The AP reports: T.J. Ford had 18 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, and the banged-up Indiana Pacers won their third straight game with a 98-87 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday night. Marquis Daniels and Jeff Foster added 16 points apiece as the Pacers beat the Nets for the second time in three games. Vince Carter scored 28 points and Jarvis Hayes added 15 for the Nets, who lost their third straight game with point guard Devin Harris sidelined with a sprained ankle. New Jersey turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 25 points for Indiana.
Category: NBA Teams
NBA teams blog
Nov 12: Celtics 103, Hawks 102
The AP reports: NBA finals MVP Paul Pierce hit a fallaway jumper with 0.5 seconds left to give Boston a 103-102 victory over Atlanta on Wednesday night, handing the Hawks their first loss of the season and their first since the Celtics ousted them en route to their unprecedented 17th title… Pierce scored 34 points in all, Kevin Garnett had 25 with 12 rebounds and Rajon Rondo had 10 assists for the Celtics. Joe Johnson scored 28 for Atlanta, finding an open Marvin Williams for the go-ahead 3-pointer with 7.4 seconds left before Pierce answered at the other end, faking out a pair of defenders and sinking the game-winner… Ray Allen scored 17 points, eight of them during an 18-2 run in the second quarter that turned a 44-28 deficit into a tie game at halftime.
Nov 12: Sixers 106, Raptors 96
The AP reports: Elton Brand scored a season-high 25 points, Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala each had 18, and the Philadelphia 76ers snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Toronto Raptors 106-96 on Wednesday night. Willie Green scored 17 points and Marreese Speights had 12 for the 76ers, who won for the first time in four road games this season… Chris Bosh had 30 points and 12 rebounds, but Toronto still lost for the fourth time in five games after starting the season 3-0. Jermaine O’Neal added 19 points and 11 rebounds, and reserve Andrea Bargnani scored 15 for the Raptors.
Greg Oden set to return
The Miami Herald (Michael Wallace) reports: The Miami Heat spent Wednesday’s shootaround preparing for Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden to make his return from a foot injury that has kept him out since the season opener. Oden doesn’t plan to disappoint Miami (4-3) when the Blazers (4-3) arrive for Wednesday night’s game at AmericanAirlines Arena. ”I’m ready. I’m excited,” Oden said after Portland’s shootaround Wednesday. “I’ll hopefully play the full game. It was my decision and it depends on how I feel. And I feel good.” Oden, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, hasn’t played since he sustained a right mid-foot sprain after playing just 13 minutes in the Blazers’ Oct. 28 loss to the Lakers. He was initially expected to miss as much as a month. It has been another disappointing start to the season for Oden, who missed all of last season after knee surgery.
Jason Richardson day-to-day after minor knee surgery
Charlotte Bobcats guard Jason Richardson this morning underwent an exploratory arthroscopic procedure after suffering from right knee inflammation. The test revealed no structural damage to Richardson’s knee.
Richardson will not play in Charlotte’s game against the Utah Jazz on Friday and is doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Orlando Magic.
James Posey talks Kobe
The Orange County Register (Janis Carr) reports — James Posey: “You can’t stop Kobe because he does so much. He scores, he shoots the 3-ball well, he has a nice in-between game, he knows how to get to the free-throw line, he attacks the basket. It’s tough. He’s one of the guys who has the ball a lot, and a lot of attention needs to be directed toward him. You can’t stop him, you just try to control him, just try to make him work for everything,” Posey said. “Sometimes even that isn’t enough.”
InsideHoops.com editor says: I could shut Kobe down. He knows it. He’s scared. Same with LeBron. None of these dues could score on me. But I like them and don’t want to hurt their feelings, so instead of signing with an NBA team and doing it, I’ll just continue to run InsideHoops.com.
Joel Anthony name games
The Palm Beach Post (Chris Perkins) reports: Center Joel Anthony was so low-key as a rookie last season many fans don’t even know how to pronounce his first name. It’s Jo-elle. And judging from his performance in Monday’s 99-94 victory over New Jersey (four points, four rebounds, one block), he might be ready for more minutes at Mark Blount’s expense.
InsideHoops.com editor says: If Joel wants his name to be pronounced “Jo-elle” he should consider adding a dash in the actual word. By the way, please now pronounce my name as “Jay-eff” rather than Jeff.
Amare ditches his goggles
The Arizona Republic (Paul Coro) reports: Amare Stoudemire’s goggles didn’t last a month. He had worn protective eyewear since he returning from a torn iris four weeks ago but ditched the pair for Monday’s game. “A little uncomfortable with the goggles,” he said. “They get a little blurry on me. There’s a lot of adjusting, so I’ll try to go without them.” The goggles seemed fine in a 49-point game last week. “Well, I had 50 without them,” he said of his career high in 2005.
Nets helping unemployed fans
In the midst of this challenging economy, the Nets will give unemployed fans a break by providing free tickets for five select Nets home games, as well as offering résumé placement with Nets sponsors, and providing access to a Career Fair.
As part of the new Nets Employment Program, fans that are seeking jobs can sign-up at www.njnets.com and should email their résumé, former employer, contact information, and career field of interest to the Nets Job Bank at jobbank@njnets.com. The Nets would then release 300 tickets per game on a first-come, first-serve basis for fans that enroll in the Program. In addition, the team would send the résumés received to Nets sponsors and season ticket holders with businesses that are involved in the Program.
The Nets are also hosting a Career Fair before their game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the IZOD CENTER on Saturday, November 22. Job-seekers will gain access to many top employers featuring sports teams, businesses, and Nets partners such as UPS, Haier America, TD Bank, Emblem Health, Coca-Cola Enterprises, and Valley Health System.
“Unemployment is on the rise in the metropolitan area, so we want to offer our fans that are between jobs some help in finding a job, as well as a chance to relieve some stress by coming to a Nets game,” said Nets CEO Brett Yormark. “We are committed to investing in our fans now, and hopefully they will invest in us when times are better.”
Bruce Bowen comes off bench
The San Antonio Express-News (Mike Monroe) reports: For the first time since he arrived in San Antonio in 2001, Spurs forward Bruce Bowen did not start a game for which he suited up. Bowen’s response: His best game of the season. Bowen replaced starter Ime Udoka, who started in his spot, with 2:22 remaining in the first period. By the end of Tuesday’s 92-80 victory over the New York Knicks at the AT&T Center, he had scored a season-high 13 points, making all three 3-point attempts in almost 28 minutes on the floor. Bowen, who had started all 555 of his games as a Spur, accepted his removal from the starting unit with equanimity. “As a competitor, you may not want it to happen,” he said. “It’s a matter of just being as professional as you can, and not allowing those things to affect you from the standpoint of not withdrawing from the team.”