The AP reports: Amare Stoudemire scored 23 points, and Shaquille O’Neal had 19 points with 11 rebounds, helping Phoenix snap a three-game losing streak with a 104-99 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night. Nash, who finished with 14 points and 13 assists, was pleased that owner Robert Sarver flew to Atlanta for Saturday’s practice and joined general manager Steve Kerr in a team meeting… Reserve guard Leandro Barbosa had 20 points for the Suns, who had lost five of six and were coming off a season-worst 22-point loss at Charlotte… Marvin Williams’ 17 points were a team high for Atlanta, which had won four of five. The Hawks’ backcourt of Mike Bibby and Johnson went a combined 7-for-33 from the field, including a 2-for-13 performance beyond the arc.
Category: Games
Basketball games blog
Lakers breeze to 99-85 victory over Spurs
The AP reports: Kobe Bryant scored 22 points before sitting out the fourth quarter, Pau Gasol added 16 points, five rebounds and four assists, and the Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs 99-85 in a matchup of the Western Conference’s best teams that turned out to be a mismatch… Backup point guard Jordan Farmar returned after missing 18 games because of an injured left knee, and scored 14 points. Luke Walton played in his third game after missing nine with an injured foot, and Lamar Odom (knee) and Sasha Vujacic (back spasms) were also sidelined for brief periods… Tony Parker had 19 points and six assists and Tim Duncan added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Spurs (29-14), who lost for just the fourth time in 18 games. Neither played in the fourth quarter.
Celtics blow out Mavericks 124-100
The AP reports: Paul Pierce reached over and gave Kevin Garnett a hearty slap on the back as they laughed off the suggestion that now, with virtually everything going right, would be a good time to buy a lottery ticket. “I’ve got a lottery ticket already,” Pierce said after watching Garnett score 23 points and help shut down Dirk Nowitzki to lead Boston to its eighth straight win, 124-100 over the Dallas Mavericks… Reserve Eddie House also scored 23—including seven 3-pointers—and Ray Allen scored 20 of his 23 points in the first half as the Celtics opened a 27-point lead and coasted to their sixth straight double-digit victory… Jason Terry scored 27 for the Mavericks, who have won just three of their last nine games. Nowitzki had 18, but the Dallas 7-footer shot 4-for-17 from the field and had the ignominy of having his shot blocked by the 6-foot-1 House in the second quarter… Rajon Rondo had 13 points and 14 assists for the Celtics.
Oden and Roy lead Blazers 100-87 over Wizards
The AP reports: Greg Oden took another step in his rookie progression with a second solid performance in less than a week. The 7-foot center had 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Portland Trail Blazers in a 100-87 victory over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night… Portland led by as many as 22 points. Brandon Roy scored 22 points and tied a franchise high with 10 steals. Caron Butler had 31 points and 10 rebounds for the Wizards, who have lost nine of 11… The injury-depleted Wizards, who have been playing without All-Star guard Gilbert Arenas and center Brendan Haywood all season so far, lost 117-97 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. They didn’t fare any better against the Blazers.
James leads Cavs over Jazz 102-97
The AP reports: LeBron James scored 33 points, pulled down 14 rebounds and was just one assist short of a triple-double while leading Cleveland to a 102-97 win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night. Mo Williams added 25 points and four assists, including three alley-oops to James, as the Cavs closed out a four-game road trip with their third straight win… Cleveland’s Anderson Varejao finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, going 7-for-8 from the floor while filling in for injured center Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Deron Williams had a season-high 16 assists and scored 17 points for Utah, which had won seven straight at home. Paul Millsap finished with 24 points and 15 rebounds, but the Jazz could not keep up with the Cavs at the end despite Cleveland’s late night Friday in a 106-105 win at Golden State on James’ 19-foot jumper just before time expired.
Jefferson scores 20 as Bucks beat Kings, 106-104
The AP reports: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute hit a free throw with 3.3 seconds to go and Richard Jefferson scored 20 points as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Sacramento Kings 106-104 on Saturday night. The Bucks lost 117-87 at Atlanta on Friday night, but beat the Kings despite Andrew Bogut missing his sixth consecutive game with back spasms and leading scorer Michael Redd leaving with a knee injury in the third quarter… Sacramento’s Brad Miller, who finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, had his jumper from the top of the key bounce high off the back of the rim at the buzzer that would have sent the game to overtime… Charlie Villanueva scored 18 points and Francisco Elson had 10 points and a season-high 12 rebounds in 35 minutes for Milwaukee, which had six players score in double figures… Kevin Martin scored 20 points and Francisco Garcia added 19 points for Sacramento, which has lost four straight.
Nets snap 5-game losing skid, beat Grizzlies
The AP reports: New Jersey refused to let its skid continue for one more day. One night after falling 94-91 at San Antonio, Vince Carter scored 23 points and Devin Harris added 17 points and eight assists as the Nets snapped a five-game skid with a 99-88 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night… For Memphis, their woes continued. O.J. Mayo scored 23 points to lead the Grizzlies, playing their second game under interim coach Johnny Davis, who took over when Marc Iavaroni was fired Thursday… Memphis didn’t get a player in double figures until Mayo’s 3-pointer with 7:21 to go in the third period. A short time later, Brook Lopez scored on a dunk, extending the Nets’ lead to double-digits again.
Heat end slide against Magic, 103-97
The AP reports: Mario Chalmers stripped the ball from Nelson with 8 seconds remaining, ensuring that the Miami Heat—after 10 straight losses to their Sunshine State rivals— would beat the Magic 103-97 on Saturday night. The Heat wasted every bit of the 15-point lead they carried into the final period, yet still found a way to beat Orlando for the first time since Feb. 15, 2006… Dwyane Wade scored 27 points, Chalmers added 20 and Udonis Haslem added 12 points—including two huge baskets down the stretch—for Miami, which finished with four turnovers, an all-time franchise low, to deal Orlando its second straight loss… Dwight Howard had 22 points and 10 rebounds for Orlando before getting ejected with 1.1 seconds remaining. Rashard Lewis scored 21, Hedo Turkoglu scored 18 and Nelson added 16 for the Magic, including the 3-pointer that tied it with a shade under 3 minutes remaining.
Brand returns, Iguodala scores 24 as 76ers beat Knicks
The AP reports: Elton Brand eased back into the Philadelphia 76ers’ lineup and the result was familiar: another victory. Andre Iguodala scored 24 points and Andre Miller added 21 as the Sixers welcomed the return of Brand with a 116-110 win—their eighth in nine games— over the New York Knicks on Saturday night. Brand, who missed 16 games after dislocating his right shoulder on Dec. 17, had six points in 13 minutes off the bench. He entered the game for the first time with 1:26 left in the first quarter… Thaddeus Young added 17 points, Willie Green had 14 and Samuel Dalembert had 10 points and 17 rebounds for the Sixers, who moved back to .500 at 21-21. Philadelphia beat New York for the third straight time, and has won 12 of 14 against the Knicks… Nate Robinson scored 26 points, Tim Thomas added 24 and David Lee had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, whose three-game winning streak ended. New York has not had a winning streak longer than three games this season.
James buzzer-beater lifts Cavs over Warriors
The AP reports: LeBron James tossed up a rare airball from the top of the 3-point arc that showed he’s human. Then he quickly returned to his typical self. James stepped back under pressure from Ronny Turiaf and knocked down a 19-footer to barely beat the final buzzer, lifting the Cleveland Cavaliers to a wild 106-105 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night… James finished with 32 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, three steals and two blocked shots, but also missed three second-half free throws and went 10-for-16 from the line… Stephen Jackson hit a go-ahead 22-foot jumper over James with 6.4 seconds left and finished with 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for Golden State. The Warriors also lost at the buzzer Wednesday night against Oklahoma City. Golden State’s Monta Ellis scored 20 points in his season debut and return from an ankle injury. He did his best to upstage LeBron, but to no avail.