Chris Paul left tonight’s game at Cleveland at the 4:36 mark in the third quarter following a collision with the Cavaliers’ Ramon Sessions.  Paul’s forehead went into Sessions’ shoulder on the play.

Paul was taken from the court on a stretcher after alerting trainers of neck pain. He was fully conscious and did not lose feeling anywhere at any time. Paul was taken to the Cleveland Clinic for precautionary tests.

All tests taken at the hospital were negative and revealed that Paul suffered a concussion.

He rejoined the team at the arena and will accompany them to Chicago on tonight’s charter. He is listed as out.

Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune reports (via blog):

For Jazz guard Raja Bell, it is complete, unfiltered obsession.

Bell has such a drug-like affinity for Bubblicious strawberry chewing gum that he requests the candy during games, hand-selecting a single, special piece from a tupperware container that features an assortment of delicacies.

“I was having a bad game and was looking for something to do to get my mind off of it,” Bell said. “There was this fragrant piece of gum that stood out amongst the others. Ever since then, I’ve been popping ‘em.”

He added: “The good thing about it is, the flavor runs out really quickly. So you only got to chew it for like five minutes, and you’ve got what you need out of it.”

InsideHoops.com editor says: This is obviously a serious problem. NBA fans everywhere need to let Bell know that he has support. And Bell needs to realize that strawberry bubblegum abuse can lead to other serious addictions like grape or cherry bubblegum addition, which are known as gateway substances leading to things like chocolate milk abuse, or even worse, being an adult who loves Justin Bieber albums. Get help, Raja.

Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer reports:

Clearly, ex-Charlotte Bobcat Gerald Wallace hasn’t gotten over the shock and hurt he felt over being suddenly traded to the Portland Trail Blazers last month.

“Basically, you feel betrayed by somebody you love,’’ Wallace told the Observer before Saturday’s Blazers-Bobcats game. “I totally didn’t see it coming. I’d been there seven long years and then you feel like you’re not wanted anymore. That’s a bad situation to be in, especially for me, who committed so much to the organization.

“I understand the situation – it’s a business and they’re looking to start all over. They wanted cap room, and I guess I was the logical answer for them trying to get draft picks.’’

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The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed guard Carlos Arroyo. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Arroyo, a 6’2” guard, appeared in 49 games this season for the Miami Heat including 42 starts, averaging 5.6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. He also is shooting a career-high 43.8% from three-point range.  In his 42 starts he has averaged 6.4 points, 2.2 assists and has shot 45.9% from beyond the arc.  In his ninth NBA season, Arroyo owns career averages of 6.7 points and 3.1 assists per game.  He posted a season-high of 18 points at Milwaukee on December 6.

The AP reports:

Travis Outlaw and the New Jersey Nets were up to the challenge of providing excitement for the NBA’s European fans.

The Toronto Raptors more than did their part, too.

Outlaw scored the final eight points for New Jersey in a 137-136 triple overtime win Saturday night that gave the Nets a sweep of their two games in London.

The game featured four missed buzzer-beaters and provided exactly the kind of thrilling finish league officials were looking for when they decided to bring regular-season games to Europe for the first time… Brook Lopez had 34 points and 14 rebounds for the Nets but fouled out in the second overtime.

Deron Williams added 21 points and 18 assists for his fifth straight double-double since joining the Nets from Utah last week.

Sasha Vujacic had 25 points—including six 3-pointers—and Kris Humphries added 20 points and 17 rebounds for New Jersey. Outlaw finished with 14 points.

DeMar DeRozan finished with 30 points for Toronto (17-46) for the second straight night.