Mondays National Basketball Association Capsules
December 23rd, 2008 Posted in NBA basketball newsTORONTO 97, LA CLIPPERS 75
LOS ANGELES The Toronto Raptors snapped a five-game losing streak, defeating the Los Angeles Clippers, 97-75.
Chris Bosh led three players in double figures for the Raptors, pouring in 31 points. Jermaine ONeal had 23 and Anthony Parker added 12.
It was the Clippers who looked like they hadnt won in five games. The team came out listless and the Raptors took advantage of it.
Bosh and ONeal scored as many points (18) as the entire Clippers team did in the first quarter. Los Angeles shot 39 percent from the field in the opening quarter and trailed by as many as 15 points.
Los Angeles, which has not shot 50 percent or better from the field all season, were 12-of-39 (31 percent) in the first half. The Clips finished the game at 33 percent (25-of-76) from the floor.
The Raptors lead was as many as 21 points and it was the fourth time this season that the Clippers did not led at any point in a game.
DENVER 97, PORTLAND 89
DENVER Round One goes to the Denver Nuggets.
The Nuggets survived the absence of All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony to outlast the Portland Trail Blazers, 97-89, and snap a tie atop the Northwest Division. The game was the first half of a home-and-home series between the clubs that willconclude Tuesday in Portland.
Anthony was sidelined with a right elbow contusion, but the Nuggets survived thanks to 19 points apiece from Chauncey Billups and Nene. It was the role players who came up biggest as Denver snapped a three-game skid.
The Nuggets were nursing a two-point edge midway through the fourth quarter before reserve forward Linas Kleiza buried a 3-pointer. After LaMarcus Aldridge answered with a dunk on the other end, J.R. Smith buried back-to-back long jumpers to push Denvers advantage to 92-85.
The Blazers pulled back to within four late in the period, but Billups found Kleiza for a layup as the Nuggets held on.
Aldridge led Portland with 18 points, while All-Star guard Brandon Roy was held to just eight on 3-of-11 shooting.
HOUSTON 114, NEW JERSEY 91
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey It isnt often that a team can shut down both Devin Harris and Vince Carter on the same night. The Houston Rockets were up to the task on Monday.
The Rockets stifling defense limited the New Jersey Nets star backcourt combo to just 20 points on 7-of-24 shooting en route to a 114-91 rout.
Yao Ming took advantage of New Jerseys soft frontcourt, posting 24 points and 16 boards as Houston won its fourth straight. The Rockets took control early, racing to a 16-point lead after one quarter, and the Nets could never recover as their struggles at home continued. They fell to just 5-10 at the IZOD Center.
Second-year point guard Aaron Brooks provided a spark for Houston, scoring 11 of his 22 points in the opening quarter – including a four-point play midway through.
Keyon Dooling scored 17 points to lead the Nets.
LA LAKERS 105, MEMPHIS 96
MEMPHIS, Tennessee Kobe Bryant poured in a game-high 36 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 34 seconds remaining, to help the Los Angeles Lakers snap a season-long two-game losing streak with a 105-96 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
With the game knotted, 96-96, Bryant knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key following a Pau Gasol offensive rebound and assist to put the visiting Lakers ahead to stay.
Gasol, appearing in his first game in Memphis since being traded to Los Angeles last February, finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Rudy Gays 23 points led Memphis, which had led, 91-85, with 4:01 left in the fourth.
ORLANDO 113, GOLDEN STATE 81
ORLANDO, Florida The Golden State Warriors were outmatched from the start as the Orlando Magic rolled to their fifth consecutive victory, 113-81.
Jameer Nelson led the Magic with 22 points and seven assists, while Orlando quieted Jamal Crawford in his first game since scoring 50 against Charlotte Monday, holding the Golden State newcomer to 18 points of 7-of-21 shooting.
Nelson shot a perfect 9-for-9 from the field – including four 3-pointers – to put up another stellar performance after recently being named the Eastern Conference player of the week.
Meanwhile, Golden State shot just 32 percent (29-of-91) from the field and did not hold a lead once the entire night.
SAN ANTONIO 101, SACRAMENTO 85
SAN ANTONIO It was business as usual for the San Antonio Spurs. Thanks to another stingy defensive effort, the Spurs cruised past the Sacramento Kings for a 101-85triumph.
Tony Parker collected 18 points and six assists to lead five players in double figures as San Antonio won its second straight following a rare two-game skid.
The Kings held strong early on, but that only lasted for about nine minutes. The Spurs closed the first quarter with an 8-0 run to take an 11-point lead into the second and continued to pile on from there. Sacramento pulled to as close as six on Bobby Browns 3-pointer that cut the deficit to 38-32 three minutes into the second, but Tim Duncans layup on the other end spurred another 8-0 spurt.
The All-Star forward took just five shots – but that was more than enough. His teammates did the rest of the heavy lifting, as the San Antonio bench accounted for 44 of the teams 101 points.
