LA big men out
from the field and a team-best 45.2 percent (19 of 42) from thre-point range. Murphy got hit in the side during practice Friday, causing more damage to an injury he first suffered against Air Force on Dec. 29. X-rays on Monday revealed the extent of the injury.
Atlanta Hawks General Manager Danny Ferry has been fined $15,000 by the NBA for inappropriate interaction with game officials following Saturday night’s game against Boston. Atlanta led the Celtics by 19 points before losing 89-81. Ferry and the Hawks had no comment Monday. A person familiar with the incident says Ferry handed the officials a DVD recording of the game. Team officials are supposed to send such materials to the league for review. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details of the incident had not been publically released.
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love met with doctors in the Twin Cities on Monday to evaluate his right hand, which is broken for the second time this season. Love also will consult with a hand specialist in New York this week before determining a course of action, president of basketball operations David Kahn said. There is no timetable for his return, but the All-Star forward and Olympic gold medalist is expected to be sidelined for an extended period. Love missed the first three weeks of the season after breaking his hand during the preseason. He didn’t need surgery for that injury. He broke the hand again while jockeying for position under the basket against Denver last week.
The Indiana Pacers have signed Coach Frank Vogel to a contract extension. The team did not provide details Monday about the length or terms of the new deal. Vogel replaced Jim O’Brien as the Pacers coach Jan. 30, 2011, and has led them to the playoffs each of the past two seasons. Last year under Vogel, the Pacers won their first playoff series since 2005. They also led the Miami Heat 2-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals before losing the next three games. Vogel is 82-56 in his three seasons as a head coach, all in Indy. Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol and Jordan Hill awill miss the Los Angeles Lakers’ road trip with injuries, leaving the struggling club without its top three big men indefinitely. Howard has a torn labrum in his right shoulder, and Gasol has a concussion after taking an elbow in the face late in Sunday night’s loss to Denver. Hill, a key backup to both starting big men, has a right hip injury. Howard hurt his shoulder in last Friday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers and aggravated it in Sunday’s loss to the Nuggets while grabbing a career high-tying 26 rebounds. The sixtime All-Star center said he won’t need surgery, but he’ll sit out for at least a week before his injury is re-evaluated.
The 11th-ranked Florida Gators likely will be without forward Erik Murphy for Wednesday’s game against Georgia, maybe longer. Murphy, the team’s second-leading scorer, has a fractured rib that kept him out of Sunday’s victory at Yale and prevented him from practicing Monday. The 6-10 senior is averaging 12.1 points and 4.7 rebounds this season. He’s shooting 57.3 percent