Jan

7

West Out Guns Kobe, Hornets Sting Lakers 116-105

Posted by Jeff Sack under NBA Game Recap
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David West recorded a double-double including a game high 40 points, Chris Paul also was credited with a double-double, with 32 points of his own, the New Orleans Hornets shot 50.6% (39-77) from the floor for the game, and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night 115-106. The loss for the Lakers ended a 15 game winning streak on the Staples Center Court, Kobe Bryant scored 39 points in the loss. Los Angeles also saw their winning streak of 6 straight games fall by the wayside.

New Orleans opened up the game with a strong first leading the Lakers 32-26 at the end of the quarter. Kobe Bryant would knot up the game at 48-48 with 3:14 left in the second as he drained a 27 foot trey. New Orleans would grab back the lead but Bryant would hit a three point shot from 28 feet away at the buzzer to cut the Hornets lead to 61-56 at the half.

The reigning NBA MVP would hit a 27 foot trey with 35 seconds left in the third, to put Los Angeles on top 92-85, but the Hornets scored 4 unanswered points in the quarters closing seconds to cut the Lakers lead to 92-89 heading into the final 12 minutes of play. Rasual Butler would tie the contest as he drained a trey with 7:41 left in the contest and the two opponents were deadlocked at 99-99. With 5:33 remaining “Super-Sub” James Posey connected on a 25 foot three point shot putting the Hornets ahead at 107-99, and the Lakers never recovered.

David West had 40 points, grabbed 11 boards, and had 2 steals, while Chris Paul scored 32 points, dished off 15 assists, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals. Tyson Chandler returned from his 1 game suspension on Saturday night by putting in 12 points, and had 8 rebounds, Rasual Butler added 10 points, and 6 rebounds.

Kobe Bryant scored 39 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and 1 block, veteran Derek Fisher added 19 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. Lamar Odom came off the bench and put in 12 points, 3 assists, and 1 rebound, Pau Gasol had 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. New Orleans now has a record of 21-10, the Lakers are 27-6.

© Copyright 2009 thesackattack.net


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Jan

7

Celtics Road Malaise Continues, Lose To Charlotte In Over Time 114-106

Posted by Jeff Sack under NBA Game Recap
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“The Celtics will be on the road Tuesday night in Charlotte to face the Bobcats, if they lose there Boston fans may have reasons to be concerned.”

Got Them Low Down Sick Of The Cold My Team Hit The Wall NBA Blues

The swagger is gone from the Leprechaun those raised fists now held up palms wide open as if to signal “No Mas.” The Boston Celtics mascot now has a shiner under the eye he usually winks with, his hat battered, his clothes torn, after his team have lost 5 of their last 7 games all on the road, the latest occurring Tuesday night as the Celtics lost in over time to the Charlotte Bobcats 114-106.

On Christmas morning visions of NBA Finals danced in the heads of the “Green Team” after waking up with a 27-2 record. Since then Boston head coach Doc Rivers must be feeling like former Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Mora did when he was asked about his teams making the NFL Playoffs in 2001. Rivers would most likely respond to any talk of a return trip the Association’s Championship round by saying “Finals? Don’t talk about Finals. You kidding me? Finals? I just hope we can win a game on the road!”

I wrote last week after the Celtics flexed their muscles at home against the Wizards, that the cries that had gone on during the West Coast road trip were much ado about nothing. After back to back losses against clearly inferior teams, the New York Knicks Sunday, the Bobcats on Tuesday, I no longer can write that with conviction. Doc, it may be time to get the gentleman back from South Africa, and have him talk to the team about Ubuntu. This is between the ears, and Boston has to stop this slide now before it derails their season.

Charlotte was the hungrier team Tuesday night from the start holding a 28-23 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Bobcats were starting to feel more confidence when they would walk into the locker room at the half leading 53-47.

Charlotte would leave their offense in the locker room as they took the court in the third, and Boston had the game knotted up at 72-72 heading into the fourth. The Celtics looked like they had shaken off their lethargy with 8:57 left to play in the fourth, when Ray Allen shot one from the line giving his club an 84-77 lead. Bobcats point guard Raymond Felton put his team back on top at 88-85 with 6:39 remaining, when he drained a 26 foot trey. With 3 seconds left in regulation Paul Pierce hit a mid-range jumper tying the game at 97-97 and sending the contest into overtime. Rookie D.J. Augustin put Charlotte ahead for good as he hit a 26 foot trey breaking the tie, and giving his club a 104-101 lead with 2:28 left in the extra period. Boston never recovered.

Raymond Felton put up 25 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block, in the Charlotte victory. Gerald Wallace scored 23 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists, while D.J. Augustin added 20 points, 5 assists, and 1 rebound. Boris Diaw had 15 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 steal, Emeka Okafor recorded a double-double, 13 points, 17 boards,  and 3 blocks. Adam Morrison also chipped in 13 points, and 1 rebound.

Boston had a good night from most of their starters, but their bench was M.I.A. in this game. Paul Pierce lead all players with 28 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, while Ray Allen had 20 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals. Rajon Rondo scored 16 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block however the Celtics point guard committed 9 turnovers. Kevin Garnett recorded a double-double, with 14 points, 13 boards, 1 assist, 1 block, and 1 steal. Charlotte with the win now has a record of 13-22, Boston is 29-7.

© Copyright 2009 thesackattack.net

Jan

7

Sixers Run Rockets Out of Philly Win 104-96

Posted by Tyler Hutson under NBA Game Recap
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Coming into Tuesday nights game, the Philadelphia 76ers had just completed a road trip tour of Texas coming up short against the Spurs and Mavs.  This was all part of a six game road trip.  There was no question that the Sixers were ready to get back in their own confines of the Wachovia Center when they hosted the Houston Rockets. 

76ers coach Tony DiLeo had been preaching all week that the team needed to regain their fast break, “Run With Us” mentality.  The Sixers responded by defeating the Houston Rockets 104-96, putting their conditioning to the test, getting out in transition to score rapidly and often.

Andre Iguodala led the charge tying a season high of 28 points while picking off four passes as well.  “That’s the way we want to play,” Iguodala told the Associated Press.

The Brand-less Sixers have found themselves struggling to find an identity, and with Elton out, what a great time to revert to the old game plan and run the other team ragged with youth and exuberance. 

For the Rockets,  their response to the Sixers up-tempo play was definitely not what they had in mind.  Center Yao Ming had a rough time catching his breath often and found himself sitting out a good majority of the second half.  McGrady, Yao Ming, Von Wafer and Carl Landry all contributed 14 points for the Rockets.

Luis Scola had a great performance  scoring 18 points while grabbing 17 rebounds as well.

Sixers guard Lou Williams  spoke to the Associated Press after the ball game:  “We didn’t try and make any home run plays, We kept it simple, got the shots and won.”  Williams finished with 15 points and 8 assists in the win. 

Andre Miller added 9 points of his own complimented by 8 assists and 5 rebounds.  “It was a bigger win than just a ‘W’ from a morale standpoint,” Iguodala told the Associated Press. 

 Rockets will resume action on Wednesday when they travel to Boston to face the sliding Celtics.  Philadelphia will immediately travel to Milwaukee where they will face the Bucks on Wednesday. 

Jan

7

Balanced Scoring Helps Bulls Snap 3-Game Losing Streak, Beat Sacramento 99-94

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under NBA Game Recap
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The Chicago Bulls can be like the little girl with the curl - when they’re good, they’re very good; when they’re bad, they can be downright awful - as their three-game losing streak can attest to.  Fortunately for them, their opponent on Tuesday night was the abysmal Sacramento Kings, who had dropped 9 of their last 10 games prior to this contest.  It was an unusual contest where despite some good free throw shooting (33-of-36), it was the same free throw shooting that nearly cost the Bulls the game as they just got past Sacramento 99-94 at United Center.

The first half was nothing to write home about as Sacramento outscored Chicago 23-22 in the first quarter while the Bulls returned the favor, outscoring the Kings 27-19; Chicago would take to their locker room at halftime a 49-42 lead.  The Bulls held several double-digit leads during the second half yet the Kings would come back; a jumper by Chicago’s Larry Hughes made it 84-70 less then 4 minutes into the final period, but Sacramento responded with a 10-0 run, capped by a Francisco Garcia dunk.

Garcia would score again as the Bulls’ lead shrunk to one point with about 2 minutes remaining in the game, but Gordon would make 2 free throws and Hughes made 1-of-2 FTs, making it 93-89 with 1:01 left to go; Derrick Rose’s floater made it 95-91 with 33 ticks left on the game clock, but Kevin Martin made a pair of free throws with 21.9 seconds remaining.  The Kings immediately fouled Drew Gooden who made 1-of-2 FTs. 

After a timeout, Martin was fouled by Tyrus Thomas and would make 1-of 2 FTs to make it a 2-point game; Brad Miller grabbed the rebound after the last free throw was missed by Martin.  But instead of taking the ball back up, he passed the ball to Martin, who missed the shot - allowing the Bulls to hang on for the win.  Chicago’s leading scorer was Gordon with 24 points, 4 rebounds, an assist, a steal and 2 blocked shots while Gooden from off the bench added 18 with 10 rebounds and an assist; Rose pitched in, scoring 16 with 3 rebounds and 8 assists.

Sacramento was led by Martin with 29 points, a rebound, an assist and 2 steals while Miller added 18 with 12 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and 2 blocked shots.  Chicago (15-20) will play again on Friday as they continue their homestand, hosting the Washington Wizards on Friday while Sacramento (8-28) returns home to host the Miami Heat - also on Friday night.

Jan

6

Butler Scores 29 Second-Half Points, But Magic Holds Off Wizards 89-80

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under NBA Game Recap
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I think right about now it is safe to say that the Washington Wizards miss Gilbert Arenas immensely; sounds like a cop-out or an excuse, right?  In a sense it is, but they are a team that has the most incredible streak of bad luck this side of Oklahoma City (pun intended), not to mention the rash of injuries that make it very difficult to field a competitive team night in and night out - yet the show must go on.  Timeline is Tuesday and the venue is Amway Arena and unfortunately for the Wizards, their opponent is the Orlando Magic.

Neither team exactly shot the lights out, and the unexpected nearly happened as the Wizards’ Caron Butler scored 29 second-half points yet it wasn’t nearly enough as Orlando held off Washington 89-80 in a close contest.  Both teams shot OK in the opening quarter as the Magic outscored the Wizards 30-24, but the second period was night and day different as neither team could shoot the broad side of a barn; both teams combined to score a grand total of 22 - that’s not a typo - points in the quarter.  Going into halftime, Orlando took to their locker room a 46-30 lead.

The Magic led by as many as 17 in the third quarter but Butler took over for the Wizards in the period; he would help the Wizards get to within 70-63 going into the final frame.  The Magic opened the fourth quarter shooting 3-of-15 as the Wizards crept to within 83-80 in the final 2 minutes of the game; Nelson made a basket and Howard hit a pair of free throws, however, icing the win for Orlando.

Hedo Turkoglu led all Magic scorers with 22 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals while Howard added 15 with 16 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a blocked shot.  Washington was led by Butler with 29 points - all of them in the second half - with 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals while Antawn Jamison added 13 with 9 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal.  Orlando (27-8) plays again on Wednesday when they make the short trip to Atlanta to take on the Hawks while Washington (7-26) returns home to host the Toronto Raptors - also on Wednesday.

Jan

6

Fractured Hand Sidelines Anthony 3 Weeks

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under NBA Injuries, NBA News
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As was reported here at Slam Dunk Central yesterday, Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony injured his hand in Monday’s game against the Indiana Pacers; unfortunately for the team, ‘Melo will be shelved for at least 3 weeks as he suffered a broken hand.  Fortunately, no surgery is required; the Nuggets said that Anthony will be fitted for a removable splint.  More than likely, Renaldo Balkman will assume Anthony’s place in the lineup.

Jan

6

D-Ron’s Double-Double Leads Jazz Past Warriors 119-114

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under NBA Game Recap
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The more things change, the more they remain the same - as the old adage goes.  The Utah Jazz seem to be rolling on all cylinders, despite a knee injury to Carlos Boozer - who goes under the knife for arthroscopic knee surgery on Friday.  Enter Paul Millsap into the equation; he has basically picked up where Boozer left off.  In their game against the Golden State Warriors, Deron Williams and Millsap combined for 44 points, leading Utah to the 119-114 victory at Energy Solutions Arena.

Both teams shot well as they played fairly evenly as the Warriors outscored the Jazz 29-28 after one period; the second quarter was definitely more uptempo, but Golden State suffered a setback as Stephen Jackson left the game for good after he strained his hamstring late in the first half and Utah would take a 65-59 lead into their locker room.

Fast-forwarding to the fourth quarter, Corey Maggette - back after an absence of 15 games - made a pair of free throws to being the Warriors to within 108-105; Millsap then scored for the Jazz then blocked a shot whcih led to a dunk by Ronnie Brewer.  Brewer added a pair of free throws and then a 3-point play with 1:14 left in the game, giving Utah a 117-110 which sealed the win.

Utah’s high scorer was Williams with 25 points, 3 rebounds, 15 assists and a steal while Mehmet Okur added 20 with 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals; Millsap pitched in, scoring 19 with 14 rebounds, an assist and 2 blocked shots while Andrei Kirilenko added 15 with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and 2 blocked shots.

Golden State was led by Jamal Crawford with 28 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal but committed 5 turnovers while Maggette added 23 from off the bench with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal; Jackson chipped in 15 with 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals while Andris Biedrins recorded a double-double, scoring 14 with 17 rebounds, 3 assists and a blocked shot.  Utah (20-15) plays again on Wednesday when they host the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday while Golden State (10-26) return home to host the Los Angeles Lakers - also on Wednesday night.

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