The AP reports: A game after winning while resting three starters, the Pistons didn’t need much from the top five in an easy 106-87 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Friday night. Richard Hamilton sat out with a sore hip and had plenty of company on the Detroit bench. Antonio McDyess only played 25 minutes, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace played 24 apiece, and Chauncey Billups was only on the floor for 22… Detroit got 45 points from its reserves, led by 14 from rookie Rodney Stuckey… The other positive for the Pistons was Antonio McDyess’s game-high 19 points… New Jersey, which was missing Vince Carter (ankle), trails Atlanta by four games with six games left in the race for the East’s last playoff spot.
Day: April 5, 2008
Apr. 4: Hornets 118, Knicks 110
The AP reports: Chris Paul had 33 points and 15 assists, and the Hornets became the first team in the Western Conference to clinch a playoff berth, beating the New York Knicks 118-110 on Friday night… Jamal Crawford had 29 points and nine assists for the Knicks, who have lost 17 of 19 but stayed competitive through three quarters… Peja Stojakovic finished with 22 points and David West added 17 for the Hornets, who won their 10th in a row at home. They were coming off a season-high, six-game road trip in which they went 5-1… Reserve Nate Robinson scored 23 points and Zach Randolph added 22 points, 11 in the first quarter. The Knicks lost shooting 55 percent from the field.
Apr. 4: Warriors 117, Grizzlies 86
The AP reports: Andris Biedrins had 21 points and 17 rebounds, and the Warriors climbed within a half-game of eighth place in the Western Conference with a 117-86 victory over the Grizzlies on Friday night… Monta Ellis scored 19 points, while Kelenna Azubuike added 15 points and 10 rebounds. Jackson finished with 14 points, Marco Belinelli had a career-high 13 and Brandan Wright scored 10… Rudy Gay led Memphis with 23 points, while Hakim Warrick finished with 13 and Kyle Lowry had 12… The Warriors held a 28-point lead in the third and led 90-66 entering the fourth.
Apr. 4: Jazz 90, Spurs 64
The AP reports: The Jazz reversed the roles Friday night in a 90-64 victory that matched the Spurs’ lowest point total in franchise history and ended San Antonio’s eight-game winning streak… Mehmet Okur had 17 points and 16 rebounds and Deron Williams had 16 points and 11 assists for his 50th double-double of the season. Williams led the Jazz on a 13-0 run to open the fourth quarter, which pretty much took the Spurs out of it and had Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili on the bench early in the period… Williams opened fourth quarter with a high alley-oop to Andrei Kirilenko to start a 13-0 run for the Jazz. Kirilenko finished with 10 points and six assists, and Carlos Boozer added 16 points and flustered Duncan all night. Duncan finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, but sat most of the fourth quarter as the Jazz ran away with it.
Apr. 4: Sixers 109, Hawks 104
The AP reports: Andre Iguodala scored 30 points and Andre Miller had 23 to help the 76ers wrap up their first playoff spot in three years with a 109-104 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night… Combining with Iguodala for 25 points, three assists, five rebounds and one steal in the fourth quarter, Miller was satisfied with holding off the Hawks’ comeback from a 14-point deficit… Joe Johnson led Atlanta, with 32 points, but fell down and lost the ball on what appeared to be a damp floor while dribbling with 1:36 remaining… Mike Bibby had 11 assists, but he was just 1-for-11 from the field for Atlanta. Josh Childress finished with 20 points in a reserve role.
Apr. 4: Bobcats 105, Raptors 100
The AP reports: Jason Richardson scored 27 points and Earl Boykins converted a three-point play after stealing the ball from T.J. Ford in the final minute of the Charlotte Bobcats’ 105-100 victory over the Raptors on Friday night. Chris Bosh had 23 points for the Raptors, who clinched a playoff berth Friday night because Washington beat Miami… The Raptors (38-38) are hardly playing like a team poised to make a strong playoff run. Fans booed the home team at the final buzzer… Rasho Nesterovic added a season-high 23 points for Toronto, but All-Star Bosh didn’t get many touches in the final minutes. Raymond Felton had 21 points for Charlotte.