The AP reports: The Magic not only saw their bid for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference end with a 103-93 loss to the New Jersey Nets on Saturday night, they also endured the sight of Hedo Turkoglu being helped off the court in the fourth quarter with a sprained left ankle… Vince Carter led the way for New Jersey with 27 points and nine assists, but this also was a Nets’ starting lineup that featured three rookies—center Brook Lopez, forward Ryan Anderson and guard Chris Douglas-Roberts… Keyon Dooling added 12 points and 10 assists for the Nets, who played without All-Star guard Devin Harris (shoulder). Lopez added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Nets, who were eliminated from playoff contention earlier this week. Douglas-Roberts had 10 points and Anderson nine.
Month: April 2009
Pacers stall Pistons quest for higher seed
The AP reports: Danny Granger loves playing the spoiler, especially against the Detroit Pistons. Granger had 24 points and the Indiana Pacers stalled Detroit’s bid for a higher playoff seed with a 106-102 victory Saturday night… The loss to Indiana won’t keep the Pistons out of the playoffs, but it could force them into a first-round matchup with Cleveland, which has the best record in the Eastern Conference. “It really don’t matter to us, to tell you the truth,” said Richard Hamilton, who led Detroit with 23 points… Richard Hamilton led Detroit with 23 points. Brandon Rush had 21 points for the Pacers, while Jack and T.J. Ford added 18 apiece. Prince scored 18 points for Detroit, and Antonio McDyess and Will Bynum each added 16.
Skinner’s season high leads Clippers over Kings
The AP reports: Brian Skinner scored a season-high 21 points, Eric Gordon added 20, and the Los Angeles Clippers snapped a six-game losing streak with a 109-78 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.
InsideHoops.com notes: Baron Davis was decent, hitting half of his 14 shots for 16 points, 5 assists and 3 steals. Chris Kaman was good off the bench, shooting 7-of-12 for 14 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks. In the loss, Beno Udrih had 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Ike Diogu in 20 minutes off the bench scored 13. Andres Nocioni added 11. No other Kings player scored double-digits. Sacramento shot a pathetic 32.6% and hit just 4-of-20 from three-point range.
Mutombo gives Rockets boost in win over Warriors
The AP reports: Dikembe Mutombo had 10 points and 15 rebounds, Luis Scola added a career-high 28 points and the Houston Rockets maintained their slim hold on the third seed in the Western Conference with a 113-109 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday. Making a rare start after center Yao Ming was scratched from Houston’s lineup during pregame warmups because of lingering soreness in his right foot, the 42-year-old Mutombo blocked four shots and played a season-high 36 minutes while helping the Rockets complete a four-game season sweep of the Warriors. Ron Artest added 19 points and six assists for Houston, which remained a half-game in front of Portland and San Antonio for the third seed in the Western Conference… Kelenna Azubuike had 32 points and C.J. Watson and Ronny Turiaf added 18 apiece for Golden State (28-51), which overcame a 14-point deficit in the second half before falling short.
Roy has 24, Blazers beat Lakers 106-98
The AP reports: Brandon Roy had 24 points and eight assists, and the Portland Trail Blazers held off the Los Angeles Lakers 106-98 on Friday night. Kobe Bryant scored 32 points for the Lakers, but missed a key 3-pointer, had a crucial turnover and was off on a jumper in the final minute. It was Portland’s eighth straight victory over the Lakers at the Rose Garden. The Lakers played without coach Phil Jackson, who didn’t travel with the team because of pain in his lower right leg, and fell 1 1/2 games behind Cleveland for the best record in the NBA and home-court advantage throughout the postseason… The Blazers held a narrow lead throughout most of the fourth quarter. Bryant pulled the Lakers into a 91-all tie with 5:15 to go, but Steve Blake answered with his own jumper for the Blazers.
Parker’s 31 powers Spurs past fading Jazz
The AP reports: In an important win over Utah, Tim Duncan scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds. It’s a mediocre outing by his standards but enough to help the Spurs get a big 105-99 victory over the fading Jazz on Friday night. Tony Parker scored 31 points, and the Spurs shook off their recent funk long enough to bury the Jazz further back in the playoff picture. Both teams are in, but Utah lost for the fifth time in six games to inch closer to facing the dominant Los Angeles Lakers in the first round… Deron Williams had 25 points and 10 assists for the Jazz, whose misery in San Antonio continues. The Jazz haven’t won here since 1999, a streak spanning 23 games… Mehmet Okur had 22 points and 10 rebounds for Utah.
Paul shines, but Mavericks beat Hornets 100-92
The AP reports: With a great start and a feisty finish, the rolling-at-the-right-time Dallas Mavericks were able to withstand a big game by Chris Paul and beat the New Orleans Hornets 100-92 on Friday night, forcing a tie between the teams for sixth place in the Western Conference. Now Dirk Nowitzki is eager to see if the Mavs can do it again—on Sunday, in New Orleans. “We’ve won some nice home games, but our true tests are on the road,” said Nowitzki, who scored 25 points… Paul scored 42 points, one shy of his career high, plus had nine rebounds and seven assists. However, he didn’t get much help. David West was the only other double-digit scorer with 20 points and it took him 20 shots. New Orleans trailed by 10 after a few minutes and was down 42-21 midway through the second quarter.
Thunder eliminate Bobcats from playoff chase
The AP reports: Kevin Durant and the Thunder took care of that in the final home game of their inaugural season in Oklahoma City. Durant had 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead three players with double-doubles, and the Thunder knocked the Bobcats out of playoff contention with an 84-81 victory Friday night… Nenad Krstic added 19 points, Jeff Green had 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Russell Westbrook had 10 points and 11 assists for Oklahoma City. D.J. Augustin led the Bobcats with 20 points, including a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left that got Charlotte within 83-81. Green then swatted away a runner by Raymond Felton and Krstic corralled the rebound on the floor with 2.2 seconds left.
Pistons beat Nets 100-93, clinch playoff spot
The AP reports: On Friday, the Pistons got 46 points from their bench and clinched a playoff spot with a 100-93 victory over the New Jersey Nets. “We’re getting better and better every game,” said reserve guard Will Bynum, who led the Pistons with 20 points… New Jersey (32-47) lost for the eighth time in 10 games as coach Lawrence Frank went with a young lineup for much of the game. Rookie Ryan Anderson led the Nets with 20 points, one short of his career high, and fellow first-year players Chris Douglas-Roberts and Brook Lopez had 16 each.
Grizzlies end 10-game skid against listless Suns
The AP reports: Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo scored 20 points apiece, and the Grizzlies snapped a 10-game losing streak against Phoenix with a 106-89 victory. “We’re playing to get better,” said Memphis point guard Mike Conley, who scored 17 points… Hakim Warrick had 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Marc Gasol finished with 14 points. Jason Richardson and Louis Amundson led the Suns with 13 points apiece, the only Phoenix players in double figures. Starters Shaquille O’Neal, Steve Nash and Matt Barnes finished with nine points.