New-Look Clippers Surge Past Lakers

Team	1	2	3	4					T
Clippers	36	23	16	32					107
Lakers	30	18	17	15					80

L.A. Clippers 107, L.A. Lakers 80
FRESNO, Oct. 9 (AP) -- Rookie Mike Taylor was 9-of-12 from the field and scored 20 points to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 107-80 preseason victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.

It was the Lakers' worst preseason loss since a 31-point defeat to the Golden State Warriors in 2005 and it kept the Lakers (0-2) winless this preseason. Lakers star Kobe Bryant played 24 minutes and finished with 12 points and three assists. He left midway through the third quarter and did not return.

Baron Davis, who signed the Clippers in the offseason after spending the past three seasons with the Warriors, played 17 minutes and finished with 12 points and seven assists.

Ricky Davis had 17 points for the Clippers (1-1), who led by as many as 13 points in the first half and began distancing themselves again early in the fourth after the Lakers got as close as 79-74 on Jordan Farmar's 3-pointer. Farmar, who finished with 12 points, was one of five Lakers in double figures.

Reserve forward Vladimir Radmanovic led the Lakers with 14 points.

Ricky Davis, who signed as a free agent with the Clippers in the offseason after playing for the Miami Heat, scored 13 points in the first half and was 3-of-5 from behind the arc.

A predominantly Lakers crowd came out to see a rare NBA game in the central San Joaquin Valley. It was the first time the Lakers lost in Fresno, where the team also played in 2004 and 2006.

Taylor led the Clippers' charge in the second half, scoring 16 points. He played with the Idaho Stampede in the NBA Development League last season. Clippers reserve forward Steve Novak was 4-of-6 on 3-pointers and finished with 12 points.

The Clippers were assessed three technical fouls. Clippers reserve guard Jason Hart and the Lakers' Radmanovic were called for a double technical late in the first quarter. Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy received a technical foul in the third quarter.

And rookie DeAndre Jordan was called for a technical after hanging on the rim and yelling after completing a monstrous one-handed dunk in the fourth quarter.

Clippers center Marcus Camby, acquired in a trade with the Denver Nuggets in the offseason, traveled with the team and was in uniform, but did not play. Camby has been recovering from flu-like symptoms during training camp.


source : NBA.com

Barnes Scores 21 Points to Lead Suns over Jazz

Team	1	2	3	4					T
Suns	23	25	25	23					96
Jazz	23	20	22	24					89

Phoenix 96, Utah 89
SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 9 (AP) - Matt Barnes scored 21 points and Alando Tucker added 19 as the Phoenix Suns beat the Utah Jazz 96-89 on Thursday night.

The Suns, who didn't make a 3-pointer in their opening loss to Atlanta on Wednesday, went 9-of-21 from beyond the arc against Utah (1-1) and didn't trail after the opening minutes of the first quarter.

Raja Bell scored 11 points for Phoenix (1-1).

Kyle Korver scored 16 points and Mehmet Okur had 12 points and eight rebounds for Utah, which opened with a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.

Deron Williams, a U.S. Olympian this summer, had nine points and five assists as he played the entire first and third quarters.

Boris Diaw added nine points and eight rebounds for Phoenix, which outrebounded Utah 45-35, the second straight time Utah was outrebounded by double figures.

Phoenix led by as many as nine points in the third quarter and pushed the lead to 14 points late in the fourth quarter, largely because of Tucker. The second-year forward from Wisconsin scored 11 points in the final quarter.

Barnes, an offseason free agent signing, scored eight points in the final quarter for Phoenix, which shot 48.6 percent from the field.

Guard Morris Almond scored 10 points and forward Paul Millsap had a team-best 11 rebounds for Utah.

Both teams struggled from the free throw line, making just 61 percent. Phoenix's Shaquille O'Neal missed his first three free throws and finished with five points.

The Jazz played without All-Star forward Carlos Boozer, who missed his second consecutive game resting a sore left hamstring. The Suns were without Amare Stoudemire (torn iris in right eye) and Leandro Barbosa (family reasons) for the second straight game.

source : NBA.com

Green Scores 18 as Mavericks Hold Off Bulls

Team	1	2	3	4					Full Time
Mavericks	36	26	20	28					110
Bulls	22	22	26	32					102

Dallas 110, Chicago 102


CHICAGO, Oct. 9 (AP) -- Gerald Green scored 18 points to lead six Dallas players in double figures, helping the Mavericks beat the Chicago Bulls 110-102 in a preseason game on Thursday night.

Bulls rookie Derrick Rose, last spring's No. 1 draft pick, played nearly 27 minutes and scored 10 points in Chicago's preseason opener.

Dallas (2-0) never trailed, using an 11-1 run in the first quarter to establish an early edge. Josh Howard scored six points during that span and finished with 10.

The Mavs' lead ballooned to 19 points by halftime, then slipped to seven after the Bulls opened the second half with a 12-0 run. Rose had a pair of long-distance jumpers during the surge, which ended with Dallas guard Gerald Green's 20-foot field goal at the 6:59 mark.

Chicago trailed 82-70 after three quarters but rallied to within six points with 1:56 left.

Luol Deng, Aaron Gray and Darius Washington paced the Bulls with 14 points each, while Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes each added 11.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 15 points for the Mavericks, Antoine Wright and Jose Barea each had 11 and Brandon Bass added 10.

Rose had a slow start in his NBA debut. The former Memphis guard missed his first four field goal attempts before scoring on a right-handed layup with 6:45 left in the second quarter.

Four Chicago players - including regulars Joakim Noah and Ben Gordon - sat out with injuries.

source : NBA.com