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“For the month, Diogu averaged 21.4 points, shooting 59 per cent from the field, to go with 12.3 rebounds and 10 blocks.” Ike Diogu, a member of the D’Tigers, the Nigerian male basketball team, has won the National Basketball Association, NBA, Development League Player of the month of March award. This is contained in a statement issued by the Media Officer of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF, Patrick Omorodion, in Abuja on Thursday.

The Indiana Pacers continued their perfect start to the NBA season on Wednesday as the Boston Celtics claimed their first win. Paul George (21 points) helped the Pacers improve to a 5-0 win-loss record as they proved too good for the Chicago Bulls 97-80 at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Derrick Rose and Luol Deng scored 17 points each but the Bulls slipped to a 1-3 record after scoring just 37 second-half points. George got plenty of support from his Pacers team-mates as Indiana began a season 5-0 for the first time since winning the 1971-72 ABA championship. David West (17 points and 13 rebounds) impressed and Lance Stephenson added 15 points for the Pacers. Brad Stevens earned his first win as an NBA coach as his Celtics left the Utah Jazz winless with a 97-87 victory at TD Garden. Brandon Bass scored a team-high 20 points for the Celtics, who held off a fast-finishing Jazz, as Utah outscored the hosts 25-13 in the fourth quarter. Gordon Hayward managed a game-high 28 points for...

NBA champions the Miami Heat were well beaten by the Brooklyn Nets in their final pre-season tune-up on Friday. Stars LeBron James and Chris Bosh were rested by coach Erik Spoelstra and the absence of their class showed, as the Nets chalked up a 108-87 triumph at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. Alan Anderson top scored for the Nets with 17 points, with the Brooklyn side going on a 49-18 run to split a 40-all scoreline midway through the second quarter. Paul Pierce added 16 for the Nets, while Udonis Haslem was the Heat's best with 16 as Dwyane Wade (eight) struggled. The Los Angeles Lakers finalised their preparations for the season proper with a 111-106 victory over the Utah Jazz - with Steve Blake shooting 13 final-quarter points to send the Californians into the campaign with some confidence. The Chicago Bulls blitzed the Denver Nuggets in the third quarter to storm to a 94-89 victory. The Bulls went 36-18 after half time, turning a 48-29 deficit into a lead that the...

Greg Oden made his debut for the Miami Heat in their win over the New Orleans Pelicans as Derrick Rose starred again in the NBA pre-season. Oden only spent four minutes on court as the Heat finished fast to beat the Pelicans 108-95 at the New Orleans Arena on Wednesday. Attempting to return from knee injuries that have troubled him since 2007, Oden last played an NBA game in December 2009, when he was with the Portland Trail Blazers. LeBron James needed just 29 minutes to shoot 27 points and Dwyane Wade contributed 25 in the Heat's win. Defending NBA champions Miami set up their win with a 31-13 fourth quarter. The Chicago Bulls remain the only unbeaten team in the pre-season, extending their winning run to seven with a 104-95 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Rose started slowly but finished with 26 points, while Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer both scored 20 points. The Boston Celtics edged past the Brooklyn Nets 101-97 and the Minnesota Timberwolves easily beat the Phil...

Chicago have held off the Detroit Pistons to win 96-81 in NBA pre-season with Derrick Rose making his home return for the Bulls. In his first match at Chicago's United Center in almost 18 months, Rose top-scored for the Bulls with 22 points, while Tony Snell added 12 from the bench. Chicago kept Detroit to less than 20 points in each of the opening three quarters and although the Pistons outscored the home side 28-20 in the final term, the Bulls held on for a 15-point victory. Taj Gibson and Marquis Teague (both 11 points), plus Carlos Boozer (10) added handy points for the Bulls, while Detroit's top-scorer was Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with 18. In Texas, the Houston Rockets overcame the Orlando Magic 108-104 in a high-scoring encounter at the Toyota Center. Houston's shooting guard James Harden led the way for the home side with 21 points and five rebounds, while he was ably assisted by Patrick Beverley (13 points, nine rebounds). For Orlando, E'Twaun Moore top-sc...

Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant will not play during the franchise's pre-season venture in China, due to knee and Achilles problems. Bryant said he would 'probably' be playing if the Lakers were in the NBA playoffs but given the less serious nature of their regular season warm-up fixtures in Asia, he would continue to rest up. The 34-year-old has battled Achilles problems since rupturing a tendon in April and was not on the court for Monday practice prior to their Tuesday match against the Golden State Warriors. Bryant remains in doubt for the regular season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers on October 29, but regardless, he is enjoying their time in China. "It's always really fun to come here, it's something that's really special because I get the chance to comeback twice so I'm enjoying it," Bryant said. "I really enjoyed going (to the Great Wall of China), it's always an honour to go there and witness such a monum...

Chris Bosh has continued his fine pre-season form with 28 points in the Miami Heat's 112-107 victory over the Detroit Pistons. The Miami power forward led his team to their second pre-season win in as many games as the likes of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade again produced quiet performances for the defending NBA champions. Bosh had also inspired the Heat to victory on Monday in their 92-87 triumph over the Atlanta Hawks. The Heat led at every change on Thursday to triumph by five points away to the Pistons with small forward James Jones providing a handy 12 points for Miami - the only other visiting player to reach double figures. For the hosts, point guard Will Bynum top-scored with 28 points and had six assists but his performance was sullied by seven turnovers, while Andre Drummond (21 points, 11 rebounds) was another good contributor for the Pistons. In other NBA pre-season results on Thursday, the Houston Rockets cruised to a 116-96 win over the Indiana Pacers, the Minneso...