The AP reports: LaMarcus Aldridge scored 25 points, and the Blazers used a big first quarter to beat the Bobcats 88-74 on Wednesday night. The 6-foot-11 Aldridge was 6-for-7 in the first quarter as Portland rolled to a 32-18 lead… Like Aldridge, Portland’s Brandon Roy also started fast, scoring 13 of his 17 points during the first half. Blazers center Greg Oden had 14 points and 14 rebounds. It was Oden’s fourth double-double in six games, and 14th of the season. Charlotte (19-27) was without Wallace, who suffered a partially collapsed left lung and fractured rib in the victory over the Lakers… Emeka Okafor led the Bobcats with 18 points, and Bell had 16.
Category: NBA Teams
NBA teams blog
Mavericks turn away Warriors 117-93
The AP reports: After a couple of awful defensive performances last week, the Dallas Mavericks slowed down one of the highest-scoring teams in the league. Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard keyed a game-changing run during the second quarter, and Jason Terry scored 22 points to lead the Mavericks past the Golden State Warriors 117-93 Wednesday night… Nowitzki scored 20 points, Howard added 19, Brandon Bass had 16 and James Singleton chipped in with a season-high 14 for Dallas, which rebounded after losing by 24 to the Celtics. Golden State’s Stephen Jackson had 25 points and Corey Maggette came off the bench to score 21. The Warriors, the NBA’s worst defensive team yielding nearly 112 points per game, have lost their last three games at Dallas by a combined 71 points.
Iguodala helps 76ers beat Rockets
The AP reports: As poorly as they were playing, the Philadelphia 76ers knew they still had time to catch the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. Thanks mostly to Andre Iguodala, they did. Iguodala hit a baseline jumper with 36 seconds left and finished with 20 points to help the Sixers overcome a late 14-point deficit in a 95-93 victory over the Rockets… Andre Miller added 16 points and seven assists, and Louis Williams had 17 points for the 76ers, 9-2 in their last 11. Elton Brand had 14 points, seven rebounds and a season-high six blocks in his third game back from a dislocated shoulder… Tracy McGrady scored 24 points, and Luis Scola had 18 points and 10 rebounds for Houston. The Rockets have lost three of their last four, even as McGrady, Ron Artest and Yao Ming have finally gotten healthy.
Hornets beat Nuggets 94-81
The AP reports: Devin Brown hadn’t played much lately. He had been taking extra shots after practice, trying to be ready to come through when called upon. Moving up in the rotation after a first-half injury to Morris Peterson, Brown hit 6-of-7 shots, including all three 3 pointers he attempted, and finished with a season high 18 points to help the New Orleans Hornets defeat the Denver Nuggets 94-81 on Wednesday night… Peja Stojakovic matched a season high with 26 points, but beyond that, New Orleans didn’t get a lot of scoring from a starting unit missing center Tyson Chandler and David West for a fifth straight game. Chris Paul had 12 points and 10 assists, but had an off night shooting for him, going 3-of-12. James Posey, normally the Hornets most productive reserve, was 1-of-13 for six points… Kenyon Martin scored 22 points, and J.R. Smith had 20 for Denver, which was 7-of-20 from the field in the final quarter as a slim lead turned into a double-digit deficit.
Rasheed helps Pistons rock Wolves
The AP reports: Looking like the ‘Sheed who helped the Pistons to the title in 2004, Wallace tied a season high with 25 points and had 10 rebounds to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 98-89 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. Allen Iverson added 19 points and Antonio McDyess had 14 points and 10 boards off the bench for the Pistons, who had lost two in a row and seven of nine… Al Jefferson had 24 points and six rebounds for the Wolves, who entered the night with the best record (10-2) in the NBA in January and a three-game winning streak. Rookie Kevin Love had 17 points and 10 rebounds, but Minnesota had no answer for Wallace most of the game.
Thunder beat Grizzlies 114-102 in OT
The AP reports: Kevin Durant scored 35 points and led the way as the Thunder recovered after blowing a late 12-point lead to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 114-102 in overtime Wednesday night… Jeff Green added 23 points on a career-high five 3-pointers, Westbrook scored 16 points, and Chucky Atkins had 10 in only his second game since joining the Thunder in a trade three weeks ago. Rudy Gay finished with 25 points to lead Memphis, which lost its 11th straight game and fell to 0-2 under new coach Lionel Hollins. Mayo scored 17 points, and Mike Conley and Marc Gasol added 15 apiece for Memphis. Conley also had a career-high nine assists.
House helps Celtics crush Kings
The AP reports: Eddie House is all warmed up and ready for the 3-point shooting contest on All-Star weekend. All he needs is an invitation. The Boston sharpshooter scored 28 points on a career-high eight 3-pointers, going 8-for-9 from beyond the arc on Wednesday night to lead the Celtics to their ninth straight win, 119-100 over the Sacramento Kings… John Salmons scored 22 points, and Jason Thompson had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings, who lost to Boston by 45 earlier this season. Sacramento is 0-20 against the Eastern Conference—the only NBA team that has been blanked by entire conference so far.
Nate Robinson leads Knicks past Hawks 112-104
The AP reports: Nate Robinson ‘s high-energy, high-flying style is the kind of play that pumps up a crowd. It’s probably not a coincidence that as the backup guard has broken out of a slump, the Knicks are rolling at home. Robinson had another big fourth quarter, scoring 20 of his 24 points in the final 10 minutes, to lead New York past the Atlanta Hawks 112-104 on Wednesday night… Marvin Williams had 28 points and Josh Smith added 26 for Atlanta. Point guard Mike Bibby scored just five points on 2-of-13 shooting… New York’s David Lee had his ninth straight double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds. Duhon had 16 points and 11 assists.
Calderon big as Raptors beat Nets
The AP reports: With Jose Calderon back in the lineup, the Toronto Raptors are hoping the second half of the season is a lot better than the first. Calderon had 17 points and 11 assists and the Raptors escaped with a 107-106 victory over New Jersey on Wednesday night after Nets point guard Devin Harris missed a wide-open 16-foot jumper at the buzzer… Anthony Parker added 21 points, and Chris Bosh had 18 for the Raptors, who shot almost 56 percent and had six players in double figures. Andrea Bargnani had his streak of 15 straight games of at least 15 points stopped, scoring eight. Vince Carter had 27 points to lead the Nets, who rallied in the final minutes by hitting four of their 15 3-pointers. Harris added 25 points and 10 assists, but he missed the biggest shot of the night after Calderon had left the door open by missing a jumper with about 21 seconds to play.
Balanced Wade helps Heat beat Wizards
The AP reports: Dwyane Wade knew he was on the cusp of a triple-double. He didn’t mind getting a break instead. Wade had 14 points, nine rebounds and nine assists before sitting out the entire fourth quarter, and the Miami Heat pulled away in the second half to beat the Washington Wizards 93-71 on Wednesday night… Daequan Cook and Michael Beasley each had 16 points for the Heat, who’ve won three straight, all against Southeast Division rivals. Udonis Haslem scored 14 points, and James Jones and Mario Chalmers had 10 each for Miami, which closed the game on a 44-21 run… Antawn Jamison had 21 points and 12 rebounds for Washington, an NBA-worst 9-36. Caron Butler added 18 points, and Darius Songalia had 10 for the Wizards.