The AP reports: Russell Westbrook sparked a comeback with back-to-back steals on the defensive end and then scored the go-ahead basket for the last of his 14 points as the Thunder beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 88-85 Sunday night for their first victory in their new home… Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 18 points despite a 7-for-21 shooting night. Green added 13 points, Chris Wilcox scored 12 off the bench and Collison had 10 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double. Minnesota’s Al Jefferson had 24 points and 13 rebounds for his third straight double-double to start the season, but the Thunder clamped down late on him. Craig Smith added 13 points, Gomes scored 12 and Mike Miller had 10… Foye was 0-for-10 and had his only two points on free throws.
Author: Inside Hoops
InsideHoops.com has been a world leader in NBA basketball coverage for over 20 years. Read our blog, but also be sure to read our main website on www.insidehoops.com
Nov 2: Bucks 94, Knicks 86
The AP reports: Richard Jefferson and Ramon Sessions each scored 18 points, and the Bucks used a strong defensive effort to shake off Michael Redd’s injury and beat the Knicks 94-86 on Sunday night. Redd added 16 points, making all three 3-point attempts, before leaving with a sprained right ankle with Milwaukee leading by 16 late in the third quarter. Charlie Villanueva also scored 16, while Andrew Bogut had 13 points and 11 rebounds… Quentin Richardson had 28 points and nine rebounds for the Knicks, who have shot under 38 percent in their past two games, making D’Antoni’s offensive system look awful. With Stephon Marbury again inactive, they went scoreless for more than 3 1/2 minutes to start the third quarter and never recovered. They clanged jumpers, botched layups and finished at 37 percent for the game.
InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: For the Knicks, Q-Rich shot 11-of-18 for his 28 points and 9 rebounds. Zach Randolph (just 6-of-17) had 15 points and 13 rebounds. Nate Robinson on 11 shots had 14 points, 5 rebounds but more turnovers than assists off the bench. Chris Duhon did little. Jamal Crawford was an awful 0-for-6 for 1 point and 4 assists. David Lee played 20 minutes and did almost nothing. For the Bucks, all five starters scored in double figures, plus Luc Richard Mbah a Moute had 11 off the bench.
Warriors sign Rob Kurz
The Golden State Warriors have signed free agent forward Rob Kurz, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin announced today.
Kurz appeared in four of Golden State’s six preseason games, averaging 4.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 14 minutes per game. He was originally signed as a free agent training camp invitee on September 9 and subsequently waived on October 27.
To make room for Kurz on the 15-man roster, the Warriors have transferred guard Monta Ellis to the suspended list. Kurz will wear uniform #31.
Knicks activate Jerome James not Marbury
The New York Post (Marc Berman): The Knicks announced Jerome James will be activated – and not Stephon Marbury – to replace injured Eddy Curry tonight vs. the Bucks. Curry is battling knee soreness from a drained knee but isn’t in the rotation anyway. Zach Randolph, who missed practice yesterday with knee soreness, will play.
Nov 1: Suns 107, Blazers 96
The AP reports: Amare Stoudemire scored 16 of his 23 points in the decisive third quarter and Phoenix beat the Trail Blazers 107-96 Saturday night to give Terry Porter his first home victory as Suns coach… Steve Nash had 20 points, including a 3-pointer that put Phoenix ahead 101-90 with 1:48 left. Matt Barnes scored 21, Shaquille O’Neal 16 and Raja Bell 13 for the Suns, who shot 55 percent. Nash also had seven assists. Brandon Roy and Rudy Fernandez scored 20 apiece for Portland. Roy, hounded by Bell much of the night, was 7-of-18 shooting. LaMarcus Aldridge added 16 for the Trail Blazers, coming off a 100-99 home victory over San Antonio on Friday night.
Nov 1: Lakers 104, Nuggets 97
The AP reports: Kobe Bryant scored 33 points and the Los Angeles Lakers nearly became the first team in three years to hold Anthony to single digits in a 104-97 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night… Coming off a two-game suspension, Carmelo Anthony scored 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter. He made two 3-pointers with under a minute left to extend his NBA-best streak of consecutive games in double figures to 208… Anthony Carter scored 20 points to lead the Nuggets, who also got 18 points from Kenyon Martin before he departed in the second half with a pulled left hamstring.
Nov 1: Jazz 101, Clippers 79
The AP reports: With Deron Williams on the bench in street clothes recovering from a sprained left ankle he injured in the preseason, newcomer Brevin Knight had six assists and Ronnie Price had seven assists as the Jazz beat the winless Clippers with a commanding second half. “Those guys are playing great. We’re holding it down without D-Will,” said Carlos Boozer, who had his second double-double of the season with 25 points and 10 rebounds… Cuttino Mobley scored 20 points and Chris Kaman had 11 points and 12 rebounds for the winless Clippers, who host the Jazz in a rematch Monday night… Andrei Kirilenko added 11 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and four assists. Mehmet Okur had 10 rebounds and nine points and Ronnie Brewer scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half for Utah.
Nov 1: Rockets 89, Thunder 77
The AP reports: Tracy McGrady and the Houston Rockets made up for a sputtering offense with some sparkling free-throw shooting. McGrady had 22 points, Yao Ming added 16 and the Rockets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 89-77 on Saturday night for their third straight win. Carl Landry had 14 points and tied a career best with 11 rebounds for Houston. Ron Artest, Luis Scola and Rafer Alston added 10 points apiece… Kevin Durant, the reigning Rookie of the Year, had 26 points, five rebounds and four steals for Oklahoma City. Johan Petro and Jeff Green had 10 points each.
Nov 1: Raptors 91, Bucks 87
The AP reports: Jose Calderon scored a career-high 25 points, including a huge 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter, and the Toronto Raptors won their third straight with a 91-87 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night… Calderon was 8-of-15 from the floor, including 3-of-4 on 3-pointers and made all six free throws. He also added nine assists… Chris Bosh had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Jamario Moon added 15 points, and O’Neal and Anthony Parker each had 11 as the Raptors spoiled new Bucks coach Scott Skiles’ home debut and gave Toronto a 3-0 start for the first time since 2004-05. Michael Redd had 19 points but missed a shot from the corner in the closing seconds that could have tied the game. Andrew Bogut had 14 points and nine rebounds, and Ramon Sessions added 12 points in his first game of the season.
Nov 1: Bulls 96, Grizzlies 86
The AP reports: While Derrick Rose hopes to show more fire someday, the Chicago Bulls will take the sort of cool contribution he made on Saturday. The rookie who led Memphis to the NCAA final last year buried that city’s NBA team, scoring 26 points in his best game to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 96-86 victory over the Grizzlies. Kirk Hinrich added 18 points, but the night belonged to Rose, the No. 1 draft pick and Chicago native… Hinrich was 5-of-7 on 3-pointers. Drew Gooden grabbed 20 rebounds, and Chicago pulled this one out after losing by 16 at defending champion Boston the previous night thanks in part to a 51-43 edge on the boards… Rudy Gay scored 20 after pouring in 29 and hitting the winning 18-footer against Orlando on Friday. Warrick added 18 points and seven rebounds, while Mayo, the No. 3 pick, scored 16.