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Saturday, October 13, 2007

Anthony Leads Nuggets To Victory

Team1234Full Time
Trail Blazers 32242323102
Nuggets 32323321118


Denver 118, Portland 102

DENVER, Oct. 12 (AP) -- Carmelo Anthony had 22 points and seven rebounds and the Denver Nuggets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 118-102 on Friday night.

Linas Kleiza added 19 points for Denver. Allen Iverson scored 17 points in the game, played at the University of Colorado.

Martell Webster led Portland with 19 points. Travis Outlaw had 18 points.

Anthony had 20 points in the first half as Denver took a 64-56 lead into halftime. Outlaw hit three straight shots in the second quarter and had all of his 18 points by the break for Portland, which led 51-45 with 4:08 remaining in the period.

Denver began the third period with a 15-5 run to move ahead 79-61. Kleiza had nine of his points in the period and the Nuggets took a 97-79 lead into the fourth quarter.

Without a starter on the floor, the Nuggets extended their lead to 105-79 on eight consecutive points by Anthony Roberson at the start of the fourth quarter. Baskets by Webster and Taurean Green got Portland as close as 110-94 with 3:15 left.

Kenyon Martin dressed but did not play for the Nuggets. Nene missed his second straight game because of a strained right calf.

The Trail Blazers were without Josh McRoberts, Darius Miles and Greg Oden. McRoberts was out with an injured left ankle while Miles and Oden have injuries to their right knees.
source : NBA.com

Deng And Bulls Beat Mavericks

Team1234Full Time
Mavericks 3019192492
Bulls 33202324100


Chicago 100, Dallas 92
CHICAGO, Oct. 12 (AP) -- Luol Deng scored 18 points and Tyrus Thomas added 13 points and seven rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 100-92 exhibition victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.

Josh Howard scored 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting for Dallas and Dirk Nowitzki finished with 11.

The Bulls (1-1) pulled away midway in the third quarter. Leading 61-60, Deng hit a jumper and rookie guard Thomas Gardner had a dunk. Kirk Hinrich capped off a 9-0 run with a 3 to give Chicago a 70-60 lead with 5:25 left in the quarter.

Nowitzki and teammate Devin Harris had an animated conversation early in the third quarter after Nowitzki fouled Deng. Dallas coach Avery Johnson had a brief conversation with the two and order was restored between them.

Ben Gordon, Joe Smith, Adrian Griffin, and Thabo Sefolosha missed the game because of injuries for Chicago. Gordon missed with a sprained left ankle, Smith with a swollen right knee, Griffin with a back injury and Sefolosha was out due to a sore hamstring.

Deng was 6-of-7 shooting in 21 minutes and Hinrich added nine points in six assists in 20 minutes.

All starters for both teams sat out the entire fourth quarter.

Joakim Noah, who led Florida to back-to-back titles in college, received a nice ovation from the home crowd when he checked into the game in the first quarter. Noah, who was the ninth overall pick, scored 11 points in his United Center debut. Rookie center Aaron Gray scored 14 points and had 10 rebounds for Chicago, who was their 49th pick overall.

Deng scored 11 points for Chicago in the first half, who led 53-49. Dallas (1-1) guard Jose Barea scored 12 points in the half on 5-of-7 shooting. Barea finished with 17.
source : NBA.com

Sonics Beat Cavs, Give New Coach First Win

Team1234Full Time
Supersonics 2428281696
Cavaliers 2621192490


Seattle 96, Cleveland 90

CLEVELAND, Oct. 12 (AP) -- P.J. Carlesimo earned his first win as SuperSonics' coach, 96-90 over the Cleveland Cavaliers in an exhibition game Friday night.

Cavs All-Star forward LeBron James was forced out of action in the third quarter because of a right shoulder contusion. The injury doesn't appear to be serious. He had 14 points for the Cavs.

Forward Chris Wilcox led all scorers with 20 points and eight rebounds for Seattle.

Guard Kevin Durant, a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year honors, had 15 points and seven rebounds. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 draft was just 5-of-22 from the field.

Guard Wally Szczerbiak, acquired from Boston in the Ray Allen trade last June, added 14 points.

The Cavaliers left on a 16-hour trip to China after Friday's game. They will play two preseason games there against Orlando next week.

Guard Shannon Brownpaced the Cavs with 19 points, while forward Ira Newble added 13. Backup center Dwayne Jones, trying to earn a spot on the roster, had 10 rebounds for Cleveland.

The Sonics took control of the game by outscoring the Cavs 28-19 in the third quarter. They also outrebounded the Cavaliers 15-8 in the quarter.

Seattle was playing without point guards Luke Ridnour(non-displaced fracture of nasal bone) and Delonte West(lower back strain).

The Sonics led 52-47 at halftime, as Wilcox had 12 points and Szczerbiak added 11.

Before the game, the Cavs waived guard Chet Mason, which reduced their roster to 17 players.

source : NBA.com

Williams Lifts Jazz Past Pistons

Team1234Full Time
Jazz 20143531100
Pistons 2521182185


Utah 100, Detroit 85

AUBURN HILLS, Mich.(, Oct. 12 AP) -- The Detroit Pistons planned to work on rebounding in the preseason.

So far, it isn't going too well.

For the second game in a row, the Pistons gave up more than 50 rebounds and lost. This time, the Utah Jazz beat the Pistons 100-85 in an exhibition game Friday night.

The Jazz outrebounded the Pistons 55-38.

"This is something we are going to have to continue to work on,'' Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. "Their guards had 19 rebounds in the first half, which means our guards aren't getting to the places we need to be.''

Without Chris Webber, the Pistons know that they will be vulnerable on the boards this year. Neither Rasheed Wallace nor Antonio McDyess are traditional post players, so Detroit will need contributions from Tayshaun Prince, Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton.

"Our two bigs are great jump shooters, but that means the rest of us have to help them out in the boards,'' Billups said. "We didn't do that tonight.''

Utah's starters all had at least six rebounds and finished with a 35-20 advantage over Detroit's top five.

"I think we played well,'' Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "Every game, we need to work like crazy.''

As expected in an early preseason game, both coaches went to the benches early and often. Jazz forward Paul Millsap was the only starter to play more than 25 minutes, and Jarvis Hayes led Detroit with 31 minutes.

"We played some of our reserves a lot of minutes, and those guys were really out of gas at the end,'' Saunders said after his team was outscored 66-39 in the second half. "It was tough for them.''

The game did feel like a regular-season contest in one way - Wallace was ejected in the third quarter after picking up his second technical foul.

"I think both teams were frustrated by the number of fouls that were called,'' Saunders said. "You couldn't even work on getting to shape, because the game was so choppy.''

There were 59 fouls called in the game, an average of one every 49 seconds.

"There was no flow out there,'' Billups said. "It's a preseason game, so the refs are always working on something, and they have to blow their whistles, but it makes it tough on physical teams like us.''

Ronnie Brewer led Utah (1-1) with 18 points, while Millsap added 15 points and eight rebounds. Morris Almond, Utah's first-round draft pick, had eight points in 24 minutes.

Hayes paced the Pistons (1-2) with 16 points, while Wallace finished with 12. First-round draft pick Rodney Stuckey had 11 points, giving him double figures in each of Detroit's first three games.

The Pistons led 46-34 at halftime, but the Jazz dominated the third quarter with both sets of starters on the court. Utah began the period with an 18-7 run to pull within one, then took the lead for good late in the quarter.

Utah took a 69-64 lead into the fourth quarter, outscoring the Pistons 35-18 in the third, including 12 points from Deron Williams. The Jazz shot 63 percent from the field while Detroit hit 35 percent.

"That quarter is about as good as we've played,'' Sloan said. "Those are the things we need to see and do.''

Utah played without Carlos Boozer, but he was in attendance after missing much of training camp due to his son's illness.

source : NBA.com

Redick And Magic Batter Heat

Team1234Full Time
Heat 192192069
Magic 31202823102



Orlando 102, Miami 69

ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 12 (AP) -- The stage was set for two reunions, but ended in a meaningless blowout.

The tandem of Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway did not play in their return to Orlando, and Stan Van Gundy's first game against mentor Pat Riley was hardly a chess match.

Instead, Orlando got 19 points on 5-of-6 shooting from J.J. Redick and double figures from five other players in a 102-69 preseason rout of the Miami Heat on Friday night.

Both teams were missing key players in a game most notable for sloppy ball handling - 44 turnovers - and early fouls - 33 in the first half.

"That wasn't good,'' Riley said, reflecting on his team's 17 turnovers and 35.8 percent shooting.

O'Neal attended the shootaround and said he would play, but disappeared at game time. Riley said he'd play Saturday against the Charlotte Bobcats, but not in back-to-back preseason games.

Hardaway didn't dress for the third straight preseason game because of a quadriceps injury. Riley said he wouldn't get in until he could play with more starters.

"I'd like to get him next week if we can get some more guys back, or at least Shaquille,'' Riley said.

Dwyane Wade is still recovering from offseason shoulder and knee surgeries and won't be available until November, and Jason Williams was out with a shin injury.

The Magic rested Rashard Lewis, day-to-day because of a sprained ankle, and Keyon Dooling due to a sore pelvis. Trevor Ariza sat out with tendinitis in his left foot.

That left the star power to Dwight Howard, who had several big dunks, but was more impressive guarding the lane. Howard had 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocks despite sitting out most of the second half.

"They didn't have Wade, they didn't have Shaq, they didn't have Jason Williams,'' Van Gundy said. "They're a little bit of a different team without those guys.''

Orlando shot 13-of-23 from 3-point range, led by Redick, Hedo Turkoglu and Pat Garrity. Turkoglu had 14 points, Garrity scored 13 and Keith Bogans had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Carlos Arroyo finished with 10 points and seven assists.

"Partly because we're playing with a smaller lineup, we have more shooters on the floor,'' Redick said. "And also with a smaller lineup we're more spread out, we push the pace and we're pretty much four-and-one with Dwight in the middle, so that is opening up things for everyone else.''

Miami hit only 4-of-17 from behind the arc and had just two players in double figures - Alonzo Mourning and Antoine Walker with 11 apiece.

Orlando took a 14-2 lead from the tip - all scored by Turkoglu and Garrity. Both had two 3-pointers and two other points in the game's first five minutes. The Magic's lead ballooned to 30 points with Redick's two free throws just before the end of the third quarter.

Miami didn't crack the 50-point mark until Earl Barron hit a 15-footer with about 10:30 left in the fourth quarter.

source : NBA.com

Nachbar Leads Nets Past Sixers In OT

Team1234OTFull Time
Nets 241617211391
76ers 131618311290


New Jersey 91, Philadelphia 90

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 12 (AP) -- Bostjan Nachbar had the kind of game worthy of the stars New Jersey left at home.

Nachbar scored 35 points and made the winning free throws with 8.8 seconds left to lead the Nets to a 91-90 overtime win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.

New Jersey's Vince Carter, Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson and Nenad Krstic all sat this one out. Had they made the trip, they could have had their pick of seats for a preseason game at the Wachovia Center that was nearly empty. Every dribble and every clap was clearly heard.

Louis Williams scored all 33 of his points in the second half and OT for the Sixers and rallied them back from a 20-point deficit. He sank a 3 late in OT that put them up 83-81.

But Nachbar came right back and hit a 3 and Darrell Armstrong hit a jumper for an 86-83 lead. Nachbar made both of his free throws in the final seconds - he went 12-for-14 from the line - to win it.

"We were down and it seemed like we were going to lose the game,'' Nachbar said. "Then we came back and it was great.''

Williams sank nine straight shots at one point, including a bucket that made it 66-65 with 5:10 left in the game. Williams, who turns 21 on Oct. 27, has likely played his way into the backup point guard spot behind Andre Miller or even possibly at shooting guard.

"I was in a good groove,'' Williams said. "I'm just comfortable wherever Coach allows me to play.''

Nachbar scored 13 of New Jersey's first 19 points and the Nets quickly opened a 14-point lead. Playing without starting center Samuel Dalembert and top reserve Kyle Korver, the Sixers started slow, trailed by 20 in the third quarter and never made a serious run until late.

"Our first guys will not be that bad and hopefully our second group will be that good,'' coach Maurice Cheeks said.

Josh Boone had 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Antoine Wright had 13 points for the Nets.

While Nets coach Lawrence Frank just wanted to rest his starters in a meaningless game, Dalembert and Korver's absence gives the Sixers reason for concern the rest of the preseason.

Dalembert has been slowed by a stress fracture in his left foot suffered over the summer playing for Canada in the Olympic qualifying tournament. He wore a protective boot until the day before training camp and complained of soreness after Wednesday's practice. He sat out Thursday.

Dalembert, who averaged 10.7 points and 8.9 rebounds while starting all 82 games last season, might miss at least Sunday's game against Washington as a precaution.

"We'll monitor the injury and make sure it's cleared up,'' Cheeks said. "We'll give it a few days and go from there.''

With Dalembert out, the Sixers were forced to start veteran journeyman Calvin Booth. Booth missed his first four shots, scored two points and is not a realistic option to play heavy minutes if Dalembert isn't ready to go by the season opener.

Korver missed his second straight game because of a strained groin suffered near the end of camp in Durham, N.C. Cheeks said he was being cautious with the Sixers top 3-point shooter.

One bright spot for the Sixers was the return of reserve forward Shavlik Randolph, who played for the first time since he broke his left ankle in a practice last November.

Randolph acknowledged before the game he was nervous, and was scoreless in 13 minutes. He wasn't the only Sixer who had trouble finding the basket. No one reached double digits in scoring until the fourth quarter.

Thaddeus Young took the microphone during pregame introductions and thanked all the fans for coming. And veteran point guard Kevin Ollie received a gold watch in honor of 10 years in the league.
source : NBA.com

Houston Practices In Comeback Try With Knicks

Protecting a lead in the final minute of a scrimmage Friday, a group of role players kicked the ball out to the newcomer for an open 3-pointer. Allan Houston buried the shot, just as he had so many times for the New York Knicks.

"He could still shoot the ball,'' Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. "He's probably one of the top 10 best shooters to ever play in our sport. So he'll be able to shoot the ball when he's 60 years old.''

But to pull off a comeback at age 36, Houston has to do more than that. He must prove he can run, jump and do all the other things that not long ago were too painful because of chronic sore knees.

Houston began that process Friday, taking part in his first practice for the team he spent nine seasons with - on the same floor where he announced his retirement two years ago.

"Usually I believe that professional athletes retire because they no longer have the desire or there's no longer desire for them to be part of whatever situation they are in,'' Houston said. "That wasn't the case for me when I retired. It was health.''

Houston no longer wears No. 20 - Jared Jeffries has that now - and there is noticeable gray in his hair. But he showed the shooting stroke was still the same, knocking down two of the three shots he attempted in the time the media were permitted to watch.

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source : NBA.com

Ailing Dalembert Likely To Sit Out

Center Samuel Dalembert, who had been recovering smoothly from a stress fracture in his left foot, experienced a setback yesterday as the 76ers practiced at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Dalembert pulled himself from practice after feeling pain in his foot. He said he was unlikely to play in tonight's preseason home opener against the New Jersey Nets.

"It's a little setback," Dalembert said after receiving treatment after the end of practice. "I had a day and a half off and wasn't hurting as much, and I [had] a good practice" Wednesday night.

He said he started doing drills yesterday "and it started hurting, so I pulled back."

As for tonight's game, "I might be feeling good, but I will probably take the precaution" and sit out, Dalembert said. "I will probably dress, but there is no need for pushing it."

Dalembert hurt his foot while competing for Canada this summer in the Olympic qualifying tournament. He complained of pain after his final game, on Aug. 30, and wore a walking boot and then a cast for the next month.

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source : phily.com

Our 2007 Most Caring Athletes - Nash & Dwayne


Dwyane Wade and Steve Nash don't need an introduction. They're two of the hottest guards in the NBA and have chased each other up and down the court countless times. So a USA WEEKEND Magazine photo shoot takes on the feel of a friendly reunion as it unfolds in a New York studio. Wade is the first to arrive, in designer jeans, a black T-shirt and shiny Converses. Nash follows on no particular timetable, in an art deco-inspired T-shirt and faded jeans, true to his rep as a free spirit. The two stars greet with smiles, shake hands and hug.

When choosing jewelry for the shoot, Wade coyly says, "I usually only wear one ring on this hand." The comment is met with laughs around the room, including a chuckle from Nash. Wade is referring, of course, to the NBA championship ring he won as a Finals MVP for the Miami Heat in 2006. Nash, who plays for the Phoenix Suns, doesn't have an NBA title, but he could rub it in that the score is Nash-2, Wade-0 when it comes to league MVP awards. Still, he takes the high road. "Been playing much?" he asks Wade, who has had shoulder and knee surgery in the off-season.

"I've been taking it slow," Wade says. "But I'll see you on the court this year."

You can count on that. Just like you can count on these two guys to set high standards off the court. Wade, just 25, firmly committed himself to community service long before he became a professional basketball player. Nash, 33, a native Canadian, oversees a busy non-profit that's addressing needs on a global level. "I never wanted my foundation to only benefit Canadian causes or American causes," Nash says. "It has always been built on the belief that we are all one community. What happens in one part of the world affects all of us."

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source : usaweekend.com

NBA Hopes to Continue Taking Great Leaps in China

The NBA is America's leading sports export to China, and it's about to begin an unprecedented expansion in the world's fastest growing major economy.

The lure of a country with 1.3 billion people, where 300 million play basketball - that's the entire population of the United States - is too lucrative to resist.

"We believe the potential of a market with four times the population of the United States ultimately must be at least what the United States is,'' said Adam Silver, the NBA's deputy commissioner, who describes China's growth potential as "exponential.''

The NBA has never undertaken such an expansion, so the exact outline of what's about to unfold is unclear. But the direction is unmistakable.

Timothy Chen, one of China's best known business executives, begins work Monday as the chief executive officer of the company's new Chinese subsidiary - NBA China.

Chen was Microsoft's top man in China until he resigned last month. He'll be charged with pulling together TV rights, sponsorships, new digital offerings and, perhaps, a new freestanding NBA-branded league in a country where NBA merchandise is already sold at 50,000 outlets.

The potential growth is unmistakable.

The NBA generated about $50 million in revenue last year from China, the league's largest market outside the United States. That pales compared to overall NBA revenue of almost $4 billion. But the NBA's 80-person staff in China is set to grow five times in the next several years and Silver suggested revenue will make at least comparable gains.

Ninety 90 percent of the new subsidiary will be owned by the league. Two five-percent shares will be sold to Chinese investors and to a U.S. media company. Silver wouldn't confirm it, but the American buyer is reported to be the Walt Disney Company, which owns ESPN and ABC.

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source : NBA.com

Azubuike Scores 22 points to Lead Warriors

Team1234Full Time
Warriors 30333026119
Lakers 27292525106

HONOLULU, Oct. 11 (AP) -- Kelenna Azubuike scored 22 points and the Golden State Warriors beat the Los Angeles Lakers 119-106 on Thursday night, completing a sweep of the teams' two-game exhibition series.

Marco Belinelli had 18 points, Mickael Pietrus added 17 and Troy Hudson 16 for Golden State, which beat Los Angeles 111-110 on Tuesday night.

Derek Fisherand Vladimir Radmanovichad 12 points apiece for the Lakers, and Andrew Bynum, Chris Mihm and Kobe Bryant added 11 each.

The Warriors outscored the Lakers in each quarter and looked like the offense that was second in the league with an average of 106.5 points per game last season.

Golden State used a 10-0 run midway through the second quarter that began with Belinelli's three-point play to pull to 35-33. Pietrus made two free throws and Hudson scored on a layup to give the Warriors a 37-35 lead.

Belinelli's 3- pointer with just under 7 minutes left in the first half gave Golden State the lead for good, and the Warriors led 63-56 at the break.

Pietrus was taken to the locker room in the third quarter with a strained lower back. He did not return and is day-to-day.

Baron Davis, Andris Biedrins, Monta Ellis and Al Harrington did not play for the Warriors. Davis was out for rest, Biedrins is nursing a sore left big toe and Ellis missed his second consecutive game due to a sprained neck.

Kwame Brown, Lamar Odom and Maurice Evans sat out for Los Angeles. Brown is recovering from surgeries on his left ankle and right shoulder did not play, Odom has an injured left shoulder, and Evans strained his left hamstring in Tuesday's game.

source : NBA.com