The AP reports: Playing for the first time this season without Tim Duncan, who sat out with a sore right knee, Tony Parker had 37 points and 12 assists as the Spurs crushed Dallas 93-76 on Tuesday night in the worst offensive effort to date for the Mavericks… Spurs forward Michael Finley scored 16 against his former team, and Josh Howard led the flat-looking Mavericks with 19 points… Dirk Nowitzki scored 14 points for the Mavericks, who are also still without one of their biggest offensive weapons, Jason Terry. The standout sixth man missed his sixth game with a break in his non-shooting hand.
Category: Games
Basketball games blog
Artest scores 21 to lead Rockets over Blazers
The AP reports: The Houston Rockets got a validating victory on Tuesday night to continue climbing up the Western Conference standings. Ron Artest scored 21 points, Aaron Brooks had 20 and the Rockets moved past Portland in the West with a 98-94 victory over the Trail Blazers. Luis Scola had 15 points and 11 rebounds—his fifth straight double-double — for the Rockets, who came in trailing Portland by a half-game for fourth place in the conference… Brandon Roy scored 24 and LaMarcus Aldridge added 21 points with eight rebounds for the Blazers, who’ve lost nine of their last 10 games in Houston.
New-look Bulls ease by Magic
The AP reports: Just about everything went right for the Bulls in this game. Derrick Rose scored 22 to lead the Bulls, who got strong efforts from their three newcomers in a 120-102 victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night. The three Bulls acquired at the trade deadline combined for 37 points in their home debuts. Tim Thomas scored 17 points, John Salmons 11 and Miller had nine points, seven rebounds and five assists. All three came off the bench and each played more than 20 minutes… Dwight Howard led Orlando with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Hedo Turkoglu had 16 points and Courtney Lee 14… Ben Gordon scored 20 points and Joakim Noah had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Bulls.
Bryant leads late surge as Lakers put away Thunder
The AP reports: Kobe Bryant scored 10 of his 36 points in a 3-minute span of the fourth quarter to stave off the Thunder’s comeback bid and lead the Lakers to a 107-93 victory on Tuesday night. He didn’t emerge from the Lakers’ training room until about 40 minutes after the game, but he was in a good mood when he did… Kevin Durant scored 32 to lead Oklahoma City in its sixth straight loss. It was his ninth time scoring at least 30 points in the last 10 games, and the 13th time in 17 games, during a surge that’s landed him right behind Bryant in fourth place in the NBA in scoring. Rookie Kyle Weaver followed his career-best 19-point outing by scoring 16, and Russell Westbrook finished with 14 points for the Thunder.
Wade’s big night leads Heat past Detroit, 103-91
The AP reports: Not only did Dwyane Wade continue his run of career highs, he sent the Detroit Pistons to a new low. Wade scored 31 points and set a personal best with 16 assists, leading the Miami Heat to a 103-91 win Tuesday night and handing the Pistons their seventh straight loss—Detroit’s longest slide in more than seven years… Daequan Cook scored 16 points, Jermaine O’Neal added 14 and Jamario Moon had 12 for the Heat, who took control with a 22-8 run to close the third quarter. Allen Iverson scored 22 points and Tayshaun Prince added 18 for the Pistons (27-28), who fell under .500 this late in a season for the first time since 2000-01. Antonio McDyess shot 8-for-10 and scored 17 for Detroit.
Without West, Cavaliers roll past Grizzlies
The AP reports: Playing short-handed is nothing new for the Cleveland Cavaliers. With starting shooting guard Delonte West inactive two days after returning from the right wrist fracture that sidelined him for 16 games, the Cavaliers relied on a team effort to beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 94-79 on Tuesday night. Daniel Gibson scored 19 points and Mo Williams added 18. The Cavaliers never trailed, making for a relatively easy night for LeBron James, the NBA’s second-leading scorer. James scored 15 points in 30 minutes and didn’t play the fourth quarter, thanks to Cleveland’s big lead throughout the game. Rudy Gay and Hakim Warrick scored 13 points apiece for Memphis, which lost its fifth straight.
Bosh, Bargnani lead Raptors past Wolves again
The AP reports: Chris Bosh knows there’s no place for politeness in an NBA playoff drive. Bosh and Andrea Bargnani each scored 26 points, Anthony Parker had 24, and the Toronto Raptors beat Minnesota 118-100 on Tuesday, their 10th consecutive victory over the Timberwolves. Jose Calderon had 15 points and 13 assists for Toronto, with Jason Kapono adding 11 points and Shawn Marion 10… Randy Foye scored 25 and Ryan Gomes had 23 for the Timberwolves, who have lost 11 of 13.
Clippers beat Warriors 118-105
The AP reports: Eric Gordon had trouble finding his shot in the first half, so the rookie talked himself out of repeating those woes the rest of the game. Zach Randolph had 27 points and 11 rebounds, Gordon also had 27 points and the Los Angeles Clippers snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Golden State Warriors 118-105 on Monday night. Gordon had a career-high six 3-pointers and has scored 21-plus points in each of his last five games for the Clippers, who beat the Warriors for the first time since Nov. 2, 2007… Baron Davis, a former Warrior, added 25 points and 10 assists for the Clippers, who were without starter Al Thornton, missing his second game of the season with a right foot injury… Stephen Jackson had 28 points and C.J. Watson added 16 for the Warriors.
Paul leads Hornets past Kings 112-105
The AP reports: Rejected after failing a physical that nullified a trade to Oklahoma City last week, Tyson Chandler enjoyed a nice welcome back party Monday night with his New Orleans teammates. It was Hornets point guard Chris Paul making sure Chandler’s return was a happy occasion. The all-star point guard had 27 points and 13 assists for the Hornets, who held off a fourth-quarter rally by the Sacramento Kings in a 112-105 victory… David West had 24 points and nine rebounds for the Hornets, who had lost two straight and eight of 12. Stojakovic had 18 points, James Posey made four 3-pointers and scored 13, and Rasual Butler contributed 12 points. Kevin Martin scored 24 of his 32 points in the fourth period for the Kings, setting an Arco Arena record for points in a quarter and was one point short of tying Mitch Richmond’s 25-point effort that is a Sacramento-era mark. Andres Nocioni scored 19 points, Francisco Garcia had 17 and Spencer Hawes added 13 points and 14 rebounds.
Allen leads Celtics past frazzled Nuggets 114-76
The AP reports: At this rate, Kevin Garnett can take all the time he needs to get healthy. The Boston Celtics handed the Nuggets one of the worst home losses in their history Monday night, routing Denver 114-76 behind 26 points from Ray Allen. It was Boston’s second game since Garnett strained a muscle in his right knee that is expected to sidelined him for at least two weeks. Paul Pierce added 22 points for the Celtics, who raced to a 60-37 halftime lead that rendered the second half a let’s-get-it-over-with exercise. This was Denver’s worst home loss since Feb. 2, 1998, when the Nuggets were routed by Chicago 111-72. The 38-point margin of defeat tied for the second-biggest home loss since Denver joined the NBA in 1976.