The AP reports: Minnesota rookie Kevin Love had 12 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in 19 minutes and Al Jefferson had 21 points and 10 rebounds to help the Timberwolves to a 98-96 victory over the rebuilding Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night… John Salmons scored 21 of his 24 points in the second half and rookie Jason Thompson had 18 points and 10 boards for the Kings, who nearly rallied to steal the game in the closing minutes… Spencer Hawes had 12 points and 14 rebounds and Martin added 17 points on 5-for-19 shooting for the Kings.
Category: Games
Basketball games blog
Oct 29: Pistons 100, Pacers 94
The AP reports: The Detroit Pistons played well enough to build big leads only to allow the Indiana Pacers to rally before beating them 100-94 Wednesday night in the opener for both teams… Tayshaun Prince had 19 points, Richard Hamilton scored 15, Chauncey Billups added 13 points and seven assists, and Walter Herrmann had 10 points to help Detroit’s reserves easily outscore their counterparts. Danny Granger led the new-look Pacers with 33 points and got some help from new teammates T.J. Ford, Jarrett Jack and Rasho Nesterovic… Troy Murphy had 13 points and 15 rebounds and Marquis Daniels scored 12 points for Indiana. In their debut with the Pacers, Ford scored 10 points, Jack had nine, Nesterovic eight and first-round picks Brandon Rush and Roy Hibbert added seven and two points, respectively.
Oct 29: Knicks 120, Heat 115
The AP reports: Jamal Crawford scored 29 points, Zach Randolph added 20, and the Knicks beat the Miami Heat 120-115 on Wednesday night in their first game under D’Antoni. Wilson Chandler had 17 points and nine rebounds, and David Lee and Quentin Richardson each scored 16 points for New York… Dwyane Wade had 26 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in his return to regular-season action for the Heat, but fouled out on what appeared to be a good block of Crawford’s 3-pointer with 1:25 left after Miami closed within six. Udonis Haslem added 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat in rookie coach Erik Spoelstra’s debut. Spoelstra, 37, became the youngest head coach in the NBA when he replaced Pat Riley.
Oct 29: Hawks 99, Magic 85
The AP reports: The Hawks surged to an early lead and held off the Magic in the fourth quarter Wednesday for a 99-85 win in the season opener for both teams. Joe Johnson scored nine of his game-high 25 points in the fourth and the Hawks handed Orlando only its second loss in its last nine home openers. Atlanta won its first road opener since 1987. Josh Smith, playing on a sprained ankle, chipped in 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks. Dwight Howard scored 12 of his 22 points in the final quarter and added 15 rebounds to lead Orlando… Mickael Pietrus had 20 points, more than double his preseason average. .. Rashard Lewis fouled out with 11 points and Hedo Turkoglu scored 13.
Oct 29: Raptors 95, Sixers 84
The AP reports: Chris Bosh had 27 points and 11 rebounds to help the Raptors beat the Philadelphia 76ers 95-84 on Wednesday night in the opener for both teams. Jermaine O’Neal added 17 and Jason Kapono had 15 for the Raptors, who finished 41-41 last season… Lou Williams scored 16 points, Andre Iguodala added 15, Elton Brand had 14 points and 13 rebounds in his Sixers debut and Samuel Dalembert pulled down 17 rebounds. Andre Miller had 13 points… Toronto outscored the Sixers 33-24 in the second quarter to take a 51-45 lead at halftime.
Oct 28: Lakers 96, Blazers 76
The AP reports: Kobe Bryant had 23 points, 11 rebounds and five assists Tuesday night, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 96-76 season-opening victory over the Portland Trail Blazers and spoiling rookie Greg Oden’s debut, which was cut short by another injury. Bryant orchestrated a well-balanced offense for the Lakers, who also played tenacious defense. Pau Gasol had all of his 15 points in the first half as Los Angeles moved in front to stay. Trevor Ariz added 11 points and Andrew Bynum, back after sitting out the last part of last season with a knee injury, had eight points and three rebounds… Travis Outlaw led Portland with 18 points and Rudy Fernandez had 16.
Oct 28: Bulls 108, Bucks 95
The AP reports: Luol Deng and Ben Gordon provided enough big shots to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 108-95 victory over former coach Scott Skiles and the Milwaukee Bucks in the season-opener Tuesday. Deng scored 21 points and Gordon added 18 to offset Michael Redd’s 30… Derrick Rose, the No. 1 draft pick out of Memphis and a Chicago native, wowed fans with his quickness and strength but mixed in enough mistakes to remind them he is a work in progress. He finished with 11 points, nine assists and four turnovers… Kirk Hinrich scored 15 points in a reserve role, while Tyrus Thomas added 15 points and 10 rebounds… Bucks C Andrew Bogut, bothered lately by a sprained left ankle, had nine points and seven rebounds.
Oct 28: Celtics 90, Cavs 85
The AP reports: Banner No. 17 is up in the rafters, and win No. 1 is in the books. NBA finals MVP Paul Pierce scored 27 points as the defending champion Boston Celtics followed an emotional ring ceremony and banner raising with a 90-85 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night. LeBron James scored 22, but he missed a driving layup with 41 seconds left and two free throws in the last 11 seconds… Pierce had 11 points in the third quarter, when the Celtics outscored Cleveland 24-13 to take a 67-63 lead.
InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: For the Celtics, Pierce shot 10-of-19 for his 27. Rajon Rondo (4-of-5) had 14 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. Leon Powe (5-of-7) was terrific off the bench with 13. Tony Allen (4-of-9) had 11 off the bench. Kevin Garnett (5-of-15) was quiet. Kendrick Perkins grabbed 8 rebounds. For the Cavs, who started Delonte West at shooting guard, LeBron James was just 9-of-21 for 22 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Mo Williams scored double figures. Anderson Varejao had 9 points and 9 rebounds off the bench. That was about it. Both teams were awful from three-point range.
Oct 24: Lakers 105, Thunder 94
The AP reports: Kobe Bryant, coming back from a knee injury, made a brief appearance at the start of Los Angeles’ final preseason game Friday night and appeared to be moving fine in the Lakers’ 105-94 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder… Los Angeles’ Andrew Bynum had 23 points, eight rebounds and three blocks while playing 29 minutes in the final tuneup for both the Lakers (5-2) and the Thunder (1-6). Bynum was 10-of-15 from the floor. Jordan Farmar had 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting for Los Angeles… Rookie Russell Westbrook scored 23 for Oklahoma City, and Kevin Durant added 15.
Oct 24: Nuggets 106, Clippers 92
The AP reports: J.R. Smith scored 19 points and Linas Kleiza had five of his 18 points in the final 68 seconds, leading the Denver Nuggets to a 106-92 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night in the preseason finale for both teams. Kenyon Martin had 10 points on 3-for-8 shooting after the Nuggets’ victory in Toronto on Tuesday night because of a sprained left (non-shooting) wrist. Allen Iverson played 32 minutes and finished with seven points… Cuttino Mobley scored 21 points for the Clippers, who finished their exhibition schedule 3-4—not counting a 114-109 victory over FC Barcelona.