THIS WEEK IN THE NBA
The rodeo has rolled into San Antonio, which means the Spurs will be on the road for three weeks. Their game at Golden State on Monday will be the first of eight straight away from home. After playing at Denver on Tuesday, San Antonio won't play again until next Sunday at Boston. The Spurs won't play at home again until Feb. 24 against Dallas. The Lakers' six-game trip continues in New York on Monday, when they make their only regular-season visit to Madison Square Garden. The Lakers travel on to Toronto on Wednesday. "On the road you get to learn more about each other and kind of build that chemistry and that bond that you need to go on a long playoff push," said the Lakers' Kobe Bryant. Philadelphia continues its seven-game home stand with games against Boston, Indiana and Miami. Today, coach Kevin McHale returns to Boston with his much-improved Timberwolves, and it'll be a Central Division grudge match when Cleveland plays at Detroit. GAME OF THE WEEK
The Celtics will be looking for some payback when the Lakers visit Boston on Thursday. The Lakers beat their tormentors from last season's NBA Finals on Christmas at the Staples Center.
BUCKS WEEK
After navigating their way through three of the more grueling months in team history, the schedule finally begins to ease up, with only two games on the docket this week - at New Jersey on Tuesday and at home against Detroit on Saturday.
QUOTABLE
"It's a sham, a travesty, a mockery - it's a shamockery." - Cleveland's Ben Wallace, on Mo Williams' all-star snub.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
The Eastern Conference coaches rewarded New Jersey guard Devin Harris for his outstanding season by voting him onto the all-star team for the first time. Harris, obtained by the Nets last season in the trade that sent Jason Kidd to Dallas, has flourished in coach Lawrence Frank's open offensive system, and was averaging 21.6 points, 6.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds going into Friday's game at Atlanta. Harris was an in-studio guest on TNT on Thursday and was asked what he was looking forward to most about all-star weekend. "Seeing the guys in a different light," Harris said. "Getting guys away from their teammates, you get to see them in a different light. Paul Pierce and Kobe (Bryant) and all those guys. It'll be good to see them in a different atmosphere." Asked about replacing Kidd in New Jersey, Harris said, "I can't do the things that Jason is capable of doing and he's a great player, but the things that I can control, I'll make (the Nets) love me for that."
NUMBERS GAME
* Including Friday's game at Minnesota, which opened a six-game trip, the Lakers had a league-high 24 road games remaining.
* Portland is 11-3 in games in which Greg Oden records a double-double.
* Golden State's Monta Ellis and Jamal Crawford started in the backcourt together for the first time this season, against Dallas, and combined for 10 points on 3-of-17 shooting, six turnovers and four assists.
* In a four-game stretch through last week's victory over the Kings, Boston guard Eddie House was 22 of 32 (68.7%) from three-point range.
* The Spurs will travel 10,497 miles on their upcoming trip.
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