The AP reports: With all eyes on O.J. Mayo and Kevin Love, it was Al Jefferson who stole the show. Jefferson scored a season-high 38 points, including nine in overtime, and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 108-98 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night… Mayo had 23 points and Kyle Lowry finished with a career-high 12 assists, but Memphis lost its second consecutive overtime game and sixth in its last seven overall… Minnesota started the game 10-for-11 from the field, but missed 19 of its next 22 shots and entered halftime trailing by seven. The Wolves managed only one field goal in the second quarter, a franchise low. Their eight second-quarter points and 32 first-half points were both season lows.
Category: Games
Basketball games blog
Stuckey, Pistons end Magic’s winning streak at 7
The AP reports: Allen Iverson grinned as he looked at the boxscore after the Detroit Pistons’ 88-82 victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday night. “I’m not used to seeing myself with 15 points and knowing that I had a good game,” he said. “Before, even if I only had 20 points, I didn’t think I was doing my job.” Iverson was Detroit’s fourth-leading scorer on a night when no Pistons player reached 20… Detroit has now won four in a row, the last two without Richard Hamilton (groin)… Rodney Stuckey led Detroit with 19 points, while Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace each added 16. Antonio McDyess came off the bench with 11 points and eight rebounds despite a fourth-quarter rib injury… Rashard Lewis led the Magic with 23 points while Dwight Howard added 18 points and 18 rebounds.
Rose, Bulls drop Nets to 5-12 in New Jersey
The AP reports: Derrick Rose doesn’t remember what he was doing on April 17, 2001. “I was in grammar school, probably in the sixth grade,” Rose said after leading the Chicago Bulls to their first victory in New Jersey since that date, 100-87 over the Nets on Monday night. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 draft had 21 points and a season-high 13 assists, while Ben Gordon scored 24 points… The Nets continued their poor play at home, falling to 5-12, the second-worst mark in the Eastern Conference. The Nets (15-16) are 10-4 on the road… Andres Nocioni and Larry Hughes each added 17 points for the Bulls (14-17), who won for only the fourth time in 18 road games this season. It was Chicago’s first win in New Jersey since 2001, snapping a 13-game losing streak. Carter scored 31 points and Devin Harris added 26, 18 in the second half.
Johnson’s 25 points lift Hawks past Denver, 109-91
The AP reports: Joe Johnson scored 25 points and the Hawks beat the Denver Nuggets 109-91 on Monday night to close out the homestand with a long-awaited milestone. The Hawks (20-10) reached 20 wins before New Year’s Day for the first time since the 1987-88 season, when second-year center Al Horford was 1… The Hawks, bolstered by their strong start, are shooting for their first 50-win season since 1997-98… The Hawks made 12 of 23 3-point attempts, including 5-of-6 by Mike Bibby, who had 20 points and nine assists… Carmelo Anthony, who scored 32 points in the Nuggets’ 117-110 victory at the New York Knicks on Sunday, had only half that total with 16 points on 4-for-17 shooting from the field.
Bryant leads Lakers past Warriors, 130-113
The AP reports: Kobe Bryant explained why the Celtics had a letdown and the Lakers didn’t following the rivals’ intense game several days earlier. “They had won 19 straight games, so they were due for a couple of bad ones,” Bryant said Sunday night after scoring 31 points in Los Angeles’ 130-113 romp over the Golden State Warriors… Derek Fisher added 19 points in the win and Sasha Vujacic had 17. Pau Gasol had 13 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and Andrew Bynum chipped in with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Jamal Crawford returned to the Warriors’ lineup after missing two games with a groin strain and scored 22 points. Marco Belinelli and Brandan Wright had 14 points apiece, and Andris Biedrins had eight points and 17 rebounds.
Celts return to winning ways, 108-63 over Kings
The AP reports: The Celtics bounced back from back-to-back losses in emphatic fashion, beating the Sacramento Kings 108-63 Sunday night in one of the most one-sided wins in franchise history… The 45-point margin of victory matched the sixth biggest by the Celtics, who also beat the New York Knicks by that amount last season. The last time Boston had a bigger win was a 153-107 victory over the Baltimore Bullets on Nov. 27, 1970… John Salmons’ 11 points led the Kings. Francisco Garcia shot 1-for-7 before leaving in the first half with stiffness in his right calf. Kevin Garnett made 10 of 11 shots to lead the Celtics with 21 points and 11 rebounds despite playing just under 23 minutes. He now has 20,894 career points, moving past Bob Pettitt into 27th place all-time. Ray Allen added 19 on 7-for-8 shooting and Eddie House had 15 off the bench.
Cavaliers cool off Heat 93-86
The AP reports: LeBron James scored 33 points—four more than his good buddy Dwyane Wade—and took on the challenge of guarding the NBA’s leading scorer down the stretch as the Cavaliers remained the league’s only unbeaten team at home with a 93-86 win over the Miami Heat on Sunday night… Mo Williams scored 20 before fouling out and Ben Wallace had 14 rebounds for the Cavs (26-4), who won their sixth straight. In the final seconds, Wallace and Varejao played a game of volleyball over the basket, tipping missed shots repeatedly before one dropped through to seal Cleveland’s win… Miami rookie G Mario Chalmers strained his right hamstring in the fourth.
Paul, West lead Hornets past Pacers 105-103
The AP reports: Chris Paul scored 11 points in the game’s final 3:36 and David West hit a 17-foot fadeaway jumper with 2.5 seconds remaining to help the Hornets rally for a 105-103 win over Indiana on Sunday night. Paul and James Posey scored 19 points each for the Hornets (18-9). West added 18 points, Rasual Butler scored 15 and Peja Stojakovic had 12… Danny Granger led Indiana (10-20) with 34 points. Roy Hibbert scored 19 before drawing his fifth foul with 6:46 to play in the third quarter. He did not return. Troy Murphy had 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Pacers, who led by as many as 12 points early in the third quarter. No other Pacer scored in double figures.
Mavs beat Clippers 98-76 without Nowitzki
The AP reports: The Dallas Mavericks didn’t miss Dirk Nowitzki nearly as much as the Los Angeles Clippers missed Zach Randolph. Josh Howard had 29 points, nine rebounds and a career-best seven assists, leading Dallas to a 98-76 victory Sunday while Nowitzki served a one-game suspension… Despite the absence of Nowitzki and his 8.9 rebounds per game, the Mavericks held a 53-38 advantage on the glass. Five of their players had eight or more rebounds, including Erick Dampier, point guard Jason Kidd, James Singleton and reserve Brandon Bass… Marcus Camby returned to the Clippers’ lineup after missing the previous game due to his father’s death, scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Al Thornton also had 16 points.
Anthony scores 32 in return, Nuggets beat Knicks 117-110
The AP reports: Carmelo Anthony scored 32 points after missing three games with a bruised right elbow, and the Denver Nuggets sent the Knicks to their sixth straight loss with a 117-110 victory Sunday… J.R. Smith added 16 points and Billups 14 for the Nuggets, who shot 57 percent from the field in the opener of a four-game road trip. Nate Robinson scored 20 points on just 5-of-17 shooting and David Lee had 19 for the Knicks, who have yielded an average of 115.5 points during their skid. They came in allowing teams to shoot 48.3 percent, highest in the NBA, and even Mike D’Antoni’s high-scoring offense can’t overcome that… Chris Duhon had 17 points and 11 assists for the Knicks, while Wilson Chandler also scored 17 points but shot only 6-of-19.