Current NBL of Canada Standings as of the games of January 27,2013

2012-13 Conference Standings

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Atlantic Overall   W L PCT PF PA W L PCT PF PA Summerside Storm 17 11 0.607 105.3 99.5 17 11 0.607 105.3 99.5 Halifax Rainmen 14 15 0.483 100.4 101.3 14 15 0.483 100.4 101.3 Saint John Mill Rats 14 15 0.483 104.6 104.2 14 15 0.483 104.6 104.2 Moncton Miracles 15 17 0.469 99.0 99.3 15 17 0.469 99.0 99.3 Central Overall   W L PCT PF PA W L PCT PF PA London Lightning 24 4 0.857 109.5 94.5 24 4 0.857 109.5 94.5 Oshawa Power 17 11 0.607 107.7 105.6 17 11 0.607 107.7 105.6 Windsor Express 11 16 0.407 96.6 101.2 11 16 0.407 96.6 101.2 Montreal Jazz 2 25 0.074 93.8 112.0 2 25 0.074 93.8 112.0

NBL of Canada Scores from January 23-27,2013

January 23, 2013	Montreal Jazz 102 at Oshawa Power 127	Final
January 24, 2013	Windsor Express 110 at Halifax Rainmen 82	Final
January 24, 2013	Moncton Miracles 122 at Saint John Mill Rats 133	Final
January 24, 2013	London Lightning 97 at Summerside Storm 116	Final
January 25, 2013	London Lightning 77 at Moncton Miracles 76	Final
January 25, 2013	Oshawa Power 131 at Montreal Jazz 114	Final
January 25, 2013	Windsor Express 127 at Saint John Mill Rats 135	Final
January 25, 2013	Halifax Rainmen 90 at Summerside Storm 135	Final
January 26, 2013	Saint John Mill Rats 95 at Montreal Jazz 86	Final
January 27, 2013	Summerside Storm 108 at Halifax Rainmen 121	Final
January 27, 2013	London Lightning 93 at Windsor Express 99	Final

Current NBDL Standings as of the games of January 27,2013

West Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	L 10	Streak
Bakersfield 1	17	8	0.680	0.0	12-3	5-5	8-2	Lost 1
Santa Cruz 5	15	9	0.625	1.5	8-2	7-7	6-4	Lost 1
Reno	9	12	0.429	6.0	4-4	5-8	5-5	Won 1
Los Angeles	8	15	0.348	8.0	5-8	3-7	3-7	Won 1
Idaho	7	17	0.292	9.5	4-8	3-9	5-5	Won 1

Central Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	L 10	Streak
Rio Grande Valley 3	15	9	0.625	0.0	9-2	6-7	8-2	Lost 1
Austin 6	14	10	0.583	1.0	7-5	7-5	7-3	Won 2
Sioux Falls 7	14	11	0.560	1.5	7-7	7-4	5-5	Lost 1
Tulsa	13	12	0.520	2.5	10-5	3-7	5-5	Won 1
Texas	11	14	0.440	4.5	7-4	4-10	1-9	Lost 9
Iowa	6	18	0.250	9.0	4-6	2-12	1-9	Lost 7

East Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	L 10	Streak
Maine 2	17	10	0.630	0.0	10-6	7-4	7-3	Won 1
Canton 4	17	10	0.630	0.0	10-5	7-5	8-2	Won 4
Erie 8	13	11	0.542	2.5	6-5	7-6	4-6	Lost 1
Fort Wayne	12	14	0.462	4.5	7-4	5-10	6-4	Lost 1
Springfield	8	16	0.333	7.5	5-7	3-9	4-6	Lost 1

Each division winner, followed by the next five best teams by record will qualify for the Playoffs

NBDL Scores for week of January 21-27,2013

January 21, 2013	Fort Wayne Mad Ants 69 at Canton Charge 78	Final
January 21, 2013	Erie BayHawks 97 at Los Angeles D-Fenders 94	Final
January 21, 2013	Springfield Armor 92 at Maine Red Claws 106	Final
January 21, 2013	Texas Legends 118 at Rio Grande Valley Vipers 120	Final
January 21, 2013	Bakersfield Jam 99 at Santa Cruz Warriors 89	Final
January 22, 2013	Tulsa 66ers 111 at Iowa Energy 106	Final
January 23, 2013	Bakersfield Jam 107 at Los Angeles D-Fenders 101	Final
January 23, 2013	Texas Legends 109 at Rio Grande Valley Vipers 126	Final
January 24, 2013	Maine Red Claws 115 at Springfield Armor 123	Final
January 25, 2013	Idaho Stampede 94 at Austin Toros 104	Final
January 25, 2013	Reno Bighorns 86 at Bakersfield Jam 102	Final
January 25, 2013	Fort Wayne Mad Ants 107 at Erie BayHawks 96	Final
January 25, 2013	Canton Charge 103 at Iowa Energy 83	Final
January 25, 2013	Santa Cruz Warriors 120 at Maine Red Claws 101	Final
January 25, 2013	Sioux Falls Skyforce 101 at Texas Legends 95	Final
January 25, 2013	Los Angeles D-Fenders 84 at Tulsa 66ers 107	Final
January 26, 2013	Reno Bighorns 111 at Bakersfield Jam 105	Final
January 26, 2013	Iowa Energy 101 at Canton Charge 107	Final
January 26, 2013	Sioux Falls Skyforce 104 at Rio Grande Valley Vipers 123	Final
January 26, 2013	Santa Cruz Warriors 100 at Springfield Armor 111	Final
January 26, 2013	Idaho Stampede 104 at Texas Legends 88	Final
January 26, 2013	Los Angeles D-Fenders 109 at Tulsa 66ers 100	Final
January 27, 2013	Rio Grande Valley Vipers 91 at Austin Toros 106	Final
January 27, 2013	Fort Wayne Mad Ants 78 at Erie BayHawks 111	Final
January 27, 2013	Springfield Armor 112 at Maine Red Claws 120	Final

Latest ABA Rankings as of January 20,2013

Indianapolis, IN.  The American Basketball Association (ABA) www.abalive.com today released its Power Rankings for the week ending Sunday, January 20th and the top three teams – the Jacksonville Giants, South Carolina Warriors and the Arizona Scorpions held their positions as one, two and three.  The Chicago Steam, Calgary Crush and West Texas Whirlwinds showed the most movement with important victories.

1.  Jacksonville Giants (17-1)

2.  South Carolina Warriors (18-1)

3.  Arizona Scorpions (11-1)

4.  Chicago Steam (9-0)

5.  Calgary Crush (10-0)

6.  Colorado Kings (10-1)

7.  North Dallas Vandals (9-2)

8.  Seattle Mountaineers (9-1)

9.  Richmond Elite (7-1)

10. West Texas Whirlwinds (9-2)

11. Conway Cyclones (7-1)

12. Los Angeles SLAM (5-2)

13. San Deigo SURF (7-2)

14. Albany Blazers (9-1)

15. Alaska Quake (8-1)

16. Indiana State Warriors (6-2)

17. Jackson Showboats (5-1)

18. Jersey Express (5-1)

19. Atlanta Aliens (6-2)

20. Detroit Hoops (7-2)

21. San Francisco Rumble (5-1)

22. Bay Area Matrix (5-2)

23. Gulf Coast Flash (6-3)

24. Lima Explosion (10-5)

25. Electric City Lions (5-2)

26. Greenville Galaxy (5-2)

27. Gainesville Heat (5-3)

28. Atlanta Wildcats (4-3)

29. Lynchburg Legends (5-5)

30. Missouri Rhythm (4-3)

31. Dallas Impact (3-2)

32. Phenix City Bombers (3-3)

ABA Scores for the week ending January 20,2013

• Lima Explosion                139    Cleveland Pro Ballers         110
• South Carolina Warriors    128    Hampton Roads Stallions   83
• Calgary Crush                  124    Kitsap Admirals                 114
• Calgary Crush                  119    Olympia Rise                     109
• Missouri Rhythm              105    St. Louis Stallions              103
• Dallas Impact                   151    Little Rock Lightening         143
• Las Vegas Defenders        111    San Francisco Rumble       77
• Jacksonville Giants            164   Savannah Grizzlies             122
• Jackson Showboats           130   Gulf Coast Flash                127
• Albany Blazers                  106   Atlanta Wildcats                68
• Jersey Expres                   113   Staten Island Vipers           101
• Calgary Crush                   121    Lakewood Panthers           71
• Colorado Kings                  144   Oklahoma Impact              112
• Alaska 49ers                     116   Kitsap Admirals                 115
• San Francisco Rumble      119    Bay Area Matrix                 116
• Chicago Steam                  127   Indiana State Warriors        123
• San Diego SURF                130  Orange County Novastars     115
• 7 City Knights                     114  Hampton Roads Stallions    96
• Greenville Galaxy                109  Queen City Express            91
• Calgary Crush                     119  Lakewood Panthers            92
• Jersey Express                   121  New Jersey Bullets             81
• Chicago Steam                   122  Indiana State Warriors         109
• Lima Explosion                   153  Cleveland Pro Ballers          130
• Central Valley Titans           118   Port City Pirates                110  OT
• West Texas Whirlwinds       109   North Dallas Vandals         106
• Seattle Mountaineers           121   Olympia Rise                   79
• Alaska Quake                     132   Kitsap Admirals                121
• Bay Area Matrix                  125   Stockton Travel                 100
• South Carolina Warriors       125   Lynchburg Legends           123

Clippers topple Trail Blazers 96-83

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Blake Griffin and Eric Bledsoe combined to help the Los Angeles Clippers end a four-game losing streak.

Griffin had 23 points and nine assists, helping the Clippers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 96-83 on Sunday night and get even for a one-point loss to the Trail Blazers a day earlier.
''It's everybody's job on this team to step up, and that's what I've tried to do,'' Griffin said. ''Chris is a huge part of our team and he directs the game from the point guard spot. He has the ball in his hands during 85 percent of our offense. So when he goes out, our whole dynamic changes. But other guys have stepped up. Eric Bledsoe's done a great job.''
Bledsoe had 10 points, five assists and five rebounds in his seventh start, while Chris Paul missed his fourth straight game and seventh in the past nine because of a bruised right kneecap.
Bledsoe played 36 minutes without committing a turnover.
''I just played more aggressive and didn't worry about it,'' Bledsoe said. ''My last couple of games I was playing kind of passive, but tonight I did a good job of just staying aggressive. My teammates just told me to just stay in attack mode, and everybody else on the team played great. At the end of the day, turnovers are going to happen. You can't play every game without having a turnover.''
Griffin powered the Clippers to a 55-50 halftime lead with 15 points, including a fast break dunk off a long pass from DeAndre Jordan just before intermission.
Griffin also had an assist on six of the team's first nine baskets, including Jordan's alley-oop dunk and 3-pointers by Caron Butler and Matt Barnes.
''Our lead assist guy is not around, so we have to run some more things through Blake at the elbow and let him make plays for us,'' coach Vinny Del Negro said. ''He draws so much attention, but he's unselfish and he's making the good basketball plays and making other players better. That's what All-Stars do in this league.''
Griffin didn't get his first rebound in this game until after his sixth assist.
''Blake sharing the basketball made the game easier for everybody,'' Del Negro said. ''He was kind of like a 'point forward' for us tonight. We had 33 assists and shot the ball well, which we haven't been doing. We were unselfish in a lot of areas.''
The Clippers have the third-best record in the NBA at 33-13 and are 2 1/2 games behind San Antonio in the Western Conference.
Lamar Odom had eight points, 13 rebounds and six assists.
''We needed any kind of a win right now,'' Del Negro said. ''We're trying to accumulate as many as we can, and then we'll count them up at the end of the year and see where we're at.
''We obviously executed a little bit better and got solid production from several guys. I liked our intensity in the second half, and we did a better job guarding the 3-pointers. But more so, our activity defensively was the difference in the game.''
LaMarcus Aldridge led the Trail Blazers with 21 points and 11 rebounds. It was Portland's seventh loss in nine games.
''It's hard to beat the same team two times in a row, especially on back-to-back said,'' rookie Damian Lillard said. ''They're a really good team. Last night I think we did a lot better job controlling their transition and not giving up as many easy plays.''
Portland never led in the second half on Sunday, falling behind 74-59 after a driving layup by Bledsoe with 3:15 left in the third quarter.
Griffin didn't play after going to the bench with 10 seconds left in the third quarter and the Clippers leading 78-62. But they built the margin to as many as 19 points on a layup by reserve forward Ronny Turiaf with 6:23 remaining.
''We didn't take care of the ball and we had turnovers in the second half,'' Aldridge said. ''I thought they had some easy breakouts that opened the game up. Griffin did a good job of finding guys and making good reads. But we didn't play as well as we did last night, and some of the guys were a little tired.''
NOTES: The Blazers finished with 28 assists on their 29 field goals. ... Los Angeles outscored Portland 56-24 in the paint. ... The Clippers head out on a seven-game road trip. ... The Clippers shot 51.2 percent, and are 14-1 when shooting at least 50 percent. ... Los Angeles was leading 46-40 when Butler's fadeaway 3-pointer from in front of the Clippers' bench was disallowed because of an offensive foul called against him with 4:31 remaining in the second quarter. Butler picked up his third foul just 14 seconds later, but remained in the game until he was removed by Del Negro with 3:16 left in the half.

Team Comparison

Team		Record	Standings	PF	PA	Road/Home	Streak	L10
	LA Clippers	33-13	1st Pacific/3rd Western	101.0	93.3	20-5 Home	W 1	5-5
	Portland	22-22	4th Northwest/9th Western	96.9	98.

Next Opponent

LA Clippers vs. Minnesota

Wed, Jan 30, 2013 8:00 PM EST

Dallas vs. Portland

Tue, Jan 29, 2013 10:00 PM EST

NBA Boxscores for the games of January 27,2013

NBA Scores

Sunday, Jan 27, 2013

1 2 3 4 OT 2OT Total Miami 26 19 23 19 6 5 98 Final  Boston 22 23 19 23 6 7 100 2OT  MIA: L. James 34 Pts, 16 Reb, 7 Ast BOS: K. Garnett 24 Pts, 11 Reb, 4 Ast Box Score - Recap		1 2 3 4 Total Oklahoma City 23 30 22 21 96 Final  LA Lakers 27 25 23 30 105   OKC: K. Durant 35 Pts, 2 Reb, 4 Ast LAL: K. Bryant 21 Pts, 9 Reb, 14 Ast Box Score - Recap - Highlights
1 2 3 4 Total Detroit 29 25 24 26 104 Final  Orlando 25 19 33 25 102   DET: B. Knight 31 Pts, 4 Reb, 0 Ast ORL: J.J. Redick 31 Pts, 6 Reb, 2 Ast Box Score - Recap - Highlights		1 2 3 4 Total New Orleans 24 19 21 27 91 Final  Memphis 23 22 23 15 83   NO: R. Anderson 22 Pts, 5 Reb, 0 Ast MEM: Z. Randolph 20 Pts, 13 Reb, 1 Ast Box Score - Recap - Highlights
1 2 3 4 Total Atlanta 25 27 22 30 104 Final  New York 27 25 30 24 106   ATL: J. Teague 27 Pts, 5 Reb, 6 Ast NY: C. Anthony 42 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 Ast Box Score - Recap - Highlights		1 2 3 4 Total Phoenix 21 21 30 23 95 Final  Dallas 29 28 24 29 110   PHO: G. Dragic 18 Pts, 4 Reb, 8 Ast DAL: S. Marion 18 Pts, 9 Reb, 5 Ast Box Score - Recap - Highlights
1 2 3 4 Total Portland 27 23 12 21 83 Final  LA Clippers 33 22 23 18 96   POR: L. Aldridge 21 Pts, 11 Reb, 4 Ast LAC: B. Griffin 23 Pts, 5 Reb, 9 Ast Box Score - Recap - Highlights

Current NBA Standings as of the games of January 27,2013

2012-13 NBA Regular Season Standings

2012 Season 2012 Preseason 2011 Season 2010 Season 2009 Season 2008 Season 2007 Season 2006 Season 2005 Season 2004 Season 2003 Season 2002 Season

Eastern Conference Standings
Atlantic	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	PF	PA	Diff	Streak	L10
New York	27	15	.643	--	15-6	11-9	5-4	17-8	100.4	96.3	4.1	Won 1	5-5
Brooklyn	26	18	.591	2.0	16-7	10-11	9-3	19-9	96.0	94.8	1.2	Lost 2	7-3
Boston	21	23	.477	7.0	14-9	7-14	4-5	14-15	95.1	96.5	-1.4	Won 1	4-6
Philadelphia	18	25	.419	9.5	12-10	6-15	6-6	10-13	93.3	97.0	-3.7	Won 1	3-7
Toronto	16	28	.364	12.0	11-10	5-18	1-7	9-14	97.8	99.7	-1.9	Lost 1	4-6
Central	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	PF	PA	Diff	Streak	L10
Chicago	26	17	.605	--	14-11	12-6	6-3	20-7	93.3	91.1	2.2	Lost 1	7-3
Indiana	26	18	.591	0.5	16-3	10-15	5-2	14-10	91.4	89.9	1.5	Lost 2	6-4
Milwaukee	23	19	.548	2.5	12-9	11-10	6-6	17-10	97.6	98.2	-0.6	Won 1	7-3
Detroit	17	27	.386	9.5	12-10	5-16	4-3	14-13	95.0	96.2	-1.2	Won 1	5-5
Cleveland	13	32	.289	14.0	6-12	7-20	2-9	10-18	95.5	100.5	-5.0	Won 3	5-5
Southeast	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	PF	PA	Diff	Streak	L10
Miami	28	13	.683	--	18-3	10-10	6-1	13-8	102.7	97.0	5.7	Lost 1	6-4
Atlanta	25	19	.568	4.5	15-7	10-12	9-3	16-11	96.8	96.0	0.8	Lost 1	5-5
Orlando	14	29	.326	15.0	8-16	6-13	2-6	6-20	95.4	99.0	-3.6	Lost 5	2-8
Washington	11	31	.262	17.5	8-13	3-18	4-8	5-21	91.4	96.2	-4.8	Won 2	7-3
Charlotte	11	32	.256	18.0	6-18	5-14	3-6	8-15	95.1	103.2	-8.1	Won 1	2-8
Western Conference Standings
Southwest	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	PF	PA	Diff	Streak	L10
San Antonio	36	11	.766	--	20-2	16-9	11-2	21-8	104.4	96.3	8.1	Won 8	9-1
Memphis	28	15	.651	6.0	17-7	11-8	4-5	16-11	93.2	89.2	4.0	Lost 1	5-5
Houston	24	22	.522	11.5	15-8	9-14	4-7	8-17	104.4	102.9	1.5	Won 2	3-7
Dallas	19	25	.432	15.5	12-9	7-16	3-5	10-16	100.5	103.0	-2.5	Won 1	6-4
New Orleans	15	29	.341	19.5	7-15	8-14	4-7	8-19	93.2	97.0	-3.8	Won 1	6-4
Northwest	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	PF	PA	Diff	Streak	L10
Oklahoma City	34	11	.756	--	19-3	15-8	5-2	22-6	105.7	97.3	8.4	Lost 1	7-3
Denver	27	18	.600	7.0	16-3	10-15	5-5	20-11	103.6	100.5	3.1	Won 3	8-2
Utah	24	20	.545	9.5	15-4	9-16	2-3	12-15	98.5	98.7	-0.2	Won 1	7-3
Portland	22	22	.500	11.5	15-8	7-14	3-3	13-12	96.9	98.8	-1.9	Lost 1	3-7
Minnesota	17	24	.415	15.0	11-7	6-17	3-5	10-13	94.7	96.8	-2.1	Lost 4	1-9
Pacific	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	PF	PA	Diff	Streak	L10
LA Clippers	33	13	.717	--	20-5	13-8	7-4	23-9	101.0	93.3	7.7	Won 1	5-5
Golden State	26	17	.605	5.5	14-6	12-11	4-5	13-12	100.4	99.7	0.7	Lost 2	4-6
LA Lakers	19	25	.432	13.0	14-10	5-15	4-3	11-17	102.4	101.0	1.4	Won 2	4-6
Sacramento	16	29	.356	16.5	12-12	4-16	3-5	6-20	96.9	103.4	-6.5	Lost 4	3-7
Phoenix	15	30	.333	17.5	11-11	4-19	3-4	8-15	95.6	99.8	-4.2	Lost 2	3-7
x-Clinched Playoff Spot; y-Division Champ; z-Clinched Home Court Last updated Monday, Jan 28, 2013 7:03 pm EST

NBA Power Rankings: Thunder remain No. 1

The Oklahoma City Thunder remains atop the Yahoo! Sports weekly NBA rankings for the second straight week, but its standing will be challenged Tuesday night.
The Thunder visit the second-place Clippers in a Western Conference showdown in Los Angeles. The Clippers topped the rankings the previous three weeks before the Thunder took over.
Records are through Monday.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (32-9, previous ranking: first): Thunder guard Russell Westbrook has averaged 33.8 points over his last four games. The expected All-Star’s averages of 8.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game are career-bests.

2.Los Angeles Clippers (32-10, previous ranking: second): Will Chris Paul be available for the Thunder game on Tuesday night? Paul, in his second game back from a knee injury, had a season-low four points on 1-of-7 shooting in a loss at Golden State on Monday.

3.San Antonio Spurs (33-11, previous ranking: third): The Spurs are rolling and have won six of their last seven games, including five straight. San Antonio should have two Western Conference All-Star reserves in forward Tim Duncan and guard Tony Parker.

4. Miami Heat (26-12, previous ranking: fourth): If healthy and able to shake off the rust, the Heat might have filled their void for length and size with the addition of 6-foot-11 forward-center Chris Andersen, who specializes in shot-blocking and rebounding.

[Also: Kobe Bryant's frustration begins to show]
5.Memphis Grizzlies (26-14, previous ranking: fifth): Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph and the rest of the Grizzlies can breathe a sigh of relief after the team's new management made a creative trade with Cleveland that saved $6 million to keep the team under the luxury tax.

6.New York Knicks (25-14, previous ranking: sixth): The rivalry between the Knicks and the Boston Celtics resumes Thursday in Boston. After their last spat, will Carmelo Anthony have a hidden microphone on him when he trash talks with Kevin Garnett?

7. Golden State Warriors (25-15, previous ranking: seventh): The Warriors ended a skid in which they lost five of six games with victories against New Orleans and the Clippers. Golden State took the season series 3-1 against the Pacific Division-leading Clippers.

8. Indiana Pacers (26-16, previous ranking: eighth): Don’t sleep on the Pacers, who are now 8-3 in January with wins over Miami, New York and Memphis. But even with the run, the Pacers hold a slim lead in the Central Division over Derrick Rose-less Chicago.

9.Brooklyn Nets (25-16, previous ranking: 10th): The Nets are the NBA’s best team in 2013 with a 9-1 January record. Center Brook Lopez is making an All-Star push by averaging 7.3 rebounds and 19.4 points on 53.3 percent shooting in January.

10. Denver Nuggets (25-18, previous ranking: ninth): Will the real Nuggets please stand up? Denver loses to lowly Washington last Friday then beats Oklahoma City on Sunday. Denver often plays to the level of its competition, which could hurt its playoff seeding.

11. Chicago Bulls (24-16, previous ranking: 11th): The Bulls have earned a solid record without injured star point guard Derrick Rose. With Rose close to practicing and possibly returning in the near future, Chicago could be poised to be a title contender.

12. Utah Jazz (22-19, previous ranking: 16th): The Jazz are 7-2 in January, including a big win against Miami. Veterans Jamaal Tinsley and Earl Watson are filling the point guard void with Mo Williams out because of injury. Should the Jazz add a young point guard?

13. Atlanta Hawks (23-18, previous ranking: 12th): After a strong start, the Hawks are 4-8 in January. Should general manager Danny Ferry consider trading forward Josh Smith after his recent one-game suspension?

14. Houston Rockets (22-21, previous ranking: 13th): The Rockets, who are hosting the All-Star game, snapped their seven-game losing streak with a win against Charlotte on Monday. With Houston’s recent slide, James Harden’s All-Star bid could be in trouble.

[ Yahoo! Sports Radio: Rick Barry on Lakers' struggles]

15. Milwaukee Bucks (21-18, previous ranking: 17th): The Bucks enter Tuesday night's game having won three of their past four. Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis, both All-Star candidates, are averaging nearly the same points, assists and rebounds.


16. Boston Celtics (20-20, previous ranking: 14th): Could the Celtics’ subpar play keep a deserving Paul Pierce from being an All-Star for the first time since 2007? Boston already has two All-Star starters in Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett despite its record.


17. Portland Trail Blazers (20-21, previous ranking: 15th): The Blazers' hopes of putting LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum or rookie Damian Lillard on the All-Star team were hurt by six straight losses.

18. Minnesota Timberwolves (17-21, previous ranking: 18th): Timberwolves guard J.J. Barea was fined $5,000 on Monday for his second violation of the NBA's anti-flopping rules. A third violation would merit a $10,000 fine. Guessing Barea is done flopping.

19. Los Angeles Lakers (17-24, previous ranking: 19th): With forward Jordan Hill out for season and guard Steve Blake still out, it is amazing the Lakers haven't added a player with their open roster spot. Word is Kobe Bryant wouldn’t mind adding a wing defender.

20. Dallas Mavericks (18-24, previous ranking: 21st): The Mavericks have won five of their past six games with the only loss coming to Oklahoma City. Dallas has four days off before a huge home contest against San Antonio on Friday.

21. Philadelphia 76ers (17-24, previous ranking: 20th): Point guard Jrue Holiday is making his case for All-Star honors, averaging 19.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists, but Philly’s record and tough competition at guard could keep Holiday from the team.

22. Sacramento Kings (16-26, previous ranking: 23rd): After the Kings depart to Seattle, the Warriors will own Northern California and more by being on TV from Fresno through the Bay Area to Sacramento and up to Lake Tahoe, Nev., next season.

23. Toronto Raptors (15-26, previous ranking: 22nd): Point guard Jose Calderon is having a solid January, averaging 13.2 points and 7.6 assists, and is outplaying Kyle Lowry. It would be interesting to see what the Raptors could get for Calderon on the trade market?

[Also: Grizzlies make a salary-cut trade, but it's not Rudy Gay]

24. Detroit Pistons (15-25, previous ranking: 24th): The Pistons have lost three of their last five games. The latest battle of the basement takes place Tuesday as the Pistons host Orlando with plenty of seats available. Remember when The Palace was always sold out?


25. Orlando Magic (14-26, previous ranking: 25th): The Magic have lost their last seven games against teams with losing records and have allowed an average of 113.0 points per game in the last five of those losses.

26. New Orleans Hornets (14-27, previous ranking: 27th): Eric Gordon and the Hornets are on the rise after winning seven of their past nine games. But New Orleans visits San Antonio on Wednesday and has a long way to go to be a .500 ball club.

27. Washington Wizards (9-30, previous ranking: 30th): The Wizards are 4-2 since point guard John Wall returned from a knee surgery. But even in the East, the point guard has acknowledged that the Wizards have too much ground to make up for a playoff bid.

28. Phoenix Suns (13-28, previous ranking: 26th): Coach-on-the-rise Lindsey Hunter is an interesting choice as interim coach over veteran Elston Turner. Don’t expect former Suns coach Alvin Gentry to re-join coach Mike D’Antoni on the Lakers’ bench this season.

29. Cleveland Cavaliers (10-32, previous ranking: 29th): Newcomer Marreese Speights is a decent replacement for forward-center Anderson Varejao, who was poised to become a first-time All-Star but is out for the season because of a blood clot in his leg.

30.Charlotte Bobcats (10-31, previous ranking: 28th): The Bobcats set a franchise record with their 15th straight loss at home on Monday against Houston. The longest home losing streak in NBA history is 19 straight by Dallas during the 1993-94 season.