The AP reports: Kevin Durant set career highs with 42 points and 13 rebounds in his first professional double-double, and Jeff Green added 27 points to help the SuperSonics win what could have been their final game as a Seattle team, beating the Golden State Warriors 126-121 on Wednesday night. A strong season-ending performance by a pair of talented rookies would normally be a bright spot for fans of a lottery-bound team. But with the NBA Board of Governors set to vote later this week to approve the Sonics’ move to Oklahoma City after 41 years in the Emerald City, it’s unclear which fans will benefit… Baron Davis scored 21 points in 39 minutes after mysteriously being benched for the second half of Monday’s loss in Phoenix. Monta Ellis led the way with 24 points, Andris Biedrins had 20 points and 17 rebounds and rookie Marco Belinelli had a career-high 17 points.
Month: April 2008
Apr. 16: Suns 100, Blazers 91
The AP reports: Little-used Sean Marks had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Phoenix beat the Portland Trail Blazers 100-91 on Wednesday night in a game that ended up having no bearing on the Suns’ playoff seeding… The Spurs led Utah by 26 at halftime, and it wasn’t long before D’Antoni sent in reserves D.J. Strawberry, followed by Marks, Alando Tucker and Eric Piatkowski. Marks’ 16 points matched a career high and his 13 rebounds set a career high. Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Shaquille O’Neal didn’t play after halftime. Stoudemire finished with 12 points in 18 minutes, snapping his streak of consecutive 20-point games at 18 games, the third-longest in franchise history… Travis Outlaw scored 24 points and had 12 rebounds for Portland, which finished 41-41 and missed a chance for its first winning record since 2002-03.
Apr. 16: Spurs 109, Jazz 80
The AP reports: The San Antonio Spurs wrapped up the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs in dominant fashion, routing the Utah Jazz 109-80 on Wednesday night. The Spurs will face the sixth-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round. The Jazz will take on the Houston Rockets… Tony Parker had 24 points and 12 assists for San Antonio in the easy win. Tim Duncan added 14 points and 11 rebounds, and four other Spurs scored in double digits. C.J. Miles led the Jazz with 12 points. Mehmet Okur scored 11 and Carlos Boozer had 10 rebounds… Utah guard Deron Williams, who shot 2-of-6 from the field in the first half, didn’t play in the second half. He bruised his tailbone Saturday against Denver.
Apr. 16: Nuggets 120, Grizzlies 111
The AP reports: Carmelo Anthony scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds in his first game since getting arrested on a drunken driving charge, and the Denver Nuggets reached 50 wins for the first time in 20 years with a 120-111 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night… Denver’s starters all watched the fourth quarter from the bench after taking a 99-84 lead with unusually deep rotations. Allen Iverson led Denver with 21 points. Kenyon Martin logged the most minutes among the starters, collecting 11 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes… Kyle Lowry led the Grizzlies’ starters with 22 points, and Hakim Warrick added 19. Reserve Andre Brown also scored 19.
Apr. 16: Rockets 93, Clippers 75
The AP reports: Luis Scola had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets locked up the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a 93-75 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. Backup point guard Bobby Jackson added 15 points and five rebounds, and Tracy McGrady made up for a 2-for-11 shooting night with 11 assists as the Rockets improved to 22-2 in their last 24 home games… Jackson started for the second straight game in place of Rafer Alston, who strained his right hamstring against Denver on Sunday. Alston said he would likely miss Houston’s first two playoff games. Corey Maggette scored 22 points and Elton Brand added 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers, who’ve lost five straight to Houston and 17 of the last 20 meetings.
Apr. 16: Bulls 107, Raptors 97
The AP reports: The Toronto Raptors will be in good shape if T.J. Ford shoots this way in the playoffs. While Ford finished with 18 points in 18 minutes, Tyrus Thomas scored a season-high 26 to lead Chicago to a 107-97 victory over Toronto on Wednesday night in what might have been interim coach Jim Boylan’s last game with the Bulls… Ford made the most of his time, hitting 7 of 9 shots—and 6 of 8 while scoring 16 in the first quarter. Chris Bosh finished with eight points in 15 minutes… Andrea Bargnani came off the bench and scored 13, while Kris Humphries added 14 points for the Raptors (41-41)… While Thomas finished one shy of his career scoring high, rookie Aaron Gray set career-highs with 19 points and 22 rebounds. But Chicago’s core players— Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon—did little as a woeful season came to a merciful end.
Apr. 16: Wolves 110, Bucks 101
The AP reports: Randy Foye scored 10 of his career-high 32 points in overtime to help the Minnesota Timberwolves finish a forgettable regular season on a winning note, 110-101 over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. In what might have been the end of Larry Krystkowiak’s only full season as coach, the Bucks blew a 16-point third-quarter lead and let Foye and the Wolves blow by them in extra time. Milwaukee (26-56) closed by losing eight straight and 12 of 14… Bogut had 24 points and 15 rebounds, and rookie Ramon Sessions scored a career-high 25 points to go with 14 assists… Al Jefferson finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds in the game.
Apr. 16: Heat 113, Hawks 99
The AP reports: Jason Williams scored 17 points, Mark Blount and Daequan Cook each added 16 and the Heat ended their disappointing season with a 113-99 victory over the playoff-bound Atlanta Hawks. Miami finished 15-67, matching the 1988-89 expansion team for the worst record in franchise history… The Heat had seven players in double figures, including Ricky Davis (15 points, nine assists, seven rebounds), Earl Barron (13), Stephane Lasme (12) and Chris Quinn (11)… Josh Smith scored 20 points for Atlanta, which got 17 points and five assists from Mike Bibby. Zach Pachulia and Salim Stoudamire each scored 14 for Atlanta.
Apr. 16: Celtics 105, Nets 94
The AP reports: Second-stringer Leon Powe scored a career-high 27 points, adding 11 rebounds for his sixth career double-double, while Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and the rest of the Boston starters rested up for the playoffs. With their NBA-best 66 wins, the Celtics had already clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference and a matchup against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round… Tony Allen scored 18 for Boston, which won its fourth straight game and the 11th of its last 12. Richard Jefferson scored 24 points, and Nenad Krstic scored 13 with a season-high 12 rebounds. The Nets ended up 34-48, missing the playoffs for first time since 2001.
Apr. 16: Bobcats 115, Sixers 109
The AP reports: Jason Richardson scored 29 points and the Charlotte Bobcats recovered from blowing a big lead to beat Philadelphia 115-109 on Wednesday night, sending the 76ers to the playoffs on a four-game losing streak… Willie Green scored 27 points and Andre Iguodala scored 24 for Philadelphia. They were the only starters to play more than 24 minutes… Richardson was 3-of-7 on 3-pointers to finish with 243 this season, the fourth-most in NBA history. But it was one of few bright spots for the Bobcats, with first-year coach Sam Vincent facing an uncertain future after Charlotte’s fourth straight season out of the playoffs. Emeka Okafor added 24 points and nine rebounds in his final game before becoming a restricted free agent for the Bobcats, who finished 32-50.