The AP reports: Andrei Kirilenko had 15 points and five assists, and the Utah Jazz beat the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers 93-80 in a preseason game Sunday. With the exception of center Greg Oden, the Blazers’ expected starters for the season rested or were out because of injuries. Carlos Boozer played in his first exhibition game for the Jazz, who led by as many as 19 points. He missed the first two preseason contests due to a sore left hamstring. Boozer had 12 points and eight rebounds in 15 minutes… Oden has been on a plan that has him playing about 20 minutes a game during the preseason. On Sunday, the 7-foot center had six points and six rebounds in 20 minutes… Nicolas Batum led the Blazers with 16.
Author: Inside Hoops
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Oct 12: Nets 94, Heat 92
The AP reports: Vince Carter made three free throws in the final 10 seconds to help the New Jersey Nets hold on for a 94-92 win over the Miami Heat on Sunday in a preseason game played in front of a boisterous London crowd… Carter finished with 19 points and Yi Jianlian added another 17 in his debut for the Nets (2-0) in a game that treated the British fans to a number of high-flying dunks but even more sloppy turnovers. Marcus Banks had 19 points, and Dwyane Wade added 18 for the Heat (0-3), who fought back from a 19-point first-quarter deficit to push the game to the final seconds. Miami has not won a preseason game since 2006, after going 0-7 in exhibition contests last year before posting the league’s worst record (15-67).
Oct 12: Sixers 85, Raptors 79
The AP reports: Thaddeus Young scored 17 points, Andre Igoudala added 13, and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Toronto Raptors 85-79 in an NBA preseason game Sunday. Philadelphia rookie Marreese Speights scored 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter, and Louis Williams chipped in 10 points for the 76ers (2-1)… Jason Kapono led Toronto with 14 and Will Solomon had 12. Andrea Bargnani and Anthony Parker also scored in double figures, netting 10 points each, for the Raptors (2-1). Elton Brand had 10 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes for Philadelphia.
Magic Johnson joins ESPN
Earvin “Magic” Johnson has joined ESPN as an NBA studio analyst and will mainly work with Stuart Scott, Mike Wilbon and Jon Barry on ABC’s GMC NBA Countdown. He will provide analysis on Christmas Day – when ABC and ESPN combine to showcase an NBA tripleheader (beginning at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN) – and contribute to the networks’ post-season studio coverage. The announcement was made by Norby Williamson, executive vice president, production.
“Magic has always been one of the most accomplished people in every field he has endeavored. He was an incomparable player and has become one of the best NBA analysts in the business. His unique insights, perspective and personality will be the perfect complement to Stuart (Scott), Mike (Wilbon) and Jon (Barry),” said Williamson.
“I am thrilled to be a part of the ESPN family. I look forward to working with a great team and covering all the big NBA events,” said Johnson. “Christmas Day can’t come soon enough for me.”
Johnson comes to ESPN from Turner Sports, where he was an NBA analyst for seven years, primarily on TNT’s Thursday night NBA coverage. Johnson appeared on ESPN and ABC as a guest studio analyst during Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals.
He is one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players in history and won five NBA championships with the L.A. Lakers, an Olympic gold medal in 1992 and a NCAA championship. He is one of only seven players in the history of the sport to capture the latter three accolades. He was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player three times (1987, 1989, 1990). He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.
ESPN and Jeff Van Gundy sign extension
Former NBA head coach Jeff Van Gundy, who joined ESPN during the 2007 NBA Playoffs and provided game analysis for the entire 2007-08 season, has agreed to an exclusive multi-year agreement with the network. Van Gundy will continue to provide analysis alongside play-by-play commentator Mike Breen and analyst Mark Jackson as the lead commentary team for games on ESPN and ABC – the home of the NBA Finals.
“It was a very difficult decision to forego coaching for the next five years, but I enjoyed myself so much last year working with Mike (Breen) and Mark (Jackson), that I decided to make this long-term commitment to broadcasting with ESPN,” said Jeff Van Gundy.
Norby Williamson, executive vice president, production, said, “We’re thrilled Jeff has decided to focus on broadcasting. Our team of Mike, Mark and Jeff has great chemistry and offers diverse perspectives, which makes every broadcast unique.”
Van Gundy last coached in the NBA during the 2006-07 season, guiding the Houston Rockets to a 52-30 record – the team’s best mark since 1997 – despite a lengthy injury sustained by perennial All-Star Yao Ming. Van Gundy’s Rockets lost in the final game of a best-of-seven first-round playoff series.
Van Gundy was the head coach of the Houston Rockets for four seasons from 2004-07, leading the team to a 182-146 record. He previously was head coach of the New York Knicks from 1995-2001, when his team won 248 games and made the playoffs six times (including an NBA Finals appearance in 1999). Van Gundy was an NBA analyst with Turner Sports during the 2002-03 season.
Prior to his NBA coaching experience, Van Gundy was an assistant coach at Rutgers and Providence. He graduated from Nazareth College in 1985.
Wolves waive Rafael Araujo
The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has released center Rafael Araujo. The Timberwolves’ roster now stands at 18 players.
Araujo, a 6-11 center from BYU, played five minutes (one point, two rebounds) in two preseason games for the Wolves. A former first-round pick of the Toronto Raptors, he signed with the Timberwolves on Sept. 29.
InsideHoops.com editor says: Araujo will probably head overseas.
Okafor no.1 at getting stuffed
The Charlotte Observer (Rick Bonnell) reports: Friday morning I asked Charlotte Bobcats center Emeka Okafor why so many of his shots were blocked last season. The question mystified him. “You think I get my shot blocked a lot?” he replied. Why, yes, I told him, about once a game. Then I passed along a statistic published on espn.com: That 12 percent of Okafor’s shots were rejected last season, the highest such percentage in the NBA. It never occurred to him how susceptible he was to shot blockers, and apparently no one from the previous coaching staff raised the issue with him last season. “It’s a fluke,” Okafor said with a shrug. “That’s all I can say about it.”
Oct 11: Warriors 122, Thunder 102
The AP reports: Marco Belinelli had 22 points and six assists and Al Harrington added 16 points and nine rebounds to help the Golden State Warriors beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-102 in exhibition play Saturday night. DeMarcus Nelson, one of a handful of guards the Warriors (2-1) are looking at as a possible replacement for the injured and suspended Monta Ellis, added 18 points, seven assists and four rebounds. He had two thunderous dunks, both in the second half. Kevin Durant had 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Thunder (0-3), who shot just 38.6 percent from the floor to remain winless in the preseason. Damien Wilkins added 23 points, and Chris Wilcox had 15 points and eight rebounds.
Oct 11: Nuggets 77, Suns 72
The AP reports: Whether it was the wind, the temperature or just a different environment to play in, the NBA’s first outdoor game in more than three decades was an offensive struggle. The Denver Nuggets beat the Phoenix Suns 77-72 on Saturday night in the exhibition game billed as “NBA Outdoors!” at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Both teams struggled from the field and the free-throw line and combined to go 3-of-27 from 3-point range on a night when the temperature dipped into the 60s with some wind hitting the court by the end of the game.
Insidehoops.com Stat Notes: For the Nuggets, JR Smith (just 6-of-16) had 12 points. Mateen Cleaves (4-of-5) scored 11 off the bench. Nene (4-of-10) had 10 points and 7 rebounds. No other Denver players reached double digits. Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson didn’t play. For the Suns, Steve Nash (5-of-12) had 16 points, just 2 assists and 6 turnovers. Raja Bell (3-of-8) scored 9. Robin Lopez (4-of-7) had 8 off the bench. The Nuggets shot just 37.7%, the Suns just 33.3%. The Nuggets hit just 1-of-10 three-pointers, the Suns just 2-of-14. The Nuggets hit just 50% of their free throws, while the Suns connected on 69.2%. Rebounding was close. The two teams combined to dish just 15 total assists.
Oct 11: Pistons 111, Bucks 99
The AP reports: Arron Afflalo scored 28 points and Rodney Stuckey added 15 to help the Detroit Pistons remain perfect in the preseason with a 111-99 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night… Charlie Villanueva led the Bucks (0-4) with 26 points and Michael Redd had 17.
InsideHoops.com editor says: Even though it’s just a preseason game, Afflalo putting up 28 points is a nice sign for Detroit.