Page 26 - Florida Sentinel 12-25-15 Edition

Sports
Lamar Odom Takes First Steps Without Walker
Milwaukee Bucks Coach, Jason Kidd Has Hip Surgery
Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd will be sidelined indefinitely after having hip surgery on Mon- day.
Kidd, 42, was recently ad- vised by a doctor to have the hip surgery after dealing with chronic pain and sleepless nights. The 19-year NBA vet- eran played in 1,391 games, which played a big role in his hip issues. He coached during the Bucks' 101-95 win over the host Phoenix Suns on Sunday.
Bucks assistant coach Joe Prunty will assume head- coaching responsibilities while Kidd is out.
"I tried to put off surgery for as long as I could," Kidd said
Jason Kidd played in the NBA for 19 years which led to his hip issues.
in a statement. "But after con- sulting with my doctor, he ad- vised the best course of action was to have the procedure now."
NBA’s Christmas Day Showcase
Lamar Odom made a huge stride in his recovery last week ... taking steps for the first time without assistance.
Sources close to Lamar say he hadn't been able to move without a walker. Thursday Lamar ditched the walker and took three steps, shocking the doctors.
Lamar has had limited range of motion in his hands, but during a recent visit from Khloe he was able to reach above his head to put his hood on ... a BIG step.
And that's not all ... his brain function is slowly im- proving. He was able to recog- nize a hospital staff member, which is significant consider-
Klay Thompson needed a moment when asked to name the best shooting guard in the NBA.
After considering contenders such as Chicago's Jimmy But- ler and Houston's James Harden, Thompson was ready to make his pick.
"I'm going to go with myself," Thompson said Saturday.
An All-Star and All-NBA Third Team honoree last sea- son, Thompson is averaging 19.3 points per game on a ca- reer-best 47.3 percent shooting from the field and 43.7 percent from 3 this season. He has been the Golden State Warriors' leading scorer in each of their two games since their first loss of the season, including a 43- point outburst against the Phoenix Suns on last Thursday.
Derrick Rose says pictures of his accuser wearing a "sex belt" can help prove he's not a rapist -- claiming his accuser BRAGGED about using it dur- ing sex with the NBA star .
The Chicago Bulls star is being sued for more than $20 million by a woman who claims Rose and his friends gang raped her during an incident back in 2013.
Now, a woman who says she was the accuser's ex-roommate and co-worker is coming for- ward to defend Rose -- claim- ing she was with the accuser the day after the incident and all the woman wanted to talk about is the "sex belt" she had planned to use with Rose.
In legal docs filed by Rose's attorney, the ex-roommate says the accuser showed her a pic- ture that she had sent to Rose wearing the sex belt ... a belt the accuser claimed Rose had asked her to buy.
A few days later, the ex-room- mate says the accuser was com-
STEPHEN CURRY And LEBRON JAMES
Klay Thompson Tabs Himself As League's Best Shooting Guard
Lamar Odom is recover- ing slowly after overdose a few months ago.
ing at one point he couldn't even recognize family.
Lamar will soon be moved to a rehab facility.
The NBA's schedule for Christmas Day is stacked as usual.
The NBA always rolls out its biggest names and brightest stars on Christmas Day and this year will be no different.
One of the big games will be a rematch of the 2015 NBA Finals, with LeBron James' Cleve- land Cavaliers meeting Stephen Curry and the de- fending champion Golden State Warriors. Another will see Der- rick Rose and the Chicago Bulls take on the star-laden Oklahoma City Thunder.
Here's this season's NBA's Christmas Day showcase, which will be broadcast on ESPN and ABC.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Miami Heat @ 12 p. m. ET, ESPN.
Chicago Bulls vs. Okla- homa City Thunder @ 2:30 p.m., ABC.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors
@ 5 p.m. ET, ABC.
San Antonio Spurs vs. Houston Rockets @ 8 p.m., ESPN.
Old Rival Fuels Kyrie Irving’a Return To Cavs Lineup
CLEVELAND -- Playing for the first time in 200 days,Cleveland Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving was feeling nervous and rusty Sunday until an old rival fired him up.
Irving, who had been out since June as he recovered from a fractured left knee cap, missed his first five shots and was ineffective until Philadel- phia 76ers guard Kendall Marshall challenged him in the third quarter of Cleve- land's 108-86 win.
Marshall called for an iso- lation against Irving and tried to back his old rival down.
Marshall missed a turn- around jumper, and Irving got the ball and raced to the other end, whipping past Marshall with a Euro-step move.
Irving would score seven straight points and pick up a steal and an assist over the next several minutes, a burst
Kyrie Irving has missed 200 days of basketball due to a fractured kneecap.
that helped the Cavs finish off the Sixers.
"That kind of got me going," Irving said. "He tried to iso me on the right wing. That was pretty funny. That was going back to our high school days. I've known Kendall for a while now. Him trying to go at me, it was more or less a test."
Klay Thompson has im- proved his scoring to 27 points per game in December.
Thompson selected team- mate and reigning MVP Stephen Curry as the league's best point guard. Curry leads the NBA with 131 3-pointers this season; Thompson is tied for third at 80.
Police: Knicks' Derrick Williams Has $617K Of Jewelry Stolen
Derrick Rose Has New Evidence In Rape Suit Against Him
Chicago Bull star, Der- rick Rose.
plaining that Rose had not re- imbursed her for the belt -- and she wanted to find legal repre- sentation to take action against him.
The ex-roommate says the accuser never mentioned rape or gang rape until after she be- came upset with Derrick.
As for Derrick, he acknowl- edges having sex with the ac- cuser -- but insists it was consensual.
DERRICK WILLIAMS
Knicks forward Derrick Williams was robbed of $617,000 in jewelry and a Louis Vuitton backpack at his New York City apartment early Satur- day by two women, New York City police said.
A New York City Police De- partment spokesperson said that the women came back to Williams' Manhattan apartment early Saturday morning after they were out with Williams and his friends.
The spokesperson said Williams contacted police after waking up later Saturday and re- alizing that the valuables were missing.
Sources told The Post that po- lice are investigating whether the theft is part of a pattern of robberies committed by young women who prey on wealthy men at clubs and hotel bars.
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