Baron Davis will miss the Clippers upcoming three-game road trip because of back spasms. Typically, Davis typically shuts it down at some point most years. Steve Blake is now the starting point guard in Los Angeles Clippers.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Houston: Aaron Brooks shot just 5-of-20 for 11 points on Tuesday, but he accumulated eight rebounds and 11 assists in over 39 minutes of action. Brooks remains a legitimate candidate for Most Improved Player honors — he’s increased his production across the board this season and is slowly becoming a more well-rounded PG.

Houston: Houston Rockets forward Chase Budinger scored a career-high 24 points off the bench in Tuesday’s win over Washington, making 9-of-13 FGs and 5-of-6 FTs in 27 minutes.

Budinger also hit a three, grabbed six rebounds, and had one steal and one block without a turnover. His career night gave the battered Rockets a much-needed lift, as they had lost four straight games before escaping with this victory.

Washington: Andray Blatche returned to his Most Improved Player form in Tuesday’s tough loss to the Rockets, piling up 31 points (13-of-23 FGs, 5-of-8 FTs), 10 rebounds, three assists, four steals, and three blocks. This was fairly predictable, as the 6’11″, 260 pound Blatche pretty much had his way with Houston’s small frontcourt.

Chicago: Flip Murray lit up the Suns for 23 points off the bench on Tuesday, making 9-of-12 FGs with four 3-pointers, a season-high nine rebounds, four assists and one steal.

Phoenix: Suns guard Jason Richardson poured in a game-high 27 points vs. Chicago on Tuesday, making 10-of-19 FGs, 4-of-9 threes, and 3-of-4 FTs. The Phoenix Suns are streaking into the playoffs, winners of eight consecutive games.

Milwaukee: Andrew Bogut played just 25 minutes on Tuesday, finishing a win over the Clippers with 14 points, nine rebounds, one steal, two blocks and zero turnovers. Milwaukee might be conserving their prized big man, which makes sense after his back flared up on him last week, but three other starters (Brandon Jennings, John Salmons, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute) also played sub-30 minutes in the relatively easy win.

Kevin Durant quickly recovered after Sunday’s dismal effort, scoring 45 points (15-of-24 FGs, 14-of-15 FTs) in Monday’s loss to the visiting Spurs. Durant is averaging 29.5 ppg this season and projects as a top-three MVP candidate. He added one 3-pointer, eight rebounds and three blocks but couldn’t prevent OKC from falling into a tie with the San Antonio Spurs for sixth place in the West.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Utah: Paul Millsap scored 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting with three rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 18 minutes off the bench on Monday. Both him and Carlos Boozer (19 points, nine rebounds) were in foul trouble tonight.

Utah: C.J. Miles poured in 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting (including two threes) with three rebounds, one assist, and one steal on Monday against the Celtics.

Houston: Trevor Ariza played 37 minutes on Monday, notching 18 points, two 3-pointers, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals. This was Ariza’s highest-scoring game since returning from his hip injury on March 9th.

Chicago: Derrick Rose piled up 27 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as the Bulls defeated the visiting Houston Rockets on Monday. Rose played nearly 47 minutes, making 12-of-22 field goals, including 2-of-7 three-pointers.

Dallas: Brendan Haywood finished Monday’s loss to the New Orleans Hornets with 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in 26 minutes.

Charlotte: Chris Paul started the Hornets game on Monday, scoring 11 points with three assists in 21 minutes. It was his first action since late January. CP3 was out for 25 games with a knee injury, and his minutes were pre-determined to stay around 20 per game. His conditioning and playing time should slowly increase over the next few games, but the presence of backup Darren Collison means there is no need to overload Paul.

Michael Finley will sign with the Celtics in the next couple of days, a source tells Yahoo’s Marc Spears. The Celtics are stocking up on scoring off the bench, but Finley isn’t a real answer. He’ll eventually take some minutes away from Tony Allen and Marquis Daniels. Finley was waived by the Spurs on Monday after complaining about his role and is expected to report to the Boston Celtics on Saturday.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Memphis: Zach Randolph scored 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting with 18 rebounds, one assist, and one steal in Thursday’s 105-96 win over the Bulls. This marked his 43rd double-double of the season, and he is the second-best rebounder in the NBA (11.8 boards per game entering tonight), with the 12th best scoring average (20.7 points per game entering tonight).

Miami: Dwyane Wade scored 27 points on 9-of-21 shooting with five rebounds, a season-high 14 assists, and a steal in the Miami Heat’s 114-111 overtime win over the Lakers on Thursday.

Chicago: Kirk Hinrich injured his right ankle during the beginning of the fourth quarter of Thursday’s game, and stayed in the game until the two-minute mark when he tweaked it again and did not return. He left with 13 points, four assists, four steals, and two blocks. He was limping significantly throughout the fourth quarter, and surprisingly stayed in the game until he turned the ankle again late.

Houston: Trevor Ariza (hip) will not play in this weekend’s back-to-back games against the Wolves and Pistons. The Houston Rockets were hopeful Ariza would be ready for Saturday, but he’s now targeting Tuesday for his return. He has missed the last five games and Houston has gone 2-3 over that span.

Charlotte: Chris Paul (knee) has still not been given clearance to run. Paul is exactly four weeks removed from the surgery that cleaned up meniscus cartilage in his left knee, and the Hornets still have no official target date for his return. He’s riding a bike and shooting around, but admitted that the knee still doesn’t feel great. Mid-March has been speculated as a return date by beat writers.

Philadelphia: Tawanna Iverson has filed for divorce from Allen Iverson and for custody of their five children. The Sixers cut ties with Iverson for the remainder of the season yesterday. Obviously Iverson has more important things on his plate than basketball.

Dallas: Jason Terry will see a doctor on Thursday due to swelling in his face after he took a shot from Corey Brewer on Wednesday. We’ll know more about his future status after the visit to the doctor, but he was able to return and finish tonight’s game. He had 26 points and five threes in the absence of Jason Kidd.

Tracy McGrady is headed to the Knicks as part of a three-team deal with the Houston Rockets and Kings. This one is getting messy, but the bottom line looks like it will be T-Mac and Sergio Rodriguez in New York; Kevin Martin, Jared Jeffries, Hilton Armstrong and Jordan Hill to Houston and Carl Landry, Joey Dorsey and Larry Hughes in Sacramento. We’re adding Donte Greene and Francisco Garcia off this news, and giving T-Mac a look in deep formats. We’re not sure yet if coach Mike D’Antoni is planning on giving McGrady real minutes.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Chicago: The Bulls have traded Tyrus Thomas to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Flip Murray, Acie Law and a future first-round pick. This is huge news for Tyrus Thomas owners. The Bobcats’ frontcourt is thin and a fresh start in Charlotte could lead to 30+ minutes a game for the uber-athletic shot blocker.

New York: Beat writer Howard Beck says it’s “very likely” that Sergio Rodriguez will start for the Knicks one he gets settled. Consider adding Rodriguez in deep-to-medium sized formats. Coach Mike D’Antoni is looking for an excuse to bench Chris Duhon and Rodriguez is capable of pushing the ball and shooting better than the incumbent. With 30+ minutes in this system, Rodriguez will put up solid assist and points numbers.

Memphis: Ronnie Brewer has been traded to Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for a protected first-round draft pick in 2011. It’s a big blow to Brewer’s already declining value. He’ll go from a starter in Utah to a strict backup behind Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo in Memphis.

Philadelphia: The Bucks have agreed to trade Jodie Meeks and Francisco Elson to the 76ers in exchange for Royal Ivey, a second-round pick and Primoz Brezec. The Sixers always liked Meeks, ever since his predraft workout with the team. He’s a true shooting guard with decent size, something they’ve been grasping at for years. Meeks won’t have any value right away, but he could end up as the starter at that spot in 2010-11.

Miami: Dwyane Wade (left calf) is almost certainly out of the Miami Heat’s next two games, but the injury is not considered serious. This is actually a positive report on Wade. He’s listed as day-to-day with a strain, which is great news considering Wade said he heard a “pop” on Wednesday night. This kind of injury can take at least two weeks to heal, but the Heat seem confident their franchise player can return well before that. He’s in a walking boot for now and is not using crutches.

Cavilers F LeBron James scored 31 points in 16 minutes during the first half of Saturday’s game vs. New York, then cruised to a huge night — 47 points (17-of-31 FGs, 7-of-7 FTs), six 3-pointers, eight rebounds, eight assists and five steals. LeBron scored 24 consecutive points for Cleveland at one point, a streak during which he made 10-of-11 shots, including four 3-pointers. The Kings keeps one-upping himself, and we expect the heroics to continue as long as Mo Williams is out

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Portland: Although Brandon Roy (hamstring) is targeting a return on Feb. 16, there’s no official timetable for his return. The Portland Trail Blazers are already very shorthanded and fighting for playoff position, but prudence won out “In the end, we had to do what was best for Brandon,” said GM Kevin Pritchard. Roy intends to rest throughout the All-Star break and we should have a few updates before Feb. 16.

Houston: Houston Rockets guard Kyle Lowry sprained his ankle on Saturday and will not return. He is also expected to sit out Tuesday vs. the Heat. We’re surprised he’s been ruled out of Tuesday’s game so quickly, which could be due to the severity of the injury or nothing more than the proximity of the All-Star break (or maybe both).

Detroit: Pistons forward Jonas Jerebko made all nine of his FG attempts on Saturday, including two 3-pointers, to finish with 20 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Jerebko’s line was even more efficient than it seems, as he did his damage in a mere 24 minutes. It’s safe to say he’s secured a starting gig whether the Detroit Pistons shake things up before the trade dealine or not.

Charlotte: Darren Collison had another excellent game on Saturday, leading the Hornets to a road win in Charlotte, he had 24 points (9-of-17 FGs, 5-of-5 FTs), five rebounds, four assists and one steal.

Los Angelas: Kobe Bryant will not play on Saturday because of his ailing ankle. This is the first game Kobe has missed because of an injury since Dec. 8, 2006. Consider him day-to-day, and expect all the usual suspects (Ron Artest, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom) to carry the scoring burden in his absence.

Chicago: The Bulls have suspended forward Tyrus Thomas one game for conduct detrimental to the team. He will not play vs. the Heat on Saturday. Thomas and coach Vinny Del Negro have had their share of conflict, and this will only fuel the recent trade rumors swirling around the promising PF. With Joakim Noah (plantar fasciitis) already sidelined, expect to see plenty of Brad Miller and Taj Gibson.

Boston: Paul Pierce (mid-foot sprain) plans to play against the Orlando Magic on Sunday, but coach Doc Rivers said he will be a game-time decision. “I feel pretty good, light practice, I’m good to go tomorrow,” Pierce said. Doc Rivers, on the other hand, said Pierce looked “a little hesitant … And if he’s hesitant, then I will probably sit him.

J.R. Smith

The Nuggets decided to postpone a press release on what had previously been reported as an announcement of J.R. Smith being suspended for conduct detrimental to the team, and while a suspension is still very possible, it is not a certainty at this point.

Smith’s behavior has grown tiresome, and something he did on the bench in Saturday’s game was the tipping point, enough for coach George Karl to say, “some guys (Nuggets) had strong opinions last night.” The Denver Nuggets are slowing their assessment of Smith’s situation, but any way you slice it he looks headed for the doghouse.

Toronto: Hedo Turkoglu drove the lane and drew a foul with 1.5 seconds left and calmly nailed two free throws to give the Toronto Raptors a 106-105 win over the Lakers on Sunday. Aside from the heroics, he didn’t look good Sunday, scoring just nine points on 1-of-6 shooting (6-of-6 from the foul line) with two rebounds, five assists, a block, and a 3-pointer.

Toronto: Andrea Bargnani (back) returned to action Sunday and scored 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting (including a three) with eight rebounds, a steal, a block, and an assist. He played a full complement of minutes Sunday, and didn’t show any signs of his back hurting him.

Los Angeles: Kobe Bryant came one assist away from a triple-double on Sunday, scoring 27 points on 11-of-23 shooting (including a three) with career-high 16 rebounds, nine assists, one steal, and one block.

Los Angeles: Lamar Odom was non-existent in the Los Angeles Lakers loss to the Raptors on Sunday, playing just 16 minutes and scoring only four points to go with six rebounds, one assist, and one steal.

Denver: Carmelo Anthony will not play Monday against the Bobcats due to an ankle sprain, and is targeting Wednesday’s game for his return. “The best bet is to wait until Wednesday’s game to get it better. It didn’t swell up, so that’s a good sign. I’ve had ankle injuries before, but this one is not as bad as the others,” said Anthony, who is wearing a protective boot to keep him from limping.

Houston: Houston Rockets center Chuck Hayes had just two points and zero rebounds in 10 minutes on Saturday, the result of tendinitis in his right knee. He started the game but was in pain and needed to ride a stationary bicycle when he wan’t playing. “As I get going, sometimes it loosens up, sometimes it tightens on me,” Hayes said. “We’re going to try to keep it loose as much as possible.” Any games or minutes he loses should directly increase the opportunities for Luis Scola and Carl Landry.

Rafer Alston, whose contract was recently bought out by the Nets, is poised to be signed by the Miami Heat and become the teams starting point guard. Alston, who is expected to replace current starter Carlos Arroyo if he does officially sign with Miami, has to be excited about escapting one of the worst teams in the league for a playoff contender. The Nets acquired backup point guard Chris Quinn for a heavily protected draft pick on Tuesday, clearing the way for Alston to go to the Heat.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Washington:  In the continuing saga that is Gilbert Arenas, the NBA is reportedly considering suspending Arenas before the legal process involving his gun possession concludes. While the league usually waits until the courts have made a decision, “Arenas has already admitted to breaking league rules on gun possession both publicly and to federal investigators.” The incident took place in a lockerroom is already smearing the NBA’s public image and most expect David Stern to come down hard on Arenas.

Los Angeles:  Ron Artest (concussion) and Lamar Odom (flu) are expected to play Tuesday against the Houston Rockets.

Utah:  Jazz PG Deron Williams (bruised and sprained right wrist) will be a game-time decision on Wednesday vs. the Grizzlies. X-rays were negative but Williams will have an MRI on Tuesday afternoon, which should determine his status. He is officially listed as day-to-day.

Portland:  Brandon Roy is dealing with a sore right hamstring, which bothered him Monday, when he scored just six points and had his streak of scoring at least 23 points in a game broken at 15. “It’s pretty sore,” Roy said. He suffered the injury during Saturday’s victory over the Golden State Warriors. Roy should be able to play on Tuesday.

Toronto:  Hedo Turkoglu is expected to resume starting at SF on Wednesday after missing one game with the flu. Turk has also been battling a knee injury lately, making him a shaky start until he gets going.

Indiana:  Coach Jim O’Brien said Tuesday that he thinks Danny Granger (heel) is still about two weeks away from returning to action. O’Brien’s estimate would bring Granger back by around Jan. 20, on the long end of the original 4-to-6 week prognosis Granger received Dec. 8.

Philadelphia:  The Philadelphia 76ers have announced that Allen Iverson’s contract has been extended for the remainder of the season.

Iverson has played decently through injury this season, averaging 15.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in nine games with the 76ers. While he’s not the star he once was, he continues to put up consistent stats.

Kevin Garnett (thigh) went through a full shootaround on Wednesday, but the Celtics may opt to hold him out of games on Wednesday and Saturday. The Boston Celtics are reporting that Garnett’s current trouble is related to his bruised thigh, which got kicked in Monday’s game against the Warriors.

The good news is that this sounds precautionary and the Celtics see an opportunity to get Garnett a week of rest with only two games scheduled in the next seven days. In the long run we remain concerned about KG holding up, especially considering his injury plagued 2009 season, but it looks like the thigh isn’t a major issue.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

New Jersey: Dave D’Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger reports that Chris Douglas-Roberts (ankle) has been cleared to return to action on Wednesday. CDR tweeted earlier that he’d be back in action, but it’s good to see the official news coming from a New Jersey Nets beat reporter. It should be safe to activate him in daily leagues, though it’s possible he’ll be rusty in his first game since Dec. 19.

Los Angeles: Lakers G Kobe Bryant’s offensive tear continued on Tuesday, as he scored a season-high 44 points (13-of-27 FGs, 16-of-16 FTs) against the Warriors. He added four rebounds and 11 assists, with just one turnover. Kobe came into this game 0.1 ppg behind Carmelo Anthony for the league lead in scoring, and will be #1 after this gem. This was the 103rd game in his career that he’s scored at least 40 points.

Los Angeles: As expected, Ron Artest did not play in Tuesday’s game vs. the Warriors. He is hoping to return against Sacramento on Friday. “He’ll get a workout in [Wednesday],” said Phil Jackson. “The big danger is obviously elevating heart rate and blood pressure in this type of situation, so that’s going to be something that we monitor.” When Artest returns to the lineup, expect reduced minutes.

Washington: The Wizards allowed the Thunder to score 110 points on 54% shooting, coach Flip Saunders hinted that a lineup change could be imminent. “Spots will be open. If guys don’t like it, that’s fine,” said Saunders. “Guys want to come out of the zone [defense] and play man-to-man, but they can’t guard anybody. The Wizards have been on of the biggest disappointment thus far in 2010.

New Orleans: David West scored a career-high 44 points vs. the Houston  Rockets on Tuesday — he made 18-of-30 FGs, 2-of-4 three-pointers, and 6-of-8 FTs. West even pitched in 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals, but New Orleans couldn’t pull out the victory and dropped to 13-16 on the season.

The decision to fire coach Vinny Del Negro has already been made and the only thing keeping him employed is the fact that the Bulls have not found a replacement. The Bulls would like to have a coach that appeals to the potential free agents available this summer, but they may have to settle for assistants Bernie Bickerstaff or Pete Myers and seek out a better option in the offseason. Once it becomes clear who will be coaching in Chicago, we’ll have a better idea of what system will be installed and what free agents, if any, will be interested in playing for the Bulls.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Los Angeles: Los Angeles Clippers F Blake Griffin (knee) continues to progress in his rehabilitation, and said that he expects to make his season debut in three weeks. Coach Mike Dunleavy agreed, saying he expects him back in the second or third week of January. This timetable appears to be solid Dunleavy will have to sort out minutes between Griffin, Marcus Camby, Rasual Butler and Al Thornton.

Sacramento: Tyreke Evans is considered to be doubtful for Monday’s game against the Nuggets after spraining his ankle in Saturday’s game against the Lakers. Evans missed Sunday’s practice after he woke up with swelling in the ankle. Beno Udrih and Donte’ Greene would be the likely starting backcourt in his absence, as this was the lineup Nov. 21 when Evans missed his only game of the season.

Houston: The Houston Rockets have told Tracy McGrady that he will not see an increase in playing time, and that they will address his situation Monday when they return from their road trip. This comes after the team gave McGrady permission to take the weekend off to be home for his son’s birthday.

Detroit: Pistons F Charlie Villanueva (foot) is in uniform and has been seen loosening up prior to Sunday’s game against the Toronto Raptors.

San Antonio: DeJuan Blair played for a season-high 35 minutes on Sunday, and ended up with eight points on 4-of-11 shooting with 10 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two blocks.

Denver: Carmelo Anthony struggled with foul trouble on Sunday, scoring just 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting with 12 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block in 30 minutes of action. He missed tying his lowest-scoring game of the season by just two points, but on the bright side his 12 rebounds were a season-high.

Dallas: Drew Gooden (back spasms) returned to action Sunday and scored 19 points on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting to go with 10 rebounds and a block in 27 minutes of run on Sunday.
Gooden may have gotten some extra run after Erick Dampier (10 points, nine rebounds, 20 minutes) played 35 minutes in his absence Saturday.

Jonny Flynn had 14 points and set a career high with nine assists in Wednesday’s loss to the Hornets. Flynn was beaten by Chris Paul for the game-winner, but is playing well. He also had a steal and a three tonight, and is averaging 13 points, seven assists and more than a steal and three over his last five games. Obviously, he’s becoming more comfortable in his role. Ramon Sessions came off the bench for just two points and six assists and is averaging just six points and three dimes over his last five games.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Milwaukee: Milwaukee Bucks PG Brandon Jennings got hot early and finished with 22 points, four 3-pointers, six assists, two steals and two blocks on 8-of-14 shooting in Wednesday’s win over Toronto, snapping a four-game losing streak for the Bucks. Jennings came in shooting just 32 percent in his last nine games, which was a far cry from his hot start. However, the news was not all good as he left early with a left knee injury. He returned briefly after getting hurt, but was not able to finish the game. Hopefully he just banged knees with another player.

Houston: Rockets F Trevor Ariza hit 11-of-19 shots and four 3-pointers for 26 points, five boards, two assists and two steals in Wednesday’s impressive win over the Cavaliers. Ariza has not been a good shooter from the floor this season, but we think his percentage will continue to improve as he gets more selective with his shots. Ariza’s strong play this season is probably one of the reasons the Houston Rockets are in no rush to bring Tracy McGrady back from knee surgery.

New Orleans Hornets: Chris Paul had 15 points and 14 assists, and hit the game-winning layup after blowing by Jonny Flynn near the buzzer for a tough win over the Timberwolves.

Oakland: Warriors F Anthony Randolph returned from a personal leave on Wednesday and came off the bench for 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists, a steal and three blocks on 4-of-7 shooting in just 20 minutes of action.

Philadelphia 76ers: Allen Iverson hit just 3-of-10 shots for 11 points, three assists, two steals and a block in Wednesday’s loss – the 11th in a row for Philly.