Tuesdays National Basketball Association Capsules
January 22nd, 2009 Posted in NBA basketball newsSAN ANTONIO 99, INDIANA 81
SAN ANTONIO Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili were a one-two punch for which the Indiana Pacers had no answer.
Duncan recorded a double-double by halftime and Ginobili had a stellar game off the bench to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 99-81 victory over the Pacers.
Winners of three straight and four of five, the Spurs were led by Duncan with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Duncan had 16 points and 10 boards in the first half as San Antonio opened up a 53-40 lead.
Ginobili added 26 points and eight rebounds and made all four of his shots from the arc.
Danny Granger scored 17 points for the Pacers, who have dropped two straight.
Tony Parker added 13 points for San Antonio, which has won eight of its last 10.
Mike Dunleavy had 15 points for the Pacers, who shot 37 percent from the field. Indiana entered the game third in the league in scoring, but scored its second-fewest points in a game this season.
Duncan played a little over 26 minutes and not at all in the fourth quarter, but he was not needed. The Spurs extended their lead to 24 points in the third quarter and as much as 29 in the fourth.
ATLANTA 105, CHICAGO 102
CHICAGO Mike Bibby scored 31 points and the Atlanta Hawks had the last surge in a game of spurts and jolted the Chicago Bulls, 105-102.
The Hawks trailed 94-93 after top overall pick Derrick Rose made a layup with 5:18 left.
Atlanta then went on a 7-0 run that was capped by Bibbys basket from beyond the arc for a 100-94 advantage with 3:58 left.
After Ben Gordon stopped the tear with a jumper, Bibby countered with a basket from 22 feet.
Bibby made his fifth steal of the game with 39 seconds left and followed with a jumper to give Atlanta a 104-98 lead with 18.9 seconds remaining.
Gordon led the Bulls with 21 points.
DENVER 118, SACRAMENTO 99
DENVER The Denver Nuggets sputtered at the start before zooming by the Sacramento Kings, 118-99.
Trailing 31-23 after the first 12 minutes, the Nuggets hit high gear and blitzed the Kings in the second and third quarters. After posting a 34-16 advantage to take a 57-47 lead at the break, Denver didnt let up and rolled to a 94-75 lead after three.
The icing came when Kris Andersen threw down a reverse dunk off an alley-oop from Anthony Carter to make it 105-79 early in the final quarter.
Linas Kleiza led Denver with 27 points. Chauncey Billups added 22 points and eight assists.
Kevin Martin paced the Kings with 25 points.
UTAH 112, MINNESOTA 107
SALT LAKE CITY Paul Millsap scored 28 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the Utah Jazz to a 112-107 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Mehmet Okur scored 22 points and Deron Williams added 17 for Utah, which has won seven straight at home.
Al Jefferson scored 25 points for Minnesota, which was denied in its bid for a 3-0 road trip. The Timberwolves knocked off Phoenix and the Los Angeles Clippers to start the trek.
The Jazz won the game but lost forward Andrei Kirilenko midway through the second quarter because of an inflamed right ankle. Kirilenko, who averages 12.9 points and 5.9 rebounds, had a slight limp as he headed to the locker room and did not return.
