NBA schedule: Nets come up short against Heat, Dwight Howard reinjures shoulder

Kobe Bryant kept up his interesting trend by dishing out nine dimes on the night, he also turned the ball over six times and only scored 17 points on 7/17 shooting. Bryant was given the ball with an opportunity to respond after Beasley’s clutch layup late in the fourth quarter, but his three point attempt was left wanting and the Lakers were forced to play out the string in a desperate chase-and-foul scheme that came up short.

5. Any team will play better they share the ball like the Celtics did on Wednesday. No one took more than 11 shots and a half-dozen players scored in double figures. The ball moved on Wednesday in a way that it hasn’t all season. Was that because Rondo wasn’t in the game or because various Celtics were compensating for his absence?

“That’s just what you’re going to see, everybody touching the ball,” Bradley said. “That’s how we play in practice. It’s hard to beat teams like that. I guess you can say it’s like a soccer team. Everybody touches the ball and that’s how we’re playing. When everybody touches the ball they all get a feel and it’s hard to stop a team when everybody’s making shots and everybody’s got confidence. That’s how it was tonight.”

With the loss, L.A. fell to just 5-16 on the road, where they’ve now lost eight straight games.

Kobe Bryant played the role of facilitator once again and scored 17 points, adding nine assists and five rebounds. But it was a play when the Black Mamba went back to his isolation comfort zone, drove the lane and missed a key runner that ultimately sealed the Lakers’ fate:

Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard has injured his troubled right shoulder yet again and has left the game vs. the Phoenix Suns.

As he went up for a shot following a rebound, Howard was hit on the arm and immediately grabbed his ailing shoulder in obvious pain. He left with just over six minutes remaining in the game.

But this poor fan has no clue. And for goodness’ sake, how many dedicated Tayshaun Prince fans are out there anyway? This was an away game for Detroit, by the way. He ventured in as a brave visiting fan to sit next to the tunnel, and his favorite player isn’t even there. And, no less, he’s cheering for the last remaining Piston from that 2004 championship team, as they take on the Pacers in what used to be a huge rivalry game.

The team trots out through the tunnel to warm up, but Prince is not among them. The fan is confused. He leans over the railing to peer into the catacombs of the arena. Perhaps Tayshaun’s just getting some more stretching in first. Maybe he’s chatting with someone. But no, he’s not there either. “What’s the deal?” the fan wonders, resigning to simply shrug with his hands. And so the fan hops on his phone and finds out the bad news.

Davis, aka “Big Baby,” started the game well, hitting a shot and dropping a few assists. But he left the game after injuring the foot on a fast break early in the first quarter. It was reported that he would miss the rest of the game with an undisclosed foot injury.

Last year’s league MVP finished with a game-high 24 points on an efficient 10-for-18 shooting from the field and added nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Miami (29-13) shot the ball well throughout the night, going 51.8percent from the field on 43-of-83 shooting.

The third quarter doomed the Nets, who shot just 5-of-12 from the field and committed eight turnovers that resulted in 12 opponents’ points. Miami pulled away with a 36-14 effort in the third and never looked back.

Now if only Rubio could just think of jump shots as jump passes through the rim.

Hat tip to Zach Harper of CBS Sports’ Eye On Basketball.

Mocking NBA players’ gestures truly is the most underutilized form of heckling.

Robinson also seemed to look at the Chicago bench and yell “I want my money!” with all of the diminutive guard’s signature enthusiasm.

In one half of basketball, Robinson has 16 points and three steals on 7-of-9 shooting.

I’m going to go with the over-ears headband, but his euro-step here is pretty terrific, especially considering he’s been out of the NBA for at least half a year now. I demand more Birdman-led fast breaks!

The Celtics should be fine without Sullinger tonight though. A 37-point second quarter has given Boston a big lead at halftime over the Kings.

The height of American patriotism comes on the Fourth of July. Loyalty and patriotism split narrowly, and it splits when people must decide whether to stand behind a person, a group of people or a whole country’s worth of them.

That day created a divide amongst Suns fans.

When the Brooklyn Nets first met the Miami Heat in December, they entered the game appearing to be one of the season’s breakout teams. What happened next isn’t easy to forget: 10 losses in 13 games, culminated by the firing of a head coach that had been awarded by the league for his efforts just weeks prior.

On Wednesday, the Nets once again lace up to face the Heat, and frankly, the situation isn’t all that different. The Nets again appear to be breaking out in the East -- they’ve won 13 of their past 17 games since replacing coach Avery Johnson with P.J. Carlesimo -- but Miami stands in the way, happy to offer up another not-so-tasty dose of reality.