Bargnani sprained his right elbow in the first quarter of Toronto’s 118-116 road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers last Friday night and did not return.

The Raptors said the injury is not related to the ligament problem in his elbow that sidelined him for more than 25 games earlier this season.

The top pick in the 2006 draft, Bargnani is averaging 12.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 35 games this season, a major drop off from his production over the past few years.

Bargnani, 27, had appeared in 14 of 15 games, including four straight starts, before suffering the injury on Friday.

Bargnani’s name has even come up in trade rumors since the Raptors are struggling this season, but he has two years and about $22 million left on his contract.

The post Andrea Bargnani done for season appeared first on IdealCapper.

Jeremy Lin sank five 3-pointers, a career high, and Chandler Parsons and James Harden hit four apiece as the Rockets reached a season-high point total. They also tied an NBA record with 14 3-pointers in the first half and dished out a season-high 35 assists on 46 field goals overall.

Lin scored 28 points, Harden added 18 and Parsons scored 16 for Houston. The Rockets put on the shooting display without their best 3-point shooter — Carlos Delfino sat out with a right elbow injury.

Jarrett Jack scored 20 points and David Lee had 18 for the Warriors. Houston tied the single-game record for 3s set by Orlando in a 139-107 win over Sacramento on Jan. 13, 2009.

The Rockets were 18 of 27 from 3-point range through three quarters, and they also bottled up Golden State’s leading scorer, limiting Stephen Curry to seven points on 3-for-12 shooting.

Houston finally hit a dry spell early in the fourth, missing its first three 3-point attempts. Marcus Morris then hit one from the wing, and Parsons flashed him a smile as the two trotted back down the court.

With the outcome decided, Rockets coach Kevin McHale pulled his starters with about six minutes left, leaving the pursuit of the NBA record to the reserves. Newcomer Patrick Beverley sank one from the corner for No. 22 and seldom-used Donatas Motiejunas swished another to tie Orlando’s mark.

The fans figured out quickly they were on the verge of witnessing history, beginning to chant “One more 3!” with less than two minutes left. Beverley drove for a one-handed dunk with 1:04 remaining, prompting a mix of cheers and groans.

Beverley took a hard foul from Draymond Green on a 3-point try with 34 seconds left. Beverley and Green snapped at one another, prompting a heated argument between several players. Green and Morris were ejected.

The Rockets had one more possession to grab the record outright, but Golden State wasn’t going to allow it, intentionally fouling the Rockets at the end.

Morris sank three 3-pointers for Houston, which had never made more than 17 in a game.

The Rockets went 7 for 10 from 3-point range in the first quarter, but only 13 for 25 from the field overall. Lin and James Anderson sank 3s early in the second quarter to keep Houston in front. The Warriors made 20 of their first 32 shots and still couldn’t keep pace.

Houston tied an NBA record with 14 3s on only 18 attempts in the first half. Milwaukee had 14 3s in a half against Phoenix in March 2006 and New York matched that total twice last season — against Portland on March 14 and against Boston on April 17.

Curry, though, had the most spectacular shot before the break, just beating the buzzer with a half-court shot to cut Houston’s lead to 77-62.

But Golden State’s perimeter defense was no better in the third quarter, and 3-pointers by Parsons and Lin stretched the gap past 20. Harrison Barnes ran out to guard Lin on his next 3-point attempt, and Lin blew by him for a layup and an 87-64 Houston lead.

Toney Douglas swished a 3 from the corner with 1:38 left in the third quarter for No. 18, and Houston cruised over 100 points. The Warriors shot 54 percent (36 of 67) through three quarters and still couldn’t mount a rally.

Game notes

The Warriors have lost 15 of their last 17 games against the Rockets, and nine in a row in Houston. … Golden State dropped to 8-1 this season when scoring at least 30 points in the first quarter. … Houston sank at least 10 3-pointers for the 27th game. … The Rockets set season highs for first-quarter and first-half points.

The post Rockets tie NBA record, sink 23 3-pointers in win vs. Warriors appeared first on IdealCapper.

Toronto At Miami
When: 7:30 PM ET, Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN2 (Toronto), Sun Sports (Miami)
Prediction: Heat 108, Raptors 96.

Oddsmakers currently have the Heat listed as 11½-point favorites versus the Raptors, while the game’s total is sitting at 197.

Toronto is finally getting some production from Landry Fields. The veteran small forward, signed to a lucrative multi-year deal as a free agent in the offseason, struggled to open the season before suffering a major elbow injury that knocked him out of action for a month and a half. He was inserted back into the starting lineup seven games ago and has been a solid contributor, averaging 7.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals. He had his best performance in a Toronto uniform against Los Angeles, scoring 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting while adding 10 rebounds and four steals.

Toronto won its last outing, a 108-103 result against the Lakers on January 20. The Raptors covered in that game as a 4.5-point underdog, while the 211 combined points took the game OVER the total.

Team record: 15-26 SU, 21-19-1 ATS
The total has gone OVER in 5 of last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of last 5 games when playing Miami
is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Miami
When playing on Wednesday are 5-5
Before playing Orlando are 4-6
After playing LA Lakers are 2-8
After a win are 7-3

Being the defending NBA champions has undoubtedly taken its toll on the Heat, making their five-day layoff akin to having an early All-Star break. For players like Dwyane Wade and LeBron James – perennial participants in the midseason showcase – the extra days of rest in January are even more critical. “It was good for our team,” Wade, who will take part in his ninth All-Star Game next month, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “We kind of get a rest. We are one of the oldest teams in the league. Guys mentally and physically kind of get away from the grind and get back into it.”

Miami won its last outing, a 99-90 result against the Lakers on January 17. The Heat covered in that game as a 2.5-point underdog, while the 189 combined points took the game UNDER the total.

Team record: 26-12 SU, 19-19 ATS
Current streak: won 2 straight games.

is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto
is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of last 9 games at home
is 20-3 SU in its last 23 games at home

When playing on Wednesday are 8-2
Before playing Detroit are 8-2
After playing LA Lakers are 9-1
After a win are 6-4

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