April 2013 – Page 19 – NBA Blog

Jazz beat Warriors 97-90, regain 8th spot in West

Some Utah Jazz players watched the Lakers-Clippers game on a big-screen television inside the locker room while they prepared to face the Golden State Warriors. Others followed the contest on cellphones while riding on the late bus to the arena. Coach Tyrone Corbin just checked the final score when the Lakers lost.

”You could see the look on everybody’s face change,” Jazz guard Randy Foye said. ”Nobody said anything. It was just everybody had that look on their face, ‘You know what time it is. You know what we have to do.”’

While the Warriors had a chance to seal a playoff spot, Utah seized the opportunity for itself.

Mo Williams hit a huge 3-pointer in the final seconds to finish with 25 points, Al Jefferson added 19 points and 12 rebounds and the Jazz regained the Western Conference’s final playoff position over the Lakers by holding off the Warriors 97-90 on Sunday night for a monumental road win…

Williams’ 3-pointer with 13.4 seconds remaining put Utah ahead by six and spoiled Golden State’s shot to clinch a playoff berth in front of a 29th sellout crowd of 19,596. The Jazz moved a half-game ahead of the Lakers for the eighth seed. Utah also owns the tiebreaker after winning the season series 2-1 against the Lakers, who lost to the Clippers 109-95 earlier in the day…

Stephen Curry scored 17 of his 22 points in the first half and Klay Thompson had 20 points for the Warriors, who were trying to clinch a postseason spot for the first time since 2007 and just the second in 19 years…

David Lee, who has never been to the playoffs in his eight NBA seasons, added 21 points and 13 rebounds for Golden State, which was outplayed inside by Utah’s front line of Jefferson, Derrick Favors (12 points, 13 rebounds) and Paul Millsap (11 points, six rebounds) most of the way.

— Reported by Antonio Gonzalez of the Associated Press

Clippers beat Lakers 109-95, win division title

Chris Paul held up the red T-shirt reading ‘Can’t Stop Los Angeles’ for a quick postgame photo. He didn’t put it on, and neither did his Clippers teammates.

There was no celebrating on court or in the locker room after they beat the Lakers 109-95 on Sunday to clinch the Clippers’ first Pacific Division title in franchise history against a team that has long overshadowed them.

”It just feels like something we were supposed to do,” said Paul, who had 24 points and 12 assists. ”It means we’re headed in the right direction. We’re not satisfied. We understand this is something small compared to the big picture.”

Blake Griffin had 24 points and 12 rebounds as the playoff-bound Clippers swept the Lakers 4-0 for the first time since Donald Sterling bought the team in 1981.

The 1974-75 team, known as the Buffalo Braves, had the franchise’s only other sweep of the Lakers.

Fans chanted, ”Sweep! Sweep!” in the closing seconds.

Sterling accepted a congratulatory handshake from a fan after the game…

Jamal Crawford had 20 points off the bench, DeAndre Jordan had 13 rebounds and Caron Butler scored 14 points for the Clippers, who knew that even if they lost, they could have clinched later Sunday if Utah won at Golden State. Utah defeated the Warriors 97-90..

Dwight Howard scored 25 points, including 9 of 13 free throws, for the Lakers, who played without injured starters Steve Nash and Metta World Peace. Kobe Bryant added 25 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, and Pau Gasol had 12 points and 13 rebounds as the Lakers’ three-game winning streak ended.

— Reported by Beth Harris of the Associated Press

Knicks beat Thunder for 12th straight win

Driving to the basket in crunch time, Raymond Felton slipped to the floor and lost the basketball in the process. All he could do was lunge back at it and bat it toward J.R. Smith as the shot clock ticked closer to zero.

For the second straight possession, Smith beat the buzzer – this time with a 3-pointer – and the Knicks closed out a 125-120 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.

”He makes plays like that. He makes tough shots. Sometimes I think he likes to take the tougher shot than the easier shot. They still go in,” said teammate Carmelo Anthony, who had 36 points and 12 rebounds while moving ahead of Kevin Durant to become the NBA’s top scorer.

”That shot, it was a nail in the coffin.”

Smith finished with 22 points, including the two biggest shots of the game. He connected on a 23-foot jumper from the right wing as the 24-second clock expired to put New York up 117-113 with 1:30 to play, then swished a 3-pointer with 56.8 seconds left that all but sealed New York’s 50th win of the season…

The victory was the Knicks’ 12th in a row and put them at 50 wins for the first time in 13 years. They also moved 2 1/2 games ahead of Indiana for second place in the Eastern Conference and moved onto the doorstep of clinching the Atlantic Division title.

Russell Westbrook had 37 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for Oklahoma City, which fell a game behind San Antonio for first place in the West with five games left.

— Reported by Jeff Latzke of the Associated Press

Warriors sign guard Scott Machado to 10-day contract

The Golden State Warriors have signed guard Scott Machado (muh-CHAH-doe) to a 10-day contract, the team announced today. Machado joins the team from the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League, marking the 33rd D-League to NBA “Call-Up” of the 2012-13 NBA season.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle blog, “Machado just got back from New York, where he had to bury his 61-year-old father. Luiz Machado, a livery cab driver, suffered a fatal heart attack while being arrested by for taking illegal fares by Taxi and Limousine Commission officers at Kennedy Airport on March 28. The New York Daily News reported that Luiz Machado was left in a gutter and without critical medical care for as long as 11 minutes, which triggered the Medical Examiner’s Office to rule the death a homicide. “He was a big hoops fan,” Scott Machado said, “so I know he’ll be watching.”

Machado, 22, was acquired by Santa Cruz via trade from Rio Grande Valley on March 8 and has appeared in 10 games for the Warriors’ D-League affiliate, averaging 6.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 15.0 minutes. In 28 D-League games combined this year with Santa Cruz and Rio Grande Valley, Machado has averaged 8.9 points 2.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 24.0 minutes per contest.

After going undrafted out of Iona in the 2012 NBA Draft, Machado was signed as a free agent on September 7, 2012, by the Houston Rockets after playing with the Rockets Summer League squad in Las Vegas. The 6’1” guard appeared in six NBA games with the Rockets, tallying eight points and six assists in 21 total minutes. He was waived by the Rockets on January 7.

Machado, who was named the 2012 MAAC Player of the Year and led the nation in assists (327) during his senior season at Iona, will wear uniform #1 for Golden State. The Warriors roster now stands at 14 players.

Grizzlies recall Keyon Dooling from D-League

The Memphis Grizzlies have recalled guards Keyon Dooling and Tony Wroten from the NBA Development League’s Reno Bighorns, the team announced today. Both players were assigned to Reno on April 6.

Making his first career D-League assignment, Dooling (6-3, 196) recorded six points and two steals in 26 minutes in the Bighorns’ regular season finale last night against the Canton Charge. The 32-year-old logged two minutes in his Grizzlies debut on April 3 at Portland after signing with Memphis as a free agent the same day.

The 13-year veteran owns NBA career averages of 7.0 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists on .415 shooting in 19.5 minutes in 722 games (86 starts) for the Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, New Jersey Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies.

In his fourth D-League stint this season, Wroten (6-6, 208) poured in a career-high 30 points and eight assists with just one turnover in 37 minutes last night in the Bighorns’ season finale. The 19-year-old posted 17.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists on .415 shooting in 26.5 minutes in 11 games (three starts) with Reno this season.

Drafted by Memphis in the first round (25th overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft after one season at the University of Washington, the Seattle native has averaged 2.7 points and 1.3 assists in 8.0 minutes in 33 games for the Grizzlies during his rookie season.

Both players will join the Grizzlies tonight, as Memphis finishes its three-game West Coast road trip at 5 p.m. CT against the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena.

Lakers games are also broadcast in Korean

For years, the Lakers claimed a steady fan base in the sprawling Korean American community, but this season the intensity has been amplified — with games now broadcast in Korean, a first in the NBA.

Time Warner Cable, which invested nearly $3 billion for regional TV rights to Lakers games for the next two decades, hired four Korean Americans as play-by-play announcers and color commentators, adding a fifth person just days ago.

For Park and others, it has brought a new intimacy to the action.

“I’m learning who the players really are, not their names only,” says Park, a grocery store clerk who grew up in Seoul.

Daniel Lee, an attorney who practices in Koreatown, said that while it’s a “big deal” for his parents’ generation to now be able to follow the local basketball team, the broadcasts add a new dimension for him as well.

— Reported by Anh Do of the Los Angeles Times

Jordan Crawford pretends to not remember playing for Wizards

Jordan Crawford will face his former team, the Wizards, for the first time since being traded in February.

“Who?” Crawford asked before practice Saturday when the issue was broached.

Washington, he was told. You’ll be playing Washington. Your old team.

“I don’t recall playing for Washington,” Crawford responded, and he repeated himself.

Crawford, who was acquired by the Celtics at the Feb. 21 trade deadline, didn’t enjoy his time in Washington, as one might infer from his comments.

— Reported by Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe

Pistons almost always lose to West teams this season

There are many reasons the Pistons are headed to their fourth consecutive season watching the playoffs from home.

But a main one is their putrid performances against Western Conference opponents this season.

In their final such game of the season, the Pistons fell to 4-26 on the season when they dropped a 107-101 decision to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.

“Thank God we’re not in the Western Conference,” Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said.

Several key plays went the Timberwolves way down the stretch with the main one coming when Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic tapped an offensive rebound off a missed free throw to Luke Ridnour with 18 seconds left with the Pistons (25-52) trailing, 103-101.

— Reported by Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press

Dwyane Wade remains out to nurse injuries

Dwyane Wade might be missing games for reasons other than the Heat’s “maintenance program.”

Before Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Wade has had prolonged swelling in his right knee. Wade rested for his fourth consecutive game Saturday while LeBron James returned to action.

“He has to resolve the swelling right now from getting hit in the knee,” Spoelstra said “That is the issue. His body will tell us when we play him.”

Wade last played against the New Orleans Hornets on March 29. According to Spoelstra, Wade was “beat up” in that game and banged his right knee going to the ground.

The injury apparently has lingered. Wade also has had problems with his right ankle this season.

— Reported by Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald

Kevin Garnett returns to practice for Celtics

Celtics center Kevin Garnett took part in a full-contact practice on Saturday for the first time in nearly two weeks, and the 36-year-old could return to action Sunday against Washington after missing eight consecutive games.

Garnett has been sidelined with inflammation in his left ankle, which he first tweaked March 20 in New Orleans. He played the rest of that game, and then the next against Dallas, before sitting out. Boston has lost five games in his absence.

“Obviously, rest is always a good thing for me,” Garnett said. “I’ve been able to get multiple treatments a day on my foot. I’m getting better.

“I have some issues with my foot. More from like the motion, if you’re pushing the gas pedal. It’s an issue. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be out.”

— Reported by Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe