The AP reports: Danny Granger couldn’t quite keep up with Kevin Martin’s scoring pace, but unlike Martin, he made the most important shot of the game. Granger scored 13 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, making all six of his free throws in the final 1:30, to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Sacramento Kings 122-117 on Saturday night. Martin led Sacramento with a season-high 45 points. He made 13 of 24 shots, 12 of 12 free throws and a career-high seven 3-pointers, but missed two critical 3-pointers in the final minute… T.J. Ford had 16 points and seven assists, and Troy Murphy had 12 points and 13 rebounds for Indiana. Bobby Jackson had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Brad Miller had 13 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Kings, who have lost eight of nine.
Category: Games
Basketball games blog
76ers end 4-game losing streak, beat Clippers 100-92
The AP reports: The reward for the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers, two teams riding four-game losing streaks, was that somebody had to win. Andre Iguodala had 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and the 76ers closed out the year with a 100-92 victory Wednesday night… Al Thornton scored 24 points for the Clippers, who lost their fifth in a row… This time, a combination of players did in the Clippers. Thaddeus Young added 20 points for the 76ers and Andre Miller had 15 points and nine assists against his former team… Eric Gordon added 21 points and Marcus Camby had 16 points and 17 rebounds for the Clippers, who fell apart after tying the game with 3 1/2 minutes remaining. They were outscored 14-6 from there.
Thunder top Warriors for 4th victory of the season, 107-100
The AP reports: The Thunder pulled away in the third quarter and held on for a 107-100 victory over the Golden State Warriors. It was only the fourth win of the season for Oklahoma City, which snapped a five-game losing streak… Jeff Green scored 18 of his 26 points in the second half. Oklahoma City turned 20 Golden State turnovers into 24 points, many coming off of steals. Green pointed to the team’s intensity in the second half as the difference in the game… Kevin Durant posted his fifth double-double of the season with 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and reserve Chris Wilcox had 23 points and nine boards… Kelenna Azubuike had all of his season-high 24 points in the second half to lead the Warriors. Stephen Jackson had 17 points on 5-of-16 shooting and the Warriors were beaten on the boards 45-35.
Nene, Anthony lead Nuggets over Raptors 114-107
The AP reports: Nene scored 21 points, Carmelo Anthony added 20 and the Denver Nuggets beat the Toronto Raptors 114-107 on Wednesday night. Chauncey Billups scored 18 points and J.R. Smith had 16 for Denver, with Kenyon Martin adding 15 points and reserves Linas Kleiza and Chris Andersen each scoring 10. Denver coach George Karl earned his 900th career regular-season victory. He is 10th on the career list. Andrea Bargnani scored 26 points and Chris Bosh added 24 points and 11 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough for the Raptors, who have lost 13 of 17. Jose Calderon had 18 points and 11 assists for Toronto, with Anthony Parker scoring 12 points, Will Solomon 11 and Jamario Moon 10.
Yao, Scola lead Rockets to win over Bucks 85-81
The AP reports: The Houston Rockets hardly sounded like the victorious team after struggling past the Milwaukee Bucks 85-81 on Wednesday night. Yao Ming had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Luis Scola added 11 points and 10 boards, but the Rockets sputtered on offense during long stretches for the third straight home game. Ron Artest had 15 points and reserve Carl Landry added 14 as the Rockets beat the Bucks for the eighth straight time, bouncing back from an embarrassing loss to Washington on Monday… Michael Redd scored 20, Richard Jefferson had 16 and Luke Ridnour dished out 11 assists for the Bucks, who’ve lost nine consecutive games in Houston. Milwaukee was outrebounded 40-34 and committed 17 turnovers—six in the second quarter, when Houston stretched its early lead to 15.
Pistons beat Nets 83-75
The AP reports: Allen Iverson and Tayshaun Prince stepped up for the short-handed Detroit Pistons. Iverson scored 19 points, and Prince added 16 to help the Pistons win their fifth straight game, 83-75 over the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday… Detroit played without Rip Hamilton (groin) and Antonio McDyess (ribs), and lost Rasheed Wallace to a first-half foot injury, but still held the Nets to a season low… The Nets lost some of their advantage when Vince Carter was ejected after for arguing a second-quarter call with referee Derrick Stafford… Rookie Brook Lopez led New Jersey with 23 points and 12 rebounds, but the Nets weren’t able to overcome an 11-point second quarter.
Lewis leads Magic over Bulls, 113-94
The AP reports: The way he’s pouring in the points, Rashard Lewis just might shoot his way into the All-Star game. Lewis set the tone by scoring 16 of his 21 points in the first half and the Orlando Magic rolled over the Chicago Bulls 113-94 for their eighth win in nine games… Hedo Turkoglu added 18 points. Dwight Howard scored 15, and the Southeast Division leaders came through with a dominant performance after their seven-game win streak ended in a six-point loss at Detroit on Monday… Joakim Noah came through with a season-high 19 points and 11 rebounds. Larry Hughes scored 15 and Ben Gordon 18, but Chicago shot just 42 percent. Derrick Rose had a rough afternoon finishing with just 11 points and no assists.
Blake, short-handed Trail Blazers beat Celtics
The AP reports: Even without All-Star guard Brandon Roy, the Portland Trail Blazers earned an impressive win Tuesday night. Steve Blake had 21 points, LaMarcus Aldridge added 20 and the short-handed Blazers beat the Boston Celtics 91-86, sending the NBA champions to their third loss in four games… Reserve forward Travis Outlaw had 17 points for Portland and Greg Oden added 13 points and 11 rebounds despite injuring his ankle in practice Monday. Paul Pierce scored 28 points, making 14 of 15 foul shots, and Kevin Garnett had 17 points and eight rebounds for the Celtics (28-5), who were at the end of a four-game road trip and have more losses since Dec. 25 than in the previous two months of the season… Rajon Rondo had 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds for Boston.
There was a controversial play late in the second quarter when the Trail Blazers scored while using six players on the court. The basket counted, but a technical foul resulted in a free throw for the Celtics. More details here.
Martin returns to help Kings edge Clippers
The AP reports: Playing his first game in nearly three weeks, Kevin Martin came off the bench to score 20 points and the Kings snapped a six-game losing streak by beating the Los Angeles Clippers 92-90 Tuesday night… Brad Miller had 15 points and 13 rebounds, and John Salmons also had 15 points for Sacramento, which lost 19 of its previous 22 games. Beno Udrih had 13 points and Jason Thompson added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Rookie guard Eric Gordon scored 24 points for the Clippers, while Paul Davis had a career-high 18. But he missed a foul-line jumper in the closing seconds that could have sent the game into overtime. Scoreless in the first half, Marcus Camby finished with 15 points and 24 rebounds. Bothered by a sore back, Baron Davis shot 3-of-17 and scored 11 points.
Mavericks rally from 29 down to stun Timberwolves
The AP reports: Jason Terry scored 24 of his 29 points in the second half, and Dallas rallied from a 29-point deficit to beat the Timberwolves 107-100 on Tuesday night. “The first half was ugly,” said Nowitzki, who had a bloody nose after being hit by Craig Smith on a drive to the basket in the third quarter… The Timberwolves led 70-41 early in the third quarter when the Mavericks started their comeback, the largest in franchise history… Al Jefferson scored 21 points, Ryan Gomes added 19 and Randy Foye had 18 for the Timberwolves, who blew the largest lead in franchise history… Josh Howard scored 23 and Kidd had 14 points and a season-high 16 assists for Dallas.