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NBA Roundup: Durant impressed with Okla. State's Smith

Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant was impressed with Oklahoma State sophomore sensation Marcus Smart's 39-point performance in Tuesday night's 101-80 win over Memphis.

Durant made the trip from Oklahoma City to Stillwater to watch the game and believes Smart is ready for the NBA.

"Marcus can play in the league right now," Durant told USA Today. "Definitely."

Smart remained at OSU after an outstanding freshman season despite projections he would be a high first-round draft pick.

Smart was excited to see Durant sitting in the front row in Gallagher-Iba Arena.

"I was like, 'Wait a minute, am I dreaming?'" Smart said.

Smart, who added five steals, four rebounds and four assists in 33 minutes, was humbled to receive praise from Durant.

"For someone of his talent, he's one of the NBA's greatest, for him to say that, it really means a lot. I am doing something right," Smart said.

---Utah Jazz rookie point guard Trey Burke was slated to make his NBA debut Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The 2013 first-round draft choice missed the first 12 games with a fractured right index finger that he suffered during the preseason.

The national player of the year last season at Michigan, Burke was not slated to start. Veteran John Lucas III was to start with Burke to come off the bench.

Burke was mentioned as a potential NBA Rookie of the Year candidate before suffering the injury.

---Chicago Bulls guard-forward Jimmy Butler has turf toe and is listed by the team as week to week.

Butler was injured Monday at Charlotte. He will not be with the Bulls for a six-game road trip that extends through late November.

An MRI confirmed the injury on his right foot.

The 24-year-old Butler is averaging 11.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals in his first season as a full-time starter.

---The NBA fined Boston Celtics forward Gerald Wallace $10,000 on Wednesday for using profane language with the media following Tuesday's 109-85 loss against the Rockets at Houston's Toyota Center, the league announced Wednesday.

NBA President of Basketball Operations Rod Thorn announced the fine, citing Wallace's verbal tirade during postgame availability with reporters after the 24-point defeat.

---The Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday announced they have signed free agent guards

Elliot Williams and Lorenzo Brown.

Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

The 6-5, 190-pound Williams entered the NBA Draft early in 2010 after his sophomore season at the University of Memphis (he played his freshman season at Duke). He was a first-round selection, chosen 22nd by the Portland Trail Blazers.

Williams appeared in 24 games for Portland the Trail Blazers in 2011-12. He also played six games for Cleveland this preseason.

The 6-5, 186-pound Brown also was an early entry in the 2013 NBA Draft, leaving North Carolina State after his junior season.

He was chosen in the second round, 52nd overall, by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

To make room for Brown and Williams, the 76ers waived Kwame Brown and Darius Morris.