Friday, October 12, 2007
Marion Paces Suns Past Kings
Phoenix 110, Sacramento 99
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 11 (AP) -- Shawn Marion had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Phoenix Suns as they opened the preseason with a convincing 110-99 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night.
With Grant Hill getting 17 points and eight rebounds in his first game in a Phoenix uniform, the Suns were off and running from the start, outscoring the Kings 29-18 in the first quarter and led the rest of the way.
Hill, who signed as a free agent in the offseason, appeared to have no problem adjusting to the Suns' uptempo pace, taking 11 first-half shots and scoring 13 points to help the Suns to a 55-46 lead.
Both Kevin Martin and Quincy Douby scored 17 points for the Kings (1-1). Mike Bibby had 10 points and led Sacramento with seven rebounds.
The Kings had trouble stopping the Suns and were also unsuccessful at the free-throw line, converting 13 of 23 attempts.
Disgruntled in the offseason and in trade rumors for much of the summer, Marion looked as motivated as any Suns player, making 7-of-10 shots and adding four assists and two blocks.
Leandro Barbosa scored 14 points and Sean Marks added 13 points and nine rebounds for Phoenix, which made 13 of 26 3-point shots. Raja Bell and Marcus Banks both scored 13 points and Boris Diaw had 10.
Seemingly content to look for teammates all game instead of shoot, Steve Nash had 11 assists and scored three points, taking just three shots.
Last year's leading scorer for Phoenix, Amare Stoudemire, recently had arthroscopic knee surgery and watched the game in street clothes.
source : NBA.com
Yao Lifts Rockets Over Panathinaikos
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Full Time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panathinaikos | 17 | 20 | 16 | 17 | 70 | ||||
| Rockets | 33 | 26 | 22 | 26 | 107 |
Houston 107, Panathinaikos 70
HOUSTON, Oct. 11 (AP) -- Yao Ming scored 21 points and had eight rebounds to help the Houston Rockets beat Euroleague champion Panathinaikos of Greece 107-70 in an exhibition game Thursday night.
The Rockets played without star forward Tracy McGrady, who had a sore left knee. Club officials said he bumped it slightly in practice Wednesday and they decided at game time to hold him out. He's day to day.
Rookie Luis Scola scored 17 points while Rafer Alston added 14. Steve Francis, who returned to the team in a draft-day trade from the Knicks, played 21 minutes off the bench and scored 11 points.
Panathinaikos, which has won four Euroleague titles the past eight years, was led by Sani Becirovic and Michael Batiste, one of two Americans on the team (along with Kennedy Winston). They each scored 14 points. Batiste, the former Arizona State player who spent the 2002-03 season with the Memphis Grizzlies, also had a team-high nine rebounds.
Kostas Tsartsaris added 10 points for Panathinaikos. Guard Dimitris Diamantidis, MVP of the Euroleague's Final Four, went 1-for-8 from the field and failed to score until there was 1:37 left in the game when he hit a 3-pointer.
Panathinaikos coach Zelimir Obradovic got his second technical with 7:53 to play and was ejected from the game with Houston leading 90-55.
From the start, it was evident the Greek team, whose tallest player was the 6-foot-10 Tsartsaris, had no answer for the 7-6 Yao. Yao's presence in the first quarter kept the Greeks from going inside and they hit only 7 of 18 shots for 38.9 percent.
The Rockets hit 52.6 percent - 10 of 19 - of their first-quarter shots and led 33-17 after one.
Houston stretched the lead to 22 in the second quarter on its way to a 59-37 lead at the half. Yao played 19 minutes in the first half and had 14 points and four rebounds.
In his last action of the night, Yao added seven points and four rebounds in the third quarter when Houston led by 34. They were up 81-53 after three quarters.
source : NBA.com
Cavaliers Run Down Pistons
Cleveland 96, Detroit 90 OT
CLEVELAND, Oct. 11 (AP)-- Standing alone at the foul line, Dwayne Jones had confidence. More than 15,000 others weren't so certain.
Jones, a backup big man trying to make Cleveland's roster, shook off four straight misses by dropping two free throws in the final second of regulation as the Cavaliers rallied for a 96-90 overtime win against the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night.
"I've been practicing all summer,'' said Jones, who played in just four games for the Cavs last season. "It was good to be able to contribute.''
LeBron James witnessed quite a comeback.
James scored 17 points - all in the first half - but he watched from the bench while icing his knees as Cleveland's reserves rallied in the second half to beat the Pistons in a rematch of last season's Eastern Conference finals.
Jones has a chance to make Cleveland's team with free agent Anderson Varejao still unsigned, and he made the most of extended minutes by adding 13 rebounds for the Cavs, who outscored the Pistons 11-5 in OT.
"We've got enough scorers,'' Jones said. "We need role players and I'm trying to be one of them.''
The Cavaliers trailed 64-50 when James was replaced with 3:34 remaining in the third quarter.
Cleveland's chances of coming back seemed bleak without its superstar, but the Cavs' bench of mostly no-names stormed back and grabbed a 72-70 lead on Devin Brown's 3-pointer with 9:37 left.
The Pistons seemed in control when rookie Rodney Stuckey made a steal and scored on a layup with 2:01 to play, and Detroit still led 85-83 with 11.4 seconds to go on rookie Arron Afflalo's layup.
Cleveland tried to set up a game-winning 3-pointer on its last possession, but Jones got the ball down low and was fouled by Jason Maxiell with .04 seconds remaining.
As Jones walked to the line, James covered his face with his warmup top and several other Cavaliers braced themselves for the attempts.
But Jones surprised everyone by making both shots and the teams went to overtime tied at 85-all.
"To see him knock down those two free throws was a big step for him,'' Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "I'm tickled to death for him.''
Afterward as reporters gathered around waiting for Jones, Donyell Marshall joked about his teammate's new-found fame.
"He wanted to go to the (interview) podium,'' Marshall said.
After Ronald Dupree's free throw following a flagrant-1 foul by Cleveland's Darius Rice gave the Pistons an 86-85 lead, Devin Brown hit a jumper and Shannon Brown made a 3-pointer in an 11-0 run that put it away for Cleveland.
Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton and Afflalo scored 12 points each for the Pistons.
James scored his 17 in 24 minutes for the Cavs, who rallied from an 0-2 deficit in last season's playoffs to advance to the NBA finals for the first time.
That seven-game series will be best remembered for James' incredible performance in Game 5 when he scored a career playoff-high 48 points - including Cleveland's final 25, and 29 of its last 30 - in a double-overtime win.
In the climactic Game 6, then-rookie Daniel Gibson scored 31 points and single-handedly outscored the Pistons 19-16 in the fourth quarter. In the closing minutes, Detroit's Rasheed Wallace was slapped with two technicals and ejected.
source : NBA.com
Hawks Remain Unbeaten in Preseason, Top Bobcats
Atlanta 109, Charlotte 104ATLANTA, Oct. 11 (AP) -- Joe Johnson scored 25 points and Marvin Williams added 21 to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 109-104 win over the Charlotte Bobcats Thursday night.
Al Horford, the Hawks' number one pick and the third overall pick 2007 NBA Draft, scored 10 points and grabbed 9 rebounds while playing 31 minutes for Atlanta (3-0).
Adam Morrison led the Bobcats (0-2) with 20 points and Matt Carroll had 19.
Charlotte led 31-27 after one quarter, but Atlanta took a 59-58 halftime lead. Williams scored eight points for the Hawks in the second period.
Each team was playing the second of back-to-back games. Rookie Acie Law IV started at point guard for Atlanta instead of the frequently injured Speedy Claxton, and had six assists, along with 10 points and six rebounds.
Notes: Claxton was scratched for precautionary reasons as team announcements were being made... Claxton, who has a history of knee troubles, started Wednesday at Miami...Hawks injuries: Tyronn Lue (right knee), Salim Stoudamire (hamstring) and Jamaal Tatum (hamstring) ... The Hawks host the Trail Blazers Sunday. . . . Bobcats injuries: ... Jared Dudley (left big toe sprain), Othella Harrington (left knee surgery) and Sean May (right knee surgery) all missed their second consecutive game ... The Bobcats host the Heat at Greensboro, NC on Saturday.
source : NBA.com
Crawford Leads Knicks Past Maccabi Tel Aviv
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Full Time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maccabi Elite | 25 | 18 | 24 | 18 | 85 | ||||
| Knicks | 20 | 33 | 30 | 19 | 112 |
New York 112, Maccabi Tel Aviv 85
NEW YORK, Oct. 11 (AP) -- Jamal Crawford scored 16 points, Zach Randolph added 15, and the New York Knicks beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 112-85 Thursday night in a preseason home opener that often felt more like a road game.
Fans seemed very interested in the Israeli team, which had a large contingent cheering and waving Israel's flag. As the Knicks began to pull away in the third quarter, some of their baskets were met with almost complete silence. The Knicks' Quentin Richardson was loudly mocked when he lost the ball while going for a breakaway dunk late in the period.
David Lee and Fred Jones each had 14 points and Stephon Marbury 13 for the Knicks.
The Knicks were without center Eddy Curry, who won't play until at least next week because of a labral tear in his right shoulder. Allan Houston, who signed with the Knicks on Wednesday after a two-year retirement, wasn't at the game and will begin his bid to make the team at age 36 at practice Friday.
New York got off to a slow start an
d trailed by 10 points in the first quarter. But the Knicks seized control by outscoring Maccabi 33-18 in the second to open a 53-43 halftime lead.
Former Chicago Bulls forward Marcus Fizer had 18 points and 12 rebounds for Maccabi.
Vonteego Cummings, who played collegiately at Pittsburgh, scored 21 points.
source : NBA.com
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