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Florida Flame Update

February 1, 2006 - NBA G League (G League)
Florida Flame News Release


The Flame open a five-game homestand this Thursday night, February 2 against the Fayetteville Patriots (5-17). Tip-off is 7 p.m. at Germain Arena. Following Thursday's contest, Florida squares off against the Arkansas RimRockers on Sunday, February 5 at 3 p.m. and Tuesday, February 7 at 7 p.m. The Flame round out the homestand with back-to-back contests versus the Albuquerque Thunderbirds on Thursday, February 9 at 7:00 p.m. and Friday, February 10 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the Germain Arena box office, by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-4-NBA-TIX, or by logging onto ticketmaster.com.

Florida (16-10) currently sits in first place in the NBA Development League standings with a one-half game lead over Fort Worth (16-11) for the top spot. The Flame will look to return to the win column after dropping three of four games on a recently completed road trip to Fort Worth and Tulsa. Thursday's game can be heard live on Sportsradio 770 ESPN with the pre-game show at 6:45 p.m. ET.

Flame Notes:

New Look: The Flame have altered the look of their roster over the last week with the addition of four players and the departure of one player. Bracey Wright has been re-assigned by the Minnesota Timberwolves and Florida has acquired F Duane Erwin, G/F Lenny Stokes, and F Harvey Thomas from the D-League available player pool. Hiram Fuller has left the team to pursue a contract overseas.

Turnaround: With a win tomorrow night versus Fayetteville, Florida can match last season's total of victories (17). At 16-9 overall, the Flame have already exceeded their win total through the first 44 games of last season. Florida did not win its 16th game of the 2004-05 D-League campaign until April 1, 2005, when the Flame defeated Fayetteville, 94-92.

Offense Struggling: Florida is averaging just 88.0 points per game and is shooting 42% from the floor (130-308) over the last four games. Florida's 73 points in a January 29 loss at Tulsa was a season-low in scoring for the Flame. The Flame's 29 points in the first half was a season-low for a half and Florida's 12 points in the first quarter was a season-low for a quarter.

Protecting Home Court: Florida is tied with the Tulsa 66ers for the second-best home record in the NBA D-League with an 8-4 record at Germain Arena. The Albuquerque Thunderbirds have the D-League's best home record at 9-4 on the season. Tonight's contest versus Fayetteville opens a five-game homestand for the Flame. Following tonight's game, the Flame host Arkansas on Sunday, February 5 and Tuesday, February 7, then round out the home swing with back-to-back games against the Albuquerque Thunderbirds on Thursday, February 9 and Friday, February 10 at Germain Arena.

Back in First: After enduring a season-high four-game losing skid from Dec. 31 through Jan. 8, the Flame have won seven of their last ten games to regain first place in the D-League standings. Florida (16-10) enters today's game with Fayetteville with a half-game lead over Fort Worth (16-11) for the top spot.

Work on the Boards: A major reason behind Florida's success has been the Flame's work on the boards. Florida currently leads the D-League in rebounding average at 46.9 per game and is outrebounding its opponents by an average of 47.3 to 38.3 over the last 12 games. In seven of the last 12 contests, Florida has had a double-digit advantage in the rebounding category.

Jones Cleaning Up: Flame center Dwayne Jones has been on a tear of late on the inside. The 6-11, rookie has posted double-doubles in four of the last nine games. Jones earned his ninth double-double w/ 16 points & 18 rebounds at Tulsa on Jan. 28. Jones notched his eighth double-double with 14 points and 19 rebounds vs. Tulsa on Jan. 18 and posted his seventh double-double with 17 points and 20 boards vs. Arkansas at the MLK Showcase on Jan. 16. Reassigned to Florida by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Jan. 2 and traded to the Boston Celtics on Jan. 26, Jones is the D-League leader in rebounding (11.1) and currently ranks #2 in the D-League in blocked shots average (1.8). Jones also ranks third in the D-League in double-doubles (9).

Defensive Rankings: The Flame currently rank #1 in the D-League in rebounding (46.9) and also rank #2 in field goal percentage defense (44.6%), blocked shots average (5.4) and #4 in scoring defense (98.0 ppg).

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