The AP reports: Dwight Howard had 23 points and 14 rebounds, and Lewis also scored 23 points to lead the Magic to a 100-89 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. Turkoglu added 22 for the Magic, who have won two of three despite missing their top three guards with injuries. Al Jefferson had 19 to lead the Timberwolves. The Magic’s starting backcourt of J.J. Redick and Anthony Johnson combined for only seven points, but rookie Courtney Lee came off the bench to score a season-high 16. Lee shot 8-of-10 from the field and made all three 3-pointers.
Day: December 4, 2008
Dec 3: Lakers 114, Sixers 102
The AP reports: Kobe Bryant tormented his hometown team again, scoring 32 points to help the Los Angeles Lakers rebound from a last-second loss with a 114-102 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night… Pau Gasol had 22 points and 13 rebounds, and Andrew Bynum scored 18 points for the Lakers. Los Angeles never let the middling Sixers get too close in this one. Philadelphia was within six in the third quarter when Derek Fisher and Bryant nailed 3-pointers that ballooned the lead to double digits… Andre Miller scored 26 points and Iguodala had 19 for the Sixers, who played the entire fourth quarter and the last 4:50 of the third without Elton Brand.
Dec 3: Cavs 118, Knicks 82
The AP reports: LeBron James scored 21 points and then grabbed an early seat on the bench as the Cleveland Cavaliers improved to 10-0 on their own floor for the first time in their history and won for the 14th time in 15 games, 118-82 over the tired and tired-looking New York Knicks on Wednesday night… Mo Williams added 16 points, Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and none of Cleveland’s starters played more than 28 minutes. Al Harrington scored 20 points, Anthony Roberson had 19 and David Lee 16 with 16 rebounds for the short-handed Knicks, who made 28 turnovers one night after losing at home to Portland.
Dec 3: Bobcats 103, Thunder 97
The AP reports: With 10 points and 11 rebounds, Sean May recorded his first double-double in nearly two years. With Emeka Okafor adding 25 points and 13 rebounds, the Bobcats had rare production inside, fueling their fourth win in six games under new coach Larry Brown… Gerald Wallace added 21 points and Jason Richardson scored 18 to surpass 10,000 points in his career for the Bobcats, who won consecutive games under Brown for the first time and sent the Thunder back to their losing ways. The Thunder were playing their first game since snapping a franchise record-tying 14-game losing streak Saturday at Memphis. Kevin Durant scored 24 points and Jeff Green added 18, but while Oklahoma City shot 54 percent, it couldn’t overcome 19 turnovers and its lack of depth inside in dropping to 2-17.
Dec 3: Hawks 105, Grizzlies 95
The AP reports: Josh Smith wasted no time asserting himself after missing the past 12 games with an ankle sprain. The Atlanta Hawks’ fourth-year forward stole a pass from Memphis rookie O.J. Mayo a few seconds after tip-off, passing to Joe Johnson for an easy layup. “I knew I had to do something early just to get myself established in the game,” Smith said. “I definitely wanted to start on the defensive end, and being able to come up with that steal off the tip was key.” Johnson scored 26 points, and Mike Bibby had 20 points and 10 assists in the Atlanta Hawks’ 105-95 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. The Hawks, who have won three of four and five of seven, benefited from Smith’s 14 points, six rebounds, five assists, four turnovers and one blocked shot in 28 minutes… Rudy Gay finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds as Memphis dropped its season-worst seventh straight.
Dec 3: Blazers 98, Wizards 92
The AP reports: Brandon Roy took his time to get going Wednesday night, and then he took over, scoring 12 of his 22 points in the final 8 minutes to help the Portland Trail Blazers extend their winning streak to six games by coming back to beat the Washington Wizards 98-92. One of his most important baskets came on a drive to his left past defender DeShawn Stevenson to set up a lefty layup, giving Portland a four-point lead with 35 seconds to go… The well-balanced Blazers did put five players in double-figures: Roy, Greg Oden, LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Fernandez and Steve Blake. Oden, the rookie center who missed all of last season, finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double in the past 12 games.