The AP reports: The Spurs withstood a late Clippers rally before they racked up their fifth straight win with a 97-88 victory… Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 26 points and 12 rebounds to close out the last of six back-to-backs the team played this month… Corey Maggette scored 22 points for Los Angeles, which has lost nine in a row and is out of playoff contention. Al Thornton added 21 points and nine rebounds and Chris Kaman, back after a nine-game absence with a sore lower back, scored 16… Michael Finley added 16 points for the Spurs, and Manu Ginobili scored 13.
Category: Games
Basketball games blog
Mar. 26: Knicks 103, Heat 96
The AP reports: Jamal Crawford scored 24 points, including the go-ahead jumper with about 2 1/2 minutes left in overtime, and the New York Knicks ended their longest home losing streak in nearly 45 years by beating the Miami Heat 103-96 on Wednesday night… Zach Randolph had 16 points and 14 rebounds, and Lee added 15 points and 16 boards for the Knicks, who had dropped a franchise record-tying seven in a row at home for the first time since Nov. 26-Dec. 17, 1963. Rookie Wilson Chandler had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who had lost five straight overall and 12 of 13… New York outrebounded Miami 69-42… Miami, without Dwyane Wade, Shawn Marion and almost every other recognizable player on its roster, got 21 points from Daequan Cook and 14 from Kasib Powell, who was called up on Saturday.
Mar. 26: Nets 124, Pacers 117
The AP reports: Devin Harris had 22 points and a career-best 15 assists and the Nets kept pace with Atlanta for the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference with a 124-117 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night… “We definitely do need to play better defense,” said Josh Boone, who added a career-high 26 points… Besides Harris and Boone, the Nets got big performances from Vince Carter (22 points, season-high 14 rebounds) and Richard Jefferson (20 points) in the game that featured 27 3-pointers and seemingly as many uncontested layups. Mike Dunleavy had 33 points, seven assists and six rebounds to lead the Pacers, while Danny Granger added 19 points before fouling out… Bostjan Nachbar, who added 18 points off the bench, hit two more 3-pointers in the run that ended with Marcus Williams banking in a 3-pointer at the buzzer for a 98-88 lead.
Mar. 26: Raptors 89, Pistons 82
The AP reports: A new-look starting five did the job for the struggling Toronto Raptors. Chris Bosh scored 21 points and T.J. Ford had 13 points and nine assists in his return to the starting lineup as the Raptors beat the Detroit Pistons 89-82 on Wednesday night… Rasho Nesterovic had 15 points and Jose Calderon 13 as Toronto won for just the fourth time in 15 games. The Raptors avoided falling below .500 for the first time since a loss at Cleveland on Nov. 24 dropped them to 6-7… Chauncey Billups scored 24 points, and Rodney Stuckey tied a career high with 16, including 14 in the fourth… The Pistons were without leading scorer Richard Hamilton (sore left hip) for the second consecutive game.
Mar. 26: Hornets 100, Cavs 99
The AP reports: David West calmly dropped a 17-foot jumper—coming on Paul’s 20th and most impressive assist—with 0.6 seconds remaining to give the New Orleans Hornets their fifth straight win, 100-99 over Cleveland on Wednesday night. LeBron James’ driving layup had given the Cavaliers a 99-98 lead with 7.7 seconds left before Paul and West, the Hornets’ All-Star duo, teamed up for the game-winner… Peja Stojakovic scored 25 points — 18 on 3-pointers — David West added 20 points and Chris Paul 15 for the Hornets, who came in with the Western Conference’s best record and improved to 2-0 on a six-game road trip against Eastern Conference teams… Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored a season-high 29 points with 15 rebounds. LeBron James had 21 points and eight assists, but wasn’t able to get a defensive stop in the closing seconds against Paul, one of his closest friends. Anderson Varejao added 15 rebounds for the Cavaliers.
Mar. 26: Sixers 121, Bulls 99
The AP reports: Andre Miller hit all the right targets and had a season-high 18 assists, Lou Williams scored 23 points and Philadelphia romped again, this time in a 121-99 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night… That fast-paced, push the ball for easy baskets style of play helped the Sixers outscore the Bulls 30-2 in fast-break points en route to their 19th victory in their last 24 games… Andre Iguodala scored 21 points and Thaddeus Young had 20… Thabo Sefolosha led the Bulls with 20 points, Kirk Hinrich had 18 and Andres Nocioni 16.
Mar. 26: Celtics 117, Suns 97
The AP reports: Kevin Garnett scored 30 points, sinking the final two to an “M-V-P!” chant echoing through the new Boston Garden, and Paul Pierce had 12 of his 27 in the fourth quarter to help the Celtics snap a two-game losing streak… Kendrick Perkins had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Ray Allen had 14 points and eight assists for Boston, which snapped a two-game losing streak. Rajon Rondo scored 14 with six rebounds and six assists while pestering Shaquille O’Neal into a technical foul as Boston turned a tie game into a double-digit lead in the third. Amare Stoudemire scored 32 and Shaquille O’Neal had 16 with seven rebounds for the Suns, who brought a seven-game winning streak into Detroit on Monday night but lost 110-105 in overtime.
Mar. 26: Hawks 115, Bucks 96
The AP reports: Joe Johnson scored 28 points, Josh Childress added 20 and the Hawks beat the Milwaukee Bucks 115-96 on Wednesday night to maintain the eighth and final playoff position in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta also escaped a major scare when X-rays of Bibby’s left thumb came back negative… Andrew Bogut led the Bucks with 27 points and nine rebounds, but the 7-foot center left the game after Marvin Williams accidentally hit him in the face midway through the fourth… Michael Redd finished with 20 points for Milwaukee, which has lost seven straight on the road.
Mar. 25: Blazers 102, Wizards 82
The AP reports: Martell Webster had 23 points, Travis Outlaw added 20 and the Portland Trail Blazers overcame the loss of top scorer Brandon Roy to beat the Washington Wizards 102-82 on Tuesday night. Jarrett Jack added 17 points and Joel Przybilla had 17 rebounds for the Blazers, who shot 49.4 percent despite Roy leaving with a strained right groin on the last play of the first quarter. Portland was already without LaMarcus Aldridge, the team’s second-leading scorer who sprained an ankle Monday against Seattle. Caron Butler had 19 to lead Washington, which was missing Gilbert Arenas after he had his return from knee surgery pushed back a week… Antonio Daniels had 14 points and eight assists for the Wizards, who had won six of their last seven. Leading scorer Antawn Jamison struggled, with nine points and eight rebounds on just 3-of-13 shooting.
Mar. 25: Jazz 128, Bobcats 106
The AP reports: Carlos Boozer had 28 points and 13 rebounds, and Deron Williams added 14 points and 15 assists to lead the Utah Jazz over the Charlotte Bobcats 128-106 on Tuesday night. Mehmet Okur also had a double-double for Utah with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and the Jazz pulled away after letting a 20-point lead slip to three early in the fourth quarter. Matt Harpring added a season-high 18 points and Kyle Korver scored 10, hitting three 3-pointers after the Bobcats rallied to make it close. Jason Richardson scored 26 and Gerald Wallace added 21 points for the Bobcats, who lost their sixth straight road game.