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Mavs Get ClippedDon't blame this on Michael Finley. Resist the urge to correlate the swingman's return to the lineup with the Mavericks' 117-100 loss to the LA Clippers, their first stumble in eight games. He was, definitely, not the cause for the effect. Because Finley, it turns out, was just fine Tuesday in front of a sold-out American Airlines Center. He worked his way back into the rotation, showed no signs of favoring the strained left hamstring that forced him to sit 13 games, and contributed 29 solid minutes, hit 6-of-11 shots and recorded 14 points. Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Maggette Is SidelinedThe LA Times reports that Corey Maggette suffered a strained left knee in the Clippers' victory Tuesday against the Dallas Mavericks and is not expected to play tonight against the San Antonio Spurs. Darius Miles is expected to take Maggette's place as the starting small forward. Maggette has been filling in for Lamar Odom, on the injured list because of a sprained right wrist. Maggette underwent an MRI exam Wednesday, the results of which will be known today. Odom was examined Wednesday and the Clippers will announce an update on his expected return today. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets McGrady gets another crack at KobeTracy McGrady's first appearance in the NBA All-Star game was largely unremarkable, except for a block he made of Kobe Bryant's baseline jump shot during the early going. Now that he has been named as one of the seven Eastern Conference reserves for this year's game, which will be held Feb. 10 in Philadelphia, McGrady can celebrate his selection by having another crack at Bryant. To most players, being matched up against the league's third-leading scorer wouldn't qualify as a cause for celebration. But when the Orlando Magic meet the Los Angeles Lakers for the second and final time this season tonight, McGrady will get to measure his defensive skills against the player whom he called "the toughest guy I've guarded" and who has an added benefit of being teammates with Shaquille O'Neal. "I wouldn't say I have his number. It's just a matter of playing him tough," McGrady said of Bryant, who went into Tuesday night trailing only Allen Iverson and Paul Pierce in scoring with a 26.3-point average. "If you let him get comfortable, he's going to burn you each and every way. So you've just got to stay with him, contain him and contend every shot." Although Bryant scored 28 points when the Lakers defeated the Magic 108-95 on Nov. 11, much of the damage he did before fouling out came from the free-throw line. McGrady had more trouble Sunday with Vince Carter, when his cousin and former teammate with the Toronto Raptors hit for 32 points in the Magic's 106-97 loss. "That's just the life of T-Mac in this league," he said. "You've just got to guard these All-Stars -- Paul Pierce, Vince Carter, Kobe Bryant. That's the hand I'm dealt with. I'm the guy. I'm the guy that's got to go out and defend these guys. I'm the guy that's got to put up points. My job is definitely not easy. I've got a tough job. But I feel I can do it." It's a job that Magic coach Doc Rivers believes McGrady has handled with an aplomb that many All-Star voters may have overlooked. "He's one of the top five players in the league, let alone the East," Rivers said. "So he definitely should start. But he's not, and that's the way it is." A loss to the Lakers would drop the Magic back to the .500 mark. While the Lakers have beaten the Magic the last six times they have met and are 8-2 since O'Neal left Orlando for Los Angeles in 1996, the two-time defending NBA champions have barely played .500 ball since opening the season at 16-1. "I don't know if they're just cruising through the regular season and saving everything for the playoffs," McGrady said. "But right now, they're just struggling at both ends of the court." "Teams that win titles don't panic," Rivers said. "They understand they're not playing well, but that doesn't mean one game can't turn them around." O'Neal had 38 points, 18 rebounds and four blocked shots in his latest tormenting of the Magic. A lot has changed since then, when the Magic almost got a triple double from Grant Hill and started rookie Steven Hunter at center. But the extent to which O'Neal will want to dominate his former team is likely to remain the same. Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Clippers Jan 2002 Archive
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