tipoff

Several Denver Nuggets players were stranded on the highway for about a half hour Sunday when the team bus broke down on the way to Staples Center for a playoff opener against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The bus left the team's hotel about 2 1/2 hours before tipoff as scheduled, but experienced problems about 15 minutes into the trip, club spokesman Eric Sebastian said.

John Calipari was named Naismith National Coach of the Year by The Atlanta Tipoff Club on Wednesday. The Memphis coach led the Tigers to the NCAA title game where they lost 75-68 in overtime to Kansas.

It's the second Naismith award for Calipari, who won in 1996 after leading Massachusetts to the Final Four.