(BDCi) — Another week in the NBA and the drama never stops. This week, Dwight Howard discussed his old Orlando Magic team and seemed to diss some of his teammates. However, he insists the media twisted his words and he meant to stay his team was an underdog that no one was talking about. Well, Howard probably will not get a warm reception when he returns to Orlando for the first time as a Laker on Tuesday. In other news, Michael Jordan is ready to get married again. Danny Granger suffered a minor setback in trying to return from a knee injury that has kept him out this entire season.
EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS
1. Miami Heat (45-14) winners of 16 in a row
2. New York Knicks (37-22) lost by one to the Oklahoma City Thunder
3. Indiana Pacers (38-23) still waiting on Danny Granger’s return
4. Brooklyn Nets (35-26) defeated Charlotte in their last game
5. Atlanta Hawks (34-26) defeated Philly in their last game
6. Chicago Bulls (34-27) losers of two in a row to Indiana and San Antonio
7. Boston Celtics (33-27) winners of four in a row despite all the injuries
8. Milwaukee Bucks (30-29) holding onto the final playoff spot by 7.5 games
WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS
1. San Antonio Spurs (48-14) winners of three in a row despite losing Tony Parker for a month
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (45-16) winners of three in a row including a big win at Madison Square Garden
3. Los Angeles Clippers (44-20) lost by 15 in Denver on Thursday
4. Memphis Grizzlies (40-19) winners of two in a row
5. Denver Nuggets (41-22) winners of seven in a row
6. Golden State Warriors (35-27) winners of two in a row
7. Houston Rockets (33-29) lost to in-state rival Dallas in last game
8. Utah Jazz (32-29) holding onto final playoff spot by a game and a half
NBA Player Stats
Points — the top five scorers are: Kevin Durant-OKC (28.7), Carmelo Anthony-NYK (28.2), Kobe Bryant-LAL (27.6), LeBron James-MIA (27.0) and James Harden-HOU (26.3)
Rebounds — the to five board crashers are: Dwight Howard-LAL (12.1), Omer Asik-HOU (11.7), Zach Randolph-MEM (11.6), Joakim Noah-CHI (11.4) and Nikola Vucevic-ORL (11.4)
Assists — the top five passers are: Rajon Rondo-BOS (11.1), Chris Paul-LAC (9.5), Greivis Vasquez-NOH (9.4), Jrue Holiday-PHI (8.6) and Russell Westbrook-OKC (7.8)
Brazilian Player Watch
Tiago Splitter — Center, San Antonio Spurs. 10.5 points and six rebounds per game. In his last game against Chicago, Splitter played 32 minutes and scored 13 points and grabbed 10 boards. He also managed to get no fouls and had two assists. On March 3rd against Detroit, he played 23 minutes, scoring eight points to go with 8 boards and four assists. On March 1st against Sacramento, he scored 14 points and grabbed 11 boards. With Tony Parker out with an ankle injury, it is important for Splitter to keep doing what he is doing and especially it is important that he stay out of foul trouble which he has managed to do. With San Antonio the best in the west, the rest of the regular season is preparation for Splitter for the playoffs. Splitter needs to stay healthy as his team needs him.
Nene — Forward-Center, Washington Wizards. 12.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. In his last game against Minnesota, he scored 12 points, grabbed eight boards but picked up five fouls and had seven turnovers. On March 3rd against Philadelphia, he scored 15 points, grabbed nine boards and had two assists to only one turnover and one foul. On February 25th, he scored 11 points, grabbed nine boards but had five turnovers and four fouls. It’s hard for Nene now because no matter what he does, his team will not make the playoffs. He’s been a consistent player and miraculously he has stayed healthy which is something he has not been able to do in the past.
Leandro Barbosa — Guard, Washington Wizards. 5.2 points and 1.4 assists per game. Barbosa was traded to the Wizards shortly after his season ending ACL injury because the Celtics needed another guard and got one in Jamal Crawford. Barbosa gets united with fellow country-man Nene but they will not get to play together as Barbosa is hurt and is also a free agent after the season.
Anderson Varejao — Center, Cleveland Cavaliers. 14.1 points and 14.4 rebounds per game. Varejao is out for the year recovering from a torn leg muscle surgery and a blood clot in his lung. He should be fully ready for next season.
Stats: NBA.com
Photo: sbnation.com