The AP reports: Two buzzer-beaters one night. Another one Saturday on something resembling an alley-oop 3-pointer. Andre Iguodala is on a roll, and so are his Philadelphia 76ers. Iguodala had 28 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, and the 76ers returned to .500 for the first time in nearly two months with their seventh straight victory, 107-97 over the New York Knicks… Andre Miller added 27 points and eight assists for the 76ers, making a pair of baskets in a 10-0 burst after the Knicks had closed within one with 5 minutes remaining. Lou Williams scored 15 points to help Philadelphia beat New York for the 11th time in the last 13 meetings… Al Harrington scored 26 points for the Knicks, who welcomed back Danilo Gallinari after a 2 1/2 month absence while losing for the second time in two nights. Quentin Richardson added 19, and Wilson Chandler had 17.
Category: NBA Teams
NBA teams blog
Paul leads Hornets past slumping Pistons
The AP reports: Chris Paul had 23 points and 14 assists to help the New Orleans Hornets hand the Detroit Pistons their fifth straight loss, 91-85 on Saturday night… David West added 20 points for the Hornets, who had six players in double figures. Tyson Chandler finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds, winning the praise of New Orleans coach Byron Scott… Richard Hamilton led the Pistons with 20 points, but couldn’t keep the Pistons from their longest losing streak since just before they acquired Rasheed Wallace in 2004.
Wallace helps Bobcats beat Blazers in OT, 102-97
The AP reports: Sure, the game went into overtime and there were several key late plays in the Charlotte Bobcats’ third straight victory. But all anybody wanted to talk about after the Bobcats’ 102-97 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night was the dunk. The alley-oop, one-handed jam by Gerald Wallace over 7-footer Greg Oden in the fourth quarter that had fans gasping and players craning their necks for a glimpse of the replay… It was part a monster night from Wallace, who had 31 points and 16 rebounds to lead the new-look Bobcats… Emeka Okafor added 22 points and 11 rebounds, outplaying the foul-plagued Oden as the Bobcats used tough defense over the final minute to secure their longest winning streak since March. LaMarcus Aldridge had 21 points, and Brandon Roy added 17 but shot poorly from the field and the line for the Blazers, who finished 2-2 on their East Coast trip.
Allen’s 25 leads Celtics to 105-85 rout of Nets
The AP reports: Ray Allen scored 25 points to lead the Celtics to a 105-85 win on Saturday afternoon. The Celtics put the game away in the opening quarter, taking an 18-2 lead behind nine points from Allen. Boston had beaten New Jersey by 32 points at home on Wednesday… Devin Harris and Vince Carter, the Nets leading scorers, had front row seats for the entire second half to watch the Celtics road show as New Jersey coach Lawrence Frank benched his two stars… Paul Pierce and Eddie House both had 13 points for the Celtics, while Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe each had 12. Rajon Rondo came close to a triple double with eight points, nine rebounds and 14 assists… Brook Lopez led New Jersey with 28 points and Jarvis Hayes added 15 for the Nets, who dropped their third straight game. Harris had seven points and Carter finished with five.
Luther Head out one week
Houston Rockets guard Luther Head is expected to miss one week due to a sore right foot. Head also sat out Tuesday’s game with the L.A. Lakers (1/13/09).
For the season, Head only playing 14.6 minutes per game and averaging 4.8 points and 1.6 assists on 38.6% shooting.
NBA fines Mark Cuban 25k
The Denver Post (Benjamin Hochman) reports: The Cuban Missed Elbow Crisis has finally come to an end. The NBA decided to fine Mavericks owner Mark Cuban $25,000 for “improper interaction” with Nuggets players at halftime of Tuesday’s game at the Pepsi Center. Cuban walked onto the court and yelled at Nuggets guard J.R. Smith, who earlier threw an elbow that missed the face of Dallas forward Antoine Wright. Smith was not penalized for his actions.
The AP reports: Cuban was angered Tuesday in a 99-97 Denver victory over Dallas and stepped onto the court as the second quarter ended to complain about an elbow thrown by Smith that did not result in a foul, interaction that brought the fine. Cuban also had to be escorted off the court afte the game when he complained about a foul call that set up Chauncey Billups’ game-winning free throws in the final seconds.
Crawford leads Warriors to 119-114 win over Hawks
The AP reports: Stephen Jackson, who missed four games with a right hamstring strain, had 24 points to help the Golden State Warriors beat the Hawks 119-114 on Friday night. Jamal Crawford scored 29 points, including the go-ahead basket in the final three minutes, and Corey Maggette had 24 points and a season-high 16 rebounds for the Warriors… Joe Johnson scored 25 points for the Hawks, who lost for the fifth time in six games. Maurice Evans added 21 points and Michael Bibby had 20. Atlanta forward Marvin Williams was taken to a hospital after hitting his head on the court during a play in the second quarter and may not make the trip home with the team.
Nelson, Howard lead Magic past Lakers
The AP reports: With Dwight Howard a power in the middle, Jameer Nelson and his backcourt mates sharpshooting from outside, the Magic showed their multiple talents with a 109-103 victory over Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night. Howard had 25 points and 20 rebounds, and Nelson scored 15 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter to help Orlando win its sixth in a row. Bryant had 28 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists for Los Angeles, but missed two jumpers in the waning moments… All the Orlando starters scored in double figures, with Rashard Lewis getting 15, Hedo Turkoglu 13 and Courtney Lee 12. Lamar Odom had 17 points for Los Angeles, and Vladimir Radmanovic had 15, all coming on his 5-of-8 shooting treys. Andrew Bynum had 14 points and three rebounds, but scored just two points after halftime and again was outplayed by Howard, who also blocked three shots.
Redd scores 44 in Bucks victory over Kings
The AP reports: Michael Redd’s scoring binge through three quarters helped the Milwaukee Bucks assume a big lead Friday night, but it was teammate Charlie Villanueva carrying the load in the fourth quarter when the advantage nearly evaporated. Redd scored a season-high 44 points and Villanueva had 15 of his 24 points in the final period for the Bucks, who held off the Kings for a 129-122 victory… Kevin Martin also scored 24 points for the Kings, who have not won consecutive games since early November. Jason Thompson contributed 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Brad Miller had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Beno Udrih scored 14.
Foye’s late basket lifts Timberwolves past Suns
The AP reports: Randy Foye made a 20-foot jumper with 1:58 remaining—and one second left on the shot clock—that propelled Minnesota to a 105-103 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Friday night. Foye hit the basket despite being closely guarded by Jason Richardson… Al Jefferson had 22 points and 12 rebounds to lead Minnesota, who bounced back from a loss on Tuesday to win for the sixth time in seven games… Craig Smith had 18 points, Rodney Carney finished with 17 and Foye had 15 for Minnesota. Kevin Love added 17 points and 14 rebounds, seven coming on the offensive end… Shaquille O’Neal and Leandro Barbosa each scored 22 and Amare Stoudemire added 19 for the Suns, who lost for just the third time in their last 11 home games.