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D-Fenders Acquire T.J. Cummings, Waive Duane Erwin

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.- The Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League have acquired forward T.J. Cummings and waived forward Duane Erwin.

Cummings, a D-League veteran and son of former NBA great Terry Cummings, was waived by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds on December 9 after playing in seven games (five starts) and averaging 22.9 minutes, 13.6 points and 3.6 rebounds. A member of the Albuquerque 2006 D-League championship team, Cummings played in 55 overall games (29 starts) for the T-Birds, averaging 24.6 minutes, 12.7 points and 6.1 rebounds. He played his college basketball at UCLA, averaging 12.8 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting .552 from the field (sixth in the Pac-10) as a senior.

Erwin played in nine games for Los Angeles, averaging 15.3 minutes, 3.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots. A starter for the first three games this season, Erwin's minutes had dwindled to less than 10 per game over the last four contests.

Cummings is expected to be in uniform when the D-Fenders (5-4) are host to Idaho (2-6) this afternoon, before the Lakers game, at STAPLES Center with a 3:30pm tip off. He will wear jersey #25

Having a Lakers ticket for this evening's game at STAPLES Center is also your ticket to a lower bowl seat for the D-Fenders. Lakers season ticket holders who attend today's D-Fenders game will receive a special gift, while supplies last, by visiting the Season Ticket Holder Booth on the main concourse at the Figueroa Street Entrance.

On July 31st of this year the Los Angeles Lakers announced that they had become the first NBA franchise in history to own an NBA Development League team. The Los Angeles D-Fenders play their home games at STAPLES Center pre and post Lakers home games. The Lakers devoted fans were given the opportunity to name the NBA D-League team in an online naming contest.

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LOS ANGELES, Calif.- The Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League started hot tonight at STAPLES Center, but could not sustain their momentum, dropping their first match against the Idaho Stampede 96-86.

Led by newly acquired forward T.J. Cummings, the D-Fenders jumped out to an early lead. Cummings provided a spark with 9 first quarter points off the bench giving the D-Fenders a five point advantage by the end of the period.

Idaho quickly countered the D-Fenders early solid play with a huge second quarter surge. Idaho outscored Los Angeles

36-14 in the quarter with aggressive defense and accurate shooting. The Stampede connected on 79% of their shots in the quarter, including two 3-pointers, giving them a 17 point edge at the half.

The D-Fenders second half attempted comeback was unsuccessful. Los Angeles was able to frequently trim the lead late in the game, but the large deficit was too much to overcome.

Los Angeles guard Devin Green led the team with a game-high 20 points. Cummings finished the contest with 19 points, shooting 9-13 from the field.

"It's great to be back in L.A. I'm just trying to get my timing down. My biggest thing is just to get acclimated to the plays," said ex-UCLA star Cummings.

Idaho was led by guard Ronnell Taylor. Taylor finished the game with 18 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds. Forward Jeff Graves produced 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for the Stampede.

"I thought Jeff Graves did a great job for us on the glass. I'm proud of our guys. We buckled down and got the win," said Idaho Head Coach Bryan Gates.

Los Angeles now rests at .500 (5-5) with this loss, while the Stampede leads the series 1-0 and will improve to .333 (3-6) overall.

The D-Fenders hit the road for the remainder of the month with visits to Dakota, Arkansas, Austin, and Bakersfield. They return home to STAPLES Center after the New Year to host the Dakota Wizards on Friday, January 5, before the Lakers game, with a 3:30pm tip off.

On July 31st of this year the Los Angeles Lakers announced that they had become the first NBA franchise in history to own an NBA Development League team. The Los Angeles D-Fenders play their home games at STAPLES Center pre and post Lakers home games. The Lakers devoted fans were given the opportunity to name the NBA D-League team in an online naming contest.

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SIOUX FALLS, S.D., Dec. 15 - Andre Brown exploded for 34 points and 17 rebounds as the Skyforce completed out their home sweep of Arkansas with a 100-93 win tonight at the Sioux Falls Arena.

"We just tried to pound it inside to Andre," Sioux Falls Skyforce assistant coach Nate Tibbets said. "It wasn't always pretty, but it worked so we'll take it."

The Skyforce forward was the difference maker yet again. Arkansas (6-4) tied the game at 83 with 5 minutes left before the Skyforce went on a 16-8 run, including 10-of-12 from the charity strip.

"Brown got to the foul line and that was the difference for us," Tibbets said. "To me he's the best big guy in this league. He's shown it the last two games and he'll continue to show it until he's called up."

Brown hit 5-of-6 free throws in the final five minutes to help the Skyforce pull away. However, the game looked to be a repeat of Thursday night's contest. Sioux Falls (5-4) was up by as many as 17 in the second quarter. Arkansas found an inside game in the quarter as they scored 16 points in the paint and eight second-chance points. Guard Clay Tucker led the RimRockers with 19 points to help close the gap to 50-42 at halftime.

The third quarter saw streaks from both teams. Sioux Falls extended their lead with a 9-0 run to start the quarter. Arkansas battle back with a 9-0 run of their own behind consecutive buckets from center Brian Jackson. Sioux Falls Skyforce head coach Mo McHone had enough as he argued a call and got an early trip to the locker room as he was ejected. The ejection sparked the Skyforce on a 7-0 run behind guard Vincent Grier to end the third up 76-67.

"In pro basketball you're not going to be able to beat a team bad the whole game," McHone said. "Especially with a team as talented as that team."

Arkansas entered Sioux Falls with a five-game win streak but now leave the losers of two straight. They host Los Angeles next Friday.

"We should get some motivation from this," Arkansas RimRockers head coach Andy Stoglin said. "We have got to be ready to play every night. If you lose the fear of losing then you will probably lose."

The Skyforce travel to Austin Sunday.

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BISMARCK, ND., Dec. 15 -Despite leading by as much as 19 in the third quarter the Dakota Wizards, held off the Austin Toros 85-84 to remain undefeated at home and improve their overall record to 6-1 on the season.

Forward Quemont Greer's lay-up with 3:13 left in the third quarter gave the Wizards a 15 point lead, but the Toros managed to tie the game at 67-67 with 10:27 left in the contest.

The fourth quarter was a see-saw battle, as the lead changed hands eight times. The Wizards took the lead on two free throws by forward Renaldo Major with 1:26 left. The teams then traded missed shots and the Toros attempt by Brock Gillespie was off the mark as time expired to ensure the victory for the Wizards.

"We almost gave the game away in the second half", said Wizards Head Coach Dave Joerger. "You can't give a tough team like Austin that many chances to stay in the game. By missing our free throws, we allowed them to get back in it."

The Wizards continued their slump from the charity stripe, connecting on 18 of 30 attempts tonight after only hitting nine of 21 Thursday night. Major, who scored 18 points, was clutch late in the game, hitting nine of his ten free throw attempts in the fourth quarter.

In addition to Major, leading the way for the Wizards was guard James Maye who also finished with 18 points. Newly acquired forward Awvee Storey was hot early, scoring 11 of his 13 points in the first half.

Toros guard BJ Elder kept Austin in the game, scoring a D-League season high 38 points, including 15 in the fourth. The Toros, who remain winless on the season at 0-8, finished with only one other player in double figures as forward Scott Merritt finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.

Both teams were short handed tonight as Wizards guard Brandon Armstrong and Toros guard Jason Williams both did not dress tonight due to injury.

The Wizards return to action on Tuesday night to battle the LA D-Fenders for the first time. Tip off is set for 7:05pm CT at the Bismarck Civic Center.

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FORT WORTH, Texas, December 15, 2006 - The Fort Worth Flyers prevailed over a magnificent but fruitless effort by the Tulsa 66ers, winning 97-91 in the final seconds of the game tonight at the Fort Worth Convention Center.

In the first quarter, the Flyers couldn't shake the 66ers. Tulsa scored at will, and Fort Worth missed 12 of its first 14 shots. Center Luke Schenscher put the Flyers on the board with 9:02 remaining to make the score 5-2. Fort Worth's struggle continued as the team fell behind by 10 points at 25-15 with 2:35 to go. The Flyers shot 34 percent in the quarter, and allowed Tulsa to shoot 55 percent. The first quarter ended with Tulsa hanging on to a 25-20 advantage.

Head coach Sidney Moncrief said the Flyers' adjustment came in the mid first quarter, and the team played better from that point on, including a better defensive effort.

"It really turned around in the second quarter," he said. "A lot of guys made contributions, and that is the way it should be."

In the second quarter, Fort Worth regained its touch, and made exactly half of its baskets. Guard Kelenna Azubuike sparked for 10 points in the quarter, but the Flyers couldn't get past Tulsa. They came within one point at 43-42 when forward Jeremy Richardson made a basket with 1:21 to go. Still, Tulsa ended the quarter with the advantage again, 47-45.

In the first half, the Flyers converted 14 Tulsa turnovers into 13 points; Fort Worth also had seven steals to none by the 66ers. Fort Worth also had more assists in the first half, 10 to Tulsa's eight.

In the third, Fort Worth acquired the 50-49 lead when Richardson scored with 9:08 remaining. Tulsa came back briefly and tied the game at 55 after a basket by Tulsa guard Will Conroy. However, the Flyers prevailed and scurried through the end of the quarter clinging to a lead, and the period ended 69-66. In the third quarter, Richardson had 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting.

Moncrief said after not playing for a week, the team had to adjust to the atmosphere of a game and pick up a rhythm and energy.

"Once we got back into the rhythm of a game, I thought we played better," he said.

In the final frame, the Flyers began with a 9-2 run including six poured in by Schenscher. The teams traded baskets with four lead changes and four ties. With the final tie at 86 with 1:40 left, Fort Worth initiated the road to their fourth consecutive victory at home. Guard Kevin Burleson had the final four points of the game.

Azubuike led all scorers with 28 points, and added three assists and three rebounds. Richardson finished with 22 points and three boards, and Schenscher had 14 points 11 boards and a steal.

For the 66ers, guard Cheyne Gadson led the team with 23 points and four assists. Forward Jean Felix had 17 points, five rebounds and one block; guard Denham Brown had 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists from the bench.

The Flyers improve to 5-1 with the win, and Tulsa drops to 5-4. The Flyers will now travel to Tulsa to battle the 66ers again tomorrow night. Tip off is set for 6 p.m.

"We need to have a better start; we can't play uphill at their place," Moncrief said. "I think back-to-back games are important. We don't have the excuse of we hadn't played the game, so we should be ready to play."

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., December 15, 2006, - The Albuquerque Thunderbirds moved into first place in the Western Division of the NBA Development League with a 111-104 victory over the Colorado 14ers Friday night. The Thunderbirds were led by Manuel Narvaez's double-double (14 rebounds and 14 points) while Dijon Thompson led the team in scoring with 24 points.

Colorado's Von Wafer led all scorers with 25 points; Wafer is the third leading scorer in the d-league averaging 22.4 points per game. The win takes the Thunderbirds to 6-2 on the season and drops the 14ers to 4-2, second in the division.

The Thunderbirds started the game with an eight point run over the first three minutes, Colorado responded with an 11 point run of their own, after one quarter the Thunderbirds led 18-17.

Thompson had 12 of his 24 points in the second quarter and Troy Bell pitched in 4 assists to help the T-Birds extend their lead to 57-49 at the half.

Colorado climbed back into the game in the third quarter outscoring Albuquerque 34-26, led by Wafers nine points in the quarter, to pull even at 83-83.

The teams wrap up their two game set tomorrow, Saturday, December 16th at 7:00pm at Tingley Coliseum. Saturday is Press Pass night, anyone who shows their press pass will be given a free ticket when they purchase one and everyone in attendance will receive a Dijon Thompson autograph card.

Thunderbirds tickets are on sale and can be purchased at abqtbirds.com or at the Thunderbirds front office. For premium or group seating call the Thunderbirds office at (505) 265-DUNK.

The D-League continues to develop talent from across all disciplines for the NBA's 30 teams and the entire NBA umbrella. This season, 19 NBA teams assigned 29 players to D-League affiliates. There were also 18 GATORADE Call-Ups from the D-League to the NBA. Additionally, every referee hired by the NBA since 2002 has worked in the D-League, while coaches, athletic trainers and front office executives are also being developed.

The NBA D-League is composed of the Albuquerque Thunderbirds (N.M.), Anaheim Arsenal (Calif.), Arkansas RimRockers (Little Rock), Austin Toros (Texas), Bakersfield Jam (Calif.), Colorado 14ers (Broomfield), Dakota Wizards (Bismarck, N.D.), Fort Worth Flyers (Texas), Idaho Stampede (Boise), Los Angeles D-Fenders, Sioux Falls Skyforce (S.D.) and Tulsa 66ers (Okla.).

Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the league also offers fun, family entertainment at affordable prices. For additional information on the NBA Development League, visit NBADLEAGUE.com.

For additional information about the Albuquerque Thunderbirds call (505) 265-DUNK or log on to www.abqtbirds.com.

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GREENVILLE, S.C., December 16, 2006 - The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they have assigned guard/forward James White to the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League. Austin has been designated as the Spurs D-League affiliate for the 2006-07 season. White, who has yet to see any time with the Spurs, was signed by San Antonio on November 3 after attending training camp with the Indiana Pacers. In eight preseason games with Indiana he averaged 3.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 17.5 minutes of action. White also averaged 12.5 points with Indiana's entry to the Pepsi Pro Summer League in Orlando. He attended the University of Cincinnati where he led the Bearcats in scoring (16.3) and free throw percentage (.838) during the 2005-06 season. An honorable mention All-Big East selection, he finished second on the Bearcats in steals (1.2), assists (2.0) and blocks (0.9) and third in rebounding (5.1). White scored a career-high 32 points, including a career-high five three-pointers, in a Big East Tourney loss to Syracuse on March 8. White is the seventh NBA player assigned to a D-League affiliate this season. The complete list of 2006-07 NBA to D-League assigned players and their current status follows:

Player NBA Team NBA D-League Team

Ryan Hollins Charlotte Bobcats Fort Worth Flyers (recalled by 76ers)

Bobby Jones Philadelphia 76ers Fort Worth Flyers (recalled by 76ers)

Louis Williams Philadelphia 76ers Fort Worth Flyers

Julius Hodge Denver Nuggets Colorado 14ers

Pops Mensah-Bonsu Dallas Mavericks Fort Worth Flyers

Martynas Andriuskevicius Chicago Bulls Dakota Wizards

James White San Antonio Spurs Austin Toros

White is expected to be in uniform when the Toros (0-8) take on Sioux Falls (5-4) Sunday at the Austin Convention Center. Tip off is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT.

The NBA Development League includes the Albuquerque Thunderbirds (N.M.), Anaheim Arsenal (Calif.), Arkansas RimRockers (Little Rock), Austin Toros (Texas), Bakersfield Jam (Calif.), Colorado 14ers (Broomfield), Dakota Wizards (Bismarck, N.D.), Fort Worth Flyers (Texas), Idaho Stampede (Boise), Los Angeles D-Fenders (Calif.), Sioux Falls Skyforce (S.D.) and Tulsa 66ers (Okla.).

Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the D-League also offers fun, family entertainment at affordable prices. For additional information on the NBA Development League, visit D-LEAGUE.com.

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Today
Fort Worth at Tulsa, 7 p.m. CT
Colorado at Albuquerque, 7 p.m. MT
Anaheim at Bakersfield, 8 p.m. PT

TODAY'S SERIES INFO
- Fort Worth at Tulsa: Fort Worth leads 1-0 this season. Tulsa leads all-time 5-4.
- Colorado at Albuquerque: Thunderbirds lead 1-0 after 111-104 win at Tingley Coliseum on Friday.
- Anaheim at Bakersfield: First meeting. Former Syracuse great Gerry McNamara makes his Bakersfield debut.

Friday's Results
Idaho 96, Los Angeles 86
Dakota 85, Austin 84
Fort Worth 97, Tulsa 91
Sioux Falls 100, Arkansas 93
Albuquerque 111, Colorado 104

CHECK THE BOX: Click on the links below to check out the box scores from Friday's games.
http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/200.../boxscore.html
http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/200.../boxscore.html
http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/200.../boxscore.html
http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/200.../boxscore.html
http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/200.../boxscore.html

FRIDAY NIGHT LEADERS...the best from games on December 15
- Points: 38, BJ Elder, Dakota Wizards
- Rebounds: 17, Andre Brown, Sioux Falls
- Assists: 8, Randy Livingston, Idaho
- Steals: 3 by seven different players
- Blocks: 4, Louis Amundson, Colorado and Justin Williams, Dakota
- 3s: 6, Von Wafer, Colorado

HAVING SECONDS: Idaho outscored Los Angeles 36-14 in the second quarter, connecting on 79% from the floor, to win its second straight game.

BLOGGING THE D: Over the next couple of days look for D-LEAGUE.com to become blog central. Austin guard Jay Williams posted a new entry on Friday. Keep clicking, because Anaheim's Tyler Smith, Sioux Falls Jared Reiner and Albuquerque's Tony Bland are scheduled to join the blog patrol next week.

SHOWCASE SNEAKING UP: The Third Annual D-League Showcase is just 31 days away. Twelve (12) games in three days are scheduled for January 15-17 at the Sioux Falls Arena.

PICK THE STARS: Balloting is underway at D-LEAGUE.com to help select the starters for the inaugural D-League All-Star Game, which will be played February 17 on Center Court at NBA All-Star Jam Session at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

THEY SAID IT: "If you lose the fear of losing then you will probably lose." ... Arkansas coach Andy Stoglin said after the RimRockers lost for the second straight night at Sioux Falls on Friday.

READING TIMEOUT ... links to a sampling of the latest news from the NBA D-League
http://www.bismarcktribune.com/artic...b176684745.txt
http://www.statesman.com/sports/cont...6/16toros.html
http://www.tulsaworld.com/SportsStor..._B1_66ers43060

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