The AP reports: Joe Johnson scored 25 points and Atlanta came from behind after a late Oklahoma City run to beat the Thunder 89-85 Sunday night and move to 5-0 on the season… Flip Murray keyed the Hawks’ comeback by scoring the first nine points in a 12-2 run, and Atlanta held Oklahoma City without a field goal for a 5-minute stretch to pull ahead… Marvin Williams added 16 points, Murray finished with 14 and Bibby scored 13 for Atlanta, which is off to its best start since winning 11 straight games at the outset of the 1997-98 season. The Hawks’ next three games are also on the road… Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 20 points, rookie Russell Westbrook scored 15 and Joe Smith had 14 points and nine rebounds.
Nov 9: Celtics 88, Pistons 76
The AP reports: Tony Allen scored 12 of his 23 points in the pivotal second quarter, lifting Boston to an 88-76 win on Sunday night… Allen Iverson finished with 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting with four assists and four turnovers… Ray Allen had 17 points, Kevin Garnett scored eight on 4-of-15 shooting and Paul Pierce added seven on 3-of-10 shooting. Rajon Rondo scored 13 points and Eddie House had eight points as one of four reserves with at least six points for the Celtics… Detroit’s Tayshaun Prince had 23 points and eight rebounds… Rasheed Wallace had 10 points on 4-of-17 shooting and 11 rebounds. Reserve Will Bynum added 11 points. Richard Hamilton, who was 0-for-8, scored just three points on free throws.
Nov 9: Clippers 103, Mavs 92
The AP reports: For the second straight season, Baron Davis’ team lost its first six games before getting that elusive first victory. Last season, Davis was with the Golden State Warriors. Now he’s with the Los Angeles Clippers, whom the Warriors beat a year ago to end their drought. “It’s pretty much the same feeling—a feeling of frustration,” Davis said Sunday, after getting 22 points and 10 assists in the Clippers’ 103-92 victory over the Dallas Mavericks… Foul-plagued Al Thornton got eight of his 17 points in the final 6 minutes for the Clippers, who had lost six straight against Dallas. Marcus Camby had 14 rebounds and 10 points. Tim Thomas sat out because of a sprained left ankle. Dirk Nowitzki, who missed the final two meetings with the Clippers last season because of ankle and knee injuries, led the Mavericks with 33 points and seven rebounds while Jason Kidd added nine assists and seven points. Gerald Green started at small forward and had 13 points and 12 rebounds in place of Josh Howard, who was sidelined because of a sore left wrist.
Nov 9: Knicks 107, Jazz 99
The AP reports: Jamal Crawford scored 32 points, and the Knicks toughened up defensively in the second half to end the Utah Jazz’s undefeated start with a 107-99 victory Sunday. Zach Randolph had 25 points and 14 rebounds for the Knicks (4-2), who moved two games over .500 for the first time since they were 16-14 on Jan. 1, 2005. Chris Duhon added 16 points, nine assists and five rebounds in a strong all-around game… Carlos Boozer had 19 points and 17 rebounds for Utah, which was trying to start 6-0 for the first time since the lockout-delayed 1998-99 season… Andrei Kirilenko had 18 points and Mehmet Okur 17 for the Jazz, who were opening a five-game Eastern Conference road trip.
Deron Williams may be back within days
By InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner
Utah Jazz point guard Deron Williams told InsideHoops.com he may be back on the court in a matter of days, not weeks.
Reports came out over the last day or two that he would miss 2-4 weeks. But after Sunday’s Jazz-Knicks game in New York, I caught up with D-Will in the hallway and asked about it. “it could be days,” Williams said about his hopeful return.
The Jazz were undefeated in the short NBA season until the visit to Madison Square Garden, where they have struggled in recent seasons.
Heat settle into rotation
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Ira Winderman) reports: The Heat seems to be hitting its stride with Udonis Haslem having settled in at center and Mario Chalmers at point guard. In addition, Chris Quinn has morphed into Jason Kapono. The question now is whether there is room for anyone else in what has grown into a tight, comfortable rotation, with Haslem, Michael Beasley, Shawn Marion, Dwyane Wade and Chalmers as the starters, and then Quinn, Yakhouba Diawara, Daequan Cook and Mark Blount off the bench.
Nov 9: Raptors 89, Bobcats 79
The AP reports: Chris Bosh had 30 points and 15 rebounds, and the Toronto Raptors pulled away late for an 89-79 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Sunday. Andrea Bargnani scored 18 points for the Raptors, including a key 3-pointer with less than six minutes to go that put them ahead to stay.
Jose Calderon added 13 points and Jamario Moon had 10 for Toronto, which snapped a two-game losing streak after opening the season with three straight wins.
Bobcats rookie D.J. Augustin scored 11 of his 14 points in the second quarter in helping Charlotte take a 45-40 lead at the break. Jason Richardson and Raymond Felton had 12 points each, and Jared Dudley 10.
Deron Williams out 4 weeks
The AP reports: Tony Parker will be out about four weeks with a sprained left ankle, a critical blow to the San Antonio Spurs, who are off to their worst start in 12 years. An MRI taken Saturday confirmed the injury to the Spurs’ star guard, who was hurt during a 99-83 loss to the Miami Heat on Friday — two nights after scoring a career-high 55 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Parker was driving for a layup when he rolled his ankle.
John Salmons nickname: Get Right
The Sacramento Bee (Martin McNeal) reports: Kings forward John Salmons earns the nickname “Get Right” for many reasons. As unique as his game is, he is solid offensively and defensively. As much as he holds the ball, he contributes when given minutes. However, Salmons gets this nickname because when he has the rock in his hands, he’s going to get right. It takes a certain ability to go where you want to go even when the defender knows where you want to go. Salmons uses his shake-and-bake fake to get right. He uses his jab step to get right. His head-and-shoulders pump fake is designed to get his defender off-balance. The defender backs up, and Salmons can take his jump shot. Or he can use the off-balance defender however he wishes to, yes, get right.
Hawks off to strong start
It’s too early in the season to focus on records or standings, but still, the Atlanta Hawks deserve praise for their 4 wins with no losses. All their wins were against decent or good teams: the Magic, 76ers, Hornets and Raptors.
They’ve been led by Joe Johnson, who has averaged 25.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game on 55.4% shooting.
Mike Bibby has played well, though he still needs to shoot better.
Flip Murray has provided a nice scoring boost, scoring 12.0 ppg.
Josh Smith, who isn’t scoring much but steals the ball, blocks shots and makes a difference on both ends of the court, has been decent, but will now miss the next several weeks due to a sprained ankle.
Al Horford and Marvin Williams have both started the season fairly quietly. But new Hawk Maurice Evans has provided nice scoring punch.