Kerry Kittles

Dikembe Mutombo will undergo surgery Thursday to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist, sidelining the New Jersey Net center for at least two months. Mutombo tore the ligament Thursday night when he was hit on the wrist by the Clippers' Eric Piatkowski. Meanwhile, the Nets put guard Kerry Kittles on the injured list because of a sprained left knee. Kittles was injured Saturday at Portland.

Kobe Bryant shared a couple of "what-if" pictures on his Twitter page Wednesday. With the Lakers preparing to hit Boston for a Thursday night meeting against the Celtics, Bryant posted a shot of his pre-draft workout in Boston from 1996. Bryant can be seen wearing Celtic green in front of late Hall of Famer and noted defender Dennis Johnson. In a second image, passed on by Bryant from his follower Guisseppe Gumban, a gangly Bryant appears to be trying to box out Johnson for a rebound.

The New Jersey Nets strengthened their front line Monday, acquiring forward Clifford Robinson from the Golden State Warriors for two second-round draft picks. Robinson, 38, averaged 8.5 points and 2.7 rebounds this season in 42 games with Golden State, including 29 starts. Robinson was suspended for five games earlier this month for violating the NBA's drug policy.

Corey Maggette and Marko Jaric sat out because of injuries suffered Monday in practice, and Kerry Kittles was put on the injured list, leaving the Clippers short-handed Tuesday night against New Orleans. They had only nine players in uniform at Staples Center. Maggette suffered a strained left groin and Jaric a sprained right foot Monday. The Clippers left a roster spot open when they put Kittles on the injured list because of a sciatic condition caused by a bulging disk in his lower back.

New Jersey Net Coach Lawrence Frank signed a four-year, $10-million contract extension, the team said Thursday. Frank, who took over the Nets in midseason last year after Byron Scott was fired, signed the deal Wednesday. He negotiated it himself with help from advisors. Frank, 34, began his coaching career with 13 consecutive wins, a record start for a coach of a major professional team in North America.

Jamal Mashburn scored 26 points and David Wesley scored 17, leading the New Orleans Hornets to a 108-84 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night at New Orleans. Peja Stojakovic scored 20 points for the Kings, who have lost five of seven. After shooting well early, the Kings struggled and ended up shooting under 39%. New Jersey 111, Philadelphia 85 -- Kerry Kittles scored a season-high 35 points for the Atlantic Division-leading Nets at Philadelphia.

Freshman John Celestand had a season-high 19 points and No. 6 Villanova held Allen Iverson to five points in the second half in a 79-66 victory over No. 8 Georgetown on Monday night at Philadelphia. The Wildcats, 19-3 overall and 10-2 in the Big East, played without injured starting forward Eric Eberz and won their sixth consecutive game. The Hoyas (19-4, 9-3) had a two-game winning streak ended. Kerry Kittles scored 17 points for Villanova, which opened the second half with a 19-5 run.

The Clippers received welcome news Monday, when they learned they would move their practices from Los Angeles Southwest College to the Spectrum Club for the remainder of the season. They will practice at the Spectrum, in El Segundo, until the team builds a permanent practice facility. "The best thing is, we'll be in a place that we can call our own," Corey Maggette said. "The team has made a commitment to making things better."