The AP reports: Houston beat Portland 102-88 on Sunday night, just hours after the Trail Blazers got their first playoff berth since 2003 when Dallas beat Phoenix 140-116… Yao Ming led the Rockets with 21 points and 12 rebounds in the win which moves Houston ahead of Portland into fourth place in the Western Conference with five games left in the regular season… Luis Scola added 16 points, Ron Artest had 15 and Aaron Brooks added 14 for the Rockets. LaMarcus Aldridge had 22 points and nine rebounds, but was slowed significantly by the dogged defense of Chuck Hayes. Hayes was his constant pest when he was in the game, helping limit him to 7-of-15 shooting.
Category: Games
Basketball games blog
Melo leads Nuggets to rout of Timberwolves
The AP reports: Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points and Denver cruised to its seventh win in a row, beating the Timberwolves 110-87 on Sunday night. Thanks to San Antonio’s loss to Cleveland earlier in the day, Denver quietly extended its lead to two games over the Spurs for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference… The game was essentially over by halftime, and it was a laugher by the fourth quarter with Anthony Carter lobbing alley-oop attempts to Sonny Weems. Anthony, who has scored at least 20 points in nine of his last 10 games, sat out the fourth… Sebastian Telfair had 18 points to lead the depleted Wolves. Already without regulars Randy Foye (hip) and Craig Smith (calf), Minnesota also had to make do without star rookie Kevin Love and his strong inside presence thanks to a nasty flu bug.
Bynum 26 in 4th, Pistons beat Bobcats 104-97
The AP reports: Will Bynum scored a franchise-record 26 points in the fourth quarter to lead Detroit to a 104-97 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Sunday that put the Pistons a step closer to locking up the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Bynum scored the final 13 points for the Pistons and finished with a career-high 32 points, and also had seven assists. He made all six of his field-goal attempts and went 14-for-16 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter… Bynum picked up the scoring load for Richard Hamilton, who led Detroit with 13 points before he was ejected at the end of the third quarter when he picked up his second technical foul… D.J. Augustin led Charlotte with 22 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter. Raymond Felton added 18, while Boris Diaw and Emeka Okafor added 14 points each. Okafor pulled down 16 rebounds. Prince added 14 points for Detroit, while Kwame Brown and Antonio McDyess each grabbed nine rebounds.
Chandler scores 17, Knicks beat Raptors 112-103
The AP reports: The New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors ensured there won’t be playoff basketball in either city this year. Wilson Chandler scored 17 points, David Lee added 16 points and 10 rebounds and the Knicks beat the Raptors 112-103 on Sunday night, eliminating Toronto from the playoffs. It came one day after the Knicks saw their postseason hopes end with a 102-95 home loss to the Raptors… Quentin Richardson scored 16 points, Jared Jeffries added 14 and Nate Robinson scored 13 for the Knicks, who snapped a four-game losing streak and won for the first time in six tries on the road. Chris Bosh had 31 points and 14 rebounds for Toronto, whose season-high six-game winning streak came to an end.
Chandler scores 17, Knicks beat Raptors 112-103
The AP reports: Wilson Chandler scored 17 points, David Lee added 16 points and 10 rebounds and the New York Knicks beat Toronto 112-103 on Sunday night, eliminating the Raptors from the playoffs. New York, itself eliminated from playoff contention in Saturday’s home loss to the Raptors, ended a nine-game losing streak in Toronto. The Knicks had not won north of the border since a 109-103 victory on March 5, 2004. Quentin Richardson scored 16 points, Jared Jeffries added 14 and Nate Robinson scored 13 for the Knicks, who snapped a four-game losing streak and won for the first time in six tries on the road. Chris Bosh had 31 points and 14 rebounds for Toronto, whose season-high six-game winning streak came to an end.
Mavs beat Suns 140-116 in crucial West matchup
The AP reports: Jason Kidd had 19 points, a season-high 20 assists and a major career milestone— all in just three quarters—sending Dallas to a 140-116 victory over Phoenix on Sunday, virtually assuring the Mavericks of grabbing no worse than the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Dallas owns a four-game lead with five games left. Because the Mavs won the season series, they hold the tiebreaker over the Suns, so Phoenix must finish 5-0 and Dallas 0-5 for the teams to trade places in the standings… The 81 points at halftime was easily the most of the season for the Mavericks, and it included a 24-3 burst after Phoenix got within 46-45… Dirk Nowitzki made 10 of 12 shots and scored 28 points for Dallas, marking his 20th straight game with at least 20 points. Howard had 24 points after missing the Memphis game with a flare-up of his pesky ankle problem. Having two days off before facing the Jazz should help him remain in the lineup. Jason Terry hit his first four 3-point tries and scored 18 points. Brandon Bass added 14 points and J.J. Barea had 12.
InsideHoops.com notes: The Mavs shot 60 percent for the game, as well as 60 percent (15-of-25) from three-point range, and nailed 23-of-25 free throws. Dallas dished 34 assists, the Suns 21.
Cavaliers thump Spurs 101-81 to stop slump
The AP reports: Back to basics. Back to winning. The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t need long to remember what’s made them so good. Locked into attack mode from the start, LeBron James scored 38 points—18 in the first quarter—and Mo Williams and Delonte West added 22 apiece as the NBA’s best home team avoided its first three-game losing streak by beating the San Antonio Spurs 101-81 on Sunday… James, Williams and West shot a combined 33-of-51 for the Cavs, who are the 38th team in league history to win at least 62 games… Tony Parker scored 24 but got no help from Manu Ginobili (four points) or Tim Duncan, who had just six in 27 minutes and didn’t score after the 2:56 mark of the first quarter. Duncan quickly left the arena without speaking to reporters. Drew Gooden had 15 for the Spurs, who are in a six-team scramble for playoff position in the wide-open West.
Smith leads Nuggets past short-handed Clippers
The AP reports: J.R. Smith’s scintillating 34-point performance off the bench sparked the Denver Nuggets’ 120-104 win over the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers Saturday night for their 11th win in 12 games… Anthony added 18 points for the Nuggets. Zach Randolph led L.A. with 22 points, and DeAndre Jordan added 21. Smith scored 21 points in just 12 first-half minutes as the Nuggets raced to a 66-47 halftime lead… The depleted Clippers were missing Marcus Camby (ankle), Mardy Collins (foot), Ricky Davis (knee), Al Thornton (foot), and Chris Kaman (flu), and Dunleavy had no choice but to play Steve Novak, who scored nine points in 22 minutes on a tender ankle.
Grizzlies beats Bucks 107-102 for 4th straight win
The AP reports: Powered by Rudy Gay’s 26 points—including a windmill dunk that inspired a kid sitting courtside to holler, “Rudy! That was nasty!”—the Grizzlies beat the Milwaukee Bucks 107-102 on Saturday to win their fourth straight game, tying a season high… Marc Gasol scored 19 points and had 10 rebounds for Memphis. Mike Conley added 17 and was 4-for-6 from 3-point range, saying afterward that the Grizzlies were “making the game fun again.” Richard Jefferson scored 24 for the Bucks, who remain mathematically alive— just barely—for the playoffs but now would need to win their final four games and wind up in an unlikely multiteam tie for the final spot to get in.
Howard 20/20 game, Magic beat Hawks 88-82
The AP reports: Dwight Howard scored 21 points and tied a season high with 23 rebounds, helping the Magic beat the Atlanta Hawks 88-82 on Saturday night to pull within a half-game of tying for second place in the Eastern Conference. The 6-foot-11 center’s performance marked the ninth time this season, and 23rd of his five-year career, that he’s had at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game… Joe Johnson scored 21 points for the Hawks, who have dropped three straight and six of eight. Atlanta dropped to 29-10 at home, where it has lost three of four… Rashard Lewis finished with 16 points, and Rafer Alston had 14 for the Magic, who improved to 13-2 overall and 7-1 on the road against the Southeast Division.