WATCH MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES VS PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS LIVE STREAM NBA BASKETBALL GAME MARCH 03, 2012

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There very well may be similarities between the two players, as Dwyane Wade suggested earlier this season when someone asked him about rookie Ricky Rubio and Wade responded by using the phrase "Nash-like."

As in Steve Nash.

It was a little hard to see during the Timberwolves' loss at Phoenix, where the two-time league MVP at age 38 delivered a 13-point, 17-assist performance while the much-awaited rookie's two assists were his second fewest this season.

But if you take away their vastly different shooting abilities, there are similarities.

"I think there's something to it, but Ricky has to learn the way Steve plays," Wolves coach Rick Adelman said. "I mentioned it with Chris Paul the other night, too. He has to learn to set his guy up a little bit better. Steve does that so well. He'll get into the paint or he'll get to the baseline and the play's not over. Ricky kind of goes for the first thing. He has to learn to control the ball a little bit longer. This is a great guy to learn from. He's a master at it."

Rubio met one of the point guards he admires most on a court for the first time Thursday in Phoenix after the two chatted briefly at All-Star festivities in Orlando last weekend.

"There are a lot of similarities. The biggest difference is Steve is one of the greatest shooters to play the game," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "One thing about Rubio: He's got an unbelievable feel for the game. He's been a pro since he was about 9. He's played against these really pro athletes -- guys that were bigger, stronger, better -- so I don't think he was intimidated in the least because he has played against a lot of great players."

Intimidated? Maybe not. Outplayed on Thursday? For sure.

"He's one of the best ever," Rubio said. "It's hard to play against him. He controls everything. He knows how to play and he's always looking for the best option."

WATCH MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES VS PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS LIVE STREAM NBA BASKETBALL GAME MARCH 03, 2012

WATCH UTAH JAZZ VS DALLAS MAVERICKS LIVE STREAMING NBA BASKETBALL GAME MARCH 03, 2012

WATCH UTAH JAZZ VS DALLAS MAVERICKS LIVE STREAMING NBA BASKETBALL GAME MARCH 03, 2012







The Jazz's 99-98 win over the Heat on Friday night boiled down to being a tale of two surprising passes.

Jazz center Al Jefferson, not known for passing out of double teams, made the first one with less than 10 seconds remaining when he dished the basketball to Devin Harris when the Miami defense collapsed on him.

Harris made it worth his while by sinking in a 12-foot floater and game-winning free throw with 4.5 seconds remaining.

"If (Jefferson) could get a one-on-one situation there was a good chance for us to make the basket," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. "He did a great job of kicking it to Devin and Devin did a really good job of seeing the gap, attacking the seam and made a great floater."

Although most watching probably thought Jefferson would force up a shot, as he often does, good luck finding anybody who will second guess his decision.

LeBron James, however, will definitely receive heat for his generosity.

James made the other stunning pass, turning down the opportunity to drive or take a long jumper at the buzzer and instead sending the ball Udonis Haslem's direction for the game-winning attempt.

To a man in the locker room, though, the Jazz believe James did the correct thing - and they didn't just say that because Haslem badly missed his attempt from 18 feet out.

"You know what, it was the right basketball play to make," Corbin said. "Haslem had a good look and fortunately for us, he missed the shot."

"It didn't matter who took it. I'm just glad they missed it," Jefferson added. "I have seen (Haslem) hit that shot before. I think we did a good job on LeBron on that play and he had the right shot and thank God he missed it."

WATCH UTAH JAZZ VS DALLAS MAVERICKS LIVE STREAMING NBA BASKETBALL GAME MARCH 03, 2012

WATCH DETROIT PISTONS VS MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES LIVE ONLINE NBA BASKETBALL GAME MARCH 03, 2012

WATCH DETROIT PISTONS VS MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES LIVE ONLINE NBA BASKETBALL GAME MARCH 03, 2012







The trade deadline is two weeks away but there's not much buzz surrounding the Pistons.

Their two biggest assets -- second-year center Greg Monroe and rookie point guard Brandon Knight -- are the main pieces of their rebuilding process and virtually untouchable. Everyone else on the roster is available, but the Pistons are only interested in deals that would deliver young talent and/or draft picks without adversely affecting their long-term salary cap space.

One thing is for certain: G Rodney Stuckey isn't going anywhere. Not because he's untouchable, but because he's ineligible to be traded. He re-signed with the club late in training camp and the NBA rule prohibiting teams from trading recently signed free agents would still be in effect through the March 15 deadline.

Stuckey missed most of camp while president of basketball operations Joe Dumars and Stuckey's representatives negotiated a three-year contract.

Beyond that, the Pistons have more liabilities than assets on a team that's 12-25, even after thumping Charlotte 109-94 Wednesday. Giving Tayshaun Prince, who turned 32 Tuesday, a four-year contract to stay in Detroit increasingly looks like a bad move. His scoring average (12.2) is the lowest in eight years, while his field-goal percentage (40.6) and three-point percentage (32.0) are career lows. It's hard to see a contender willing to pick up the three remaining years of his contract.

Ben Gordon has not been the impact player or go-to scorer the Pistons were expecting and he's got $25.6 million remaining on his contract after this season. Charlie Villanueva has been injured most of the season and is owed $16.5 million during the next two seasons. It would be a major coup for Dumars to trade either one without getting saddled with a bad contract in return.

The rest of the Pistons roster is filled with role players and aging veterans. Add all those factors together and the Pistons are unlikely to make a trade. They haven't made a deadline move since sending little-used guard Alex Acker to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2009.

Their last deadline deal of any significance was a four-player trade in 2006 which sent colossal disappointment Darko Milicic to Orlando. That netted a first-round pick that they eventually used to draft Stuckey. Despite the lack of rumors, it's still an uneasy time for some players.

"You see it on every team," said Coach Lawrence Frank, whose team plays at Memphis on Saturday. "That's the thing. Everyone has the same problems. It comes down to whose causing the problems and how they're being handled. You saw it last year with all the rumors and the guys who were impacted. It's human nature, so you might as well be honest about it."

WATCH DETROIT PISTONS VS MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES LIVE ONLINE NBA BASKETBALL GAME MARCH 03, 2012

WATCH ST. LOUIS BLUES VS SAN JOSE SHARKS LIVE ONLINE NHL HOCKEY GAME MARCH 03, 2012

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WATCH ST. LOUIS BLUES VS SAN JOSE SHARKS LIVE ONLINE NHL HOCKEY GAME MARCH 03, 2012

The Blues had a chance to ascend to No. 1 in the NHL standings Thursday, but more breakdowns against quality teams negated that opportunity.

The team had been playing terrific hockey, putting a four-game road-winning streak on the line against Vancouver at Rogers Arena. But a couple of failed clearing attempts by the Blues set up the Canucks' third-period ice-breaker and they added an empty-netter in a 2-0 victory.

"We expect to compete with all the teams in the league, and we've got work to do," Blues captain David Backes said.

The club has 40 victories, but 10 of its last 11 losses have included defeats to Detroit (three), Nashville (two), Vancouver (two), Boston, Chicago and Pittsburgh.

"We play with the puck on our stick," right winger T.J. Oshie said. "When we get away from that, that's when other teams take over. That's when Boston took over. That's when Detroit always takes over. So, we've just got to stick with it."

In those nine games, the Blues have been outscored 20-5 after the first period, including overtime.

"Just breakdowns most of the time in the second period . . . just 5-10 minutes where we don't play our best," Backes said. "When you do that against top teams, they find a way to win. We need the consistency throughout the game, and if one shift doesn't go your way, stopping the bleeding after one shift instead of continuing it on for four or five minutes."

The Blues will face San Jose on Saturday, followed Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Nashville and Detroit in their final 17 regular-season games.

"We've got to beat good teams if we want to have success down the stretch and in the playoffs and be one of the top seeds in the West," Blues defenseman Barret Jackman said.

WATCH ANAHEIM DUCKS VS LOS ANGELES KINGS LIVE STREAM NHL HOCKEY GAME MARCH 03, 2012

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WATCH ANAHEIM DUCKS VS LOS ANGELES KINGS LIVE STREAM NHL HOCKEY GAME MARCH 03, 2012

This is a weekend where the Ducks will either make their last stand or possibly be read their last rites.

Barely hanging on in the Western Conference playoff picture, the Ducks had to win games against Calgary and Los Angeles -- two teams above them in the elusive chase for the postseason -- on consecutive nights to keep their faint hope alive.

The first part was taken care of Friday night as Ryan Getzlaf's goal with 46 seconds left got them a dramatic 3-2 victory over Calgary. It allowed them to finally escape 13th place as they moved past Minnesota because of a tiebreaker in their favor.

But the math still adds up against the Ducks as they remained seven points out of a playoff spot. Now there's another can't-afford-to-lose game that looms Saturday night against the Kings up the freeway.

"It was an emotional one," Getzlaf said. "It's a big win for our group. We've got half the battle done this weekend. We've got to enjoy it right now and get ready for the next one."

Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau had looked at this as their "moving week," where they could finally leap past a team or two. Five games in seven days started auspiciously with a rousing home victory over Chicago.

But then there was little left in the tank a night later in a loss to Colorado and then they were shut out on Wednesday at home against Buffalo, giving them consecutive regulation losses for the first time since dropping three in a row from Dec. 29-Jan. 4.

Selanne scoffed at a question of whether the Ducks might be running out of gas after their big push following a disastrous first half.

"It's not supposed to be easy," he said. "If we can't (win) these games, we don't deserve it. It's very simple. Obviously, we have to play our lights out.

"That's the thing we have done before. And I'm expecting this group to do it again. Just keep fighting."

WATCH BUFFALO SABRES VS VANCOUVER CANUCKS LIVE ONLINE STREAMING NHL HOCKEY GAME MARCH 03, 2012

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WATCH BUFFALO SABRES VS VANCOUVER CANUCKS LIVE ONLINE STREAMING NHL HOCKEY GAME MARCH 03, 2012

A day after setting a franchise record for most saves (43) in a regulation shutout Wednesday against Anaheim, Ryan Miller was at it again on Thursday down the road in San Jose. Miller made 39 saves to post his second consecutive blanking -- and fifth of the season -- in Buffalo's 1-0 win over the Sharks.

Making his 18th straight appearance, Miller was simply spectacular in helping the Sabres improve to 10-3-3 over their last 16 games. He was particularly sharp in the final 20 minutes when the Sharks were buzzing around the Sabres zone like they were on the power play the entire period. The Sharks outshot Buffalo by a 17-5 margin in that final frame, but Miller was able to withstand the barrage.

"They really turned it up a notch in the third and we kinda had to hunker down there," said Drew Stafford, who scored the game's lone goal late in the first period. "(Miller) stood on his head, and gave us a great chance to win."

Miller improved to 5-0-1 over his last six games with a .965 save percentage and a 1.34 goals-against average, and has single-handedly kept the Sabres in the postseason hunt.

"He's unreal," said newly acquired center Cody Hodgson, who skated for a career-high 18:11.

The surging Sabres kept alive their playoff hopes by garnering the two points, and are now four back of eighth-place Winnipeg. Buffalo will close its four-game road trip with a pivotal game Monday against the Jets, but will face Vancouver prior to that on Saturday.

WATCH PITTSBURGH PENGUINS VS COLORADO AVALANCHE LIVE STREAMING NHL HOCKEY GAME MARCH 03, 2012

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WATCH PITTSBURGH PENGUINS VS COLORADO AVALANCHE LIVE STREAMING NHL HOCKEY GAME MARCH 03, 2012

The Penguins earned a big 4-3 shootout win in Dallas on Wednesday, but they may have suffered a bigger loss.

Defenseman Kris Letang exited the game midway through the first period after taking a hit to the head from Dallas left wing Eric Nystrom. Letang, who missed two months earlier this season with a concussion, remained on the ice for more than a minute following the collision.

The Penguins were not immediately critical of the hit, instead saying they would prefer to view more replays. Nystrom did not extend his elbow toward Letang's head, but clearly made contact by using his arm and shoulder to hit Letang in the head.

Letang looked uncomfortable while skating off the ice. The team announced following the first period that he would not return. The announcement came as no surprise.

Letang was hit in the head by Montreal's Max Pacioretty on Nov. 26. He was cleared by Montreal team doctors to return to the contest, and did so in dramatic fashion, beating the Canadiens in overtime.

However, Letang learned almost a week later that he had sustained a concussion.

The Penguins said after the game that Letang is "day-to-day," and are not aware whether or not he sustained a concussion. He stood outside of the locker room, sending text messages, while wearing a suit and tie. He did not speak with reporters.

Without Letang, the Penguins power play was badly out of sorts.

The Penguins return to action on Saturday in Denver against the Avalanche.