NBA
ROCKETS STREAK PAST MAVS FOR NO. 17
Rafer Alston. Luis Scola. Carl Landry. These are not three names that would normally spark fear in the hearts of opposing NBA teams. But team them up with a couple of guys you have heard more about-Tracy McGrady and Shane Battier, throw in the finger-waging, philanthropic presence in the middle named Dikembe Mutombo, and you have a basketball team that is purring along quite nicely without arguably the most dominant center in the NBA.
On Thursday, the Rockets again proved that while they may be better with Yao Ming, they are not going to curl up and die because he's hurt. Houston beat the Dallas Mavericks 113-98 in Dallas to improve to 41-20 and to run their winning streak to 17 games. Houston has won five of those games after Yao went down. The Mavericks were down a man as well because Dirk Nowitzki was suspended one game for a flagrant foul in an earlier contest.
For the Rockets, of course, T-Mac led the way with 31 points while dishing out nine assists. His supporting cast included the aforementioned Alston, who had 24 points; Landry, who cashed in with 17; and Scola, with 12.
Josh Howard led the Mavs with 21, and Jason Terry had 17. The Mavericks are now 39-23 on the season.
OTHER NBA GAMES
San Antonio 108, Indiana 97
Chicago 107, Cleveland 96
NHL
WARD LEADS HURRICANES OVER WILD
Rarely is Cam Ward mentioned among the NHL's elite netminders. That's an oversight. On Thursday, Ward earned his 30th win of the season leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild.
Ward, who stopped 26 shots on the night, tied a previous career-best with his 30th win of the year. He faced a Minnesota onslaught in the third period and stood his ground.
Matt Cullen scored the Hurricanes first goal and assisted on another to lead Carolina's offensive attack. The Hurricanes are on a 9-2-1 streak since mid-February, and now hold a five-point lead over second-place Washington.
OTHER NHL SCORES
Colorado 1, Anaheim 0
Toronto 8, Boston 2
Philadelphia 3, Florida 2
New York Rangers 4, New York Islanders 1
Montreal 5, Phoenix 2
Florida 5, Pittsburgh 2
Vancouver 6, Nashville 2
Los Angeles 2, Ottawa 0
FACTS OF THE DAY
NBA WINNING STREAKS
The Houston Rockets are starting to get into some good company with their winning streak of 17 games. Here's a look at the top streaks in NBA history.
33 LA Lakers, November 5, 1971- January 7, 1972
20 Washington Capitols, March 13, 1948 - December 4, 1948-49
20 Milwaukee, February 6 - March 8, 1971
19 LA Lakers, February 4 - March 13, 2000
18 Boston, February 24, - March 26, 1982
18 Chicago, December 29, 1995 - February 2, 1996
18 New York Knicks, October 24 - November 28, 1969
17 Boston, November 28 - December 30, 1959
17 San Antonio, February 29 - March 31, 1996
17 Houston, January 29, 2008 - present
SPORTS SPECTRUM INSIDER
Getting to the heart of what matters in life
TODAY'S FEATURE: DIKEMBE MUTOMBO
BIO NOTE: Dikembe Mutombo has already built a hospital in his native country of Congo. But he's not done. Now he is working with a group called Opportunity International to help solve the poverty problem in Africa.
RECENT NEWS: On Thursday, Mutombo contributed seven rebounds and four points as he fills in for the injured Yao Ming to help the Rockets make it 17 straight.
FAITH QUOTE: "I believe we are all created equal in God's eyes and that the gospel teaches us to serve humanity."
NOTE: Read more about Dikembe and his efforts in Africa in the March-April edition of Sports Spectrum magazine. Look for it at your favorite Christian bookstore.
MINI MEMOS
Putting the SS spin on today's sports news
THE JOY OF SPRING
One of the most tantalizing parts of spring training (other than the ongoing reminders that, yes, there is nice weather somewhere in the United States) is that your team with no chance of playing in October can shine in the spring. Take a look at the American League. The might Tampa Bay Rays are standing atop the AL like a might Colossus. The young and upcoming Rays are sporting a 5-1 record. And look who is right behind them: The rebuilding Oakland A's; the longtime AL Central doormats, the KC Royals; the perpetually-in-need-of-pitching Texas Rangers; and the beleaguered Baltimore Orioles. The second half of the standings has some of the big dogs: Cleveland and Boston are 3-4, for instance. It all means nothing in the big picture, but if you can't have hope during spring training, then what good is life?
OKC AND THE NBA
The NBA is scheduled to drop by the new house and look around on March 25. They'll be inspecting the windows and checking out the plumbing as the Seattle SuperSonics look to move from their home in the Pacific Northwest to new digs in the middle of the country. One consideration of this move is that with Seattle and Vancouver both out of the NBA, Portland will be a distant neighbor to the rest of the league. Its closest neighbor will be Golden State, which is 635 miles away. Nothing like having a whole region to yourself. Another consideration is population. The Sonics will be moving from a city that is the 23rd most populous to a city that is ranked 31st in the nation. Although that might seem to be a problem, OKC is larger than several successful NBA cities, including Cleveland, Sacramento, Oakland, and Miami. The smallest NBA city is Minneapolis, which is ranked 48th. Also, the move to OKC could make create a natural rivalry between that city and Dallas, which are just 200 miles apart. And we know that Oklahoma and Texas fans don't always see eye to eye.
THE DAILY WEEKLY POLL: BASEBALL
Results are coming in from our query of SS Web site readers. We asked which major league team you think is the best in baseball for the 2008 season. With two days left to weigh in on this question, here are the preliminary results:
Detroit 26 percent
Boston 23 percent
New York Mets 11 percent
Cleveland 8 percent
New York Yankees 8 percent
Others receiving votes: Philadelphia, Colorado, LA Angels, Atlanta Braves
PRYOR COMMITMENTS
Imagine being Terrelle Pryor. The kid is the most highly sought-after high school football player in the country. He's one of the Top 30 high school basketball players in the land. His dad just recently had heart surgery. His basketball team is playing for a state championship. He's trying to work in his recruiting visits to Oregon, Michigan, Penn State, and Ohio State. He's probably even got tests to study for and papers to write. And he's scheduled to make one of those four universities very happy before April 1 by calling the football coach and saying, "I'm coming to play quarterback for you." Not your typical March for a high school senior. He probably doesn't even have time for a good case of senioritis.
SPRINT CUP STANDINGS
With three races in the books, here's a look at the leaders in the Sprint Cup standings. Next up for the NASCAR guys: The Kobalt Tools 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Driver | Points | Hometown
1. Kyle Busch 470 Las Vegas
2. Ryan Newman 450 South Bend, IN
3. Kasey Kahne 444 Enumclaw, WA
4. Kevin Harvick 428 Bakersfield, CA
5. Greg Biffle 427 Vancouver, WA
6. Jeff Burton 421 South Boston, VA
7. Carl Edwards 391 Columbia, MO
8. Martin Truex Jr. 371 Mayetta, NJ
9. Elliott Sadler 368 Emporia, VA
10. Dale Earnhardt. Jr. 261 Kannapolis, NC
Other notables:
11. Tony Stewart
12. Kurt Busch
14. Jimmie Johnson
16. Matt Kenseth
22. Jeff Gordon
38. Sam Hornish Jr.
INSIDE SPORTS SPECTRUM
Do you read Sports Spectrum magazine? If you do, you’ll be able to identify the following athlete featured in the March-April edition of the magazine, which is arriving in mailboxes across the country this week.
FRIDAY'S SPORTS SPECTRUM FEATURE
* He has the second highest batting average of any active major leaguer.
* He has been named a NL All-Star five times.
* He helped lead his team to the 2007 World Series.
* Said this: "My faith helps me with my marriage first and foremost.
CAN YOU NAME THIS SPORTS PERSON?
THURSDAY'S SPORTS SPECTRUM FEATURE
* Longtime NBA center who is noted for blocking shots.
* Noted for his philanthropic work in Africa-especially in the Republic of Congo, where he built a hospital.
* Recently began helping an organization that assists small businesses get loans in Mozambique.
CAN YOU NAME THIS SPORTS PERSON? DIKEMBE MUTOMBO
BIRTHDAY SURPRISE
A Christian athlete who is now officially one year older.
JOE CARTER
Former major league All-Star
Born: March 7, 1960 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Joseph Chris Carter
Hit 396 career home runs. Batted in 1,445 runs. Collected 2.184 base hits in 16 major league seasons. A five-time American League All-Star.
SPORTS SPECTRUM RADIO
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 FRIDAY GUEST
GLEN KOROBOV, former college basketball coach
It's been a couple of weeks since Kelvin Sampson had to turn in his keys and walk away from one of the prize coaching positions in college basketball: the Indiana Hoosiers men's program. Coach Korobov discusses Sampson's departure, and he talks about some of the difficulties assistant coaches face as they travel the recruiting road-trying to bring in good players while making sure they don't violate NCAA rules.
