The AP reports: After two gutty road wins, the Denver Nuggets weren’t going to let the banged-up Warriors hurt their chances for a division title. Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points, Linas Kleiza had 22 and the Nuggets won their third straight with a 129-116 victory over Golden State on Saturday night. Chauncey Billups had 14 and Chris Andersen added 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets, who maintained a 1 1/2 -game lead over Portland in the Northwest Division and have won eight of their last nine games… Jamal Crawford had 30 points and Kelenna Azubuike scored 21 for the Warriors, who have lost four straight and five of their last six.
Category: Games
Basketball games blog
Yao leads Rockets to easy win over Clippers
The AP reports: The Houston Rockets had three days of practice before their game against the Los Angeles Clippers, and that turned out to be little more than a glorified scrimmage. Yao Ming had 21 points and 15 rebounds, and the Rockets led from start to finish in an easy 110-93 victory Saturday night. Aaron Brooks added 21 points, Shane Battier scored 15 and the Rockets stayed in third place in the Western Conference by beating the Clippers for the 20th time in the last 24 meetings… Eric Gordon scored 17 and Chris Kaman had 16 points for the Clippers, who played without Baron Davis (calf strain/ulcers) and leading rebounder Marcus Camby (sprained left ankle). Los Angeles has lost 11 of its last 12 road games.
Wade gets 27, Heat run out to big lead, beat Bucks
The AP reports: At this point, milestones mean little to Udonis Haslem. He’s too busy getting his game in postseason form. Dwyane Wade scored 27 points, Haslem had 16 points and 12 rebounds for his 100th career double-double, and the Miami Heat improved their stance in the Eastern Conference playoff chase by beating the reeling Milwaukee Bucks 102-85 on Saturday night. James Jones and Michael Beasley each scored 11 and Jermaine O’Neal added 10 for the Heat, who snapped a two-game losing streak… Richard Jefferson scored 32 and Dan Gadzuric had 18 points and 12 rebounds for Milwaukee, which lost its fifth straight. The Bucks’ bench was outscored 26-0 in the first half, 37-14 in the game, and no Milwaukee reserve scored until Luc Richard Mbah a Moute’s free throws with 5.2 seconds left in the third quarter.
Wallace dominates, Bobcats beat Knicks 96-85
The AP reports: Gerald Wallace nearly had his first triple-double, scoring 23 points with nine rebounds and eight assists in an efficient performance that helped the Bobcats match a modest franchise record for victories to stay 2 1/2 games out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference… D.J. Augustin added 19 points and Emeka Okafor had 13 points and 14 rebounds for the Bobcats, who rode Wallace to their second straight win after ugly losses to Washington and Indiana… Wilson Chandler and Al Harrington scored 18 points apiece for the Knicks, who lost for the seventh time in eight games to see their faint playoff hopes nearly extinguished. The Knicks played without Quentin Richardson, who sprained his left ankle a night earlier and was replaced in the starting lineup by Larry Hughes. They also got little from center Eddy Curry in his return.
Good Arenas game, but Pistons beat Wizards 98-96
The AP reports: Gilbert Arenas finished with 15 points on 3-for-12 shooting and 10 assists in 30 minutes, helping the Wizards rally from a 15-point, second-half deficit. After the two failed comebacks, he had been determined to make sure he was completely healthy before trying again, especially with Washington mired in last place in the East… Richard Hamilton, back after missing six games with a left groin injury, scored 16 of his 31 points in the third quarter for the Pistons, who broke a three-game losing streak and steered their tenuous playoff hopes—at least temporarily—back in the right direction… Antawn Jamison scored 21 points to lead the Wizards. … Butler returned after missing seven straight games with a sore left hamstring.
Salmons lifts Bulls over Pacers, 112-106
The AP reports: John Salmons scored 22 points and hit two late 3-pointers, and the Chicago Bulls pulled out a wild 112-106 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday for their fourth straight win… Ben Gordon added 25 points as the Bulls matched their longest win streak in two years with a victory that featured some dramatic swings… Danny Granger scored 32 and Brandon Rush added a career-high 29, but the Pacers suffered their sixth loss in eight games… The Bulls didn’t have to contend with Troy Murphy, who missed his second game because of a sprained ligament in his left knee. They did, however, have to deal with Rush and Granger.
Grizzlies snap 20-game skid in Sacramento
The AP reports: The last time the Grizzlies won in Sacramento, the franchise was in Canada and current Kings assistant coach Shareef Abdur-Rahim was in his second NBA season. Marc Gasol scored 27 points and Memphis won in Sacramento for the first time in 11 years, defeating the Kings 113-95 on Friday night. Rudy Gay had 23 points and nine rebounds and Mike Conley had 20 points and six rebounds for the Grizzlies, who snapped a 20-game losing streak at Arco Arena. “I’ve heard it (the losing streak) said a couple of times, but that wasn’t our motivation,” said Conley, who added five assists and two steals. “This was a game everyone looked forward to playing. They beat us the last time (in Memphis) with only eight players. That was a slap in the face to us.”
Spurs roll over Clippers to win 3rd straight
The AP reports: The Big Three were back together for a blowout. Yep, the San Antonio Spurs were glad to finally see one of these again. Reuniting Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili for the first time since the All-Star break, the Spurs celebrated with an easy 111-98 romp over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. It also was San Antonio’s most comfortable win in weeks. Parker had 18 and Ginobili had 14 before they and Duncan, who had 13, kicked back for most of the fourth quarter. They watched the Spurs win their third straight before, and now start the final 10 games finally healthy with a slim lead for the No. 2 seed in the West.
Anthony lifts Nuggets past Kidd-less Mavs
The AP reports: Carmelo Anthony was having his way with the Dallas Mavericks all night, scoring as easily on long jumpers as he was on drives to the basket. So how come, Dirk Nowitzki wondered, the Mavs didn’t smother him with the game on the line? Anthony squirted through traffic for a go-ahead layup with 12.2 seconds left, then added a free throw in the final seconds to cap a 43-point performance that lifted the Denver Nuggets to a 103-101 victory over the Jason Kidd-less Mavericks on Friday night. “We messed up,” Nowitzki said. “They set a little screen and he came off it. That can’t happen.”
Knicks knock off Hornets, end 6-game skid
The AP reports: Chris Paul got mixed up with Nate Robinson. James Posey threw the ball at a referee. The New Orleans Hornets showed plenty of emotion—just not until they’d shown too little while falling behind the New York Knicks. Al Harrington scored 23 points, David Lee added 18 points and 11 rebounds, and the Knicks snapped a six-game losing streak Friday night with a 103-93 victory over the frustrated Hornets, who were hit with two technicals and an ejection in the fourth quarter. “I just think if we would have come out with that type of passion in the third quarter, then we would have won the game,” said Hornets coach Byron Scott, adding it was a “terrible” loss for a team in the middle of the Western Conference playoff race.