Day: April 25, 2008

Apr. 25: Mavs 97, Hornets 87

The AP reports: With 13 of Chris Paul’s first 16 shots falling out instead of in, and fellow All-Star David West clanging 11 of his first 14, the Hornets couldn’t get into a groove until it was too late. Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry came up big on both ends of the court, pulling Dallas right back into this first-round series with a 97-87 victory in Game 3 on Friday night. Nowitzki had 32 points, 19 rebounds and six assists to get the Mavericks within 2-1. Game 4 is Sunday night in Dallas, where the Hornets haven’t won since January 1998… Terry replaced Jerry Stackhouse as a starter and replaced Jason Kidd as Paul’s primary defender. The MVP candidate went from ringing up consecutive games with at least 30 points and 10 assists—something nobody had ever done in his first two playoff games—to having 16 points and 10 assists… Josh Howard scored 18 points for Dallas, but was only 5-of-16. His performance drew extra scrutiny because hours before tipoff he went on local radio and admitted to using marijuana in the offseason. Team owner Mark Cuban said Howard will be disciplined… Dallas took 22 free throws in the period, compared to just seven for New Orleans. Yes, the Mavericks went to the rim harder than the Hornets. They also were aided by getting into the bonus just 3:17 into the quarter.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Mavs shot 42.7%, the Hornets just 37.9%. The Mavs were lousy from three-point range at just 5-of-17, while the Hornets nailed 8-of-16 (Pargo had 4 threes, Stojakovic had 3). The Mavs won rebounds 52-43. The Hornets had just 2 steals. For the Mavs, Nowitzki had 32 points, 19 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks. Terry had 22 points, 6 assists and 2 steals. Josh Howard shot just 5-of-16 for 18 points and not a lot else. Jason Kidd had 8 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. For the Hornets, Jannero Pargo shot 12-of-20 for 30 points. Chris Paul shot just 4-of-18 for 16 points and 10 assists. David West shot just 6-of-20 for 14 points and 9 rebounds. Stojakovic was hot from three-point range but cold elsewhere, going 6-of-20 for 14 points and 9 rebounds. Tyson Chandler had no blocks.

Apr. 25: Sixers 95, Pistons 75

The AP reports: The Sixers added one more surprise victory in a season stuffed with them. The win wasn’t the shocker—it was the way Philadelphia completely thrashed the playoff-tested Detroit Pistons in Game 3 that was the stunner. Andre Miller was spot on with his mid-range jumper and scored 21 points, and the rest of the Sixers ran all over the court in a dominating 95-75 victory Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round series. Samuel Dalembert had 22 points and 16 rebounds, and the Sixers led by as many as 24 points in their first home playoff game since 2005… The Pistons played nothing like a team that won 59 games in the regular season. Perhaps they took the 76ers lightly or maybe one of the most experienced postseason rosters in the league is finally starting to wear down. Richard Hamilton scored 23 points and Tayshaun Prince had 18. Without them, the Pistons might have lost by 30. Antonio McDyess—who left in the third quarter with a broken nose—Rasheed Wallace and Billups combined for 15 points… The Pistons, who led the league with just 11 turnovers per game, committed 25, easily their season high, and the 76ers jumped all over every costly mistake. They scored 29 points off turnovers and scored 40 points in the paint. Philly scored the easy baskets off lobs and layups that mostly eluded them in Games 1 and 2.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The 76ers shot 45.9%, the Pistons just 40.9%. Both teams were awful from three-point range, combining to go 4-of-22. The Sixers got more free throws, and hit a higher percentage of them. Philly got more boards and more assists. The Pistons committed 23 turnovers. The Sixers had 15 steals, the Pistons only 6. Chauncey Billups shot 2-of-11. Rasheed Wallace shot 1-of-6. Rodney Stuckey shot 1-of-7. Jarvis Hayes also shot 1-of-7. The only Sixer to struggle as badly as those Pistons from the field was Iguodala, who went 2-of-9 and had 6 assists but also 6 turnovers.

Tyler Hansbrough staying in school

Tyler Hansbrough wants to make one more run at the national championship. The North Carolina star will have to wait a little longer to find out whether two of his high-scoring teammates will be back to help him.
The Associated Press national player of the year said Friday that he will return for his senior year. However, sophomores Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington will declare for the NBA draft, though they won’t hire agents leaving open the possibility of their return.
Hansbrough, a six-foot-nine forward, averaged 22.6 points and 10.2 rebounds.

Grant Hill wins league Sportsmanship award

Grant Hill of the Phoenix Suns is the recipient of the Joe Dumars Trophy presented to the 2007-08 NBA Sportsmanship Award winner, the NBA announced today.

Hill, a 12-year veteran and the recipient of the 2004-05 Sportsmanship Award, was one of six divisional winners which included Detroit’s Antonio McDyess, Houston’s Shane Battier, Portland’s Brandon Roy, Toronto’s Chris Bosh and Washington’s Antawn Jamison. This marks the first time that a player has received the award more than once.

The NBA will donate $25,000 on behalf of Grant Hill to HopeKids, a non-profit organization based out of Phoenix which provides ongoing events and activities along with a support community for children with cancer and other life-threatening medical conditions to send the message that hope can be a powerful medicine.

The NBA will donate $10,000 each to the divisional winners’ charities of choice:  America Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts on behalf of McDyess; The Giving Fund on behalf of Battier; the Lenny Wilkens Foundation, which believes that every child deserves access to quality healthcare and the opportunity to receive a competitive education, on Roy’s behalf; The Toronto Raptors Foundation on behalf of Bosh; and Washington Sports and Entertainment Charities, Inc. to benefit local initiatives in the Washington, D.C. area on Jamison’s behalf.

For the fourth consecutive year, NBA players voted on this award, with eleven points given for each first-place vote, nine points for each second-place vote, seven points for third, five points for fourth, three points for fifth and one point for each sixth place vote received.  Each team nominated one of its own players for this award, then former NBA players Mike Bantom, Eddie Johnson, Tom “Satch” Sanders, Kenny Smith and Steve Smith, the 2000-2001 Sportsmanship Award recipient, selected the six divisional winners. 

Apr. 24: Rockets 94, Jazz 92

The AP reports: Scoring seven points in a quarter is normally nothing for Tracy McGrady. With his team down 2-0 in the opening round of the playoffs, it meant everything to the Houston Rockets. McGrady scored all of those seven in the final 3:29, finally snapping out of a fourth-quarter slump and finishing with 27 to lead Houston to a 94-92 victory over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night that gave the Rockets life in a series that could have been headed for a sweep… Rafer Alston added 20 points and five assists in his first game in nearly two weeks. Carl Landry had 11 rebounds and two blocks, swatting away Deron Williams’ shot that could have won it for the Jazz just before the buzzer. Landry also sacrificed his left front tooth, courtesy of an elbow from Utah’s Carlos Boozer in the second quarter, and had a huge gap in his post-game grin… The Rockets, who are without 7-foot-6 center Yao Ming, outscored Utah in the paint 40-26… Carlos Boozer had 15 points and 13 rebounds, and Mehmet Okur scored 12 and pulled down 11 boards for the Jazz, whose poor free throw shooting caught up with them in the fourth quarter when McGrady started scoring. The Jazz went 20-for-33 from the foul line, getting 11 more chances than Houston (16-for-22) but failing to capitalize.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: For the Rockets, T-Mac had 27, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Alston had 20 points (4 threes) and 5 assists. Luis Scola (just 4-of-13) had 16 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocks. Carl Landry grabbed 11 rebounds. For the Jazz, Deron Williams had 28 points and 12 assists. Boozer had 15 with 11 rebounds. Mehmet Okur (just 3-of-13) had 12 with 11 rebounds.

Apr. 24: Wizards 108, Cavs 72

The AP reports: DeShawn Stevenson, who started the (LeBron James) “overrated” talk and invited Soulja Boy to the game, had a “can’t-feel-my-face” 19 points. Caron Butler (17 points) and Antawn Jamison (15) also found their games. James didn’t have his. And, yes, those 15 first-half Cleveland turnovers had a lot to do with it, too… James said Washington’s tactics in the first two games were like a “Hack-a-Bron” strategy, but there was nothing like that this time. He finished with 22 points on 10-for-19 shooting from the field and took only four free throws… The one major issue for the Wizards is Gilbert Arenas, who started for the first time since November but injured his surgically repaired left knee in the first half. He walked off the court late in the first half with an obvious limp and a bone bruise. He is listed as day-to-day.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Wizards had multiple players contribute modest point totals, while the Cavs had LeBron scoring 22, Devin Brown score 10, and no one else even reached double-digits. The Wizards shot 52.1%, the Cavs just 39.7%. The Wizards nailed 8-of-19 three-pointers (Stevenson 5-of-7 threes), the Cavs went just 2-of-16 (both from Devin Brown). The Wizards got to the line more than the Cavs, and shot better when they got there. The Wizards had 13 steals, the Cavs just 4.

Apr. 24: Raptors 108, Magic 94

The AP reports: With a quick start and quality point guard play, the Toronto Raptors turned the tables on the Orlando Magic. T.J. Ford scored 21 points, Jose Calderon had 18 points and 13 assists, and the Raptors beat the Magic 108-94 on Thursday night, cutting Orlando’s lead to 2-1 in their first-round playoff series… Dwight Howard had 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Magic, while Hedo Turkoglu added 26 points and Rashard Lewis scored 19… Jamario Moon had 11 points and 10 rebounds in his return to the starting lineup for Toronto, while Bosh and Jason Kapono each scored 15 points and Anthony Parker 10… Keith Bogans scored 12 for the Magic, who trailed by as many as 23. Orlando guard Jameer Nelson collapsed with back spasms as he was walking back the locker room after the game and was seen writhing on the floor in pain… With Jamario Moon back in the starting lineup in place of Rasho Nesterovic, the Raptors had the energy they needed.