The AP reports: Jamal Crawford scored 29 points, Zach Randolph added 20, and the Knicks beat the Miami Heat 120-115 on Wednesday night in their first game under D’Antoni. Wilson Chandler had 17 points and nine rebounds, and David Lee and Quentin Richardson each scored 16 points for New York… Dwyane Wade had 26 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in his return to regular-season action for the Heat, but fouled out on what appeared to be a good block of Crawford’s 3-pointer with 1:25 left after Miami closed within six. Udonis Haslem added 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat in rookie coach Erik Spoelstra’s debut. Spoelstra, 37, became the youngest head coach in the NBA when he replaced Pat Riley.
Month: October 2008
Oct 29: Hawks 99, Magic 85
The AP reports: The Hawks surged to an early lead and held off the Magic in the fourth quarter Wednesday for a 99-85 win in the season opener for both teams. Joe Johnson scored nine of his game-high 25 points in the fourth and the Hawks handed Orlando only its second loss in its last nine home openers. Atlanta won its first road opener since 1987. Josh Smith, playing on a sprained ankle, chipped in 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks. Dwight Howard scored 12 of his 22 points in the final quarter and added 15 rebounds to lead Orlando… Mickael Pietrus had 20 points, more than double his preseason average. .. Rashard Lewis fouled out with 11 points and Hedo Turkoglu scored 13.
Oct 29: Nets 95, Wizards 85
The AP reports: After his New Jersey Nets opened the season by beating the Washington Wizards 95-85 behind Vince Carter’s 21 points, coach Lawrence Frank praised all of his players and talked about how guys who didn’t even get in helped by being “supportive.” … Newcomer Yi Jianlian scored 17 points, and former Wizards player Jarvis Hayes added 14. They went a combined 13-for-20. Three draft picks made NBA debuts: Brook Lopez (eight points, eight rebounds), Ryan Anderson (five points, three rebounds, two assists) and Chris Douglas-Roberts (two assists)… Six Wizards scored in double-figures, but Jordan wasn’t pleased by what he called a lack of energy from his players. Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler shot 9-for-29 and totaled 27 points.
Oct 29: Raptors 95, Sixers 84
The AP reports: Chris Bosh had 27 points and 11 rebounds to help the Raptors beat the Philadelphia 76ers 95-84 on Wednesday night in the opener for both teams. Jermaine O’Neal added 17 and Jason Kapono had 15 for the Raptors, who finished 41-41 last season… Lou Williams scored 16 points, Andre Iguodala added 15, Elton Brand had 14 points and 13 rebounds in his Sixers debut and Samuel Dalembert pulled down 17 rebounds. Andre Miller had 13 points… Toronto outscored the Sixers 33-24 in the second quarter to take a 51-45 lead at halftime.
Greg Oden out 2-4 weeks
The Oregonian (Joe Freeman) reports: A debut of despair was supplanted by an evening of relief for the Trail Blazers and rookie center Greg Oden on Wednesday. A magnetic resonance imaging performed on the 7-foot player revealed some relatively good news: Oden has a mid-lateral right foot sprain and only will miss two to four weeks. Oden, who suffered the injury Tuesday night during the Blazers’ season-opening loss at the Los Angeles Lakers, is expected to miss between six and 14 games.
Jason Caffey legal woes continue
A judge has dismissed former NBA player Jason Caffey’s bankruptcy case, clearing the way for several women to sue him for thousands of dollars in child support. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Margaret A. Mahoney dismissed the bankruptcy case Tuesday — which means the mothers of his children can sue for child-support payments. Caffey has 10 children with eight women… Caffey of Mobile, who played for the University of Alabama and won two NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls during the 1990s, filed for bankruptcy protection in August 2007. He listed $1.9 million in debts against about $1.15 million in assets.
Curry and D’Antoni talk it out
The Bergen Record (Steve Adamek) reports: Eddy Curry and Mike D’Antoni, meanwhile, spoke Wednesday morning and said they’re fine now. But D’Antoni also offered this about his non-rotation, former franchise player center: “This is not going to be easy, where we all have lollipops. There’s going to be a lot of tears and yelling and screaming, but there’s going to be certain standards. “It’s easy for me to go, ‘Yeah, OK, let’s let him do what he does so he doesn’t get made.’ But we have standards and we will keep them and expect everybody will.”
Nets team captain is Vince
The New York Post (Fred Kerber) reports: The Nets have a different team captain for the first time since Jason Kidd was elevated to the honor in 2001. And, as expected, it’s Vince Carter. Hardly a shock, but coach Lawrence Frank kept it a guarded secret in the a.m. so he told the results of the voting before the Nets opened their season here against the Wizards.
Rockets-Grizzlies team connections
Houston acquired Shane Battier from Memphis in exchange for Stromile Swift and the draft rights to Rudy Gay on July 12, 2006 … Rockets guard Steve Francis, who was selected after his junior season by Vancouver in the first round (second overall) of the 1999 NBA Draft, had his draft rights traded by the Grizzles to Houston on Aug. 27, 1999 … in the 2008 NBA Draft, Houston traded the draft rights to Nicolas Batum (25th overall pick) to the Portland Trail Blazers for the draft rights to Darrell Arthur (27th overall pick) and to University of Memphis forward Joey Dorsey (33rd overall pick) … the Rockets then sent the draft rights for Arthur to the Grizzlies for the draft rights to Donté Greene (28th overall pick) and Memphis’ 2009 second-round pick … Andy Greer, an assistant coach with the Grizzlies, joined Memphis after four seasons with the Rockets.
Nuggets exercise Renaldo Balkman option
The Denver Nuggets have exercised the fourth-year option on F Renaldo Balkman’s contract, team Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien announced today.
Balkman averaged 5.5 ppg (9-14 FG, .643), 3.3 rpg and 1.25 spg in four preseason games with Denver.
Balkman was acquired by trade from the New York Knicks on July 28 in exchange for G Taurean Green, F Bobby Jones and a 2010 second round draft choice.
In two seasons with New York, Balkman averaged 4.2 ppg and 3.8 rpg in 133 games. He was originally drafted by the Knicks with the 20th overall selection of the 2006 NBA Draft.
The Nuggets open the regular season at Utah tonight at 7:00 pm MT.