Clippers edge Grizzlies 91-87 to win season series
Chris
Paul hit a free throw with 18.3 seconds left, and the Los Angeles
Clippers edged the Memphis Grizzlies 91-87 Saturday night in a possible
preview of a first-round playoff series. With the win, the Clippers
took the season series 3-1 for what could be a crucial tiebreaker
giving Los Angeles home-court advantage in the postseason even though
the teams now are tied at 54-26. That puts them both one-half game
behind Denver for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. DeAndre
Jordan led the Clippers with 16 points. Paul finished with 13, Blake
Griffin had 12 and Willie Green 10. Marc Gasol had 18 points, 15
rebounds and seven assists for Memphis. Zach Randolph finished with 16
points and 12 rebounds. Tayshaun Prince scored 13, and Mike Conley
added 12 points and six assists. Read more here.
Celtics lock up East's 7th seed, rout Magic 120-88
Courtney
Lee scored 20 points and Jeff Green added 17 as the Boston Celtics
cruised to a 120-88 victory over the Orlando Magic on Saturday night.
The win locked up the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference for
Boston, which never trailed in beating Orlando for the eighth straight
time. All five Celtics starters reached double figures, with Kevin
Garnett and Paul Pierce scoring 14 and 12 points, respectively, after
sitting out Friday against Miami. Tobias Harris led the Magic with 22
points, and Nik Vucevic added 16 points and 12 rebounds. Orlando hasn't
won back-to-back games since December. The Magic play their final home
game of season on Monday against Chicago, and head to Miami for the
season finale on Wednesday. The Celtics conclude their regular-season
schedule against Indiana on Tuesday and visit Toronto on Wednesday.
Read more here.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
April 7, 2013
Nuggets tie team mark with 20th straight home win
Showcasing
their depth in stunning fashion, the Denver Nuggets rolled to a season
high in points and matched a team record with a 20th consecutive home
win despite missing their top two scorers because of injuries. Corey
Brewer had 22 points off the bench and Wilson Chandler scored 21 points
in place of the injured Danilo Gallinari, leading the Nuggets past the
Houston Rockets, 132-114 Saturday night. Even Nuggets coach George Karl
acknowledged some surprise over the dominant showing by his squad,
playing for the first time since losing the sharp-shooting Gallinari to
a season-ending left knee injury. Playmaking guard Ty Lawson, the
Nuggets' leading scorer, is out indefinitely because of a plantar
fascia tear in his right foot. Read more here.
LeBron returns, Heat top 76ers 106-87
LeBron
James went through a series of tests before the game, all under the
watchful eye of the Miami Heat training staff and some coaches. He
passed with flying colors, and looked good as new afterward. James
scored 27 points after a three-game absence caused by a strained right
hamstring, five other Miami players reached double figures and the Heat
moved closer to securing home-court advantage for the entire NBA
playoffs by topping the Philadelphia 76ers 106-87 on Saturday night.
''He knows his body better than anybody,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra
said. ''So he knew how to pace himself and put his fingerprints on the
game.'' Playing only 31 minutes, James made 12 of 17 shots from the
field and added five assists and four rebounds. Rashard Lewis scored 14
points, Norris Cole added 13 and Chris Andersen grabbed 15 rebounds -
as many as he had in any two previous games this season combined - for
the Heat, whose magic number for clinching the league's best
regular-season record was trimmed to two. Read more here.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
March 31, 2013
Durant,
Westbrook lead Thunder past Bucks, 109-99
Down five
early in the fourth quarter, it was time for the Oklahoma City Thunder
to take pride in their defense. They did just that. Kevin Durant scored
30 points and Russell Westbrook had a triple-double to lead the Thunder
to a 109-99 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. The
Thunder used a 19-2 run in the fourth quarter for their fourth win in
five games. Instead of their top-scoring offense being the reason for
that game-clinching run, it was the defense that got the final charge
going. ''I told them we had to take some pride in our defensive
possessions,'' Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. ''It was an individual
effort by a lot of guys. Serge Ibaka did a phenomenal job protecting
the basket and blocking and altering their shots. Russell and Kevin did
a good job defending their players.'' They did more than just a good
job. Milwaukee held a five-point lead early in the fourth quarter. Read
more here.
Rockets cruise past Clippers, 98-81
Playing
without leading scorer James Harden, the Houston Rockets cracked one of
the league's best defenses by spreading the ball around. Jeremy Lin,
Chandler Parsons and Francisco Garcia scored 15 points apiece and Omer
Asik added 13 points to lead the Rockets to a 98-81 victory over the
Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night. Harden missed his third game of
the season with a right ankle sprain, but the Rockets had all the right
answers in his absence. Harden, who played 26 minutes and scored a
four-month low seven points in a 103-94 road loss to Memphis on Friday
night, ranks fifth in the league at 26.0 points per game. ''We had a
lot of guys play well,'' Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. ''The ball
was really moving tonight, and it was good to see that. Everybody was
in tune.'' Read more here.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
March 24, 2013
Nuggets
win 15th straight, 101-95 over Kings
George
Karl didn't sound like the coach of a Denver team on a streak not seen
in 43 years. He sounded like a coach ready to shake things up in the
final weeks before the playoffs. Moments after his Nuggets beat the
Sacramento Kings 101-95 on Saturday night for their 15th straight win,
Karl was lamenting his players' second straight lackluster performance.
''What I've been telling the team, telling them for three days, the
next (11) games I don't want to hear about rest, I don't want to hear
we're tired, I want our attitude to be the best basketball we've played
all year,'' he said. ''And if you don't want to do that then I'll play
somebody else. I don't want to hear about my body hurts, I'm sore.
Everybody plays the same amount of games, and resting's not going to
get us ready for the opportunities. Read more here.
Deng scores 20 and Bulls beat Pacers 87-84
The
Chicago Bulls are used to dealing with injuries so they weren't rattled
when All-Star center Joakim Noah didn't play Saturday night against the
Indiana Pacers. As they have done all season, the Bulls turned to their
reserves, including veteran center Nazr Mohammed, forward Taj Gibson,
and guards Daequan Cook and Nate Robinson, to rally from a 10-point
deficit for an 87-84 victory that snapped Indiana's three-game winning
streak. ''That is the way we have to play; we have to do it
collectively,'' Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said after his team avoided a
three-game losing streak. ''A lot of guys stepped up.'' Forward Luol
Deng scored 20 points and Carlos Boozer had 18, but the offensive stars
of the second-half Chicago rally came off the bench. Read more here.
Read more here.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
March 17, 2013
Duncan,
Leonard lead Spurs over Cavs, 119-113
The
San Antonio Spurs are without Tony Parker and their usual fire on
defense, but they still have Tim Duncan. They needed the All-Star power
forward to overcome their alarming lack of defense. Duncan had 30
points, 12 rebounds and five blocks, and the Spurs beat the Cleveland
Cavaliers 119-113 on Saturday night. Kawhi Leonard added 24 points and
13 boards, and Manu Ginobili added 14 points and 10 assists for San
Antonio (51-16), which is 1 1/2 games ahead of Oklahoma City for the
top seed in the Western Conference. ''Tim saved our (butt),'' said
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who was ejected midway through the second
quarter. ''He obviously carried the whole night for us. He was great.
It shouldn't have to be that way.'' Nando De Colo had 11 points and
Tiago Splitter 10 for the Spurs. Read more here.
Pierce has 14 in 3 quarters, Celtics beat Bobcats
The
Boston Celtics finally found a way to beat the team with the NBA's
worst record. Actually, it was several ways as the Celtics avenged an
embarrassing loss earlier in the week at Charlotte by routing the
Bobcats 105-88 on Saturday night. Paul Pierce had 14 points, eight
assists and six rebounds before sitting out the entire fourth quarter,
cheering on his teammates from the bench as they beat the Bobcats for
the first time in three tries this season. ''It wasn't a sense that we
owed them one. It was a sense that we need to play better against them
and we need to keep playing well at home,'' said Pierce, who also had
three blocks. ''It's about us playing well and playing the right way.''
All five Boston starters scored in double figures and all 11 players
who dressed for the Celtics scored at least five points. The only
player in the official lineup that didn't score was Kevin Garnett, who
sat out to rest a strained muscle in his left thigh. Read more here.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
March 10, 2013
Balanced
Grizzlies beat Hornets 96-85
The
Memphis Grizzlies keep returning from halftime and imposing their style
on opponents. With an emphasis on defense and pressure to increase the
pace, Memphis again used a strong third quarter to beat the New Orleans
Hornets 96-85 on Saturday night. ''I think our focus coming out of
halftime, understanding what we need to adjust, then going out and
executing it, has been phenomenal,'' said guard Mike Conley, who led
Memphis scorers with 22 points. ''We came in the locker room and said:
'We have to do this, that and this,' and we go out there and do it.''
Conley, who also had eight assists, led seven Memphis players in double
figures as the Grizzlies won their fourth straight. Tony Allen had 14
points, while Tayshaun Prince and Quincy Pondexter scored 13 points
apiece. Read more here.
Nuggets win 13th in a row at home
Nearly
unbeatable at home this season, the Denver Nuggets got the better of
one of the few teams that has managed to get out of town with a
victory. Ty Lawson matched his season high with 32 points, including 14
in the fourth quarter, and the Nuggets beat the injury-depleted
Minnesota Timberwolves 111-88 Saturday night to stretch their home
winning streak to 13 games, their longest in 14 years. ''We've all been
playing better in the second half of the season and our record is
showing that,'' Lawson said. ''The first half of the season, there were
worries in management, coaching staff if we were going to make the
playoffs, but we've gotten into shape and we've been playing well.''
Corey Brewer had 15 points, while Danilo Gallinari and Andre Iguodala
added 11 apiece for the Nuggets, who have won eight in a row overall.
Read more here.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
March 3, 2013
Turner,
Holiday lead 76ers over Warriors
Evan
Turner had 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, Jrue Holiday scored
27, and the Philadelphia 76ers snapped a seven-game losing streak with
a 104-97 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night. Thad
Young had 14 points and 16 rebounds and Royal Ivey chipped in with 17
points for the Sixers, who are 5 1/2 games behind Milwaukee for the
final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 25 games left.
Stephen Curry scored 30 and Klay Thompson added 29 for the Warriors,
who've lost four in a row. Despite losing 10 of 13, Golden State
remains sixth in the West. The Warriors are one game up on eighth-place
Houston and 3 1/2 ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers, who are fighting for
the last spot. The Sixers overcame deficits of 16 in the first half and
11 in the third quarter and took an 82-81 lead into the fourth. Read
more here.
Noah, Boozer lead Bulls past Nets 96-85
Coming
off one of the best performances of his career, Joakim Noah did all he
could to match it. He came up short, but not by much. Noah finished
with 21 points and 10 rebounds, Carlos Boozer scored 20 and the Chicago
Bulls beat the Brooklyn Nets 96-85 on Saturday night. The Bulls went on
a 19-0 run that started in the second quarter and stretched into third,
giving them an 18-point lead. And they opened March on a winning note
after going 5-8 in February, just their second losing month in 2 1/2
seasons under coach Tom Thibodeau. ''It's been an up-and-down year,''
Noah said. ''But I really feel like when we're playing our best, we can
really beat a lot of people. So the potential is definitely there.''
Their superstar point guard is not playing, and to many, the Bulls can
forget about contending for a championship until Derrick Rose is back
and dominating. Read more here.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
February 24, 2013
LeBron's triple-double lifts Heat over 76ers
Before
he took a seat on the bench, LeBron James made sure to grab one more
rebound. James had 16 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his 35th
career triple-double and the Miami Heat cruised to their 10th straight
win, 114-90 over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night. The
three-time NBA MVP knew he was one board away from a special night so
he went after it hard early in the fourth quarter. After Chris Anderson
blocked Evan Turner's shot, James hauled it in, drove up court and
banked a shot in for good measure. ''I was going to stay out there
until I got it,'' James said. ''I wasn't going to let this one slip
away. I've had too many games where I was one assist, one rebound away.
I wasn't coming out.'' Read more here.
Wizards fend off Rockets' 3s for 105-103 win
The
Rockets dominated early with an impressive 3-point shooting display and
finished with more attempts than any NBA team this season. The Wizards
countered by going big and going inside and it paid off when the former
league laughingstock took down another winning team. Bradley Beal
scored 21 points and Emeka Okafor had 17 points, 11 rebounds and made
the go-ahead free throw with 5.2 seconds remaining to help the
Washington defeat Houston 105-103 on Saturday night. Trevor Ariza added
18 points and John Wall had 12 points and 11 assists for the Wizards,
who came back from a 17-point deficit for their second straight win.
Washington, winner of 10 of its last 12 home games, scored 54 points in
the paint to offset the 57 points Houston scored on 19 3-pointers. Read
more here.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
February 17, 2013
Ross
beats Evans in dunk contest
Terrence
Ross had to settle his nerves at the start of the All-Star dunk
contest. By the end, he was calming down a ball boy he needed as a prop
for his winning slam. The 6-foot-6 Toronto rookie leapfrogged Michael
Costolo, the son of Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, whipped the ball between
his legs and hammered home a one-handed dunk to beat defending champion
Jeremy Evans in the climax to All-Star Saturday. ''I told him the day
before that I was going to jump over him, but I never told him I was
going to go through the legs,'' Ross said. ''He was kind of nervous.
When I first grabbed him, he said, 'You're not going to hit me, right?'
I said, 'No, I'm not going to hit you.''' Ross seemed to be unsure of
himself in the beginning, botching his first three dunk attempts in the
first round. Read more here.
Photo: nydailynews.com
Source: sports.yahoo.com
February
10, 2013
Marion,
Mavericks down slumping Warriors 116-91
Dallas
didn't have to worry about another close finish against the weary
Golden State Warriors. Shawn Marion scored a season-high 26 points,
O.J. Mayo added 19 and the Mavericks handed the Golden State Warriors
their fourth straight loss, 116-91 on Saturday night. Dallas had lost
its first two meetings to Golden State by a combined seven points. The
Warriors beat the Mavericks 105-101 in overtime on Nov. 19 and edged
Dallas 100-97 on Jan. 31. The narrow loss last week was still on
Dallas' mind, especially since coach Rick Carlisle was fined $25,000
for criticizing the late-game officiating. Darren Collison, who had 18
points and eight assists, keyed a 21-6 first-quarter run. The Mavericks
stretched the lead to 27 in the second quarter and were barely
threatened after that. Read more here.
Denver
coach George Karl thinks it's about time people started taking notice
of his team. Given the fact the Nuggets are the NBA's longest active
winning streak, Karl has good reason to feel that way. Danilo Gallinari
scored 19 points, Kenneth Faried added 17 and Denver won their ninth
straight game with a 111-103 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on
Saturday night. Although the Nuggets have the fourth-best record in the
Western Conference, no Denver player was selected for next Sunday's
All-Star Game, a fact Karl is quick to point out. ''We're going to try
and shock the world and become the first team to win a championship
without an All-Star,'' he said. The Nuggets, who have won 15 of 17, are
on their longest winning streak since posting 10 straight victories
from March 30-April 15, 2005. Read more here.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
February 3, 2013
Harden gets triple-double as Rockets beat Bobcats
James
Harden never had a game like this, and he never saw a player hurt the
way Charlotte's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was on Saturday night. Harden
had 21 points, a career-high 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his first
career triple-double in the Rockets' 109-95 win over the Bobcats on
Saturday night. The Rockets broke open a close game in the fourth
quarter, after Kidd-Gilchrist collided with teammate Jeff Taylor and
left the court on a stretcher. Kidd-Gilchrist, the second overall pick
in last year's draft out of Kentucky, was fitted with a neck brace and
taken to the hospital for X-rays. The team said late Saturday night
that Kidd-Gilchrist would be hospitalized overnight with a concussion.
The X-rays and a CT scan were negative, the Bobcats said. Read more here.
Irving's 35 pace Cavaliers over Thunder
Kyrie
Irving wasn't just interested. He was incredible. With one shot better
than his last, Irving scored 35 points, including 13 in the final 2:52,
as the Cleveland Cavaliers stunned the Oklahoma City Thunder 115-110 on
Saturday. One night after saying he was ''disinterested'' during a loss
in Detroit, Irving was simply spectacular down the stretch. He
single-handedly closed out one of the NBA's best teams, making his last
five shots and showing why he's an All-Star at age 20. Irving's biggest
bucket was a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left to make it 113-108. ''He's
a killer,'' said newly acquired Cavs forward Marreese Speights, who
added 21 points. ''I knew a little about him, I didn't know THAT.''
Kevin Durant scored 32 points and Russell Westbrook had 28 for the
Thunder. Read more here.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
January 27, 2013
Blazers rebound to beat Clippers 101-100
Nicolas
Batum held on to the game ball long after the confetti celebrating
Portland's victory stopped falling from the rafters of the Rose Garden.
Batum had 20 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists - for his
second triple-double in three games - and the Trail Blazers edged the
Los Angeles Clippers 101-100 on Saturday night. Batum had his first
career triple-double on Monday in Portland's 98-95 loss to Washington.
He had 12 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. But that one didn't quite
mean as much. ''It's a better taste when you win the game,'' he said
following the victory, the ball sitting in front of his locker. It was
the fourth straight loss for the Clippers, who played without guard
Chris Paul for the third consecutive game with a bruised right kneecap.
Read more here.
Irving lifts Cavaliers past Raptors 99-98
This
has been one fun stretch for Kyrie Irving. The second-year star made a
3-pointer with 0.7 seconds left on Saturday night, giving the Cleveland
Cavaliers a 99-98 victory over the Toronto Raptors. The clutch shot
capped off a memorable week that also included his first All-Star
selection, a 40-point performance against Boston, and a 35-point effort
in a win over Milwaukee. ''He's just playing at an unbelievably high
level right now,'' Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said. No kidding. With
time running down, Irving calmly drained a pull-up jumper from well
behind the top of the arc, sending the Cavaliers to their season-high
third straight win. ''I wanted to get a win,'' Irving said. ''It was
personal for me. In a year and a half of being in the NBA, I hadn't
gotten a win against Toronto. To hit a game-winner and beat them on
their home court feels good.'' Read more here.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
January 20, 2013
Clippers
hold off upset-minded Wizards 94-87
Blake
Griffin had one of those rare nights when his free throw percentage for
the game was actually higher than his field goal percentage. The
three-time All-Star made a pair of clutch foul shots in the final 2
minutes, finishing 7 for 10 from the line and partially atoning for his
dreadful 5-for-18 performance as the Clippers held off the pesky
Washington Wizards 94-87 on Saturday night. Griffin has converted 23 of
his last 29 from the line to improve his season percentage from 61.9 to
64.2. ''I'm just putting in the work every day and trying to turn that
into something that's a strength of mine and not something that can be
a liability,'' Griffin said. ''It's going to be huge for us, especially
down the stretch and in the playoffs. So if I can shoot better from the
free throw line, that will take a little pressure off the rest of the
team.'' Read more here.
Tony Parker, Spurs hold off Hawks, 98-93
With
Tim Duncan given a night off and Manu Ginobili still out with a
hamstring injury, Tony Parker took the lead for the San Antonio Spurs.
Parker had 23 points and 12 assists, and the Spurs held off the
short-handed Atlanta Hawks 98-93 on Saturday night for their fourth
straight victory. ''Tony is just incredible,'' said Spurs coach Gregg
Popovich. ''What competitiveness. What a will to win. What a will to
carry the team. He's really fun to watch at both ends of the court. And
he's been doing that all year.'' The Spurs snapped a streak of three
straight road losses with their first win away from San Antonio since
Jan. 2. Matt Bonner added 17 points, and Kawhi Leonard and Tiago
Splitter each had 14 for the Spurs. Parker had 10 points in the final
period as the Spurs held off the Hawks' comeback. Read more here.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
January 13, 2013
Chalmers
hits 10 3-pointers as Heat rout Kings
Often
overlooked on the star-laden Miami Heat, Mario Chalmers came up big
against the Sacramento Kings. Chalmers had career highs with 10
3-pointers and 34 points to lead the Heat to a 128-99 victory over the
Kings on Saturday night. Chalmers' 3s tied Brian Shaw's franchise
record and set the new mark at Sacramento's Sleep Train Arena as he
finished 10 of 13 from 3-point territory. ''He had it going and we kept
finding him. Mario was awesome,'' LeBron James said. ''He was knocking
down shots all game.'' And that included the fourth quarter, when the
Heat led by more than 30 points and the only suspense was whether
Chalmers would exceed his career-high for points and break the Heat
3-point record. Read more here.
Magic beat Clippers 104-101 to end 10-game skid
Two
streaking teams going in opposite directions. The Clippers, co-owners
of the NBA's best record and on a roll at home. The Magic, playing
opponents close only to fall short while piling up the franchise's
longest skid since the 2003-04 season. Something had to give, and this
time, it was the Clippers. J.J. Redick gave Orlando its first lead of
the game on a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left, Arron Afflalo tied his
season high with 30 points, and the Magic won 104-101 on Saturday to
snap a 10-game skid. ''It wasn't a letdown by us. Don't try to take
anything away from them,'' Clippers guard Chris Paul said. ''They made
tough shot after tough shot. J.J. Reddick had a hand in his face half
the time.'' The loss ended the Clippers' franchise-record, 13-game
home-winning streak. Read more here.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
January
6, 2013
Clippers
get club-record 12th straight home win
The
Los Angeles Clippers had no intention of going 0-3 against the Golden
State Warriors, and they played like it. Chris Paul had 27 points and
nine assists, Blake Griffin added 20 points and the Clippers set a
franchise record with their 12th straight home victory, 115-89 over the
Warriors on Saturday night. ''We've been pretty good at home,'' Paul
said. ''I think that's 12 in a row for us here. It's all about our
fans, and we feed off them. So we've got to keep making this a tough
place to play. ''The first time they beat us here, you would have
thought they won the NBA Finals,'' Paul added. ''Then they beat us up
there pretty handily, so we wanted to protect our home court. Read more
here.
Timberwolves star Love re-fractures right hand
The
injury-riddled Minnesota Timberwolves lost star forward Kevin Love to a
broken right hand for the second time this season when an MRI confirmed
the injury on Saturday. Love re-fractured his third metacarpal in the
hand, and the team said it expects to know more about a timetable for
his return after he is examined by a hand specialist in New York. The
original injury, which occurred on Oct. 17, sidelined Love for the
first three weeks of the season and has hampered his shooting. He
re-injured the hand during the third quarter Thursday night at Denver.
''He's a huge part of what we were hoping to do and now we have to find
other ways to do it,'' coach Rick Adelman said before Saturday night's
game against Portland. Read more here.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
January 1, 2013
Durant
and Westbrook lift Thunder over Suns
Receiving
eight stitches above his right eye might have been painful, but it
wasn't enough to keep Russell Westbrook from practicing his whirling
dervish ways Monday night for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Westbrook
returned from the wound to finish with 24 points, nine assists and
seven rebounds, Kevin Durant scored 30 points and the Thunder pulled
away in the fourth quarter for a 114-96 win over the Phoenix Suns.
''When you see blood, you don't know what to do,'' Durant said of
Westbrook. ''I was glad he came back here and got stitched up and was
able to play again. He came out there with a lot of anger and it showed
on both ends of the floor. Read more here.
Bobcats end 18-game skid with 91-81 win over Bulls
Squandering
a healthy lead is nothing new to the Charlotte Bobcats - hanging onto
one is. Kemba Walker had 18 points and eight rebounds, and the Bobcats
ended an 18-game losing streak with a 91-81 win over the Chicago Bulls
on Monday. Gerald Henderson added 16 points and reserve Ben Gordon had
15 to help Charlotte snap the second-longest skid in team history. It
was the Bobcats' first win in their last 10 road games. ''We're a
desperate team right now,'' Henderson said. ''This losing streak has
been very tough on us.'' Luol Deng scored 20 points and grabbed 12
rebounds for Chicago. Carlos Boozer also had a double-double with 19
points and 14 boards. Read more here.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
December
30, 2012
Even
with Wade back, Bucks too much for Heat
Dwyane
Wade's return to the lineup wasn't nearly enough for Miami.
Brandon Jennings scored 25 points and Mike Dunleavy had 13 of his 18 in
the fourth quarter as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Heat 104-85 on
Saturday night. Wade was back after serving a one-game suspension for
flailing his leg and making contact with guard Ramon Sessions' groin
during the Heat's 105-92 victory over Charlotte on Wednesday. Wade sat
out Miami's 109-99 loss to Detroit on Friday night, which snapped the
Heat's six-game winning streak. ''Obviously, the last 48 hours has not
gone the way we wanted it to,'' Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. ''We
don't want to make any excuses about it. Milwaukee kicked our butt.
They were the better team tonight. We will gather ourselves, get to
Orlando and start to work on it.'' Read more here.
Thunder roll to 124-94 win over Rockets
Kevin
Durant made one of his first eight shots, and the Oklahoma City Thunder
were clinging to a two-point lead in the second quarter on Saturday
against the Houston Rockets. Then, Durant and the Thunder got going and
finished the night with their best offensive performance on the road
since 2009. Russell Westbrook scored 28 points and Durant added 26 as
the Thunder built a big lead in the second quarter and rolled to a
124-94 win over Houston. It was their largest road win since beating
the Clippers 126-85 on April 15, 2009. ''I started off terrible and I
just wanted to get going,'' Durant said. ''I just wanted to come out
and shoot a good shot, and I was able to get started.'' Durant scored
11 points during a 16-0 run by the Thunder to end the first half and
extend the lead to 18. Read more here.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
December 23, 2012
Lakers rally past Warriors in OT in Nash's return
Steve
Nash sliced through the lane, broke down the defense, and created shots
for Kobe Bryant time and again, just the way he has for teammates
throughout his brilliant 17-year NBA career. So much for an adjustment
period. Bryant had 34 points and 10 rebounds, Nash finished with 12
points and nine assists in his first game in almost two months, and the
Los Angeles Lakers rallied from 14 points down in the fourth quarter to
beat the Golden State Warriors 118-115 in overtime on Saturday night.
''It's easy. It's very easy. It's beyond easy,'' Bryant said about
playing with Nash, who had missed 24 straight games while recovering
from a small fracture in his lower left leg. ''You put two guys
together who can do opposite things and it fits extremely well. Read
more here.
Kings suspend C DeMarcus Cousins indefinitely
DeMarcus
Cousins was suspended indefinitely by the Sacramento Kings on Saturday
for ''unprofessional behavior and conduct detrimental to the team.''
Cousins and Kings coach Keith Smart exchanged words in the locker room
during halftime of Sacramento's 97-85 loss at the Los Angeles Clippers
on Friday night. Smart benched Cousins for the entire second half and
ordered him to remain in the locker room. Cousins also was suspended
one game without pay by the NBA for striking O.J. Mayo in the groin
during a loss at Dallas on Dec. 10. Following a loss at San Antonio on
Nov. 9, the league suspended Cousins two games without pay for
confronting Spurs announcer Sean Elliott in a ''hostile manner.'' Read
more here.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
December 16, 2012
Rubio's
return sparks Wolves to win over Mavericks
The
white sleeve on Ricky Rubio's left knee served as a reminder of what he
went through to get back on the court. While it served to protect his
surgically repaired joint, it clearly does nothing to constrict the
creativity and unbridled joy that made him one of the most exciting
players in the league before he went down last season. Nine long months
later, it's as if Rubio never left. Zipping passes between his legs to
his Timberwolves teammates in a dazzling season debut, Rubio had nine
assists and eight points in 18 minutes of Minnesota's 114-106 overtime
victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night. Andrei Kirilenko
scored five of his 14 points in overtime while Rubio watched from the
bench because of a minutes restriction. Read more here.
Knicks overcome Irving's 41, hold off Cavs 103-102
Once
they outlasted Kyrie Irving, the New York Knicks could turn their
attention to the next point guard coming to Madison Square Garden. Even
Linsanity shouldn't be as tough to deal with as the guy wearing the
black mask Saturday night. Raymond Felton scored 25 points, Tyson
Chandler had 23, and the New York Knicks overcame Irving's career-high
41 points and the absence of Carmelo Anthony to post a 103-102 victory
over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Knicks won their fourth straight when
Anderson Varejao missed the second of two free throws with 1 second
left. They improved the NBA's only unbeaten home record to 10-0, their
best start since the 1991-92 team won its first 11 at Madison Square
Garden. Read more here.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
December
9, 2012
Hawks
use 3rd-quarter rally to beat Memphis 93-83
At
halftime, the Atlanta Hawks figured they had played cautiously long
enough. With a burst of energy, tough defense and 3-point shooting from
Lou Williams in the third quarter, the Hawks were able to pull away for
a 93-83 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night. ''I think
we were just trying to play it safe because (the Grizzlies) are a
really good team,'' Atlanta guard Jeff Teague said of the first-half
effort. ''They were playing at home, so we didn't want to make any
false moves and just keep it close. ''We just came in, (at halftime)
and it was like: 'Forget it. Let's play Hawks basketball and get after
it.' And it helped.'' Josh Smith had 24 points. Read more here.
Mayo has 40, Mavs win in McHale's return
Chris
Kaman scored half as many points as O.J. Mayo for the Dallas Mavericks
on Saturday night. Considering the way Kaman's left ankle looked, those
20 points were just as impressive to coach Rick Carlisle. Mayo tied a
career high with 40 points, including 10 in the last three minutes, to
lift the Mavericks to a 116-109 victory over the Rockets in coach Kevin
McHale's return to the Houston bench. Kaman left the Mavericks' last
game on Thursday night with a sprained left ankle. He started Saturday
night and played more than 18 minutes despite the left side of his
ankle being almost completely covered by a deep purple bruise. Read
more here.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
December 2, 2012
Thunder
blow past Hornets, 100-79
Russell
Westbrook intercepted Ryan Anderson's inbounds pass, immediately pulled
up for a 3-pointer that he nailed, blew on the tips of his
pistol-shaped hands, then emphatically jammed both hands into the
imaginary holsters on his hips. Westbrook's gun-slinging mentality is
in full swing, serving as a perfect complement to Kevin Durant's
habitually prolific performances and making the Oklahoma City Thunder a
blowout machine. Durant scored 20 points, Westbrook added 18 points, 10
assists and three steals, and the Thunder won their fifth straight
game, 100-79 over the struggling New Orleans Hornets on Saturday night.
Read more here.
Wade's 34 lifts Heat past Nets, 102-89
Dwyane
Wade scored a season-high 34 points, LeBron James added 21 points and
the Miami Heat rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat the Brooklyn
Nets 102-89 on Saturday night. Ray Allen scored 13 and Norris Cole
finished with 12 for the Heat, who won their sixth straight and
remained atop the Eastern Conference. Miami held the Nets to 30 points
in the second half. Andray Blatche scored 20 points for Brooklyn, which
had won five in a row. Gerald Wallace had 13 points, Joe Johnson added
12 and Deron Williams finished with 10 points and 12 assists. The Nets
were 10 for 31 from the field in the second half and lost to Miami for
the 12th straight time.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
November 25, 2012
Lakers
start hot, roll past Mavericks, 115-89
The
Los Angeles Lakers have scoring beyond Kobe Bryant in Mike D'Antoni's
offense. Not so much for the Dallas Mavericks when O.J. Mayo is a bit
off, at least until Dirk Nowitzki gets back. Metta World Peace hit
three quick 3-pointers to spark a Los Angeles barrage from long range,
and the Lakers scored 36 points before Bryant took his first shot in a
115-89 blowout of the Mavericks on Saturday night. Once he started
shooting, Bryant, the league's leading scorer, ended up joining World
Peace among three Lakers with 19 points, and Los Angeles avoided its
first 0-5 road start in nearly 20 years by scoring 100 points for the
first time in four games under its hobbled coach. Read more here.
Heat escape Cavs with late rally, 110-108
Down
by seven points with less than 2 minutes left, LeBron James' current
team was in big trouble against his former team. That is, until the
Miami Heat saved their very best for the very end. James found Ray
Allen for the go-ahead 3-pointer with 18.2 seconds left, highlighting a
nine-point run to end the game and lift the Heat to a 110-108 victory
over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night. Miami held the lead for
just 2 minutes, 29 seconds. Cleveland led 108-101 with 1:58 remaining,
before the reigning NBA champions found a way to stay perfect at home.
''It speaks to the competitive will that the guys have at the end of
close games,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Read more here.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
November
18, 2012
Rondo
has 20 assists, Celtics beat Raptors 107-89
Rajon
Rondo made up for lost time in a big way for the Boston Celtics after
missing a game because of a sprained right ankle. Rondo had 20 assists
for the second time this season and added six points to help the
Celtics beat the Toronto Raptors 107-89 on Saturday. Jason Terry scored
20 points, Paul Pierce added 19 points and six rebounds before sitting
out the fourth quarter, and Kevin Garnett scored 15 points in 17
minutes of playing time. The Celtics held big leads early and late, but
had to survive several surges in between while winning for the fourth
time in five games. And any worries Boston fans might have had about
Rondo's ankle were quickly washed away when he had seven assists in the
first quarter. Read more here.
Jazz drop Wizards to 0-8 with 83-76 victory
The
Washington Wizards had the perfect opportunity for a first victory,
facing a struggling and tired Utah Jazz team ready to go home after
nearly a week on the road. Instead, the night ended with another
demoralizing loss that turned awkward and surreal in the final minute -
when the home crowd started cheering wildly for a chicken sandwich
giveaway. The Jazz pulled away in the fourth quarter and capped a
four-game road trip with an 83-76 win Saturday, making the Wizards only
the second team in NBA history to start 0-8 in back-to-back seasons.
''It's tough,'' Washington coach Randy Wittman said. ''I don't know how
else to put it.'' Read more here.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
November
9, 2012
Clippers
build big lead, beat Blazers 103-90
Chris
Paul joked that the Trail Blazers' near-comeback against the Clippers
made for good television. ''You always gotta make it interesting,'' he
said with a smile. But only to a point. The Clippers built a 25-point
lead in the first half then held off a second-half rally by the Blazers
for a 103-90 victory on Thursday night. Jamal Crawford scored 25 points
off the bench while Paul and DeAndre Jordan had 21 apiece. ''We all
knew what we were supposed to do. We came out a little flat defensively
in the third quarter, so we all got on each other,'' Jordan said. ''We
knew in the fourth quarter we had to come out and play.'' Read more here.
Durant helps Thunder edge Bulls 97-91
Oklahoma
City went to Kevin Durant in the fourth quarter. Chicago was missing
its best closer, so all the Bulls had to pitch in. Durant and Co. were
just too much to overcome. The NBA scoring champion had 10 of his 24
points in the final period and the Thunder beat the Bulls 97-91 on
Thursday night. ''It was one of those games you have to grind out,''
Durant said. ''We've been through so many. We know what it takes.''
Durant iced the game with an off-balance jumper off one foot with 35.1
seconds to play. He added another jumper a few seconds later and then
finished off his game-ending spree with a couple of free throws. Read
more here.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
October 31, 2012
Dallas
stuns loaded Lakers in opener, 99-91
Dwight
Howard missed a two-handed dunk on his first shot, and the night never
got much better for the Los Angeles Lakers. When Howard and Steve Nash
took their places alongside Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol under the
Hollywood spotlight, the Lakers opened a season of enormous
expectations with an equally big dud of a performance. Darren Collison
scored 17 points, Brandan Wright added 14, and the Dallas Mavericks
spoiled the Lakers debuts of Howard and Steve Nash with a 99-91 victory
over Los Angeles on Tuesday night. In his first regular-season game in
a gold jersey, Howard had 19 points and 10 rebounds while missing 11 of
his 14 free throws before fouling out with 2:02 to play. Read more here.
Heat get rings, then win over Celtics, 120-107
LeBron
James got cramps, Ray Allen was snubbed and Dwyane Wade was steaming.
None of that spoiled the Miami Heat mood on ring night. Wade scored 29
points, James finished 26 points and 10 rebounds while missing much of
the second half because of cramps in both legs, and the reigning NBA
champion Heat beat the Boston Celtics 120-107 on Tuesday night in the
season opener for both teams. There were actual fireworks before the
game to close the ceremony where the Heat got their championship rings
and raised their title banner. There also were plenty of figurative
fireworks late, first with Boston almost digging out of a 19-point hole
and, after the outcome was decided, Rajon Rondo flagrantly fouling Wade
by wrapping his arms around his neck on a drive. Read more here.
Chris
Paul hit a free throw with 18.3 seconds left, and the Los Angeles
Clippers edged the Memphis Grizzlies 91-87 Saturday night in a possible
preview of a first-round playoff series. With the win, the Clippers
took the season series 3-1 for what could be a crucial tiebreaker
giving Los Angeles home-court advantage in the postseason even though
the teams now are tied at 54-26. That puts them both one-half game
behind Denver for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. DeAndre
Jordan led the Clippers with 16 points. Paul finished with 13, Blake
Griffin had 12 and Willie Green 10. Marc Gasol had 18 points, 15
rebounds and seven assists for Memphis. Zach Randolph finished with 16
points and 12 rebounds. Tayshaun Prince scored 13, and Mike Conley
added 12 points and six assists. Read more 
Courtney
Lee scored 20 points and Jeff Green added 17 as the Boston Celtics
cruised to a 120-88 victory over the Orlando Magic on Saturday night.
The win locked up the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference for
Boston, which never trailed in beating Orlando for the eighth straight
time. All five Celtics starters reached double figures, with Kevin
Garnett and Paul Pierce scoring 14 and 12 points, respectively, after
sitting out Friday against Miami. Tobias Harris led the Magic with 22
points, and Nik Vucevic added 16 points and 12 rebounds. Orlando hasn't
won back-to-back games since December. The Magic play their final home
game of season on Monday against Chicago, and head to Miami for the
season finale on Wednesday. The Celtics conclude their regular-season
schedule against Indiana on Tuesday and visit Toronto on Wednesday.
Read more 
Showcasing
their depth in stunning fashion, the Denver Nuggets rolled to a season
high in points and matched a team record with a 20th consecutive home
win despite missing their top two scorers because of injuries. Corey
Brewer had 22 points off the bench and Wilson Chandler scored 21 points
in place of the injured Danilo Gallinari, leading the Nuggets past the
Houston Rockets, 132-114 Saturday night. Even Nuggets coach George Karl
acknowledged some surprise over the dominant showing by his squad,
playing for the first time since losing the sharp-shooting Gallinari to
a season-ending left knee injury. Playmaking guard Ty Lawson, the
Nuggets' leading scorer, is out indefinitely because of a plantar
fascia tear in his right foot. Read more 
LeBron
James went through a series of tests before the game, all under the
watchful eye of the Miami Heat training staff and some coaches. He
passed with flying colors, and looked good as new afterward. James
scored 27 points after a three-game absence caused by a strained right
hamstring, five other Miami players reached double figures and the Heat
moved closer to securing home-court advantage for the entire NBA
playoffs by topping the Philadelphia 76ers 106-87 on Saturday night.
''He knows his body better than anybody,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra
said. ''So he knew how to pace himself and put his fingerprints on the
game.'' Playing only 31 minutes, James made 12 of 17 shots from the
field and added five assists and four rebounds. Rashard Lewis scored 14
points, Norris Cole added 13 and Chris Andersen grabbed 15 rebounds -
as many as he had in any two previous games this season combined - for
the Heat, whose magic number for clinching the league's best
regular-season record was trimmed to two. Read more 
Down five
early in the fourth quarter, it was time for the Oklahoma City Thunder
to take pride in their defense. They did just that. Kevin Durant scored
30 points and Russell Westbrook had a triple-double to lead the Thunder
to a 109-99 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. The
Thunder used a 19-2 run in the fourth quarter for their fourth win in
five games. Instead of their top-scoring offense being the reason for
that game-clinching run, it was the defense that got the final charge
going. ''I told them we had to take some pride in our defensive
possessions,'' Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. ''It was an individual
effort by a lot of guys. Serge Ibaka did a phenomenal job protecting
the basket and blocking and altering their shots. Russell and Kevin did
a good job defending their players.'' They did more than just a good
job. Milwaukee held a five-point lead early in the fourth quarter. Read
more 
Playing
without leading scorer James Harden, the Houston Rockets cracked one of
the league's best defenses by spreading the ball around. Jeremy Lin,
Chandler Parsons and Francisco Garcia scored 15 points apiece and Omer
Asik added 13 points to lead the Rockets to a 98-81 victory over the
Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night. Harden missed his third game of
the season with a right ankle sprain, but the Rockets had all the right
answers in his absence. Harden, who played 26 minutes and scored a
four-month low seven points in a 103-94 road loss to Memphis on Friday
night, ranks fifth in the league at 26.0 points per game. ''We had a
lot of guys play well,'' Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. ''The ball
was really moving tonight, and it was good to see that. Everybody was
in tune.'' Read more 
George
Karl didn't sound like the coach of a Denver team on a streak not seen
in 43 years. He sounded like a coach ready to shake things up in the
final weeks before the playoffs. Moments after his Nuggets beat the
Sacramento Kings 101-95 on Saturday night for their 15th straight win,
Karl was lamenting his players' second straight lackluster performance.
''What I've been telling the team, telling them for three days, the
next (11) games I don't want to hear about rest, I don't want to hear
we're tired, I want our attitude to be the best basketball we've played
all year,'' he said. ''And if you don't want to do that then I'll play
somebody else. I don't want to hear about my body hurts, I'm sore.
Everybody plays the same amount of games, and resting's not going to
get us ready for the opportunities. Read more 
The
Chicago Bulls are used to dealing with injuries so they weren't rattled
when All-Star center Joakim Noah didn't play Saturday night against the
Indiana Pacers. As they have done all season, the Bulls turned to their
reserves, including veteran center Nazr Mohammed, forward Taj Gibson,
and guards Daequan Cook and Nate Robinson, to rally from a 10-point
deficit for an 87-84 victory that snapped Indiana's three-game winning
streak. ''That is the way we have to play; we have to do it
collectively,'' Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said after his team avoided a
three-game losing streak. ''A lot of guys stepped up.'' Forward Luol
Deng scored 20 points and Carlos Boozer had 18, but the offensive stars
of the second-half Chicago rally came off the bench. Read more here.
Read more 
The
San Antonio Spurs are without Tony Parker and their usual fire on
defense, but they still have Tim Duncan. They needed the All-Star power
forward to overcome their alarming lack of defense. Duncan had 30
points, 12 rebounds and five blocks, and the Spurs beat the Cleveland
Cavaliers 119-113 on Saturday night. Kawhi Leonard added 24 points and
13 boards, and Manu Ginobili added 14 points and 10 assists for San
Antonio (51-16), which is 1 1/2 games ahead of Oklahoma City for the
top seed in the Western Conference. ''Tim saved our (butt),'' said
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who was ejected midway through the second
quarter. ''He obviously carried the whole night for us. He was great.
It shouldn't have to be that way.'' Nando De Colo had 11 points and
Tiago Splitter 10 for the Spurs. Read more 
The
Boston Celtics finally found a way to beat the team with the NBA's
worst record. Actually, it was several ways as the Celtics avenged an
embarrassing loss earlier in the week at Charlotte by routing the
Bobcats 105-88 on Saturday night. Paul Pierce had 14 points, eight
assists and six rebounds before sitting out the entire fourth quarter,
cheering on his teammates from the bench as they beat the Bobcats for
the first time in three tries this season. ''It wasn't a sense that we
owed them one. It was a sense that we need to play better against them
and we need to keep playing well at home,'' said Pierce, who also had
three blocks. ''It's about us playing well and playing the right way.''
All five Boston starters scored in double figures and all 11 players
who dressed for the Celtics scored at least five points. The only
player in the official lineup that didn't score was Kevin Garnett, who
sat out to rest a strained muscle in his left thigh. Read more 
The
Memphis Grizzlies keep returning from halftime and imposing their style
on opponents. With an emphasis on defense and pressure to increase the
pace, Memphis again used a strong third quarter to beat the New Orleans
Hornets 96-85 on Saturday night. ''I think our focus coming out of
halftime, understanding what we need to adjust, then going out and
executing it, has been phenomenal,'' said guard Mike Conley, who led
Memphis scorers with 22 points. ''We came in the locker room and said:
'We have to do this, that and this,' and we go out there and do it.''
Conley, who also had eight assists, led seven Memphis players in double
figures as the Grizzlies won their fourth straight. Tony Allen had 14
points, while Tayshaun Prince and Quincy Pondexter scored 13 points
apiece. Read more 
Nearly
unbeatable at home this season, the Denver Nuggets got the better of
one of the few teams that has managed to get out of town with a
victory. Ty Lawson matched his season high with 32 points, including 14
in the fourth quarter, and the Nuggets beat the injury-depleted
Minnesota Timberwolves 111-88 Saturday night to stretch their home
winning streak to 13 games, their longest in 14 years. ''We've all been
playing better in the second half of the season and our record is
showing that,'' Lawson said. ''The first half of the season, there were
worries in management, coaching staff if we were going to make the
playoffs, but we've gotten into shape and we've been playing well.''
Corey Brewer had 15 points, while Danilo Gallinari and Andre Iguodala
added 11 apiece for the Nuggets, who have won eight in a row overall.
Read more 
Evan
Turner had 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, Jrue Holiday scored
27, and the Philadelphia 76ers snapped a seven-game losing streak with
a 104-97 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night. Thad
Young had 14 points and 16 rebounds and Royal Ivey chipped in with 17
points for the Sixers, who are 5 1/2 games behind Milwaukee for the
final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 25 games left.
Stephen Curry scored 30 and Klay Thompson added 29 for the Warriors,
who've lost four in a row. Despite losing 10 of 13, Golden State
remains sixth in the West. The Warriors are one game up on eighth-place
Houston and 3 1/2 ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers, who are fighting for
the last spot. The Sixers overcame deficits of 16 in the first half and
11 in the third quarter and took an 82-81 lead into the fourth. Read
more 
Coming
off one of the best performances of his career, Joakim Noah did all he
could to match it. He came up short, but not by much. Noah finished
with 21 points and 10 rebounds, Carlos Boozer scored 20 and the Chicago
Bulls beat the Brooklyn Nets 96-85 on Saturday night. The Bulls went on
a 19-0 run that started in the second quarter and stretched into third,
giving them an 18-point lead. And they opened March on a winning note
after going 5-8 in February, just their second losing month in 2 1/2
seasons under coach Tom Thibodeau. ''It's been an up-and-down year,''
Noah said. ''But I really feel like when we're playing our best, we can
really beat a lot of people. So the potential is definitely there.''
Their superstar point guard is not playing, and to many, the Bulls can
forget about contending for a championship until Derrick Rose is back
and dominating. Read more 
Before
he took a seat on the bench, LeBron James made sure to grab one more
rebound. James had 16 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his 35th
career triple-double and the Miami Heat cruised to their 10th straight
win, 114-90 over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night. The
three-time NBA MVP knew he was one board away from a special night so
he went after it hard early in the fourth quarter. After Chris Anderson
blocked Evan Turner's shot, James hauled it in, drove up court and
banked a shot in for good measure. ''I was going to stay out there
until I got it,'' James said. ''I wasn't going to let this one slip
away. I've had too many games where I was one assist, one rebound away.
I wasn't coming out.'' Read more 
The
Rockets dominated early with an impressive 3-point shooting display and
finished with more attempts than any NBA team this season. The Wizards
countered by going big and going inside and it paid off when the former
league laughingstock took down another winning team. Bradley Beal
scored 21 points and Emeka Okafor had 17 points, 11 rebounds and made
the go-ahead free throw with 5.2 seconds remaining to help the
Washington defeat Houston 105-103 on Saturday night. Trevor Ariza added
18 points and John Wall had 12 points and 11 assists for the Wizards,
who came back from a 17-point deficit for their second straight win.
Washington, winner of 10 of its last 12 home games, scored 54 points in
the paint to offset the 57 points Houston scored on 19 3-pointers. Read
more 
Terrence
Ross had to settle his nerves at the start of the All-Star dunk
contest. By the end, he was calming down a ball boy he needed as a prop
for his winning slam. The 6-foot-6 Toronto rookie leapfrogged Michael
Costolo, the son of Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, whipped the ball between
his legs and hammered home a one-handed dunk to beat defending champion
Jeremy Evans in the climax to All-Star Saturday. ''I told him the day
before that I was going to jump over him, but I never told him I was
going to go through the legs,'' Ross said. ''He was kind of nervous.
When I first grabbed him, he said, 'You're not going to hit me, right?'
I said, 'No, I'm not going to hit you.''' Ross seemed to be unsure of
himself in the beginning, botching his first three dunk attempts in the
first round. Read more 
Dallas
didn't have to worry about another close finish against the weary
Golden State Warriors. Shawn Marion scored a season-high 26 points,
O.J. Mayo added 19 and the Mavericks handed the Golden State Warriors
their fourth straight loss, 116-91 on Saturday night. Dallas had lost
its first two meetings to Golden State by a combined seven points. The
Warriors beat the Mavericks 105-101 in overtime on Nov. 19 and edged
Dallas 100-97 on Jan. 31. The narrow loss last week was still on
Dallas' mind, especially since coach Rick Carlisle was fined $25,000
for criticizing the late-game officiating. Darren Collison, who had 18
points and eight assists, keyed a 21-6 first-quarter run. The Mavericks
stretched the lead to 27 in the second quarter and were barely
threatened after that. Read more 
Denver
coach George Karl thinks it's about time people started taking notice
of his team. Given the fact the Nuggets are the NBA's longest active
winning streak, Karl has good reason to feel that way. Danilo Gallinari
scored 19 points, Kenneth Faried added 17 and Denver won their ninth
straight game with a 111-103 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on
Saturday night. Although the Nuggets have the fourth-best record in the
Western Conference, no Denver player was selected for next Sunday's
All-Star Game, a fact Karl is quick to point out. ''We're going to try
and shock the world and become the first team to win a championship
without an All-Star,'' he said. The Nuggets, who have won 15 of 17, are
on their longest winning streak since posting 10 straight victories
from March 30-April 15, 2005. Read more 
James
Harden never had a game like this, and he never saw a player hurt the
way Charlotte's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was on Saturday night. Harden
had 21 points, a career-high 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his first
career triple-double in the Rockets' 109-95 win over the Bobcats on
Saturday night. The Rockets broke open a close game in the fourth
quarter, after Kidd-Gilchrist collided with teammate Jeff Taylor and
left the court on a stretcher. Kidd-Gilchrist, the second overall pick
in last year's draft out of Kentucky, was fitted with a neck brace and
taken to the hospital for X-rays. The team said late Saturday night
that Kidd-Gilchrist would be hospitalized overnight with a concussion.
The X-rays and a CT scan were negative, the Bobcats said. Read more 
Kyrie
Irving wasn't just interested. He was incredible. With one shot better
than his last, Irving scored 35 points, including 13 in the final 2:52,
as the Cleveland Cavaliers stunned the Oklahoma City Thunder 115-110 on
Saturday. One night after saying he was ''disinterested'' during a loss
in Detroit, Irving was simply spectacular down the stretch. He
single-handedly closed out one of the NBA's best teams, making his last
five shots and showing why he's an All-Star at age 20. Irving's biggest
bucket was a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left to make it 113-108. ''He's
a killer,'' said newly acquired Cavs forward Marreese Speights, who
added 21 points. ''I knew a little about him, I didn't know THAT.''
Kevin Durant scored 32 points and Russell Westbrook had 28 for the
Thunder. Read more 
Nicolas
Batum held on to the game ball long after the confetti celebrating
Portland's victory stopped falling from the rafters of the Rose Garden.
Batum had 20 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists - for his
second triple-double in three games - and the Trail Blazers edged the
Los Angeles Clippers 101-100 on Saturday night. Batum had his first
career triple-double on Monday in Portland's 98-95 loss to Washington.
He had 12 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. But that one didn't quite
mean as much. ''It's a better taste when you win the game,'' he said
following the victory, the ball sitting in front of his locker. It was
the fourth straight loss for the Clippers, who played without guard
Chris Paul for the third consecutive game with a bruised right kneecap.
Read more 
Blake
Griffin had one of those rare nights when his free throw percentage for
the game was actually higher than his field goal percentage. The
three-time All-Star made a pair of clutch foul shots in the final 2
minutes, finishing 7 for 10 from the line and partially atoning for his
dreadful 5-for-18 performance as the Clippers held off the pesky
Washington Wizards 94-87 on Saturday night. Griffin has converted 23 of
his last 29 from the line to improve his season percentage from 61.9 to
64.2. ''I'm just putting in the work every day and trying to turn that
into something that's a strength of mine and not something that can be
a liability,'' Griffin said. ''It's going to be huge for us, especially
down the stretch and in the playoffs. So if I can shoot better from the
free throw line, that will take a little pressure off the rest of the
team.'' Read more 
With
Tim Duncan given a night off and Manu Ginobili still out with a
hamstring injury, Tony Parker took the lead for the San Antonio Spurs.
Parker had 23 points and 12 assists, and the Spurs held off the
short-handed Atlanta Hawks 98-93 on Saturday night for their fourth
straight victory. ''Tony is just incredible,'' said Spurs coach Gregg
Popovich. ''What competitiveness. What a will to win. What a will to
carry the team. He's really fun to watch at both ends of the court. And
he's been doing that all year.'' The Spurs snapped a streak of three
straight road losses with their first win away from San Antonio since
Jan. 2. Matt Bonner added 17 points, and Kawhi Leonard and Tiago
Splitter each had 14 for the Spurs. Parker had 10 points in the final
period as the Spurs held off the Hawks' comeback. Read more 
Often
overlooked on the star-laden Miami Heat, Mario Chalmers came up big
against the Sacramento Kings. Chalmers had career highs with 10
3-pointers and 34 points to lead the Heat to a 128-99 victory over the
Kings on Saturday night. Chalmers' 3s tied Brian Shaw's franchise
record and set the new mark at Sacramento's Sleep Train Arena as he
finished 10 of 13 from 3-point territory. ''He had it going and we kept
finding him. Mario was awesome,'' LeBron James said. ''He was knocking
down shots all game.'' And that included the fourth quarter, when the
Heat led by more than 30 points and the only suspense was whether
Chalmers would exceed his career-high for points and break the Heat
3-point record. Read more 
Two
streaking teams going in opposite directions. The Clippers, co-owners
of the NBA's best record and on a roll at home. The Magic, playing
opponents close only to fall short while piling up the franchise's
longest skid since the 2003-04 season. Something had to give, and this
time, it was the Clippers. J.J. Redick gave Orlando its first lead of
the game on a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left, Arron Afflalo tied his
season high with 30 points, and the Magic won 104-101 on Saturday to
snap a 10-game skid. ''It wasn't a letdown by us. Don't try to take
anything away from them,'' Clippers guard Chris Paul said. ''They made
tough shot after tough shot. J.J. Reddick had a hand in his face half
the time.'' The loss ended the Clippers' franchise-record, 13-game
home-winning streak. Read more 
The
injury-riddled Minnesota Timberwolves lost star forward Kevin Love to a
broken right hand for the second time this season when an MRI confirmed
the injury on Saturday. Love re-fractured his third metacarpal in the
hand, and the team said it expects to know more about a timetable for
his return after he is examined by a hand specialist in New York. The
original injury, which occurred on Oct. 17, sidelined Love for the
first three weeks of the season and has hampered his shooting. He
re-injured the hand during the third quarter Thursday night at Denver.
''He's a huge part of what we were hoping to do and now we have to find
other ways to do it,'' coach Rick Adelman said before Saturday night's
game against Portland. Read more 
Receiving
eight stitches above his right eye might have been painful, but it
wasn't enough to keep Russell Westbrook from practicing his whirling
dervish ways Monday night for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Westbrook
returned from the wound to finish with 24 points, nine assists and
seven rebounds, Kevin Durant scored 30 points and the Thunder pulled
away in the fourth quarter for a 114-96 win over the Phoenix Suns.
''When you see blood, you don't know what to do,'' Durant said of
Westbrook. ''I was glad he came back here and got stitched up and was
able to play again. He came out there with a lot of anger and it showed
on both ends of the floor. Read more 
Squandering
a healthy lead is nothing new to the Charlotte Bobcats - hanging onto
one is. Kemba Walker had 18 points and eight rebounds, and the Bobcats
ended an 18-game losing streak with a 91-81 win over the Chicago Bulls
on Monday. Gerald Henderson added 16 points and reserve Ben Gordon had
15 to help Charlotte snap the second-longest skid in team history. It
was the Bobcats' first win in their last 10 road games. ''We're a
desperate team right now,'' Henderson said. ''This losing streak has
been very tough on us.'' Luol Deng scored 20 points and grabbed 12
rebounds for Chicago. Carlos Boozer also had a double-double with 19
points and 14 boards. Read more 
Dwyane
Wade's return to the lineup wasn't nearly enough for Miami.
Brandon Jennings scored 25 points and Mike Dunleavy had 13 of his 18 in
the fourth quarter as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Heat 104-85 on
Saturday night. Wade was back after serving a one-game suspension for
flailing his leg and making contact with guard Ramon Sessions' groin
during the Heat's 105-92 victory over Charlotte on Wednesday. Wade sat
out Miami's 109-99 loss to Detroit on Friday night, which snapped the
Heat's six-game winning streak. ''Obviously, the last 48 hours has not
gone the way we wanted it to,'' Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. ''We
don't want to make any excuses about it. Milwaukee kicked our butt.
They were the better team tonight. We will gather ourselves, get to
Orlando and start to work on it.'' Read more 
Steve
Nash sliced through the lane, broke down the defense, and created shots
for Kobe Bryant time and again, just the way he has for teammates
throughout his brilliant 17-year NBA career. So much for an adjustment
period. Bryant had 34 points and 10 rebounds, Nash finished with 12
points and nine assists in his first game in almost two months, and the
Los Angeles Lakers rallied from 14 points down in the fourth quarter to
beat the Golden State Warriors 118-115 in overtime on Saturday night.
''It's easy. It's very easy. It's beyond easy,'' Bryant said about
playing with Nash, who had missed 24 straight games while recovering
from a small fracture in his lower left leg. ''You put two guys
together who can do opposite things and it fits extremely well. Read
more 
DeMarcus
Cousins was suspended indefinitely by the Sacramento Kings on Saturday
for ''unprofessional behavior and conduct detrimental to the team.''
Cousins and Kings coach Keith Smart exchanged words in the locker room
during halftime of Sacramento's 97-85 loss at the Los Angeles Clippers
on Friday night. Smart benched Cousins for the entire second half and
ordered him to remain in the locker room. Cousins also was suspended
one game without pay by the NBA for striking O.J. Mayo in the groin
during a loss at Dallas on Dec. 10. Following a loss at San Antonio on
Nov. 9, the league suspended Cousins two games without pay for
confronting Spurs announcer Sean Elliott in a ''hostile manner.'' Read
more 
The
white sleeve on Ricky Rubio's left knee served as a reminder of what he
went through to get back on the court. While it served to protect his
surgically repaired joint, it clearly does nothing to constrict the
creativity and unbridled joy that made him one of the most exciting
players in the league before he went down last season. Nine long months
later, it's as if Rubio never left. Zipping passes between his legs to
his Timberwolves teammates in a dazzling season debut, Rubio had nine
assists and eight points in 18 minutes of Minnesota's 114-106 overtime
victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night. Andrei Kirilenko
scored five of his 14 points in overtime while Rubio watched from the
bench because of a minutes restriction. Read more 
Once
they outlasted Kyrie Irving, the New York Knicks could turn their
attention to the next point guard coming to Madison Square Garden. Even
Linsanity shouldn't be as tough to deal with as the guy wearing the
black mask Saturday night. Raymond Felton scored 25 points, Tyson
Chandler had 23, and the New York Knicks overcame Irving's career-high
41 points and the absence of Carmelo Anthony to post a 103-102 victory
over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Knicks won their fourth straight when
Anderson Varejao missed the second of two free throws with 1 second
left. They improved the NBA's only unbeaten home record to 10-0, their
best start since the 1991-92 team won its first 11 at Madison Square
Garden. Read more 
At
halftime, the Atlanta Hawks figured they had played cautiously long
enough. With a burst of energy, tough defense and 3-point shooting from
Lou Williams in the third quarter, the Hawks were able to pull away for
a 93-83 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night. ''I think
we were just trying to play it safe because (the Grizzlies) are a
really good team,'' Atlanta guard Jeff Teague said of the first-half
effort. ''They were playing at home, so we didn't want to make any
false moves and just keep it close. ''We just came in, (at halftime)
and it was like: 'Forget it. Let's play Hawks basketball and get after
it.' And it helped.'' Josh Smith had 24 points. Read more 
Chris
Kaman scored half as many points as O.J. Mayo for the Dallas Mavericks
on Saturday night. Considering the way Kaman's left ankle looked, those
20 points were just as impressive to coach Rick Carlisle. Mayo tied a
career high with 40 points, including 10 in the last three minutes, to
lift the Mavericks to a 116-109 victory over the Rockets in coach Kevin
McHale's return to the Houston bench. Kaman left the Mavericks' last
game on Thursday night with a sprained left ankle. He started Saturday
night and played more than 18 minutes despite the left side of his
ankle being almost completely covered by a deep purple bruise. Read
more 
Dwyane
Wade scored a season-high 34 points, LeBron James added 21 points and
the Miami Heat rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat the Brooklyn
Nets 102-89 on Saturday night. Ray Allen scored 13 and Norris Cole
finished with 12 for the Heat, who won their sixth straight and
remained atop the Eastern Conference. Miami held the Nets to 30 points
in the second half. Andray Blatche scored 20 points for Brooklyn, which
had won five in a row. Gerald Wallace had 13 points, Joe Johnson added
12 and Deron Williams finished with 10 points and 12 assists. The Nets
were 10 for 31 from the field in the second half and lost to Miami for
the 12th straight time.
The
Los Angeles Lakers have scoring beyond Kobe Bryant in Mike D'Antoni's
offense. Not so much for the Dallas Mavericks when O.J. Mayo is a bit
off, at least until Dirk Nowitzki gets back. Metta World Peace hit
three quick 3-pointers to spark a Los Angeles barrage from long range,
and the Lakers scored 36 points before Bryant took his first shot in a
115-89 blowout of the Mavericks on Saturday night. Once he started
shooting, Bryant, the league's leading scorer, ended up joining World
Peace among three Lakers with 19 points, and Los Angeles avoided its
first 0-5 road start in nearly 20 years by scoring 100 points for the
first time in four games under its hobbled coach. Read more 
Rajon
Rondo made up for lost time in a big way for the Boston Celtics after
missing a game because of a sprained right ankle. Rondo had 20 assists
for the second time this season and added six points to help the
Celtics beat the Toronto Raptors 107-89 on Saturday. Jason Terry scored
20 points, Paul Pierce added 19 points and six rebounds before sitting
out the fourth quarter, and Kevin Garnett scored 15 points in 17
minutes of playing time. The Celtics held big leads early and late, but
had to survive several surges in between while winning for the fourth
time in five games. And any worries Boston fans might have had about
Rondo's ankle were quickly washed away when he had seven assists in the
first quarter. Read more 
The
Washington Wizards had the perfect opportunity for a first victory,
facing a struggling and tired Utah Jazz team ready to go home after
nearly a week on the road. Instead, the night ended with another
demoralizing loss that turned awkward and surreal in the final minute -
when the home crowd started cheering wildly for a chicken sandwich
giveaway. The Jazz pulled away in the fourth quarter and capped a
four-game road trip with an 83-76 win Saturday, making the Wizards only
the second team in NBA history to start 0-8 in back-to-back seasons.
''It's tough,'' Washington coach Randy Wittman said. ''I don't know how
else to put it.'' Read more 
Dwight
Howard missed a two-handed dunk on his first shot, and the night never
got much better for the Los Angeles Lakers. When Howard and Steve Nash
took their places alongside Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol under the
Hollywood spotlight, the Lakers opened a season of enormous
expectations with an equally big dud of a performance. Darren Collison
scored 17 points, Brandan Wright added 14, and the Dallas Mavericks
spoiled the Lakers debuts of Howard and Steve Nash with a 99-91 victory
over Los Angeles on Tuesday night. In his first regular-season game in
a gold jersey, Howard had 19 points and 10 rebounds while missing 11 of
his 14 free throws before fouling out with 2:02 to play. Read more 
LeBron
James got cramps, Ray Allen was snubbed and Dwyane Wade was steaming.
None of that spoiled the Miami Heat mood on ring night. Wade scored 29
points, James finished 26 points and 10 rebounds while missing much of
the second half because of cramps in both legs, and the reigning NBA
champion Heat beat the Boston Celtics 120-107 on Tuesday night in the
season opener for both teams. There were actual fireworks before the
game to close the ceremony where the Heat got their championship rings
and raised their title banner. There also were plenty of figurative
fireworks late, first with Boston almost digging out of a 19-point hole
and, after the outcome was decided, Rajon Rondo flagrantly fouling Wade
by wrapping his arms around his neck on a drive. Read more 
