Rookie Brown Lifts Kings Over Thunder

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Thunder	18	21	25	21					85
Kings	26	29	14	25					94

Sacramento 94, Oklahoma City 85
SACRAMENTO, Oct. 10 (AP) -- Rookie Bobby Brown scored 22 points and the Sacramento Kings beat the Oklahoma Thunder 94-85 in a preseason game Friday night.

An undrafted point guard who played 11 games last year in Germany, Brown was instrumental in Sacramento holding on to its fourth-quarter lead. Brown scored 12 points in the quarter, including two 3-pointers.

Spencer Hawes had 21 points and seven rebounds for the Kings (1-1), while John Salmons had 16 points and Kevin Martin and Francisco Garcia both had eight. Shelden Williams added seven points and 11 rebounds.

Jeff Green led Oklahoma, formerly the Seattle SuperSonics, with 19 points, including eight in the fourth quarter when the Thunder pulled within one point. Damien Wilkins had 14 points, Desmond Mason scored 10 and Johan Petro added eight points and 10 rebounds.

Looking like a team with something to prove following a poor effort earlier in the week in their preseason opener, the Kings scored the game's first points and never trailed in defeating the Thunder (0-2).

It was Hawes, a second-year post player, who had the biggest impact in helping the Kings build a 55-39 halftime lead. Scoring on several smooth inside moves and hitting from the perimeter as well, Hawes had 16 points and five rebounds in 13 first-half minutes.

With the Kings sputtering on offense, the Thunder outscored Sacramento 25-14 in the third quarter to pull within 69-64.

Playing without veteran starters Brad Miller and Kevin Martin, the Kings shot 29 percent in a humbling a 110-81 loss to Portland on Tuesday.

Oklahoma City gave Kevin Durant, last year's NBA's rookie of the year, the night off. He is expected to play Saturday night when Oklahoma City travels to Golden State.

source : NBA.com

Randolph Triggers Trail Blazers? Win Over Hawks

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Hawks	20	19	25	16					80
Trail Blazers	22	25	26	29					102

Portland 102, Atlanta 80

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Oct. 10, 2008 (AP) -- Shavlik Randolph was 9-for-9 from the field and scored 19 points to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 102-80 preseason victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.

Portland rookie Greg Oden, the first pick in the 2007 draft who didn't play last season after having knee surgery, finished with 11 points and five rebounds. He picked up his fourth foul with 2:30 left in the third quarter and did not play the rest of the way.

Randolph scored 12 points in the fourth quarter to help the Trail Blazers (2-1) pull away.

"He can play,'' Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan said of Randolph. "I knew that from watching him in training camp. He's tricky with the ball and is smart. Tonight he was knocking down his shot.''

Rookie Jerryd Bayless, a first-round pick out of Arizona, scored seven of his 15 points in the final quarter to give the Trail Blazers five players in double figures. LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy each added 14 points.

The Hawks (2-1) had four players in double figures with Acie Law and Josh Smith each scoring 12 points, while Joe Johnson had 11 and Flip Murray 10.

The Hawks shot only 37.7 percent from the field and missed 12 of 15 three-point attempts, while the Trail Blazers shot 58.1 percent from the floor.

"I didn't like anything about this game,'' Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "We were too lethargic. We really have got to hold ourselves accountable night in and night out, come out and play with a lot of heart and come out to play to win. Tonight we just really seemed down and own.''

The Trail Blazers (2-1) jumped out to a 15-6 lead midway through the first quarter with Oden scoring five points, including a dunk off an offensive rebound. Portland led 73-64 entering the third quarter and quickly ballooned it to 83-67 as Randolph and Bayless took over in the fourth.

Guard Rudy Fernandez, who led Portland with 15 points Wednesday in a loss to Golden State, was on the inactive list with an ankle injury. The Hawks played without Mike Bibby and Zaza Pachulia, who were both with their wives who had babies this week. They will rejoin the team Sunday for a game against Charlotte.

The game at the new Sprint Center drew 12,457 fans and was the first NBA preseason game in Kansas City since 2001.

source : NBA.com

Smith Lifts Nuggets Past Timberwolves

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Timberwolves	21	18	22	34					95
Nuggets	26	33	19	40					118

Denver 118, Minnesota 95

DENVER, Oct. 10, 2008 (AP) -- The Denver Nuggets' preseason opener was a breeze.

Next, they'll face a gust.

The Nuggets dispatched the Minnesota Timberwolves 118-95 on Friday night, as reserve J.R. Smith finished with 21 points and Chris Andersen grabbed 11 boards.

Now, they're off to Indian Wells, Calif., to play the Phoenix Suns on Saturday in the NBA's first outdoor basketball game in more than 35 years.

The forecast is calling for windy conditions -- better keep those jump shots low.

"I can't wait,'' Smith said. "I have not played outside in a while.''

The exhibition game will be played at the 16,000-seat Indian Wells Tennis Garden, a venue that will be converted into a hoops playground.

However, the outdoor court there won't resemble the type Nuggets coach George Karl played on growing up -- cracked cement courts with drooping baskets. The game won't be played with a lopsided rubber ball like Karl did and will be minus the metal clank after a swish through a chain-linked net.

Still, Karl is intrigued by the idea. The contest follows in the footsteps of the NHL's successful outdoor game on New Year's Day in Buffalo, N.Y.

"It's going to be interesting,'' Karl said. "For me, the playground is a very integral part of American basketball -- from Harlem to the streets of Pittsburgh. That was fun, going to certain courts and the wind blowing and you can't shoot jump shots, so you have to shoot off the backboard. There's all sorts of adjustments you make because of the wind.''

Allen Iverson likes the concept, but won't be launching any floaters into the breeze. Iverson planned to stay behind to get treatment on his swollen left knee, an injury that flared up as he sat on the bench in the fourth quarter.

"I want to be a part of it, I want to play in it,'' said Iverson, who had nine assists in nearly 23 minutes Friday night. "But I can't start off the season struggling with an injury.''

The last time the league staged an outdoor game was when the Suns beat the Milwaukee Bucks in a preseason contest on Sept. 24, 1972, at a baseball stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

"It will be fun,'' Karl said.

Denver (1-0) led by as many as 25 points in the third quarter, before the Timberwolves went on a late spurt, climbing within 13 points midway through the fourth. Andersen's 3-pointer put an end to the rally, and the Timberwolves' two-game preseason winning streak.

Andersen, a fan favorite nicknamed "Birdman,'' was making his return to the Nuggets. He was reinstated by the NBA in early March after being kicked out on Jan. 27, 2006, for violating the league's drug policy. Andersen played five games for the New Orleans Hornets last season.

"He's been anxious, having been out of the game for two years,'' Karl said. "I think he wants to recreate his career. He has impressed me with not making as many mistakes as I thought he would make.''

Al Jefferson grabbed 11 rebounds and scored 10 points for Minnesota (2-1), while Corey Brewer had 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter.

Brewer said he spent the majority of the summer working on getting his shooting touch back. This was a step in the right direction.

"I should get a lot of open shots this year and I have got to knock them down,'' he said.

Rookie Kevin Love turned in a nine-point, 11-rebound game, while reserve Blake Ahearn finished with 17 points and Randy Foye chipped in 16.

"They were a little fatigued,'' Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman said of his team. "We played a little bit more their style than our style. We got caught up in their game.''

The Nuggets were without Carmelo Anthony, who bruised his left ring finger in practice Thursday when he had the ball slapped out of his hand. The hand was wrapped in a bandage at a shootaround Friday, but the team said X-rays were negative.

"It's getting better,'' Anthony said after the game.

For as much as he wants to play in the outdoor contest, he doesn't want to risk further injury.

"I'll be a part of it though. I'll be there,'' Anthony said.

He paused, glancing at his hand.

"But I might change my mind,'' Anthony said, grinning.

source : NBA.com

Allen's 25 Points Pace Celtics Over Cavs

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Cavaliers	37	18	24	15					94
Celtics	28	22	23	23					96

Boston 96, Cleveland 94

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Oct. 10, 2008 (AP) -- LeBron James only needed two preseason games to get back into a groove.

The Cleveland star scored 12 points in the first quarter, finishing with 15 in 13 1/2 minutes on Friday night to help the Cavaliers open an early lead before the Boston reserves took over and led the NBA champions to a 96-94 victory.

"It was good. I got out there and got a good rhythm," said James, who played just eight minutes and failed to make a basket in Cleveland's first preseason game. "We got into a good rhythm, and we played well."

Tony Allen scored 25 points, and Leon Powe hit two free throws with 13.6 seconds left to put Boston ahead just as Jed Lowrie's sacrifice fly gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead in the AL playoffs against Tampa Bay.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers checked on the baseball score with reporters sitting courtside. Updates were also played on the arena scoreboard, and fans begged Rivers to call a timeout down the stretch, so they could watch more of the baseball game.

Allen made 13 of 16 free throws.

"He's going to get to the line," Rivers said. "He attacks off the dribble, he's aggressive, and he's tough to guard."

It was 94-all when Tarence Kinsey missed a jumper with 15 seconds left, and Lorenzen Wright fouled Powe going for the rebound. Powe's free throws gave Boston a 96-94 lead, and Bill Walker blocked Jawad Williams' shot at the buzzer.

The Cavaliers thought he was fouled, but no one really wanted to see a preseason game go into overtime, so no one really complained.

The Celtics are making the rounds in New England this exhibition season, visiting Amherst, Mass., on Wednesday before dropping down to Rhode Island and then up to New Hampshire. The crowd of 9,444 was about 1,000 short of a full house even though the game was up against the opener of the AL championship series.

None of Boston's "Big Three" played more than 9 1/2 minutes, all in the first quarter. Paul Pierce scored eight points, Ray Allen had five and Kevin Garnett scored four.

"I really hadn't planned on playing Kevin and those guys at all tonight," Rivers said. "But I thought because we're right here down the road the fans needed to see them a little bit. And they got a chance to see the other guy, LeBron, who is pretty good, too. I thought they got their money's worth."

After spending his summer at the Olympics helping the United States win the gold medal, James played just eight minutes in Cleveland's exhibition debut on Tuesday, a 104-84 loss to Toronto.

Rivers is also wary of his players' workload, even though none of them played in Beijing. Boston's season didn't end until June 17 after an 82-game regular season and 26 playoff games, including the seven-game victory over Cleveland in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The budding rivalry might have explained an unusual burst of effort for an exhibition game, with the Cavaliers taking a 37-28 lead after one quarter of All-Star game-style play.

"We scored a lot," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "But I didn't see much defensive intensity out there."

Celtics center Kendrick Perkins did not play because of surgery for the left shoulder injury he sustained in Game 4 of the NBA finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Rivers was back after missing Wednesday's exhibition opener, a 98-92 loss to Philadelphia, to attend to a family matter in Orlando, Fla.

Cavaliers guard Sasha Pavlovic did not travel with the team to Providence to continue treatment on his right ankle. He experienced a mild sprain during practice Wednesday and is day-to-day.

source : NBA.com

Lee Powers Knicks Past 76ers

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Knicks	22	38	27	23					110
	38	13	26	27					104

New York 110, Philadelphia 104

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 10, 2008 (AP) -- David Lee had 19 points and 15 rebounds to lead the New York Knicks to a 110-104 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in a preseason game Friday night.

Chris Duhon added 19 points and Zach Randolph had 18 to lead six Knicks players in double figures.

Elton Brand led the 76ers with 24 points, Andre Iguodala added 16 and Andre Miller had 12 points and 12 assists.

After struggling in his first preseason game, Brand was dominant in the first quarter, scoring 18 points on 7-for-8 shooting to give Philadelphia a 38-22 lead at the end of the quarter.

The Knicks opened the second quarter with a 23-6 run to take the lead with 4:41 remaining and built a 60-51 edge at halftime. New York extended its lead to 87-77 after three quarters and built an 18-point lead in the fourth.

Sixers starting forward Thaddeus Young left the game late in the third quarter with a left-eye corneal abrasion and Lou Williams left in the fourth with a lacerated chin that required three stitches. Neither returned.

New York played without several key players, including first-round pick Danilo Gallinari (lower back), Allan Houston (quadriceps) and Eddy Curry (coach's decision).

source : NBA.com