The AP reports: Back in the NBA, Kasib Powell gave the Miami Heat the type of effort they’ve lacked most of the season. Powell scored a career-high 18 points, leading the Heat to a 95-88 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night that snapped a seven-game losing streak. Ricky Davis and Chris Quinn each added 16 points as five players scored in double figures for the Heat, the day after coach Pat Riley was elected to the Hall of Fame… Luol Deng led the Bulls with 25 points, 19 of which came in the first half. Ben Gordon and Joakim Noah each added 16 points.
Category: Games
Basketball games blog
Apr. 8: Bobcats 121, Wolves 119
The AP reports: The Charlotte Bobcats nearly blew an 18-point lead, missed key free throws and had a strategy decision backfire. The Minnesota Timberwolves roared back behind their new star, only to have a key turnover and a missed shot at the buzzer… Behind Jason Richardson’s 36 points and some good fortune down the stretch, the Bobcats overcame their near collapse and a big night from Al Jefferson to hold off the Timberwolves, 121-119… Jefferson matched a career high with 40 points and had a chance to force overtime, but his open 19-footer bounced off the rim as time expired… Raymond Felton, who had 15 points and 11 assists, missed two free throws with 13 seconds and Charlotte leading 120-119. After Foye’s turnover, Matt Carroll, who scored 22 points, hit his first free throw, but Vincent told him to intentionally miss the second with 1 second left.
Apr. 8: Pacers 112, Hawks 98
The AP reports: Mike Dunleavy scored 28 points, and the Pacers beat the Atlanta Hawks 112-98 Tuesday night to avoid elimination from the playoff race. The Pacers have won three straight and nine of 12 to pull within two games of the Hawks for the eighth playoff slot in the East with four games left… Flip Murray had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Granger scored 16 points and Marquis Daniels added 15 for Indiana. Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 30 points. Josh Smith had 25 points and 13 rebounds, and Josh Childress added 16 points and 12 rebounds for Atlanta.
Apr. 6: Rockets 105, Clippers 79
The AP reports: Rookie Aaron Brooks came off the bench to score 18 points, and five teammates reached double figures in Houston’s lopsided victory over the short-handed Clippers… Rookie Luis Scola scored 16 points, Luther Head added 15, McGrady had 13 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, Bobby Jackson had 12 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Battier scored 11 for the Rockets, who shot 48.1 percent and outrebounded the Clippers 51-33… Houston’s Rafer Alston, averaging 13.2 points and 5.4 assists, missed his third game due to a sore left hamstring… Josh Powell had a career-high 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Clippers (23-54), who have lost 21 of their last 25 games. Elton Brand, playing just his third game of the season, had 19 points and eight rebounds in 36 minutes, and Cuttino Mobley added 11 points for Los Angeles.
Apr. 6: Lakers 114, Kings 92
The AP reports: Kobe Bryant scored 29 points, Vladimir Radmanovic matched his season high with 21 and the Lakers stayed on track for the Pacific Division title with a 114-92 victory over the Kings on Sunday night. Radmanovic hit five 3-pointers and tied his career high with 14 rebounds after a pleading pregame pep talk from coach Phil Jackson, while Pau Gasol added 20 points and nine rebounds as the Lakers won their fourth straight… Lamar Odom, who’s 19-of-22 in his last two games, had 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists as the Lakers snapped their longtime rivals’ four-game winning streak with an outstanding second half, with Bryant scoring 14 points and hitting three 3-pointers in the first 6:02 after halftime… Kevin Martin scored 22 points for the Kings, who simply seemed exhausted after winning at Denver one night earlier.
Apr. 6: Sonics 151, Nuggets 147 2OT
The AP reports: Kevin Durant scored a season-high 37 points and fellow rookie Jeff Green had a season-high 35 to lead the Seattle SuperSonics to a 151-147 double-overtime victory over Denver on Sunday night, damaging the Nuggets’ playoff hopes. Green, whose previous high was 23 points, scored 24 in the second half and overtime. His five quick points to start the second overtime gave the draft lottery-bound Sonics (18-59) the winning cushion… Carmelo Anthony, who scored 47 points Saturday in a 118-115 loss to Sacramento, led the Nuggets with 38 points. Allen Iverson added 26 points and Kenyon Martin had 22.
Apr. 6: Knicks 100, Magic 90
The AP reports: Rookie Wilson Chandler scored a season-high 23 points, Zach Randolph added 20 points and 11 rebounds, and the New York Knicks snapped a five-game losing streak with a 100-90 victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday night. Fred Jones and David Lee added 13 points apiece for the Knicks, who won for just the third time in 20 games. The other two victories were against Miami, making this their first win over a team other than the league-worst Heat since beating Charlotte on Feb. 27… Hedo Turkoglu scored 22 points for the Magic, who will now have the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs… Dwight Howard had 13 points and 15 rebounds for his 66th double-double of the season, tops in the NBA and two shy of Shaquille O’Neal’s franchise record set in 1992-93.
Apr. 6: Grizzlies 113, Wolves 101
The AP reports: Mike Miller scored 34 points and hit a season-high eight 3-pointers to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 113-101 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night. Rudy Gay added 23 points for Memphis and Hakim Warrick had 20 as the Grizzlies sent the Wolves to their fourth straight loss and sixth in the last seven… Ryan Gomes led Minnesota with 19 points and Al Jefferson had 18.
Apr. 6: Pistons 91, Heat 75
The AP reports: The Detroit Pistons locked up the No. 2 seed. The Miami Heat moved closer to locking up 250 chances at the No. 1 pick. Rodney Stuckey scored 19 points, Tayshaun Prince added 14 on 6-for-7 shooting and the Pistons secured the second spot on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket with a 91-75 win Sunday over the Heat. Jarvis Hayes, Jason Maxiell, Juan Dixon and Arron Afflalo each scored 10 points for the Pistons (55-21), who won their fifth straight… Earl Barron scored 20 points for Miami, which lost its seventh straight… Chris Quinn finished with 14 points and seven rebounds for the Heat, which got 11 points and nine rebounds from Ricky Davis and 10 points from Mark Blount.
Apr. 6: Spurs 72, Blazers 65
The AP reports: Tim Duncan had 27 points and 11 rebounds and San Antonio beat Portland 72-65 on Sunday, extending the Spurs’ winning streak over the Trail Blazers to 12 straight games… Manu Ginobili’s dunk with 1:31 left all but sealed it for the Spurs, who handed the Blazers their fifth consecutive loss. Ginobili finished with 10 points and six assists… All-Star guard Brandon Roy, who returned after a four-game absence because of a groin injury, led the Blazers (38-38) with 18 points. Travis Outlaw added 14 and LaMarcus Aldridge had 12 points and 11 rebounds… The Blazers were without starter Martell Webster, who suited up for Thursday night’s game but experienced dizziness and flu-like symptoms and was taken to a hospital.