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.

Tyreke Evans (concussion) will miss the Kings’ next two games after he felt dizzy during Thursday’s practice. With the current climate around professional sports surrounding concussions, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Sacramento Kings are out of the playoff chase and will not rush him back just so he can win the Rookie of the Year award. He’s in danger of missing more than just two games. Meanwhile, Beno Udrih’s piping hot streak stands to continue while Francisco Garcia will stick in the starting five.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Memphis: Marc Gasol (strained neck) says he is targeting Sunday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks for his return. Gasol worked out on Monday, practiced on Tuesday and the Grizz have three days off before taking on the Bucks. If he’s going to come back, this is a perfect spot.

Houston: Trevor Ariza was productive in the Rockets’ 99-93 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday, scoring 18 points on 7-of-20 shooting (including three 3-pointers) with eight rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and one block.

Houston: Luis Scola scored 16 points on 7-of-21 shooting with 14 rebounds, three assists, and two steals on Thursday. It marks the 30th double-double he has secured this year, and during the month of march, Scola is averaging a robust 21.1 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.

Los Angelas: Craig Smith scored a season-high 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting with 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks in 25 minutes off the bench against the Rockets on Thursday.

Miami: Udonis Haslem (ankle) returned to action against the Bulls on Thursday, and scored 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting with six rebounds, no assists, and a steal in 23 minutes.

Chicago: Joakim Noah played just 10 minutes in the Bulls’ blowout loss to the Heat on Thursday, and chipped in four points on 1-of-5 shooting with two rebounds and no assists. He was scheduled to play 15 minutes, and if there is any positive takeaway from their embarrassing night it’s that Bulls got to rest him a little bit more than was planned.

Miami: Jermaine O’Neal scored 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting with four rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in 24 minutes of the Heat’s dominating win over the Bulls on Thursday.

Hornets coach Jeff Bower said after Saturday’s game that he expects Chris Paul (knee) to return at some point in the following week. “We will be seeing him soon,” Bower said. “Probably next week at some point; hopefully earlier in the week. We don’t have a firm date, but we’re very close.” The report goes on to tell readers to check back in after Monday’s shootaround, with games Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday as potential return dates.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Sacramento: Tyreke Evans (slight concussion, bruised jaw) could still play in Monday’s home game vs. the Grizzlies, according to Sacramento Kings beat writer Jason Jones. Jones’ report is far more optimistic than an early text message from Evans’ brother, which indicated he would miss at least one week. Evans will be re-evaluated on Monday, so check back for updates.

Sacramento: Beno Udrih scored 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting (including a three) with four rebounds, a career-high 17 assists, and two steals in the Kings’ win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.

Atlanta: Al Horford went off for 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting with 18 rebounds, one assist, and two steals, and hit a jumper with the shot clock expiring and 35 seconds left in overtime to put away the Spurs on Sunday.

San Antonio: Manu Ginobili tied a season-high with 38 points on 12-of-26 shooting (including five 3-pointers) with one rebound, six assists, and a steal in the Spurs’ overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.
He is carrying the load with Tony Parker out, and has been a borderline elite play throughout the month of March.

Los Angeles: Phil Jackson said Sunday that he hopes Andrew Bynum (Achilles) can return before the end of the month, and that he will be traveling with the team on their upcoming 5-game road trip.
“Maybe this will be just a short duration,” Jackson said, adding that Bynum felt much better from Saturday to Sunday, helping to spark some optimism.

Okalahoma City: Russell Westbrook was held scoreless in the Okalahoma City Thunder’s blowout loss to the Pacers on Sunday, going 0-for-4 from the field to go with one rebound and five assists in just 17 minutes of action.

The Antawn Jamison trade, which is essentially a done deal, the Clippers are also involved. The Cavs get Jamison and guard Sebastian Telfair, the Los Angeles Clippers get Drew Gooden and the Wizards get Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Al Thornton, Brian Skinner and a Cavs first-round pick. Jamison’s value takes a hit in Cleveland, Gooden is still useless for the Clips, Ilgauskas is a buy-out candidate in Washington (meaning Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee could both start), while Thornton becomes an interesting piece in Washington. He will battle with Josh Howard and Mike Miller for minutes.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Boston: Nate Robinson did not play Wednesday against the Bulls due to flu-like symptoms, and if the reported trade sending him to the Celtics happens as expected, he could be in uniform for Thursday’s game against the Lakers. He flew to L.A., and barring a huge surprise he’ll be a Celtic come Thursday. Anything can happen between now and the trade deadline, but as the C’s are constituted now, Nate-Rob projects to be a gunner off the bench — and a poor man’s Jamal Crawford sounds like a reasonable outlook.

Phoenix: With Antawn Jamison landing in Cleveland, it’s now quite possible that Amare Stoudemire will not be traded by the Phoenix Suns. His agent says he’s still likely to be moved, but Paul Coro, beat writer for the Arizona Republic, says Amare may not have any deals in place. We’ll know for sure by 3 p.m. on Thursday.

Chicago: John Salmons has been instructed by the Bulls to say at the hotel Wednesday night, suggesting that he is a likely piece in a trade. No word from the NBA yet, but this is normally a good sign that something is going down.

Los Angelas: Kobe Bryant will likely sit out Thursday night to rest the ailing tendon in his lower leg. We were hoping he would be up for the big matchup against the Boston Celtics but by his own admission he’s not playing unless he sees a turnaround in the next twenty-four hours. Were this a playoff game or were the Lakers struggling for a playoff spot, we would probably see Bryant in the lineup.

Oakland: Monta Ellis will sit out both Wednesday and Friday night’s game as he continues to recover from a knee sprain. The good news is that his meeting with his doctor confirmed original reports of a sprain rather than more serious internal damage. “Knee sprain” certainly is better news than “ACL tear”.

Lakers G Kobe Bryant missed Wednesday’s game against the Utah Jazz with a sprained left ankle. After playing through a multitude of injuries, Kobe has finally succumbed to them. If he skips the All-Star game he’ll have 10 days of rest under his belt and should be able to start the second half of the season strong, pushing for home court advantage in the playoffs. Of course, this logically means that he will suit up for the All-Start game and probably log big minutes.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

New Jersey: Devin Harris returned from a shoulder injury Wednesday and had 27 points, nine assists and a 3-pointer in another loss.

Philadelphia: Sam Dalembert tweaked his back at the end of the first half on Wednesday night and ended up sitting out the majority of the second half. Dalembert tried to go in the second half, but came out of the game quickly and never went back in. The good news is that he didn’t go to the locker room and didn’t seem to be in pain. He simply watched the second half from the bench. We’d expect that he’ll be fine after the All-Star break.

Chicago: Derrick Rose left Wednesday’s game in the first quarter with a right hip injury and will not return.
X-rays were negative, but this will leave his status for the All-Star Game in doubt. He finished with just three points in two minutes, and Kirk Hinrich will take over at point guard, while John Salmons should also see the ball a lot tonight.

Atlanta: Jamal Crawford was a late scratch for Wednesday’s game due to a sore shoulder. Expect Crawford to be back at 100 percent after the All-Star break.

Oakland: Monta Ellis (knee) will not play Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers. An MRI on Tuesday revealed that Ellis’ knee injury is only a mild sprain.

Utah: Jazz PF Carlos Boozer poured in 34 points (13-of-17 FGs, 8-of-9 FTs), 14 rebounds, four assists and four steals in Tuesday’s win over the Clippers, Utah’s ninth consecutive victory. The Jazz are red-hot going into the All-Star break, and Boozer hasn’t missed a beat since returning from his calf injury. His name is no longer appearing in many trade rumors and it seems like Utah hopes to keep this chemistry going into the postseason.

Orlando: Vince Carter came back to earth on Wednesday with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists.
The Magic were up 41-17 after one quarter, so Carter and the rest of the Orlando Magic starters played limited minutes. Still, this type of game is more in line with what we’d expect from Carter going forward.

Charlotte: Peja Stojakovic hit 7-of-16 shots and four more 3-pointers on his way to 20 points, four boards, an assist, two steals and a block in Wednesday’s win over the Celtics.

The Clippers have relieved Mike Dunleavy of his coaching duties and have named top assistant Kim Hughes their interim coach for the rest of the season. Dunleavy is expected to remain in his GM capacity. The Clippers are 21-28, seven games out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Dunleavy was doomed once No. 1 overall pick Blake Griffin went down this season and Elton Brand surprisingly bolted before last season. Hughes has been with the Los Angeles Clippers for the last seven seasons and the rotations should not change much, if at all.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Charlotte: Following reports of Chris Paul having underwent successful surgery on his left knee that will keep him out 4-6 weeks, the New Orleans Hornets Times-Picayune is reporting that he will spend 2-3 weeks on crutches. If he spends two weeks on crutches, it still seems a bit optimistic that he would be able to return two weeks later in game shape.

Portland: Brandon Roy (hamstring) will practice Friday, and is likely to play Saturday against the Lakers.
While this is good news, there’s a lot of time between now and Saturday. Watch to see how he responds to a full practice Friday before committing to him.

Chicago: The Chicago Bulls have decided to shut down Joakim Noah (plantar fasciitis) until the All-Star break. He was severly hobbled in his last two starts and he can’t afford that with his lack of offensive skills. He’ll miss the next four games but will get 12 days off thanks to the All-Star break. Brad Miller and Tyrus Thomas will benefit the most.

Orlando: Jameer Nelson (left knee) and Mickael Pietrus (right ankle) put in full practices Thursday and appear ready to play against the Wizards on Friday. Nelson ends up just missing one full game with this latest knee problem, but it remains a major concern.

Cleveland: LeBron James started at point guard for the first time since his rookie season with Daniel Gibson (personal) out on Thursday, and finished with 36 points on 9-of-16 shooting (1-of-4 from downtown, 17-of-21 from the foul line) with seven rebounds, eight assists, and two steals. We were expecting some eye-popping assist totals, but they never came, and by halftime Daniel Gibson was back from tending to his pregnant fiancee at the hospital.

Miami: Michael Beasley, who had played just two games since returning from a knee injury, played a season-high 41 minutes on Thursday, and finished with 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting (including a three) with 12 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks.

Tim Duncan had 21 points, a career-high 27 rebounds (10 offensive), six assists and one block in Wednesday’s easy win over the Hawks. He dominated Al Horford (2-of-10, 4 & 9) tonight despite hitting just 5-of-20 shots. It was a strange night for Duncan, who had the biggest rebounding night of his 12-year career and hit 11-of-11 free throws. We don’t know why he would be on any fantasy benches, but hopefully he was in there for you tonight. Amazingly, Duncan has never lost to the Hawks when he has played in a game against them.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

San Antonio: Tony Parker suffered a left ankle sprain on Wednesday, which appeared to be of a severe nature. He has had problems with the same ankle in the past and while X-rays were negative, it does sound like he will probably miss some time with the injury. We should know more information on Thursday. Our guess is George Hill, who was already starting at shooting guard, will take over at point guard if Parker is out.

Chicago: Joakim Noah hit 6-of-10 shots for 13 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and two blocks in Wednesday’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. He’s playing through a painful foot injury, but looked great tonight. Go ahead and keep him active. Derrick Rose added 26 points and seven assists in this one.

Cleveland: .J. Hickson got hot early and hit 8-of-10 shots for a career-high 23 points to go along with eight rebounds and a block in Wednesday’s easy win over the Wolves. We’ve seen Hickson do this before and it usually happens when he hits a bunch of shots early. He was scoreless in his last game, but had 11 points and 14 boards in the previous one.

New Jersey: Keyon Dooling started in place of injured Devin Harris and had 18 points, eight assists and two 3-pointers on 7-of-13 shooting as the New Jersey Nets beat the Clippers for their fourth win of the year on Wednesday.

New Jersey: Kris Humphries scored a career-high 25 points to go along with eight rebounds, a steal and a block, and hit 10-of-14 shots as the Nets won for the just the fourth time this season by beating the Los Angeles Clippers in Jersey. The Nets avoided the worst 44-game start in NBA history with the 103-87 win and you can bet Humps has probably earned more playing time after this effort. Brook Lopez added 19 points and nine rebounds in the win, helping the Nets snap an 11-game losing streak.

Milwaukee: Carlos Delfino left Wednesday’s game against the Sixers in the second half with an ankle sprain. We’re assuming this is an aggravation of the ankle Delfino rolled on Tuesday. He had just six points, five rebounds and no 3-pointers in 24 minutes before getting hurt.

Jonny Flynn

Minnesota PG Jonny Flynn hit 9-of-16 shots and two 3-pointers on his way to a career high of 29 points to go along with four rebounds, nine assists and two steals as the Wolves came back from 20 down to shock the Sixers in overtime on Monday. Flynn’s rookie season has been hit or miss, but he got it done tonight. Maybe this will instill some confidence in the point guard and allow him to finish with a big second half.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Phoenix: Moving into the starting lineup vs. Memphis, Robin Lopez had a career-high 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, seven rebounds and three blocks in 29 minutes. Lopez gave the Phoenix Suns a big body to combat the Grizzlies’ powerful frontcourt, but his solid play could convince Alvin Gentry to use a conventional lineup more often.

Oakland: Warriors center Andris Biedrins broke out on Monday, racking up nine points, 19 rebounds and a career-high eight blocks in a win over the visiting Bulls. This was a statement game for Biedrins, he played 39 minutes and was hyperactive, looking fully recovered from the groin/abdomen injury that has spoiled most of his season.

Oakland: Monta Ellis scored 36 points in Monday’s win over the Bulls, but it took him 39 shots to get there — the most attempted by any player in a game this season.
Ellis finished 14-of-39 from the field and 5-of-9 from the line, with three 3-pointers, five rebounds, eight assists, four steals and one block.

Los Angeles: Chris Kaman hit 10-of-16 shots for 22 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in a return from a back injury for the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.

Houston: Luis Scola scored a season-high 27 to go along with 15 rebounds as the Rockets beat the Bucks in overtime on Monday.

Milwakkee: Bucks C Andrew Bogut hit 9-of-16 shots on his way to 18 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, one steal and six blocks in a tough overtime loss to the Rockets.

Boston: In our estimation, Paul Pierce is likely to play on Monday despite a knee injury aggravated in Sunday’s practice. In the latest Boston Globe blog entry from the Garden there is no mention of Pierce or his injury.

Memphis: The Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Suns on Monday, led by Rudy Gay’s 31 points, three 3-pointers, nine rebounds, one steal and three blocks. Marc Gasol struggled with foul trouble, but still punished the Suns with 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and two blocks, all without a turnover. O.J. Mayo made 11-of-21 FGs and 5-of-11 threes for 28 points, adding five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

How was that for a first season in Los Angeles? Blake Griffin, who was selected first overall by the Clippers in the 2009 NBA draft, will undergo surgery on his left patella, which will force him to miss the next 4-to-6 months and effectively end his season.

Griffin showed promise in the preseason and summer league, dominating lesser competition, but the fairly tail ended on October 23, 2009, when Griffin injured his kneecap while dunking in the team’s final preseason game. After resting the stress fracture for several weeks, the former Oklahoma City Thunder star recently increased his workload in rehabilitation by running on a treadmill.

However, team doctors determined that Griffin’s knee wasn’t healing properly after he felt discomfort jumping into a swimming pool. The pool exercises were part of the last hurdles to be cleared before Griffin could rejoin the Clippers in practice. He has been a constant presence at Los Angeles Clippers games and in film sessions during his injury.

“It’s a little disappointing, because he brings so much to the table,” Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said on a conference call.

“As a group, we’re coming together better all the time and adding that talent to our lineup was something we were looking forward to…”I think the reaction is going to be one of disappointment, but he hasn’t been here all year,” Dunleavy said. “We’ve just got to move forward and do what we were planning on doing anyway – making the playoffs.”

Griffin was the consensus college player of the year in 2009, averaging 22.7 points and an NCAA-best 14.4 rebounds per game last season for the Sooners and the Clippers eagerly chose him in last June’s draft. Griffin averaged 13.7 points and 8.1 rebounds during the preseason, and coach Mike Dunleavy and his new teammates all expected him to be a major part of their comeback season. Instead, Griffin has never been fully healthy in Los Angeles, even straining his right shoulder during summer league play in Las Vegas.

The Clippers also have a long history of disappointing draft picks, including a pair of No. 1 overall choices that didn’t dazzle. Danny Manning played just 26 games in his rookie season in 1988-89 after tearing his knee ligament and undergoing surgery, though he eventually became an All-Star before fleeing town. Michael Olowokandi, the top pick in 1998, played just 45 games in his rookie season and he wasn’t much help even when healthy during five underachieving seasons.

Griffin’s woes sadly can’t be surprising to fans of a team with just two winning seasons in the last 30 years and just one playoff series victory since moving to town in 1984. Let’s hope that Griffin can bounce back next season and lead the Clippers back to the playoffs.

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.