New Jersey 94, Philadelphia 92
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Dec. 1 (AP) -- Vince Carter came off the bench to help the New Jersey Nets end their home-court disadvantage.
Carter scored 24 points Saturday night in a reserve role, and the Nets ended a five-game home losing streak with a 94-92 overtime victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Jason Kidd equaled his season high with 19 points for New Jersey. Richard Jefferson had 23 and Antoine Wright 15 as the Nets overcame an 18-point first-half deficit.
"Regardless how bad the first half had gone for us, we still felt we had opportunities and a lot of basketball left,'' Carter said. "We had to be a different team in the second half as far as our effort, execution and togetherness.''
Andre Iguodala paced the 76ers with 24 points. Kyle Korver and Andre Miller each had 14 and Louis Williams 13. Samuel Dalembert had six points and 16 rebounds.
In the overtime, both teams had trouble scoring until they got to the foul line in the final minute. Iguodala made two free throws with 2.8 seconds remaining to cut the Nets' lead to 93-92.
On the inbounds, Kidd lofted a long pass downcourt to Carter, who was immediately fouled by Iguodala. Carter made one free throw, leaving the 76ers a final desperation shot, a long-range heave by Willie Green that missed.
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source : NBA.com
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Nets Rally To Trim Sixers In OT
Results Of 1st December
Results Of 30th November
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Full Time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trail Blazers | 19 | 17 | 23 | 21 | 80 | ||||
| Mavericks | 18 | 26 | 32 | 15 | 91 |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Full Time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacers | 24 | 24 | 17 | 28 | 93 | ||||
| Supersonics | 22 | 27 | 21 | 25 | 95 |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Full Time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spurs | 22 | 26 | 26 | 32 | 106 | ||||
| Timberwolves | 24 | 24 | 32 | 11 | 91 |
source : NBA.com
Howard Career-High 39 Points Lead Magic Past Sonics
Orlando 110, Seattle 94
SEATTLE, Nov. 28 (AP) -- One, two, four guys. It didn't matter how many players were draped on Orlando's Dwight Howard.
Using his remarkable power and speed, Howard dunked, blocked and dominated Seattle's undersized frontline for a career-high 39 points and 16 rebounds, and the Magic beat the SuperSonics 110-94 on Wednesday night for their NBA-best 14th win.
No matter what combination Seattle used, it failed to stymie Howard. He was unstoppable against one defender and regularly powered through double-teams. Late in the game, Seattle used four defenders in the lane to try and slow Howard.
"The way Dwight was playing, they didn't have an answer for him,'' Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. "One guy couldn't stop him, two guys couldn't stop him, so they put everybody on him.''
Howard made 12 of 17 shots, including nine dunks, regularly going over or through whoever was unfortunate enough to draw the assignment against him. That even included rookie Kevin Durant for one stretch, stuck trying to deny a passing lane to Howard with his lanky frame.
"Point blank, he is the most dominant player in this game right now, I would say,'' Durant said.
Orlando's Rashard Lewis struggled in his return to the city where he played nine seasons and grew from a skinny teenager into an All-Star. He cashed in on a huge contract with the Magic last offseason.
Lewis finished with nine points and missed 16 shots, but his offense wasn't needed. He simply watched as Howard overmatched the Sonics - whether it was Kurt Thomas, Johan Petro, Mouhamed Sene, Durant or anyone else drawing the assignment against the 21-year-old.
Howard topped his previous career-high of 35 points, earning his way to the free-throw line 20 times, making 15. It was his 14th double-double of the season and he added five blocks.
"My teammates did a great job of finding me,'' the soft-spoken Howard said.
Seattle lost its sixth straight and remained the only winless team at home in the NBA. The Sonics' 2-14 start matches the worst in franchise history. They began their inaugural 1967-68 season 2-14 under Al Bianchi. Seattle has lost 11 straight at home dating back to last year.
Durant scored 22 for Seattle and Wally Szczerbiak added 20 off the bench. But the pair combined to make just 12 of 41 shots.
"You've got to get over the hump and get it done. You've got to get wins on your home court,'' Szczerbiak said. "This is another learning experience for us, but we have to figure out how to turn these close games around.''
Lewis was concerned about the reception he would receive, knowing how Seattle fans turned on Alex Rodriguez when the MVP left for his 10-year, $252 million contract with Texas in 2000.
He didn't need to fret.
Lewis received a warm ovation during pregame introductions, some in the sparse crowd standing to applaud as he jogged onto the court. He struggled initially, missing his first three shots, before knocking down a 3-pointer midway through the first quarter.
But Lewis was simply a complement on this night. Hedo Turkoglu scored 15 and Keith Bogans added 14 points, including three 3-pointers in the final 4 minutes as Orlando fended off a Seattle challenge.
Carlos Arroyo had a career-high 14 assists and J.J. Redick score 11 points off the bench, his first points of the season.
"It's been strange ever since the plane landed,'' Lewis said of his return. "It was just a strange situation being here for the first time.''
For much of the night, Seattle looked very much like a tired, lethargic squad that arrived back in Seattle at 2 a.m. Wednesday morning following a seven-point loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.
The Sonics continually settled for outside shots, showing little desire to move the ball on offense or keep Howard away from the basket on defense.
In the fourth quarter, Seattle started attacking the basket and suddenly pulled to 93-92 on a pair of free throws by Szczerbiak with 4:35 left.
But three Orlando free throws and a 3-pointer by Bogans pushed the lead back to seven with 3:50 left. Seattle got no closer than five.
"We were trying to keep the ball out of Dwight's hands and try to make them beat us from the outside,'' Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said. "They did it.''
source : NBA.com
Parker Sees Double In Spurs?Win Over Wizards
San Antonio 109, Washington 94
SAN ANTONIO, Nov. 28 (AP) -- Tony Parker knows that sometimes you have to wait your turn and bide your time.
Parker's first-half wait paid off for the San Antonio Spurs, who with the help of the finals MVP's 20 second-half points beat the Washington Wizards 109-94 Wednesday.
"I was trying to be patient in the first half,'' said Parker, who finished with 29 points and 11 assists. "In the second half I was trying to penetrate, be more aggressive.''
Parker had nine points in the first half, but was key to the Spurs breaking open the game in the third quarter and sealing the win in the fourth.
"He's getting better and better at reading the situation and seeing what's given,'' said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. "He did a great job scoring, but he also found people. He hit open people for great shots and that's what a point guard does.''
Manu Ginobili added 19 points and Tim Duncan had 16 for the Spurs.
And while Parker was pushing up the score, San Antonio's star defender Bruce Bowen was making sure Washington's numbers didn't get too high.
Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, who have stepped up for the Wizards since guard Gilbert Arenas went out last week for three months following knee surgery, combined to go just 9-of-24 from the field for 28 points. Brendan Haywood scored a season-high 19 points for Washington.
"He's on a tear right now,'' Bowen said of Butler. "So the best way I think to try to stop those kind of guys is deny them the ball as much as possible.''
The Wizards got within six points, 86-80, with 8 1/2 minutes to go in the fourth, but Parker's 10 fourth-quarter points were the difference for San Antonio, which led from midway through the second quarter.
Parker also had eight rebounds for the Spurs. Bowen had 12 points and Francisco Elson and Michael Finley each added 10.
Antonio Daniels had 11 points for Washington and DeShawn Stevenson scored 10. Jamison also grabbed 13 boards for the Wizards.
"They loaded up on Antawn and Caron every time they caught (the ball). It was tough for them to catch because (the Spurs) are good individually,'' said Washington coach Eddie Jordan. "And when they did catch, the defense sort of loaded up on the strong side of the floor and they don't get the attempts because we have to pass out or make a tough play.''
Neither team was able to pull away in the first half. The Spurs were up 49-46 at the break, but that didn't show how Washington had moderate success in containing Parker, who is usually able to get to the rim at will. Parker took just five shots, hitting three. Ginobili led the Spurs at the half with 11 points off the bench.
"I thought for about two-and-a-half quarters we were competitive and we were sort of hanging with them on their home floor,'' Jordan said. "Tony Parker stepped it up another notch and was a one-man fastbreak, and we couldn't contain him. ... We may have gone up one notch, but Tony got them up another notch against us.''
Washington, coming off a 110-98 win at Dallas on Monday, was led by Butler's 10 points at the break.
But San Antonio broke the game open in the third quarter when the Spurs quickly surged to a 61-51 lead as Finley swished his second 3-pointer of the quarter with 7:55 to go.
A previously quiet Parker also got into a groove for San Antonio in the third. His fifth basket of the quarter, where he cut between Haywood and Stevenson for a driving layup, pushed his point total to 19 and gave the Spurs a 74-60 lead with 3:37 left.
The Spurs outscored the Wizards 30-24 in the third quarter, which ended with San Antonio up 79-70. The Wizards hit just six of their 16 attempts in the period.
The Spurs had the lead for good after Elson's layup with 7:44 on the clock in the second quarter broke a 36-all tie.
In the fourth, Parker scored eight straight points for the Spurs that would give them a 104-87 lead with about 3 minutes to play, including a fastbreak layup amid two Washington defenders with his back to the basket.
source : NBA.com
Yao, Rockets Hold Off Suns
Houston 100, Phoenix 94
PHOENIX, Nov. 28 (AP) -- Yao Ming produced the points and rebounds. Steve Francis provided the spark.
Yao had 31 points and 13 rebounds, helping the Houston Rockets beat the Phoenix Suns 100-94 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory.
Yao was impressive throughout - shooting 12-for-19 from the floor on an assortment of shots, including turnarounds, jump hooks and stuffs. He scored eight of the Rockets' last 13 points as Houston staved off a Phoenix comeback in the closing minutes.
Tracy McGrady added 18 points and Rafer Alston 15 for the Rockets, who have put together their winning streak after losing six in a row.
"He was aggressive,'' McGrady said of Yao, who had only 12 points on 4-of-17 shooting and six rebounds in the Rockets' 115-105 loss to the Suns on Nov. 17 when Houston played without McGrady. "If he plays like that every night, we'll be a helluva team.
"When I didn't play, it was tough for Yao to get easy shots. They double-teamed him even when he didn't have the ball. Having me out there made things easier for him.''
The seldom-used Francis didn't have huge numbers - nine points, three rebounds and seven assists - but his play off the bench gave the Rockets a big lift.
"I try to get myself ready when I'm called upon,'' Francis, who had played in only three previous games, said after playing a season-high 27 minutes. "I still have a long way to go; I still don't have my rhythm and timing.
"Me and the coach (Rick Adelman) have been having conversations about me coming in and giving the team a spark.''
He did that Wednesday night, including a block on an Amare Stoudemire jumper with 16.9 seconds remaining and Houston clinging to a 98-94 lead.
Steve Nash topped Phoenix with 29 points and six assists - ending his streak of at least 10 assists at eight games. Stoudemire scored 25 points for the Suns and Shawn Marion had 18.
The Suns, who trailed by as many as eight points in the final period, closed to 96-94, on Nash's jumper with 50 seconds left, but Francis scored on a drive with 29.9 seconds to go and Alston hit a layup for the final score.
Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni was disappointed by his team's effort.
"We just have to dig a little deeper, work a little harder,'' he said. "We'll get through this. We just didn't finish up the little things. We're just not sharp.''
Stoudemire was more positive.
"There is no need to panic,'' he said. "We just need to improve. We're still in good shape and we're still confident.''
Fueled by the little-used Francis, the Rockets overcame a 28-27 first-quarter deficit and took an 11-point lead midway through the second period. Francis, who played a season-high 27 minutes, led a 19-7 run in the opening 5:43 of the quarter to give Houston a 46-35 advantage. During that span, Francis had seven points, three assists and one steal.
The Suns narrowed the deficit to 56-52 at halftime with the help of Marion's seven points and two 3-pointers by Nash in the final 4:47.
Yao, meanwhile, was dominating. He had 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field, and six rebounds in the first half. In the first period, he showed his versatility by scoring on a fast-break dunk, then a left-handed hook.
Nash led the Suns at halftime with 18 points, including 3-of-4 on 3s.
The first period was marked by 10 lead changes and eight ties. In that time, Yao and McGrady nearly accounted for all of the Rockets' offense, taking 15 of the team's 20 shots and scoring 22 of the 27 points.
The third quarter was marred by turnovers and poor shooting, with each team scoring only 19 points. At the end, Houston led 77-73. After the Suns briefly regained the lead in the period, 64-63, Houston ran off eight straight point for a 71-64 advantage.
source : NBA.com
Results Of 28th November
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Full Time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacers | 17 | 25 | 25 | 28 | 95 | ||||
| Trail Blazers | 22 | 24 | 13 | 30 | 89 |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Full Time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timberwolves | 22 | 23 | 32 | 26 | 103 | ||||
| Mavericks | 30 | 28 | 25 | 26 | 109 |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Full Time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacers | 17 | 25 | 25 | 28 | 95 | ||||
| Trail Blazers | 22 | 24 | 13 | 30 | 89 |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Full Time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magic | 30 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 110 | ||||
| Supersonics | 24 | 21 | 23 | 26 | 94 |
source : NBA.com
Bryant Leads Lakers to Win Over Sonics
Lakers 106, Sonics 99
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 27 (AP) -- Kobe Bryant brought some order to another sloppy finish by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Bryant scored six of his 35 points in the final 3:51 and the Lakers overcame three turnovers in the final 1 1-2 minutes to beat Seattle 106-99 Tuesday night, snapping a three-game skid and sending the SuperSonics to their fifth straight loss.
Rookie Kevin Durant had 25 points for Seattle, 12 of them in the final 6:05. But it wasn't enough to overcome a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit.
"They made it closer than I thought they were going to,'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "I didn't like the way we finished up. We had a 15-point lead, then we were wandering around defensively and started doing some things I didn't like. It's the sign of a young team that's still unbridled and still undisciplined. I'm not happy with that game, but it was a win.''
The Sonics are a league-worst 2-13 in their first season under coach P.J. Carlesimo -- matching the poorest start in franchise history. They began their inaugural 1967-68 season 2-14 under Al Bianchi. Seattle has lost 14 consecutive games against Western Conference teams, including five last season.
"We're getting better and better and we're playing harder,'' Durant said. "During crunch time, I think that's when we're really cracking down. But we have to do that the whole game. Early in the year, we were giving the game away in the fourth quarter. Now we're giving it away in the third quarter. We just have to be more focused coming out of halftime.''
The Lakers had a 77-67 lead with about 2 1-2 minutes left in the third when Seattle's Nick Collison drove to the basket and sustained a cut below the right eye as Bryant took a swipe at the ball. Collison wasn't able to take the free throws -- so under NBA rules, he was ineligible to play the rest of the game and Jackson was allowed to select any one of the Sonics to replace Collison at the line.
"I've never liked the rule,'' Jackson said. "Obviously we've had a number of guys over the years that have had to shoot foul shots and come out and get taped or glued for a cut, like a boxer. But when you lose a ballplayer like that, it hurts you a lot.''
Jordan Farmar hit a 3-pointer, his first points of the game, to give Los Angeles a 92-79 lead with 8:11 to play and connected again from behind the arc less than 2 minutes later. The Sonics got as close as 102-97 on Durant's three-point play with 13.2 seconds left, but Bryant helped clinch it with a pair of free throws.
"We were a little sloppy in the second half,'' Bryant said, "but we managed to iron it out and coast to a victory.''
In a game that included nine lead changes and ties, neither team led by more than seven points until Lakers guard Derek Fisher sank three free throws for a 75-66 advantage after he was fouled by Earl Watson behind the arc with 3:17 left in the third quarter.
Bryant had 14 points in the first quarter, including a 19-foot jumper that edged him past 1985 NBA scoring champ Bernard King for 32nd place on the all-time list. Bryant's next target is John Stockton, who is 25 points ahead of him.
source : NBA.com
Dalembert Helps Sixers Roll Past Bucks
MILWAUKEE, Nov. 27 (AP) -- Kyle Korver waited patiently at his locker, glancing at his teammates and prepared to start a game. If it wasn't for ice on both knees, it would have been hard to tell the 76ers' forward had already finished one.
"I'm glad to be back,'' said Korver, who missed the previous four with a groin injury. "I feel like I'm in good shape. I didn't get tired out there.''
Korver provided a spark and he combined with Andre Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert for 62 points to lead Philadelphia to a 114-99 victory over Milwaukee on Tuesday night to snap the Bucks' five-game winning streak.
Philadelphia was resilient in snapping Milwaukee's 6-0 mark this season at the Bradley Center, leaving just Boston (7-0) and San Antonio (8-0) as the league's perfect teams at home.
"We understood they were undefeated at home, but we talked about before the game that they weren't going to win every game at home,'' Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said. "At some point they were going to lose a game. We were hoping it was going to be us.''
Looking for anything to build off of with a stretch of four games in five nights, the Sixers said they came to Milwaukee with a different attitude after dropping seven of the previous eight in their worst start since 1995. But Korver acknowledged the win won't mean too much if Philadelphia starts another losing skid on Wednesday at home against Utah.
"That was one game, we can't keep on having these stretches of four or five bad games and then get a good game and say we've kind of turned a corner or we're young or we're learning,'' Korver said. "We don't want to keep doing all that stuff.''
For a change, everything went right for Philadelphia even after squandering a 14-point lead as Korver went 8-of-13 from the field and 4-of-5 from 3-point range to finish with 20 points in 30 minutes.
"I shot a lot of shots while I was out,'' said Korver, who practiced set shots while out so he wouldn't push off and risk further damage. "I did some crazy drills.''
Iguodala, the lone bright spot so far this season for the Sixers, had 20 points and 11 assists while Dalembert was two off his career high with 22 points to go with eight rebounds.
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source : NBA.com
Results Of 27th November
McGrady Leads Rockets To Win Over Clippers
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 26 (AP) -- The Houston Rockets had a difficult time shaking off the banged-up Los Angeles Clippers through three tedious quarters. Then Tracy McGrady took over.
McGrady scored 19 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter, and the Rockets capitalized on another key injury to the Clippers in a 88-71 victory Monday night.
The Rockets blew the game open with a demoralizing 22-5 run at the start of the fourth, pulling out to an 81-63 lead with 6:56 to play. McGrady, who helped fuel the pivotal rally with 14 points, started it with two free throws and a pair of 17-footers. The seven-time All-Star added a three-point play off an acrobatic reverse layup and capped the run with an 18-footer.
"In the first half, I wasn't really that aggressive and wasn't really looking to score the ball that much,'' McGrady said. "I was just trying to get other guys involved and let the offense flow. But in the third quarter I wanted to assert myself at the offensive end and I gained a little confidence in the outside game. Then in the fourth quarter, I just wanted to put my will into the game and take it over because I saw a lot of gaps in their defense. And I got myself rolling.''
Rafer Alston added 17 points for the Rockets, who have posted back-to-back wins following a six-game losing streak, and have beaten the Clippers four straight times at Staples Center. Yao Ming had 14 points and eight rebounds.
The Clippers, who haven't shot 50 percent or better an any of their first 13 games, finished at 32.9 percent and have dropped seven of nine contests after a 4-0 start. Chris Kaman led them with 22 points and 13 rebounds.
The Clippers lost point guard Sam Cassell with 8:18 left in the first quarter after he strained his left calf defending Alston away from the ball in front of the Houston bench. Cassell, who is doubtful for Friday night's game at Denver, is one of only five Clippers to play in every game this season along with Kaman, Tim Thomas, Ruben Patterson and Quinton Ross.
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source : NBA.com
Results Of 26th November
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Full Time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magic | 17 | 25 | 17 | 26 | 85 | ||||
| Trail Blazers | 27 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 74 |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Full Time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timberwolves | 29 | 29 | 18 | 27 | 103 | ||||
| Hornets | 19 | 18 | 24 | 33 | 94 |
source : NBA.com
