Bulls figure to catch big break
Chris Paul laughed and joked with teammates after Hornets practice on Tuesday, the grim silence that followed the all-star point guard's injury and his team's ensuing collapse a night earlier fading into memory.
New Orleans learned while blowing a big lead to Portland on Monday night that adjusting to life without Paul may be even harder than imagined.
The good news for the Hornets is they may not have to endure without him for much more than a few games. An MRI indicated that Paul had only a mild strain of his right groin and he is listed as day-to-day.
"I feel good," Paul said. "Maybe I can play (today against the Bulls), maybe Friday, so I'm going to just go with it and see how it feels. ... Any time something's torn or something like that, it can be a long time, but this right here, I felt like that was good news."
Based on the way they fell apart against Portland, the Hornets could be in for a serious struggle if Paul's pain lingers.
New Orleans led by 17 when Paul left with 1:30 to go in the third quarter. The Trail Blazers quickly erased the deficit, outscoring the Hornets 38-15 in the fourth quarter for a 97-89 victory.
Scott said he expects Antonio Daniels to start at point guard for the rest of the week, with Devin Brown as the primary backup.
Nelson optimistic: All-star point guard Jameer Nelson is optimistic he can play again this season for the Orlando Magic, despite a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
Nelson said he's tolerating the pain well and will decide over the next few weeks whether he will have surgery now or hold off and attempt rehabilitation.
Grievance likely: The agent for Indiana Pacers guard Jamaal Tinsley expects the NBA Players Association to file a grievance in the next week against the team.
Tinsley has not played this season and has not been allowed to practice with the team. Though he's listed on the Indiana roster, team president Larry Bird has said the Pacers don't intend to bring him back.
ESPN.com reported the grievance will be filed within the next week.
Raymond Brothers, Tinsley's agent, said his client just wants to play.
Tuesday's games
Celtics 100, Sixers 99: Ray Allen took a perfect pass from Paul Pierce and buried a baseline 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds left to give visiting Boston its 12th straight victory. Andre Iguodala had just hit a fallaway jumper for a 99-97 lead for the Sixers - who led the entire fourth quarter until the final basket.
Cavaliers 101, Raptors 83: LeBron James scored 33 and eclipsed 12,000 points for his career, and host Cleveland remained flawless on their floor by winning their 23rd straight home game. James became the fastest player in NBA history to reach the 12,000-point plateau. At 24 years, 35 days, he did it quicker than Kobe Bryant, who was 25 years, 220 days.