Month: March 2009

Richardson scores 35, Suns beat Wizards 128-96

The AP reports: Shaquille O’Neal scored 13 in the Phoenix Suns’ 128-96 victory over Washington on Saturday night to pass Moses Malone as the No. 5 scorer in NBA history with 27,411 points… Jason Richardson responded with 35 points, 17 in the third quarter, Phoenix extended its winning streak to a season-high four games… Steve Nash added 17 points for the Suns, who pulled with 3 1/2 games of idle Dallas for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West with 13 to play. Stromile Swift had 10 points and 12 rebounds in his best game since joining Phoenix on March 4.

Bryant leads Lakers over Bulls, 117-109

The AP reports: Kobe Bryant scored 28 points, Pau Gasol added 23 and the Lakers rallied for a 117-109 victory Saturday over the Chicago Bulls in the first of a season-high, seven-game trip. The Lakers trailed by 16 in the second quarter and 14 at the half, but came roaring back in the third, pulling within one… Despite the high point total, he shot just 10-for-25. Even so, the man who once said he wouldn’t mind playing in Chicago got serenaded with “MVP! MVP!” chants… Gasol grabbed 10 rebounds. Trevor Ariza scored 18 points, Lamar Odom added 16 and Jordan Farmar had eight of his 13 in the decisive run for the Lakers, who have won five of six… John Salmons scored 30 and Derrick Rose 25 for the Bulls, who had tied a season high with three straight wins, but their luck ended against the Western Conference leaders. So did their seven-game home win streak.

Roy leads Portland past Milwaukee, 96-84

The AP reports: The young Portland Trail Blazers are showing more proof of growing up. Brandon Roy had 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to lead the Trail Blazers to a 96-84 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. Steve Blake added 21 points and tied his season high with six 3-pointers as Portland, playing its fifth game in seven nights, came alive in the second half… ilwaukee opened the game with a 9-0 run capped by a dunk by Charlie Villanueva, who had 26 points.Outlaw, playing for the injured Nicolas Batum, scored 17 for Portland which has been out of the postseason since 2002-03.

Davis, Celtics blow by Grizzlies in second half

The AP reports: With Kevin Garnett playing limited minutes and Paul Pierce scoring limited points, Glen Davis stepped up for the best scoring night of his career. Davis had a career-high 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting, and the Boston Celtics pulled away in the second half for a 105-87 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night… Ray Allen added 20 points and six assists, while Eddie House contributed 15 points as the Celtics won their third straight overall and fifth in a row over the Grizzlies. Garnett, still playing limited minutes in his second game back from a right knee injury, scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds in 17 minutes… Hakim Warrick scored 20 points for Memphis, which dropped its sixth straight at home and fourth in a row overall. Rudy Gay finished with 15 points on just 5-of-15 shooting, while O.J. Mayo and Mike Conley scored 12 apiece.

Jack scores 31, Pacers rout Bobcats 108-83

The AP reports: A night after getting into an on-court argument with T.J. Ford, Jarrett Jack replaced T.J. Ford at point guard and scored 31 points on 13-of-14 shooting, leading the Indiana Pacers to a dominating 108-83 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats to snap a five-game losing streak… Danny Granger added 21 points and Brandon Rush—who started in Jack’s old spot at shooting guard—scored 15 for Indiana, which outscored Charlotte 33-9 in the third quarter in their best performance in weeks… Gerald Wallace, who had scored at least 25 points in the past three games, got into early foul trouble and finished with three points on 1-of-4 shooting. Raja Bell scored seven points on 3-of-9 shooting that included a 10-second sequence where he threw up an airball and was called for a flagrant foul. Felton shot 3-for-13.

Lewis’ 27 points leads Magic over Knicks 110-103

The AP reports: Rashard Lewis scored 27 points, Hedo Turkoglu added 20 and the surging Orlando Magic nearly blew a 15-point lead before holding off the New York Knicks 110-103 on Saturday night. The win kept Orlando (51-18) a game behind Boston—but tied in the loss column—for the Eastern Conference’s second-best record behind Cleveland… Rafer Alston had 17 points, and Dwight Howard battled foul trouble to score 15 for the Magic, who have won nine of their last 11 games. Quentin Richardson scored 33 points, and Nate Robinson added 27 for New York (28-41), which has lost four straight games and was dealt another crushing blow to its already grim playoff hopes.

Cavs win 8th straight, beat Hawks 102-96

The AP reports: LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled to a 24-point lead early in the second period in winning their eighth straight game, 102-96 over the Hawks. “That’s what we wanted to do,” said James, who scored 22 points as the Cavaliers upped their home record to 32-1. “We wanted to first protect home court like we’ve been able to do. We had a lot of energy.” … Mo Williams led the Cavaliers (56-13) with 24 points. He was 8-for-14 from the field, including 3-for-4 on 3-pointers, and made all five of his foul shots… Joe Johnson led Atlanta with 24 points, while Flip Murray added 22. Maurice Evans scored 15. The Hawks have lost three straight road games and are 14-22 away from home.

Sam Mitchell wants to coach

The St. Paul Pioneer Press (Don Seeholzer) reports (via blog: Sam Mitchell says it’s been a long season, but he’s tried to make the best of it. Fired Dec. 4 by the Toronto Raptors after an 8-9 start, the 2006-07 NBA coach of the year is still adjusting to life off the court. “It’s tough,” he said. “It’s the first time in 22 years I’m not working. I’ve always had a job in basketball. It’s a tough experience to go through being fired, but it happens. So you’ve got a choice, to sit around and say how tough it is or to move on with your life and do some positive things.” Mitchell, who played 10 of his 13 NBA seasons for the Timberwolves, said he would like to get back into coaching but that it’s not up to him when he’ll get the opportunity.

Bulls re-sign Linton Johnson to second 10-day contract

The Chicago Bulls announced today they have re-signed forward Linton Johnson III to a second 10-day contract.  Johnson, a 6-8, 205-pound forward, originally signed a 10-day contract with the Bulls on March 10, 2009.

In two appearances with Chicago, Johnson has averaged 1.50 rpg in 7.0 mpg.  In his second tour with the Bulls, the Chicago native is currently in his sixth season out of Tulane.