Category: Games

Basketball games blog

May 10: Pistons 90, Magic 89

The AP reports: There is a reason the Detroit Pistons have been to five consecutive Eastern Conference finals. They proved it on Saturday, even without their All-Star point guard to hold things together in front of a hostile crowd. Richard Hamilton scored 32 points and Hedo Turkoglu missed a layup with time running out as the Pistons beat the Orlando Magic 90-89 to take a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series. The Pistons became the first team to win on the road in the second round this postseason, and can clinch their sixth consecutive conference finals appearance when this series returns to Detroit on Tuesday. All of it happened with Chauncey Billups watching in a sport coat on the bench after straining a hamstring in Game 3… Tayshaun Prince scored 17 for Detroit, including an 11-foot runner for the go-ahead basket with 8.9 seconds left. Antonio McDyess added eight points and 14 boards. The Pistons controlled the tempo in the second half after falling behind by 15 in the third quarter, deflated the Magic transition game that gassed up its Game 3 win and pounded Dwight Howard in the paint.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: Both teams shot a similar FG% (46%, give or take a percent) but the Magic nailed 10-of-18 three-pointers, the Pistons just 4-of-13. But the Pistons got a few more shot attempts, and made a few more free throws. The Pistons had a slight rebounding edge and an 18 to 13 assists edge. And Detroit barely turned the ball over, though Orlando controlled it pretty well, too.

For the Pistons, Hamilton had 32 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Tayshaun Prince had 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists (but 4 turnovers). Rasheed Wallace needed 15 shots to get 16 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals. Antonio McDyess had 8 points and 14 rebounds as a starter. Jason Maxiell was surprisingly quiet off the bench.

For the Magic, Hedo Turkoglu had 20 points but just 2 rebounds and one more turnover than assist. Jameer Nelson, Maurice Evans and Rashard Lewis each scored 15. Dwight Howard (3-of-12, only 2 free throw attempts) had a miserable 8 points, 12 rebounds and little else.

May 9: Jazz 104, Lakers 99

The AP reports: So much for Carlos Boozer’s slump and the Lakers’ unbeaten run through the playoffs. Boozer scored 27 points and tied a career playoff-high with 20 rebounds to lead Utah to a 104-99 victory Friday night, cutting Los Angeles’ lead in the Western Conference semifinals to 2-1. The Jazz handed the Lakers their first loss of this season’s playoffs and got back into the series by doing at home what they couldn’t do on the road. The Jazz hit exactly half their shots and forced the Lakers into 18 turnovers, looking very little like the team that stumbled through two straight losses in Los Angeles to open the series… The Jazz took the lead early in the second quarter and never gave it up. Utah held off a late push by the Lakers and league MVP Kobe Bryant, who had 34 points, seven assists and six rebounds but could not carry the team alone. Nobody else scored more than 13 points for Los Angeles… Utah’s offense was stagnant in the first two games, but on Friday the Jazz started hitting from the outside and moving the ball around enough to clear the inside for the layups their offense is designed to create. Boozer started slowly, but finished 12-for-21 and had 11 points and seven rebounds in the fourth quarter.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Jazz shot 50.0%, the Lakers 48.5%. Both teams struggled from three-point range, but the Jazz were slightly better (and Mehmet Okur hit four threes). The Lakers were better at the free throw line, going 30-of-37, the Jazz 20-of-28. Rebounding was close, but the Jazz had 21 assists, the Lakers 14. And the Lakers threw the ball away more.

For the Jazz, Boozer had 27 points and 20 rebounds. Mehmet Okur (8-of-14, 4-of-7 threes) had 22 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, but 5 turnovers. Deron Williams (6-of-12) had 18 points and 12 assists. Andrei Kirilenko (5-of-9) had 12 points and little else. Matt Harpring (4-of-8) scored 12 off the bench.

For the Lakers, Kobe Bryant on just 20 shots had 34 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists (4 turnovers). Lamar Odom (3-of-3) had 13 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks. Derek Fisher (3-of-6) had 13 points and 3 steals. Pau Gasol (6-of-10) had just 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, but 5 turnovers. And Luke Walton scored 11 with 2 steals off the bench. Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic combined to go 0-for-9 for 0 points.

May 8: Spurs 110, Hornets 99

The AP reports: The NBA’s defending champions were not going into an 0-3 hole against the New Orleans Hornets. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili scored 31 points each and Duncan added 16 points and 13 rebounds as the Spurs beat the Hornets 110-99 in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals on Thursday night… Chris Paul, still almost unstoppable, led the Hornets with 35 points and nine assists. David West had 23 points and 12 rebounds for New Orleans, which was dominant in the first two games of the series… Ginobili, the league’s top sixth man, started for the first time this postseason and led a Spurs charge early in the final quarter. Left alone, he hit a wide-open 3 and was fouled by Bonzi Wells, who scrambled at him to guard the shot. Ginobili’s free throw put San Antonio up 87-82, and another 3 by Ginobili 38 seconds later made it 90-84. New Orleans got within 90-88 before the Spurs took over, playing out the fourth quarter better than they have played all series… Peja Stojakovic, the Hornets’ 3-point sharpshooter, was held to eight points on 2-of-7 shooting as he was guarded by San Antonio’s Bruce Bowen.

May 8: Celtics 89, Cavs 73

The AP reports: Paul Pierce and Ray Allen found their shooting touch. LeBron James can only hope he left his in Cleveland. Pierce scored 19 points, Kevin Garnett added 13 with 12 rebounds, and Allen broke out of a seven-quarter scoring drought with 16 points to help the Boston Celtics beat the Cavaliers 89-73 on Thursday night and take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals. One game after going 2-for-18 from the field and missing his last six shots, including a layup to tie the game with 8.5 seconds left, James missed his first three tries and finished with 21 points on 6-for-24 shooting… James will have a more welcoming crowd for the next two games than the Boston fans who serenaded him with a chant of “Over-rated!” as he went 1-for-11 over the second and third quarters. This time, the poor shooting was contagious: The Cavaliers shot 35.6 percent in the game, hitting just 11.8 percent in the second quarter as Boston turned an eight-point deficit into a nine-point lead. From early in the second quarter to early in the third, a span of 13:41, Boston outscored Cleveland 36-10. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 19 points for the Cavaliers, and reserve Anderson Varejao had 10 rebounds in 32 minutes after forward Ben Wallace went to the locker room just 3:40 into the game due to dizziness.

May 7: Lakers 120, Jazz 110

The AP reports: The Los Angeles Lakers celebrated Kobe Bryant’s MVP award the best way possible. Bryant had 34 points, eight rebounds and six assists Wednesday night, and the Lakers beat the Utah Jazz 120-110 to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals and remain the NBA’s only unbeaten team in the postseason… Derek Fisher, who played for Utah last season, added 22 points, Pau Gasol scored 20, and Lamar Odom had 19 points and 16 rebounds for the Lakers, who shot 57.4 percent from the field and made 35 free throws—22 more than the Jazz. Seven Utah players scored in double figures, led by Deron Williams, who had 25 points, including three 3-pointers in the final minute, and 10 assists. Paul Millsap added a career playoff-high 17 points and 10 rebounds, Mehmet Okur scored 16 points and Andrei Kirilenko added 14. Okur and Kirilenko both fouled out in the final minute. Carlos Boozer was held to 10 points—all in the second half. He played less than seven minutes in the first half because of foul trouble… The Lakers led 55-40 before Williams made a 3-pointer for his only points of the first half. It was 63-49 at halftime, and it might have been worse for the Jazz had Millsap not scored 13 points—three more than his previous playoff high.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Lakers shot 57.4%, the Jazz 44.6%. The Lakers nailed 7-of-11 three-pointers, the Jazz 7-of-18. The big story was free throws: 35-of-43 for the Lakers (Bryant and Gasol had 12 FT attempts each), 13-of-16 for the Jazz. The Jazz had the slight edge in both rebounds and assists, and Utah committed five fewer turnovers than L.A. did. The Lakers blocked 9 shots, the Jazz just one.

For the Lakers, Bryant had 34 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, but 5 turnovers. Derek Fisher on just 10 shots (and 4-of-5 threes) had 22 points and 3 steals. Pau Gasol on just 11 shots had 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks. Lamar Odom on just 10 shots had 19 points and 16 rebounds.

For the Jazz, Deron Williams (9-of-17) had 25 points and 10 assists. And six other Jazz players scored between 10 and 16 points. Andrei Kirilenko had 14 points and 5 assists. Paul Millsap (7-of-13) was the team’s second leading scorer with 17 points and the only good Jazz rebounder tonight with 10 boards.

May 7: Magic 111, Pistons 86

The AP reports: Rashard Lewis, Orlando’s big offseason acquisition, scored a career playoff-high 33 points and the Magic beat the Detroit Pistons 111-86 on Wednesday night to gain a little momentum in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Detroit still leads the series 2-1, though they suffered a tough injury. All-Star guard Chauncey Billups strained his right hamstring early in the first quarter and didn’t return. The Pistons were hopeful he could play in Game 4 Saturday in Orlando, but planned to re-evaluate him again Thursday… Richard Hamilton scored 24 points for Detroit and Tayshaun Prince had 22, while Rasheed Wallace scored 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting. With Billups out, rookie Rodney Stuckey stepped up big for the Pistons. He scored 19 points—nine in the second quarter—but he didn’t bring the same floor presence as Billups, Detroit’s steady leader and clutch 3-point threat. Billups was averaging 17.5 points in the postseason and had 28 against the Magic in Game 2… Detroit failed to score a field goal in the opening 4:27 of the fourth quarter until Hamilton made a layup. By then the Magic were ahead 87-73—helped by a Lewis 3-pointer and putback—and the Pistons would get no closer.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Magic shot 53.8%, the Pistons just 40.3%. And the Magic nailed 11-of-24 three-pointers (Lewis hit 5, Hedo Turkoglu hit 3), the Pistons just 2-of-10. The Pistons had a slight free throw edge. The Magic had a slight rebounding edge and dished 18 assists, while the Pistons only had 12 (no Piston had more than 3 assists).

For the Magic, Rashard Lewis had 33 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Dwight Howard (8-of-13) had 20 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals and 6 blocks. Jameer Nelson had 18 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Turkoglu (just 7-of-18) had 18 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists. Keyon Dooling scored 10 off the bench.

For the Pistons, Richard Hamilton took 20 shots for 24 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, but 6 turnovers. Tayshaun Prince (8-of-14) had 22 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Rodney Stuckey (5-of-13, 9-of-9 free throws) scored 19 off the bench. And Rasheed Wallace (awful 4-of-15) had 11 points and little else.

May 6: Celtics 76, Cavs 72

The AP reports: “This was two heavyweights, just body-punching,” said Kevin Garnett, who scored 28 points to make up for an off night for the rest of Boston’s Big Three. “There was no finesse, no jabs, just an all-out, beat-down, defensive fight.” Boston held James to 12 points on 2-for-18 shooting; only once in his career has he made fewer baskets. He missed three drives and a 3-pointer in the final minute, including the potential game-tying finger roll with 8.5 seconds left… Paul Pierce and Ray Allen of the Celtics weren’t doing any bragging, either. Pierce scored four points on 2-for-14 shooting, and Allen was 0-for-4 from the field for his first scoreless performance in his last 852 games since 1997… Sam Cassell made two free throws to tie it 72-72; James missed again, but this time Ilgauskas was there to tip it in and tie the game. Garnett moved across the lane to give Boston back the lead, 74-72 as Cleveland called a timeout with 22 seconds left. James dribbled at the point before finding a lane to the basket, but his shot wouldn’t fall and James Posey was fouled after grabbing the rebound. He hit both free throws.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Celtics shot 42.6%, the Cavs just 30.7%, but the Cavs took 7 more shots and had 22-of-26 free throws, the Celtics 14-of-18. Both teams were similarly miserable from three-point range. Rebounding, assists and turnovers were all fairly close.

For the Celtics, Garnett shot 13-of-22 for 28 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals. Rajon Rondo (5-of-8) had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists (but 4 turnovers). Sam Cassell (4-of-8) scored 13 off the bench. Paul Pierce had 4 points and more turnovers than assists. Ray Allen was scoreless with 4 turnovers compared to 1 assist.

For the Cavaliers, aside from Ilgauskas’ 22 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks, Wally Szczerbiak (just 5-of-14) had 13 points and little else. LeBron James shot 2-of-18 for 12 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists and 10 turnovers (yes, ten). Ben Wallace rebounded well. That’s about it.

May 5: Hornets 102, Spurs 84

The AP reports: Chris Paul had 30 points and 12 assists, leading the New Orleans Hornets to a 102-84 victory Monday night and a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven, second-round series. Peja Stojakovic made five 3-pointers and scored 25 points for the Hornets, who’ve won both games by wide margins in becoming the first team to put San Antonio in an 0-2 playoff hole since 2001, when the Spurs were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals… After allowing David West to score a career playoff-high 30 points in the series opener, the Spurs held the All-Star power forward to 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting. But West remained active under the basket with 10 rebounds… Tyson Chandler had 11 rebounds and all of his five points, including an alley-oop dunk of Paul’s lob, during a key stretch midway through the fourth quarter when the Hornets prevented San Antonio from getting within single digits. Tim Duncan led San Antonio with 18 points and eight rebounds, far better than his miserable Game 1, when he tied a career playoff low with five points and three rebounds. But by the final minutes, Duncan was on the bench, resting his cheek on his hand with a dejected 100-yard stare.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Hornets shot 48.0%, the Spurs 42.5%. The Hornets nailed 10-of-17 three-pointers (Peja Stojakovic hit 5), the Spurs an awful 8-of-27. The Hornets got to the free throw line more, and hit a better percentage. Rebounds and assists were close, but the Spurs had 15 turnovers, the Hornets just 8.

For the Hornets, Chris Paul (11-of-20) had 30 points and 12 assists. Peja Stojakovic (8-of-13, 5-of-7 threes) had 25 points and 6 rebounds. Morris Peterson (5-of-5) scored 12. David West (miserable 2-of-11) had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists (but 4 of the team’s 8 turnovers). Bonzi Wells hit just 1-of-6 off the bench.

For the Spurs, Tim Duncan (6-of-11) had 18 points and 8 rebounds. Brent Barry (4-of-5, all threes) had 14 points and 3 assists in under 18 minutes. Manu Ginobili had 13 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists, but 5 turnovers. Tony Parker had a quiet 11 points on awful shooting and as many turnovers as assists.

May 5: Pistons 100, Magic 93

The AP reports: Chauncey Billups made the 3-pointer in question at the end of the third quarter and Detroit went on to beat Orlando 100-93 Monday night, taking a 2-0 lead in their second-round series… Billups officially made the shot with 0.5 seconds left in the third after the clock froze at 4.8 seconds… The Magic still had a chance to win after trailing by 14 in the first half. Orlando had the ball down by two points late in the game, but Rashard Lewis missed a running scoop shot with 14 seconds left, Dwight Howard just missed on a putback and Hedo Turkoglu couldn’t grab the offensive rebound… Dwight Howard bounced back from a lackluster game with 22 points, 18 rebounds and two blocks. He had just 12 points and a career playoff-low eight rebounds when Detroit won the series opener by 19 points.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Pistons shot 47.4%, the Magic 43.8%. The Magic poured in 11-of-23 three-pointers (Jameer Nelson 5 threes), the Pistons a quiet 4-of-12. The Pistons got the line a bit more, and shot better from there. The Magic committed 19 turnovers, the Pistons only 8.

For the Pistons, Chauncey Billups (8-of-19, 10-of-10 free throws) had 28 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Tayshaun Prince (8-of-13) had 17 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Rasheed Wallace had 17 points, not much else. Richard Hamilton (awful 4-of-18) had 14 points. Jason Maxiell, still starting while Antonio McDyess comes off the bench, shot 5-of-5 for 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks.

For the Magic, Dwight Howard (8-of-11) had 22 points, 18 rebounds and 2 blocks, but no assists and 5 turnovers. Jameer Nelson had 22 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Rashard Lewis (awful 6-of-21) had 20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 6 turnovers. Maurice Evans scored 13. Hedo Turkoglu had 12 points, 7 assists but 6 turnovers.

May 4: Lakers 109, Jazz 98

The AP reports: Kobe Bryant, celebrating what’s expected to be his first NBA MVP award, converted six of his franchise playoff-record 21 foul shots in the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Utah Jazz 109-98 Sunday to begin the second round of the playoffs. Bryant finished with 38 points, six rebounds and seven assists, and the Lakers made it five straight victories to begin the postseason after winning eight of their last nine regular-season games to earn the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference… The Lakers shot 38-of-46 from the foul line, while the Jazz went 22-of-30. The teams spent most of the final period going from one foul line to the other, with Los Angeles going 14-of-19 from the line and Utah 10-of-12. Twenty-four of the 60 personal fouls were called in the last 12 minutes… There were some other unexpected numbers. For one, the Jazz outrebounded the Lakers 58-41, with 25 of their rebounds at the offensive end. For another, Utah attempted 95 shots to match its regular-season high, but converted only 36 (37.9 percent).

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Lakers hit 5-of-10 threes, the Jazz just 4-of-19. Utah did dominate the glass, getting 58 rebounds to LA’s 41. Assists, turnovers and blocks were close.

For the Lakers, aside from Bryant, Pau Gasol (8-of-13) had 18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks. Lamar Odom (5-of-12) had 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Sasha Vujacic on just 6 shots had 15 points and 4 rebounds off the bench. Vladimir Radmanovic scored 10.

For the Jazz, Mehmet Okur on 19 shots and 0-of-5 threes had 21 points, 19 rebounds and 3 assists. Carlos Boozer on 14 shots had 15 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists but 7 turnovers. Deron Williams shot just 5-of-18 for 14 points but he did rack up 9 rebounds and 9 assists. Ronnie Brewer, Andrei Kirilenko and Kyle Korver each scored 11.