The AP reports: Even with Oklahoma City missing Kevin Durant, the Dallas Mavericks turned to two of its stars to fend off the Thunder on Friday night. Dirk Nowitzki scored 17 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, Jason Kidd hit two big 3-pointers in the extra period, and the Mavericks overcame a 12-point deficit to beat the short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder 110-108… Russell Westbrook, who hit a 3-pointer to send it to overtime, scored 33 points and Green added 28 points for the Thunder, who have lost seven straight. Dallas’ Josh Howard had 13 points and James Singleton added 12 points and nine rebounds.
Chandler’s tip-in gives Hornets 95-94 win over Bucks
The AP reports: Tyson Chandler tipped in a missed shot off the backboard with 3.3 seconds left to give the Hornets a 95-94 win after they blew a 17-point lead with four minutes remaining… Chris Paul had a season-high 20 assists, and West scored 28 points to lead the Hornets, who won their third straight. Richard Jefferson had a team-high 22 points, and Bell added 21 for the Bucks, who lost their second in a row but made the Hornets sweat after trailing by double digits for almost the entire second half. Milwaukee had its second-worst shooting performance of the year through the first three quarters.
Roy scores 19 as Blazers beat Wolves 102-82
The AP reports: Brandon Roy scored 19 points in only three quarters against Minnesota, leading Portland to a 102-82 victory over the listless Timberwolves on Friday night… Rudy Fernandez added 18 points for the Blazers, who snapped a five-game road losing streak by sending the sputtering Wolves to their eighth-straight home loss. Travis Outlaw and LaMarcus Aldridge each added 15 points and Sergio Rodriguez had 12 for the Trail Blazers, who built a 19-point lead through three quarters and were never threatened… Mike Miller and Craig Smith each scored 16 points to lead Minnesota, which continues to struggle without Al Jefferson in the lineup.
Celtics beat Pacers 104-99 in Marbury debut
The AP reports: Ray Allen added 30 points and Rajon Rondo matched his career high with 17 assists for Boston. Glen “Big Baby” Davis, starting in place of the injured Kevin Garnett, scored 18, and Kendrick Perkins had 11 rebounds. Marbury finished with eight points and two assists in under 13 minutes— just hours after clearing waivers and signing with the Celtics for their push toward the playoffs and a try at back-to-back NBA titles… T.J. Ford scored 23 and Troy Murphy had 20 points and 13 assists for the Pacers, who had won three out of four.
Miller, 76ers hold off frisky Knicks 108-103
The AP reports: Andre Miller had 25 points and six assists to lead Philadelphia, which has won two in a row since ending a four-game losing streak. Andre Iguodala added 15 points for the Sixers and Samuel Dalembert had 14 rebounds… Thaddeus Young scored 23 points, but his block prevented the Knicks from getting within two points for the fourth time in the fourth quarter, a situation the Sixers desperately wanted to avoid in frenzied Madison Square Garden… Al Harrington added 23 points for New York and David Lee had 17 with 11 rebounds for his 22nd straight double-double and NBA-best 47th of the year.
Horford double-double, Hawks beat Heat 91-83
The AP reports: Al Horford had 21 points and a career-high 22 rebounds and Joe Johnson scored 24 points Friday night in helping the Atlanta Hawks to a 91-83 win over the Miami Heat… The Hawks, who had lost three straight and four of five on a recent West Coast trip, also got 14 points from Josh Smith, 13 from Marvin Williams and 12 from Flip Murray. Michael Beasley led Miami with 23 points, 16 in the fourth period, and 21 from Dwyane Wade, who also had 10 assists.
With Obama in front row, Wizards beat Bulls 113-90
The AP reports: Caron Butler implored the officials not to start the game until a certain special spectator reached his front-row seat. And when President Barack Obama finally arrived Friday night, delaying the tipoff by a few minutes, Butler and the rest of the Washington Wizards set out to send a message to the First Fan by beating his Chicago Bulls… But with Antawn Jamison leading the way with 27 points and 11 rebounds, Washington led by as many as 15 in the first quarter and—after the Bulls closed within 49-45 at halftime—by 25 in the fourth period to the delight of most of the 18,114 in attendance… John Salmons scored 25 for the Bulls, who shot under 40 percent and were outrebounded 53-37.
Pistons end 8-game skid, top Magic 93-85
The AP reports: The Detroit Pistons found their answer without The Answer. Richard Hamilton had 31 points and six assists in his return to the starting lineup in place of Allen Iverson, and the Pistons ended their eight-game losing streak with a 93-85 victory over the Orlando Magic on Friday night… Rodney Stuckey had 22 points and Tayshaun Prince added 17 for the Pistons, who snapped their longest losing streak in 14 seasons. Rasheed Wallace, who was fined $25,000 by the league earlier Friday for his actions after an ejection Wednesday night, finished with six points. Dwight Howard had 21 points and 13 rebounds, and Rafer Alston scored 14 for the Magic, who fell again to a Pistons team that has knocked them out of the playoffs the last two seasons and has won 21 of the past 26 meetings.
President Obama attends Wizards game
The Washington Wizards welcomed President Barack Obama to tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls.
He left with just under five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter as the Wizards were enjoying a 103-86 victory. Surrounded by security, Obama shook hands hands with plenty of fans and received a nice ovation from the crowd as he headed out.
Obama attended the game as a special guest of Abe Pollin, owner of the Wizards and Verizon Center. Tonight marked his first presidential appearance at an NBA game.
“We are very proud and honored that President Obama attended tonight’s game at Verizon Center,” said Pollin. “Irene and I want to officially welcome the president to the neighborhood and hope that he and his family will attend many more events here at Verizon Center.”
Obama viewed the game both from the stands and as a guest in Pollin’s suite. He joins Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter as presidents who have attended Wizards/Bullets games.
Read fan discussion and post your own comments in this forum thread.
Nuggets notes
The Good: The Nuggets win vs. Atlanta on 2/25 snapped a three-game losing streak, which had matched their longest losing streak of the season (also dropped three-straight from 12/16-12/20). Additionally, the Nuggets once again avoided losing consecutive home games with their win on 2/25. They have not lost consecutive games at the Pepsi Center since the 2006-07 season (2/5 and 2/7/07).
The Bad: The Nuggets allowed 120 points at Milwaukee on 2/22, tying a Nuggets opponent season-high for total points. With the loss, Denver is now 5-6 so far this season when giving up 110 or more points.
And the Ugly: The 114-76 loss for Denver vs. Boston on 2/23 tied the second-worst home loss in Nuggets NBA history, while it tied the third worst home loss in Nuggets franchise history as well. With the 38-point loss on 2/23, this is now the first time since 1997-98 that the Nuggets have suffered two losses of 38+ points during the same season (also lost by 44 at New Jersey earlier this year on 2/7).