The AP reports: Vince Carter knew just what to tell Ryan Anderson about recovering from a poor shooting performance. Carter had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Anderson scored a career-high 21 points, and the New Jersey Nets beat the Toronto Raptors 94-87 on Monday night to snap a three-game losing streak… Devin Harris scored 16 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, making 10 of 11 from the free throw line… Chris Bosh and Jason Kapono each scored 17 for Toronto. Jose Calderon added 15 points and Jermaine O’Neal had 12 for the Raptors, who have lost seven of nine. Jamario Moon and Andrea Bargnani each had 10 points for Toronto. New Jersey had a season-high 54 rebounds, including 18 on the offensive end, and outscored Toronto 26-2 on second-chance points. Toronto has been outrebounded in 13 consecutive games.
Category: Games
Basketball games blog
Dec 15: Hawks 83, Bobcats 79
The AP reports: The Atlanta Hawks were fortunate that they were at home and the opponent was the struggling Charlotte Bobcats. Joe Johnson scored 18 of his 28 points in the second half to lead the Hawks to an 83-79 victory over Charlotte on Monday night, extending the Bobcats’ losing streak to seven. Al Horford added 12 points and 14 rebounds for Atlanta (15-9), which won its third straight and improved to 9-1 at home with six straight games at Philips Arena coming up… Boris Diaw led Charlotte (7-18) with a season-high 25 points. Raymond Felton added 15… Johnson led the Hawks’ 15-3 run that gave Atlanta a 74-68 lead with 7:45 left, scoring seven points.
Dec 15: Pacers 118, Wizards 98
The AP reports: A 15-point second-half lead had turned into a tie game before the end of the third quarter, and the six-game losing streak was starting to weigh on the mind of at least one Indiana Pacer. But forward Danny Granger put any doubt out of his mind after coach Jim O’Brien issued a simple directive, which led to the Pacers pulling away for a 118-98 win against the Washington Wizards on Monday night… Granger scored 27 points and added nine rebounds to pace Indiana as it snapped that six-game skid. Marquis Daniels had 20 points and point guards T.J. Ford and Jarrett Jack each scored 16 points for the Pacers (8-16), who had dropped eight of nine entering the game… Antawn Jamison had 26 points and a season-high 15 rebounds—his 14th double-double this season—and Caron Butler scored 26 for Washington. Andray Blatche, inserted into the starting lineup in place of rookie JaVale McGee, had 19 points.
Dec 14: Lakers 98, Wolves 86
The AP reports: Kobe Bryant had 26 points and five assists, Pau Gasol added 18 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots, and the Lakers pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves 98-86 on Sunday night. Andrew Bynum added 14 points and nine rebounds, and Trevor Ariza scored 14 points for the Lakers, who have played seven of their last eight games against teams with losing records and lost to two of them—Indiana and Sacramento. And they haven’t been all that impressive in several recent victories… Al Jefferson had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead Minnesota, but he shot 8-of-24, missing 15 of his last 19 shots. Craig Smith added 18 points and eight rebounds, and Ryan Gomes scored 13 for the Timberwolves (4-19), who lost their ninth straight game and fourth in a row since Kevin McHale took over as coach last Monday.
Dec 14: Spurs 109, Thunder 104
The AP reports: Tony Parker knows a 26-point first-half lead is no sure thing — even against the team with the worst record in the NBA. Parker scored 22 points, and Tim Duncan had 20 points and 12 rebounds to help San Antonio win its sixth straight game, 109-104 over Oklahoma City on Sunday night. The Spurs led by 26 points in the first half before the Thunder cut it to two points in the final minute… Matt Bonner added 17 points, and Roger Mason had 14 for the Spurs. They combined to make five 3-pointers in the first quarter when the Spurs took a 21-point lead that they pushed to 26 in the second quarter. Jeff Green led the Thunder, 2-23 after their seventh straight loss, with 33 points, and Kevin Durant had 28. The pair of second-year players combined to go 26-of-47 from the floor and scored 61 of the Thunder starters’ 70 points… Ginobili had 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting and added six assists.
Dec 14: Grizzlies 102, Heat 86
The AP reports: The Grizzlies’ youth movement is starting to show results. Memphis won its fourth straight game Sunday, beating the Miami Heat 102-86. Rookie O.J. Mayo had 28 points, and Rudy Gay added 18… Memphis’ winning streak is its longest since the five games of the 2005-06 season. Darko Milicic matched his season high with 13 points, and reserve Mike Conley had 12 for the Grizzlies, who at times have started three rookies—Mayo, Marc Gasol and Darrell Arthur. Eight of Memphis’ 14 players are 23 or younger… Memphis has scored at least 100 points in all four wins during the run and has turned up the defensive pressure. On Sunday, the Miami star Dwyane Wade was 5-of-16 from the field and the Heat shot 36 percent… Michael Beasley led Miami with 20 points, and Joel Anthony had 12 points and 13 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
Dec 14: Hornets 99, Raptors 91
The AP reports: The Toronto Raptors were determined to keep Chris Paul out of the paint. They limited Paul’s penetration, but couldn’t stop the New Orleans Hornets point guard from finding open shooters on the perimeter. David West scored 29 points, James Posey added a season-high 20 points, including six 3-pointers, and 10 rebounds for the Hornets, who beat the Raptors 99-91 Sunday for their eighth win in 10 games. Rasual Butler scored 16 points and Paul added 12 points and 12 assists for the Hornets… Chris Bosh had 25 points, and Jose Calderon scored 22 for Toronto on 8-for-8 shooting. Calderon also made his only free throw and has hit 59 straight dating to last season… Jermaine O’Neal added 19 points for the Raptors, who were shooting for their first three-game winning streak since a 3-0 start. Toronto is 5-6 at home.
Dec 13: Clippers 95, Rockets 82
The AP reports: The Los Angeles Clippers needed back-to-back 30-point efforts from newly acquired Zach Randolph to win consecutive games for the first time this season. Randolph had 30 points and 13 rebounds Saturday night in a 95-82 victory over the Houston Rockets. Friday night at Portland, he had 38 points and 11 boards in a double-overtime win… Yao Ming had 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Rockets, who had beaten the Clippers in seven consecutive meetings and 19 of the previous 22. Tracy McGrady scored 19 points on 5-for-17 shooting in his second game back after missing the previous seven because of a sore left knee… Al Thornton scored 26 points and Camby added 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Clippers, who got double-digit scoring from all of their starters. Baron Davis, who had 23 points and eight assists against the Rockets in the previous meeting at Houston despite a case of food poisoning, had 13 points and nine assists in the rematch.
Dec 13: Knicks 114, Kings 90
The AP reports: Al Harrington made five 3-pointers and scored 33 points Saturday night, helping the Knicks beat the slumping Sacramento Kings 114-90. “(Harrington) is a guy who’s a shot-maker and plays solid defense,” said teammate David Lee, who dominated the inside with 17 points and 19 rebounds… Although the Knicks only used seven players for much of the game, it was so one-sided in the fourth quarter that even Jerome James earned playing time… After missing seven of the past eight games with a strained groin, point guard Nate Robinson had 19 points for the Knicks, who won their second straight and moved within a game of .500 at 11-12. Tim Thomas scored 11 points and Chris Duhon added 10 points and eight assists.
Dec 13: Magic 103, Jazz 94
The AP reports: Could Dwight Howard be going from Superman to super sub? The All-Star center missed the first game of his career Saturday night, and coach Stan Van Gundy joked he might not get his starting spot back after the Orlando Magic used a dominating third quarter to beat the Utah Jazz 103-94… Rashard Lewis scored 27 points and Hedo Turkoglu added 22 for Orlando (18-6), which improved to 9-3 on the road this season… Andrei Kirilenko and Deron Williams each scored 17 points for Utah (15-10), which committed 22 turnovers, its second-highest total of the season.