Compiled by Chris Bernucca

• NBA: "Disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy says he refused to make calls to affect games even if it meant he lost money and it angered the mob. In one game where he bet on San Antonio, he ejected coach Gregg Popovich midway through the first quarter and the Spurs eventually lost the game. That drew the ire of the mob, which reportedly lost money using his tip." The Associated Press 

• NBA: "I was thinking, How is Denver going to win on the road in San Antonio? At the time, the Spurs were arguably the best team in the league. Bavetta answered my question before it was asked. 'Duncan will be on the bench with three fouls within the first five minutes of the game,' he calmly stated. Bavetta went on to inform me that it wasn’t the first time the NBA assigned him to a game for a specific purpose." Chris Dempsey in the Denver Post 

• BLAZERS: "Great franchises rise above circumstances. Great teams overcome. When it's harnessed in a focused direction, emotion is a powerful thing. It's why coaches try all the time to fabricate situations in which they can howl to their teams about being wronged, then send them on the court/field to do something about it. The Blazers were handed their mission in the seven-plus minutes that their starting center lay on the floor." John Canzano in the Oregonian 

• BOBCATS: "I wondered how long it would take for Brown to treat D.J. Augustin for what he is, rather than what he was. I asked Brown a simple question in practice the other day. 'What's up with D.J.?' Brown said he didn't have a clue, and didn't elaborate. Brown tends to have a detailed opinion about most anything, so for him to have no real reply says Brown is baffled by Augustin's vanishing act." Rick Bonnell in the Charlotte Observer 

• BUCKS: "Even if a routine NBA game is subject to more craziness that your typical sporting event, amazing, in this particular case, was a 29-0 run by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Not only that, but a 29-0 run in which LeBron James was barely involved. Not only that, but a 29-0 run instigated by a guy impersonating Delonte West. Not only that, but a 29-0 run that followed an 11-0 start by the Milwaukee Bucks, who sort of teased you into believing they had something going on with a rare Sunday in December platform they had all to themselves." Michael Hunt in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel 

• BULLS: "Losses like the one that happened Saturday night at the United Center always give pause. In fact, the Raptors' 110-78 shellacking of the Bulls isn't that dissimilar from the 116-98 pasting Houston placed on the Bulls on Dec. 22, 2007 -- two days before Joh n Paxson fired Scott Skiles. And, yes, Skiles followed Tim Floyd in being fired on Christmas Eve." K.C. Johnson in the Chicago Tribune 

• CELTICS: "Kevin Garnett has a unique perspective, simply because he is gauging his own improvement and recovery from knee surgery, as well as the steps being taken by his team. His own improvement - especially on offense - has been significant. He averaged 20.7 points on 35-of-46 shooting during the four-game road trip, and also appears to be covering more ground on defense. Team-wide, he senses a dramatic improvement defensively." Steve Bulpett in the Boston Herald 

• LAKERS: "There were no last-second, off-balance 27-foot three-point bank shots Sunday. None were needed. The Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns with ease, 108-88, at Staples Center, showing how large a gap exists between two of the top teams in the Western Conference. Forget gap. It's more like a chasm. The Lakers (16-3) entered Sunday a game in front of the Suns in the standings. They exited two games and a country mile ahead of them." Mike Bresnahan in the Los Angeles Times 

• GRIZZLIES: "Memphis owns a 6-4 record since it waived Iverson. Having won seven of their last 11 games, the Griz seem settled with a sense of stability that's produced cohesion on the court. 'The camaraderie is better and the chemistry is better,' Hollins said. 'Our togetherness on defense, our communication on offense and helping each other to be in the right position all makes us a stronger team.'" Ron Tillery in the Memphis Commercial Appeal 

• HEAT: "Spoelstra said Sunday the revolving door within the Heat's rotation is a product of adjusting on the fly to opposing matchups and also going with a gut feeling. But a lack of consistent production among the reserves also has factored into Miami's never-ending search for consistent contributors. The Heat was ranked last among 30 teams in bench scoring, averaging about 21 points a game." Michael Wallace in the Miami Herald 

• HORNETS: "Chris Paul should've been rusty. Or tired. Or . . . something. For him to be almost anything but an All-Star would've been reasonable,  given the fact he hadn't played in three weeks,  hadn't had significantly more than nothing in terms of game time in the new offensive system installed by General Manager/Coach Jeff Bower,  hadn't practiced enough times since spraining his ankle to account for all the fingers on one hand. The fact that he was 'Chris Paul,' though, was absurdly phenomenal." John DeShazier in the New Orleans Times-Picayune 

• WOLVES: "Love, back following surgery on a fractured hand, had an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double and couldn't be contained by Okur or Boozer. 'He knows how to play basketball,' Sloan said of the second-year big from UCLA. 'He passes the ball, he sets screens. He does whatever it takes to try to play the game. It's not that difficult,' Sloan added. 'But we make it difficult because we think we have to do something sensational. He just plays, and never gets off the floor. Those guys play for years and years in this league.'" Tim Buckley in the Deseret News 

• JAZZ: "Jerry Sloan re-upped for another year with the Jazz last week and there are questions to ask about that move, respectful questions that in some corners might be misinterpreted as disrespectful. For instance, what are the Jazz trying to accomplish by extending Sloan's tenure with them? After 22 seasons at the helm, is he going to be the difference in the 23rd season for finally winning a title? Are the Jazz really interested in winning a championship or are they more tethered to the notion of keeping the team competitive enough to draw decent crowds, so they can stay profitable? Are they willing to take the risks necessary to improve their roster or their coaching so they have a legitimate shot at a title? Or, are they satisfied with the status quo, content to be good, always good, but never great? How many titles has Sloan won as a head coach?" Gordon Monson in the Salt Lake Tribune 

• KNICKS: "A shrieking 'We Want Nate' chant began early in the third quarter when the Knicks were losing and only intensified late in the fourth when they were winning, much to Mike D'Antoni's chagrin. It was Kids Day at the Garden, after all, which may explain the crowd's partiality toward the biggest kid in the building. Otherwise, Knicks supporters may have to forfeit their title as the league's most sophisticated basketball fans." Frank Isola in the New York Daily News 

• MAVERICKS: "The Mavericks forced Atlanta to miss 20 consecutive shots in one stretch of defensive tenacity Saturday night. But in the big picture, Shawn Marion had trouble seeing the benefit. 'If you aren't making shots, what difference does it make?' he said. 'If you capitalize, great. But if you don't, you're not making up any ground.' That's what the Mavericks did all night long against the Hawks – fail to make up ground. And when they played from behind virtually the whole game, that spelled doom." Eddie Sefko in the Dallas Morning News 

• SIXERS: "They are riding a nine-game losing streak that has dropped them to 5-15. They have just come off a weeklong, four-game road trip. Yet yesterday morning's 76ers practice at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine had more jump, more excitement and more media members than any this year. Welcome back, Allen Iverson." Bob Cooney in the Philadelphia Daily News 

• RAPTORS: "Forget this practice stuff, all the Raptors may do from now on is hold 45-minute soul-cleansing meetings to get themselves ready for games. Responding with a second successive solid outing after a mid-week debacle, they crushed the Bulls 110-78 here Saturday night for a second win in as many nights. It's the first time since November 2007 that the Raptors have won back-to-back road games." Doug Smith in the Toronto Star 

• ROCKETS: "Rick Adelman and Tracy McGrady finally came to an agreement. They had been speaking often enough that when talking about when McGrady would make his season debut, they were sounding alike, even using some of the same phrasing. So when Adelman tossed out the idea of McGrady playing Wednesday against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, McGrady agreed that might not be the best way to begin his comeback from microfracture surgery." Jonathan Feigen in the Houston Chronicle 

• SPURS: "Ginobili says self doubt has robbed his game of much of its effectiveness. 'I'm lacking a lot of stuff, mainly confidence,' he said. 'I'm still hesitating, doing things I don't usually do — passing up shots or not attacking the rim as hard. Maybe I'm thinking too hard, or worried because I already missed six games. I really don't know.' Ginobili's crisis of confidence has put Spurs coach Gregg Popovich in a tough spot. He needs Ginobili to be one of his go-to guys down the stretch of close games, but only if he is making good decisions." Mike Monroe in the San Antonio Express-News