NBA Teams – Page 1054 – NBA Blog

Nets beat Mavs on Jason Kidd`s 41st birthday

Here’s the New York Post reporting on the latest Nets victory:

Joe Johnson made sure Jason Kidd’s 41st birthday was a happy one.

Johnson, who has been automatic in late and close situations since joining the Nets two summers ago, hit the game-tying layup with 9.9 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and then led the Nets with six points in overtime on the way to an improbable 107-104 victory over the Mavericks in front of a sellout crowd of 19,603 at American Airlines Center Sunday night.

“Down the stretch, man,” Johnson said, “those moments are ones I really cherish and love.”

They have become moments the Nets (37-31) love to have Johnson for, as he is 7-for-7 in his one-plus seasons as a Net when they are within three points in the final 10 seconds of the game, and 3-for-3 this season.

“He’s clutch, man,” said Deron Williams, who finished with 15 points in his return to his hometown. “That’s why the ball is in his hands.”

Lakers beat Magic, who have now lost 9 straight games

Here’s the Los Angeles Times Blog reporting on the Lakers, who helped the Orlando Magic maintain their losing ways:

Jordan Hill had a career-high 28 points to help the Lakers end their four-game losing streak with a 103-94 victory over the Orlando Magic.

In an outcome that likely ended any hope the Lakers had for the third lottery position of the 2014 NBA draft, the Lakers gave Orlando their ninth straight loss.

Playing on the second night of back-to-back games, the Magic got a double-double from rookie Victor Oladipo (21 points, 10 assists). Orlando owned a 46-34 rebounding advantage but couldn’t overcome 20 turnovers.

Pau Gasol sat out the second half because of dizziness and nausea after scoring six points and getting two rebounds in 18 minutes in the first half.

Nick Young helped carry the offensive load for the Lakers. He finished with 26 points off the bench. Hill had 13 rebounds. Jodie Meeks also scored in double figures with 13 points and he had six steals.

Jazz will participate in Las Vegas summer league instead of Orlando

Here’s the Deseret News reporting that the Utah Jazz will make a change this offseason:

So long, Florida humidity. Hello, Nevada heat. Breaking tradition, the Utah Jazz will participate in the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League this July.

The Jazz had been going to the Orlando Pro Summer League since the Rocky Mountain Revue stopped functioning in 2008, in large part because of how the Vegas event led to the demise of Utah’s annual hoops showcase.

“Having our training camp in Orlando was difficult for us and we felt it was time to move forward,” Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which first reported the switch. “We feel there’s a natural tie-in with Las Vegas and it’ll be great for our fans to follow us (and) be able to see our young players. We’re very excited about the move.”

Pacers beat Bulls in another testy battle

Here’s the Chicago Sun-Times reporting on the Bulls:

Pick an excuse: lack of depth, bad calls, missed shots, poor rebounding, flopping. The list went on and on for the Bulls on Friday night.

The Bulls are still a feel-good story, but not every story has a happy ending. Certainly not in Indiana.

Thanks to a 19-0 run in the third quarter, the Pacers pulled away from the Bulls in a 91-79 laugher.

And, as coach Tom Thibodeau pointed out, losing the rebounding battle 51-36 is never a good thing. And reserve big man Taj Gibson fouling out because the Pacers have “floppers’’ doesn’t help. But depth seemed to be the difference. It was a big reason why Indiana (51-18) outscored the Bulls 31-19 in the third quarter to put the game on ice.

“You can use that as an excuse if you want,’’ Thibodeau said when asked about the Bulls’ lack of depth being exposed. “I choose not to.”

Philadelphia 76ers losing streak now at 23 straight games

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer discussing the 76ers, who have mastered the art of losing basketball games:

The ball bounced awry and tapped the white end line. James Anderson short-armed the pass and Thaddeus Young tried to reach it, but he never had a chance.

There were 8.6 seconds left on Friday night in the Sixers’ 93-92 loss to the New York Knicks at the Wells Fargo Center. And for a moment it appeared that the Sixers’ 22-game losing streak was no longer safe.

But the referee blew his whistle, Anderson’s pass went out of bounds, and the Sixers’ hopes were dashed.

It was their 23d straight loss. They continue to creep closer to the NBA record of 26 straight set in 2011 by Cleveland.

Before the turnover, head coach Brett Brown huddled his team and called for them to work the play around Anderson. It was Anderson’s first game back after missing two with a thigh injury. He finished with eight points and six rebounds.