Posted by Ben Golliver 

New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin did it again.

In a Tuesday night game against the Toronto Raptors, Lin hit a game-winning pull-up 3-pointer over Jose Calderon with less than one second left to defeat the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre, 90-87. The win pushed New York to 14-15 on the season.

On the winning play, Knicks center Tyson Chandler pulled down an offensive rebound and the Knicks spread the floor for Lin, allowing him to go one-on-one. He patiently waited as the game clock wound down and then pulled up just in time to confidently knock down his shot.

Lin scored 12 points in the fourth quarter and finished with a game-high 27 points, 11 assists, 2 rebounds on 9-20 shooting in 43 minutes. He also had 8 turnovers.

The shot propelled New York to its sixth straight win and continued what has now been more than a week of heroics. Lin delivered the game-winning point against the Minnesota Timberwolves, by hitting a late free throw, on Saturday night and scored a career-high 38 points to top the Los Angeles Lakers at Madison Square Garden. 

The strong play comes after Lin, a Taiwanese-American who was undrafted out of Harvard, was nearly cut by the Knicks earlier this season. He was previously released by both the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets prior to the beginning of the 2011-2012 season.

Here's video of Jeremy Lin's game-winning shot against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night at the Air Canada Centre via YouTube user DanMirandaNBA.



And here's the Raptors broadcast, which includes other angles, via YouTube user T490MP:

Posted by Royce Young

Rondo put together maybe the finest lines of the season when his team needed it most. (Getty Images)

Each night, Eye on Basketball brings you what you need to know about the games of the NBA. From great performances to terrible clock management the report card evaluates and eviscerates the good, the bad, and the ugly from the night that was.

	Rajon Rondo	Rondo's line: 32 points, 15 assists, 10 rebounds. That, boys and girls, is quite the triple-double. When the Celtics needed something from someone the most, Rondo was there. He played his best game of the season, albeit against C.J. Watson and not against Derrick Rose. Still, he stepped up big time for Boston and carried his limping team to a win.
	Kobe Bryant	Kobe isn't always as clutch as some like to pretend he is, but he still can hit that shot that breaks your back. With the Lakers looking at an ugly loss in Toronto, Kobe drilled an impossible baseline jumper to put L.A. up one, which they held on to for a tougher-than-expected win over the scrappy Raptors. 27 points on 23 shots is probably more "B" worthy and the Lakers won this game because of Pau Gasol but who cares, game-winner!
	Boston Celtics	The Celtics need wins any way they can get them. And if that means beating the Bulls without Derrick Rose, so be it. It's still a win over the East's best team (record wise), which counts for something. Boston had dropped two straight including a bad one to the Raptors. The Celtics tried to blow a 14-point lead late in the fourth but held on to put away a nice win. So they didn't have to beat Rose. Boston's taking them any way it can get them. Besides, the Bulls have played pretty well without Rose and the rest of that roster isn't trash.
	Chicago Bulls	Down three with a minute left, you know Tom Thibodeau had to be looking at Derrick Rose thinking, "Hmm, maybe I could squeeze just a minute..." Even without their MVP, the Bulls battled back from 14 down and had a real chance to completely devastate the Celtics. They came up short, but it was definitely a noble effort. And finished 6-3 on a nine-game road trip.
	Boston's "Big 3"	Good thing Rondo did the heavy lifting, because the Celtics' Big Three certainly did not. Kevin Garnett's help defense was terrific, but in terms of the box score, Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce combined for just 33 points on 12-27 shooting. Again, Rondo had 32 by himself.
	C.J. Watson	Filling the shoes of Derrick Rose is like stepping into a couple size 50s. C.J. Watson has done serviceable work, but he was very average against Boston. He gave up a triple-double to Rondo and while he had 23 points, he needed 23 shots to get it and took a miserable, contested deep 2-pointer with 22 seconds left and the Bulls down three.
	Chicago's bench	Most like to call the Bulls' bench mob the best in the league, but they were completely worthless Sunday. A total of 16 points on 6-23 shooting from the Chicago reserves. John Lucas III actually was their top scorer off the pine with eight. That's not going to get it done when you don't have Rose.
	Scott Foster	The same official that blew the goaltending call in the Portland-Oklahoma City game appears to have gaffed again with a crucial late call in the Toronto-Lakers contest. The Raptors had possession with four seconds left down 93-92, taking the ball out at midcourt. With Dwane Casey trying to call a timeout from the bench, Foster called the Raps for a five second call after failing to get the ball in. Problem is, besides missing the timeout from Casey, is Foster appeared to blow the whistle at four seconds. (Update: The NBA says Foster got the call right with the official time being 5.8 seconds. He still didn't award Casey a timeout though.)

Posted by Ben Golliver

Oliver Miller is reportedly heading to jail on an assault charge. (Getty Images)

The Big O is headed to the big house. 

Former NBA player Oliver Miller has reportedly been sentenced to a year in jail after he was convicted of first-degree assault for arrested for pistol-whipping a man at a Maryland barbecue back in April. 

HometownAnnapolis.com has the details.

[Judge Paul A.] Hackner sentenced Miller to five years of prison, suspending all but one year. He recommended work release and ordered five years of probation upon release. Miller is to have no contact with the victim, Jason Ray Worley, 32, and must complete anger management. His attorney, Paul Mack, called the sentence reasonable.

Prosecutors say at least three people saw Miller, known as "The Big O" during his nine-season NBA career, attack his girlfriend's brother, Worley, in front of the victim's home on Birchcrest Court in Arnold on April 17.

Deputy State's Attorney Thomas Fleckenstein said Miller got out of his car and "blindsided" Worley while he talked to his sister - Miller's girlfriend - using a handgun to repeatedly strike Worley in the face and head.

Miller, 41, plead guilty to the first-degree assault charge in November. He was facing up to 25 years in prison but had no prior convictions. 

Miller, who has reportedly tipped the scales at more than 400 pounds, played nine seasons in the NBA, averaging 7.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. The journeyman center played for the Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Hat tip: HoopsHype.com

Posted by Royce Young



It was a pretty wild Wednesday in the NBA with some close games, some massive blowouts, some top teams losing and some big stat lines. Let's grade the action.

Serge Ibaka

What a game from Oklahoma City's paint protector. Ibaka set a franchise record with 10 blocks and finished with an unconventional double-double with 11 rebounds to go with it. He only had four points, which is a shame because a points-rebounds-blocks triple-double is pretty awesome. But Ibaka's impact in the Thunder's win over Dallas can't be understated.


Steve Nash

Nash went for 30 and 11 assists but that's not the best thing from his game against the Hornets. He also became the Suns all-time assists leader with 6,522 passing Kevin Johnson's mark of 6,518. Oh, and the Suns won, scoring 120 points. Just the way it should've happened for Nash.


Overlooked East teams

The Pacers beat the Timberwolves by 10 in Minneapolis and the 76ers beat the Bulls in Philadelphia. Two big wins for teams that are in the top half of the East, but that don't command the same kind of respect or attention as the Bulls or Heat. Andre Iguodala was fantastic defensively on Derrick Rose and Danny Granger poured in 36 for Indiana.


Russell Westbrook

With co-star Kevin Durant struggling a bit, Westbrook took over for the Thunder scoring 33 points to go with four assists and six rebounds. As he tends to do, Westbrook hit a dagger 3 with a minute left to ice the game for Oklahoma City. The six turnovers though were the only blemish in his line, but he had a fantastic game and showed why his scoring can often be incredibly valuable to the Thunder in close games against good teams.

Brandon Jennings

The Bucks won and Jennings scored 31. So why a C? Because he went 9-25 from the field and quite frankly, I was having trouble finding a C tonight. Jennings was pretty good though. He hit seven 3s, dished out eight assists and didn't turn the ball over once. He loved to shoot and does it without conscience, so the 31 points on 25 shots shouldn't really come as any kind of surprise.


Top East teams

While the Pacers and Sixers won, the Heat and Bulls both lost. Miami wasted a 40-point effort from LeBron and 23 from Dwyane Wade as Chris Bosh didn't provide much help at all with only nine points as the Heat lost to the Bucks. A Bucks team missing Andrew Bogut, mind you. Those type of games happen to everybody, but both the Bulls and the Heat definitely revealed a few dings in their armor. Neither executed well offensively and neither were able to consitently find baskets whether in transition or the halfcourt.

Dallas shooting

Credit the Thunder defense, but the Mavericks were absolutely awful shooting the ball Wednesday. Dallas shot only 35.7 percent from the field and went just 8-38 from the floor in the second half. Dirk Nowitzki clearly isn't entirely right as he went just 2-15 from the field. Dallas was without Jason Kidd and Lamar Odom, but that doesn't matter if you only hit 35 percent of your shots. Ten of those shots though never had a chance as Serge Ibaka was blocking them, but still.

Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Bobcats

The Suns scored 120 points. The Raptors and Bobcats combined for 132. The Raptors lost 100-64 to the Celtics and the Bobcats lost 112-68 to the Blazers. Scoring has been ugly on some nights in the NBA this season, but good grief, those are some major league whippings right there. The Bobcats and Raptors aren't good to start with, but an NBA team should be losing by 40 or 44.

By Matt Moore

The Raptors are in a tailspin without Andrea Bargnani, and they had pretty low expectations coming into this season anyway. As they continue to rebuild towards a younger core, it looks like they're ready to make a major step in that direction they've resisted for a good, long time. ESPN reports that the Raptors are interested in moving Jose Calderon, for the right price. From ESPN.com:  

In a recent interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca, Raptors point guard Jose Calderon didnt deny that he'd "like to have the opportunity to compete for something.

That doesn't mean he's poised to ask for a trade -- "I dont think so, that's not me, that's not my personality," Calderon said -- but the 30-year-old left the undeniable sense that he wouldn't oppose a move away from the rebuilding Raps if the opportunity materializes.

You can safely assume, meanwhile, that the Raps feel the same way. Sources with knowledge of Torontos thinking say that the team is not just going to give Calderon away, especially when hes back to supplying a typically efficient 10.6 points and 8.7 assists nightly, but Im told that the Raps are indeed open to moving him.

via Weekend Dime -- Views From The Professional Watchers - ESPN.

Calderon is a veteran point guard who can run an offense and shoot efficiently. Even if he's not in the top half of point guards in the league, that's still a terrific skill set on the market. Establishing his price will be tricky for Bryan Colangelo. It's too bad the Knicks have already given up every asset possible in trades, because he would serve as an upgrade over Baron Davis and a major upgrade over Toney Douglas. But there will be other teams shopping for Calderon, as injuries pile up and teams start stocking up for playoff runs. 

Calderon's efficiency is really key, here. He's able to hit the mid-range jumper off the pick and roll and nail perimeter shots. He can be absolutely en fuego if things are clicking for the team. He doesn't have any major injury issues and he's a solid locker room guy.

So, yeah, expect Colangelo to get quite a few calls before the deadline. If he can pick up a draft pick or a young player for Calderon, it'll be a nice win for both sides.

Bargnani re-injured is calf against the Jazz Wednesday. (Getty Images)

By Matt Moore

Andrea Bargnani had just gotten back on the court after a calf injury had kept him on the sidelines and crashed the Raptors' momentum. He scored a career high against the Suns Tuesday nights and followed that up by helping the Raps topple the Jazz on a back-to-back. But during that game, he also tweaked the same calf he had just healed. And this time? According to him, it's "much worse." 

Bargnani, who had been as dominant at times Wednesday as he had been in a brilliant return from injury on Tuesday, hobbled to the bench in the first overtime period, a forlorn look on his face and the left leg that had caused him to miss six games once again injured.

“We’ll see what the severity of it is — or if it’s severe — evaluate it and go from there,” coach Dwane Casey said of Bargnani’s injury.

Bargnani said it was “much worse” than the last time he hurt himself.

via Toronto Raptors win double-OT thriller, but Andrea Bargnani hurt again - thestar.com.

It's a huge blow for the Raptors who are now on a two-game winning streak. It's not just Bargnani's points. It's that he's defending at such a higher level, for the first time in his career. It ruins all the Raptors' momentum, kills Bargnani's razor-thin chances at an All-Star game appearance, and puts more pressure on a Raptors frontcourt that has been falling apart as of late. 

Ed Davis has been unable to put his considerable tools together in what was expected to be a breakout year for him, while Amir Johnson pretty much is what Amir Johnson pretty much is. Aaron Gray has been playing well next to Bargnani but can't do too much on his own. The Raptors could certainly use the help of rookie Jonas Valanciunas, still in Europe on the last year of his contract. 

Hopefully the injury won't keep him out as long as he seems to think it will. At least Raptors fans have something to look forward to, no matter how rocky the immediate future might get. 

Posted by Royce Young

Chris Bosh scored 35 for the Heat Tuesday, including 17 in the fourth. (Getty Images)

Your nightly report card gives you a big picture look at what happened each night in the NBA. Grades are granted based on team or individual performances, and are graded on a curve for each element. Leave your own grades in the comments.

Chris Bosh

Bosh did the heavy lifting for the Heat against Cleveland scoring 35 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter. He did it on 10-16 shooting and 14-14 from the free throw line. It was a nice game to see from Bosh who picked his spots wisely, took open shots when he had them and didn't waver throughout the game in his aggressiveness. That's been the problem with Bosh, is him fading out after a good half or quarter. But he stayed with it against the Cavs, putting together a very complete game.

Orlando Magic

A night after completely embarrassing themselves by shooting 24 percent and scoring only 56 points in Boston, the Magic bounced back by whipping the Pacers by shooting 46 percent from the field and hitting 13 3-pointers. So it really was just an off night against the Celtics. Ryan Anderson led the way hitting 5-7 from deep.


Marcus Camby

Camby led the way to a nice Blazer win over the Grizzlies pulling in 22 rebounds while also holding Marc Gasol to only seven points on 2-7 shooting. It was one of those classic Camby games where his box score is almost entirely out of whack. The 22 rebounds but only two shots, three points and then five blocks to go with it. Every now and then we all tend to forget that Camby is still one of the best defensive and rebounding big men in basketball. Marc Gasol won't forget that for a while.

Carmelo Anthony

OK, that's sort of a sarcastic grade. Carmelo had said recently he needed to re-evaluate his shot selection and he did that in a big way against the Bobcats. Melo went 0-7 from floor and scored only a single point in 30 minutes in the Knicks 111-78 blowout of the Bobcats. The Knicks got balanced scoring across the board with 20 from Tyson Chandler, 18 from Landry Fields, 18 from Amar'e Stoudemire and 51 points from the bench. The Knicks aren't a better team getting that little from Melo, but it certainly worked fine for a night.

Toronto Raptors

The losing streak is over! After eight consecutive losses, the Raptors finally got on the high side with a win in Phoenix. Andrea Bargnani had 36 and James Johnson 18. But here's the sobering reality: Toronto is still just 5-13 and are not very good.



LeBron James

LeBron's team won, but he played one of his most mediocre games of the year. He went 8-21 from the floor, turned the ball over five times, made only a single basket in the fourth and only had five assists. He wasn't great. He didn't really need to be because the Heat were playing an overmatched Cavs squad. It's not like LeBron to not be the best player on the floor during a game, but that was the case Tuesday.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers are a bit hard to figure. Granted, they were getting a pretty angry Orlando team, but getting worked against another Eastern contender doesn't speak well for a team that's trying to be taken seriously. The Pacers sometimes can look crisp and clean offensively and other nights completely at a loss for consistent scoring.

Posted by Royce Young and Ben Golliver. 



The 2011-2012 NBA season continues. Here's the sixth weekly installment of CBSSports.com's NBA Power Rankings by Eye On Basketball's Matt Moore.

What did he get right? What did he get wrong? We're here to break it down and take it down.

1. Too High: Memphis Grizzlies at No. 6. I was as impressed as anyone by the Grizzlies comeback over the Warriors. But not by Memphis. I was impressed at the complete unraveling the Warriors pulled off. Playing that terrible and blowing a 20-point fourth quarter lead isn't easy to do. The Grizzlies have endured injury and have stayed afloat in the West winning seven straight, but without Zach Randolph, that team is not six material. Their toughness is nice and it's a good story that they're fighting, but six of those seven wins are against sub .500 teams and the Bulls without Derrick Rose. So let's pump those brakes. -- RY

2. Too Low: Orlando Magic at No. 10. Look up the term "recency bias" in an encyclopedia and you will find this headshot of Matt Moore accompanying the explanation. Yes, the Magic were historically awful on Monday night but if we've learned one lesson over the last month, it's that there will be the occasional super-ugly shooting night where great teams look terrible. This team has posted exceptional offensive efficiency numbers through the first month of the season; their body of work on that end is beyond reproach. They clocked the Lakers, dumped the Knicks and handled the Bobcats last week too. There's no way there are nine teams in the NBA better than the Magic. -- BG

3. Most Overrated: Toronto Raptors at No. 27. OK, so they're 27th in the rankings. But that's too high. See, that's the challenge of power rankings. There has to be a hierarchy, when in reality, it might just be better to have five teams tied at 29. Because right now, the Wizards are the clear worst team with about five others stacked up right together for the honor of second worst. The Raptors have lost eight straight and look rather hopeless. To give them the credit of saying they are any better than 29, or even 28, is giving them far too much reward. -- RY

4. Most Overlooked: Los Angeles Clippers at No. 11. The No. 3 seed in the league's premier conference ranks No. 11 out of 30 teams here. That definitely makes sense. Come on, the Clippers are still benefitting from having a home-loaded schedule and a slow ramp up to the season but they were above .500 last week and within a buzzerbeater of going 4-1. They have premier wins over the likes of Los Angeles and Miami and have weathered an extended Chris Paul injury better than anyone could have reasonably expected. They could slip as the 10 home games vs. four road games disparity tightens up, but give them some credit now. -- BG

5. Sure Thing: Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 2. Catastrophic injury or apathy seems to be the only ways OKC will drop from the top-3 spots in the Power Rankings all season. They've won at home and on the road, they've beaten good teams and bad, and they've dominated in conference play. Russell Westbrook's contract status is settled. All that's left to do is nitpick the play of the lower rotation players until the playoffs finally arrive. A postseason rematch versus Denver at some point sounds like a mighty appetizing idea, doesn't it? -- BG 

6. Wild Card: Houston Rockets at No. 14. I hate it when people do this, but if the playoffs started today (why would they, it's January?) the Rockets would be the eight-seed. That's right, the Rockets, who everyone thought was terrible and underachieving to start the year. Now that they've moved past a killer start to their schedule, they've won games they should and are two games up on .500. It's hard to know if they're good or if this is just a product of beating teams you should, but the Rockets likely will figure into the Western playoff race down the stretch in some regard. -- RY