The AP reports: Luke Walton scored 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the short-handed Clippers 106-78 Thursday night for their fifth win in six games… Kobe Bryant scored 16 points, Lamar Odom had 14 points and 13 rebounds and Pau Gasol added 13 points for the Lakers, who blew the game open by outscoring the Clippers 32-11 to finish the third quarter and start the fourth for a 94-67 lead with 6 1/2 minutes left… Elton Brand, playing his fifth game after missing the season’s first 74 while recovering from surgery on his torn left Achilles’ tendon, led the Clippers (23-56) with 23 points and seven rebounds. Rookie Al Thornton added 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Category: Games
Basketball games blog
Apr. 10: Mavs 97, Jazz 94
The AP reports: Dirk Nowitzki scored 32 points and Jason Terry had 21, all coming in the second half. The duo scored 25 of Dallas’ 30 points in the fourth quarter. They had to step up because Josh Howard left in the third with a bruised right knee… Mehmet Okur had 19 points and 14 rebounds for Utah, while Deron Williams had 18 points and 12 assists. He was 7-of-16 after going 6-of-24 in his previous two games. Andrei Kirilenko had 15 points and Carlos Boozer only 10 points and five rebounds.
Apr. 10: Nuggets 114, Warriors 105
The AP reports: Allen Iverson squared up, hit a 3-pointer and raised his arms to the air, having thwarted Golden State’s final charge. There was no downplaying the importance of this win that put the Denver Nuggets in control of the race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Iverson scored 33 points, J.R. Smith added 24 off the bench and the Nuggets overcame a 16-point deficit in the first quarter to win their playoff showdown with the Warriors 114-105 Thursday night… Golden State committed an uncharacteristically high 18 turnovers, missed nine of 24 free throws and got poor shooting nights from Stephen Jackson and Baron Davis. Davis had a triple-double with 20 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, but shot only 9-for-25. Jackson had 18 points on 5-for-17 shooting. Monta Ellis led the way with 29 points and Al Harrington added 20.
Apr. 9: Suns 96, Spurs 79
The AP reports: Amare Stoudemire led six Suns players in the double digits on the way to a 96-79 victory over the defending champions on Wednesday night… Shaquille O’Neal had eight of his 16 points in the decisive fourth quarter and grabbed nine rebounds for Phoenix. Nash scored 12 points—including eight in the fourth quarter—and had 10 assists… Tim Duncan scored 23 points and had 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who have now lost seven at home this season, and Tony Parker added 20 points… Spurs forward Bruce Bowen ran into Stoudemire in the fourth quarter, upsetting the Suns center. “Bruce came elbow first. Elbowed me right in my rib cage,” Stoudemire said.
Apr. 9: Rockets 103, Sonics 80
The AP reports: Rafer Alston scored 18 points as the Rockets, playing without Tracy McGrady, got 48 points from their reserves to easily beat the Sonics 103-80. McGrady sat out with a sore left shoulder that’s bothered him for more than a week, but the Rockets didn’t miss him, handing Seattle its 11th staright road loss. Rookie Luis Scola had 13 points and 12 rebounds, Luther Head started for McGrady and scored 16 and sharp-shooting reserve Steve Novak added a career-high 17 points as Houston kept pace with first-place New Orleans in the tightly packed Western Conference playoff race… Former Texas star Kevin Durant scored 26, Nick Collison grabbed 15 rebounds and Earl Watson added 16 points and eight assists for the Sonics, who’ve lost seven straight meetings with Houston and 18 of their last 20 games overall.
Apr. 9: Hornets 122, Wolves 90
The AP reports: Chris Paul helped the New Orleans Hornets stay atop the Western Conference and set a team record for wins, too. Paul had 19 points and 16 assists, and the New Orleans Hornets bounced back to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 122-90 Wednesday night. Peja Stojakovic scored 24 points and David West had 22 for the Hornets, who scored just 66 points in a loss to Utah on Tuesday and looked sluggish through the first half against Minnesota… Rashad McCants had 23 for the Timberwolves, who have lost six straight. Randy Foye scored 20 points for Minnesota, but just four of those came in the final three quarters. The win gave the Hornets a franchise-best 55 wins, beating the record set in 1996-97.
Apr. 9: Knicks 109, Bobcats 107
The AP reports: Fred Jones made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:47 left and scored 15 points, and the Knicks beat the Charlotte Bobcats 109-107 on Wednesday night to match a season high with their third straight victory… Wilson Chandler added 12 points and Nate Robinson had 11, joining Jones to give the Knicks a huge advantage off the bench. New York’s reserves outscored Charlotte’s, 54-14… Jamal Crawford scored 18 points for the Knicks, who seemed in control after an 18-0 spurt in the second quarter, but blew all their lead before pulling back ahead to win three straight for only the second time this season, having also done it from Jan. 13-16… Jason Richardson scored 25 points, and Raymond Felton and Emeka Okafor had 24 apiece for the Bobcats, whose franchise-record four-game road winning streak was snapped. Okafor missed a jumper at the buzzer that would have tied it.
Apr. 9: Raptors 111, Bucks 93
The AP reports: Chris Bosh did his part to end Toronto’s slump. He would like the fans to do theirs. Bosh had 32 points and 11 rebounds and the Raptors ended a three-game losing streak with a 111-93 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night. Anthony Parker added 18 points for the Raptors, who have struggled despite clinching a playoff spot last week. Toronto lost 15 of its previous 21 games. Fans booed the Raptors after their last home loss and didn’t make much noise Wednesday night. “It was quiet. Could you hear yourself talk?” Bosh asked reporters… Former Raptor Charlie Villanueva had a season-high 38 points and a career-high seven 3-pointers. He scored 25 of Milwaukee’s first 29 points.
Apr. 9: Magic 115, Bulls 83
The AP reports: To the rest of the Eastern Conference playoff field, a note: It’s going to take more than a knock to the head and a fat lip to slow down Dwight Howard. Playing with six stitches in his upper lip after a day after a practice collision with 6-foot-11 reserve Marcin Gortat, Howard had 30 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Magic past the Chicago Bulls 115-83 on Wednesday night. It didn’t affect Howard’s game, but “it is affecting my modeling career,” the All-Star said. “Just for a couple days.” Kirk Hinrich led Chicago with 19 points, while Ben Gordon and Aaron Gray each scored 13. Tyrus Thomas tied a career high with five blocks… Rashard Lewis finished with 21 points and seven rebounds for Orlando, Carlos Arroyo had 13 points and six assists and Hedo Turkoglu had 12 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
Apr. 9: Cavs 104, Nets 83
The AP reports: So much for LeBron James’ aching back. After missing two days of practice because of back spasms, James scored 33 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers overcame a 14-point deficit to defeat the New Jersey Nets, 104-83, Wednesday night… He was 11-of-21 from the field, made 10-of-13 from the line, grabbed seven rebounds and had eight assists… Zydrunas Ilgauskas 13 for the Cavaliers. Daniel Gibson and Delonte West scored 12 apiece. Carter scored 19 points and Richard Jefferson added 15 to lead New Jersey, which won the first three meetings this season against Cleveland.