Wednesdays National Basketball Association Capsules
January 29th, 2009 Posted in NBA basketball newsTORONTO 107, NEW JERSEY 106
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey Anthony Parker scored 21 points and Jose Calderon added a double-double to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 107-106 victory over the New Jersey Nets.
Parker was 7-of-12 from the field and added seven rebounds and six assists while Calderon had 17 points and 11 assists.
Calderon missed a jumper from the left wing with 21 seconds to play, giving the Nets a chance to hold for a final shot to win.
Devin Harris went to work on Joey Graham and pulled up for an open 17-footer from the right elbow, but it came up short and time expired on the rebound.
Vince Carter scored 27 points and Harris added 25 for New Jersey, which hit 15 3-pointers.
NEW YORK 112, ATLANTA 104
NEW YORK Nate Robinson supplied the highlight-reel play, David Lee took care of business with another double-double and the New York Knicks had another victory.
Robinson triggered a decisive fourth-quarter run with an alley-oop dunk and Lee collected 16 points and 17 rebounds for his 34th double-double as the Knicks defeated the slumping Atlanta Hawks, 112-104.
Robinson continued his recent run of productive games by scoring 20 of his 24 points in the fourth, helping the Knicks to their fifth straight home victory and seventh in 10 games overall.
Lee posted his 34th double-double of the season, moving into a tie for the league lead with Orlando center Dwight Howard. He had it by the third quarter, when the Knicks turned an eight-point deficit into an eight-point lead.
Besides the play of Robinson and Lee, New York also had solid performances from point guard Chris Duhon, who collected a double-double of his own with 16 points and 11 assists.
Al Harrington added 16 points and Wilson Chandler chipped in 12 for New York, which shot 50 percent (44-of-88).
While the Knicks continued their recent run of good games, it was another tough night for the Hawks, who lost their third in a row and have dropped nine of their last 14.
NEW ORLEANS 94, DENVER 81
NEW ORLEANS Peja Stojakovic scored 26 points and Devin Brown added 18 off the bench as the New Orleans Hornets blitzed the Denver Nuggets in the second half en route to a 94-81 victory.
After flirting with a quadruple-double Monday, Chris Paul added 12 points and 10 assists for the Hornets, who have won five of their last six games.
Holding a two-point lead at the half, New Orleans outscored Denver, 48-37, after intermission despite being shorthanded. The Hornets were without star big men Tyson Chandler and David West.
West missed his fifth straight game with back spasms and isnt expected to return until next week. Chandler has sat out the last four contests with a sprained left ankle that is expected to keep him on the bench for at least the next two weeks.
Kenyon Martin scored 22 points and J.R. Smith added 20 for the Nuggets, who fell to 6-4 without Carmelo Anthony. The star forward is expected to be in the lineup for Fridays game against the Charlotte Bobcats after sitting out since January 5 with a fractured right hand.
DETROIT 98, MINNESOTA 89
MINNEAPOLIS Rasheed Wallace collected 25 points and 10 rebounds and Allen Iverson chipped in 17 points as the Detroit Pistons used a strong final push to top the Minnesota Timberwolves, 98-89.
Antonio McDyess added 14 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the Pistons, who held the Timberwolves to one field goal over the final 5:51.
After Al Jeffersons layup gave Minnesota an 84-79 lead with 5:52 remaining, Iverson started Detroits comeback with a runner in the lane. Wallace added seven points and McDyess chipped in two field goals as the Pistons ended on a 19-5 run.
Jefferson scored 24 points to lead the Timberwolves.
INDIANA 107, MILWAUKEE 99
INDIANAPOLIS T.J. Ford is making the most of his return to the starting lineup.
In his second game back with the first unit following a month coming off the bench, Ford tied a career high with 34 points – including two clutch buckets in the last 2 1/2 minutes – to lead the shorthanded Indiana Pacers to a 107-99 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Pacers were without leading scorer and potential All-Star Danny Granger, who was out with a sore knee. But Ford, paired in the backcourt with fellow point guard Jarrett Jack, made the most of the extra offensive opportunities. Indiana surrendered a double-digit lead in the second half, but Ford helped put the game on ice down the stretch.
After Charlie Villanuevas mid-range jumper cut Milwaukees deficit to 99-95, Ford answered on the other end with a driving layup to extend the lead to six. With the lead at four a minute later, Ford slithered his way inside and dropped in another easy lay-in to push the Pacers lead to 103-97.
Ford buried a pair of free throws with nine seconds remaining to seal the win.
The fifth-year veteran set the tone right away, attacking the basket with ease to the tune of 12 first-quarter points as Indiana jumped out to a 38-22 advantage.
BOSTON 119, SACRAMENTO 100
BOSTON Eddie House connected on a career-high eight 3-pointers and finished with 28 points off the bench as the Boston Celtics pushed their winning streak to nine straight with a 119-100 pasting of the Sacramento Kings.
Rajon Rondo collected 24 points and nine assists and Kevin Garnett and Glen Davis scored 14 points apiece for the Celtics, who shot 55 percent (44-of-80) from the floor, including 9-of-13 from the arc.
After allowing the Kings to jump out to a 30-28 lead after the first quarter, Boston responded with a strong second period, outscoring Sacramento, 40-19, in the period to take a 68-49 lead into the half. The Kings never threatened after the break.
John Salmons scored 22 points to lead Sacramento, which now has dropped seven in a row.
MIAMI 93, WASHINGTON 71
MIAMI The Miami Heat continue to plow through Southeast Division opponents on their home floor.
The Heat won their third consecutive game – all against divisional foes – on their homestand with a 93-71 triumph over the Washington Wizards.
In one of the teams best defensive efforts of the season, Miami held Washington to just 37 percent shooting (30-of-81) and forced 18 turnovers as it overcame a sluggish start to pull out the easy victory.
The win followed up back-to-back wins over both Orlando and Atlanta – the two teams ahead of Miami in the Southeast – in the last few days. The Heat have lost just once at home to a division opponent this season.
This time, they managed to do so without a typical performance from Dwyane Wade, the NBAs leading scorer.
The superstar guard fell just one rebound and one assist shy of a triple-double, but managed just 14 points on 6-of-16 shooting. However, a balanced scoring attack got the job done this time, as six players reached double figures – including 16 points apiece from reserves Michael Beasley and Daequan Cook.
PHILADELPHIA 95, HOUSTON 93
HOUSTON Samuel Dalembert made a huge block in the closing seconds and the Philadelphia 76ers stormed back from a 14-point deficit in the third quarter to overtake the Houston Rockets for a 95-93 victory.
Andre Iguodala led Philadelphia with 20 points, including a jumper from the right baseline with 36 seconds left to give the 76ers a four-point lead. Yao Mings basket cut the 76ers lead to two and he was fouled, but failed to convert the free throw.
The Rockets had a chance to tie or win, down two and with the ball with 5.8 seconds to play. But Tracy McGradys shot was
partially blocked by Dalembert for the 76ers 14th and final block of the night.
McGrady led Houston with 24 points.
The surging 76ers have won 9 of 11 and completed a two-game sweep of the season series with the Rockets.
PORTLAND 88, CHARLOTTE 74
PORTLAND, Oregon After a double-overtime victory against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Charlotte Bobcats could have used an extra day of rest. The Portland Trail Blazers were more than happy to play the unsympathetic host.
The Trail Blazers pounded the Bobcats, 88-74, on the strength of big games from LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy, who shot a combined 19-of-30.
Aldridge scored 25 points and Roy added another 17, leading the Blazers to their eighth victory in the past 11 games.
Charlotte began the game aggressively, putting a double-team on Roy while also using a trap. Portland adjusted by switching to a running offense, and quickly threw the Bobcats out of rhythm.
At the end of the first half, the Blazers had a 56-40 lead.
OKLAHOMA CITY 114, MEMPHIS 102 (OT)
OKLAHOMA CITY The Oklahoma City Thunder flirted with disaster before dousing the Memphis Grizzlies hopes of snapping a double-digit losing streak.
Kevin Durant scored 35 points and the Thunder posted a 114-102 overtime victory over the Grizzlies, overcoming a double-digit deficit and Rudy Gays follow shot at the end of regulation that forced overtime as the clock hit double zero.
The Grizzlies used a 17-6 run over the last five minutes of the fourth quarter to force overtime as Gay dropped in Mike Conleys miss from beyond the arc. They scored the first basket in overtime, but Oklahoma City ran off 14 straight points and Memphis losing streak hit 11.
Gay hit a shot from behind the arc as Memphis roared to a 32-18 lead with 2:02 left in the first quarter.
The Thunder quickly turned the tables and devoured the gap, grabbing a 54-53 lead on Durants hoop with 56 seconds left in the half.
DALLAS 117, GOLDEN STATE 93
DALLAS Jason Terry scored 22 points off the bench as the Dallas Mavericks cruised to a 117-93 triumph over the Golden State Warriors.
Dirk Nowitzki chipped in 20 points and Josh Howard added 19 for the Mavericks, who bounced back from a 24-point loss in Boston on Sunday with their largest margin of victory on the season.
Erick Dampier collected 10 points and 11 rebounds and Jason Kidd handed out nine assists for Dallas, which has won four of its last six contests.
Stephen Jackson finished with 25 points and reserve Corey Maggette added 21 for the Warriors, who have lost three of their last four games.
CHICAGO 95, LA CLIPPERS 75
LOS ANGELES Luol Deng scored 23 points and Tyrus Thomas added a double-double as the Chicago Bulls posted a 95-75 rout of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Deng hit 10-of-17 shots from the field and grabbed nine rebounds while Thomas contributed 16 points and 10 boards for the Bulls, who snapped a five-game losing streak.
Despite the return of guard Baron Davis and forward-center Marcus Camby, the Clippers struggled to make shots throughout the game, hitting just 36 percent (27-75) from the floor, including 6-of-20 3-pointers.
Davis scored three points on 1-of-10 shooting in just under 22 minutes after missing 13 games with tailbone and hamstring injuries. Camby missed five games with a sprained left ankle and had six points and six rebounds in 22 minutes for Los Angeles, which scored only nine points in the third quarter.
