April 18, 2010 – NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog

Game 1: Nowitzki leads Mavs past Spurs 100-94

The AP reports:

Dirk Nowitzki opened the playoffs in a high gear, making 12 of 14 shots and scoring 36 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 100-94 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night.

Caron Butler scored 22 points and Brendan Haywood added 10 in their playoff debut for Dallas. Both were part of a major trade in February that turned a good Mavericks team into a much better one…

Duncan had 27 points and eight rebounds, Ginobili scored 26 and Parker had 18 points and four assists. George Hill started at point guard, but was scoreless with two turnovers in 18 minutes…

Jason Kidd had 13 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds for the Mavericks, and Erick Dampier had five points, 12 rebounds and lots of bruises from bumping against Duncan.

MAVERICKS NOTES

– Dirk Nowitzki matched his 1st half regular season high of 19 points (at IND, 11/27) with 19 in 20 minutes on 7-9 FGs, 5-5 FTs. He added 6 rebounds and 1 block.
– Nowitzki finished the game with 12th 35-point game of his playoff career with a game-high 36 points (12-14 FGs, 12-12 FTs) and 7 rebounds in 40 minutes.
– Jason Kidd recorded his 35 playoff points-assists double-double with 13 points (5-12 FGs, 3-6 3FGs), 8 rebounds, 11 assists and 4 steals in 41 minutes.
– Erick Dampier scored all 6 of his points at the free throw line tonight. His 12 FTAs were a career-high (previously 10). He added a game-high 12 rebounds and 1 block in 30 minutes.
– For the 9th time in his playoff career, Caron Butler scored 20 points. He contributed 22 points (8-19 FGs, 1-3 3FGs, 5-6 FTs), 6 rebounds and 3 steals in 40 minutes.
– The Mavericks forced 10 steals tonight led by Kidd’s 4. During the regular season, Dallas was 19-2 when coming away with 10+ steals.
– Dallas improves to 1-0 in the postseason when shooting a lower percentage than the opposition. San Antonio outshot Dallas 50.0% (39-78 FGs) to 47.3% (35-74 FGs). In the regular season, the Mavs were 13-23 when shooting worse than their opponent.
– Tonight’s attendance was 20,372 fans (19,200 capacity). The Mavs have sold out 358 consecutive regular season games at AAC. Dallas currently owns the longest running sellout streak in the NBA. Dallas has sold out all 41 games in each of the past eight seasons. The Mavericks have now sold out 45 consecutive playoff games dating back to 2002.

Game 1: Magic squeak out 98-89 win over Bobcats

The AP reports:

Dwight Howard was slapped, scraped, pushed and punished. His frustration built, simmering so much that he was sidelined in foul trouble…

Game 1: Magic squeak out 98-89 win over Bobcats

Jameer Nelson scored 24 of his 32 points in the first half, and the Magic nearly blew a 22-point lead with Howard out before beating the Charlotte Bobcats 98-89 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Sunday…

Vince Carter was 4 for 19, finished with 12 points and fouled out late. Howard had nine blocks but was limited offensively…

Gerald Wallace had 25 points, and Stephen Jackson played through a hyperextended left knee to finish with 18 points in the Bobcats’ first playoff game in franchise history.

Game 1: Lakers inside duo overpower Thunder 87-79

The AP reports:

Other than being out of breath, Andrew Bynum displayed little rust in teaming with Pau Gasol to dominate the middle in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 87-79 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder in their playoff series opener Sunday…

Gasol scored 19 points, Bynum added 13 and Kobe Bryant had 21 points on 6-of-19 shooting after missing four of the final five regular season games to rest his swollen right knee and broken right index finger…

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 24 points on 7-of-24 shooting in his playoff debut—under the 30.1 average of the NBA’s youngest-ever scoring champion. Former UCLA star Russell Westbrook added 23.

Kevin Garnett suspended one game for striking Quentin Richardson

Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics has been suspended without pay for one game for striking the Miami Heat’s Quentin Richardson in the head with an elbow, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations. Richardson has been fined $25,000 for his role in the altercation.

The incident occurred with 40 seconds remaining in the fourth period of the Celtics’ 85-76 victory over the Heat in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Saturday at TD Garden.

Garnett will serve his suspension Tuesday when the Celtics face the Heat in Game 2 at TD Garden.

Read NBA fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Joakim Noah says Kevin Garnett plays dirty

John Jackson of the Chicago Sun-Times reports (via blog):

“That was unbelievable yesterday, that Boston-Miami game,” Noah said Sunday following the Bulls’ workout at Quicken Loans Arena. “He’s unbelievable, that guy. I’m gonna say it: He’s a dirty player, man. That’s messed up.”

The dirty player in question is Boston’s Kevin Garnett, who was ejected for hitting Miami’ Quentin Richardson with an elbow during a stoppage. After his unsolicited condemnation of Garnett, Noah was asked if the Celtics All-Star should be suspended for Game 2.

“I don’t make the decisions, but he’s always swinging elbows, man,” Noah said.

Mehmet Okur out for playoffs

The Utah Jazz announced today that an MRI performed this morning in Denver revealed that Jazz center Mehmet Okur suffered a ruptured left Achilles’ tendon during last night’s Game 1 loss to the Nuggets. The injury, which occurred at the 8:04 mark of the first quarter, will require surgery and force Okur to miss the remainder of the NBA Playoffs.

Okur has returned to Salt Lake City and a date for his surgery has yet to be determined. Following the procedure, it is expected he will need three months before beginning the rehabilitation process.

Okur (6-11, 263) just completed his eighth NBA season and sixth with the Jazz. The center averaged 13.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 73 games (all starts) in 2009-10. A native of Yalova, Turkey, Okur owns career averages of 13.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 604 career games (446 starts).

Read NBA fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Q.Richardson says Pierce, Garnett are actresses

Dave Hyde of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports (via blog):

OK, one night and we have a playoff series. Emotions are bubbling. Words, too. Quentin Richardson didn’t just get trades shouts and take a potentially costly elbow from Boston’s Kevin Garnett near the end of Game 1.

He called Garnett and Paul Pierce, “actresses,” after the game. As in: “Two actresses over there, that’s what they are.”

Thelma and Louise? Ginger and Maryanne?

Near game’s end, Pierce fell to the court by the Heat bench with what he called a shoulder stinger, something he’s had problems with the last month. Garnett stood over him. Richardson came in, said a few words and Garnett pushed him away.

So it began. Udonis Haslem came in Glen Davis got involved. A scrum formed. On the five-star, Knick-Heat playoff fight-meter, it was a 1 1/2. But it sets up the rest of the series as something to watch.

Game 1: Garnett, Allen lead Celtics past Heat

The AP reports: Kevin Garnett had 15 points and nine rebounds and the Boston Celtics played Miami-style defense to beat the Heat 85-76 in the opener of their playoff series Saturday night. Trailing 44-41 at halftime, the Celtics held the Heat to 32 points in the second half. And with substitute guard Tony Allen shadowing Dwyane Wade, the Heat star scored 26 points after averaging 33.7 in three regular-season games against Boston… With 40 seconds left in the game, a scuffle near the Miami bench resulted in two technical fouls against Garnett, an automatic ejection, and one each to Boston’s Glen Davis and Miami’s Udonis Haslem and Richardson.

Game 1: Johnson scores 22, Hawks beat Bucks

The AP reports: Led by Joe Johnson and getting production from all their key players, the Hawks blitzed the Bucks before halftime, survived a lackluster showing over the final two quarters and held off Milwaukee 102-92 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference series… Milwaukee made a game of it led by Brandon Jennings, who scored 34 points in his playoff debut… Joe Johnson scored 22 points, Mike Bibby added 19 and the other Atlanta starters also were in double figures. Crawford put up 17 points in the first postseason appearance of his 10-year career.

Game 1: LeBron, Shaq lead Cavs over Bulls

The AP reports: Completely healthy and well rested, the Cavaliers took their first step toward an NBA title on Saturday as LeBron James scored 24 points and Shaquille O’Neal looked and played 10 years younger in a 96-83 victory over the Chicago Bulls in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference series. O’Neal, playing for the first time since tearing a thumb ligament on Feb. 25, had 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 24 minutes as the top-seeded Cavs won a testy opener between two teams that obviously don’t care for each other… Derrick Rose had 28 points and 10 assists for Chicago, which had the misfortune of being the first team to face the Cavs in these playoffs. .. Mo Williams added 19 points and 10 assists, and Jamison, acquired at the trading deadline from Washington, had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Cleveland blocked 12 shots—10 in the second half.