percent
I have not decided what I think yet
15 percent
Wake me up when it’s over
40 percent
So, the clear signal from our readers could be interpreted like this: Play Ball!
This week’s Daily Poll asks whether news such as an athlete’s being caught driving 101 miles an hour is any of our business.
WHO IS HE?
Testing your knowledge of past stars -- taken from the pages of Sports Spectrum magazine.
MONDAY’S MYSTERY PERSON
• He played eight seasons with the Seattle Mariners.
• He had 4,240 at bats, 1,189 hits, and a .280 career batting average in the majors.
• He set a record for most putouts by a first baseman in one nine-inning game on May 28, 1988. He had 22 putouts.
• He hit home runs in his first two major league games in 1984
• He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1984
WHO IS HE? ALVIN DAVIS
TUESDAY’S MYSTERY PERSON
• He was Mr. Basketball in Indiana in 1983.
• That same year, he was the Converse High School National Player of the Year.
• In 1987, he guided he Indiana Hoosiers to a national championship.
• As a Hoosier, he scored 2,438 points.
• Helped lead the US Olympic team to a gold medal in 1984.
• Made his coaching debut in 1991 with an NCAA Division III team, Manchester College. Now is a successful major college coach.
Quote: “How we deal with trials has a huge impact on how we grow spiritually.”
WHO IS HE?
SPORTS SPECTRUM INSIDER:
Getting to the heart of what matters in life
TODAY'S FEATURE: TONY DUNGY
TONY DUNGY, HEAD COACH, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
BIO NOTE: Tony Dungy’s book Quiet Strength spent several weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list in 2007.
RECENT NEWS: On Monday, Dungy announced that he would prayerfully consider his future this week and then announce by next Monday whether he will coach the Colts again in 2008.
FAITH QUOTE: "I hope my players will see consistency in my life no matter what happens--good, bad, up, or down. I hope they can see someone who tries to live his Christianity every day. Family has to be the most important thing. And that's where your faith comes in. It keeps your priorities in line."
—Sports Spectrum magazine
SS DAILY INTERVIEW:
To hear today's interview, go to the Sports Spectrum radio home page. It can be found at www.sport.org.
THE TUESDAY GUEST
STAN COTTON, radio voice, Wake Forest basketball
The Wake Forest basketball team lost its coach last summer when Skip Prosser died suddenly of a heart attack. Stan Cotton talks about how Prosser’s death has affected the team and the campus. He also examines the young ACC season and who are the surprise teams in that conference this year.
