The AP reports: Monta Ellis scored 30 points and Kelenna Azubuike hit two clutch shots down the stretch to help the Golden State Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks 114-104 Sunday night to create a three-way tie for seventh place in the ultracompetitive Western Conference… Baron Davis added 21 points, Stephen Jackson had 16 and Andris Biedrins had 16 points and 14 rebounds. Azubuike scored 15 off the bench a day after Davis and Jackson called for more help from the reserves. Josh Howard scored 36 to lead Dallas in his third straight 30-point game since Nowitzki went down with the injury. Brandon Bass added 21 off the bench, while Kidd had 13 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds.
Month: March 2008
Mar. 30: Kings 120, Sonics 107
For the Kings, Kevin Martin (11-of-19) had 31 points, Ron Artest (12-of-23) had 29 points, 12 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocks, and Francisco Garcia (8-of-14) had 21 points and 5 rebounds. For the Sonics, Kevin Durant (10-of-18) had 25 points, Jeff Green (9-of-16) had 21 (but a few too many turnovers), Earl Watson (9-of-15) had 20 points and 12 assists, and Damien Wilkins (7-of-15) had 18. The Kings shot 55.1% from the field, and had 28-of-32 free throws, compared to just 11-of-15 free throws for the Sonics.
Mar. 30: Celtics 88, Heat 62
The AP reports: Kevin Garnett scored twice before Miami made a basket, and the Boston Celtics held the Heat to an NBA-record low 17 field goals, coasting to an 88-62 victory Sunday. The matchup of the NBA’s best team and its worst was even more lopsided than anticipated. Boston was up 27-4 after 10 minutes and Celtics coach Doc Rivers started subbing for his starters just 7:10 into the game. Boston’s backups finished the first quarter, handled most of the second and all of the fourth as no starter played more than 25 minutes. Leon Powe had 17 points and 13 rebounds for Boston, and Garnett finished with 12 points, five assists and eight rebounds in 21 minutes. Ricky Davis had 14 points and six rebounds and Chris Quinn had scored 14 with eight assists for the Heat (13-60), who lost their third straight and sixth out of seven as they solidify their hold on the worst record in the NBA. Miami coach Pat Riley skipped his fourth game to resume his college scouting tour, and assistant Ron Rothstein ran the bench.
Mar. 30: Cavs 91, Sixers 88
The AP reports: LeBron James made a twisting bank shot with 19.3 seconds left to put Cleveland ahead to stay and the Cavaliers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 91-88 on Sunday night. James, who finished with 26 points, took the ball at the top of the key, drove through the lane and put Cleveland up 90-88. After a Philadelphia miss, Cleveland forward Joe Smith was fouled and made one free throw. Andre Iguodala, who led the 76ers with 19 points, missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Trailing 86-82, Cavaliers guard Delonte West hit two 3-pointers to tie the game at 88 with 1:13 to play. West finished with 18 points. James, who made 4-of-17 shots in Saturday’s loss to Detroit, was 11-of-18 from the field with nine rebounds and nine assists.
Mar. 30: Hornets 118, Raptors 111
The AP reports: David West scored 32 points and Chris Paul had 20 points and 16 assists to lead the New Orleans Hornets to a 118-111 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night. Peja Stojakovic scored 25 and Tyson Chandler had 17 points and 10 rebounds as the Hornets bounced back from a 20-point loss in Boston on Friday night to win for the sixth time in seven games. The Hornets reached 50 wins for the first time since the 1997-98 season. Chris Bosh scored 21 points and Carlos Delfino added 18 as Toronto’s modest two-game winning streak came to an end. Rasho Nesterovic had 14 and Jamario Moon added 13 for the Raptors, who have lost seven of 10.
Mar. 30: Hawks 114, Knicks 109
The AP reports: Marvin Williams scored 27 points and Joe Johnson had 23 to help the Atlanta Hawks win their third straight, 114-109 over the New York Knicks on Sunday… Jamal Crawford led the Knicks with 39 points—19 coming in the third quarter—but he was just 2-for-5 from the field in the fourth before his meaningless layup ended the scoring… Johnson, who had a season-high 13 assists, caught Al Horford’s pass from the right wing and laid in a short turnaround for a 105-94 lead with 3:42 remaining… David Lee finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Mar. 30: Wolves 110, Jazz 103
The AP reports: Al Jefferson had 22 points and eight rebounds and Rashad McCants scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half of Minnesota’s 110-103 victory Sunday over a Utah team that just can’t seem to win on the road. Corey Brewer tied a career high with 16 points and had seven rebounds for the Timberwolves, who have now beaten the Jazz at home twice this season, losses that are inexcusable for a team that hopes to contend for the Western Conference crown. Carlos Boozer had 25 points and 10 rebounds for the short-handed Jazz, who are nearly unbeatable at home but just 16-22 on the road this year… Deron Williams had 15 points and 13 assists, but was pretty quiet from a scoring standpoint after getting seven points in the first 5 minutes.
Mar. 30: Spurs 109, Rockets 88
The AP reports: Michael Finley scored 22 points on Sunday and the Spurs picked up their seventh straight win with an easy 109-88 victory over the Houston Rockets… Tony Parker added another 22 points and Tim Duncan had 13 for the Spurs, who have 51 wins—the most in the tightly packed Western Conference. The Rockets aren’t far behind… Luis Scola scored a season-high 24 points for the Rockets. Tracy McGrady— most often matched up against Spurs top defender Bruce Bowen—and Rafer Alston each had 13 points after shooting a combined 9-for-38… Luther Head scored 10 points for the Rockets. Manu Ginobili scored 14 for the Spurs and Kurt Thomas added 10.
Mike D`Antoni praises Manu Ginobili
The Boston Globe (Peter May) reports: Phoenix coach Mike D’Antoni often wonders why the name Manu Ginobili doesn’t surface when the topic concerns today’s great swingmen. “If you were picking a small forward or a big guard for your team, he’s got to be one of the top five that you’d be talking about,” D’Antoni said. “I mean, look at what he’s done. Three [NBA] championships. An Olympic gold medal. And yet he doesn’t even make the All-Star team. I don’t know if you mention him in the same sentence with the real greats, but if this is about winning, then what he has done is unbelievable. I don’t think we put enough of a premium on that. I think he’s one of the best players in the league.”
Rockets sign Mike Harris for remainder of season
Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed forward Mike Harris for the remainder of the 2007-08 season. As per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed. Harris originally signed a 10-day contract with the Rockets on March 8 and was re-signed to a second 10-day contract on March 18. In eight games with the Rockets, Harris has averaged 5.0 points and 4.0 rebounds.
Harris (6-6, 240, Rice), who signed with the Rockets as a rookie free agent on July 13, 2007, averaged 5.0 points and 6.0 rebounds while playing in Houston’s first two preseason games this season. Released by the Rockets on Oct. 22, Harris averaged 24.3 points and 11.6 rebounds in just 28 minutes per game in 25 outings with DongGuan (2007-08) of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Harris’ season highs in the CBA included a 46-point, 26-rebound game. The former standout at Rice University also averaged 12.6 points and 7.0 rebounds in five games with Houston in the 2007 NBA Summer League presented by adidas.
In 2006-07, Harris averaged 6.0 points and 2.4 rebounds in five preseason games with the Milwaukee Bucks. Selected third overall in the 2006 D-League Draft by Colorado, Harris also averaged 11.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.54 blocks in 48 games (16 starts) with the 14ers in 2006-07.