Hooped Up

Idaho Stampede Small Forward Luke Jackson has been called up to the Toronto Raptors on a 10 day contract. He has averaged 14.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists for the Stampede this season, while shooting 48.6% from behind the three point line. This is the second call-up of the season for Jackson, who was signed to a 10 day contract by the Clippers on January 8th.”

DraftExpress

Maybe now folks will realize there’s more to Ohio State than Greg Oden.

The big man finally looked like a freshman, getting mired in foul trouble as the top-seeded Buckeyes fell behind by 20 points before halftime. But senior Ron Lewis and fellow freshman Mike Conley bailed out Oden and lifted Ohio State past Tennessee, 85-84 Thursday night in the semifinals of the NCAA South Regional.

ESPN

Toronto Raptors rookie Andrea Bargnani was released from hospital yesterday about 36 hours after having an emergency appendectomy. He’s recuperating at home.

There is no word on when Bargnani, 21, will resume playing or be able to start working out. He could be out anywhere from two weeks to a month.

Toronto Star

“He looked good,” Isiah Thomas said about David Lee who is recovering from a leg injury.

Thomas said Lee is now close enough to make a game-time decision on whether to play. The Knicks are home to Portland on Thursday and at Cleveland on Friday.

Thomas said Lee “worked out and did everything in practice today.”

The Journal News

Josh McRoberts’ sophomore season at Duke ended on a sour note. The star forward will not try to redeem himself next year.

McRoberts announced Thursday that he will forego his last two years of eligibility and enter June’s NBA draft.

Duke’s second-leading scorer and top rebounder, the 6-10 McRoberts emerged as one of the nation’s top big men this season, leading the Blue Devils to a 22-11 record and an 8-8 mark in the ACC.

Yahoo.com

Ray Allen’s season may be headed for an early conclusion.

Seattle’s All-Star guard sat out Wednesday night with continued pain and discomfort from bone spurs in his left ankle, and indicated before the game against Washington that season-ending surgery is becoming more of an option.

The SuperSonics said Allen is day-to-day, and Damien Wilkins started in Allen’s place.

Allen has been bothered by the ankle since early February, but missed just one game in the last two months — when he sat out against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 1 and finally revealed the injury.

ESPN

Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut and forward Charlie Villanueva will miss the rest of the season because of injuries.

Bogut missed a game for the first time in his career Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers because of a sprained left foot. The Bucks announced that neither player would return this season during the second quarter.

The second-year center was hurt against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 7. He re-injured his foot in practice on Tuesday.

“It became a point where after every game he was in pain,” Bucks general manager Larry Harris said.

ESPN

Gilbert Arenas tried to leave Seattle fans with a souvenir. And “Agent Zero” wasn’t talking about yet another game-winning shot.

Arenas crossed over Earl Watson, drove with his left hand, then switched to his right and banked in a short-runner at the buzzer, capping a 42-point performance and giving the Washington Wizards a 108-106 victory over the SuperSonics on Wednesday night.

And as he jogged off the court, Arenas dropped his jersey at the free throw line, hoping a mob of fans would rush the floor trying to snatch the blue uniform.

“Maybe it would be better to do that at home,” Arenas said.

ESPN

Tim Duncan scored 27 points, 19 in the first half, to lead San Antonio to a 90-72 victory over the slumping Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.

“I thought Timmy was very focused tonight,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He was very aggressive with the ball. He wasn’t looking for other people and worrying about getting other people involved. He just was demonstrative offensively.”

The Spurs, who have clinched a playoff spot, snapped a two-game losing streak that came after they had won a season-high 13 in a row.

ESPN