Three Northwest Division teams are playing tonight, all of them on the road, while the first-place Thunder await their showdown with the Lakers tomorrow night. Here's what's news around the Northwest:
- New Thunder point guard Derek Fisher is spilling his vast knowledge of the Lakers to Oklahoma City coach coach Scott Brooks and his staff in advance of tomorrow night's meeting, but Brooks downplays the value of such insight, given the advanced scouting and video study that teams do on their opponents, writes John Rohde of The Oklahoman.
- Jazz swingman C.J. Miles will be a restricted free agent this summer, and Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe thinks he'll be a bargain the Celtics will pursue (Twitter link). Still, Utah has Bird rights on Miles, who's on the last year of a four-year, $14.8MM contract and putting up 9.3 points a game and a 13.1 PER this season.
- In addition to rounding up the available free agents, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy checks in with J.J. Hickson, who's averaging 13 points a night and shooting 65.4% since the Blazers claimed him on waivers last week.
showdown with Lakers*
Thunder showdown against the Thunder? That’s gonna be an interesting game!