NBA News Blog – Page 1266 – NBA Blog

Magic extend series with 101-76 win over Hawks

The AP reports:

The Orlando Magic aren’t ready for their season to end just yet.

Facing their first opening round postseason exit since 2007, the Magic blew out the Atlanta Hawks 101-76 on Tuesday night.

Magic extend series with 101-76 win over Hawks

Jason Richardson scored 17 points and J.J. Redick added 14 off the bench to lead the Magic.

The win trims Atlanta’s series’ lead to 3-2 and keeps alive the Magic’s hopes of becoming the ninth team in NBA history to win a playoff series after trailing 3-1. If they can win Game 6 Thursday in Atlanta, they would host a decisive Game 7 on Saturday.

Magic center Dwight Howard battled foul trouble throughout the night and had just one field goal, finishing with eight points and eight rebounds. Orlando didn’t need his offense, though, as it broke out of a series-long shooting funk with 11 3-pointers…

Josh Smith scored 22 points to lead Atlanta, which shot below 40 percent for just the second time this series…

For the second straight game the Magic’s bench got some production led by Redick. It also got 11 points from Ryan Anderson and nine from Gilbert Arenas, who had erupted for 20 in Game 4.

Derrick Rose OK to play Game 5 vs Pacers despite ankle sprain

K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports:

Derrick Rose OK to play despite ankle sprain

Derrick Rose participated in the walkthrough portion of Tuesday’s morning shootaround and got individual shots up afterward, reiterating he planned to play on his sprained left ankle as the Chicago Bulls try to close out the Indiana Pacers in Game 5.

“It’s good,” Rose said. “I gotta get treatment and then I’m out there. (Monday), it was a little stiff. Today, I got more more motion in it.”

Coach Tom Thibodeau said of Rose: “He’s feeling better. We’ll see how he feels before the game.”

Udonis Haslem still hopes to return during playoffs

The AP reports:

Heat forward Udonis Haslem says he’s hopeful of returning to the Miami lineup sometime this postseason.

Continuing his comeback following a ruptured foot ligament in November, Haslem went through another full practice with Miami on Tuesday. Haslem says there was less pain and soreness in his foot after the workout than he expected.

Haslem says he feels like his time is coming.

Bucks will keep Carlos Delfino next season

Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

Bucks general manager John Hammond confirmed Tuesday that forward Carlos Delfino will be returning for a third season with the team.

The Bucks have a $3.5 million team option on Delfino for the 2011-’12 season. The Argentine forward averaged 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 49 games with the Bucks last season and made 40 starts.

Delfino suffered a concussion in the first week of the season and eventually missed 32 games due to symptoms from a series of hits to the head.

He was able to return to the lineup in late January and had back-to-back 30-point games in March against New York and Sacramento. That established a career high for points.

Ron Artest wins 2010-11 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award

Ron Artest of the Los Angeles Lakers is the 2010-11 recipient of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award presented annually by the Professional Basketball Writers Association. The award is named for the second commissioner of the league and honors an NBA player or coach for outstanding service and dedication to the community.

Artest won for his tireless efforts to promote awareness of mental health, including fund-raising, appearing before Congress in support of Mental Health in Schools Act and his all-around advocacy on the issue. Artest also raffled off his 2010 Championship Ring, raising more than $650,000 for mental health awareness, and took part in a public service announcement in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.

“Ron has such a passion for the issue, and has demonstrated such leadership he was a perfect choice for such a prestigious award,” said Doug Smith of the Toronto Star and president of the Professional Basketball Writers Association. “His work embodies the kind of dedication to important causes that NBA players have become known for.”

The PBWA represents approximately 150 writers for newspapers, magazines and Internet services who cover the NBA on a regular basis. Members nominate players and coaches and vote for the award. The finalists for the award this season were Artest, Marcus Camby of the Portland Trail Blazers, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic and Kyle Korver of the Chicago Bulls.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Ty Lawson scores 27, Nuggets stay alive vs Thunder

The AP reports:

Ty Lawson scored a career playoff-high 27 points and J.R. Smith and Danilo Gallinari hit clutch shots down the stretch to help Denver beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-101 on Monday night as the Nuggets avoided a first-round sweep…

In denying the Thunder their first playoff series win since moving from Seattle in 2008, the Nuggets went to the hoop better than they had all series and relied on the smooth touch of Gallinari, who totaled just 13 points in the previous two games but finished with 18 Monday night to counter Durant’s 31 points and Westbrook’s 30…

Despite shooting just 31 of 44 from the stripe, the Nuggets sank eight straight during one key stretch in the fourth quarter as they grabbed control and then sank 6 of 8 in the final 23 seconds…

Durant’s four free throws pulled the Thunder to 89-87 with 4 1/2 minutes left, but Lawson’s layup sparked a clinching 8-0 run that included Gallinari’s fadeaway and 3-pointer.

InsideHoops.com notes: The Nuggets shot just 38.6% but hit 9-of-19 three-pointers and spent the night at the free throw line, where they shot 31-of-44… Raymond Felton shot just 2-of-10 for the Nuggets off the bench… Al Harrington and Wilson Chandler came off Denver’s bench and combined to shoot 0-of-8… Russell Westbrook took 30 shots for the Thunder, hitting 12. He was 0-of-7 from three-point range and finished with 30 points… Kevin Durant shot 8-of-18 for 31 points… Thunder forward Serge Ibaka had 13 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks… Aside from Westbrook, Durant and Ibaka, no other Thunder players scored more than seven… The Thunder still control the series. We at InsideHoops.com still expect them to advance.

Tyson Chandler steps up, Mavs win Game 5 vs. Trail Blazers

The AP reports:

Tyson Chandler wound up with 14 points and 20 rebounds, but his most important contribution might’ve been setting the aggressive, exciting tone the Mavericks needed to bounce back from a devastating loss and beat the Trail Blazers 93-82. Dallas leads the series 3-2, with two days to rest up before trying to close things out in Game 6 on Thursday night in Portland…

Dallas not only outrebounded its taller foe 49-37, the Mavs grabbed a whopping 20 offensive rebounds. Chandler had 13, and swatted several more to guards near midcourt. His offensive boards were the most ever by a Dallas player in the playoffs and the most for anyone in the playoffs since Shaquille O’Neal had 14 in 1995.

“They played like they wanted it more than we did,” said Portland’s Brandon Roy, who went from scoring 24 points in Game 4 to just five in 26 minutes…

Nowitzki led Dallas with 25 points, 11 coming in the third quarter, when the Mavericks broke open a tight game with a 15-5 run. Still, everyone was waiting to see whether they could protect it this time…

Jason Terry scored 20 points for Dallas and Shawn Marion added 14. Jason Kidd had 14 assists and four points, with his only basket coming long after the game was decided.

Andre Miller led Portland with 18 points and Gerald Wallace scored 18. LaMarcus Aldridge had only 12 points.

After balanced effort, Grizzlies grab 1st ever 3-1 series lead over Spurs

The AP reports:

Whatever Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said to his team at halftime worked very, very well.

The eighth-seeded Grizzlies outscored San Antonio 30-15 in the third quarter, turning a 2-point halftime deficit into a 104-86 rout Monday night of the Spurs for a commanding 3-1 lead in their opening series…

Grizzlies grab 1st ever 3-1 series lead over Spurs

San Antonio led 50-48 at halftime, and Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo said Hollins lit such a fire in his team with telling them exactly what he wanted them to do that they couldn’t wait to get onto the court…

The Grizzlies already had made franchise history by winning their first playoff game in Game 1 and added their first playoff win at home. Now they are a game away from becoming the second eighth seed to knock off a No. 1 seed since the NBA expanded to a best-of-seven series and join the 2007 Golden State Warriors…

Mike Conley had 15 points and seven assists. Darrell Arthur added 14 points off the bench for Memphis. Tony Allen had 12, Randolph and Mayo 11 apiece…

Tony Parker led the Spurs with 23 points with only four in the second half. He also had seven turnovers. Manu Ginobili had 14, Gary Neal 11, and George Hill and Tiago Splitter 10 each. Splitter, a rookie from Brazil, had not played previously in this series.

Tim Duncan had six points on his 35th birthday.

Kobe Bryant leaves arena on crutches after Game 4

Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times reports:

Kobe Bryant did one of the few interviews ever conducted in a trainer’s room, sitting on a padded table after sustaining what the team officially called a sprained left ankle, though Bryant indicated it was more of a foot injury.

He was injured while defending Willie Green with 1:32 to play. He was moving across the lane when his foot buckled under him without any contact.

Two crutches were propped against the wall in the trainer’s room. He then used them to leave the arena and board the team bus.

“It’s going to take a lot to stop me to play,” Bryant said. “We’ll make sure we stay on top of it.”

He said he would undergo treatment on the plane ride back to Los Angeles immediately after the game. The team was planning an MRI exam or X-rays as a precaution.

After getting hurt, Bryant walked stiffly around the court for a minute before giving Shannon Brown an “I’m good, I’m good” when the reserve guard approached him.

Chris Paul triple-double helps Hornets beat Lakers and tie series

The AP reports:

Chris Paul chose an opportune time for his first triple-double of the season.

Paul had 27 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds, and the New Orleans Hornets held on for a 93-88 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night to even their first-round playoff series at 2-2.

Wearing a black wrap on his left hand and a small bandage over his right eye, Paul scored 14 of New Orleans’ 24 points in the fourth quarter. The All-Star guard then capped his brilliant performance by running down the clock and setting up Jarrett Jack’s short jumper, which made it 90-86 with 9.3 seconds left.

Kobe Bryant had 17 points for the Lakers, but did not score in the first half and finished 5 of 18 shooting. He also came up lame late in the fourth quarter, favoring his left ankle after a collision with Green. Bryant’s last miss came on a 3-point attempt in the final seconds…

Trevor Ariza scored 19 for New Orleans, while Carl Landry added 16 before fouling out in the final minute…

Pau Gasol and Ron Artest each scored 16 for Los Angeles, with all of Artest’s points coming in the first half. Andrew Bynum added 11 points and Derek Fisher 10.

The Hornets never trailed in the second half and led by as many as nine points, at 57-48, early in the third quarter when Marco Belinelli’s 3 capped a 20-3 spurt that had started in the second quarter.