The AP reports: Tracy McGrady did it all, Yao Ming dominated inside and Ron Artest provided support off the bench. Finally, the Houston Rockets showed a glimpse of how good they can be. McGrady notched his fourth career triple-double and first this season, Yao scored 32 points and the Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 108-96 on Tuesday night. McGrady had 20 points and reached season highs in rebounds (14) and assists (10) for his first triple-double since last December. Artest scored 20 points and backup point guard Aaron Brooks added 18 for the Rockets, who’ve won five of their last seven games despite a seemingly unending rash of injuries… Carmelo Anthony scored 22 and J.R. Smith had 17 for the Nuggets, who had a four-game winning streak snapped.
Category: Games
Basketball games blog
Dec 16: Clippers 98, Thunder 88
The AP reports: What the Los Angeles Clippers used to get from Elton Brand they’re now getting from Zach Randolph, and it’s proving to be a winning formula. Randolph had 22 points and 13 rebounds for his fourth straight double-double, and rookie Eric Gordon fueled a 10-point run in the fourth quarter as the Clippers put away the Oklahoma City Thunder 98-88 Tuesday night to stretch their win streak to three… Eric Gordon, who scored the first six points in a 10-0 run that provided the Clippers with an 87-73 lead, also finished with 22 points. Baron Davis scored 19, Marcus Camby added 13 points and 15 rebounds, and Al Thornton had 12 points as all of the Clippers starters’ reached double figures. Kevin Durant led Oklahoma City with 23 points, and Jeff Green and Chris Wilcox scored 13 apiece.
Dec 16: Hornets 91, Grizzlies 84
The AP reports: Chris Paul tied a record for steals, and his New Orleans Hornets played enough good defense to pull out a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Paul had 18 points, nine assists and five steals, James Posey scored nine of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, and the Hornets beat the Grizzlies 91-84 on Tuesday night… David West also scored 18 points, but shot 5-of-16. Paul was just 3-of-10 from the field but made 11 of 12 free throws. Rudy Gay led Memphis with 28 points and O. J. Mayo added 20.
Dec 16: Bobcats 110, Bulls 101 OT
The AP reports: D.J. Augustin scored a career-high 29 points in a one-on-one matchup of point guards with No. 1 pick Derrick Rose, and the undermanned Charlotte Bobcats snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 110-101 overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night. Augustin forced overtime by hitting three free throws with 19 seconds left after Rose fouled him on a 3-point attempt, a call that the Bulls vehemently protested… Derrick Rose was held to six points on 3-of-16 shooting, with seven assists. He had a potential game-winning shot blocked by Emeka Okafor at the end of regulation and Okafor blocked him again just before Augustin’s free throws put Charlotte ahead 105-100… Ben Gordon scored 25 points and Tyrus Thomas added 22 for the Bulls, who dropped to 3-10 on the road and failed to reach .500 for the first time in a month. Luol Deng had 15 points, but missed a key stretch at the end of regulation and OT after his legs cramped up… Okafor added 20 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks, and Raymond Felton scored 21 points as the Bobcats persevered with a small lineup.
Dec 15: Magic 109, Warriors 98
The AP reports: Jameer Nelson scored 23 of his career high-tying 32 points in the second half, and the Orlando Magic beat the Golden State Warriors 109-98 on Monday night for fourth win in five road games. Marcin Gortat, starting in place of the injured Dwight Howard, recorded his second career double-double with career bests of 16 points and 13 rebounds as the Magic improved to 19-6, their best 25-game start since opening the 1994-95 season at 20-5. Rashard Lewis added 21 points and Courtney Lee had 16. Andris Beidrins scored 23 points to lead the Warriors, who have lost 12 of their last 14 games. Marco Belinelli added 19 points and Jamal Crawford scored 16.
Dec 15: Kings 118, Wolves 103
The AP reports: Francisco Garcia scored 21 points, John Salmons added 17 and Sacramento beat the woeful Minnesota Timberwolves 118-103 Monday night in the Kings’ first game under interim coach Kenny Natt. A few hours after the Kings fired Reggie Theus and replaced him with Natt, the veteran assistant coach presided over one of Sacramento’s best efforts of the season against the Timberwolves, who lost their 10th straight. Brad Miller added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Kings, who had eight players scoring in double figures in just their second win in 12 games. Al Jefferson scored all of his 22 points in the first half for Minnesota in a meeting of struggling teams that both fired their head coaches in the past eight days. The Timberwolves dropped to 0-5 under Kevin McHale, who replaced Randy Wittman last week… Rashad McCants scored 21 points while Craig Smith and Kevin Ollie added 17 apiece for the Timberwolves (4-20), who haven’t won since Nov. 28.
Dec 15: Suns 111, Knicks 103
The AP reports: Mike D’Antoni got a warm welcome in his return to Phoenix, but frigid long-range shooting doomed his New York Knicks in a 111-103 loss to the Suns on Monday night. Steve Nash, whose career flourished in D’Antoni’s four seasons as Phoenix coach, scored 21 points, including a game-clinching 3-pointer with 28 seconds to play. D’Antoni’s run-and-shoot squad was just 5-of-37 on 3-pointers. The Knicks tied their franchise record for 3-pointers attempted, set earlier this season against Cleveland. Shaquille O’Neal had 23 points, making 11 of 18 free throws, and 12 rebounds. Amare Stoudemire added 21 points and 14 boards for the Suns, who topped 110 points for the fourth game in a row. Nate Robinson scored 27, 17 after halftime, in his second game back from a groin injury for New York. Al Harrington added 24… The Knicks were 2-for-19 on 3s in the first half.
Dec 15: Nuggets 98, Mavs 88
The AP reports: Reserve J.R. Smith scored 25 points, Carmelo Anthony added 23, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Dallas Mavericks 98-88 on Monday night to extend their winning streak to four games. Chauncey Billups had 15 points and eight assists for the Nuggets, who have won seven of eight and improved to 16-4 since Billups joined the team after a Nov. 3 trade with the Detroit Pistons. Dirk Nowitzki had 27 points and 10 rebounds, and Jason Terry scored 19 points for the Mavericks, who had won 11 of their previous 13. Mavericks forward Josh Howard was back after being inactive for 11 straight games because of a sprained left ankle. He came off the bench late in the first quarter and played 14 minutes, scoring seven points.
Dec 15: Celtics 100, Jazz 91
The AP reports: Rajon Rondo scored 12 of his career-high 25 points in the final 5:20, and Kevin Garnett had 19 points and 10 rebounds and Kendrick Perkins added 15 points and 14 rebounds to help Boston avenge the worst loss of its championship season. Paul Pierce scored 15 points before he hurt his left knee during a scramble for a defensive rebound with 31 seconds left… Paul Millsap scored a career-high 32 points with 10 rebounds for Utah… The Jazz were within 89-85 after Deron Williams’ 3-pointer with 3:23 left. But Rondo drove for a one-handed bank shot and then, after Williams sank a basket, Rondo made a free throw and Perkins hit a turnaround hook shot in the lane.
Dec 15: Bucks 98, Heat 83
The AP reports: The Milwaukee Bucks wanted a quick start to their three-game road trip, and Michael Redd delivered. Redd scored 16 of his 21 points in the first quarter, and the Bucks started fast before holding off a late rally to beat the Miami Heat 98-83 on Monday night… Andrew Bogut had 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Charlie Villanueva added 20 points for Milwaukee, which won on the road for the first time since beating Charlotte on Nov. 22… Mario Chalmers had 20 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and Wade added 15 points for the Heat, who lost their third straight game.