The AP reports: The Jazz reversed the roles Friday night in a 90-64 victory that matched the Spurs’ lowest point total in franchise history and ended San Antonio’s eight-game winning streak… Mehmet Okur had 17 points and 16 rebounds and Deron Williams had 16 points and 11 assists for his 50th double-double of the season. Williams led the Jazz on a 13-0 run to open the fourth quarter, which pretty much took the Spurs out of it and had Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili on the bench early in the period… Williams opened fourth quarter with a high alley-oop to Andrei Kirilenko to start a 13-0 run for the Jazz. Kirilenko finished with 10 points and six assists, and Carlos Boozer added 16 points and flustered Duncan all night. Duncan finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, but sat most of the fourth quarter as the Jazz ran away with it.
Category: NBA Teams
NBA teams blog
Apr. 4: Sixers 109, Hawks 104
The AP reports: Andre Iguodala scored 30 points and Andre Miller had 23 to help the 76ers wrap up their first playoff spot in three years with a 109-104 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night… Combining with Iguodala for 25 points, three assists, five rebounds and one steal in the fourth quarter, Miller was satisfied with holding off the Hawks’ comeback from a 14-point deficit… Joe Johnson led Atlanta, with 32 points, but fell down and lost the ball on what appeared to be a damp floor while dribbling with 1:36 remaining… Mike Bibby had 11 assists, but he was just 1-for-11 from the field for Atlanta. Josh Childress finished with 20 points in a reserve role.
Apr. 4: Bobcats 105, Raptors 100
The AP reports: Jason Richardson scored 27 points and Earl Boykins converted a three-point play after stealing the ball from T.J. Ford in the final minute of the Charlotte Bobcats’ 105-100 victory over the Raptors on Friday night. Chris Bosh had 23 points for the Raptors, who clinched a playoff berth Friday night because Washington beat Miami… The Raptors (38-38) are hardly playing like a team poised to make a strong playoff run. Fans booed the home team at the final buzzer… Rasho Nesterovic added a season-high 23 points for Toronto, but All-Star Bosh didn’t get many touches in the final minutes. Raymond Felton had 21 points for Charlotte.
Martell Webster has irregular heartbeat
Prior to Thursday night’s game with the Houston Rockets, Martell Webster experienced flu-like symptoms and dizziness. Webster was taken to a local hospital where he stayed overnight for observation. Further testing today revealed an irregular heartbeat.
Webster has been discharged from the hospital and is scheduled to see the team’s cardiologist early next week. He will miss Sunday’s game with the San Antonio Spurs.
Yi Jianlian out for season
Milwaukee Bucks Director of Player Personnel Dave Babcock announced today that rookie forward Yi Jianlian (7-0, 238) will miss the remaining eight games of the season after suffering a sprained medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee during the Bucks win over Washington on Wednesday, April 2.
Yi, 20, underwent an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) exam yesterday afternoon. After evaluation and further testing by Bucks orthopaedic physician Dr. John Heinrich, M.D., it was determined that a period of 2-3 weeks will be needed to rest and rehabilitate his injured knee before returning to basketball activity.
In 66 games this season (49 starts), Yi averaged 8.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in 25.0 minutes. Among rookies who qualify, he ranks T-7th in scoring, 5th in rebounds, 2nd in free throw percentage (.841), 5th in blocked shots (0.85) and 7th in minutes played.
Yi was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for December when he averaged 12.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 blocked shots in 16 games. He scored a season-high 29 points in the Bucks 103-99 win over Charlotte on December 22.
Cavs sign Lance Allred
The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed center Lance Allred for the remainder of the season and for the 2008-09 season. He was signed to a 10-day contract on March 13 and to his second 10-day contract on March 25. Allred has played in two games this season for the Cavaliers.
Apr. 3: Rockets 95, Blazers 86
The Rockets opened up a lead in the second quarter and held on for the win. For Houston, Tracy McGrady (14-of-29) had 35 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Aaron Brooks, Luther Head, Bobby Jackson and Dikembe Mutombo all scored in the low double-digits, and rebounding was spread across the board. It was a true team effort outside of T-Mac’s big point total. Houston was red-hot from outside, nailing 11-of-22 three-pointers. For the Blazers, LaMarcus Aldridge (10-of-20) had 23 points but just 4 rebounds. Jarrett Jack (8-of-15) had 19. Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw (just 5-of-18) and Channing Frye also reached double-digit points. Brandon Roy remains out of action.
Apr. 3: Kings 110, Clippers 98
The AP reports: Kevin Martin hit four 3-pointers while scoring 26 points, and the Sacramento Kings avoided a four-game sweep by the last-place Los Angeles Clippers with a 110-98 victory Thursday night. Francisco Garcia scored 17 points and Mikki Moore added 16 for the Kings, who took a 20-point lead in the third quarter of their fourth victory in five games… Corey Maggette scored 28 points and Elton Brand had 15 points and nine rebounds in his second game back from a 74-game absence for Los Angeles. Injured veterans Chris Kaman, Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas sat out their second straight game for the Clippers, who still beat the SuperSonics on Wednesday night in Brand’s first game of the season after surgery on his Achilles’ tendon. Clippers rookie Nick Fazekas, who played college ball two hours away at Nevada, scored a career-best 18 points.
Apr. 3: Bulls 101, Cavs 98
The AP reports: Ben Gordon made five clutch free throws down the stretch and Larry Hughes scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half against his former team, rallying the Bulls to a 101-98 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night. The Bulls, with nothing to play for in the season’s final weeks, overcame a 17-point deficit in the second half and snapped a six-game road losing streak… Hughes, traded by the Cavaliers to Chicago at the Feb. 21 deadline, added nine assists and eight rebounds in 45 minutes. Gordon scored 24 points and Luol Deng and Andres Nocioni had 15 each… Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 23 points for the Cavaliers, who are trying to nail down the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Lucky fan can win game-worn Durant jersey
The NBA commercial starring Kevin Durant removing his career worth of jerseys will become reality for one lucky fan on Friday, April 4 after the Sonics take on the Houston Rockets. Fans will have the chance to bid on the Rookie of the Year candidate’s game-worn jersey from Friday, and receive it directly from Durant at the conclusion of the game.
The jersey auction is part of the Sonics’ third annual “Jerseys Off Our Backs” fundraising initiative. Bidding for the Durant jersey will begin at 6 p.m. outside of aisle 118 on the concourse level of KeyArena. The winning bidder will be escorted to the player tunnel following the game and receive Durant’s jersey during a personal meet-and-greet. Durant will also autograph the jersey and be available for a photo with the winner.
All auction proceeds will benefit the Sonics & Storm Foundation’s community outreach initiatives. The “Jerseys Off Our Backs” program was founded during the 2005-06 Sonics season and allows fans to bid on game-worn Sonics jerseys during home games. Last year, the program raised more than $14,000 for the Foundation.