Easy on a Sunday morning

My plan was to ease into a comfy chair with my laptop at the end of my fingertips and catch up on all that had gone on in the few hours I took to sleep Saturday night.

After all, there wasn't much left to decipher.

I knew the Lakers had fallen victim to the green jerseys in Utah.

I knew the Celtics had handled their business in Chicago, throwing yet another log onto the Vinny Del Negro fire.

And I knew Carmelo had torched the Suns in the second half to help the Nuggets rally from a huge deficit to win at the Pepsi Center.

But beyond that ... well, you can always turn to the Daily Zap to get up to speed.

Now, a quick look back, a little spin ahead and some new and views from around the league:

Questions linger about Oden

Greg Oden's done for the season. But the Oregonian's John Canzano still can't make sense of the peculiar facts surrounding the big fella's latest injury: "Something is wrong. Is Oden's body flawed? Did the Blazers push too hard, too soon after his prior injuries to get him back on the court? Was there a pre-existing condition? Is Oden's 7-foot frame just not made for basketball? Is he too strong or too weak? Or just unlucky? And is there anything that can be done in the wake of his latest injury to keep this from happening again? Discuss in your household. But first, understand that before Oden's rookie season he went in for an exploratory procedure on his right knee but ended up having micro fracture surgery. This came after an injury Oden said he first noticed getting up off the couch one day. Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard said the team did an MRI on Oden's knees pre-draft and they were "absolutely pristine" at the time."

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Dirk does it again

The Mavericks star bounced back from some early struggles to deliver a win over the Bobcats, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News: "Dirk Nowitzki, struggling all night against [Stephen] Jackson and Boris Diaw, forced overtime with a jumper, then, with 1.7 ticks showing, hit a 14-foot fadeaway for the game-winner in a 98-97 thriller.

It's the 11th consecutive win over the Bobcats for the Mavericks. Dallas remains the only team the Bobcats have never beaten. In overtime, the Mavericks went back and forth with the Bobcats, who nosed ahead 97-96 with 13.9 seconds left on two free throws by Gerald Wallace. The Mavericks did not call timeout and got the ball to Nowitzki, who hit the fadeaway. Nowitzki was befuddled, as usual, against Jackson, the physical forward who used to do this with the Golden State Warriors. He's always been one of Nowitzki's toughest matchups. This night was no different as Nowitzki needed 34 shots to get 36 points. But the Mavericks got big performances from Erick Dampier and Shawn Marion to force overtime. Then Dirk took over."

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Pistons can thank Mrs. Hamilton for Rip's return

Rip Hamilton wasn't sure about playing against the Warriors. Then his wife stepped in and made the call, Chris Lott of Mlive.com: "Hamilton planned to sit the game out, but a conversation with his wife helped change his mind. "At the (morning) shootaround I told (Kuester) I wouldn't be able to go because it wasn't feeling right," Hamilton said. "I went home and talked to my wife, and the one thing she told me was pretty much, 'Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Go out there and play. Go out there and give it a try. You never know how you're going to feel till you go out there and try to play.'"

Hamilton started after sitting out 21 consecutive games with an ankle injury. He scored his first points on a turnaround baseline jumper with 6:47 left in the first quarter. That basket put Hamilton over the 10,000-point mark as a member of the Pistons. But Hamilton saved his most important points for the fourth quarter. Hamilton buried a 3-pointer from the corner and made a short jumper on consecutive trips down the floor to up the lead to 90-83, and the Pistons led by at least five points the rest of the way. Hamilton's teammates were thrilled to have him back in the lineup. "Oh, man, it's amazing," forward Charlie Villanueva said. "We know what he's capable of doing, and he played a tremendous game even though it was his first game back."

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Dunleavy's back, too

The Pacers won their second straight game on a foul shot from oft-injured swingman Mike Dunleavy. He was perfect on the night from the line, Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star: "Wizards coach Flip Saunders tried to ice Dunleavy by calling a timeout after he made the first free throw. Didn't work. Dunleavy, who was 10-of-10 from the line, calmly made the second one. Saunders called another timeout to advance the ball to halfcourt. Wizards forward Caron Butler, who had Roy Hibbert defending the inbounds pass, threw the ball to Javale McGee, who didn't get the shot off in time.

The victory helped the Pacers avoid an embarrassing loss after blowing a 17-point lead.

"It was one for the ages," Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said. "That was a great win for us, to be able to scratch it out." Dunleavy, who was playing just his eighth game of the season, finished with 24 points, five assists and three steals. He went three minutes past his 24-minute limit, but O'Brien said there was "no way" he was taking him out the game."

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LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant?

You might think it's too soon to start comparing the two young stars. Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman does not agree: "At first glance, it's easy to think LeBron James and Kevin Durant aren't in the same league. Simply suggesting the two players are seemed silly this summer when the connection first gained steam. Durant's Thunder was coming off a shameful 23-win season. James' Cavs, meanwhile, were fresh off yet another deep playoff run. But the comparison now seems credible as the two meet for the first time this season tonight inside the Ford Center. Durant, in his third season, is blossoming into the star many projected him to become and has his Thunder off to a surprising 12-9 start. Durant also ranks fourth in the league in scoring, sitting .1 point ahead of James.

For Durant, the growing comparisons to one of the game's best players only continue his coronation as the league's next superstar. It's a time-honored tradition in the NBA, where the best of the best are paired up and picked apart. James once was compared to Kobe Bryant and Bryant once stacked up against Michael Jordan. "I don't think it's out of the question to compare the two guys because Kevin Durant is a star player in only his third year in the league," said ESPN NBA analyst Tim Legler. "I think you can make the comparison from the standpoint of their impact on their teams and on the league. I'd say it's a valid comparison. Kevin Durant, to me, is a guy that will eventually be an MVP in this league."

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Pau needs more

The Lakers' All-Star wants more touches and quite frankly needs more, Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times: "Losses don't happen often to the Lakers, but there's often something interesting to come out of them. After their 102-94 defeat Saturday against the Utah Jazz, forward Pau Gasol wanted more touches. He made a plea for more action in the post after being asked how it felt to collect 20 rebounds for a second consecutive game. "I'm just being active, pursuing the ball," he said. "I don't get many looks offensively, so I've got to get my offensive rebounds. Otherwise, I'll get five shots during the game. I'm trying to get my looks there, and I work hard and stay active and do what I can." Good thing for him that he's rebounding a lot.

Gasol's back-to-back rebounding efforts made him only the third Lakers player in the last 14 years to take 20-plus rebounds in consecutive games, joining Lamar Odom and Vlade Divac. Gasol made six of 11 shots in almost 43 minutes. He had nine offensive rebounds. So are teammates not looking for him or is he being thwarted by double-teams? "A little bit of everything, I guess," he said. "I'm not inside a whole lot and teams are aware of our size advantage, and they come and double and they force us to make that extra pass. Guys have to knock it down from the outside so it opens up for us too."

***

K-Mart; Nuggets' M.I.P.

Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups are All-Stars. But Martin, the veteran power forward, is the team's most indispensable player, Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post: "Suddenly, Kenyon Martin's presence on the court is moving from valuable to indispensable. The Nuggets have been lost without the defensive-minded forward, going 0-3 this season in games where Martin has missed the entire contest. That number stretches to 0-4 when the Nuggets' game at Miami is factored in, a contest that Martin left with a leg bruise after playing just 12 minutes.

Martin missed each of the Nuggets last two games -- losses at Charlotte and Detroit -- with a dislocated pinkie finger. It's not sitting well with Nuggets coach, George Karl, but he isn't too concerned. "I think we have to learn how to win without Kenyon," Karl said. "But the games were not out-of-balance. They were both fourth quarter games and one-point games or tie games with a couple of minutes left and we didn't finish off the games." Martin played in the win over the Suns, finishing with 12 points and nine rebounds."

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Time to talk extension

Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe says Paul Pierce deserves a contract extension for all he's done for the Celtics: "If he chooses, Paul Pierce could be one of those premium free agents available in the Class of 2010. The exceptional scorer and senior Celtic has an opt-out clause in his contract that could make him an unrestricted free agent this summer. Pierce is set to earn $21.5 million in the 2010-11 season and that is considerable money to walk away from, especially from a franchise that Pierce has become synonymous with.

It would be nightmarish to imagine Pierce playing his final years in another uniform, so much so that even he cringes at the thought.

"It probably wouldn't even look right, me in another uniform at this point," Pierce said yesterday morning at the United Center before the Celtics' 106-80 win over the Chicago Bulls. "It's probably like seeing Kobe [Bryant] in another uniform or Tim Duncan in another uniform. It probably wouldn't look right." No worries Celtics fans, Pierce is not relishing the possibility of free agency. He is rarely asked about the rather obscure opt-out clause, but it might be time for the organization to respond and give Pierce the career security he desires and ensures that he finishes a Celtic."

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Sac-town love for Westphal

Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee has high praise for the in-game coaching moves of Kings coach Paul Westphal: "Some of the best coaching decisions are just a hunch. With 9:08 left in the third quarter, the Minnesota Timberwolves were making a run at the Kings, having cut an 11-point deficit in the second quarter to two. Kings coach Paul Westphal stood up and looked ready to call a timeout. Instead he decided to save his timeout. "I was thinking hard," Westphal said. "I got up and I was bringing my hands together, and I just said, 'Well, I think it's time for us to figure it out.'" Westphal's decision made him look rather smart. The Kings went on a 29-11 run to close the quarter and cruise to a 120-100 win Saturday night at Arco Arena. "I can't really say it was brilliant," Westphal said. "It was just like I thought about it and said, 'Naw,' and it happened to work out."

-- Posted Dec. 13, 2009, 11:33 a.m. E-Mail Sekou

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