Spurs 100, Blazers 79
SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 2 (AP) -- When Tony Parker saw teammate Tim Duncan on the court clutching his knee, two things went through his mind.
First, he hoped it wasn't as bad as it looked. Second, the team had to maintain its focus, even though it didn't know how bad the damage was to the star player.
As it turned out, Duncan's injury doesn't appear to be season-ending and Parker and the Spurs kept their mind on the game, coasting to a 100-79 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
"It looked bad at first,'' said Parker, who scored 27 points and dished out eight assists. "There were still like eight minutes left in the second quarter, so we just had to keep playing, keep playing and then whatever happens, happens.''
Duncan bruised his right knee and sprained his right ankle in the first half and did not return to the game. The team said all of Duncan's ligaments appeared stable but that he would undergo an MRI exam on Monday.
"It's tough to see somebody go down like that,'' Francisco Elson said. "He's very important to us. It was kind of a scare. Hopefully tomorrow we'll find out more.''
The Spurs said Duncan will miss some playing time, though they weren't sure how much.
Brent Barry added 17 points for the Spurs in their third straight victory.
Martell Webster and reserve Travis Outlaw had 17 points each for the Trail Blazers, who have lost four in a row and nine of their last 10. Outlaw also grabbed 11 rebounds. Webster was the only starter to score in double figures; the other four combined for 13 points.
"This is the lowest point. This is definitely the lowest point,'' said Brandon Roy, who scored four points on 1-of-9 shooting.
With 7:40 left in the first half, Duncan got caught up with Portland's James Jones and fell to the floor clutching his knee near the Spurs' basket. Duncan left the court helped by teammates Elson and Robert Horry.
"I didn't get tangled. I was just standing up,'' Jones said. "He slipped. I hope he's all right, that's all I can say.''
Duncan had been struggling with his shot when the incident happened. He finished with two points and was 1-of-7 from the field.
The Spurs led for good after one of Parker's signature layups broke a 15-all tie with 2:26 left in the first quarter, and were up by as many as many as 25.
Manu Ginobili, who strained a finger in the win, added 11 points for the Spurs and Bruce Bowen and Jacque Vaughn had 10 each.
Jones scored 10 points for Portland.
After Duncan exited with San Antonio up 34-28, the Spurs built their lead with the help of Parker, who hit a spinning layup that helped to ease the palpable tension in the arena.
Roy said Duncan's absence could have been a turning point for Portland, but that they didn't take advantage.
"They (the Spurs) turned it up,'' Roy said. "They got better. Tim went down and we stayed right where we were.''
Parker scored eight points in a 15-6 Spurs run that gave them a 15-point lead with 1:02 left in the half. The Spurs were up 51-38 at the break.
"When he goes down the whole game changes and you have to make that adjustment to what they will do to attack you,'' Portland coach Nate McMillan said. "Basically, Tony Parker and Ginobili took over that game.''
The Spurs were up by 20 at the end of three quarters as Parker continued his rampage, scoring nine points in the period. Meanwhile, Portland was still struggling in the face of San Antonio's surge and its field-goal percentage fell below 40 percent.
The Trail Blazers hit just six of 20 shots in the third quarter.
source : NBA.com
Monday, December 3, 2007
Duncan Hurt in Spurs?Win Over Portland
Anthony, Nuggets Start Fast, Cruise Past Heat
Denver 115, Miami 89
DENVER, Dec. 2 (AP) -- The Denver Nuggets made quick work of the slumping Miami Heat.
Carmelo Anthony scored 30 points, and Kenyon Martin added a season-high 20 to help the Nuggets rout the Heat 115-89 on Sunday night. Marcus Camby had 21 rebounds, his fifth 20-rebound game of the season.
Dwyane Wade had 13 points for Miami, and Ricky Davis and Daequan Cook had 11 each. Miami has lost three of its last four and is 4-12 overall.
"We've got to get it together,'' said Shaquille O'Neal, who scored a season-low six points. "Tonight was a plain-old butt-whipping.''
Miami has been in this position before. The Heat started 4-8 last season and won the Southeast Division. In 2003-04, Miami started 4-12, rallied to finish 42-40 and reached the Eastern Conference semifinals.
"We were five, six games under .500 and then won seven of eight or eight of nine games,'' Heat coach Pat Riley said of last season. "It is important that we play these games more competitively and keep things even before you try to win seven games in one night. You can't do that. It's got to come back slowly.''
Denver never gave the Heat a chance Sunday. The Nuggets used their running game to jump out to a 12-3 in the first 2:24 and never let up. Anthony had 12 points in the first quarter and Denver built a 37-17 advantage after the first 12 minutes.
"That's the way we want to play, especially at home,'' Martin said. "We want to use the altitude to our advantage.''
Wade and O'Neal were saddled with early foul trouble. O'Neal picked up two fouls in the first 5:33, and Wade was whistled for two quick ones late in the first and sat the entire second quarter with three fouls.
When O'Neal was in the game, things didn't go well for the 7-footer. Midway through the second quarter, he missed a dunk and the follow, and Martin hit a jumper in the lane to give Denver a 53-30 lead.
"You just don't see him have nights like that very often,'' said Nuggets guard Allen Iverson, who had 20 points. "Hopefully, this was just one of those games. All of us have them.''
The Heat went on a 12-2 run to cut the deficit to 59-42 at the half. Miami got to 61-49 early in the third quarter, but the Nuggets followed with a 12-2 run of their own to push the lead back to 20 with 7:22 left in the period.
The Nuggets poured it on, and they closed the quarter with Iverson hitting a 33-foot buzzer-beater to make it 92-64.
"We are in a funk,'' Wade said. "Everything goes wrong when you're where we are.''
When the lead reached 101-69 with 9:08 left, Denver's starters were done for the night.
"Miami is not fitting right now, and they are not in tune, but we weren't either a couple of games ago,'' said Nuggets head coach George Karl, whose team has won two straight after a three-game losing streak. "Our team, in the last three games, including the Laker loss, has come together a little bit.''
Miami knows it can put a run together, but with the Orlando Magic off to a fast start, it knows that run needs to start soon.
"I think we can, but we have to do it now,'' O'Neal said. "We can't always keep waiting, we can't always keep relying on the past. We have to do it now.''
source : NBA.com
Hill Helps Suns Pull Away To Beat Knicks
NEW YORK, Dec. 2 (AP) -- Happy and healthy, Grant Hill delivered a reminder that he can still be an elite NBA player.
Down the hall, there was nothing but more misery for the New York Knicks.
Hill scored a season-high 28 points, nine during a fourth-quarter flurry that broke open a close game, and the Phoenix Suns pulled away to beat the Knicks 115-104 on Sunday night.
Frequently injured in recent years, Hill said he felt rejuvenated by the move to Phoenix, where he signed as a free agent during the offseason.
"Sometimes you need new scenery,'' he said. "Coming here is a great environment, great coaching staff, great guys, and just the chance to break away from all the ankle talk and stuff from the past, that's all behind me and I feel good. Now it's about trying to go out and help this team win.''
It was a tense atmosphere afterward in the Knicks' locker room, where almost all the players were gone by the time the media was allowed in. Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said during his postgame press conference that his team got impatient in the fourth quarter, but when asked why that happened, he paused for 10 seconds before saying, "I'll keep that thought to myself.''
"We stick together,'' said Quentin Richardson, one of the only players who was still around. "We're going to keep working hard. We'll persevere.''
Amare Stoudemire added 28 points and 12 rebounds to help the Suns win for the 10th time in 12 games. Phoenix, opening a five-game road trip, also got 15 points from Shawn Marion and Leandro Barbosa, and nine points and 15 assists from Steve Nash.
Hill shot 13-of-17 in his highest-scoring game in nearly two years. He went to the bench for good midway through the fourth quarter, possibly all that prevented him from his first 30-point game since he scored 34 for Orlando against Miami on Feb. 27, 2005, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
"He's a seven-time All-Star,'' Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said. "He's healthy and playing great. Obviously he had a good game. Almost a triple-double. He's capable and has done it all his career whenever he's been healthy, and he's healthy. I don't think it's unusual that he did it.''
Eddy Curry and Stephon Marbury scored 21 points apiece for the Knicks, who played the speedy Suns even for three quarters, keeping the "Fire Isiah!'' chants on hold until there were under 4 minutes left. Zach Randolph added 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Despite a terrific start, Phoenix led by only one after three quarters. Hill converted a three-point play to open the fourth, then knocked down three consecutive jumpers to extend the lead to 94-84 less than 1 1/2 minutes into the period.
Barbosa added another bucket, and the Knicks didn't score in the fourth until Fred Jones made a free throw with 8:37 remaining. Phoenix outscored New York 30-20 in the final 12 minutes.
A message on the Suns' locker room board before the game read: "Let's take the crowd out of the game early. A good start will turn their crowd against them.''
Phoenix certainly got the good start - though sometimes lately the fans are on the Knicks before the game is even under way.
The Suns put on an offensive clinic in the opening minutes, making 12 of their first 17 shots and quickly building a 14-point lead. Randolph kept the game from getting away from the Knicks with 11 points in the opening quarter, which ended with Phoenix ahead 37-29.
New York tied it at 50 on Marbury's 3-pointer with 3:15 remaining in the half, but Hill hit two jumpers in the final minute to give the Suns a 61-57 lead at the break.
Hill added eight rebounds and seven assists in his highest-scoring game since also finishing with 28 for Orlando against Dallas on Dec. 16, 2005.
The Suns shot 58 percent from the field.
The Knicks twice led by a point in a tight third quarter, which ended with Phoenix ahead 85-84.
Notes: The Suns have won two in a row at Madison Square Garden for the first time since Jan. 2, 1990, and March 5, 1991. ... The Knicks played without reserve point guard Mardy Collins, who sprained his left ankle during pregame Friday night against Milwaukee. Collins started the game in Phoenix last month after Marbury went home instead of coming off the bench. ... Thomas said before the game that he read nothing into the absence of MSG chairman James Dolan at recent home games. "I think you guys pay more attention to that than I do,'' he said, adding he knew why Dolan hadn't been here but refused to elaborate.
source : NBA.com
Celtics Repel LeBron James-less Cavaliers
Boston 80, Cleveland 70
BOSTON, Dec. 2 (AP) -- LeBron James watched from the bench in street clothes. The show he saw wasn't very pretty.
"There'll be no video on this game, hopefully,'' Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "It was not a piece of art.''
Boston plodded to an 80-70 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. But the NBA's leading scorer was sidelined with a sprained finger, the NBA's best team had little energy, and the crowd that showed up for the rare 12:30 p.m. start was subdued.
"Afternoon games aren't one of my favorites to begin with,'' Boston's Kevin Garnett said.
He and Paul Pierce each scored under 10 points. Garnett had only nine in 26 minutes two games after his streak of 435 games, including playoffs, of scoring in double figures ended when he had eight points in 23 minutes of a 104-59 win over the New York Knicks.
"We just didn't have the energy we normally come out with,'' said Pierce, who had seven points in 30 minutes. "I don't know if part of it was (the game) being early. I don't know if part of it was LeBron not playing, but we usually come out with a better start.''
James, who missed his second straight game, is day-to-day, Cleveland coach Mike Brown said.
The Celtics led just 43-39 at the end of a slow-paced first half. It was 48-44 before an 8-point run put them ahead 56-44 with 4:52 left in the third quarter.
That's when Cleveland called a timeout. James, watching from his bench in street clothes, smiled and gestured toward Boston's Scot Pollard, who played on Cleveland's Eastern Conference finalists last season.
"When King James goes down, you feel like you have to carry the team by yourself offensively,'' Drew Gooden said. "I think we are started to get better at doing that, but then again that is not our identity. Our identity is having him make plays for us.''
On Tuesday night, the Cavaliers handed the Celtics one of their two losses of the season, 109-104 in overtime at Cleveland. James scored 38 points, 11 of them in overtime, and added 13 assists.
But the next night in a 109-74 loss in Detroit, James sprained his left index finger in the second quarter. Cleveland lost again Friday night, 91-82 at Toronto.
"Like in Toronto, the effort was there,'' Brown said, "but we've got to find a way to score.''
Boston improved to an NBA best 14-2 and was led by Ray Allen with 20 points and Rajon Rondo with 12. Cleveland was led by Zydrunas Ilgauskas with 12 points and 13 rebounds and Sasha Pavlovic with 11 points. Gooden had a double-double at halftime and finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
"We anticipated Lebron playing,'' Garnett said. "He didn't, but the world doesn't stop. The game definitely doesn't stop.''
Last season, without Garnett and Allen, the Celtics didn't get their 14th win until Feb. 26, their 56th game - 40 more than it took this season. They're 9-0 at home one season after getting their ninth win there on March 14, their 32nd home game.
"As much as we have our comforts here at home, you start to extend those on the road and it makes you better on the road, too,'' Allen said.
Boston took its biggest lead, 77-56. Then, with substitutes on the floor, Cleveland cut the lead in the final five minutes but never threatened.
"The Celtics turned it up coming out of halftime, put pressure on us and we didn't handle the pressure,'' Brown said.
The Celtics opened a 64-50 lead after three quarters, then started the fourth with layups by James Posey and Glen Davis, a fun-loving rookie who provided the energy Rivers was seeking.
"Big Baby is the personality of the Boston Celtics,'' Garnett said, using Davis' college nickname at LSU. "He has an aura around him which followed him, which he carries on and off the court.''
Boston took its 77-56 lead on a free throw by Tony Allen following a 3-pointer by Eddie House.
In the first half, Cleveland capitalized with Boston's starters on the bench and took its biggest lead of the game, 30-23 midway through the second quarter. It was 32-27 by the time all five Celtics starters were back in the court.
Ilgauskas hit a free throw before the Celtics scored the next nine points for a 36-33 lead. Ray Allen had four of the points, including a stuff that ended the run after he stole the ball at midcourt.
The Celtics won despite hitting just 37.5 percent of their shots and going only 2-for-14 from 3-point range. The Cavaliers were even worse with a 32.9 field goal percentage.
The Celtics had played back-to-back 8 p.m. games before flying home from Miami on Saturday.
"Our bodies are tired,'' Pierce said. "So we had to come in here and be mentally ready.''
source : NBA.com
Results Of 2nd December
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Full Time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warriors | 35 | 25 | 28 | 21 | 109 | ||||
| Supersonics | 18 | 23 | 25 | 30 | 96 |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Full Time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trail Blazers | 17 | 21 | 19 | 22 | 79 | ||||
| Spurs | 23 | 28 | 26 | 23 | 100 |
