The AP reports: This is how the Phoenix Suns’ offense was supposed to flow with Shaquille O’Neal. The Suns would run when they could—and when they couldn’t, they’d settle into a halfcourt offense and feed Shaq in the post. It went from a work in progress to near perfection as O’Neal scored a season-high 35 points and the Suns beat Milwaukee 125-110 on Tuesday night, extending their domination of the Bucks in Arizona… O’Neal hit 14 of 19 shots from the floor and 7-of-12 from the line, and he added eight rebounds… Amare Stoudemire added 22 points and Steve Nash had 19 points and 10 assists on a night the Suns resembled the free-flowing team shaped by D’Antoni. Phoenix scored a season-high 36 points in the first quarter, then topped that with 38 in the second… Charlie Villanueva scored 24 points, Michael Redd had 23 and Richard Jefferson added 22 for Milwaukee, which has lost six of its last eight games.
Day: December 10, 2008
Dec 9: Bulls 105, Knicks 100
The AP reports: “I’m not going to turn them down. It’s going to be one of two things. It’s going to go in or it’s not. As long as it’s a good look and one of my teammates finds me, I’m definitely willing to take the shot,” Larry Hughes said Tuesday night after his late 3-pointer sent the Chicago Bulls to a 105-100 victory over the New York Knicks… Drew Gooden led the Bulls with a season-high 22 points and 16 rebounds. Gordon, who tied the game at 97 with a 3-pointer, added 17 points and Hughes had 16. Hughes, who missed the first eight games this season with a dislocated shoulder, sank a game-winner at the buzzer last month against Utah. Al Harrington shot 13-for-21 from the field and finished with 28 points to lead the Knicks, who used only seven players in the fast-paced game. Quentin Richardson added 22 points, while Chris Duhon scored 15, had 14 assists and grabbed nine rebounds in his return to the United Center, while playing 45 minutes and 14 seconds… David Lee had 11 points and 15 boards for New York.
Dec 9: Spurs 133, Mavs 126 2OT
The AP reports: A defensive specialist who recently lost his starting job, Bowen still knows how to nail an open 3-pointer, and he did exactly that with 1:47 left in a second overtime, putting the Spurs ahead for good in a 133-126 victory over the Mavericks on Tuesday night… Duncan scored eight of his 32 points in the decisive extra period, and Tony Parker added 29 points and 10 assists as the Spurs for the seventh time in nine games. This one evened the season series between these Interstate-35 rivals, and added to their collection of thrilling performances… Dirk Nowitzki scored 35 points and Jason Kidd added a season-high 24 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds, but the Mavericks lost for only the second time in their last 11 games. They also had a five-game home winning streak snapped; they were 3-0 in a seven-game homestand and were eyeing a sweep.
Dec 9: Rockets 92, Hawks 84
The AP reports: The Houston Rockets blew a big lead, then relied on Yao Ming to lead the winning rally on Tuesday night. Yao scored 24 points and grabbed a season-high 19 rebounds, and the Rockets came back from eight points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Atlanta Hawks 92-84. Luis Scola added 12 points and 10 rebounds, Ron Artest scored 19 and the Rockets outrebounded Atlanta 57-40 to hand the Hawks their 10th consecutive loss in Houston… Joe Johnson scored 22 points and Josh Smith added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Hawks… Alston had six assists and scored 12 for Houston, but went 4-for-15 from the field. Mike Bibby added 15 points for Atlanta.
Dec 9: Jazz 99, Wolves 96
The AP reports: For one game, at least, McHale seemed to inject some energy and heart into a team that has lacked both since a six-game losing streak started nine days ago… Mehmet Okur hit the go-ahead shot with 1.7 seconds to play and the Jazz capitalized on 16 missed free throws by Minnesota to rally for the victory. Al Jefferson led Minnesota with 21 points. The Timberwolves led by seven with 2:45 to play, but Love’s misses in the final three minutes allowed the Jazz to hang around… Ronnie Brewer scored 25 points for the Jazz on the 20th anniversary of Jerry Sloan’s promotion to the team’s head coach… Love finished with eight points and 15 rebounds, but went 2-for-9 from the free throw line.
Dec 9: Cavs 114, Raptors 94
The AP reports: LeBron James scored 31 points and became Cleveland’s career steals leader and Zydrunas Ilgauskas moved atop the Cavaliers’ rebounding chart as Cleveland improved to 12-0 at home with its latest rout. In winning their ninth straight by at least 12 points, the Cavaliers, now 17-1 since Nov. 3, are the first team in league history to win nine consecutive games in a single season so handily. Cleveland came in tied with Portland (1990-91), Chicago (1996-97), Detroit (2003-04) and Houston (2007-08)… Joey Graham scored 17 points, Jose Calderon 14 and Chris Bosh tied a season low with nine—16 below his average—for the Raptors, who have lost five in a row and three straight since coach Sam Mitchell was fired last week.
Dec 9: Wizards 107, Pistons 94
The AP reports: Caron Butler’s 33 points were supplemented by a season-high 16 from Juan Dixon and 15 from Darius Songaila as the Wizards rallied for a 107-94 victory Tuesday night over the redesigned lineup of the Detroit Pistons. Songaila, Dixon (seven assists), Dominic McGuire (3-for-3, six points), Andray Blatche (eight points, five rebounds), and Nick Young (nine points) all provided inspired play off the bench, a necessity given that the Washington starters not named Butler combined to score only 15 points… Richard Hamilton scored a season-high 29 points, Rasheed Wallace added 19, and new starting point guard Rodney Stuckey had 10 points and 11 assists for the Pistons. Hamilton and Wallace each were called for technicals for fussing at the refs.