nba.1326vpoznanovic,
Izgleda da su nam već na samom početku Karići uradili ono što im prezime
kazuje. ;(( Od najavljenog prijenosa utakmice Chicago-Miami nije bilo
ništa, a koliko sam mogao da vidim prateći program i čekajući zvaničnu
najavu, nije dato nikakvo obrazloženje zbog čega. Ostaje da se nadamo da
će bar večeras dati snimku.
A utakmica je bila baš onakva kakva se očekivala, borbena i neizvjesna.
Miami je fantastično krenuo, ubjedljivo dobio prvu četvrtinu i u drugu
ušao kao ravnopravan protivnik. Tada stvar u svoje ruke preuzima Jordan.
Bullsi u završnici poluvremena uspijevaju da preokrenu rezultat, a
početkom treće i da povećaju razliku na čitavih 15 poena. Kad se činilo
da je već sve gotovo, Miami počinje da se vraća u igru. Na tridesetak
sekundi prije kraja dolaze na samo 4 poena, ali tu se i zaustavljaju.
Šampioni nisu dozvolili nikakvo iznenađenje. Epilog: Jordan 50, Mourning
33 poena, Rodman 22 (9 u napadu), Mourning 19 (8 u napadu) skokova,
Danilović veoma dobar iz polja - šut 5-7 (ukupno 15 poena), ali i 6
prekršaja. Uostalom, evo, pogledajte i sami.
nba.1327vpoznanovic,
CHICAGO (106) AT MIAMI (100)
CHICAGO
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
PIPPEN F 43 6-17 3-4 3 4 7 5 3 2 2 17
RODMAN F 41 0-3 2-4 9 13 22 4 4 1 2 2
LONGLEY C 30 4-7 2-2 4 3 7 3 1 2 2 10
HARPER G 27 4-8 0-1 1 2 3 3 3 0 1 10
JORDAN G 40 18-33 13-14 1 5 6 0 1 1 0 50
KUKOC 27 4-9 2-3 0 1 1 2 4 2 4 11
BROWN 11 0-4 0-2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0
BUECHLER 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
KERR 16 2-6 2-2 1 1 2 2 2 1 0 6
WENNINGTON 3 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
PARISH DNP - COACH'S DECISION
SIMPKINS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 38-88 24-32 19 30 49 20 19 9 11 106
(.432) (.750) TEAM REBS: 7 TOTAL TO: 13(22 PTS)
MIAMI
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
MAJERLE F 43 4-14 0-0 1 6 7 1 1 0 1 8
THOMAS F 27 3-6 3-4 2 5 7 1 5 0 2 9
MOURNING C 41 12-21 9-14 8 11 19 4 4 1 1 33
HARDAWAY G 38 6-15 5-5 0 2 2 3 1 1 3 18
DANILOVIC G 28 5-7 2-2 0 0 0 1 6 0 1 15
BROWN 26 3-5 0-0 1 3 4 2 6 0 2 6
ASKINS 9 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
GRANT 11 1-3 1-2 0 2 2 1 1 1 2 3
AUSTIN 6 2-2 0-0 0 2 2 0 0 1 1 4
LENARD 11 2-7 0-0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 4
PINCKNEY DNP - COACH'S DECISION
STRICKLAND DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 38-81 20-27 13 31 44 13 27 4 13 100
(.469) (.741) TEAM REBS: 8 TOTAL TO: 14(19 PTS)
CHICAGO 19 38 26 23 - 106
MIAMI 30 23 20 27 - 100
BLOCKED SHOTS: CHICAGO - LONGLEY, JORDAN, KUKOC. MIAMI - MOURNING 4,
AUSTIN 2.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: CHICAGO 6-19 (.316), PIPPEN 2-6, HARPER 2-5, JORDAN
1-2, KUKOC 1-1, BROWN 0-1, KERR 0-4. MIAMI 4-24 (.167), MAJERLE 0-8,
HARDAWAY 1-6, DANILOVIC 3-4, ASKINS 0-1, GRANT 0-1, LENARD 0-4.
TECHNICALS: CHICAGO - RODMAN, MIAMI - THOMAS.
OFFICIALS: RONNIE NUNN, BILL SPOONER, TOMMIE WOOD.
A - 15,200. T - 2:23.
CHICAGO (106) AT MIAMI (100)
Michael Jordan scored 50 points and Dennis Rodman grabbed a
season-high 22 rebounds as the Chicago Bulls remained unbeaten
with a 106-100 victory over the Miami Heat.
Jordan had double figures in all four quarters and has reached
50 points against 18 different teams. The eight-time scoring
champion scored 56 in a playoff game at Miami in 1992.
"The scenario tonight was perfect for a competitor," Jordan
said. "The club missed a lot of opportunities but I was in my
rhythm. I don't have to score 50 points every night for us to
win but we didn't get the normal support from our bench."
Rodman, who has won five straight rebounding titles, has pulled
down 41 rebounds in his last two games. Scottie Pippen scored
17 points for Chicago (4-0), which won its first five games last
season en route to a record 72 wins and an NBA championship.
"I get paid to take the bumps and grinds every night," Rodman
said. "When we're down, we never panic, we just keep on
playing."
The Bulls trailed 47-36 with 4:10 to go in the second quarter
before Jordan scored nine points in a 20-6 run that closed the
period. Pippen sank a three-pointer with two seconds left that
gave Chicago a 54-53 lead and Jordan stole the inbounds pass and
made another three-pointer at the buzzer.
Jordan and Ron Harper scored five points apiece in a 10-0 burst
that started the second half and gave the Bulls a 67-53 cushion
with 8:08 left in the period.
"It changed the momentum of the game," Jordan said. "We jumped
right on them in the third quarter and before you knew it, we
were up 13, 14 points."
"As a team, we worked too hard to get ourselves in a situation
where we're going to give a gift to the world champions with a
seven-minute run," Heat coach Pat Riley said. "They're too
good. They don't need any help."
Chicago led 84-73 entering the final 12 minutes, but Miami cut
it to 100-96 with 32 seconds to go on a hoop by Alonzo Mourning,
who had 33 points and 19 rebounds. But Harper had a transition
hoop to put the game away. Jordan had 12 points in the period.
Toni Kukoc scored 11 points and Harper and Luc Longley added 10
apiece for the Bulls, who shot just 43 percent (38-of-88) from
the field, including 18-of-33 by Jordan.
Tim Hardaway scored 18 points and Sasha Danilovic added 15 for
the Heat (2-1), who shot 47 percent (38-of-81) and took their
first loss of the season.
Miami fell to 5-32 all-time against Chicago, including a playoff
sweep last season. Hardaway told a newspaper that he was going
to avenge that loss tonight and apparently, Jordan heard about
it.
"He (Jordan) came out as a personal challenge from Hardaway,"
Pippen said. "Whether he admits it or not, he saw what was
written in the paper."
"I like facing their team and I like playing against Riley,"
Jordan said. "A team like this makes you ready for the
playoffs. My job is to make him disappointed."
Mourning scored 13 points as Miami jumped to a 30-19 lead after
one quarter. Jordan kept Chicago in it with 15 points.
nba.1328vpoznanovic,
DALLAS (84) AT DETROIT (103)
DALLAS
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
MCCLOUD F 31 4-8 3-4 2 6 8 2 1 2 0 11
MEYER F 15 0-2 1-2 2 2 4 1 2 0 1 1
MONTROSS C 22 2-3 0-2 0 1 1 2 3 0 1 4
KIDD G 30 4-9 2-2 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 12
JACKSON G 32 4-12 0-0 0 3 3 4 3 2 2 10
GATLING 28 6-13 0-0 2 3 5 0 3 0 1 12
MILLER 14 0-1 1-2 2 1 3 2 3 0 1 1
HARPER 19 2-5 0-0 0 2 2 3 1 2 2 4
MASHBURN 21 5-12 0-0 0 2 2 1 2 0 0 14
ROBERTS 4 0-1 0-0 1 2 3 0 0 0 1 0
DUMAS 12 7-10 0-0 1 1 2 1 1 1 0 15
STRICKLAND 12 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 2 3 0 2 0
TOTALS 240 34-77 7-12 10 23 33 21 22 7 14 84
(.442) (.583) TEAM REBS: 9 TOTAL TO: 14(18 PTS)
DETROIT
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
HUNTER F 39 6-15 0-0 0 5 5 3 1 1 2 16
LONG F 28 4-9 0-0 4 0 4 2 2 0 1 9
THORPE C 33 8-13 1-1 3 10 13 2 2 1 1 17
AUGMON G 33 3-4 6-6 0 3 3 3 2 3 2 12
DUMARS G 35 6-10 3-4 1 1 2 8 1 0 2 18
MILLS 23 3-8 0-0 0 4 4 0 2 0 0 7
SMITH 14 2-5 2-2 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 7
CURRY 19 2-4 4-6 1 1 2 0 1 0 1 9
MAHORN 8 1-5 4-4 2 4 6 0 1 0 1 6
WILLIAMS 4 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
RATLIFF 4 1-2 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2
HILL DNP - SPRAINED RIGHT WRIST
TOTALS 240 36-76 20-23 12 28 40 19 12 6 12 103
(.474) (.870) TEAM REBS: 9 TOTAL TO: 15(12 PTS)
DALLAS 22 17 15 30 - 84
DETROIT 25 23 23 32 - 103
BLOCKED SHOTS: DALLAS - MONTROSS 2. DETROIT - THORPE 2, AUGMON, RATLIFF.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: DALLAS 9-25 (.360), MCCLOUD 0-4, KIDD 2-4, JACKSON 2-6,
MASHBURN 4-8, DUMAS 1-2, STRICKLAND 0-1. DETROIT 11-22 (.500), HUNTER 4-9,
LONG 1-2, DUMARS 3-4, MILLS 1-3, SMITH 1-2, CURRY 1-2.
TECHNICALS: DALLAS - ILLEGAL DEFENSE 2, GATLING, DETROIT - THORPE.
OFFICIALS: DAVID JONES, RON GARRETSON, MARK WUNDERLICH.
A - 14,473. T - 2:00.
DALLAS (84) AT DETROIT (103)
Joe Dumars scored 18 points and Otis Thorpe chipped in 17 and 13
rebounds as the Detroit Pistons improved to 4-0 with a 103-84
victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Lindsey Hunter added 16 points for Detroit, which played without
star forward Grant Hill, who is nursing a sore right wrist. Hill
played in Tuesday night's win over Philadelphia and came out for
warmups, but changed into street clothes for the game. X-rays
taken during the game were negative and he is listed as
day-to-day.
"It is good to know that if Grant steps out, that there are a
lot guys to pick up the slack," Detroit coach Doug Collins said.
"We have got a very competitive group of guys, we are going to
play them all and see what happens."
Tony Dumas scored all 15 of his points in the fourth quarter to
lead Dallas, which has dropped three straight games since a
season-opening triumph at Denver. Jamal Mashburn chipped in 14
points and Chris Gatling and Jason Kidd each had 12.
"We played a good first quarter," said Dallas coach Jim
Cleamons. "I think during the second half, we were just
physically tired and spent from last night. But the Pistons
played last night too so I can't make that excuse. I am not
accustomed to nights like this, but in an 82-game season, these
nights will occur."
Dumars netted eight points in a 14-3 run to close the first
quarter and give the Pistons a 25-22 lead. Detroit scored 23
points in each of the next two periods, but held the Mavs to 32
total points as the lead was bumped up to 71-54 heading into the
fourth.
The margin remained at 17 points until Stacey Augmon had six
points in a 17-6 burst, which gave the Pistons their biggest
advantage at 97-69 with 3:43 remaining.
Augmon tallied 12 points for Detroit, which shot 87 percent
(20-of-23) from the foul line and 50 percent (11-of-22) from
three-point range. Detroit had won its first three games by an
average of just under seven points per contest.
"We sat down as a team and broke the season apart," said Thorpe.
"We wanted to start on a good note and we did that. Now we can
just take things one game at a time."
George McCloud contributed 11 points and eight rebounds for
Dallas, which shot 44 percent (34-of-77) from the field and 58
percent (7-for-12) from the free-throw line. The team was
outrebounded, 40-33.
"The ball is just not going in for us," said Kidd. "Tonight we
were on a cold streak. We have played some quality teams. We
are learning what it will take to be successful. It is just a
matter of time."
nba.1329vpoznanovic,
INDIANA (84) AT BOSTON (94)
INDIANA
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
MCKEY F 38 5-9 0-0 3 8 11 6 5 4 4 11
D DAVIS F 34 4-6 0-2 1 9 10 0 4 0 1 8
A DAVIS C 27 5-13 2-2 6 2 8 3 4 1 3 12
WORKMAN G 29 4-6 0-0 1 2 3 3 1 1 2 8
MILLER G 37 9-21 6-7 2 3 5 3 3 0 2 28
ASKEW 24 2-3 1-2 0 1 1 1 4 1 1 5
BEST 14 2-5 2-5 0 0 0 1 4 1 3 6
ROSE 20 2-6 2-2 1 5 6 2 1 2 5 6
DAMPIER 10 0-2 0-0 1 1 2 0 5 0 2 0
ALLEN 7 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
HOIBERG DNP - COACH'S DECISION
SCOTT DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 33-71 13-20 15 31 46 20 31 10 23 84
(.465) (.650) TEAM REBS: 3 TOTAL TO: 24(38 PTS)
BOSTON
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
WALKER F 21 2-10 0-2 1 3 4 2 2 1 3 5
RADJA F 37 11-18 1-1 6 5 11 2 3 1 3 23
ELLISON C 31 2-4 0-0 2 2 4 2 5 1 1 4
WESLEY G 43 7-10 3-3 0 2 2 6 2 2 4 19
FOX G 29 2-7 0-0 0 2 2 7 3 3 1 4
DAY 10 1-3 1-2 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 3
WILLIAMS 26 7-12 4-7 0 5 5 1 1 0 2 18
BRICKOWSKI 13 2-6 2-3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 6
BARROS 25 5-9 2-3 0 3 3 2 1 3 0 12
CONLON 5 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0
LISTER DNP - ROTATOR CUFF REPAIR
SZABO DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 39-80 13-21 9 24 33 24 19 11 15 94
(.488) (.619) TEAM REBS: 12 TOTAL TO: 15(15 PTS)
INDIANA 30 28 8 18 - 84
BOSTON 17 18 38 21 - 94
BLOCKED SHOTS: INDIANA - A DAVIS 3, D DAVIS 2, MCKEY, ROSE. BOSTON -
ELLISON 3, RADJA, WESLEY, BRICKOWSKI.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: INDIANA 5-15 (.333), MCKEY 1-1, A DAVIS 0-1, MILLER
4-10, BEST 0-1, ROSE 0-2. BOSTON 3-12 (.250), WALKER 1-2, WESLEY 2-2, FOX
0-3, DAY 0-1, BRICKOWSKI 0-1, BARROS 0-3.
TECHNICALS: INDIANA - ILLEGAL DEFENSE.
OFFICIALS: HUGH EVANS, NOLAN FINE, MIKE SMITH.
A - 14,467. T - 2:12.
INDIANA (84) AT BOSTON (94)
Dino Radja recorded 23 points and 11 rebounds and David Wesley
added 19 points as the Boston Celtics overcame a 23-point
halftime deficit to post a 94-84 victory over the Indiana
Pacers.
Boston trailed 58-35 at the intermission before outscoring the
Pacers, 38-8, in the third quarter. Eric Williams poured in 16
points and Radja had 13 over the decisive 12 minutes.
"That was a great feeling today in the third quarter, playing
defense," said Radja. "I knew someone would cover for me and I
was there for others. This is an Indiana team, this isn't like
Vancouver or somebody. This is a team which played in the
(Eastern Conference) finals."
Indiana remained close in the final period until Radja and Dana
Barros each tallied six points in a 12-3 run that gave Boston a
91-81 lead with 40 seconds to play.
Williams netted 18 points for Boston (1-2), which won for the
first time this season and made up for a 4-0 season sweep at the
hands of the Pacers last season.
"I think we needed a good half," said Williams. "We played
three halves about as poorly as you can play, the two in
Milwaukee and tonight in the first half. We had to go out there
with a gut check. M.L. (Carr) really got us pumped up in the
second half and got us to play real hard. Our team needed a lift
and I just tried to do anything I could to spark the team."
"You see what happens when you play good defense," Celtics
forward Rick Fox said. "Now it's up to us not to think we could
do that at any point in time. M.L. was probably the only one who
wasn't booing us or laughing at us. He could have joined in.
Nobody should have had to watch that basketball. It was
motivation enough being down by that much."
Reggie Miller scored 28 points and Derrick McKey had 11 and 11
boards for Indiana, which set franchise record lows with just
eight points in a quarter and 26 in a half. The eight points
are unofficially the lowest point total allowed by Boston in a
period.
"I don't know what lesson can be learned from tonight," said
Miller. "We got our behinds beat. I don't know if you can learn
anything from this. This is one of the worst losses I've ever
been associated with in this organization."
Boston scored the first seven points of the game, but Miller
netted 12 points in a 16-2 Pacer spurt that gave them a
seven-point advantage with 5:35 left in the period.
Newly-acquired Vincent Askew tallied five points in a 12-3 burst
to close the quarter and give Indiana a 30-17 lead.
The Pacers extended the gap in the second period and built their
largest lead of the game with 57.9 seconds left before halftime
when Jalen Rose hit a jumper to make it 58-32. Antonio Davis
and McKey each netted six in the quarter.
"It's kind of been the history of this team, we come out, get a
big lead and not understand how we got there and not continue to
play the same way," said Antonio Davis. "It's just something we
have to correct."
Antonio Davis had 12 points and eight rebounds, while Dale Davis
grabbed 10 boards for Indiana, which outrebounded the Celtics,
46-33.
nba.1330vpoznanovic,
LA LAKERS (78) AT CHARLOTTE (88)
LA LAKERS
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
CEBALLOS F 32 4-10 0-0 1 5 6 2 2 0 2 8
CAMPBELL F 24 4-14 2-2 3 6 9 1 4 0 2 10
ONEAL C 42 10-18 2-5 3 7 10 1 4 0 4 22
JONES G 39 7-8 0-0 1 0 1 6 4 0 2 16
VAN EXEL G 36 5-11 4-4 0 2 2 7 3 1 1 15
BLOUNT 22 0-2 0-0 1 2 3 0 1 0 1 0
SCOTT 18 1-3 0-0 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 2
FISHER 12 0-3 0-0 0 3 3 2 0 0 0 0
BRYANT 7 2-3 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 5
ROOKS 8 0-0 0-0 0 4 4 1 1 0 1 0
KNIGHT DNP - COACH'S DECISION
ROBINSON DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 33-72 8-11 9 31 40 22 19 1 16 78
(.458) (.727) TEAM REBS: 6 TOTAL TO: 16(19 PTS)
CHARLOTTE
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
MASON F 41 7-13 5-6 1 6 7 7 3 1 2 19
GEIGER F 39 9-20 0-1 6 4 10 0 4 1 2 22
DIVAC C 17 0-2 0-0 1 3 4 1 2 1 1 0
CURRY G 41 5-11 3-4 1 1 2 2 0 2 3 14
GOLDWIRE G 25 1-4 4-4 0 1 1 5 5 1 0 6
BURRELL 22 1-7 1-1 2 3 5 3 2 0 0 3
SMITH 23 5-9 4-6 2 1 3 7 2 0 0 14
ZIDEK 19 5-10 0-0 3 3 6 0 2 0 2 10
DELK 7 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ROSE 6 0-2 0-0 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 0
BOGUES DNP - SORE LEFT KNEE
RICE DNP - SPRAINED LEFT ANKLE
TOTALS 240 33-80 17-22 16 24 40 25 21 7 10 88
(.413) (.773) TEAM REBS: 8 TOTAL TO: 10(11 PTS)
LA LAKERS 18 23 26 11 - 78
CHARLOTTE 18 15 37 18 - 88
BLOCKED SHOTS: LA LAKERS - ONEAL 2, BLOUNT 2, CAMPBELL, SCOTT, ROOKS.
CHARLOTTE - BURRELL.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: LA LAKERS 4-17 (.235), CEBALLOS 0-4, JONES 2-2, VAN
EXEL 1-6, SCOTT 0-2, FISHER 0-1, BRYANT 1-2. CHARLOTTE 5-17 (.294), GEIGER
4-6, DIVAC 0-1, CURRY 1-4, GOLDWIRE 0-2, BURRELL 0-2, ZIDEK 0-1, DELK 0-1.
TECHNICALS: LA LAKERS - ONEAL, ILLEGAL DEFENSE, CEBALLOS, CHARLOTTE -
MASON.
OFFICIALS: DAN CRAWFORD, BOB DELANEY, TED BERNHARDT.
A - 24,042. T - 1:59.
LA LAKERS (78) AT CHARLOTTE (88)
Seven-footer Matt Geiger had 22 points, including a career-high
four three-pointers, as the Charlotte Hornets dealt the Los
Angeles Lakers their first loss of the season, 88-78.
Geiger, a four-year veteran who entered the game 8-for-27 from
three-point range in his career, fueled a third-quarter run that
gave the Hornets the lead for good. He also added 10 rebounds.
"We started out wanting to control the tempo and not have a
running game which is what the Lakers have been doing," Hornets
coach Dave Cowens said. "We came out ready to play 48 minutes
hard with no turnovers. It is hard to play a back-to-back game
like Los Angeles did tonight. They were fatigued and came in
thinking they had an easy win. Sometimes, it is all in your
mind."
After a basket by Elden Campbell gave the Lakers a 50-44 lead
with 8:22 to go in the third, Geiger scored seven points in a
13-3 burst as Charlotte opened a 57-53 lead with 5:23 remaining
in the period.
The Lakers pulled within one to 72-71 with 8:15 to go on a dunk
by Shaquille O'Neal, who had a season-low 22 points and 10
boards. But the Hornets scored the next 10 points, including
five by former Laker Tony Smith, to open an 82-71 lead with 5:35
left. Los Angeles got no closer than six points thereafter.
"It was simply a matter of Charlotte playing a very good game
and we didn't," Lakers coach Del Harris said. "You have to
credit Charlotte with thremendous energy. Their bench beat our
bench. We were totally out of rhythem offensively, our exclusion
was very weak. We didn't screen very well either."
Anthony Mason scored 19 points and Dell Curry added 14 for the
Hornets (2-1), who allowed just 11 points in the fourth quarter.
Charlotte won despite the absence of injured guards Glen Rice
and Muggsy Bogues. Rice has a sprained left ankle and has yet
to play this season. Bogues has been plagued by a sore knee.
Eddie Jones scored 16 points and Nick Van Exel added 15 for the
Lakers (3-1), who were coming off a road win over the New York
Knicks. Rookie 18-year-old Kobe Bryant had his best game with
five points in seven minutes.
O'Neal scored 12 points in the first half as the Lakers opened a
41-33 lead.
Campbell had 10 points and nine rebounds for Los Angeles, which
shot 46 percent (33-of-72) from the field and attempted just 11
free throws, making eight.
Smith and Dell Curry scored 14 points each for Charlotte, which
shot 41 percent (33-of-80) but made 17-of-22 foul shots.
"Defense is defintely the key," Smith said. "It was great. They
were behind us all the way. We made some great plays down the
stretch. I'm not here to play for the critics. I've got to come
in and go do the job and try to help the team however I can."
nba.1331vpoznanovic,
SAN ANTONIO (86) AT WASHINGTON (96)
SAN ANTONIO
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
ELLIOTT F 42 5-13 8-9 1 5 6 3 2 1 3 18
SMITH F 27 3-9 2-2 1 5 6 2 3 0 0 8
ANDERSON C 28 2-2 3-7 4 7 11 1 1 0 1 7
DEL NEGRO G 20 5-7 0-0 0 4 4 0 1 1 0 11
JOHNSON G 36 4-15 0-0 1 1 2 11 3 3 2 8
HERRERA 21 1-7 2-4 1 5 6 1 1 0 0 4
MAXWELL 28 5-11 0-0 1 1 2 0 3 1 2 10
ALEXANDER 12 1-4 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 3
D WILKINS 24 5-12 3-4 2 2 4 0 0 2 1 13
M WILLIAMS 2 2-3 0-0 3 0 3 0 2 1 0 4
KEMPTON DNP - COACH'S DECISION
W PERDUE DNP - FRACTURED LEFT THUMB
TOTALS 240 33-83 18-26 14 30 44 19 16 10 11 86
(.398) (.692) TEAM REBS: 6 TOTAL TO: 12(18 PTS)
WASHINGTON
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
HOWARD F 42 9-19 4-4 3 9 12 3 3 0 4 22
GRANT F 25 1-5 0-0 2 1 3 1 3 0 0 2
WEBBER C 40 8-19 6-6 8 13 21 4 4 0 2 22
CHEANEY G 25 6-8 0-0 0 3 3 0 3 1 1 13
STRICKLAND G 35 5-11 6-6 0 4 4 7 1 0 0 16
MURRAY 22 3-8 0-0 0 2 2 1 3 0 2 8
WALLACE 14 0-0 0-2 1 2 3 0 0 0 3 0
JACKSON 24 2-7 1-1 0 2 2 0 0 1 1 7
WHITNEY 13 2-6 0-0 0 2 2 3 1 1 1 6
FISH DNP - COACH'S DECISION
AMAYA DNP - COACH'S DECISION
WILLIAMS DNP - SORE LEFT KNEE
TOTALS 240 36-83 17-19 14 38 52 19 18 3 14 96
(.434) (.895) TEAM REBS: 5 TOTAL TO: 14(19 PTS)
SAN ANTONIO 23 24 20 19 - 86
WASHINGTON 26 17 27 26 - 96
BLOCKED SHOTS: SAN ANTONIO - HERRERA 2, SMITH. WASHINGTON - WEBBER 2,
WALLACE.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: SAN ANTONIO 2-15 (.133), ELLIOTT 0-3, DEL NEGRO 1-3,
JOHNSON 0-1, MAXWELL 0-1, ALEXANDER 1-3, D WILKINS 0-4. WASHINGTON 7-16
(.438), GRANT 0-1, CHEANEY 1-1, STRICKLAND 0-1, MURRAY 2-4, JACKSON 2-6,
WHITNEY 2-3.
TECHNICALS: SAN ANTONIO - ILLEGAL DEFENSE, WASHINGTON - ILLEGAL DEFENSE.
OFFICIALS: HUE HOLLINS, JOE BORGIA, KEN MAUER.
A - 17,110. T - 2:06.
SAN ANTONIO (86) AT WASHINGTON (96)
Chris Webber scored 22 points and grabbed a career-high 21
rebounds to lead the Washington Bullets to their first win at
home, a 96-86 triumph over the San Antonio Spurs.
Webber eclipsed his previous high of 20, set November 26th, 1994
against the Los Angeles Lakers. Gheorghe Muresan was the last
Bullet to grab 20 rebounds, getting 21 in a game last season.
Sean Elliott scored 18 points and Greg Anderson grabbed 11
rebounds for the Spurs (1-3), who were just 2-of-15 from
three-point range but ecliped 80 points for the first time this
season. San Antonio again played without injured All-Star
center David Robinson.
"I felt good tonight," said Webber. "I know I haven't rebounded
well, but tonight felt different. I know the first game I had
one and the second game I had nine. I am not comfortable with
the ball yet, but I hope it comes real quick. I have to take
advantage of them not having David (Robinson) and us not having
Gheorghe. I stepped it up, but I know I can still play better."
Juwan Howard had 22 points and 12 rebounds and Rod Strickland
added 16 and seven assists for the Bullets (2-1), who took a
70-67 lead into the fourth quarter, then held the Spurs to 19
points.
"We still can't take this team lightly without David, they are a
good team," said Webber. "We won the ballgame when we didn't
let them score in the fourth. This is the deepest we have been,
the healthiest we have been, except for Gheorghe. But he'll be
back next week."
The 7-7 Muresan is expected to be able to play on November 12th
when the Bullets host the Detroit Pistons.
Consecutive three-pointers by Chris Whitney and Tracy Murray
gave the Bullets a 79-70 lead with 9:22 to play. The Spurs
pulled within 79-74 on a pair free throws by Dominique Wilkins
midway through the period but got no closer.
"We got our perimeter people making threes tonight, which didn't
happen the first three games." Washington coach Jim Lynam said.
The Bullets, who held a 52-44 edge on the boards, helped
themselves by making 17-of-19 free throws. In an overtime loss
to Cleveland, Washington made just 12-of-28 foul shots.
Avery Johnson handed out 11 assists for San Antonio, which shot
just 39 percent (33-of-83).
"We have to adjust to our game without David right now and
tonight it just didn't work out," Spurs coach Bob Hill said. "We
just gave them way too many boards. In the fourth, our defense
was nowhere to be seen. We don't have any time estimate on when
we are getting him back so we have to bear down and make due
without him."
nba.1332vpoznanovic,
VANCOUVER (89) AT MILWAUKEE (105)
VANCOUVER
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
ABDUR-RAHIM F 31 9-20 0-0 0 4 4 0 3 0 4 18
MOBLEY F 20 2-2 3-5 3 2 5 1 4 0 4 7
REEVES C 36 1-8 1-2 4 7 11 3 4 2 3 3
ANTHONY G 30 4-7 4-8 0 1 1 7 2 1 1 12
PEELER G 26 1-9 0-0 0 2 2 4 2 1 1 2
ROGERS 16 3-4 0-0 2 2 4 0 5 1 4 6
B EDWARDS 26 7-13 4-5 0 0 0 0 4 1 2 18
MANNING 4 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
LYNCH 21 4-7 0-0 4 1 5 1 2 2 2 8
MAYBERRY 18 3-7 2-2 1 1 2 3 0 0 0 8
MOTEN 7 3-4 0-0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 7
CHILCUTT 5 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTALS 240 37-82 14-22 14 21 35 20 27 9 22 89
(.451) (.636) TEAM REBS: 8 TOTAL TO: 22(34 PTS)
MILWAUKEE
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
BAKER F 38 8-13 4-5 4 7 11 1 3 2 5 20
ROBINSON F 29 7-12 3-4 0 5 5 2 3 1 1 18
LANG C 20 1-4 0-0 1 7 8 0 3 1 1 2
ALLEN G 26 7-12 5-6 0 2 2 1 3 1 3 20
DOUGLAS G 22 2-7 2-2 3 3 6 8 1 1 3 6
NEWMAN 23 3-6 8-8 0 0 0 5 4 0 1 14
GILLIAM 32 5-13 5-7 5 1 6 1 3 3 2 15
HANCOCK 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
WOOD 14 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0
PERRY 26 4-8 0-0 1 2 3 6 1 1 2 8
WOLF 6 1-1 0-0 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 2
RESPERT 2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
TOTALS 240 38-77 27-32 14 30 44 24 23 10 21 105
(.494) (.844) TEAM REBS: 10 TOTAL TO: 21(14 PTS)
VANCOUVER 19 20 22 28 - 89
MILWAUKEE 24 26 23 32 - 105
BLOCKED SHOTS: VANCOUVER - ABDUR-RAHIM. MILWAUKEE - BAKER 2, ROBINSON 2,
GILLIAM.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: VANCOUVER 1-10 (.100), REEVES 0-1, ANTHONY 0-1, PEELER
0-2, B EDWARDS 0-1, MAYBERRY 0-3, MOTEN 1-1, CHILCUTT 0-1. MILWAUKEE 2-11
(.182), ROBINSON 1-3, ALLEN 1-5, DOUGLAS 0-1, PERRY 0-1, RESPERT 0-1.
TECHNICALS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: ED MIDDLETON, BRUCE ALEXANDER, GEORGE TOLIVER.
A - 13,689. T - 2:08.
VANCOUVER (89) AT MILWAUKEE (105)
Vin Baker scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and rookie
Ray Allen added 20 points as the Milwaukee Bucks cruised to a
105-89 rout over the winless Vancouver Grizzlies.
Glenn Robinson added 18 points for the Bucks (3-0), who are off
to their best start since going 7-0 in 1971, when they were
coming off their only NBA championship.
"We stayed focused throughout the game," said Chris Ford, who
has yet to lose a game as the Bucks head coach. "We knocked off
the first three teams like we should have. We have two great
offensive players in Glenn Robinson and Vin Baker, who draw
double-teams and give the other guys a chance."
Rookie Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Blue Edwards had 18 points each
for the struggling Grizzlies (0-4), who have lost their first
four games by a combined 78 points.
"Defensively, we were pretty good," said Vancouver coach Brian
Winters. "But it's hard to sustain defense if you don't make
baskets. I thought that we had good opportunities. We have put
the ball in the basket."
Vancouver also had trouble from the foul line, shooting 14-of-22
for 63.6 percent. The Grizzlies were also poor from
three-point range, hitting on only one of 10.
Milwaukee, which never trailed, went on a 10-0 run to open a
16-6 lead.
"This was a great win, but we've got some tough teams coming up
later this week who will really test us," said Baker. "We
haven't even played our best defensive game yet."
Baker's dunk concluded an 11-1 second-quarter spurt that saw the
Bucks take a 39-24 lead with 5:48 to go in the half. Vancouver
never got closer than nine thereafter and trailed by double
digits throughout the second half.
"Once you start winning games, you start believing that you can
win," said Milwaukee forward Armon Gilliam. "We've played good
basketball thus far. Teams will be looking to have a battle when
they play the Bucks."
nba.1333vpoznanovic,
Hill sits out Mavericks-Pistons game
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (Nov 6, 1996 - 21:30 EST) -- After taking part in
warmups, Grant Hill of the Pistons sat on the bench in street clothes
Wednesday night as a sore wrist kept him out of Detroit's game against
the Dallas Mavericks.
Hill originally sprained his right wrist in Detroit's season opener
against Indiana, and he reported soreness after an 83-81 victory over
Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
X-rays were negative, and the Pistons said his status is day-to-day.
Hill, a two-year veteran, averaged 23.0 points, 12.3 rebounds and 7.7
assists in Detroit's first three games. He was the only NBA player to
lead his team in all three categories last season.
Lindsey Hunter replaced Hill in the starting lineup.
nba.1334vpoznanovic,
Bucks may have some answers
MILWAUKEE (Nov 6, 1996 - 08:54 EST) -- There are two questions that
need to be asked about the Milwaukee Bucks:
1: Will they play defense?
2: What about Ray Allen?
Let us proceed with the second question first, since it is easier.
Young Mr. Allen, picked up in a trade for the Bucks' first-round pick,
Stephon Marbury, is a shooting guard, who, by all accounts, can
actually shoot.
The Bucks have been searching for shooting guards in the draft with
some regularity, but the drafted shooting guards have not been
shooting with all that much consistency. Todd Day, the Bucks'
first-round pick in 1992, now of the Celtics, never came close to
fulfilling his promise in Milwaukee. He also demonstrated an attitude
regarding defense that could best be described as carefree.
Last year, Shawn Respert was the equivalent of a first-round pick,
obtained in a trade. The Bucks, then and now, do not seem inclined to
find out about Respert by actually allowing him to play on a regular
basis.
At the very least, the law of averages is with the Bucks in the case
of Ray Allen. Also on their side is the fact that Allen is seen from
every quarter as a solid citizen. A team cannot have too many of this
sort in these difficult times. In fact, some teams cannot find any in
these difficult times.
You noted with distinct pleasure that, in his very first professional
appearance, a Bucks victory in Philadelphia on Friday night, Allen was
credited with three steals. The Bucks trailed the league in this
category last season, but then, you have to be somewhere near an
offensive player to record a steal.
So Allen, whatever else he accomplishes, could actually add something
to the Bucks' defense. That brings us back to Topic 1.
This is, we are told, a new day for the Milwaukee franchise. The Bucks
return only five players from last season, although when you lose 57
games, in might be argued that the appropriate number of returnees
would be zero. That group committed the one unpardonable basketball
sin: It didn't play hard often enough to matter.
But there is allegedly a new tone, a new ethic, a new emphasis under a
new coach, Chris Ford. The primary task at hand, everyone agrees, is
playing better defense.
This is good. Late, but good. This is a concept that has been missing
from the Bucks' efforts in recent seasons. There should be no more
waiting, no more excuses and no more matador defenses.
Milwaukee fans have been endlessly patient, probably patient to a
fault. They have endured a delayed rebuilding, a rebuilding, a
rebuilding that was taken apart in a win-now-at-all-costs movement
last season. That brought you, for instance, Benoit Benjamin.
This is a Milwaukee team with more talent than any since the high
times of the Don Nelson era. After all, Vin Baker and Glenn Robinson
are the forwards. Baker seems to be closing in on his potential faster
than Robinson, but there is no question that this is a special
frontcourt pair.
Between Sherman Douglas and Elliot Perry, point guard should not be a
crisis. And now, there is a center, Andrew Lang, who will at least be
willing to do the difficult work. No, they're not the Chicago Bulls,
but they ought to be a universe above the dismal level of last season.
After five straight trips to the lottery, the Milwaukee franchise is
in danger of becoming Clippers North. The individual addition of Ray
Allen, and the collective desire to guard somebody, could mean that
the seemingly endless cycle of No-D, defeat, No-D, defeat, might
finally be broken.
nba.1335vpoznanovic,
NBA Commissioner: More frequent games in Japan unlikely
TOKYO (Nov 6, 1996 - 10:48 EST) -- NBA commissioner David Stern said
today the league intends to keep coming to Japan as long as fans keep
filling the stadiums.
"This is a wonderful way for us to start our season," Stern said. "And
it's a symbol of the acceptance of the NBA globally."
Stern, in Japan for the New Jersey Nets-Orlando Magic games Thursday
and Saturday, noted that fan turnout has been rising each time the NBA
has played here since 1990.
"We played to a sellout crowd of 10,000 at the Tokyo Metropolitan
Gymnasium, then a sellout crowd of 16,000 at the Yokohama Arena," he
said.
This year, sellouts of 38,000 at the Tokyo Dome -- the largest stadium
in Tokyo -- are expected for the Nets-Magic games.
"It's not what you would call intimate," Stern said of the stadium
that holds as many as 60,000 when arranged for maximum seating. "Japan
has become a very important market for the NBA."
Stern acknowledged that since the road trip involves a great deal of
preparation and can be hard on the players, Japanese fans will
probably have to settle for games every other year.
"It is an extraordinary undertaking, with great effort and great
expense," Stern said.
Although the NBA is likely to stick with the current formula, Stern
said the door is still open.
"We are evaluating the possibility of playing here every year," he
said.
But the NBA has no plans to bring an all-star game to Japan.
"We think that would be neat and profitable," Stern said. "But we
think that is something our teams' cities should get."
The NBA became the first professional U.S. league to hold a
regular-season game outside North America when it held its initial
Japan game series in 1990. This year, NBA exhibition games were also
played in Berlin, Seville and Mexico City.
NBA games are regularly broadcast on Japanese television, helping feed
a boom in the popularity of basketball in Japan.
nba.1336vpoznanovic,
Lawyers say Rider will plead innocent
PORTLAND, Ore. (Nov 6, 1996 - 15:18 EST) -- Asserting a police report
was inaccurate, lawyers for Portland Trail Blazers guard Isaiah Rider
say he will plead innocent to a marijuana possession accusation.
Rider was cited last week by Clackamas County sheriff's deputies for
having a small amount of marijuana in a Coca-Cola can that had been
fashioned into a pipe. Possession of less than an ounce of marijuana
is not a crime in Oregon, and Rider faces a fine of no more than
$1,000.
Rider was an occupant of one of two cars approached by deputies whose
suspicions were raised when the cars stopped in a dark spot along
Oregon 43 and switched off their headlights.
A deputy said he found Rider with the pipe to his lips, lighter in
hand, in the back seat of one of the two cars.
Attorneys Bob Weaver and Ken Wittenberg said Rider will request a
trial date at his Nov. 18 appearance in Clackamas County District
Court. Weaver represented figure skater Tonya Harding in the Nancy
Kerrigan case.
Rider's attorneys did not say how they would dispute the police
report.
nba.1337vpoznanovic,
Kings lack effort for opening night
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Nov 6, 1996 - 05:42 EST) -- They were gathered
outside their dressing room, a tight little group of basketball
players bouncing on the balls of their feet, stretching their necks,
saying nothing.
Opening night is supposed to be bright lights, loud noises and sizzle
in the NBA, but for the Kings, it was time to close the eyes, hold the
breath and hope for the best.
Standing in the tunnel before their first home game of the season
Tuesday night, waiting for the introductions, the Kings were neither
nervous nor cocky. They weren't scared or obviously confident. They
were a collection of blank stares, a squad ready to accept whatever
fate the basketball gods were about to deliver.
That's the way it's going to be this season. The Kings say they are
eager to build on their most successful season since leaving Kansas
City, but they are a mixed bag of emotions, anxious and reluctant and
totally in the dark regarding their potential.
On the floor, crews were igniting fireworks, not the verbal or
emotional kind but real ones with black powder and smoke and booming
concussions. When the smoke cleared and the game began, the action was
much less inspiring.
There was Mario Elie, swingman for the Rockets, driving over Kings
forward Brian Grant for the first basket. There was Mitch Richmond
rocking back on his heels and scoring from the outside, a move for
which he deserves a copyright, and missing his next four shots.
Absent was a palpable intensity -- the hunger that characterized the
Kings in the early days last season.
Maybe the problem was the presence of the Rockets, an oversized, elite
team that brutalized the Kings 96-85 last Friday, when the clubs
opened the NBA season in Texas.
Maybe it was a bad taste left from the trauma of hearing Richmond call
his boss a liar. The incident -- Richmond claimed vice president Geoff
Petrie broke a promise to renegotiate a $3.5 million contact -- has
left a lingering smell at Arco Arena.
Whatever it was, the Kings were tentative and almost shy as they took
the floor. Their most spirited moments were provided by eager bench
warmers Tyus Edney and Michael Smith, who always seem to play as if
they will never play again.?
"The pot is still boiling," Kings coach Garry St. Jean said. "I don't
know what to tell you. I don't know what kind of team we have. The
other night in Houston, well, all I can say is Houston has a heck of a
team. Those guys are special.
"The next night in Dallas, we did a lot of good things. I was
especially happy with the way our bench played. But as far as anything
else goes, the rest of the season, I can't even guess."
From dumb turnovers to rebounds that slipped through fingers, from
poor shots to the failure to challenge on defense, the Kings are light
years removed from the modestly talented and competent group that won
39 games and reached the playoffs last spring.
"Look at our turnovers so far this season," St. Jean said. "The only
way I know how to compare those to anything are the penalties you see
the Oakland Raiders commit. It makes no sense."
The smoke from the fireworks cleared and the Kings roared into their
new campaign and fell on their faces. They scored 35 points in the
first half, a pathetic output that would shame many college squads.
Then again, college squads don't have to match up against Charles
Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kevin Willis and Clyde Drexler. But 35
points in one half? On opening night, when the energy levels are high
enough to bubble over and run down the aisles?
Scores have been low during the first weekend of NBA games, but it
will take more than 35 points per half for the Kings to compete in the
Western Conference. It will take a better start if the club hopes to
gain momentum and return to the playoffs.
Mostly, it will take the things the Rockets displayed -- teamwork and
confidence and trust that runs from management to the coaching staff
to the starting five and down the bench. Such are the qualities the
Kings thrived on last season, never minding that they lacked the
Rockets' world-class talent.
No one expects the Kings to win 'em all. But it won't be long before
fans ask whether the Kings believe they can win at all.
nba.1338vpoznanovic,
Bullets still trying to make a name for themselves
LANDOVER, Md. (Nov 6, 1996 - 07:24 EST) -- The Washington Bullets have
one last chance to make a name for themselves. Judging from their
offseason moves, they're aiming to go out with a bang.
The long-suffering Bullets are getting a makeover next season with a
new nickname, the Wizards, and a new arena. But they have already
remade their team with their deepest and most talented roster in a
decade.
They plugged their revolving-door point guard parade with proven,
albeit mercurial, Rod Strickland from Portland. They bolstered their
bench with sharpshooter Tracy Murray, versatile guard/forward Harvey
Grant and shot blocking specialist Lorenzo Williams. And they found a
glass-cleaning leaper in rookie free agent Ben Wallace.
But most importantly, they retained the team's emotional core,
All-Star Juwan Howard and rim-rattling, fan-favorite Chris Webber.
After missing 95 games the past two years with shoulder ailments,
Webber is relieved to finally be back.
"The past two days were really long and hard, " Webber said Saturday
after the Bullets overtime 98-96 loss to Cleveland. "They were full of
emotion."
After starting the season Friday by stunning the Magic, 96-92, in
Orlando, the Bullets (1-1) fumbled away their home opener to the
Cavaliers, missing 18 free throws. They entertain San Antonio (0-2)
Wednesday night at USAir Arena.
"We may not have been clicking in certain areas, but we gave it the
effort," Webber said. "Our offense is nowhere near as good as it's
going to get."
But it was full of flair in their first two games, especially above
the rim. Howard and Webber played keep-away with pinpoint alleyoops
and full court touchdown passes for slams and Strickland quickly
adapted to his new teammates, dishing out 15 assists with only three
turnovers. Still, with several new players, and Webber returning after
a 10-month layoff, Bullets coach Jim Lynam admits they are a long way
from where they want to be.
"I think the chemistry will improve as we go along," Lynam said. "Our
defense has been pretty good, but I'd like to see us get a little more
efficient offensively."
It's ancient history now, but the Bullets used to be very efficient,
and consistent. They had 12 straight playoff seasons from 1968 to
1980, including three NBA finals appearances, and an NBA title in
1977-78.
But recently Washington has been about as successful as attempts at
campaign finance reform. It's been nine seasons since they've made the
playoffs. 10 seasons without a winning record. 15 ??
nba.1339vpoznanovic,
The Phons slated for arthroscopic surgery
DENVER -- Denver Nuggets forward LaPhonso Ellis will undergo
arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Friday and is expected to be
out of action for three to four weeks.
He underwent an MRI on Wednesday, which revealed a significant amount
of chondromalacia, or roughening of the articular cartilage in the
knee. Team physician Dr. Steve Traina will remove loose fragments from
the knee.
Ellis, 26, has undergone two previous surgeries in his career. He
missed 76 games in 1994-95 because of a stress fracture to the patella
of his right knee, and sat out the first 31 games last year because of
a stress fracture in his left knee.
Both conditions were caused by bone cysts, which are not a factor in
the current injury.
Ellis is averaging 11 points and 5.3 rebounds in three games this
season. He played just two minutes in Tuesday night's loss to the Los
Angeles Clippers.
nba.1340seki,
-> #1326, vpoznanovicSE> Izgleda da su nam vec na samom pocetku Karici uradili ono sto im
SE> prezime kazuje. ;(( Od najavljenog prijenosa utakmice
SE> Chicago-Miami nije bilo nista, a koliko sam mogao da vidim
SE> prateci program i cekajuci zvanicnu najavu, nije dato nikakvo
SE> obrazlozenje zbog cega. Ostaje da se nadamo da ce bar veceras
SE> dati snimku.
Pise u "Politici", veceras (cetvrtak) u 22:10h na BK, Miami-Chicago.
Ognjen
nba.1341mileusna,
-> #1276, vpoznanovic>> But Hardaway had five points and Sasha Danilovic four as Miami
^^^^^
Simpatično. :)
nba.1342vpoznanovic,
ATLANTA (91) AT SACRAMENTO (87)
ATLANTA
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
LAETTNER F 45 8-19 7-9 6 6 12 2 1 0 3 23
CORBIN F 28 3-8 4-4 2 3 5 1 3 4 3 10
MUTOMBO C 45 9-11 4-7 5 15 20 0 2 0 5 22
SMITH G 37 5-15 5-10 0 2 2 4 4 0 0 15
BLAYLOCK G 46 5-15 1-5 2 2 4 7 1 1 1 14
BURTON 20 1-4 2-2 0 1 1 0 4 0 3 5
BARRY 13 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 1 2 2 0
NEWBILL 6 1-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 2
BOYCE DNP - COACH'S DECISION
HENDERSON DNP - FLU
LAUDERDALE DNP - COACH'S DECISION
RECASNER DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 32-74 23-37 15 30 45 15 17 8 17 91
(.432) (.622) TEAM REBS: 9 TOTAL TO: 17(12 PTS)
SACRAMENTO
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
C WILLIAMSON F 22 1-4 1-2 2 4 6 2 4 0 1 3
GRANT F 31 5-14 0-0 1 5 6 1 4 1 3 10
POLYNICE C 42 10-16 5-6 3 12 15 3 4 0 1 25
RICHMOND G 41 11-23 5-6 1 2 3 3 2 3 2 29
ABDUL-RAUF G 33 0-6 0-0 0 1 1 7 3 0 2 0
OWENS 25 4-7 0-0 1 3 4 1 4 1 1 9
SMITH 17 2-2 0-0 2 2 4 1 2 0 2 4
CAUSWELL 6 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
HURLEY 15 0-0 2-2 0 0 0 3 0 1 2 2
SIMMONS 8 2-3 0-0 0 2 2 1 5 0 2 5
EDNEY DNP - GROIN INJURY
GAMBLE DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 35-76 13-16 10 31 41 22 28 6 16 87
(.461) (.813) TEAM REBS: 5 TOTAL TO: 16(14 PTS)
ATLANTA 16 18 29 28 - 91
SACRAMENTO 21 24 20 22 - 87
BLOCKED SHOTS: ATLANTA - MUTOMBO 4, SMITH. SACRAMENTO - POLYNICE 2,
GRANT.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: ATLANTA 4-18 (.222), LAETTNER 0-1, CORBIN 0-2, SMITH
0-4, BLAYLOCK 3-8, BURTON 1-3. SACRAMENTO 4-6 (.667), RICHMOND 2-3,
ABDUL-RAUF 0-1, OWENS 1-1, SIMMONS 1-1.
TECHNICALS: SACRAMENTO - ILLEGAL DEFENSE 3, HEAD COACH ST JEAN.
OFFICIALS: JESS KERSEY, DON VADEN, MONTY MCCUTCHEN.
A - 17,317. T - 2:11.
ATLANTA (91) AT SACRAMENTO (87)
Mookie Blaylock hit a three-pointer with 74 seconds left in
regulation to cap a fourth quarter comeback as the Atlanta Hawks
defeated the Sacramento Kings, 91-87.
Sacramento had a chance to regain the lead trailing 87-85 with
12 seconds left. Mitch Richmond took the inbounds pass, took
two dribbles, pumped faked and took a three-pointer from the
left side which came off the rim and was rebounded by Atlanta's
Tyrone Corbin.
"I credit our defense tonight," Hawks coach Lenny Wilkens said.
"They allowed us to keep giving back a little at a time. Ty
(Corbin) came off the bench and hit those big free-throws for
us, Mookie hit a real big shot for us, and Dikembe (Mutombo) was
incredible."
Richmond netted 29 for Sacramento, including nine in the third
quarter, as the Kings (1-3) dropped to 0-2 at home.
Sacramento, which saw its 11-point halftime bulge dwindle to
just two after three quarters, struggled in the final period
that featured three ties and four lead changes.
"That loss hurt," said Sacramento coach Garry St. Jean. "I
thought we had a shot to win that game. We were in good
positions a number of times and we played well enough
defensively to win the game. Offensively, we failed to execute
down the stretch. When you go down to the last five minutes of
an NBA game, it is a question of whether you can step up and
execute and take advantage of situations that are on the floor,
and we didn't do it."
Christian Laettner scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for
Atlanta (3-2), which sank just 62 percent of their free-throws
(23-of-37).
"I'm on a better team now, we moved the ball around real well,
said Laettner. "My improvement is not really a matter of my
moving from center to forward, it is a combination of me being
on a better team and it is part of learning how to play the pro
game and being a little more comfortable."
Dikembe Mutombo dominated in the middle, scoring 22 points and
grabbing 20 rebounds, including five of Atlanta's 15 offensive
boards.
"This game I prepared myself much better than I did for the last
couple of games," said Mutombo. "My teammates came out and
looked for me down there in the end at that helped me also."
Mutombo added four blocked shots, highlighted by his 1,500th
career rejection at 5:16 of the first quarter.
"He was on the boards, down the stretch he got just about every
missed shot," Wilkens added. "He is an intimidating factor in
the middle. It is nice to have a big man, I have never had a
guy like that."
Olden Polynice finished with 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting and
pulled down 15 rebounds for the Kings, who attempted only six
three-pointers, making four of them.
"This was one of those games that we gave away again and that's
really all I can say," Polynice said. "We built a nice lead and
then they made a run which every team does in the NBA."
nba.1343vpoznanovic,
HOUSTON (110) AT DENVER (108) - FINAL IN OT
HOUSTON
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
BARKLEY F 38 6-12 3-5 4 11 15 5 6 2 5 16
ELIE F 37 3-5 3-4 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 9
OLAJUWON C 42 11-25 14-17 2 7 9 1 1 1 4 36
DREXLER G 40 5-16 1-2 4 2 6 9 2 0 2 13
MALONEY G 33 3-9 0-0 0 2 2 4 1 1 2 8
DAVIS 21 3-7 0-0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 8
WILLIS 25 2-6 3-5 2 5 7 1 0 0 0 7
MACK 13 0-2 1-1 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 1
MOORE 16 5-7 0-0 1 1 2 0 1 1 0 12
BULLARD DNP - COACH'S DECISION
HARRINGTON DNP - COACH'S DECISION
LIVINGSTON DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 265 38-89 25-34 13 29 42 23 17 5 14 110
(.427) (.735) TEAM REBS: 14 TOTAL TO: 17(21 PTS)
DENVER
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
D ELLIS F 47 11-26 5-6 6 8 14 0 0 2 1 33
MCDYESS F 30 3-11 1-2 3 9 12 0 6 2 2 7
JOHNSON C 37 2-3 4-6 4 7 11 1 6 1 2 8
JACKSON G 42 5-11 3-3 0 4 4 16 1 0 3 15
STITH G 31 5-17 4-4 3 1 4 2 2 1 3 14
THOMPSON 14 1-4 0-0 0 3 3 0 4 0 1 2
HAMMONDS 23 3-6 0-0 2 2 4 0 4 0 1 6
MARCIULIONIS 19 4-9 4-4 2 1 3 3 3 0 4 13
PIERCE 11 2-6 0-0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 5
MURDOCK 11 2-4 0-0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 5
HAM DNP - COACH'S DECISION
MCINNIS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 265 38-97 21-25 21 35 56 24 28 6 17 108
(.392) (.840) TEAM REBS: 11 TOTAL TO: 19(15 PTS)
HOUSTON 30 20 27 17 16 - 110
DENVER 29 23 19 23 14 - 108
BLOCKED SHOTS: HOUSTON - DREXLER 2, OLAJUWON, BARKLEY. DENVER - MCDYESS
2, JOHNSON 2, THOMPSON 2, D ELLIS, MURDOCK.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: HOUSTON 9-22 (.409), BARKLEY 1-3, ELIE 0-1, DREXLER
2-5, MALONEY 2-5, DAVIS 2-4, MOORE 2-4. DENVER 11-23 (.478), D ELLIS 6-11,
JACKSON 2-4, STITH 0-4, MARCIULIONIS 1-1, PIERCE 1-1, MURDOCK 1-2.
TECHNICALS: HOUSTON - ELIE, DENVER - HEAD COACH BICKERSTAFF.
OFFICIALS: JIM CLARK, BENNETT SALVATORE, GARY BENSON.
A - 12,137. T - 2:37.
HOUSTON (110) AT DENVER (108) - FINAL IN OT
Hakeem Olajuwon scored 12 of his 36 points in overtime as the
unbeaten Houston Rockets defeated the Denver Nuggets, 110-108,
to complete a perfect four-game road trip.
After Bryant Stith made two free throws to pull Denver within
99-96 with 3:58 left in overtime, Olajuwon scored Houston's next
10 points on four jumpers and two free throws to give the
Rockets a 109-103 lead with less than a minute remaining.
Both coaches agreed Olajuwon was dominant.
"As for expecting Hakeem to go off like that, we have seen it
happen so many times," said Houston's Rudy Tomjanovich. "And it
gets to a point where he is breathing pretty hard and looks like
he's tired, but he gets into a rhythm, a zone. That was just
amazing."
"Hakeem was the key, he had the answer," added Nuggets coach
Bernie Bickerstaff. "We got some pretty good shots and played a
good game. This can boost our confidence. We just didn't
convert down the stretch. I am proud of the guys and their
effort, but we have to sustain it."
Mark Jackson's three-pointer lifted Denver within 109-108, but
Houston's Mario Elie made one of two free throws for a two-point
lead with 16 seconds to go. But Denver missed a chance to tie as
Stith missed a 12-foot jumper from the right wing.
Olajuwon reaped the benefits of Denver's foul trouble after
starting forward Antonio McDyess and center Ervin Johnson each
picked up their sixth fouls in the final 90 seconds of
regulation.
"They had a lot of guys getting in foul trouble, so they didn't
have many guys to guard me," Olajuwon said. "In a close game,
the concentration level gets higher and I play better."
Charles Barkley added 16 points and 15 rebounds and Clyde
Drexler had 13 points for Houston, which improved to 5-0 and is
one of three unbeaten teams. Olajuwon added nine rebounds.
The Rockets have had a recent history of great success at the
outset of the season. Houston opened the 1993-94 season by
tying an NBA record with a 15-0 start en route to a world
championship. The following season, the Rockets won their first
nine as they won their second consecutive title. Last season,
they began 3-0.
Dale Ellis scored 33 points and pulled down a career-high 14
rebounds for Denver (1-3), which is winless in three home games
this season. Jackson scored 15 points and Stith added 14 for
the Nuggets.
"I don't think about the personal achievememt tonight because we
lost the game," Ellis said. "We had a chance to be one of the
best teams in the league. We put a lot into this game tonight.
We realize the potential of this team, with only five players
back from last year. Our team will take some time to gel."
The Nuggets were without starting forward LaPhonso Ellis, who
will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his ailing left knee Friday
and is expected to be out of action for three to four weeks.
Denver forced overtime as Jackson hit a running seven-footer to
tie the game at 94-94 with six seconds left and Ellis blocked
Drexler's shot as time expired.
Tracy Moore scored 12 points and Drexler handed out nine assists
for Houston, which won despite shooting 43 percent (38-of-89)
from the field and being outrebounded, 56-42.
"I think we are a pretty good rebounding team, but they kicked
our butts on the boards," Tomjanovich said. "We hung in there.
The `Dream' was phenomenal late in the game. It was a
hard-fought game, we feel very fortunate to get the win. Teams
get sky-high for us because we are a high-profile team."
Sarunas Marciulionis scored 13 points and McDyess and Johnson
grabbed 12 and 11 rebounds, respectively, for Denver, which was
held to 39 percent shooting (38-of-97).
nba.1344vpoznanovic,
MINNESOTA (94) AT PORTLAND (95) - FINAL IN OT
MINNESOTA
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
K GARNETT F 44 5-18 1-4 3 7 10 6 4 2 0 11
GUGLIOTTA F 43 10-22 3-4 2 9 11 2 5 2 2 25
VRANKOVIC C 26 2-7 0-0 1 2 3 0 4 1 1 4
WEST G 39 6-9 0-0 0 1 1 1 3 2 1 12
PORTER G 21 0-4 3-3 0 2 2 2 2 0 2 3
MITCHELL 29 5-12 4-7 3 2 5 1 4 0 2 14
ROBINSON 31 4-12 6-6 2 2 4 4 2 0 0 15
D GARRETT 13 2-4 2-4 2 4 6 0 1 1 0 6
CARR 18 2-5 0-0 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 4
HEAL 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MARBURY DNP - SPRAINED RIGHT ANKLE
PARKS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 265 36-93 19-28 13 31 44 16 26 8 8 94
(.387) (.679) TEAM REBS: 13 TOTAL TO: 9(9 PTS)
PORTLAND
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
C ROBINSON F 34 2-11 1-2 0 3 3 2 2 0 3 6
WALLACE F 40 10-13 5-6 1 4 5 2 6 2 4 25
SABONIS C 33 5-12 5-6 1 16 17 4 4 0 2 17
ANDERSON G 43 6-17 8-9 0 5 5 3 3 3 1 21
RIDER G 27 2-8 4-4 1 3 4 3 2 0 5 9
DUDLEY 20 1-2 2-2 1 3 4 0 4 0 0 4
MCKIE 32 2-4 2-3 3 3 6 4 2 0 1 6
TRENT 15 2-6 0-1 1 2 3 0 1 0 0 4
WINGFIELD 17 1-6 1-2 1 3 4 0 4 0 3 3
BUTLER 4 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
CHILDRESS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
JORDAN DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 265 31-80 28-35 9 42 51 18 28 5 19 95
(.388) (.800) TEAM REBS: 14 TOTAL TO: 19(23 PTS)
MINNESOTA 22 25 14 27 6 - 94
PORTLAND 25 25 23 15 7 - 95
BLOCKED SHOTS: MINNESOTA - K GARNETT 5, VRANKOVIC 2, GUGLIOTTA, D
GARRETT, CARR. PORTLAND - DUDLEY 4, SABONIS 3, C ROBINSON, MCKIE.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: MINNESOTA 3-11 (.273), K GARNETT 0-1, GUGLIOTTA 2-3,
PORTER 0-2, ROBINSON 1-3, CARR 0-2. PORTLAND 5-22 (.227), C ROBINSON 1-5,
SABONIS 2-5, ANDERSON 1-5, RIDER 1-2, WINGFIELD 0-5.
TECHNICALS: MINNESOTA - DELAY, ILLEGAL DEFENSE 2, GUGLIOTTA, PORTLAND - C
ROBINSON 2 (EJECTED).
OFFICIALS: BILL OAKES, DERRICK STAFFORD, SCOTT WALL.
A - 20,439. T - 2:42.
MINNESOTA (94) AT PORTLAND (95) - FINAL IN OT
Kenny Anderson's awkward 15-foot jumper as time expired in
overtime gave the Portland Trail Blazers a 95-94 victory over
the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Former Blazer James Robinson made two free throws with 18
seconds remaining to give Minnesota a 94-93 lead. Anderson
missed a jumper on the other end, but Portland maintained
possession with four seconds to play.
After a timeout, Anderson took the inbounds pass, dribbled from
the right wing to the foul line under heavy pressure, faked and
spun in the air before launching the winning shot.
Rasheed Wallace scored 25 points before fouling out, Anderson
finished with 21 and Arvydas Sabonis contributed 17 points and
17 rebounds for Portland, which has won 16 straight meetings
against Minnesota. The Trail Blazers have dominated the
all-time series, 27-2.
Tom Gugliotta had 25 points and 11 rebounds and Robinson added
15 points for Minnesota, which has split its first four games.
Kevin Garnett had 11 points on 5-of-18 from the field.
After falling behind 79-63 with 9:47 to go in regulation, the
Wolves began their comeback. They cut the deficit to 88-80 and
a three-pointer by Gugliotta pulled Minnesota within 88-83 with
2:45 left.
A put-back and a free throw by Garnett tied it, 88-88, with 73
seconds remaining. After a Portland turnover, Garnett missed
two awkward shots in the lane, but Anderson missed a jumper in
the final seconds of regulation to force the extra session.
nba.1345vpoznanovic,
NEW YORK (105) AT GOLDEN STATE (100)
NEW YORK
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
JOHNSON F 33 7-12 3-3 2 3 5 3 4 1 3 18
OAKLEY F 34 5-6 3-3 0 3 3 4 3 1 2 13
EWING C 38 14-20 5-6 3 6 9 3 4 1 5 33
HOUSTON G 34 2-10 2-4 0 1 1 3 3 3 6 7
WARD G 37 1-5 2-2 0 6 6 12 1 1 6 4
STARKS 30 5-8 5-5 0 1 1 2 6 0 5 17
WALLACE 16 3-5 5-5 2 1 3 1 2 1 1 11
B WILLIAMS 18 0-0 2-2 2 4 6 0 3 0 0 2
BROOKS DNP - DEHYDRATION DUE TO VIRUS
JONES DNP - COACH'S DECISION
MCCARTY DNP - COACH'S DECISION
H WILLIAMS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 37-66 27-30 9 25 34 28 26 8 28 105
(.561) (.900) TEAM REBS: 8 TOTAL TO: 28(35 PTS)
GOLDEN STATE
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
MULLIN F 29 6-12 2-2 2 0 2 4 4 4 0 16
SMITH F 43 10-17 5-6 3 2 5 2 2 0 5 26
FULLER C 37 5-9 4-4 1 1 2 0 4 0 2 14
PRICE G 28 5-9 1-1 0 0 0 6 1 2 4 13
SPREWELL G 39 3-11 10-10 0 2 2 9 4 3 6 18
ARMSTRONG 20 2-3 3-4 0 1 1 5 4 1 0 7
COLES 17 0-3 0-0 2 0 2 2 3 0 0 0
SPENCER 5 1-2 0-0 1 2 3 0 5 0 1 2
OWES 10 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 3 0 1 0
MARSHALL 12 2-5 0-0 1 2 3 1 1 0 1 4
KONCAK DNP - NOT WITH TEAM
ROYAL DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 34-72 25-27 10 11 21 29 31 10 20 100
(.472) (.926) TEAM REBS: 9 TOTAL TO: 22(15 PTS)
NEW YORK 28 16 29 32 - 105
GOLDEN STATE 26 22 25 27 - 100
BLOCKED SHOTS: NEW YORK - EWING 3, WARD. GOLDEN STATE - SMITH 2, MULLIN.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: NEW YORK 4-14 (.286), JOHNSON 1-4, HOUSTON 1-1, WARD
0-4, STARKS 2-5. GOLDEN STATE 7-19 (.368), MULLIN 2-5, SMITH 1-4, PRICE
2-4, SPREWELL 2-3, COLES 0-1, MARSHALL 0-2.
TECHNICALS: NEW YORK - STARKS, JOHNSON, GOLDEN STATE - SPREWELL, MARSHALL.
OFFICIALS: MIKE CALLAHAN, DICK BAVETTA, TOMMY NUNEZ.
A - 16,639. T - 2:19.
NEW YORK (105) AT GOLDEN STATE (100)
Patrick Ewing scored 14 of his season-high 33 points in the
fourth quarter, including six over the final 90 seconds, as the
New York Knicks rallied for a 105-100 victory over the Golden
State Warriors.
Ewing was 14-for-20 from the field and converted a three-point
play with 2:42 remaining to put the Knicks ahead to stay, 94-92.
The fourth quarter featured 10 lead changes and five ties, but
the Warriors managed only three field goals over the final four
minutes.
"You have to play with emotion," Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy
said. "We are learning as time goes on you have to play hard
and smart. I thought we played extremely hard tonight. You
really put yourself at a disadvantage when you turn the ball
over 28 times."
Larry Johnson added 18 points and John Starks had 17 to spark a
third-quarter comeback as New York posted its fourth straight
win over the Warriors.
"We just needed to get into it as a team," Starks said. "We
just weren't playing like we can play. We weren't reacting for
two-and-a-half quarters. I needed to come in and change the
flow of things."
Joe Smith scored 26 points and Latrell Sprewell added 18 and
nine assists for Golden State, which fell to 0-3 at home.
The Warriors had a 60-50 lead with 7:19 left in the third
quarter, but the Knicks closed the period with a 23-13 run as
Starks scored the final six points of the quarter. The run was
sparked by verbal sparring between Starks and Sprewell. Both
players picked up technical fouls in a 19-second span late in
the period.
New York overcame 28 turnovers by shooting 56 percent from the
field. The Knicks also held a 34-21 rebounding edge and
outscored the Warriors in the paint, 54-28.
"They're a good team and competitive," Ewing said. "They are
hungry just like we are. This is their home court, but we
showed a little more poise then we did the other night. It was
a tough game, but we got the win."
Led by Starks, New York's reserves outscored the Golden State
bench, 30-13.
Chris Mullin had 16 points, rookie Todd Fuller had 14 and Mark
Price 13 as all five Warriors' starters scored in double
figures.
nba.1346vpoznanovic,
ORLANDO (108) AT NEW JERSEY (95)
ORLANDO
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
ANDERSON F 41 6-13 0-2 2 4 6 3 2 3 2 14
GRANT F 27 6-11 0-0 3 7 10 2 3 2 2 12
VAUGHN C 23 3-6 4-7 1 5 6 0 2 1 1 10
HARDAWAY G 35 10-22 3-6 2 6 8 4 1 1 3 23
SHAW G 25 0-5 2-2 0 0 0 6 4 2 3 2
WILKINS 24 8-10 1-1 0 1 1 5 2 3 1 18
ARMSTRONG 19 3-4 0-0 0 1 1 6 1 4 2 8
SEIKALY 25 5-8 3-6 4 2 6 0 5 0 3 13
STRONG 19 2-7 2-2 3 3 6 0 1 0 1 6
SCHAYES 2 0-0 2-2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2
ROZIER DNP - COACH'S DECISION
SCOTT DNP - SORE LEFT HAMSTRING
TOTALS 240 43-86 17-28 15 29 44 26 22 16 18 108
(.500) (.607) TEAM REBS: 12 TOTAL TO: 18(20 PTS)
NEW JERSEY
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
OBANNON F 19 1-9 2-2 1 3 4 0 3 1 1 4
J WILLIAMS F 34 4-17 5-6 8 8 16 1 4 1 3 13
BRADLEY C 21 7-10 4-5 7 4 11 0 5 1 1 18
GILL G 37 9-16 4-4 4 3 7 7 0 2 3 22
PACK G 23 3-10 4-4 0 2 2 5 1 1 3 10
MCDANIEL 31 4-10 0-0 4 4 8 2 3 1 2 8
KITTLES 25 2-7 0-0 1 0 1 4 3 3 1 4
MASSENBURG 19 3-6 0-0 1 2 3 0 2 0 2 6
CALDWELL 10 0-0 1-2 1 1 2 0 1 1 3 1
REEVES 15 2-6 4-4 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 9
DARE 6 0-3 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
R WILLIAMS DNP - DID NOT TRAVEL
TOTALS 240 35-94 24-27 28 27 55 20 24 11 21 95
(.372) (.889) TEAM REBS: 5 TOTAL TO: 21(25 PTS)
ORLANDO 22 29 31 26 - 108
NEW JERSEY 22 27 22 24 - 95
BLOCKED SHOTS: ORLANDO - SEIKALY 3, SHAW 2, WILKINS, ANDERSON, GRANT. NEW
JERSEY - KITTLES 2, GILL, J WILLIAMS.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: ORLANDO 5-14 (.357), ANDERSON 2-5, HARDAWAY 0-2, SHAW
0-1, WILKINS 1-3, ARMSTRONG 2-3. NEW JERSEY 1-11 (.091), OBANNON 0-4, GILL
0-1, PACK 0-1, KITTLES 0-1, REEVES 1-4.
TECHNICALS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: ED T RUSH, BERNIE FRYER, JIM CAPERS.
A - 38,639. T - 2:01.
ORLANDO (108) AT NEW JERSEY (95)
Nick Anderson and David Vaughn keyed a third-quarter run and
Penny Hardaway scored 23 points as the Orlando Magic routed the
New Jersey Nets, 108-95, in front of a sellout crowd of 38,639
at the Tokyo Dome in the Japan Games.
The opener of the two-game set marks the fourth time the NBA has
staged regular season games in Japan and the first in the Tokyo
Dome. The contests also represented the first time either
Orlando or New Jersey played a regular-season game abroad. The
teams will play again Friday at 10:30 pm EST.
It was the first game for both teams since last Friday. The
Magic were beaten by the Washington Bullets, 96-92, and the Nets
lost to Cleveland, 90-77, on opening night.
Gerald Wilkins had 18 points and Anderson added 14 for Orlando,
which defeated New Jersey for the fifth consecutive time. The
Magic were without guard Dennis Scott, who did not play due to a
strained left hamstring.
Kendall Gill scored 22 points, Shawn Bradley added 18 and 11
rebounds and Jayson Williams had 13 and 16 for New Jersey, which
fell to 0-2. The Nets played without head coach John Calipari,
who stayed in New Jersey to await the birth of his third child.
Assistant coach Don Casey served as Nets head coach.
After Bradley hit a 12-footer to give New Jersey a 59-57 lead
three minutes into the third quarter, Vaughn hit a pair of free
throws to ignite a 22-4 run for Orlando. Anderson scored nine
points during the burst -- including seven straight on three
jumpers -- and Darrell Armstrong nailed a 17-footer to give the
Magic a 79-63 advantage with 3:40 left in the third. Orlando
held an 82-71 lead entering the fourth quarter.
"We just wanted to come here and win these two games," Armstrong
said. "That's what we are paid to do. The bench came out ready
to play and it paid off in the second half. If we can continue
to get production from our bench, we can get a lot of rest for
our starters...coming here, the fans were into the game. It
surprised me and it didn't surprise me."
Hardaway had 16 points and Wilkins added 11 as the Magic took a
51-49 halftime lead. The game was tied, 22-22, after the first
quarter.
Rony Seikaly, who was playing his first game with the Magic
since being acquired in a six-player trade from Golden State on
Saturday, scored 13 points and Horace Grant added 12 and 10
rebounds for Orlando, which won despite committing 18 turnovers
and being outrebounded, 55-44.
Robert Pack scored 10 points andf Gill handed out seven assists
for New Jersey, which shot 37 percent (35-of-94) and turned the
ball over 21 times.
nba.1347vpoznanovic,
SEATTLE (103) AT PHOENIX (98)
SEATTLE
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
D SCHREMPF F 38 6-11 3-8 6 7 13 4 4 0 3 17
KEMP F 36 4-9 8-13 2 5 7 0 6 4 7 16
MCILVAINE C 19 1-3 0-0 1 3 4 0 4 0 1 2
HAWKINS G 40 6-14 8-10 4 8 12 5 4 1 5 24
PAYTON G 40 11-22 1-2 3 1 4 7 4 5 3 25
MCMILLAN 22 2-5 0-0 0 5 5 4 2 1 1 4
PERKINS 24 3-6 3-5 1 2 3 0 2 2 1 10
EHLO 21 2-10 1-4 1 2 3 1 2 0 1 5
SNOW DNP - COACH'S DECISION
SPENCER DNP - COACH'S DECISION
STEWART DNP - COACH'S DECISION
WINGATE DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 35-80 24-42 18 33 51 21 28 13 22 103
(.438) (.571) TEAM REBS: 17 TOTAL TO: 23(30 PTS)
PHOENIX
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
HORRY F 21 2-6 2-2 0 2 2 4 2 1 1 6
MANNING F 40 8-18 7-9 5 6 11 5 4 2 3 23
KLEINE C 22 2-3 3-3 3 3 6 0 3 0 2 7
PERSON G 38 8-17 0-0 2 3 5 3 3 2 4 17
CASSELL G 35 3-13 5-5 2 2 4 8 4 1 3 12
FINLEY 27 4-9 0-0 1 1 2 2 3 1 1 8
CHAPMAN 23 5-9 0-0 0 3 3 3 1 1 3 12
GREEN 2 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
TISDALE 4 0-2 0-0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0
NASH 9 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 3 0 2 0
BROWN 16 3-5 6-6 0 5 5 1 3 0 0 12
DAVIS 3 0-0 1-4 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 1
TOTALS 240 35-82 24-29 13 29 42 27 29 8 19 98
(.427) (.828) TEAM REBS: 5 TOTAL TO: 19(20 PTS)
SEATTLE 30 22 29 22 - 103
PHOENIX 23 14 28 33 - 98
BLOCKED SHOTS: SEATTLE - MCILVAINE 3, KEMP, D SCHREMPF, PAYTON, PERKINS.
PHOENIX - MANNING 4, HORRY, PERSON, CHAPMAN.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: SEATTLE 9-33 (.273), D SCHREMPF 2-4, KEMP 0-1, HAWKINS
4-10, PAYTON 2-9, MCMILLAN 0-3, PERKINS 1-4, EHLO 0-2. PHOENIX 4-19
(.211), HORRY 0-4, PERSON 1-7, CASSELL 1-4, FINLEY 0-1, CHAPMAN 2-3.
TECHNICALS: SEATTLE - ILLEGAL DEFENSE, PHOENIX - ILLEGAL DEFENSE 2.
OFFICIALS: STEVE JAVIE, TERRY DURHAM, TONY BROTHERS.
A - 19,023. T - 2:18.
SEATTLE (103) AT PHOENIX (98)
Hersey Hawkins scored 24 points, including a pair of free throws
in the final 9.9 seconds, and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Seattle
SuperSonics held off a fourth-quarter run by the Phoenix Suns
for a 103-98 victory.
Gary Payton had 25 points and seven assists for Seattle (2-2),
which led by as many as 15 points late in the fourth quarter.
Danny Manning led Phoenix (0-4) with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
The Suns are off to their worst start since the 1985-86 season,
when they began 0-9.
"Now's a critical point for us," Manning said. "We don't have a
victory and it's easy to start pointing fingers. No one
individual on this team is playing exceptionally well. Before
any of us can point a finger or think about pointing a finger,
we have to look at ourselves. There's no dissension, we just
realize we have to come out and figure out a way to win."
Seattle appeared to have things in hand when Shawn Kemp hit two
free throws with 3:31 remaining in the game to make it 97-82.
But Phoenix then ran off eight straight points, concluding with
two free throws by Chucky Brown after Kemp fouled out with 1:43
to go.
It was 100-90 with 57.2 seconds left when Rex Chapman's
three-pointer cued an 8-1 run. Wesley Person put back a Danny
Manning miss with 15 seconds left to bring the Suns within three
at 101-98, but that would be as close as they would get.
"There's no need to be excited yet, we're just four or five
games into the season," said Kemp, who had 16 points, seven
rebounds and seven turnovers. "We've got to make better
decisions. We have to put together four quarters that are real
solid. But the decision-making made the game ugly. If you're
down by 20, you try to make the game ugly to get yourself back
into it. And tonight, they did. The ball started bouncing
around like popcorn. They made some shots, the players off the
bench came in and they got confidence. So we're not going to be
excited until we get things corrected."
Detlef Schrempf led the Sonics with 13 rebounds and 17 points.
"I thought we stunk," said Seattle coach George Karl. "We lost
our focus, we played like the scoreboard. We'd get a lead and
then we coast. It's a win and a good win for us, but in the
second half, there's not much to be happy about -- lack of
concentration, their mental focus.
"Phoenix puts a hustle team in the game early in the fourth
quarter, they run on us and because of lack of focus, it gets
them hustling. ... All of a sudden, there's energy in the
building and they make a three and it's a close game. We were
very fortunate to win this game," he added.
Person added 17 points for Phoenix, which shot just 42.7 percent
from the field and was outrebound, 51-42.
"We got some really good efforts tonight," said Suns coach
Cotton Fitzsimmons. "We just have to keep trying to find the
right combination. There's no doubt in my mind that trying to
find it has hurt us. We're just simply not shooting the ball
well. One of the areas that we always have a problem with is
the boards. We just need bigger people to play."
nba.1348vpoznanovic,
Dumars wins NBA sportsmanship award
Joe Dumars of the Detroit Pistons was named the recipient of the NBA
Sportsmanship Award on Thursday.
The NBA Sportsmanship Award will be presented annually to an NBA
player who best represents the classic ideals of sportsmanship on the
court, according to the league. Dumars is the first recipient.
Dumars won two NBA championships with the Pistons and is a five-time
All-Star during his 11 years with Detroit.
"Joe Dumars, universally respected by players, coaches and fans,
symbolizes the tradition that the NBA wants to recognize with the
Sportsmanship Award," NBA Commissioner David Stern said. "His style
and class on the court represent the epitome of sportsmanship, and
have set the standard for this award."
nba.1349vpoznanovic,
Hawks coach has already had a banner year
(Nov 7, 1996 - 07:36 EST) - If Atlanta Hawks coach Lenny Wilkens were
to stack the years of his incomparable basketball career on top of one
another like hardbound books, 1996 would obviously have the least
dust.
But when all is read and done, this year might still be sitting atop
the stack, as a quick leaf through the pages illustrates:
--On March 1, Wilkens won his 1,000th game, the first NBA coach to
reach that historic milestone.
-- On Aug. 3, he guided the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team to the
gold medal in Atlanta. It was a redemptive victory for Wilkens, whose
failure to make the 1960 Olympic team as a player represented a void
in his career.
-- Just last week, Wilkens was named one of the top 50 players in NBA
history by a panel of experts.
Certainly there have been other great years, such as 1995, when
Wilkens passed Red Auerbach to become the winningest coach in NBA
history, or 1979, when he coached the Seattle SuperSonics to a league
championship, or 1971, when he was named the most valuable player in
the NBA All-Star Game.
But the best part of this year for Wilkens is that it's not over yet.
Those are his favorite kind, and these Atlanta Hawks -- who play the
Kings Thursday night at Arco Arena -- are his kind of team.
"I love working with young guys who are responsive," Wilkens said.
"That's what drives me, and these guys are very responsive."
Atlanta's current roster features just one player -- point guard
Mookie Blaylock -- who was on the team when Wilkens arrived in 1993.
The Hawks traded for Steve Smith and Christian Laettner. They signed
free-agent center Dikembe Mutombo this past offseason.
Atlanta stunned Indiana in the first round of last year's playoffs and
looks even stronger this season. After losing their first two games,
the Hawks have won two in a row, including Tuesday's big road win over
defending Western Conference champion Seattle.
Despite all the personnel changes made on his watch, the Hawks haven't
had a losing record in any of Wilkens' three seasons.
"When I came to Atlanta, I didn't want to immediately make wholesale
changes," Wilkens said. "That's not good, to start out at the bottom.
If young players learn to lose, it's hard to teach them to win.
"We changed the team completely without going to the bottom. I'm proud
of that."
It wasn't until he broke Auerbach's hallowed record for career
coaching wins that many fans rediscovered Wilkens. But Thursday
night's game will be No. 2,007 of his coaching career -- after
participating in 1,150 games as a player.
"Lenny Wilkens is a credit to our profession," Kings coach Garry St.
Jean said. "He's not a guy out there tooting his own horn. He just
does it."
The honors are nice, to be sure. But coaching Dream Team III at this
summer's Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta was not his idea of a
relaxed vacation.
"As a coach, when you're involved in it, it's no fun," he said. "It's
a no-win situation. I didn't want to be the coach who lost the
Olympics in this country. But looking back on it, it was a tremendous
experience."
The satisfying part of being one of the NBA's greatest 50 players ever
-- Wilkens averaged 16.5 points over 15 seasons and twice led the
league in assists -- is that it reminds Generation X that the coach
played a little ball himself.
Coaching in an All-Star Game a couple of years back, Wilkens
demonstrated a particular move to Shaquille O'Neal. "Did you used to
play?" O'Neal asked Wilkens, who still chuckles about it.
"At this point in my career, my coaching overwhelms my playing,"
Wilkens said. "Today's young players don't have that sense of history.
A lot of them don't know how good Elgin Baylor was, or Oscar
Robertson."
They would if they looked it up in Wilkens' library.
nba.1350vpoznanovic,
Jordan's performance even makes Riley smile
MIAMI (Nov 7, 1996 - 14:48 EST) -- Michael Jordan sank another shot
that he launched near the Miami Heat bench, then ran back upcourt with
a smile of satisfaction.
Helpless witness Pat Riley also grinned.
"I've seen that so long," the Miami Heat coach said. "I think he does
it for my benefit now."
Jordan reaffirmed his greatness in a new season Wednesday night,
scoring 50 points to help the unbeaten Chicago Bulls beat the Heat
106-100.
Jordan reached the 50-point mark for the 36th time. He did it only
once last season, scoring an NBA season-high 53 points against Detroit
on March 7.
The 33-year-old Jordan, seeking his ninth scoring title, hiked his
average to a league-best 32.3 points through four games. Despite a new
$30 million one-year contract, he shows no signs of complacency.
Against the Heat, his incentive may have been a Miami newspaper story
Wednesday under the headline, "Hardaway wants to guard Jordan." In the
story, Heat guard Tim Hardaway said he relished the opportunity.
Jordan's reaction? He told teammates he expected to have a big night.
"He saw what was written in the paper," Bulls forward Scottie Pippen
said. "He came out as a personal challenge to Hardaway, whether he
admits it or not."
Jordan acknowledged special motivation, though he didn't specifically
mention Hardaway.
"This is a perfect game for a competitor like me -- on the road
against a team that is undefeated, a team we've done well against, a
team that is lying there waiting for you," he said. "I like playing a
team like this. They get us ready for the playoffs."
Miami (2-1) was swept by the Bulls in the first round of last season's
playoffs.
Chicago (4-0) can match the fastest start in franchise history by
winning Friday at Detroit. The Bulls started 5-0 last season en route
to a league record 72 victories and the NBA championship.
Jordan's latest scoring binge included turnarounds, fadeaways and a
3-point buzzer-beater to end the first half. He also made an
under-the-basket, back-to-the-backboard, over-the-shoulder shot that
most players miss in their dreams.
Even Jordan's teammates laughed at that one, and they've seen it all
before.
Heat fans have seen it all before, too. Jordan improved to 28-2
against Miami.
"I shot the ball well," he said. "I got out of the blocks quick."
Jordan scored the Bulls' first 11 points, and 15 of their 19 in the
first quarter.
"You never know what he's going to do," Riley said. "A lot of nights
he comes out and doesn't do anything but get his teammates involved.
Maybe he gets nine or 12 at the half, then he takes care of it in the
second half.
"This time he was committed to start quick. He was very
offensive-minded. Even when we double-teamed him, he scored. He's
simply the finest and the greatest."
nba.1351vpoznanovic,
Ellis faces surgery on Friday
DENVER (Nov 7, 1996 - 21:36 EST) -- Denver Nuggets forward LaPhonso
Ellis will undergo surgery to remove loose cartilage from his left
knee on Friday.
Ellis, who left Tuesday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers early,
will have the operation performed by team physician Dr. Steve Traina.
The loose cartilage was detected in a test on Wednesday.
"It's more of a cleaning than anything else," Ellis said. "I'm not
concerned about the surgery. I am more interested in getting back into
the lineup."
Ellis is expected to miss 3-4 weeks, much less than Denver officials
had feared. The fourth-year forward has missed extensive time with
knee problems over the last two seasons.
nba.1352vpoznanovic,
Barkley wants to go straight to the people
(Nov 7, 1996 - 08:12 EST) -- Rest easy Alabama. Sir Charles isn't
ready to throw his body into the political paint just yet.
"Politics is interesting for me," Charles Barkley said Wednesday in a
teleconference. "But I'll be honest with you, I don't really want to
work."
Nonetheless, the Houston Rockets forward does want to talk directly to
the people, with a Perot-esque twist.
"I would like to be on TV everyday and tell people to take control of
their own lives," he said. "Poor people, especially down South,
because of racism, have a lack of self-esteem and pride and they don't
push themselves to the limit.
"If I can just get on television I can tell them they can be
successful and they can be whatever they want to be."
Barkley is right where he wants to be with the 4-0 Rockets (going into
Thursday night's game at Denver) and sitting atop the NBA rebounding
chart with an eye-popping 21.7 per game.
"I think that's kind of exaggerated because of the Phoenix game (where
he nabbed 33 boards)," Barkley said. "But I'm going to try to have a
monster year in rebounding. I think my rebounding will improve this
year because every play's not coming to me."
After four years as the go-to guy in Phoenix, Barkley is happily
sharing the scoring load now with Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.
"Last year there wasn't a player in the league who was asked to do
more than me," Barkley said. "They asked me to get 25 points, 12
rebounds and play great defense. It was impossible. I'm not Superman
right now. I'm closer to Clark Kent some nights.
"The other night I played a monster game in Utah and only had nine
points. For me to only be able to have nine points and win is great. I
think that will help us in the long run where guys don't have to
dominate every night."
Barkley says Seattle is still the team to beat in the West but thinks
the Lakers may have the best players.
"They've probably got more talent than anyone," he said. "It's just a
matter if they can keep their egos and pride (in check) because
everyone can't play (at once)."
Barkley said he wouldn't be surprised if the Rockets were in the
running at the end of the season. And he wasn't surprised by President
Clinton's victory over Bob Dole.
"It went just like I expected," Barkley said. "But I didn't vote for
either one of them. Bob Dole is the same age as my grandmother and I
don't want her to be president."
nba.1353vpoznanovic,
Jury finds Miami Heat's Burnie liable -- for a lower fee
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Nov 7, 1996 - 20:12 EST) -- A federal jury on
Thursday ordered Miami Heat Ltd. to pay $10,000 in damages, ruling in
favor of a woman who said she was publicly humiliated by the team's
mascot at a 1994 exhibition game.
Yvonne Gil-Rebollo had sued for $1 million.
The charges stemmed from an Oct. 23, 1994, exhibition game in San
Juan, Puerto Rico, when mascot Wes Lockard, dressed up in his fuzzy
orange bird costume as the mascot "Burnie," dragged her onto the court
against her will.
Gil-Rebollo claimed she suffered severe mental and physical distress.
She claimed that Lockard bruised her arm and broke her purse strap
after he knocked her to the floor in front of 6,000 spectators.
Lockard said he "just wanted to dance" with Gil-Rebollo. She is the
wife of Francisco Rebollo, a Puerto Rico Supreme Court judge and the
sister of Guillermo Gil Bonar, the island's U.S. attorney.
"This was no case for that jury," an outraged Ana Bonar, the
plaintiff's mother, said of the eight-woman jury. "They clearly did
not understand the case."
David Efron, Gil-Rebollo's counsel, said he would appeal the decision.
"We respect the verdict," said a beaming Ricardo Casellas, the defense
counsel. "The plaintiff asked for $1 million and the jury showed what
they thought of that."
Lockard was all smiles Thursday but would not comment.
It was his second trial in connection with the incident at the 1994
game between the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks. In December 1994, a
local judge found Lockard guilty of aggravated battery against
Gil-Rebollo and fined him $300.
nba.1354vpoznanovic,
Karl worried more about his team than anything else
PHOENIX (Nov 7, 1996 - 07:48 EST) -- The Seattle SuperSonics hit the
floor at America West Arena in Phoenix at 6 p.m. PST Thursday to play
the re-tooled and mysterious Suns.
But Sonics coach George Karl suddenly isn't as worried about unlocking
the mysteries of other teams with his own club -- the defending
Western Conference champion -- struggling out of the gate to a 1-2
start.
"We just have to worry more about ourselves right now," said Karl, in
the wake of Tuesday night's 117-95 ambushing by Atlanta at KeyArena.
After the game, Karl said he wasn't sure his players had properly
"respected" Atlanta. But after watching film of the game, Karl said
Wednesday the effort was there.
"If we had done some things better, I'm still not sure we would have
won," Karl said. "They hit some tough shots. I thought we competed
hard, but we just had no confidence in our own game."
Karl said a few such games are inevitable in the 82-game marathon that
is the NBA regular season. But he was a little surprised that it
happened at KeyArena, where the team went 38-3 last year, and that it
happened so early in the season.
"It's a rude awakening," said guard Hersey Hawkins. "No one's happy
about it and no one should be happy about it. We all need to look in
the mirror and figure out why we didn't get ready for the Atlanta game
and make sure it doesn't happen again."
Karl said the Sonics simply need to get a few wins to get their
confidence back.
Thursday night would be a good place to start. The game is the the
first of a three-game road trip that continues to San Antonio on
Friday night and Sacramento on Monday, and the beginning of a stretch
of 10 of 13 overall away from Seattle.
And the Suns aren't anything like the team that Seattle fans once
loved to hate so much, now that Charles Barkley has been traded to
Houston.
Phoenix has seven players new to its roster from last year's 41-41
team, and will play Thursday night without injured guard Kevin Johnson
and center John Williams.
It's added up to an 0-3 start that included a loss at home Tuesday to
Minnesota.
"Their personality has changed," Karl said. "They have a lot of good
players, but it looks right now like they don't have a real definition
of who exactly will play what."
Phoenix went 5-3 in the preseason, then lost emotional games at Los
Angeles against the Lakers and at home against Barkley and Houston to
start the season. Then came the Tuesday night debacle when the Suns
lost for only the second time in 29 games against Minnesota.
The Suns are shooting only 40 percent from the floor and just 27
percent from the 3-point line. Typical starters so far have been Sam
Cassell and Wesley Person at guard, Robert Horry and A.C. Green at
forward and either Danny Manning or Michael Finley at center.
It could be a bad year for the Suns, but some figure that's what
management has in mind. Only Green and Manning are signed to deals
beyond this season, with Johnson expected to retire. The Suns could be
major players in the free agent market next summer.
HAWKINS TO PLAY: Hawkins put in a full practice Wednesday morning
despite still feeling some ill effects from the neck contusion he
suffered in the Atlanta loss when he was hit by Hawk Christian
Laettner.
Hawkins has started 300 straight games dating back to the 1992-93
season when he was with Philadelphia.
"My neck was stiff, but not to the point where I can't play or be
effective," Hawkins said.
In fact, Hawkins said he doesn't figure he can play a whole lot worse
than he has so far. Hawkins has scored only 20 points in Seattle's
first three games -- he was shut out against Atlanta -- and has made
only 7-of-18 field goal attempts.
"Maybe it will help," Hawkins said with a laugh. "I haven't been
shooting the ball that great so maybe having a stiff neck will help me
concentrate on the rim and knock some shots down."
nba.1355vpoznanovic,
Grizzlies coach, veterans need time to adjust to new roles
(Nov 7, 1996 - 13:54 EST) -- Brian Winters, the coach of the Vancouver
Grizzlies, doesn't often have a lot to say. He is a quiet man. So
given the time and care he must lavish on the younger Grizzlies, there
isn't much attention left over for the team's veteran players.
Consider the case of Blue Edwards. He is 31, with seven full National
Basketball Association seasons on his record. A year ago, Edwards
started at the shooting-guard spot in all 82 Grizzlies games and
hustled his way into the hearts of the city's new hoops fans. He was a
part of the team's preseason ad campaign. But it became clear last
month that Edwards had been demoted.
Anthony Peeler, who joined the Grizzlies in July from the Los Angeles
Lakers, took his job and Edwards is now Winters's sixth man, the
coach's choice when it is time to make the game's first substitution.
What did Winters tell Edwards about his demotion?
"Nothin'," Edwards said. "He has told me absolutely nothin'. Nobody
has said a word to me about it."
That is a potentially dangerous game of neglect. Winters is not
supposed to be simply a stopgap coach to take an expansion team
through the painful, formative years. He is supposed to be around when
and if the Grizzlies become a playoff team. Teaching is his strength,
and youngsters such as Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Roy Rogers and Bryant
Reeves must be taught. Abdur-Rahim, as gifted as he is, needs almost
constant coaching. But a successful modern coach also needs to have
open and active lines of communications with his other players.
The Grizzlies added half a roster of newcomers this season, most of
them with several years experience under their belts. The biggest
adjustment for them?
"I've had three or four guys come to me," one Grizzly said, "and
they'll ask me, 'How come he (Winters) never talks to me or says
much?' I just tell them, you know, it's hard for a coach to have a
one-on-one relationship with 12 guys."
A testament to Winters's coaching skills was the fact that the ragtag
Grizzlies were in the middle of the defensive pack last season in the
NBA. Fourteen teams allowed more points a game. And that is where he
is spending most of his time. Abdur-Rahim scored an average of 15
points in Vancouver's first two games, but the teen-ager was dreadful
defensively.
"I talk to him every day about it," Winters said.
"I take film clips out of games and show them to him so he can see
what he's doing wrong. You need to spend the time with the guys who
haven't been around, particularly the rookies."
Edwards, who will likely not be around when the Grizzlies become a
good team, was deeply disappointed by his demotion.
"Down inside it bothers me a lot," he said.
Plenty of court time will still come his way. He scored 16 points in
the horrible opening-night loss to the Portland Trail Blazers and then
ripped his teammates for not showing enough commitment. Edwards came
off the bench and scored 11 points Sunday against the Golden State
Warriors.
"My job was given to Anthony Peeler in training camp, and I expected
that move to happen," Edwards said.
"I don't like it, but I don't want to become a nuisance. But I would
like the coach to come up to me and say, 'I'm going to do this, I'm
going to do that.'
"It would have been nice for the coach and GM to say, 'Look, we're
going to play you at (small forward) this season,' or 'we're going to
bring you off the bench.' I'm more a small forward (than shooting
guard) anyway."
Blueprints for the Grizzlies' 1996-97 season suggested a struggling
start while the team knits together. That's why three losses will not
alarm anyone. Once everyone has blended, and once Abdur-Rahim is more
comfortable with the NBA, this is supposed to be a significantly
better team than it was last season.
Certainly, Abdur-Rahim seems a wise pick. He will learn to play better
defense, he will develop the strong perimeter shooting needed to be an
NBA small forward. Winters's investment in him will pay off.
Meanwhile, Winters himself will continue to learn in what is only his
second year as an NBA coach. The players say his knowledge of the game
and his attention to strategy and detail are outstanding. But in terms
of communications, the coach apparently still needs a little coaching.
nba.1356vpoznanovic,
Ukraine Train chugs into Cleveland
In Cleveland, the days of trying to ride a Hot Rod in the middle are
over. The Cavaliers realized that wasn't getting them anywhere.
Last year, they won in spite of their power game, not because of it.
However, after getting swept by the Knicks and Patrick Ewing in the
first round of the playoffs, the Cavs might have found an alternate
form of transportation to get deeper into the postseason. They have
boarded the train -- "The Ukraine Train," that is -- a sturdy
6-foot-10, 280-pound rookie from Kiev who steamrolled through his
first week in the NBA.
His name is Vitaly Potapenko (VEE-tal-lee poe-TAH-pen-koe), and if you
don't know how to pronounce it, you will soon. Though he's sharing the
center duties with 14-year veteran Mark West, the 21-year-old
Potapenko has gotten off to a terrific start. Through Cleveland's
first three games, he ranks fourth on the team in scoring and
rebounding and second in field goal percentage.
While three games does not a season make, Potapenko has flashed enough
raw ability to have Cleveland very optimistic. During the preseason he
ranked fifth on the team in scoring (10.1 ppg). More importantly, he
provides the presence in the paint the Cavs have been lacking. They
haven't had any kind of consistent offensive threat in the middle
since Brad Daugherty hurt his back during the 1993-94 season.
"The thing is, you have to be able to rebound to run the court," said
Cavs guard Bobby Phills. "When you have another big body that's able
to rebound like that, you're able to run and get out on the
fastbreak."
This optimism has been created by a player whom most people --
including some current teammates -- had never even heard of when
Cleveland made him the 12th overall pick in last June's draft.
"No, I really didn't know too much about him at all," Phills admitted.
That's because Potapenko grew up in Kiev, the Ukraine and spent just
two years playing collegiate basketball in the United States at Wright
State in Dayton, Ohio. Before that, he attended Kiev State University,
which didn't even sponsor a team. Instead, he played for a local club
team in the Ukraine. Despite his lack of publicity, though, Cleveland
knew exactly what to expect.
Playing in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, the wide-bodied
Potapenko was dominant. He started all but one game during his brief
Raider career, averaging 20.2 ppg and 6.8 rpg; he also led the MCC in
field goal percentage both years, finishing 11th nationally last
season.
Unlike many players his size, Potapenko also displayed a nice touch
stretching beyond 10 feet from the hoop; he shot 72 percent from the
foul line during his collegiate career.
"We liked a lot of things about him when we saw him in college, when
we saw him in the postseason tryouts and when we brought him in for
the workout," said Cavs coach Mike Fratello. "But that doesn't mean
anything. You've got to do it in this league. You've got to get here
and you've got to get it done on a regular, consistent basis, that's
the key."
And though the season is just a few games old, Potapenko has shown
that ability thus far. His skills become obvious from the time he gets
onto the offensive end of the floor. He has an array of moves in the
low post: he can spin to the baseline, he can power his way to the
middle, or he can burn an opponent with a face-up short jumper. He can
do all of that just as comfortably with his left or right hand -- and
that includes his hook which he can hit either way. However, he was a
bit tentative utilizing that arsenal in the preseason.
"In exhibition season he shied away a little bit from using the lefty
hook," Fratello said. "He tried to keep coming back to the right hand.
And we told him, 'If you're on the other side of the floor, use the
lefty, because you've got it and it's good.' And he's used it."
Potapenko took that "tongue-lashing" to heart. In just his second
regular season game, he lit up All-Star forward Juwan Howard and Chris
Webber for 22 points in a 98-96 Cavaliers overtime victory at USAir
Arena.
"I was impressed by his play," Howard said. "He's a tough guy with a
lot of good low-post moves. He's going to have a good future in the
NBA, but I don't know too much about him."
Ignorance is bliss
Obviously, Howard should have done his homework better. Potapenko's
display of quickness and ambidexterity against the Bullets' stars
might seem surprising, but the soft-spoken Ukrainian wasn't among
those surprised. That is, until after the game when he saw the stat
sheet.
"I've been working on my moves ever since (I was a kid), it's not like
they're moves I've never done before," Potapenko said. "After the
game, I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, I scored 22 points against Chris Webber
and Juwan Howard.' But during the game I wasn't thinking about it."
Potapenko's early season confidence can be considered a result of
fearlessness, but then again, it could just be a matter of ignorance.
"He doesn't care who's guarding him," Phills said. "The guy is from
overseas, so he doesn't know anything about no one. He doesn't care."
That's because Potapenko never faced an NBA All-Star before. Still he
has seen plenty of big men in his life.
"I'm always working out all the time. There were big guys in Ukraine,
guys you've never heard of, normal players -- they helped me," he
said. "Then I played in college. And all summer I played against
Georgetown guys and then in rookie camp against some other guys, it
helped me a lot."
And if Potapenko can improve upon or just keep up his early pace, he
might give the Cavs more help than they could have expected.
nba.1357vpoznanovic,
-> #1340, seki>> Pise u "Politici", veceras (cetvrtak) u 22:10h na BK, Miami-Chicago.
Utakmica je bila, a pred kraj su najavili direktan prijenos iz Houstona
u srijedu ujutro. Valjda ćemo ovaj put imati više sreće.
nba.1358vitez.koja,
-> #1326, vpoznanovic#=> Izgleda da su nam već na samom početku Karići uradili ono što im
#=> prezime kazuje. ;(( Od najavljenog prijenosa utakmice
#=> Chicago-Miami nije bilo ništa, a koliko sam mogao da vidim prateći
Nije bilo ni najavljeno, pogrešno si shvatio. Za ovu sam negde
pročitao da će biti samo snimak, a za sledeće (valjda) idu direktno.
sk
nba.1359mboban,
-> #1196, vpoznanovic=-= ako neko ima neki bolji predlog, neka kaže, uzeće se na razmatranje. :)
Verujem da bi svi lakše pratili događanja ako bi pre onih opširnih
poruka o utakmkicama (pojedinačne statistike, izveštaji) poslao jednu
poruku u kojoj su svi aktuelni rezultati i highlightsi. Sigurno znaš na
šta mislim, mislim na one kratke izveštaje koje si slao ranije i koji su
otprilike ovako izgledali:
Houston 108, Sacramento 99 (at Sacramento)
Charles Barkley (Hou) had 20 points and 11 rebounds
Hakeem Olajuwon (Hou) had 34 points including 13-15 FG
:
:
Houston outrebounded Sacramento 35-19
Atlanta 97, Toronto 94 (at Atlanta)
Dikembe Mutombo (Atl) had 18 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks
:
:
P.S.
Ove podatke sam kucao bezveze, svaka sličnost sa stvarnim rezultatima i
događajima je apsolutno slučajna. :)
nba.1360mpavlo,
HNA0545 4 SP 256 Hina Opci servis
NBA-IGRACI+SK 9/US US
PEDEST NAJBOLJIH NBA IGRACA SVIH VREMENA
NEW YORK, 29. listopada (Hina/Reuter) - Stotinu i sedam prstena prvaka,
vise od 400 izbora za All-Star utakmice i gotovo milijun postignutih
poena kolektivni je 'rezime' 50 najboljih NBA kosarkasa svih vremena.
Listu pedesetorice najboljih, koju su sastavili sportski novinari,
bivsi igraci i treneri te manageri i direktori klubova, sinoc je objavio
komesar David Stern prilikom proslave 50. obljetnice NBA lige.
Medu pedesetoricom ima jedanaest aktivnih igraca, koji su zajedno
skupili 49 nagrada za najkorisnijeg igraca, 17 nagrada novaka godine,
i 36 naslova najboljih strijelaca lige.
50 NAJBOLJIH NBA IGRACA SVIH VREMENA (po abecednom redu):
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (centar)
Nate Archibald (bek)
Paul Arizin (krilo)
Charles Barkley (krilo)
Rick Barry (krilo)
Elgin Baylor (krilo)
Dave Bing (bek)
Larry Bird (krilo)
Wilt Chamberlain (centar)
Bob Cousy (bek)
Dave Cowens (centar)
Billy Cunningham (bek)
Dave DeBusschere (krilo)
Clyde Drexler (bek)
Julius Erving (krilo)
Patrick Ewing (centar)
Walt Frazier (bek)
George Gervin (bek)
Hal Greer (bek)
John Havlicek (bek/krilo)
Elvin Hayes (krilo/centar)
Earvin Johnson (bek)
Sam Jones (bek)
Michael Jordan (bek)
Jerry Lucas (krilo/centar)
Karl Malone (krilo)
Moses Malone (centar)
Pete Maravich (bek)
Kevin McHale (krilo)
George Mikan (centar)
Earl Monroe (bek)
Hakeem Olajuwon (centar)
Shaquille O'Neal (centar)
Robert Parish (centar)
Bob Pettit (krilo/centar)
Scottie Pippen (krilo)
Willis Reed (centar)
Oscar Robertson (bek)
David Robinson (centar)
Bill Russell (centar)
Dolph Schayes (krilo/centar)
Bill Sharman (bek)
John Stockton (bek)
Isiah Thomas (bek)
Nate Thurmond (krilo/centar)
Wes Unseld (krilo/center)
Bill Walton (centar)
Jerry West (bek)
Lenny Wilkens (bek)
James Worthy (krilo)
(Hina) js js
301153 MET oct 96
nba.1361lexus,
-> #1359, mboban=> Verujem da bi svi lakše pratili događanja ako bi pre onih opširnih
=> poruka o utakmkicama (pojedinačne statistike, izveštaji) poslao
=> jednu
U stvari, tako bi sve moglo da stane u tri poruke.
Jedna poruka samo rezultati + rezultati po četvrtinama +
highlighti, druga poruka uz koju bi bio okačen fajl sa
rezultatima i izveštajima utakmica i treća poruka sa
fajlom u kojem bi bile poruke sa ostalim NBA izveštajima.
nba.1362dizel,
-> #1327, vpoznanovic** (.167), MAJERLE 0-8, HARDAWAY 1-6, DANILOVIC 3-4, ASKINS 0-1,
Pa Majerle bi mogao malo da smanji gas :)
Prodao je 4-5 lopti u trenucima kada je Čikago ušao
u pobedničku seriju! Tu seriju je trojkom prekinuo upravo
Danilović. Nije mi jasno zašto su toliko forsirali "Thunder
Dan-a" kada je Saši tako dobro išlo.
nba.1363schef,
-> #1360, mpavlo=- HNA0545 4 SP 256 Hina Opci servis
Možete li izostaviti ove izveštaje iz 'lijepe njihove'? Ako neko može da
skida sa Tanjuga, u redu, ali da čitam izraze tipa 'novak' (debitant) i sl.
nemam nameru.
nba.1364vpoznanovic,
CHARLOTTE (102) AT WASHINGTON (87)
CHARLOTTE
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
MASON F 43 8-11 1-4 3 7 10 7 2 0 0 17
GEIGER F 37 5-11 5-5 1 4 5 1 5 1 2 16
DIVAC C 19 2-6 1-1 1 6 7 1 2 1 0 5
RICE G 30 3-12 0-0 2 3 5 3 3 0 3 7
GOLDWIRE G 26 6-9 3-4 0 2 2 4 2 0 0 18
ZIDEK 9 2-3 0-0 0 3 3 0 1 1 0 4
BURRELL 20 0-4 3-4 0 2 2 1 1 1 1 3
CURRY 30 5-11 1-1 0 3 3 1 2 0 1 12
SMITH 23 7-9 2-2 0 4 4 4 1 0 1 20
DELK 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ROSE 2 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0
BOGUES DNP - LEFT KNEE TENDINITIS
TOTALS 240 38-76 16-21 7 35 42 23 20 4 8 102
(.500) (.762) TEAM REBS: 8 TOTAL TO: 10(10 PTS)
WASHINGTON
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
WEBBER F 36 9-20 1-3 4 10 14 2 4 0 2 19
GRANT F 19 1-4 0-0 2 6 8 1 1 0 0 2
HOWARD C 37 6-23 2-4 6 2 8 5 5 1 0 14
CHEANEY G 25 3-7 0-2 0 1 1 2 5 1 0 6
STRICKLAND G 33 7-12 0-0 2 3 5 6 1 2 3 14
JACKSON 21 4-10 2-2 2 0 2 2 2 0 0 11
WALLACE 21 2-2 2-4 8 2 10 1 1 0 1 6
MURRAY 29 2-11 0-0 0 4 4 0 2 1 1 6
WHITNEY 17 3-7 2-3 1 1 2 2 0 0 0 9
AMAYA 2 0-3 0-0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
FISH DNP - COACH'S DECISION
WILLIAMS DNP - ON INJURED LIST
TOTALS 240 37-99 9-18 25 30 55 22 21 5 7 87
(.374) (.500) TEAM REBS: 9 TOTAL TO: 7(7 PTS)
CHARLOTTE 25 22 25 30 - 102
WASHINGTON 21 23 18 25 - 87
BLOCKED SHOTS: CHARLOTTE - SMITH, BURRELL, RICE, MASON. WASHINGTON -
WEBBER 2, MURRAY.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: CHARLOTTE 10-21 (.476), GEIGER 1-1, RICE 1-3, GOLDWIRE
3-6, BURRELL 0-3, CURRY 1-3, SMITH 4-5. WASHINGTON 4-15 (.267), WEBBER
0-1, STRICKLAND 0-2, JACKSON 1-3, MURRAY 2-6, WHITNEY 1-3.
TECHNICALS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: HUGH EVANS, NOLAN FINE, MIKE SMITH.
A - 18,756. T - 2:01.
CHARLOTTE (102) AT WASHINGTON (87)
Tony Smith scored a career-high 20 points and Anthony Mason
added 17 points and 10 rebounds as the Charlotte Hornets posted
their first road win of the season, defeating the Washington
Bullets, 102-87.
Smith, a six-year veteran, had all his points through three
quarters as the Hornets built a 72-62 advantage. After a bucket
by Tracy Murray brought the Bullets within nine with just under
11 minutes left in regulation, Charlotte dominated the rest of
the game.
"Our defense and rebounds won us this game," said Smith, who
played only 23 minutes. "I just tried to take my shots and I
was lucky enough for them to go in."
"It was real good ballhandling tonight," added Hornets coach
Dave Cowens after the teams combined for just 15 turnovers.
"Our defense played superbly. Tony is that type of guy, a guy
you don't expect to get the ball. It was a quiet 20."
Matt Geiger added 16 points and Dell Curry had 12 for the
Hornets, who have won three of their first four games.
Chris Webber had 19 points and Rod Strickland and Juwan Howard
added 14 apiece for the Bullets, who made just 37-of-99 field
goal attempts. Washington has dropped four of its last five
meetings with Charlotte.
"It was one of those nights," said Bullets coach Jim Lynam.
"They were real good and we had trouble making good shots. You
can't beat yourself for missing shots. Taking them is what you
are supposed to do. They were just not falling."
Mason made 8-of-11 shots in addition to handing out seven
assists without a turnover. Anthony Goldwire made 6-of-9 shots
for 18 points in 26 minutes. Overall, the Hornets had 23 assists
against just eight turnovers.
Washington's Juwan Howard had one of his worst shooting nights
as a pro, going 6-for-23. Murray was 2-of-11 from the floor as
Washington outrebounded Charlotte, 55-42.
nba.1365vpoznanovic,
CHICAGO (98) AT DETROIT (80)
CHICAGO
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
PIPPEN F 41 6-12 2-4 1 5 6 6 2 2 2 16
RODMAN F 40 3-5 0-0 4 16 20 3 3 0 1 6
LONGLEY C 20 5-6 6-6 2 2 4 2 4 0 4 16
HARPER G 18 3-7 0-0 0 2 2 2 3 1 2 8
JORDAN G 36 6-14 2-2 1 3 4 8 3 1 0 15
KUKOC 29 6-15 4-6 1 2 3 2 1 3 0 16
KERR 30 4-6 1-1 1 3 4 2 0 1 0 12
PARISH 8 2-2 0-0 2 1 3 0 1 0 1 4
BUECHLER 10 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
SIMPKINS 4 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
BROWN 4 0-2 2-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
WENNINGTON DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 36-73 17-21 12 34 46 25 17 8 10 98
(.493) (.810) TEAM REBS: 4 TOTAL TO: 11(10 PTS)
DETROIT
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
HILL F 38 9-19 3-6 1 5 6 5 3 0 3 21
LONG F 25 2-4 4-4 1 3 4 1 2 0 2 8
THORPE C 25 2-6 0-0 0 2 2 0 2 0 4 4
AUGMON G 28 4-9 0-0 3 3 6 1 1 1 2 8
DUMARS G 33 8-12 0-1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 22
HUNTER 34 1-7 1-2 0 2 2 1 3 0 0 3
MAHORN 11 1-2 0-1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2
MILLS 14 2-8 0-0 3 3 6 0 1 0 1 5
CURRY 20 1-2 0-0 1 2 3 0 4 0 1 2
RATLIFF 8 1-4 0-0 1 2 3 0 1 0 0 2
SMITH 4 1-2 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 3
WILLIAMS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 32-75 8-14 10 23 33 9 18 1 14 80
(.427) (.571) TEAM REBS: 7 TOTAL TO: 14(13 PTS)
CHICAGO 30 19 25 24 - 98
DETROIT 24 18 17 21 - 80
BLOCKED SHOTS: CHICAGO - LONGLEY, KUKOC. DETROIT - RATLIFF 2.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: CHICAGO 9-24 (.375), PIPPEN 2-6, HARPER 2-6, JORDAN
1-3, KUKOC 0-3, KERR 3-4, BUECHLER 1-2. DETROIT 8-15 (.533), DUMARS 6-7,
HUNTER 0-3, MILLS 1-3, SMITH 1-2.
TECHNICALS: DETROIT - MILLS.
OFFICIALS: JOE CRAWFORD, BRUCE ALEXANDER, LUIS GRILLO.
A - 21,454. T - 1:57.
CHICAGO (98) AT DETROIT (80)
Ron Harper drilled a pair of three-pointers in a third-quarter
run and Toni Kukoc, Scottie Pippen and Luc Longley scored 16
points apiece as the Chicago Bulls matched the best start in
franchise history with a 98-80 victory over the Detroit Pistons
in a battle of Central Division unbeatens.
Michael Jordan added 15 points and eight assists for the Bulls,
who are 5-0 for the second time in as many seasons. Chicago
also extended its winning streak over the Pistons to 17 games,
including nine in a row at the Palace in Auburn Hills.
"We're like two ships passing in the night," said Jordan.
"They're trying to head back in the direction where we are. A
game like this is a learning experience for them. They never
got a chance to establish an inside game. That puts a lot of
pressure on Grant (Hill) and Joe (Dumars), that's where they
miss Allan Houston at the number two guard."
"Obviously we were overmatched in a lot of different ways,"
said Pistons coach Doug Collins. "It was sort of a miracle that
we were down seven at half. Championships, they have grown, and
they're a great team. They could be one of the greatest all-time
teams, if not the greatest."
Joe Dumars scored 22 points for Detroit and Grant Hill, who sat
out Wednesday's game with a sore wrist, added 21. The Pistons
entered the game allowing just 83 points per game, the
second-best mark in the NBA.
"We've got our work cut out for us, we did not play well as a
team tonight," said Hill. "They took us out of our game. A
loss by 18 is the same as a loss by one point, so we can't let
that get us down. Our goal is still the same, we want to
improve as a team and compete in this league."
It was the first time since November 9th, 1984, that two 4-0
teams met and just the sixth time in NBA history such a matchup
has occurred.
Otis Thorpe pulled Detroit within 49-47 on a hook shot 56
seconds into the second half. But the Bulls responded with a
14-3 spurt. Harper opened it with a three-pointer and Jordan
knocked down a jumper to make it 54-47 with 10:13 left in the
third quarter.
Rick Mahorn responded with a basket, but Harper drilled another
three-pointer to extend the Bulls' lead to 57-49 with 9:30 to
go. Robert Parish hit a jumper and a putback before Steve Kerr
capped the run with a three-pointer to give Chicago a 64-49
advantage with 5:18 left.
Detroit got no closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
Kerr finished with 12 points and Harper had eight for the Bulls,
who shot 49.3 percent from the field (36-of-73) and 9-of-24 from
three-point range. Dennis Rodman pulled down 20 rebounds,
including six on the offensive end, for Chicago, which
outrebounded the Pistons, 46-33.
Chicago outscored Detroit at the foul line, 17-8. It was the
first time Jordan did not lead the Bulls in scoring and the
second straight game in which Rodman has pulled down at least 20
rebounds.
"My offense wasn't real good tonight so I concentrated on
pushing the ball up the court," said Jordan, who shot 6-of-14
from the field. "Detroit plays a tough defense, but we were
very patient against it. You have to take what they give you."
The Bulls' reserves outscored Detroit's bench, 37-17. Grant
Long and Stacey Augmon had eight points apiece for the Pistons,
who shot 42.7 percent from the field (32-of-75), but made
8-of-15 three-pointers. Dumars nailed 6-of-7 from beyond the
arc.
Detroit had no fast break points.
nba.1366vpoznanovic,
GOLDEN STATE (91) AT DENVER (94)
GOLDEN STATE
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
SMITH F 34 5-12 1-1 1 9 10 1 4 0 7 11
MULLIN F 36 3-9 2-2 0 3 3 1 2 0 1 8
FULLER C 17 1-6 0-0 3 4 7 0 1 0 2 2
SPREWELL G 44 10-21 9-9 0 2 2 1 1 4 3 29
PRICE G 26 6-10 1-2 1 2 3 7 4 1 3 16
SPENCER 18 1-3 2-2 1 4 5 1 2 0 3 4
ARMSTRONG 22 2-2 1-2 0 1 1 4 1 1 1 5
OWES 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0
MARSHALL 9 1-2 2-2 0 2 2 1 0 0 1 4
COLES 16 3-5 0-0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 8
ROYAL 17 1-4 2-2 0 3 3 2 2 0 0 4
KONCAK DNP - TORN CARTILAGE LEFT KNEE
TOTALS 240 33-74 20-22 6 31 37 18 20 7 21 91
(.446) (.909) TEAM REBS: 5 TOTAL TO: 21(24 PTS)
DENVER
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
D ELLIS F 40 8-19 6-7 2 1 3 3 4 2 3 23
MCDYESS F 40 10-20 7-8 4 1 5 2 2 3 5 27
JOHNSON C 42 7-10 2-2 5 12 17 1 4 2 0 16
JACKSON G 37 1-6 1-4 0 4 4 14 1 0 7 3
STITH G 36 4-15 3-4 2 4 6 2 3 1 0 12
MARCIULIONIS 8 1-5 0-0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 2
THOMPSON 6 1-2 0-0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 2
PIERCE 12 1-2 0-0 0 2 2 1 2 0 2 2
HAMMONDS 8 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2
MURDOCK 11 2-2 1-1 0 0 0 2 1 1 1 5
HAM DNP - COACH'S DECISION
MCINNIS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 36-82 20-26 13 27 40 26 19 9 18 94
(.439) (.769) TEAM REBS: 13 TOTAL TO: 19(19 PTS)
GOLDEN STATE 20 32 26 13 - 91
DENVER 24 29 24 17 - 94
BLOCKED SHOTS: GOLDEN STATE - MULLIN 2, SMITH 2, SPENCER 2, ROYAL 2,
FULLER, SPREWELL. DENVER - MCDYESS 3, JOHNSON 3.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: GOLDEN STATE 5-14 (.357), SMITH 0-1, MULLIN 0-1,
SPREWELL 0-3, PRICE 3-6, COLES 2-3. DENVER 2-11 (.182), D ELLIS 1-7,
MCDYESS 0-1, STITH 1-2, MARCIULIONIS 0-1.
TECHNICALS: GOLDEN STATE - ARMSTRONG.
OFFICIALS: JESS KERSEY, DON VADEN, DEREK RICHARDSON.
A - 10,302. T - 2:09.
GOLDEN STATE (91) AT DENVER (94)
Dale Ellis scored nine of his 23 points in a 12-2 run to end the
game as the Denver Nuggets rallied for a 94-91 victory over the
Golden State Warriors.
Joe Smith's jumper with 4:58 remaining gave Golden State its
biggest lead at 89-82 before Ellis scored five straight points
to cut the gap to two. Smith hit another jumper with 2:21 to go
for the Warriors' last points before Ervin Johnson converted a
layup and Ellis made two foul shots to tie it, 91-91, with 1:16
left.
Nine seconds later, Ellis stole the ball and coasted in for a
layup and Mark Jackson added a free throw for the final margin.
Mark Price and Latrell Sprewell missed three-pointers in the
final seconds for Golden State.
Antonio McDyess netted 27 points and Johnson added 16 and tied a
career high with 17 rebounds for Denver, which snapped a
two-game skid. Bryant Stith chipped in 12 points and Jackson
dished out 14 assists. The team was just 2-for-11 (18 percent)
from three-point range.
"The turnovers hurt us, but our intent was good," said Nuggets
coach Bernie Bickerstaff. "Dale (Ellis) and Ervin (Johnson)
saved us. McDyess stepped up tonight and got some confidence.
He's still getting his legs, this is his pre-season."
"Bernie (Bickerstaff) told us to relax because we wanted to win
so badly," said McDyess. "It feels good to get a win before the
road trip. Maybe I've put too much pressure on myself, I just
have to relax more."
Sprewell scored 29 points and Price had 16 and seven assists for
Golden State, which has dropped three straight. Smith
contributed 11 points and 10 boards, while the team shot 91
percent from the foul line (20-of-22).
"We didn't execute down the stretch," said Sprewell. "We needed
baskets, and weren't able to get them. They did a good job
defensively, they knew we needed a three and kept us spread
out."
Denver extended a 53-52 halftime advantage as McDyess had 10
points in a 19-10 run that made it 72-62 with 5:29 left in the
third period.
But Sprewell scored 10 points and Price five in a 16-3 burst
that put the Warriors ahead, 78-75, just before the end of the
quarter.
"Their big guys hurt us early," said Warriors forward Chris
Mullin. "Somehow we stayed in the game, which is amazing in
itself. Latrell Sprewell kept us in the game by himself. I felt
at halftime, we were lucky to be behind by only one point."
nba.1367vpoznanovic,
LA LAKERS (92) AT TORONTO (93)
LA LAKERS
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
CEBALLOS F 28 1-6 0-0 1 6 7 0 2 0 1 2
CAMPBELL F 39 5-12 5-5 3 2 5 4 2 1 0 15
ONEAL C 36 11-18 3-7 5 5 10 2 3 2 3 25
JONES G 42 8-16 6-10 2 5 7 3 1 4 3 25
VAN EXEL G 36 1-14 1-2 1 2 3 4 2 2 4 3
BLOUNT 12 0-0 0-0 1 2 3 0 1 0 1 0
ROOKS 4 1-2 0-1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2
FISHER 8 0-4 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SCOTT 18 4-8 0-0 1 2 3 1 1 0 1 10
BRYANT 17 3-8 2-4 0 3 3 0 3 0 0 10
KNIGHT DNP - COACH'S DECISION
ROBINSON DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 34-88 17-29 14 27 41 14 16 9 13 92
(.386) (.586) TEAM REBS: 17 TOTAL TO: 13(10 PTS)
TORONTO
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
WILLIAMS F 40 7-17 3-5 1 5 6 1 6 2 6 20
TABAK F 6 2-3 0-0 1 1 2 2 2 1 0 4
BENJAMIN C 22 4-6 0-0 1 2 3 0 2 1 0 8
CHRISTIE G 33 5-10 0-0 1 4 5 5 1 3 2 11
STOUDAMIRE G 41 9-17 0-0 0 10 10 10 0 1 7 21
CAMBY 28 4-7 6-9 2 3 5 1 5 0 2 15
ROGERS 22 3-4 0-0 2 3 5 0 3 0 0 7
WRIGHT 5 0-3 0-2 1 2 3 0 2 0 0 0
DAVIS 20 1-6 1-2 0 1 1 2 1 0 1 3
WHITESIDE 4 1-1 0-0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 3
JONES 19 0-1 1-2 2 4 6 0 3 1 1 1
EARL DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 36-75 11-20 11 36 47 22 26 9 19 93
(.480) (.550) TEAM REBS: 9 TOTAL TO: 19(25 PTS)
LA LAKERS 24 23 26 19 - 92
TORONTO 32 27 21 13 - 93
BLOCKED SHOTS: LA LAKERS - CEBALLOS 2, CAMPBELL 2, SCOTT, BRYANT. TORONTO
- ROGERS 4, CAMBY 2, WILLIAMS, CHRISTIE, JONES.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: LA LAKERS 7-20 (.350), CEBALLOS 0-1, JONES 3-7, VAN
EXEL 0-5, FISHER 0-1, SCOTT 2-3, BRYANT 2-3. TORONTO 10-18 (.556),
WILLIAMS 3-5, CHRISTIE 1-2, STOUDAMIRE 3-5, CAMBY 1-1, ROGERS 1-1, DAVIS
0-3, WHITESIDE 1-1.
TECHNICALS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: RON GARRETSON, JOE DEROSA, KEVIN FEHR.
A - 27,357. T - 2:09.
LA LAKERS (92) AT TORONTO (93)
Damon Stoudamire had a triple-double and hit a key three-pointer
down the stretch as the Toronto Raptors held off a
fourth-quarter charge by the Los Angeles Lakers for a 93-92
victory.
Stoudamire had 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the
Raptors (2-2). Walt Williams added 20 points for the Raptors,
who led by as much as 13 before seeing their lead evaporate in
the fourth quarter.
"(Coach) Darryl (Walker) wanted me to go right at them and make
something happen (in the fourth quarter)," said Stoudamire. "I kind
of let the game flow to me and hit big shots down the stretch.
You're always nervous when the game is close. We hung in there and
got the victory."
Shaquille O'Neal scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for
the Lakers (3-2), but could not convert from the baseline at the
buzzer.
"We didn't play that well," said O'Neal. "We made a lot of turnovers.
I was wide open on the last play, but the ball just didn't come far
enough."
Los Angeles had the first basket of the game to make it 2-0 but
would never have the lead again. A Roy Rogers' dunk with 8:38 to
go in the second put Toronto up 41-25 for its largest lead and
the Lakers would not pull close until late in the fourth
quarter.
Los Angeles was within five at 88-83 with 3:43 to go when
Stoudamire came through with a layup and then hit a
three-pointer to make it 93-83 with 1:53 remaining.
A dunk by O'Neal brought pulled the Lakers within six and they
had a chance to cut it to four when Williams fouled out with
46.7 seconds to play. But Eddie Jones missed both free throws.
"We have not played game yet," said Lakers coach Del Harris.
"We've had a few good quarters. We should not be outrebounded
in a game like this. Of course 38 percent shooting doesn't buy
any groceries either."
Another O'Neal slam six seconds later set up Byron Scott's
high, arching three-pointer from the left wing with 24.9 seconds
to go, making it 93-92. Rookie and second overall draft pick
Marcus Camby had a chance to give his team some breathing room
but missed two free throws with 12 seconds to go.
"I'm proud of them tonight, we didn't fold," said Walker.
"We're starting to see something special in Damon and Marcus,
they're the future."We let them take their run. We took the
punch and got right back at it."
It is the first win in three all-time tries against the Lakers
for Toronto, which lost 111-106 at home to Los Angeles last
year.
nba.1368vpoznanovic,
MILWAUKEE (89) AT MIAMI (101)
MILWAUKEE
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
ROBINSON F 37 10-18 1-1 1 5 6 2 2 5 3 22
BAKER F 41 9-17 8-10 3 5 8 6 5 1 3 27
LANG C 32 4-6 0-0 1 9 10 0 4 1 1 8
ALLEN G 29 3-8 3-3 1 1 2 2 2 0 4 9
DOUGLAS G 32 4-8 2-2 0 1 1 3 4 2 3 10
NEWMAN 21 1-5 2-2 0 1 1 2 2 0 1 4
GILLIAM 22 2-8 2-2 2 4 6 0 0 1 0 6
PERRY 16 1-3 0-0 0 1 1 5 1 0 4 2
HANCOCK 4 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0
WOLF 5 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0
WOOD 1 0-0 1-2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1
RESPERT DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 34-74 19-22 8 29 37 20 24 10 20 89
(.459) (.864) TEAM REBS: 4 TOTAL TO: 20(26 PTS)
MIAMI
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
MAJERLE F 34 6-10 1-2 3 2 5 0 1 1 2 14
THOMAS F 14 2-6 0-0 1 5 6 0 2 0 2 4
MOURNING C 36 10-17 3-7 3 7 10 0 2 1 3 23
DANILOVIC G 36 3-7 2-2 0 1 1 3 3 1 3 10
HARDAWAY G 28 5-11 2-4 0 1 1 9 2 1 0 12
GRANT 20 1-6 2-2 1 0 1 6 2 2 2 5
BROWN 21 4-6 5-6 3 1 4 1 2 0 1 13
ASKINS 22 3-4 0-0 1 6 7 0 1 0 1 8
AUSTIN 28 4-10 4-6 3 7 10 4 3 1 3 12
STRICKLAND 1 0-1 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
LENARD DNP - COACH'S DECISION
PINCKNEY DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 38-78 19-29 16 30 46 23 18 7 17 101
(.487) (.655) TEAM REBS: 6 TOTAL TO: 17(12 PTS)
MILWAUKEE 23 13 24 29 - 89
MIAMI 26 27 20 28 - 101
BLOCKED SHOTS: MILWAUKEE - BAKER, LANG, GILLIAM, WOOD. MIAMI - MOURNING
3, THOMAS, BROWN.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: MILWAUKEE 2-7 (.286), ROBINSON 1-3, BAKER 1-1, ALLEN
0-1, NEWMAN 0-1, WOLF 0-1. MIAMI 6-12 (.500), MAJERLE 1-2, MOURNING 0-1,
DANILOVIC 2-3, HARDAWAY 0-1, GRANT 1-3, ASKINS 2-2.
TECHNICALS: MIAMI - DANILOVIC.
OFFICIALS: JOE FORTE, RON OLESIAK, BENNIE ADAMS.
A - 15,200. T - 2:04.
MILWAUKEE (89) AT MIAMI (101)
Alonzo Mourning scored 23 points to lead a balanced attack as
the Miami Heat maintained their mastery over the Milwaukee Bucks
and handed them their first defeat of the season, 101-89.
Miami has won 14 straight games against the Bucks since a 109-87
loss on January 28th, 1993. Dan Majerle added 14 points for the
Heat, who used a 14-0 run in the second quarter to break the
game open.
Vin Baker scored 27 points and Glenn Robinson added 13 for the
Bucks, who lost for the first time in four games under new coach
Chris Ford. Milwaukee was one of four unbeaten teams in the
league.
"We're aware of it, it's not something I care about all that
much," said Baker about the 14-game losing streak to the Heat.
"But that streak started when neither of us were making the
playoffs. We have to focus on beating this team. It's one of
those things, every team has a nemesis and they are ours."
Baker had pulled Milwaukee within 35-31 on a jumper with 7:49 to
play in the second quarter, but Miami held the Bucks scoreless
for almost six minutes. P.J. Brown started the run with a jumper
and Isaac Austin extended the Heat's lead to 39-31 at the 5:47
mark.
Mourning threw down a dunk with 4:50 to go and Sasha Danilovic
made two free throws to push the lead to 43-31. Keith Askins
and Mourning converted layups before Mourning sank a pair of
foul shots to give Miami a 49-31 lead with 1:57 left in the
second half.
Milwaukee pulled within 57-49 on a jumper by Robinson with 7:46
to play in the third quarter, but it was the only time the Bucks
were within single digits.
Brown contributed 13 points off the bench and Austin had a
career-high 12 for Miami, which outrebounded the Bucks 46-37.
Tim Hardaway had 12 points and nine assists while Danilovic
finished with 10. Mourning also grabbed 10 rebounds, as did
Austin.
"You always have to stay ready, you never know when you're going
to get your chances," said Austin, who played 28 minutes.
"We've had trouble with our offense, but when you play good
defense, you win games. I took the shots I have been working on
since training camp and it's starting to come, I'm starting to
feel comfortable."
"We wanted everyone pursuing rebounds," Heat coach Pat Riley
said. "Sometimes we leave it up to 'Zo (Mourning) and Kurt
(Thomas) too much."
Miami shot 48.7 percent from the field (38-of-78) and 6-of-12
from three-point range. The Heat scored 26 points off 20
turnovers by Milwaukee.
Sherman Douglas was the only other Bucks player who scored in
double figures with 10. Milwaukee's reserves were outscored
38-13, but the starters held a 76-63 advantage over Miami's
starting five.
"We let them set the tempo and helped them with a lot of
mistakes," said Douglas. "We have a game tomorrow, so we
can't dwell on this."
nba.1369vpoznanovic,
NEW JERSEY (82) AT ORLANDO (86)
NEW JERSEY
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
OBANNON F 6 1-3 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
J WILLIAMS F 32 5-11 2-2 9 9 18 1 5 2 4 12
BRADLEY C 28 3-10 0-0 4 6 10 0 3 0 2 6
GILL G 38 4-10 3-4 0 3 3 2 4 3 7 11
PACK G 19 6-12 1-3 0 0 0 4 1 1 3 13
CALDWELL 20 2-3 0-2 1 4 5 1 3 0 0 4
KITTLES 33 3-8 2-2 2 1 3 4 3 2 2 9
MCDANIEL 29 3-11 1-2 6 7 13 2 1 0 0 9
MASSENBURG 16 3-8 0-0 0 2 2 0 3 1 1 6
REEVES 19 4-10 0-0 1 1 2 5 6 2 2 9
DARE DNP - COACH'S DECISION
R WILLIAMS DNP - NOT WITH TEAM
TOTALS 240 34-86 9-15 23 33 56 19 29 11 21 82
(.395) (.600) TEAM REBS: 4 TOTAL TO: 22(20 PTS)
ORLANDO
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
ANDERSON F 38 7-13 0-2 2 4 6 1 4 4 1 15
GRANT F 35 6-17 6-6 6 7 13 2 0 3 1 18
VAUGHN C 26 1-5 3-4 6 7 13 0 3 0 0 5
HARDAWAY G 40 9-23 10-14 4 3 7 4 3 3 2 29
SHAW G 32 2-7 0-0 0 3 3 4 1 1 4 4
WILKINS 22 2-9 0-0 2 0 2 1 1 0 4 5
SEIKALY 19 1-9 0-2 5 3 8 0 3 0 3 2
ARMSTRONG 13 1-4 0-0 1 0 1 3 3 0 2 3
STRONG 15 2-4 1-2 2 1 3 0 0 0 1 5
ROZIER DNP - COACH'S DECISION
SCHAYES DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 31-91 20-30 28 28 56 15 18 11 18 86
(.341) (.667) TEAM REBS: 12 TOTAL TO: 18(25 PTS)
NEW JERSEY 13 25 15 29 - 82
ORLANDO 18 24 24 20 - 86
BLOCKED SHOTS: NEW JERSEY - BRADLEY 10, J WILLIAMS 2, MASSENBURG 2,
OBANNON, REEVES. ORLANDO - GRANT 2, HARDAWAY 2, ANDERSON, VAUGHN,
SEIKALY, ARMSTRONG.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: NEW JERSEY 5-15 (.333), OBANNON 1-2, GILL 0-1, KITTLES
1-5, MCDANIEL 2-3, REEVES 1-4. ORLANDO 4-17 (.235), ANDERSON 1-6, HARDAWAY
1-4, SHAW 0-1, WILKINS 1-4, ARMSTRONG 1-2.
TECHNICALS: NEW JERSEY - BRADLEY.
OFFICIALS: ED T RUSH, BERNIE FRYER, TOM WASHINGTON.
A - 38,639. T - 2:15.
NEW JERSEY (82) AT ORLANDO (86)
Penny Hardaway had 29 points and seven rebounds and the Orlando
Magic survived a fourth-quarter scare by the New Jersey Nets to
post an 86-82 victory and a sweep of the two-game NBA Japan
Games in Tokyo.
Horace Grant added 18 points and 13 boards and Nick Anderson
scored 15 for Orlando, which defeated New Jersey for the sixth
straight time. Hardaway netted 23 points and Gerald Wilkins had
18 Thursday as the Magic downed the Nets, 108-95, in the opener.
"We knew it was going to be a tougher team than we played last
game," said Grant. "This team has a lot of pride. Their pride
was hurt in the first game and they came out and played very
aggressive. I think we really underestimated them in the second
half."
Robert Pack scored 13 points and Jayson Williams added 12 and 18
rebounds for New Jersey, which fell to 0-3. The team has
dropped five games in a row and 12 of its last 13 dating back to
last season.
The Nets were without head coach John Calipari, who stayed in
New Jersey to await the birth of his third child. Assistant
coach Don Casey served as Nets head coach for the second
consecutive game.
"Congratulations to Orlando," said Casey. "They really stood
the test. I thought we played excellent basketball and made
some big time plays to stay with them and possibly have a chance
to beat them. But they held their fort and, at the critical
times, they made the plays."
David Vaughn pulled down 13 rebounds for Orlando, which won
despite shooting 34 percent (31-of-91) from the field and 67
percent (20-of-30) from the foul line.
Shawn Bradley had 10 rebounds and 10 blocks, while Xavier
McDaniel snared 13 caroms for the Nets, who shot 39.5 percent
(34-of-86) from the floor and 60 percent (9-for-15) from the
free-throw line.
After Ed O'Bannon began the game with a three-pointer, Orlando
scored the next 14 points, behind six from Grant. New Jersey
rallied with a 10-0 spurt to cut the deficit to 18-17 1:39 into
the second period. The score was tied 22 seconds later and a
7-0 spree gave the Nets a 29-25 advantage with 5:06 left in the
half.
The Magic scored the final three points of the second period and
the first four of the third for a 46-38 lead. A three-pointer
by Anderson gave Orlando its biggest lead of the game at 61-46
with 2:01 to go in the third.
The gap remained at 15 points 20 seconds into the final period
before New Jersey embarked on a 20-6 run. Pack had eight points
and Bradley six in the surge that cut the deficit to 74-73 with
6:42 to play. A Williams hook tied the score at 77-77 with 3:25
left, but Hardaway had a three-point play and Orlando never
trailed again.
"This group was very focused," Magic coach Brian Hill said. "I
think we did a good job defensively. We felt we had to play
good defense and keep them off the boards in order to win this
game. We did that in the beginning of the game. Unfortunately,
we lost the momentum as we moved through."
"It was a pride thing," said Pack about the second half. "You
don't want to get beat night in and night out by anyone,
especially not the same team. The fourth quarter was a pride
thing. We all came out and said, 'let's put this thing
together.' We gave it a good run. Unfortunately, we didn't get
completely over the hump."
The two-game set marked the fourth time the league has staged
regular season games in Japan. Thursday's contest marked the
first time either Orlando or New Jersey played a regular season
games abroad.
nba.1370vpoznanovic,
NEW YORK (88) AT LA CLIPPERS (81) - FINAL IN OT
NEW YORK
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
JOHNSON F 40 6-9 1-2 4 2 6 2 3 0 5 13
OAKLEY F 39 4-8 3-5 5 4 9 2 5 1 5 11
EWING C 40 5-12 10-10 0 19 19 0 5 1 8 20
HOUSTON G 29 3-12 3-3 1 4 5 2 6 1 2 10
WARD G 18 2-4 1-2 0 2 2 5 2 0 2 5
STARKS 37 2-13 2-2 1 3 4 3 3 0 4 7
WALLACE 20 4-6 8-10 0 2 2 0 2 0 0 16
B WILLIAMS 21 3-6 0-0 5 1 6 0 6 2 3 6
H WILLIAMS 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
BROOKS 19 0-2 0-0 0 1 1 0 3 4 3 0
JENT DNP - COACH'S DECISION
MCCARTY DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 265 29-72 28-34 16 38 54 14 35 9 32 88
(.403) (.824) TEAM REBS: 10 TOTAL TO: 32(32 PTS)
LA CLIPPERS
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
VAUGHT F 25 0-5 3-4 1 5 6 0 3 1 3 3
ROGERS F 27 3-8 1-3 0 0 0 1 3 2 0 7
DUCKWORTH C 27 6-12 0-0 1 3 4 0 4 0 2 12
RICHARDSON G 31 2-10 0-0 1 1 2 3 2 5 2 4
SEALY G 24 3-8 7-7 0 2 2 0 1 1 3 13
ROBERTS 19 2-7 3-4 0 4 4 1 5 1 4 7
MURRAY 28 1-5 7-9 0 2 2 1 1 1 3 9
DEHERE 25 1-6 2-2 1 1 2 4 2 1 2 5
PIATKOWSKI 25 1-5 3-3 1 2 3 0 4 5 0 5
OUTLAW 26 3-6 4-8 4 3 7 1 2 3 1 10
WRIGHT 7 3-4 0-2 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 6
D MARTIN 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTALS 265 25-76 30-42 10 24 34 11 28 20 20 81
(.329) (.714) TEAM REBS: 14 TOTAL TO: 21(22 PTS)
NEW YORK 26 17 22 12 11 - 88
LA CLIPPERS 18 22 15 22 4 - 81
BLOCKED SHOTS: NEW YORK - EWING 4, JOHNSON, HOUSTON, WARD, B WILLIAMS. LA
CLIPPERS - OUTLAW 3, MURRAY 2, ROBERTS 2.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: NEW YORK 2-15 (.133), HOUSTON 1-4, WARD 0-1, STARKS
1-10. LA CLIPPERS 1-7 (.143), ROGERS 0-1, RICHARDSON 0-2, MURRAY 0-1,
DEHERE 1-2, PIATKOWSKI 0-1.
TECHNICALS: NEW YORK - ILLEGAL DEFENSE 3, EWING, LA CLIPPERS - ILLEGAL
DEFENSE.
OFFICIALS: BENNETT SALVATORE, JIM CLARK, GARY BENSON.
A - 13,242. T - 0:00.
NEW YORK (88) AT LA CLIPPERS (81) - FINAL IN OT
Patrick Ewing scored five of his 20 points in overtime and
grabbed 19 rebounds as the New York Knicks continued their
dominance over the Los Angeles Clippers with an 88-81 victory.
The Knicks scored the first four points of overtime on a pair of
free throws by rookie John Wallace and a 14-foot jumper by
Charles Oakley for an 81-77 lead.
After Charles Outlaw dunked to close the Clippers within 81-80,
Ewing converted a three-point play to restore the Knicks'
four-point lead with 1:50 left in the extra session. He added
two free throws with 9.6 seconds remaining for an 86-81 lead.
"I was just trying to do what it takes to win," Ewing said. "I
didn't play a particularly good game in my mind. I missed a lot
of easy shots, but I did what I had to do to help the team win.
We battled, kept our composure, especially in overtime, and we
were fortunate to come away with the win. We were disappointed
in our performance."
The Clippers forced overtime by scoring the last nine points in
the fourth quarter. Trailing 77-68, Stanley Roberts scored seven
points during the stretch -- including a key three-point play
with 1:30 remaining -- and Outlaw made one of two free throws to
tie the game at 77-77 with 24 seconds left in regulation.
"It's a hard game to swallow," Roberts said. "We worked hard to
get back in it. The effort was there. The shots just were not
falling. I did not help them in overtime. I didn't make my shots
down the line."
The Clippers forced New York's Scott Brooks into a turnover 17
seconds later, but failed to capitalize as Pooh Richardson
missed a last-second shot.
"It was a pretty good day against a good basketball team,"
Clippers coach Bill Fitch said. "It was an awful good effort
from our bench. We forced a lot of turnovers. We held our own
in the second half. It's tough to do that against a team like
New York."
Wallace scored 16 points and Larry Johnson added 13 for New
York, which defeated the Clippers for the 18th time in 21
meetings. The Knicks have won four straight at Los Angeles.
Malik Sealy scored 13 points, Kevin Duckworth added 12 and
Outlaw had 10 and seven rebounds for the Clippers, who have lost
10 of their last 11 home games with New York.
Loy Vaught was held to three free throws -- going 0-for-5 from
the floor -- and six rebounds for the Clippers, who have yet to
score more than 97 points or yield more than 95.
"It's a tough loss here at home," Vaught admitted. "But we
still have more to learn. Going in the weight room, I think, is
affecting my shot. I just missed shots I normally make. Maybe I
got to stop going in there."
The Knicks won despite committing 32 turnovers that led to 32
points for the Clippers. New York has turned the ball over 60
times in its last two games.
"It's hard to get a road win, but we'll take it," Knicks coach
Jeff Van Gundy said. "We had the best player on the floor
(Ewing) and he made the big shot. It usually works out. We have
to play better. We turned the ball over too many times. We have
to take care of the ball. It's not acceptable."
Knicks point guard Charlie Ward left in the third quarter with a
strained hamstring, but New York improved to 3-0 on the road
this season.
Oakley finished with 11 points and nine rebounds for New York,
which shot 40 percent (29-of-72) from the field but outrebounded
Los Angeles 54-34. Allan Houston and John Starks combined for
17 points on 5-of-25 shooting for the Knicks. The same duo made
just 2-of-14 from three-point territory.
Richardson hit 2-of-10 from the field and handed out just three
assists for Los Angeles, which committed 21 turnovers that led
to 22 points for the Knicks.
nba.1371vpoznanovic,
PHILADELPHIA (115) AT BOSTON (105)
PHILADELPHIA
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
WEATHERSPOON F 32 7-9 5-6 4 7 11 5 1 2 1 19
COLEMAN F 45 4-10 6-8 1 7 8 5 3 1 7 15
WILLIAMS C 23 3-7 0-0 3 10 13 0 3 2 0 6
IVERSON G 42 9-19 14-22 0 6 6 4 2 2 4 32
STACKHOUSE G 20 2-10 1-2 0 0 0 0 4 0 3 5
MACLEAN 7 0-5 0-0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0
DAVIS 32 7-11 7-10 6 1 7 1 5 3 0 22
HARRIS 28 5-12 0-0 0 1 1 4 0 4 2 13
WALTERS 7 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 3
CAGE 4 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 0
BRADTKE DNP - NOT WITH TEAM
OVERTON DNP - SPRAINED RIGHT ANKLE
TOTALS 240 38-85 33-48 15 34 49 23 21 14 17 115
(.447) (.688) TEAM REBS: 20 TOTAL TO: 18(22 PTS)
BOSTON
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
WILLIAMS F 19 2-5 1-2 2 1 3 1 5 1 1 5
RADJA F 37 6-14 1-2 2 6 8 1 5 1 2 13
ELLISON C 25 2-6 0-0 2 4 6 0 3 0 2 4
WESLEY G 36 4-12 1-4 2 2 4 8 4 2 6 10
FOX G 33 6-12 7-8 2 5 7 2 4 3 4 21
DAY 23 4-10 4-4 1 2 3 1 2 1 1 13
WALKER 24 8-15 0-1 3 4 7 0 3 2 1 17
BRICKOWSKI 14 2-3 0-0 0 2 2 1 4 0 2 4
CONLON 6 1-1 0-0 2 1 3 1 0 0 0 2
BARROS 22 6-15 2-2 0 1 1 7 4 0 1 16
DRIGGERS 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SZABO DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 41-93 16-23 16 28 44 22 34 10 20 105
(.441) (.696) TEAM REBS: 8 TOTAL TO: 20(23 PTS)
PHILADELPHIA 27 28 25 35 - 115
BOSTON 24 35 20 26 - 105
BLOCKED SHOTS: PHILADELPHIA - COLEMAN 2, STACKHOUSE 2, DAVIS 2,
WEATHERSPOON, IVERSON. BOSTON - RADJA 2, ELLISON, FOX, DAY.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: PHILADELPHIA 6-16 (.375), COLEMAN 1-3, IVERSON 0-3,
MACLEAN 0-1, DAVIS 1-1, HARRIS 3-7, WALTERS 1-1. BOSTON 7-19 (.368),
WESLEY 1-5, FOX 2-4, DAY 1-3, WALKER 1-3, BARROS 2-4.
TECHNICALS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: ED MIDDLETON, BLANE REICHELT, ED F RUSH.
A - 14,733. T - 2:17.
PHILADELPHIA (115) AT BOSTON (105)
Clarence Weatherspoon keyed a decisive third-quarter run with
seven points and rookie Allen Iverson added a career-high 32 as
the Philadelphia 76ers won for the first time this season,
defeating the Boston Celtics, 115-105.
The Sixers, who had dropped their first three games, scored 18
straight points late in the third quarter, turning a 14-point
deficit into a 79-75 lead. Weatherspoon had seven points during
the burst, which included five points apiece from Mark Davis and
Lucious Harris.
"We played with a lot of character down the stretch," said
Philadelphia's Johnny Davis, who earned his first coaching
victory. "There was a moment during the third quarter where it
was either step up or we really lose this ballgame. We got more
active on the defensive end, played with more purpose, executed
a lot better. Consequently, we hung in there and made a
ballgame out of it. Then we hung on to win it."
Iverson made 9-of-19 shots and 14-of-22 free-throw attempts in
42 minutes.
"We turned it up defensively and played the way we're capable of
playing," he said. "I'm still learning, I have to be patient,
wait for the shot, and get my teammates involved. Derrick
Coleman is talking to me. He knows more than the rest of us.
I'm definitely satisfied winning on the road. This game is
special because it is my first win, I want to enjoy this
tonight."
The win was the Sixers' first over Boston since December 23rd,
1994 -- a span of six games. Rick Fox led the Celtics with 21
points, but committed a pair of turnovers during Philadelphia's
key run.
Ahead 64-61 with 7:58 to play in the third quarter, Boston went
on an 11-0 run to open a 14-point advantage. Pervis Ellison
sparked the spurt with a basket and Dana Barros capped it with a
three-pointer. Ironically, the Celtics blew a 14-point lead two
nights after rallying from 26 points behind to win.
But Boston committed seven turnovers over the next five minutes,
including two apiece by Fox and David Wesley. Wesley had six of
the Celtics' 20 turnovers.
"When you're up 14 in the third quarter, it's time to get the
put-em-away attitude," said Celtics coach M.L. Carr. "We
didn't. We had three or four turnovers and that feeds opposing
teams and they capitalized on it. That 18-point run was an
absolute killer and those kind of turnovers break your back.
Our concern was Iverson, (Jerry) Stackhouse and Coleman.
Iverson was really the only one we lost track of."
Weatherspoon made 7-of-9 shots and grabbed 11 rebounds for the
the 76ers, who went to the free-throw line 48 times, making 33.
Davis, a rookie out of Texas Tech, had a career-high 22 points
off the bench as Philadelphia's bench accounted for 52 points.
"Mark was definitely a spark for us," Stackhouse said. "He
turned up the defensive intensity for us, got some steals and I
think that was the turning point in the game. Once we got them
and they got kind of rattled a little bit, we were able to get
control of the game from then on out."
nba.1372vpoznanovic,
SEATTLE (87) AT SAN ANTONIO (75)
SEATTLE
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
KEMP F 33 5-14 9-10 4 9 13 0 5 1 3 19
D SCHREMPF F 37 6-10 2-2 2 4 6 1 2 0 0 16
MCILVAINE C 16 3-5 1-2 1 1 2 0 3 0 1 7
PAYTON G 37 4-19 7-8 3 4 7 7 2 1 3 16
HAWKINS G 28 2-9 0-0 2 1 3 6 1 3 0 4
MCMILLAN 21 3-4 2-2 0 5 5 1 1 1 1 8
PERKINS 25 2-6 0-0 1 2 3 0 1 1 1 4
EHLO 26 5-10 0-0 3 4 7 1 3 1 1 11
WINGATE 15 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 2 3 1 2 2
SNOW 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
STEWART 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SPENCER DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 31-79 21-24 16 30 46 18 21 9 12 87
(.392) (.875) TEAM REBS: 5 TOTAL TO: 12(15 PTS)
SAN ANTONIO
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
D WILKINS F 42 5-14 2-5 2 4 6 3 2 1 5 12
ELLIOTT F 40 6-14 2-3 3 8 11 3 2 2 2 15
ANDERSON C 36 1-3 2-2 1 7 8 0 2 1 2 4
DEL NEGRO G 31 5-11 1-1 0 3 3 5 3 1 1 11
JOHNSON G 36 7-13 1-4 1 3 4 7 2 0 2 15
KEMPTON 4 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0
MAXWELL 27 3-10 3-6 0 1 1 1 3 0 2 9
M WILLIAMS 14 0-2 2-2 2 2 4 0 2 0 1 2
ALEXANDER 6 1-2 2-2 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 5
HERRERA 4 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 2
W PERDUE DNP - LEFT THUMB
SMITH DNP - SYNOVITIS RIGHT KNEE
TOTALS 240 29-70 15-25 10 28 38 22 18 6 17 75
(.414) (.600) TEAM REBS: 13 TOTAL TO: 18(14 PTS)
SEATTLE 24 21 19 23 - 87
SAN ANTONIO 15 22 15 23 - 75
BLOCKED SHOTS: SEATTLE - MCILVAINE. SAN ANTONIO - ANDERSON 6, D WILKINS
2, M WILLIAMS 2, MAXWELL, ELLIOTT.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: SEATTLE 4-18 (.222), D SCHREMPF 2-3, PAYTON 1-6,
HAWKINS 0-4, MCMILLAN 0-1, PERKINS 0-2, EHLO 1-2. SAN ANTONIO 2-19 (.105),
D WILKINS 0-3, ELLIOTT 1-5, DEL NEGRO 0-6, JOHNSON 0-1, MAXWELL 0-3,
ALEXANDER 1-1.
TECHNICALS: SEATTLE - HEAD COACH KARL.
OFFICIALS: MIKE MATHIS, WOODY MAYFIELD, GREG WILLARD.
A - 15,027. T - 2:11.
SEATTLE (87) AT SAN ANTONIO (75)
Shawn Kemp scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and Gary
Payton added 16 points and seven assists to spark the Seattle
SuperSonics to an 87-75 victory over the struggling San Antonio
Spurs.
Seattle (3-2) scored the first seven points of the game and
never trailed.
The Sonics led by as many as 19 late in the game and held an
87-68 advantage with 1:11 to go, but the Spurs closed the
contest with a 8-0 run.
Sean Elliott and Avery Johnson topped San Antonio (1-4) with 15
points each. Johnson added seven assists for the Spurs, who have
ecliped 80 points just once this season.
San Antonio never got closer than three. Dominique Wilkins hit a
layup at 10:20 of third period to make it 45-42. Wilkins had a
chance to close it within a basket but missed a free throw after
being fouled on the play.
San Antonio forward Charles Smith did not play because of a
chronic knee problem. The Spurs were also without injured star
center David Robinson, who has been out the entire season with a
bad back. Robinson is scheduled to begin light workouts next
week.
The teams split last season's four-game series, with San Antonio
winning the last two by a combined four points.
nba.1373vpoznanovic,
VANCOUVER (72) AT CLEVELAND (88)
VANCOUVER
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
B EDWARDS F 33 2-8 0-0 2 4 6 3 1 1 3 4
ROGERS F 24 3-5 2-2 1 2 3 1 3 1 0 8
REEVES C 31 4-10 4-6 2 4 6 0 1 0 3 12
ANTHONY G 32 3-9 6-6 1 4 5 4 1 3 1 13
PEELER G 27 2-11 0-0 0 1 1 2 1 1 2 4
ABDUR-RAHIM 29 3-10 6-9 2 2 4 2 3 1 0 12
MOTEN 16 1-5 0-0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 2
LYNCH 7 1-4 1-2 2 1 3 0 2 0 1 3
MAYBERRY 16 3-7 2-2 1 2 3 1 0 2 2 9
MOBLEY 5 0-3 0-0 1 2 3 0 1 0 0 0
CHILCUTT 10 1-2 0-0 1 1 2 2 1 0 1 2
MANNING 10 1-3 1-2 3 1 4 1 2 0 0 3
TOTALS 240 24-77 22-29 16 25 41 17 17 9 14 72
(.312) (.759) TEAM REBS: 7 TOTAL TO: 15(17 PTS)
CLEVELAND
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
MILLS F 29 3-8 0-0 0 3 3 3 2 0 1 8
HILL F 24 4-5 1-2 4 5 9 1 2 1 2 9
WEST C 27 5-10 1-1 7 2 9 0 1 0 2 11
BRANDON G 15 2-9 0-0 0 1 1 5 3 0 2 4
SURA G 28 5-13 4-6 2 11 13 5 2 0 0 15
PHILLS 26 5-10 0-0 0 2 2 2 0 3 2 12
FERRY 24 2-5 0-0 0 4 4 1 2 0 4 6
POTAPENKO 21 5-10 2-2 2 3 5 2 3 0 1 12
GEARY 21 2-3 0-0 0 2 2 5 2 1 3 5
LANG 16 1-3 1-2 0 1 1 0 5 2 0 3
THOMAS 6 1-2 1-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
MARSHALL 3 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
TOTALS 240 35-79 10-14 15 34 49 24 22 8 18 88
(.443) (.714) TEAM REBS: 11 TOTAL TO: 18(21 PTS)
VANCOUVER 15 13 16 28 - 72
CLEVELAND 21 21 29 17 - 88
BLOCKED SHOTS: VANCOUVER - ABDUR-RAHIM 2, REEVES, PEELER. CLEVELAND -
MILLS 2, HILL 2, PHILLS, POTAPENKO.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: VANCOUVER 2-10 (.200), ANTHONY 1-3, PEELER 0-3, MOTEN
0-1, MAYBERRY 1-3. CLEVELAND 8-21 (.381), MILLS 2-3, BRANDON 0-2, SURA
1-3, PHILLS 2-5, FERRY 2-4, GEARY 1-2, THOMAS 0-1, MARSHALL 0-1.
TECHNICALS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: JOE BORGIA, RONNIE NUNN, KEN MAUER.
A - 13,691. T - 2:02.
VANCOUVER (72) AT CLEVELAND (88)
Bobby Sura had 15 points and a career-high 13 rebounds and Bobby
Phills scored 12 points in his first game of the season as the
Cleveland Cavaliers posted an 88-72 victory over the Vancouver
Grizzlies.
Sura and Phills each scored nine points over the first 24
minutes as the Cavs stormed to a 42-28 halftime lead. Vancouver
trailed 52-39 with 5:48 left in the third quarter before
Cleveland closed the period with a 19-5 run. Sura had six
points and Mark West five in the spurt that made it 71-44.
"The first three games I played solid but not great," said Sura.
"So it was nice to get a good one tonight and get a victory for
us. Some nights the rebounds are just coming to you. I was
getting to the ball before everybody else. We had a couple of
long days after losing to San Antonio (Tuesday) and (there was)
no way we were going to lose tonight."
Rookie Vitaly Potapenko also netted 12 points for Cleveland,
which is 3-1 for the first time since 1992-93. The team was
threatening its record of 61 points allowed in a game before the
Grizzlies scored 28 in the final quarter.
"We got an outstanding performance by Bobby Sura tonight with
his career high in rebounds," Cavs coach Mike Fratello said.
"He kept us going in the first half. You always turn the ship
around in the right direction when you have a bad game like we
did against San Antonio. You've got to turn it around."
Greg Anthony scored 13 points, while Bryant Reeves and rookie
Shareef Abdur-Rahim each added 12 for Vancouver, which has
dropped its first five games. Reeves and Blue Edwards had six
rebounds apiece for the Grizzlies, who shot just 31 percent
(24-of-77) from the field.
"When you shoot as poorly as we did, it's too hard, you can't
stay in games," Grizzlies coach Brian Winters said. "The Cavs
have a good defensive team and I give them credit for that, but
when you shoot 31 percent, you're not going to stay in any
game."
Vancouver held its last lead at 8-6 before the Cavs reeled off
seven straight points, including the final five by Phills, who
missed the first three games with a sprained ankle.
Cleveland led 21-15 after the first period and extended its
advantage when Potapenko scored eight in a 12-2 burst that made
it 33-17 five minutes into the second.
West totaled 11 points and nine rebounds, while Tyrone Hill also
pulled down nine boards as Cleveland won the rebounding battle,
49-41. Point guard Terrell Brandon was held to four points
after averaging 25.7.
"We just did not play well, we didn't play together," said
Anthony. "We didn't play particularly hard at times and that has
got to change. I don't know what it's going to take to turn
this around. We have to have six or seven guys contributing
heavily and right now we're not getting it."
nba.1374vpoznanovic,
Scott placed on injured list
The Orlando Magic have placed starting guard Dennis Scott on the
injured list with a strained left hamstring.
Scott, who missed the Magic's first game last week against
Washington, led the team and the league last year in three-point
shooting with 267 three-pointers, an NBA record, averaging 42.5-
percent from the arc.
During the 1995-96 campaign, Scott averaged 17.5 points, 3.8
rebounds and 2.9 assists per outing.
nba.1375vpoznanovic,
LaPhonso Ellis' surgery successful
DENVER -- Nuggets forward LaPhonso Ellis underwent successful
arthroscopic surgery on his ailing left knee Friday and is still
expected to be out of action for three to four weeks.
Ellis underwent an MRI Wednesday, which revealed a significant amount
of chondromalacia, or roughening of the articular cartilage in the
knee. Team physician Doctor Steve Traina removed loose fragments from
the knee in the operation Friday.
The fifth-year veteran has undergone two previous surgeries in his
career. He missed 76 games in 1994-95 due to a stress fracture to the
patella of his right knee, and sat out the first 31 games last year
because of a stress fracture in his left knee. Both conditions were
caused by bone cysts, which are not a factor in the current injury.
The 26-year-old Ellis is averaging 11 points and 5.3 rebounds in three
games this season. He played just two minutes in Tuesday night's loss
to the Los Angeles Clippers.
nba.1376vpoznanovic,
Celtics re-sign Driggers, shelve Lister
BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics Friday re-signed rookie guard-forward
Nate Driggers and placed veteran center Alton Lister on the injured
list with a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder.
Lister, a 245-pound seven-footer in his 15th NBA season, had surgery
on September 18th and is not expected back until after the All-Star
Game.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Driggers appeared in seven pre-season games
for the Celtics and averaging three points and 1.9 rebounds before
being waived on Halloween. He is expected to be in uniform Friday when
the Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers.
nba.1377vpoznanovic,
Lakers Guard Kobe Bryant Is Acting His Age Only On The Court
NEW YORK -- The youngest player in NBA history has no trouble
handling the full-court press of the New York media. However,
Kobe Bryant may be wondering when the games are going to get
this easy.
The 18-year-old backcourt prodigy of the Los Angeles Lakers is
worldly and engaging. He looks at reporters when answering
questions and smiles when he's finished. When the crowd around
him swells, Lakers media relations director John Black whispers
in his ear and Bryant replies, "Sure."
Everyone moves into an adjacent room, where Bryant can better
tell you why he didn't go to college, even though he attained
the required SAT scores; how he plans to enroll at UCLA, taking
classes in international business; and what he thinks he can do
at this level, where they say NBA stands for No Babies Allowed.
"I still don't know if I can play with these guys," Bryant said.
"I have to go out there and find out."
He is just about the only member of the Lakers who has doubts.
Everyone from the general manager to the coach to the All-Star
center to the guards who get most of his playing time believe
Bryant is going to be a superstar.
"We're gonna gradually get him in there," said Lakers coach Del
Harris. "He's 18 years old. He's gonna be here a long, long
time."
"He's going to be an outstanding player in this league," said
veteran guard Byron Scott. "I'm not trying to hold him back,
Del's not trying to hold him back. We just know right now that
experience is something he needs. Once he gets that experience,
his talent will take over."
Black finally breaks up the interview and Bryant disappears out
the door. Even the cynics in the room admit the kid has a
pretty good handle on all the attention he's been getting.
*****
As a senior at Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania, Bryant
was named Player of the Year by USA Today and Parade Magazine.
He averaged 31 points and 12 rebounds per game and scored more
points in high school than Wilt Chamberlain.
His short list of colleges included Duke, North Carolina and La
Salle, where his father starred 20 years ago. Joe "Jellybean"
Bryant played eight years in the NBA, including one for Harris
in Houston.
After speaking with coaches and scouts, Joe Bryant advised his
son to enter the NBA draft. Kobe was selected 13th -- a lottery
pick -- by the Charlotte Hornets and traded to the Lakers for
center Vlade Divac.
"When I was 18 years old, I wasn't thinking about playing in
this league," Scott said. "I was thinking about college. When I
got to about a junior in college, that's when I started to think
about the NBA. I was 21 then. Eighteen years old? I couldn't
fathom being in the NBA."
Joe Bryant, who once picked up his whole family and moved it to
Italy so he could play basketball, picked up his whole family
and moved it to Los Angeles so his son could play basketball.
"I'm not missing out on too much," Bryant said. "I still got
that home cooking."
You see, Kobe is like every other teenager who plays basketball
during the day and comes home at night to a meal prepared by his
mother. The only difference is Kobe goes to play basketball
with Cedric Ceballos and Nick Van Exel.
Los Angeles has been good to Kobe. He signed a three-year deal
worth $3.5 million. He made a guest appearance on "Arliss," the
HBO program about an unscrupulous agent. And he speaks fluent
Italian, which helps when faced with a snobby maitre'd.
Joe remains his son's advisor. He goes to every home game and
more than a few on the road, too. He was a teammate of Darryl
Dawkins, who also made the jump from high school. There is not
much that Joe hasn't seen in basketball and he shares all of it
with his son.
"One thing he has told me is that the game has changed so much,
the on-court activities and the off-court activities," the
younger Bryant said.
*****
For all of Bryant's refreshing maturity in the locker room, it
is on the court where you are quickly reminded he is 18.
That is where Bryant is now, working on his low-post moves with
Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis. With his back to the basket and
Rambis leaning on him, he takes a pass and shoots a turnaround
banker that clangs off the rim. He winces, either at the shot
or his heavily taped wrist.
"You do some things that are positive and some things where you
hit yourself in the head," he said.
Bryant sat out the season opener with a sore wrist that he broke
in a pickup game in Venice Beach. During the exhibition season,
he landed on his tailbone after a circus dunk, which earned him
his first nickname -- "Showboat," coined by teammate Shaquille
O'Neal.
He played six minutes at guard in the second game of the season
and did not score, missing his only shot. Afterward, he said,
"I think it went well. ... It's basketball. It's something I
have been doing all my life."
Harris has two solid shooting guards in Eddie Jones and Scott,
so Game Three of the season -- against the New York Knicks at
Madison Square Garden -- sees Bryant at a new position. He
starts the second quarter at small forward and Harris
immediately calls a play for him. He gets past New York Knicks
guard John Starks -- a good defender -- and draws a foul.
Bryant makes the first free throw and is no longer scoreless in
his NBA career. But it is all downhill from there. He tries
the turnaround move and gets trapped and whistled for traveling.
He allows Knicks rookie John Wallace to get loose for a layup.
"It's hard to find a spot for him," Harris said. "They trapped
everyone down low. I've got Eddie and Byron going well at two
(shooting guard). Kobe's best position is two."
"I keep telling him, `You're gonna get a chance to shine,' "
O'Neal said. "He's gonna be fine. I'm not gonna let him get
frustrated."
Bryant misses a shot on the next possession and returns to the
bench just three minutes after he left it. He is on the court
for the team's worst stretch in a 98-92 victory. Afterwards, a
reporter asks him about playing in Madison Square Garden and his
answer again reminds everyone of his age.
"It was cool," Bryant said. "It was a lot different than the
high school championships."
*****
Bryant isn't just another kid trying to jump from high school to
the NBA. At 6-6, he is the shortest. Shorter than Moses Malone,
shorter than Bill Willoughby, even shorter than Lloyd Daniels.
Kevin Garnett made the jump last year. Jermaine O'Neal, on the
injured list, is trying this year. Both are 6-11, which helps
in a league that still prefers height to skill.
"They can scare off a shot or get a rebound," Harris said.
"They don't have to worry about setting up plays, dribbling the
ball, passing the ball, getting upcourt, guarding real quick
guys. The athletic, quick, outside people have to play the
entire court. They can get embarrassed a lot easier."
"I'm the first guard to come out of high school," Bryant said.
"Everybody wants to see if I can do this or that."
The following night in Charlotte, Bryant does a little of this
and a little of that. He makes his first NBA basket and scores
five points in seven minutes. He also gets booed every time he
touches the ball after spurning the Hornets for Hollywood. But
the Lakers lose for the first time in four games.
"I'm learning every day and the guys have been good to me," he
said.
Two of those guys are the ones directly in front of him on the
depth chart -- Scott and Jones.
"I've never had a problem teaching or taking a young guy like
that under my wing because then you know what it's going to take
for him to be successful in this league," said Scott.
"We've talked on a number of occasions. I think it's good that
he's looking for that leadership from the guards and he goes to
Eddie and he calls me up. That's what he needs."
Bryant doesn't need much. At 18, he already is a millionaire
NBA player who still eats his mother's cooking every night. It
sure beats Sociology 101.
"It feels like I'm dreaming," he said. "Hopefully, I won't stop
dreaming."
nba.1378vpoznanovic,
Starks sparks Knicks with words and shots
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Nov 8, 1996 - 18:54 EST) -- John Starks calls it
"controlled emotion." His coach says the volatile New York Knicks
guard is "always walking the edge."
Starks provided intensity and some clutch scoring in the second half
to spark New York to a 105-100 win over the Golden State Warriors with
one of his patented manic performances Thursday night.
It all began midway through the third period, with the Knicks trailing
the Warriors. Starks, who had scored only two points in the first
half, began screaming at his teammates while waiting to enter the
game.
The Knicks responded with two baskets, and Starks continued his
cheerleading while walking toward the Golden State bench during a
Warriors timeout.
Golden State coach Rick Adelman screamed back while walking toward
Starks, who was called for a technical before even entering the game.
On the next play, Starks talked incessantly while repeatedly switching
off to guard whichever Warriors player had the ball. Latrell Sprewell
finally hit a 3-pointer over Starks and jawed at him all the way down
the court.
When their feet got tangled and Starks stumbled, Sprewell was called
for a technical.
"Starks got them fired up. He did his part," Sprewell said. "But he
also fired us up. He was trash talking, and that makes guys play
harder."
Less than a minute later, Golden State's Felton Spencer knocked Starks
to the floor with an elbow and was called for an offensive foul.
Charles Oakley got in Spencer's face, and a scrum developed in which
New York's Larry Johnson and Golden State's Donyell Marshall started
shoving each other.
Johnson and Marshall, who walked away screaming and pointing at each
other, both got technicals.
The tone of the game had changed, and so had the momentum. The Knicks,
who trailed by 10 points in the third period before Starks' loud
entrance, tied the score 73-73 after three quarters. They took command
in the final period.
Starks had 15 points in the second half, including two 3-pointers,
before fouling out.
"We just needed to get into it as a team," Starks said. "We weren't
playing as hard as we should have. I thought I'd just change the flow
of things and get everybody pumped up to play harder. It was
controlled emotion. I knew exactly what was going on."
Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy said Starks makes the game exciting.
"He's got to be emotional to play well, so he's going to always walk
the fine line," Van Gundy said. "He gave us a big lift, he gave them a
big lift, he gave everyone a big lift. He's always walking the edge."
Patrick Ewing, who led the Knicks with 33 points, spent much of the
second half trying to keep Starks from picking up a second technical.
"That's John, he plays with a lot of emotion," Ewing said. "But we
don't want him to cross that line."
The Knicks out rebounded Golden State 34-21, a franchise-record low
for the Warriors. But New York, which entered the game commiting less
than 16 turnovers a game, gave the ball away 28 times -- resulting in
35 points for the Warriors.
"You have to play with emotion," Van Gundy said. "But we'll learn as
time goes on you have to play hard and smart. We played hard tonight.
But you put yourself at a disadvantage when you turn the ball over 28
times."
nba.1379vpoznanovic,
Sonics looking for time for Spencer
PHOENIX (Nov 8, 1996 - 06:01 EST) -- The Seattle SuperSonics' slow
start and tough November schedule are making it hard for coach George
Karl to find any playing time for center Elmore Spencer, who will be
paid a full season's NBA minimum salary ($247,500) if he is on the
roster after Nov.15.
Spencer, a 7-foot center signed as a free agent the last week of
training camp, has played only five minutes, all in the blowout
victory over Portland.
"I'd like to see him play, but it's hard to find time for a guy when
you're not playing well (as a team)," Karl said.
Sonics general manager Wally Walker has said it's likely a final
determination on Spencer will have to be made based almost solely on
practice.
Complicating the issue, however, is the toe injury to Steve Scheffler.
The team might be reluctant to cut Spencer if Scheffler isn't
available to add depth at center, and Karl said Thursday that
Scheffler isn't yet ready to come off the injured reserve list.
Scheffler and guard Greg Graham each are eligible to come off the
injured reserve list after the game Friday night at San Antonio.
"It's too bad Steve has been hurt because he would have gotten some
time," said Walker.
SUNS TRY TRIANGLE: If Phoenix's offense looked a little familiar
Thursday night, it should have.
With Charles Barkley gone to Houston, the Suns are trying the
"triangle" offense made famous by the Chicago Bulls. The offense puts
a premium on motion and creating the proper space between players.
Suns coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said he ran the offense during his first
of three stints coaching Phoenix back in the early '70s.
"Basically, it just gets you into something and then you go from
there," Fitzsimmons said. "The Bulls, they just get into it at the
start of a play and then they just play basketball -- Michael Jordan
isolated or Scottie Pippen posting up."
Fitzsimmons said he implemented the offense due to the absence of a
dominating presence like Barkley.
"For years, we knew what we were going to do offensively," Fitzsimmons
said. "But this year, we have a lot of players who are equally
talented."
GREEN PLAYS: Phoenix forward A.C. Green was listed as questionable for
the game Thursday after a back spasm problem reappeared in the Suns'
loss to Minnesota on Tuesday.
Right.
This is the guy who wore a specialized face mask last year after his
two bottom teeth were knocked out so he could keep his consecutive
games played streak alive.
Green didn't start but -- surprise -- entered the game with 12 seconds
left in the first quarter.
Green now has played in 817 consecutive regular season games, the
third-longest mark in history behind Randy Smith (906) and Johnny Kerr
(844).
nba.1380vpoznanovic,
Wilt the silent giant has captive audience
NEW YORK -- It's not often that Wilt Chamberlain is willing to climb
down off Mount Olympus and visit with mere mortals holding notebooks.
So when he does, you drop everything and get your questions ready.
Like: How does he feel to be known, first and foremost, as the only
player in NBA history to score 100 points in a game? (He hates it). Of
all his records -- he holds the record for records, an astounding 56
-- which ones does he considerable unbreakable? (You'll be surprised
to hear).
What was his relationship with Bill Russell really like? (You're in
for another surprise). What does he love to watch Michael Jordan do?
(It's not dunking).
What does he think of Dennis Rodman? Of Shaq making the NBA's 50
greatest players list after only four seasons in the league? Whom does
he think is the greatest ever?
Those issues were all brought up as Chamberlain came to New York to
help hype the NBA's All-50 Year team.
The 100-point game
Wilt: "I see now on TV where some company is saying you can buy a tape
with that game on it. Let me tell you, the only camera that was ever
in the arena that night was the one of me showing '100 points' on a
sign.
"When people see me, they say, 'There's the guy who scored 100
points.' It's a tag and I don't like that tag. It's not a putdown. But
it's a simplification of how people see me. It doesn't exemplify what
I tried to do in basketball.
"People forget, I had games where I took only one shot. Some games I
didn't take any. I led the league in scoring seven straight years and
then I was asked to do other things. That was a testament to how good
I was. They asked the best scorer of all time, at that time, to do
other things."
The unbreakable records
First, a little background: Besides his 100-point game, Wilt averaged
22.9 rebounds for his career. To give you an idea of how amazing that
is, Dennis Rodman averaged less than 13 rebounds in his first 10
seasons.
Wilt once played in 47 consecutive complete games. A.C. Green is
second with seven. In one season, Wilt once scored 50 points or more
in 45 games. Jordan has 29 career 50-point games in the regular
season. If you think Jordan has a shot at breaking Wilt's record for
records, forget it. When the season started this weekend, he needed to
break 52 more -- just to tie.
Wilt: "There's a lot of records that I can see that people won't be
able to break. But the 100-point game has never been one of them.
There are so many records that are far greater than the 100-point
game. Like my 50-point average (in '62). When I look at that one, I
go, 'Now, if you want to talk about an unbreakable record, that's it.'
"I didn't even know this for a long time, but I once averaged 48.5
minutes (also '62). I missed six minutes the whole season. I don't
know if that's great. That might have been crazy or stupid. The other
record is the 27 rebounds per game for a season (in '60 and '61). I
don't see anyone breaking that."
The Russell relationship
Fiction: Wilt hated Russell and vice versa.
Fact: Wilt had Russell over to his house for Thanksgiving dinner for
six consecutive years.
Wilt: "We were in an era when people thought he and I didn't like each
other. That's never been the case. We've always liked each other.
We've always been close. We talked a lot on the phone, almost every
day, and we still do.
"It was like a marriage. Sometimes, husbands and wives don't always
get along. Sometimes, people don't agree on everything that's being
said in the household. But you never see that in print. Whenever we
had an argument or a disagreement, people chose to take it and make it
out to be more than it was."
Watching Jordan
Wilt: "To me, the better part of his game is his defense. He becomes
very intense and disrupts in the same manner that K.C. Jones did for
the Celtics. There are guys who play Jordan who are afraid to put the
ball down and afraid to pass. They're always looking and saying,
'Where the hell is Michael?'
"He'll steal the ball or cause you to do something you don't want to
do. But Michael understands that we have always loved numbers and
scoring and the point system. The people who score the touchdowns or
score the baskets are the guys who get all the applause."
On Rodman
Wilt: "He's always been a talent. He embodies the specialty act we see
in the league now to the tenth-degree. He's a rebounder supreme and
that's all he wants to do. I don't know if it's all correct or good,
but he does it better than everybody else.
"Off the court, he has a right to do whatever he choses, just as I had
my rights. When I came in the league, they told me, no goatee. People
had to be clean-shaven. So I said, "No goatee, no Wilt-ee.' I made
some demands and did some things. I wasn't pure."
On Shaq
Wilt: "I'm not going to debate who is on the team. But I'd like to see
him play the game differently. With his power and his great agility
for his size, I'd have him taking every rebound off the boards. That's
how he would get all his points.
"I would make sure that the defensive boards would totally belong to
him. No one would come down the middle. If used in the right way, he
can do for a team what Bill Russell did for a team."
The greatest
Wilt won't come out directly and say it, but he mentions George Mikan
and himself. Why? They're the only players in league history who
forced rule changes, namely the widening of the lane.
So here's how Chamberlain answers the question for the ages: "Muhammad
Ali."
nba.1381lexus,
-> #1360, mpavlo=> Shaquille O'Neal (centar)
Gde bre ova spodoba može u top50 svih vremena...
Sve je postalo samo jedna reklama...
nba.1382vpoznanovic,
-> #1358, vitez.koja>> Nije bilo ni najavljeno, pogrešno si shvatio. Za ovu sam negde
>> pročitao da će biti samo snimak, a za sledeće (valjda) idu direktno.
Bila je u spisku svih utakmica koje će se prenositi ove sezone, zar ne?
nba.1383vpoznanovic,
-> #1359, mboban>> Verujem da bi svi lakše pratili događanja ako bi pre onih opširnih
>> poruka o utakmkicama (pojedinačne statistike, izveštaji) poslao jednu
>> poruku u kojoj su svi aktuelni rezultati i highlightsi. Sigurno znaš na
>> šta mislim, mislim na one kratke izveštaje koje si slao ranije i koji su
>> otprilike ovako izgledali:
Ako je problem samo praćenje, ja bez problema na početku svake poruke
mogu da ubacim nešto ovog tipa:
1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
SEATTLE 24 21 19 23 87
SAN ANTONIO 15 22 15 23 75 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: SEA - SHAWN KEMP 19, DETLEF SCHREMPF 16, GARY PAYTON 16
SAS - SEAN ELLIOTT 15, AVERY JOHNSON 15, DOMINIQUE WILKINS
12
HIGH REBOUND: SEA - SHAWN KEMP 13, TWO PLAYERS WITH 7
SAS - SEAN ELLIOTT 11, GREG ANDERSON 8
HIGH ASSISTS: SEA - GARY PAYTON 7, HERSEY HAWKINS 6
SAS - AVERY JOHNSON 7, VINNY DEL NEGRO 5
ATT: 15,027
Da ide u odvojenoj poruci, ne vidim smisao; sve dok pad skidate
automatski, odnosno dok se sve poruke šalju u jednu temu, nemate mnogo
šansi da izdvajate samo ono što vas interesuje.
nba.1384vpoznanovic,
-> #1361, lexus>> U stvari, tako bi sve moglo da stane u tri poruke.
>> Jedna poruka samo rezultati + rezultati po četvrtinama +
>> highlighti, druga poruka uz koju bi bio okačen fajl sa
>> rezultatima i izveštajima utakmica i treća poruka sa
>> fajlom u kojem bi bile poruke sa ostalim NBA izveštajima.
Čuj, mogu ja sve da strpam i u jednu poruku, tako bi mi čak i bilo lakše.
Mislio sam da šaljući na ovaj način vama činim uslugu. I čemu kačenje u
obliku fajla? Ako ti bude potrebna statistika jedne utakmice, moraćeš da
skidaš čitav fajl (isto i za vijesti). Više ćeš potrošiti za još jedan
poziv da bi skinuo taj fajl nego za onih 20-ak sekundi koliko ti je
potrebno da skineš arhivu čitavog pada. Ako je tvoj argument da se može
desiti da te u dužem periodu ne interesuje statistika nijedne utakmice,
ili nijedna vijest, onda je bolje da udariš resign na ovu temu (ili da
daš ignore meni ako te interesuju ostale diskusije). Poslije fino svratiš
svako mjesec dana, udariš jedan find na ono što te zanima i pokupiš samo
to.
Ne želim ovim da kažem da ja to neću tako da radim, i da bez pogovora
odbijam tvoj predlog, ali da bi se bilo šta promijenilo potrebno je da
te podrži većina onih koji prate ovu temu.
nba.1385vpoznanovic,
BOSTON (92) AT CHICAGO (104)
BOSTON
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
RADJA F 29 5-10 2-2 3 5 8 0 6 0 7 12
WILLIAMS F 33 4-9 2-2 1 3 4 0 2 0 5 10
BRICKOWSKI C 23 4-5 3-3 0 2 2 0 3 1 1 12
WESLEY G 34 3-7 3-6 2 3 5 6 1 2 2 10
FOX G 31 5-10 0-0 4 5 9 5 4 2 4 11
WALKER 23 2-10 1-3 3 5 8 1 4 2 2 5
DAY 30 5-13 8-10 0 4 4 0 3 0 3 20
CONLON 11 3-5 0-0 1 3 4 0 1 0 0 6
BARROS 23 3-9 0-0 0 1 1 2 0 2 1 6
DRIGGERS 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
SZABO 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
ELLISON DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 34-78 19-26 14 32 46 14 24 9 26 92
(.436) (.731) TEAM REBS: 11 TOTAL TO: 27(32 PTS)
CHICAGO
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
PIPPEN F 37 4-16 1-2 2 10 12 11 2 3 3 9
RODMAN F 29 1-3 1-2 5 5 10 3 4 1 4 3
WENNINGTON C 12 3-3 0-0 0 1 1 0 3 0 2 6
HARPER G 25 3-6 2-2 0 2 2 0 2 1 2 8
JORDAN G 32 10-23 7-11 2 1 3 3 2 1 0 27
KUKOC 25 8-12 4-7 0 4 4 3 3 1 1 21
PARISH 13 3-5 0-0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 6
KERR 26 3-6 0-0 0 2 2 4 1 1 2 7
BUECHLER 7 1-3 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2
BROWN 20 4-6 0-0 1 1 2 2 3 2 0 9
SIMPKINS 14 3-7 0-1 2 1 3 1 1 0 1 6
LONGLEY DNP - DID NOT DRESS
TOTALS 240 43-90 15-25 13 28 41 28 21 10 15 104
(.478) (.600) TEAM REBS: 10 TOTAL TO: 16(22 PTS)
BOSTON 30 18 20 24 - 92
CHICAGO 23 29 30 22 - 104
BLOCKED SHOTS: BOSTON - RADJA, BRICKOWSKI. CHICAGO - PIPPEN, HARPER,
PARISH, SIMPKINS.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: BOSTON 5-17 (.294), BRICKOWSKI 1-2, WESLEY 1-2, FOX
1-4, WALKER 0-1, DAY 2-6, BARROS 0-2. CHICAGO 3-14 (.214), PIPPEN 0-3,
HARPER 0-1, JORDAN 0-2, KUKOC 1-4, KERR 1-2, BUECHLER 0-1, BROWN 1-1.
TECHNICALS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: JACK NIES, SCOTT FOSTER, RON OLESIAK.
A - 23,813. T - 2:03.
BOSTON (92) AT CHICAGO (104)
Michael Jordan scored 27 points over three quarters and Scottie
Pippen finished one point shy of a triple-double as the Chicago
posted a 104-92 victory over the Boston Celtics.
Pippen totalled nine points, 11 assists and 12 rebounds as
Chicago moved out to its best start in franchise history at 6-0,
eclipsing last season's mark. Toni Kukoc added 21 points off
the bench.
"I'm not sure if we could be as good as last year," said Bulls
center Bill Wennington. "But I know this team likes to win and
hates to lose. The way we go at it everyday in practice leads
me to think if we were healthy we would have a great year."
Todd Day tallied 20 points and Frank Brickowski and Dino Radja
each added 12 for the Celtics, who have dropped the last nine
meetings with Chicago since a double-overtime win in April 1994.
"The Bulls are such a good team, it almost seems like they can
turn it on and off whenever they want to," said Day. "We have a
young group of guys. As the season moves on, we are going to
get better."
Radja scored 10 points and Brickowski had eight as Boston
stormed out to a 30-23 lead after 12 minutes. The Celtics
increased the lead to 43-33 with 5:53 left in the second quarter
before Randy Brown scored five points and Jordan four in a 19-3
run that gave the Bulls a 52-46 lead with 41.6 seconds
remaining.
The Bulls led by four at the half, but trailed 55-54, two
minutes into the third period. Jordan then had half the points
in a 16-4 spurt that gave Chicago the lead for good at 70-59
with 4:28 to play in the quarter.
A jumper by Dickie Simpkins gave Chicago its biggest lead at
84-68 15 seconds into the fourth and the closest Boston would
get thereafter is eight points.
"I thought we came out kind of sluggish tonight," said Jordan.
"It seemed to take us until the second quarter to get our rhythm
going. Scottie (Pippen) couldn't find the basket, it just
wouldn't drop for him, but he did a lot of other good things.
Right now our bench guys are playing good and picking us up."
Dennis Rodman pulled down just 10 boards for the Bulls, who were
outrebounded, 46-41. The team made just 3-of-14 three-point
attempts (21 percent) and 60 percent (15-for-25) of its free
throws.
Rick Fox added 11 points and nine rebounds, while Eric Williams
and David Wesley had 10 points apiece as Boston shot 44 percent
(34-of-78) from the floor and committed 26 turnovers.
"That's why they are the world champions," said Boston coach
M.L. Carr. "They can come out and look lousy for a couple of
quarters and still find some way to beat you. They had a poor
shooting night and we were in position to upset them. But when
you have Pippen, Jordan, Rodman, even Kukoc off the bench, they
are tough to beat."
nba.1386vpoznanovic,
MIAMI (91) AT DALLAS (84)
MIAMI
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
MAJERLE F 42 8-16 0-0 1 5 6 7 1 1 0 19
THOMAS F 30 7-14 4-8 6 8 14 2 4 1 0 18
MOURNING C 35 5-12 1-3 5 7 12 3 4 0 6 11
DANILOVIC G 41 4-13 2-2 1 1 2 1 4 1 4 10
HARDAWAY G 41 6-20 6-10 1 3 4 7 2 6 0 19
BROWN 18 3-3 0-0 3 3 6 1 1 0 0 6
ASKINS 11 1-2 0-0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 3
AUSTIN 15 2-4 1-2 2 2 4 1 1 0 6 5
GRANT 7 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0
LENARD DNP - COACH'S DECISION
PINCKNEY DNP - COACH'S DECISION
STRICKLAND DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 36-86 14-25 19 30 49 23 19 10 17 91
(.419) (.560) TEAM REBS: 11 TOTAL TO: 17(20 PTS)
DALLAS
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
MCCLOUD F 20 5-9 1-2 0 3 3 2 0 2 3 14
MEYER F 8 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 5 0 3 0
MONTROSS C 19 0-2 0-0 2 4 6 1 6 0 2 0
KIDD G 31 3-6 2-3 2 3 5 2 2 0 2 9
JACKSON G 31 4-10 0-1 2 3 5 2 2 0 2 8
GATLING 33 7-12 3-7 3 8 11 0 2 3 2 17
MILLER 26 3-9 2-2 4 6 10 1 5 0 2 8
MASHBURN 31 7-14 1-1 0 1 1 3 1 0 2 19
HARPER 17 1-5 0-0 0 0 0 3 2 0 1 2
DUMAS 17 2-6 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 6
ROBERTS 7 0-0 1-2 0 1 1 0 2 0 2 1
STRICKLAND DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 32-73 11-20 13 30 43 14 27 7 21 84
(.438) (.550) TEAM REBS: 8 TOTAL TO: 23(21 PTS)
MIAMI 24 26 23 18 - 91
DALLAS 19 22 24 19 - 84
BLOCKED SHOTS: MIAMI - THOMAS 2, MAJERLE, MOURNING, BROWN. DALLAS -
MONTROSS 2, MILLER 2, KIDD.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: MIAMI 5-23 (.217), MAJERLE 3-6, THOMAS 0-1, DANILOVIC
0-6, HARDAWAY 1-8, ASKINS 1-2. DALLAS 9-21 (.429), MCCLOUD 3-6, KIDD 1-2,
JACKSON 0-1, MASHBURN 4-8, HARPER 0-2, DUMAS 1-2.
TECHNICALS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: BOB DELANEY, TIM DONAGHY, DERRICK STAFFORD.
A - 15,021. T - 2:29.
MIAMI (91) AT DALLAS (84)
Alonzo Mourning scored six of his 11 points in the final three
minutes as the Miami Heat continued their dominance of the
Dallas Mavericks with a 91-84 victory.
The Heat, who have beaten the Mavericks 10 consecutive times,
took advantage of horrendous foul shooting down the stretch by
Dallas. Chris Gatling missed four free throws in the final
period and Jimmy Jackson also missed a foul shot with four
minutes to go.
Mourning's dunk with three minutes left gave the Heat an 83-82
lead they wouldn't relinquish. Dan Majerle followed Mourning's
dunk with a three-pointer and Gatling, who played for the Heat
last season, missed a pair of free throws with 72 seconds left.
"We've played together for quite a bit now and we understand
what it takes down the stretch to win ball games," Mourning
said. "We got in the huddle with Dan (Majerle) and he said,
'this is what all the hard work is about. You just have to dig
down and win this thing.' And we did it."
Gatling, who had 17 points and 11 rebounds, hit a 20-footer to
bring the Mavericks within 88-84 but Dallas was unable to draw
any closer. After a free throw by Tim Hardaway with 20 seconds
left, Mourning sealed the victory with a dunk in the game's
final seconds.
"We played very well for three quarters," Heat coach Pat Riley
said. "They closed the game a couple of times and it became a
game again. We made some big plays and we kept rebounding the
ball and our defense really picked it up."
Hardaway and Majerle led Miami with 19 points apiece and Kurt
Thomas added 18 and 14 rebounds. Mourning grabbed 12 rebounds.
Jamal Mashburn had a season-high 19 points for Dallas, which
hasn't beaten the Heat since December 10th, 1991.
George McCloud added 14 points for the Mavericks, who committed
a season-high 23 turnovers and missed 9-of-20 free throws.
"It's like you get close but you forget what got you there,"
Mavericks coach Jim Cleamons said. "We had some ball movement.
We got the ball from one side to the other. They had some missed
assignments on the defensive end and we took advantage of it.
Unfortunately, we didn't do well enough to bring the baby home.
"You've got to have quite a bit of pride and I was happy the
guys showed in the third quarter that they were going to stand
up and defend what was theirs. But unfortunately, we came up a
little bit short."
Hardaway and Majerle each handed out seven assists for Miami,
which won despite shooting 42 percent (36-of-86) from the field,
56 percent (14-for-25) from the line and turning the ball over
17 times.
"I'm running up the floor, making things happen for my
teammates," Hardaway said. "We took it to the hole strong
tonight. That's what the coach keeps saying is that we take too
many outside shots. Instead, let's take it to the hole."
Dallas' starting backcourt of Jason Kidd and Jimmy Jackson were
held scoreless from 3:36 remaining in the first quarter through
3:14 left in the third quarter. The duo was held to a combined
17 points on 7-of-16 shooting. Kidd had just two assists.
nba.1387vpoznanovic,
MILWAUKEE (100) AT CHARLOTTE (98)
MILWAUKEE
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
ROBINSON F 33 5-13 9-11 1 4 5 0 5 0 4 20
BAKER F 47 9-22 8-13 2 10 12 5 4 1 3 28
LANG C 28 1-4 0-0 4 5 9 1 6 0 1 2
DOUGLAS G 36 6-12 4-6 2 2 4 7 5 1 1 16
ALLEN G 29 4-10 0-0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 9
NEWMAN 32 3-4 0-0 0 3 3 1 0 1 1 7
GILLIAM 21 3-4 3-3 1 3 4 0 3 1 1 9
PERRY 12 3-4 0-0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 7
WOLF 2 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2
HANCOCK DNP - COACH'S DECISION
RESPERT DNP - COACH'S DECISION
WOOD DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 35-74 24-33 10 27 37 17 27 5 11 100
(.473) (.727) TEAM REBS: 17 TOTAL TO: 12(10 PTS)
CHARLOTTE
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
MASON F 45 6-8 9-15 3 9 12 3 4 0 0 21
GEIGER F 19 3-6 3-4 1 1 2 2 4 1 1 9
DIVAC C 28 3-6 0-0 3 6 9 0 5 0 2 6
GOLDWIRE G 37 3-10 5-6 0 4 4 11 3 1 2 12
RICE G 40 7-17 3-5 0 1 1 1 2 1 1 18
ZIDEK 18 3-3 1-1 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 7
BURRELL 7 0-1 2-2 0 0 0 2 3 0 1 2
CURRY 35 8-13 4-7 0 4 4 2 2 2 3 23
SMITH 11 0-4 0-0 1 0 1 3 1 0 0 0
BOGUES DNP - COACH'S DECISION
DELK DNP - COACH'S DECISION
ROSE DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 33-68 27-40 8 26 34 24 26 5 10 98
(.485) (.675) TEAM REBS: 8 TOTAL TO: 10(9 PTS)
MILWAUKEE 24 30 28 18 - 100
CHARLOTTE 27 36 19 16 - 98
BLOCKED SHOTS: MILWAUKEE - BAKER 3. CHARLOTTE - GEIGER 2.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: MILWAUKEE 6-14 (.429), ROBINSON 1-3, BAKER 2-3, DOUGLAS
0-2, ALLEN 1-3, NEWMAN 1-1, PERRY 1-2. CHARLOTTE 5-16 (.313), GOLDWIRE
1-2, RICE 1-5, CURRY 3-7, SMITH 0-2.
TECHNICALS: MILWAUKEE - BAKER, CHARLOTTE - ZIDEK, ILLEGAL DEFENSE.
OFFICIALS: ED F RUSH, TONY BROTHERS, BLANE REICHELT.
A - 24,042. T - 2:21.
MILWAUKEE (100) AT CHARLOTTE (98)
Vin Baker scored nine of his 28 points in the fourth quarter,
including a tie-breaking three-point play with 1:28 remaining
that lifted the Milwaukee Bucks to a 100-98 victory over the
Charlotte Hornets.
The Hornets tied the score for the last time at 96-96 on Matt
Geiger's basket with 1:46 to go. But Baker made a short jumper
from the left side and was fouled 18 seconds later. His free
throw gave the Bucks a 99-96 advantage.
Dell Curry, who led Charlotte with 23 points, made two foul
shots with 42 seconds left. But the Hornets were whistled for
an illegal defense and Glenn Robinson made the technical foul
shot with 26 seconds to play.
Geiger stole the ball from Robinson, but Glen Rice missed a
three-pointer. The ball bounced out of bounds off Milwaukee
with four-tenths of a second remaining but Charlotte could not
get off a final shot.
"I had a decent look at the shot but it just didn't go in," said
Rice, who is playing despite a sprained ankle. "There won't be
too many times when I'm going to miss that shot. It should
never have gotten to that point, though. We had a good lead but
we didn't execute."
Robinson scored 20 points and Sherman Douglas added 16 for the
Bucks, who overcame a 16-point first-half deficit and have won
four of their first five games. Baker grabbed 12 rebounds and
scored 17 points after halftime.
"We really came out tonight saying that we need to win this game
after starting 3-0 and losing last night," Baker said. "This was
a character builder for us."
Anthony Mason had 21 points and 12 rebounds and Rice scored 18
points for the Hornets, who also won three of their first four.
Rice scored 11 points in the first quarter as Charlotte opened a
27-24 lead. The Hornets built their largest advantage at 55-39
with 4:10 remaining in the second quarter on a three-pointer by
Anthony Goldwire, who had 12 points and 11 assists.
"Allowing them to shoot 65 percent in the first half, we came
back and held them to 35 points in the second half," Bucks coach
Chris Ford said. "We did a great job on defense. Our guys dug
down and found a way to win."
The Bucks closed to 64-53 at halftime and continued their surge
in the third quarter. Robinson's three-pointer gave Milwaukee a
67-66 lead with 7:23 left in the period. The teams were tied
82-82 entering the final 12 minutes.
nba.1388vpoznanovic,
PHOENIX (95) AT PHILADELPHIA (112)
PHOENIX
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
HORRY F 23 3-6 0-0 3 2 5 0 3 0 4 6
MANNING F 28 3-7 0-2 1 6 7 0 3 1 3 6
KLEINE C 10 1-3 0-0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2
CASSELL G 25 3-12 11-12 0 1 1 7 3 1 2 17
PERSON G 29 3-8 0-0 1 0 1 3 3 4 1 6
NASH 23 4-8 3-4 1 2 3 5 2 0 5 11
CHAPMAN 30 5-11 0-0 0 1 1 8 6 0 1 11
FINLEY 26 8-11 7-10 0 4 4 0 4 0 2 25
TISDALE 7 1-5 2-2 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 4
GREEN 15 2-2 1-2 1 2 3 0 2 1 0 5
BROWN 10 1-4 0-0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2
DAVIS 14 0-6 0-2 4 2 6 0 4 1 0 0
TOTALS 240 34-83 24-34 13 20 33 24 33 8 18 95
(.410) (.706) TEAM REBS: 14 TOTAL TO: 19(23 PTS)
PHILADELPHIA
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
COLEMAN F 37 4-7 4-6 2 7 9 5 3 0 0 14
WEATHERSPOON F 29 3-4 3-4 3 12 15 0 2 1 0 9
WILLIAMS C 14 1-2 0-0 1 3 4 0 3 0 0 2
IVERSON G 26 3-10 0-0 0 2 2 8 6 3 9 6
STACKHOUSE G 38 11-21 12-14 0 1 1 3 2 3 5 36
WALTERS 22 2-4 1-2 0 0 0 5 4 1 2 6
MACLEAN 14 4-7 1-2 1 1 2 1 4 0 3 9
CAGE 15 2-3 0-2 4 4 8 0 2 0 0 4
HARRIS 22 4-8 0-0 0 0 0 3 1 0 3 12
DAVIS 21 3-6 8-9 2 1 3 2 5 0 4 14
BRADTKE 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
OVERTON DNP - SPRAINED RIGHT ANKLE
TOTALS 240 37-72 29-39 13 31 44 27 32 8 27 112
(.514) (.744) TEAM REBS: 13 TOTAL TO: 27(17 PTS)
PHOENIX 17 22 25 31 - 95
PHILADELPHIA 25 36 23 28 - 112
BLOCKED SHOTS: PHOENIX - HORRY, MANNING, CASSELL, CHAPMAN, BROWN.
PHILADELPHIA - WEATHERSPOON 3, WILLIAMS 2, COLEMAN, STACKHOUSE, IVERSON.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: PHOENIX 3-17 (.176), HORRY 0-1, CASSELL 0-2, PERSON
0-4, NASH 0-2, CHAPMAN 1-4, FINLEY 2-4. PHILADELPHIA 9-22 (.409), COLEMAN
2-4, IVERSON 0-3, STACKHOUSE 2-4, WALTERS 1-3, HARRIS 4-7, DAVIS 0-1.
TECHNICALS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: HUGH EVANS, TOMMIE WOOD, NOLAN FINE.
A - 17,006. T - 2:19.
PHOENIX (95) AT PHILADELPHIA (112)
Jerry Stackhouse scored 21 of his career-high 36 points in the
first half, when the Philadelphia 76ers raced to a 27-point lead
and cruised to a 112-95 victory over the winless Phoenix Suns,
who are off to their worst start in 11 years.
Derrick Coleman and Mark Davis scored 14 points apiece for the
76ers, who beat the Suns for the first time in 11 games dating
to February 1st, 1991. Philadelphia has won two straight games
after opening the season with three losses and gave rookie coach
Johnny Davis his first home win.
Stackhouse clipped his goatee and eclipsed his previous career
high of 34, established November 7th, 1995 against Sacramento.
"I got rid of the goatee," he said. "I think that had something
to do with it. I tried to take it to the basket and get easy
opportunities. It's been mostly mental. I hope there are many
more career highs."
"He has a trememdous work ethic," Sixers coach Johnny Davis
said. "I feel it was just a matter of time before he plays the
way he's capable of playing. He never got down on himself. He
kept working and working and good things happen when you do
that."
Stackhouse picked up the slack for high-scoring rookie Allen
Iverson, who had a season-low six points before fouling out.
Iverson did have eight assists.
"I'm adjusting right now," Iverson said. "I'm still learning a
lot. This was our first home win and I enjoyed it. Personally,
I am going to play badly again before the season is out."
The Sixers never trailed. Stackhouse scored seven points in a
12-0 run that was capped by Coleman's three-pointer and gave
Philadelphia a 15-2 lead with 5:31 left in the first quarter.
Stackhouse scored 12 points in the period, which ended with the
Sixers holding a 25-17 lead. The Suns closed to 27-21 early in
the second quarter on a jumper by Michael Finley, but the Sixers
went on a 28-7 burst over the next seven-plus minutes.
Davis scored eight points and Stackhouse added five during the
spurt. A three-point play by Davis gave the 76ers their largest
lead at 55-28 with 4:08 left in the half.
"It was tough falling behind in the first half," Finley said.
"We have to get out of the box a little quicker. When we get in
the hole against any team it's tough to come back and win."
Philadelphia led 61-39 at intermission, shooting 49 percent
(21-of-43) from the field while holding Phoenix to 32 percent
(12-of-38). The Suns were 1-of-9 from three-point range.
The Sixers led 84-64 entering the final period, when Stackhouse
scored 13 points. The Suns got no closer than 16 points in the
final minute.
"I thought the defense was the difference tonight," davis said.
"We are doing a much better job on the boards."
Finley scored 25 points and Sam cassell added 17 for Phoenix
(0-5), which lost its first nine games in the 1985-86 season,
the worst start in franchise history.
"Starting out 0-5 is very frustrating, but personally it is
something I will get through and as a team we will get through
it,too," Cassell said.
Phoenix forward A.C. Green and Philadelphia center Michael Cage
extended their consecutive games-played streaks. Green, who has
the longest current streak at 818 games, scored five points.
Cage, who is second among active players with 580 games, scored
four.
nba.1389vpoznanovic,
PORTLAND (102) AT SACRAMENTO (103)
PORTLAND
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
C ROBINSON F 45 6-17 5-7 2 5 7 4 4 1 4 18
WALLACE F 30 6-9 3-4 3 4 7 1 5 0 2 15
SABONIS C 29 5-10 11-12 3 10 13 1 2 1 0 21
RIDER G 33 2-9 5-6 2 3 5 2 3 0 5 10
ANDERSON G 43 6-16 2-5 1 3 4 5 3 3 2 17
MCKIE 18 2-4 0-0 0 0 0 1 3 0 2 5
DUDLEY 17 3-6 2-2 5 4 9 0 3 0 1 8
TRENT 20 3-8 2-2 0 3 3 0 1 0 3 8
WINGFIELD 3 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0
BUTLER 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0
CHILDRESS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
JORDAN DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 33-79 30-38 16 33 49 14 26 5 22 102
(.418) (.789) TEAM REBS: 14 TOTAL TO: 22(20 PTS)
SACRAMENTO
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
OWENS F 26 5-10 0-0 2 5 7 3 6 0 0 11
GRANT F 30 4-12 4-4 2 5 7 0 2 1 3 12
POLYNICE C 35 7-16 1-2 3 4 7 1 6 0 4 15
RICHMOND G 37 11-20 4-6 1 4 5 6 2 2 2 29
EDNEY G 31 2-8 0-1 1 1 2 5 1 2 2 4
C WILLIAMSON 21 4-8 6-6 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 14
SIMMONS 15 1-3 4-4 1 2 3 2 2 0 0 6
SMITH 15 2-3 0-2 1 0 1 0 3 0 2 4
CAUSWELL 13 1-2 0-2 2 2 4 0 5 0 2 2
HURLEY 17 2-3 1-2 0 2 2 4 4 0 0 6
ABDUL-RAUF DNP - SPRAINED LEFT THUMB
GAMBLE DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 39-85 20-29 14 25 39 22 31 6 15 103
(.459) (.690) TEAM REBS: 7 TOTAL TO: 15(21 PTS)
PORTLAND 20 28 29 25 - 102
SACRAMENTO 31 24 18 30 - 103
BLOCKED SHOTS: PORTLAND - C ROBINSON 2, WALLACE 2, SABONIS, RIDER, MCKIE.
SACRAMENTO - GRANT 2, SIMMONS 2, CAUSWELL 2, OWENS, POLYNICE.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: PORTLAND 6-18 (.333), C ROBINSON 1-5, SABONIS 0-3,
RIDER 1-3, ANDERSON 3-4, MCKIE 1-2, TRENT 0-1. SACRAMENTO 5-10 (.500),
OWENS 1-2, RICHMOND 3-6, EDNEY 0-1, HURLEY 1-1.
TECHNICALS: PORTLAND - ANDERSON.
OFFICIALS: DAN CRAWFORD, TED BERNHARDT, JIM KINSEY.
A - 17,317. T - 2:20.
PORTLAND (102) AT SACRAMENTO (103)
Lionel Simmons hit two free throws with 3.8 seconds remaining to
complete a closing 14-4 run and lift the Sacramento Kings to a
103-102 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
After Portland's Arvydas Sabonis made two free throws for a
102-101 advantage with 5.9 seconds left, Sacramento lined up to
inbound the ball. Portland's Clifford Robinson tipped the pass,
but fouled Simmons in pursuit of the loose ball.
The Trail Blazers had a chance to win the game, but Kenny
Anderson's one-handed drive in the paint bounced off the front
of the rim. Anderson beat Minnesota in similar fashion at home
Wednesday.
After Anderson made a three-pointer to give the Blazers a 98-89
lead with 3:10 remaining, Sacramento responded by scoring the
next 10 points as Richmond had seven. His three-pointer closed
the gap to 98-97 and his two free throws gave the Kings a 99-98
edge with 37 seconds remaining.
"When we came to the bench when we were down by nine points, we
were very confident," Richmond said. "We had this game, but we
kept putting them at the line and that gave them the opportunity
to get back into the game."
Richmond scored 12 of his 29 points during the final three
minutes and Olden Polynice added 15 points for Sacramento, which
snapped a two-game losing streak and posted its third straight
home win over Portland.
"That was a much needed win for our ballclub," Kings coach Gary
St. Jean said. "I can really kind of use tonight because we got
a heck of a total team effort. I just like the way a lot of
people played for us. We had a lot of people respond in a big
way in different ways, and that's the way I envision our team
playing."
Sabonis had 22 points and 13 rebounds, Robinson added 18 and
Anderson had 17 for Portland, which fell to 3-3.
"We played real hard, but we dug a huge hole early," Blazers
coach P.J. Carlesimo said. "We did a great job of hanging in
during the first half. We really didn't play well. We got
ourselves right back, if not in it, almost in control of it."
Richmond had nine as the Kings took a 31-20 lead into the second
quarter and had 13 as Sacramento led 55-48 at the half. But
Portland went on a 26-11 run behind eight points by Sabonis.
Gary Trent made two free throws to cap the run and give Portland
a 77-71 lead with 16 seconds left in the third quarter.
Corliss Williamson scored 14 points, Brian Grant added 12 and
Billy Owens had 11 for Sacramento, which won despite shooting 46
percent from the field (39-of-85) and getting outrebounded,
49-39.
Rasheed Wallace scored 15 points, but Isaiah Rider was held to
10 points on 2-of-9 shooting for Portland, which shot 42 percent
(33-of-79) and turned the ball over 22 times.
The game witnessed 15 ties and eight lead changes.
nba.1390vpoznanovic,
UTAH (85) AT HOUSTON (91)
UTAH
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
RUSSELL F 38 2-9 0-0 1 2 3 1 1 4 1 4
MALONE F 39 13-21 6-10 1 10 11 5 2 1 3 32
OSTERTAG C 25 2-7 3-4 3 3 6 0 5 0 0 7
HORNACEK G 34 3-11 3-3 0 2 2 4 1 2 2 9
STOCKTON G 40 8-13 5-6 0 2 2 6 3 2 4 22
EISLEY 8 0-1 0-0 0 2 2 3 1 0 0 0
CARR 16 0-5 1-2 1 1 2 0 3 0 0 1
KEEFE 16 1-2 1-4 1 3 4 0 2 2 2 3
FOSTER 14 2-3 0-0 0 1 1 0 4 0 0 4
MORRIS 10 1-5 1-2 1 2 3 0 1 1 1 3
ANDERSON DNP - COACH'S DECISION
THOMPSON DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 32-77 20-31 8 28 36 19 23 12 13 85
(.416) (.645) TEAM REBS: 14 TOTAL TO: 14(17 PTS)
HOUSTON
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
ELIE F 38 4-10 2-3 0 2 2 5 2 2 1 13
BARKLEY F 40 3-12 2-4 6 12 18 2 4 2 1 8
OLAJUWON C 33 14-27 10-12 4 5 9 2 4 1 1 38
DREXLER G 34 4-10 4-4 4 6 10 0 2 2 4 13
MALONEY G 27 2-6 1-2 0 2 2 7 4 1 2 5
DAVIS 21 0-4 0-0 0 1 1 4 1 0 1 0
WILLIS 21 1-4 5-7 3 4 7 0 3 0 3 7
BULLARD 19 2-5 0-0 0 2 2 1 2 0 2 5
MOORE 7 0-3 2-2 1 1 2 1 1 0 0 2
HARRINGTON DNP - COACH'S DECISION
LIVINGSTON DNP - COACH'S DECISION
MACK DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 30-81 26-34 18 35 53 22 23 8 15 91
(.370) (.765) TEAM REBS: 12 TOTAL TO: 16(20 PTS)
UTAH 19 24 22 20 - 85
HOUSTON 21 21 20 29 - 91
BLOCKED SHOTS: UTAH - MALONE, OSTERTAG, FOSTER. HOUSTON - BARKLEY 2,
DREXLER 2, OLAJUWON, WILLIS, BULLARD.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: UTAH 1-10 (.100), RUSSELL 0-3, MALONE 0-1, HORNACEK
0-1, STOCKTON 1-3, EISLEY 0-1, MORRIS 0-1. HOUSTON 5-22 (.227), ELIE 3-6,
BARKLEY 0-2, DREXLER 1-4, MALONEY 0-3, DAVIS 0-2, BULLARD 1-3, MOORE 0-2.
TECHNICALS: UTAH - HEAD COACH SLOAN, ILLEGAL DEFENSE 2, HOUSTON - ILLEGAL
DEFENSE 2, BARKLEY.
OFFICIALS: MIKE MATHIS, WOODY MAYFIELD, GREG WILLARD.
A - 16,285. T - 2:15.
UTAH (85) AT HOUSTON (91)
Hakeem Olajuwon overcame foul trouble to score 17 of his 38
points in the fourth quarter as the unbeaten Houston Rockets
defeated the Utah Jazz, 91-85, for their sixth straight win.
The Rockets trailed 65-62 entering the fourth quarter but took
the lead for good at 75-74 on a three-pointer by Matt Bullard
with 5:25 remaining. Olajuwon scored Houston's next 12 points
on four baskets and four free throws, providing the Rockets with
an 87-81 lead with under three minutes to go.
The Jazz cut the deficit to 90-85 with 2:12 left on a free throw
by John Stockton, who scored 22 points. But Utah never scored
again as Houston tacked on a foul shot by Mario Elie in the last
minute.
Elie and Clyde Drexler scored 13 points each and Charles Barkley
grabbed 18 rebounds for the Rockets, who share the NBA record
for wins at the start of a season with 15 in 1993. Houston and
Chicago, also 6-0, are the only unbeaten teams in the league.
Karl Malone scored a season-high 32 points for the Jazz, who
were playing for the first time since Monday and have dropped
two in a row.
Stockton scored 12 points and Malone eight in the first half as
Utah grabbed a 43-42 halftime edge. Olajuwon scored 17 points
despite three fouls.
Olajuwon scored two quick baskets in the second half but picked
up his first foul and sat down for the final 11 minutes of the
third quarter. Malone took advantage of his absence inside and
scored 14 points in the period, giving Utah a 65-62 lead.
Drexler pulled down 10 rebounds and Olajuwon added nine for the
Rockets, who shot 37 percent (30-of-81) from the field and held
a 53-36 rebounding advantage.
Malone grabbed 11 rebounds for the Jazz, who shot 42 percent
(32-of-77).
nba.1391vpoznanovic,
WASHINGTON (100) AT INDIANA (103) - FINAL IN OT
WASHINGTON
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
HOWARD F 43 6-16 2-4 3 8 11 5 1 1 2 14
GRANT F 25 3-8 1-2 1 5 6 1 3 1 0 7
WEBBER C 48 10-17 5-9 4 7 11 6 5 2 5 25
CHEANEY G 35 5-13 0-1 2 5 7 3 4 1 2 10
STRICKLAND G 41 5-12 7-11 1 2 3 6 5 4 4 17
MURRAY 28 2-8 1-2 0 0 0 0 4 0 1 7
WALLACE 14 1-2 0-0 1 2 3 0 2 0 0 2
JACKSON 18 6-8 2-3 0 0 0 0 3 1 1 16
WHITNEY 12 1-4 0-0 0 1 1 2 3 0 0 2
AMAYA 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FISH DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 265 39-88 18-32 12 30 42 23 30 10 15 100
(.443) (.563) TEAM REBS: 14 TOTAL TO: 16(14 PTS)
INDIANA
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
MCKEY F 38 4-12 3-7 3 6 9 2 5 0 1 11
D DAVIS F 37 6-10 2-3 2 9 11 0 3 2 5 14
A DAVIS C 37 7-11 6-8 2 9 11 0 6 2 3 20
MILLER G 42 5-17 6-6 1 5 6 6 2 0 3 16
WORKMAN G 23 2-6 0-0 1 1 2 4 4 0 1 4
ASKEW 25 3-5 1-2 2 2 4 2 2 1 1 7
DAMPIER 17 3-6 0-0 2 3 5 0 2 0 0 6
BEST 24 8-12 5-6 0 0 0 3 4 0 1 23
HOIBERG 11 0-2 0-0 0 3 3 1 1 1 0 0
ALLEN 7 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0
ROSE 4 1-3 0-0 1 1 2 1 0 0 2 2
SCOTT DNP - STRESS FRACTURE LEFT LEG
TOTALS 265 39-85 23-32 14 39 53 20 30 7 18 103
(.459) (.719) TEAM REBS: 9 TOTAL TO: 18(23 PTS)
WASHINGTON 27 27 24 16 6 - 100
INDIANA 24 30 19 21 9 - 103
BLOCKED SHOTS: WASHINGTON - WEBBER 3, WALLACE 2, HOWARD. INDIANA - D
DAVIS 2, MCKEY, MILLER, ASKEW.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: WASHINGTON 4-13 (.308), GRANT 0-1, WEBBER 0-1, CHEANEY
0-2, STRICKLAND 0-1, MURRAY 2-5, JACKSON 2-2, WHITNEY 0-1. INDIANA 2-11
(.182), MCKEY 0-2, MILLER 0-3, WORKMAN 0-1, BEST 2-2, HOIBERG 0-1, ALLEN
0-1, ROSE 0-1.
TECHNICALS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: RONNIE NUNN, PAUL MIHALAK, HANK ARMSTRONG.
A - 15,591. T - 2:45.
WASHINGTON (100) AT INDIANA (103) - FINAL IN OT
Travis Best scored a career-high 23 points and Antonio Davis had
20 and 11 rebounds as the Indiana Pacers broke into the winning
column with a 103-100 overtime victory over the Washington
Bullets.
Washington led 88-81 with under four minutes left in regulation
before Best scored six points in a 13-4 run that gave the Pacers
a 94-92 lead with 5.4 seconds to play. But Rod Strickland got
the ball at midcourt and converted a driving layup as time
expired to force overtime.
In the extra session, Chris Webber's hook gave Washington a
96-94 advantage before Davis and Reggie Miller hit jumpers and
Dale Davis made a layup for a 100-96 lead with just over 90
seconds remaining. The Bullets never came closer than two
points thereafter.
"The team has been behind me and has kept pushing me," said
Best. "This has resulted in the type of game tonight. It is
extremely important to keep the momentum going as you know. As
a team we knew that we would be pushed to the wire."
"I'm proud of Travis and happy for him," said Pacers coach Larry
Brown. "A game like this is something he needs. He's had a lot
of responsibility put on his shoulders and it hasn't been easy.
He was great the whole game and he took over when we really
needed him. I told Travis he had to be a little more
offensive-minded and he made the plays."
Miller netted 16 points for Indiana, which prevented its first
0-4 start since 1988. The Pacers extended their winning streak
over Washington to five games overall and nine in a row at home.
"It was a good win, because we have struggled of late," said
Antonio Davis. "We have not played greatly. We played with
poise, good effort and good teamwork tonight."
Webber, who missed a three-pointer at the overtime buzzer, led
the Bullets with 25 points, 11 boards and six assists.
Strickland added 17 points, while Jaren Jackson had 16 off the
bench.
"It wasn't enough because we didn't win," said Webber. "We need
to keep playing and meshing, you've got to credit them because
they've got a good team. Usually with the hurt players somebody
will come in and step it up."
Washington led for most of the opening quarter thanks to a 9-2
run that made it 21-13 with 2:56 left in the period. The Pacers
trailed by as many as eight points, but rallied to take a 42-41
lead on Miller's lay-in with 5:06 to play in the half.
The score was tied at the half and remained knotted seven
minutes into the period before a 12-5 Washington burst that made
it 78-71 with 39.2 seconds left.
Indiana reeled off the next eight points to move ahead 79-78
before Webber scored the final three points in a 10-2 spree that
gave the Bullets their 88-81 advantage.
Dale Davis recorded 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Derrick
McKey had 11 and nine for Indiana, which outrebounded the
Bullets, 53-42.
Juwan Howard had 14 points and 11 boards, while Calbert Cheaney
contributed 10 and seven, as the Bullets finished 18-of-32 (56
percent) from the foul line.
"They made the plays when they had to and we didn't," said
Strickland. "I knew they were going to fight back, they've got
competitive guys on their team. He had a great game (Best). He
got some good looks and made some big baskets."
nba.1392vpoznanovic,
Pacers G Haywoode Workman possibly out for season
Indiana Pacers guard Haywoode Workman went down with a torn anterior
cruciate ligament in his left knee in the fourth quarter of tonight's
overtime win over the Washington Bullets and may be lost for the
season.
Workman suffered the injury while driving towards the basket with 5:25
left in the period. He started the game and had four points and four
assists in 23 minutes.
"I know Woody was such a big part of this team, I'm sad for him," said
Pacers coach Larry Brown. "It's unfortunate that things like that
happen to good guys. He's got a lot of courage, he'll try and he's a
leader. You won't find many like him. Now Travis (Best), Jerome
(Allen) and Jalen (Rose) will have to do it by committee."
Workman, who is in his fourth season with Indiana and sixth in the
league, was averaging six points and 2.3 assists in three games
entering play tonight.
The Pacers already have the maximum three players on their injured
list -- guard Eddie Johnson, forward Duane Ferrell and center Rik
Smits.
nba.1393vpoznanovic,
Barring a miracle turnaround, Nuggets brass has got to go
DENVER (Nov 9, 1996 - 10:24 EST) -- The clock is ticking on the Bernie
Bickerstaff Era.
Bickerstaff is entering his seventh season as club president (his
third as coach) and his team is only slightly better equipped to
challenge for a championship than the old, broken-down club he
inherited during the darkest days of 1990.
He likes to ask media people, "Where's the accountability?"
Today, we ask the same question.
Unless this thing turns around dramatically, unless the Nuggets begin
to play like the team Bickerstaff thought he had this preseason -- and
we are willing to bet a bundle that it won't -- Charlie Lyons ought to
pull the plug. At the All Star break, at the end of the season,
whenever.
Dump Bickerstaff.
And then start the whole fool thing over again.
For this simple reason: It isn't working. And it isn't going to work.
Worse yet, there is no sense this franchise is building toward
anything.
Yes, the home team played a terrific game Thursday night against the
Rockets, battling through Laphonso Ellis' absence and foul troubles.
Ervin Johnson did a marvelous job on Hakeem Olajuwon -- at least
before he fouled out shortly before the end of regulation -- Sarunas
Marciulionis was a whirling dervish and Dale Ellis was nothing short
of amazing. And when the Nuggets fell behind late in the overtime,
they produced a little magic and pulled to within one point. These are
the kinds of nights, the kinds of efforts the Nuggets have to give
their fans on a regular basis if they want to win them back.
Problem is, they've only done it once in three home games.
Problem is, as well and as hard as they played, they still lost
because in overtime, the Rockets had Olajuwon and the Nuggets had, um,
LaSalle Thompson.
Problem is, the Nuggets played about as well and as heroically as they
could on their home floor, and still couldn't win.
Because they're not good enough.
The Nuggets can celebrate their nucleus all they want, but these are
the facts: LaPhonso Ellis is injury prone. Bryant Stith is nothing
more than a nice, average player who works hard and plays defense. The
only one with any star potential is Antonio McDyess, and he is a few
years away from finding his place in this league.
This isn't a solitary media person talking. This is a town filled with
hardcore basketball fans talking. More than 30 percent of this team's
season-ticket holders didn't bother to renew. If that's not a
repudiation of the latest rebuilding effort, it's hard to say what is.
Tuesday night, Denver told the Nuggets exactly what they thought. They
stayed away. Granted, it was an election night. And granted, it was
the Los Angeles Clippers, hardly a big draw. But not so long ago,
12,000 or more would show up simply out of habit.
Not anymore.
Nor did they sell out Thursday for the star-studded Rockets.
Now, you figure, the Nuggets will hit the skids when they go on the
road after Friday's home game against Golden State, and the excuses
will start anew: "Well, LaPhonso isn't in the lineup and he's our
heart and soul." And Bickerstaff will be given a longer grace period.
Don't be fooled. Don't let Ellis' absence obscure the truth about this
group. They try hard, but they are going nowhere fast, with or without
Ellis.
Understand, I like Bickerstaff, even if the feeling isn't mutual. He's
intelligent, opinionated and combative, a sharp basketball mind. And
before last year, I was convinced he had the Nuggets on the right
track. He had drafted well (Mark Macon being the exception), he had
traded well and he was showing patience with a team that seemed ready
to blossom, especially when Fonz returned to health.
And tason happened. The whole thing got out of control. Mahmoud
Abdul-Rauf and Anthemgate became a horrible, embarrassing mess.
Dikembe Mutombo lost his warrior spirit, and became consumed with
himself and his numbers. And Jalen Rose, his top draftee one year
earlier, was a pouty, petulant underachiever from the start.
Go ahead and blame the miserable 1995 season on the players, but
remember this: These were Bernie's guys. These were the people he
drafted. These were the people he believed would blossom into a
50-victory-plus team.
You can argue the Nuggets couldn't have kept Mutombo given the
limitations his agent put on the organization, but you can argue --
and we have argued since last season -- that the Nuggets should have
paid him his price and given the Mutombo-McDyess-Ellis front line more
time to develop.
Lyons cannot afford -- heck, Ascent cannot afford -- to let this
worsen. Already, they've been reduced to silly, bottom-line tactics
like the buy-the-Nuggets/get-the-Avalanche scheme. The Nuggets are
losing games, fans and money.
Tick ... tick ... tick ... tick ... tick ... tick ...
nba.1394vpoznanovic,
Kings' offense not clicking
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Nov 9, 1996 - 05:36 EST) -- The problem is as
apparent as the solution is elusive.
The Kings' offense has been inconsistent in three of their first four
games and it is no coincidence the Kings have lost those three.
Now they face the athletic and unpredictable Portland Trail Blazers
Saturday night at Arco Arena.
Frankly, the Kings need a victory about as badly as Evander Holyfield
needs a reality check.
They have lost the first two on this four-game homestand that precedes
a wicked stretch of 10 road games in 12 contests.
Defensively, the Kings have been solid. Offensively, they have put the
"u" in ugly.
Kings coach Garry St. Jean came into the regular season wondering how
his team would play defensively. It struggled during the preseason but
has been solid in the regular season.
However, the sequence of post-up, pick-and-roll and movement-oriented
offense he envisioned during the summer has been nothing but a
struggle.
St. Jean said his team needs to become more reliant on the second and
third options of the team's various offensive sets.
"In every play, there is a first option, second option and third
option," he said after Friday's practice. "And when teams take away
the first option, we have to have the mind-set to look for the second
and third options."
St. Jean said the team had a talk this week.
"Everybody expressed their opinions and one theme that was prevailing
was that it was early in the season and there was no need to panic,"
St. Jean said. "We're not getting it done to the level that we want,
but that it was important for us to keep working hard and improve."
The Kings' offense, like every other team's, can appear complicated
and intricate. But there are basic tenets that have to be followed,
and the Kings have not done that.
No offense, especially one featuring sharpshooters Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
and Mitch Richmond, can be successful without other players setting
solid picks to free the scorers.
In recent years, the Kings have not set good picks. They don't have a
group of bulky, physical specimens, so players such as Olden Polynice,
Brian Grant, Michael Smith and Billy Owens will have to be more
precise.
Timing is everything when it comes to setting up a defender on an
offensive set, as is spacing. One second late or one second early can
ruin a play. One player out of place on a key play can lead to a
frenzy.
There are few Kings players who know their plays inside and out. That
is apparent on virtually every possession when the early -- and
crucial -- seconds of the offense are spent with one player directing
another.
"How are you going to run the offense when people don't know what they
are supposed to be doing?" one player asked. "That's one of the
reasons why our offense looks crazy sometimes."
Abdul-Rauf has admitted to having difficulty picking up the offense,
and he is the starting point guard. There are other players who have
not made that admission.
Even St. Jean has said that he has not done a good job getting
Abdul-Rauf the ball.
St. Jean envisioned a point-forward offense with Billy Owens running
the show and Abdul-Rauf and Richmond coming off picks. But with Owens
missing most of the preseason and Abdul-Rauf missing some of it, that
plan has stalled.
"We are going to find Mahmoud more," the coach said. "That I can
promise you."
St. Jean can design plays until his hair grows back, but if his
players don't hit open shots, the offense still won't work.
nba.1395djcorto,
-> #1381, lexus> => Shaquille O'Neal (centar)
>
> Gde bre ova spodoba moze u top50 svih vremena...
Nemoj tako, on je omiljeni kosarkas moje cerke (13 meseci).
Vole deca majmune ...
NBA trebaju zvezde, pa, ako nema pametnih i dobrih (Jabbar,
Magic, itd) dosta je da su veliki i jaki.
nba.1396mboban,
-> #1383, vpoznanovic=-= Ako je problem samo praćenje, ja bez problema na početku svake poruke
=-= mogu da ubacim nešto ovog tipa:
Ne, to ne bi ništa izmenilo...
Mislio sam da pre cele serije poruka u jednoj poruci pustiš sve rezultate
utakmica i učinak najzapaženijih igrača (znači sve u jednoj poruci, a ne
na početku svake poruke), koji bi u narednim porukama bili opširnije
obrađeni.
Uz svo poštovanje prema tebi i tvom radu i trudu, moram ti reći da mi se
trenutni sistem ovoga što radiš ne sviđa.
Trenutno mi se najviše sviđa ideja da u svakom paketu pošalješ takvu
poruku, a uz nju da u vidu arhiviranog fajla zakačiš opširnije rezultate,
vesti i tračeve (u 2 odvojena fajla u toj jednoj arhivi). U sledećoj
poruci bi išlo stanje na tabeli. Mislim da bi i tebi tako bilo lakše.
Lepo sve u jednoj poruci, da ne moraš da šalješ te mega-exece. I
pretraživanje bi bilo lakše. Ovako neko ko traži neki rezultat mora da
se probija kroz stotinjak poruka o tome kako je taj-i-taj igrač
suspendovan na toliko-i-toliko utakmica, kako se neki drugi igrač
oporavlja od povrede, itd... A pored svega toga, mislim da veliki broj
poruka koje šalješ utiču negativno na razvoj diskusije.
Nemoj pogrešno da me shvatiš, količina informacija treba da ostane ista,
ali da se sabije u manji broj poruka. Na kraju, problem će ti praviti i
limit od 300 konferencijskih poruka mesečno (osim ako spadaš među
povlašćene članove :).
Šta kažu ostali?
nba.1397sani.,
-> #1396, mbobanJa se potpuno slazem.Predlog je prihvatljiv jer bi tada sve bilo mnogo
preglednije,a samim tim bi smo odrzali paznju ostalih zainteresenika za nba.
Puno pozdrava svim ljubiteljima nba-a.
nba.1398vitez.koja,
-> #1382, vpoznanovic#=> Bila je u spisku svih utakmica koje će se prenositi ove sezone,
#=> zar ne?
Da, ali tamo gde sam ja pročitao (Politika valjda) je prilično
jasno bilo naglašeno da Mia - Chi nije prenos nego snimak...
sk
nba.1399vpoznanovic,
ATLANTA (85) AT LA LAKERS (92)
ATLANTA
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
LAETTNER F 38 4-17 5-6 1 8 9 2 3 0 1 14
CORBIN F 41 6-14 0-0 3 5 8 1 3 2 2 12
MUTOMBO C 38 3-8 6-9 2 5 7 1 4 0 2 12
SMITH G 22 5-11 1-1 1 2 3 3 1 0 1 14
BLAYLOCK G 44 6-14 1-1 1 2 3 12 1 6 0 16
NEWBILL 15 2-2 0-0 2 0 2 1 2 1 1 4
BURTON 9 0-6 2-2 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 2
BARRY 18 4-8 0-0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 11
LAUDERDALE 5 0-3 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
RECASNER 10 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0
HENDERSON DNP - FLU
BOYCE DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 30-84 15-19 10 24 34 21 18 10 9 85
(.357) (.789) TEAM REBS: 13 TOTAL TO: 10(14 PTS)
LA LAKERS
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
CAMPBELL F 33 3-9 3-4 3 6 9 2 4 1 3 9
CEBALLOS F 28 6-10 1-1 0 7 7 3 3 0 3 13
ONEAL C 39 9-20 1-4 6 12 18 4 5 2 3 19
JONES G 39 8-16 0-0 0 4 4 4 5 1 3 19
VAN EXEL G 35 4-7 0-0 0 3 3 5 0 0 0 10
ROOKS 21 2-4 3-5 1 1 2 2 5 1 1 7
FISHER 13 2-4 2-2 0 2 2 0 0 0 2 6
BRYANT 8 0-3 2-2 1 2 3 1 0 0 0 2
KNIGHT 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
SCOTT 21 2-4 2-2 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 7
BLOUNT DNP - LEFT THIGH CONTUSION
ROBINSON DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 36-77 14-20 11 37 48 24 23 5 16 92
(.468) (.700) TEAM REBS: 10 TOTAL TO: 16(20 PTS)
ATLANTA 22 30 15 18 - 85
LA LAKERS 22 16 32 22 - 92
BLOCKED SHOTS: ATLANTA - MUTOMBO 3, LAUDERDALE. LA LAKERS - ONEAL 4,
ROOKS 3, CAMPBELL 2, JONES 2, SCOTT.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: ATLANTA 10-30 (.333), LAETTNER 1-3, CORBIN 0-4, SMITH
3-7, BLAYLOCK 3-10, BURTON 0-2, BARRY 3-4. LA LAKERS 6-16 (.375), CAMPBELL
0-1, JONES 3-9, VAN EXEL 2-3, FISHER 0-1, SCOTT 1-2.
TECHNICALS: LA LAKERS - ONEAL, ILLEGAL DEFENSE.
OFFICIALS: BENNETT SALVATORE, GARY BENSON, JIM CLARK.
A - 16,097. T - 2:10.
ATLANTA (85) AT LA LAKERS (92)
Eddie Jones scored 13 of his 19 points during a key
third-quarter run and Cedric Ceballos added 11 during the same
stretch as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied from a 19-point
deficit to defeat the Atlanta Hawks, 92-85.
After falling behind 57-38 just under a minute into the third
quarter, the Lakers rallied back. Shaquille O'Neal, who
finished with 19 points and 18 rebounds, had a dunk that seemed
to spark Los Angeles. Jones and Ceballos took over from there
as the Lakers, who improved to 3-0 at home, outscored the Hawks
32-10 over the rest of the quarter.
"When you are down by 14 of 15 or whatever, you want to get out
there and make something happen," Jones said. "We weren't
hustling, were weren't making steals, we weren't running, we
were just standing around. I think the key was that we got the
crowd going. We don't want to be booed at home, it leaves a bad
taste in you mouth."
"Eddie played a great game," O'Neal said. "He was a spark for us
in the third quarter. I shot the ball poorly tonight, but I
think I did other things well. We are going to have to learn as
a team that if we want to win that we have got to come in from
the jump ball. We can't wait until the third or fourth
quarter."
Los Angeles shot 65 percent from the field during the period
while holding Atlanta to just 19 percent (4-of-21) shooting. It
was the Lakers' sixth straight win over the Hawks and eighth
consecutive triumph over Atlanta at the Great Western Forum.
"That second half showed the kind of emotion and energy that we
are looking for," Lakers coach Del Harris said. "Hopefully this
is a breakthrough win for us. I know we had the fire coming out
into the third quarter."
Mookie Blaylock had 16 points and 12 assists to lead Atlanta,
which also got 14 points and nine boards from Christian
Laettner.
Byron Scott, who had seven points off the bench for the Lakers,
became just the 37th player in NBA history to play in 1000
regular season games.
Steve Smith had 11 of his 14 points in the first quarter when
O'Neal was held in check but the Hawks were able to manage just
a 22-22 tie after one period. Atlanta used a 27-12 run over the
first 9:10 of the second quarter to open a 49-34 lead. Smith
suffered a right ankle sprain and was limited to 22 minutes of
action.
"It (the sprain) hurt me twice as bad because we lost and I
thought I could make a difference tonight," Smith said.
The Hawks scored the first five points of the third quarter to
extend their advantage to 57-38 but O'Neal's dunk set the Lakers
offense in motion.
"In the second half we executed poorly, the Lakers saw an
opportunity and they took advantage of it," Hawks coach Lenny
Wilkens. "We got anxious and hurried our play, typical of a
young team. We started off strong behind Smith, but when he
went out we fell apart."
Six players scored in double figures for the Hawks but none made
more than half of their shots as Atlanta managed to shoot just
35 percent (30-of-84) from the floor. Los Angeles also held a
48-34 advantage on the boards.
nba.1400vpoznanovic,
DENVER (86) AT CLEVELAND (101)
DENVER
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
D ELLIS F 33 8-12 0-0 2 2 4 3 1 0 3 18
MCDYESS F 22 3-8 2-2 0 3 3 2 6 0 0 8
JOHNSON C 35 5-8 3-4 2 6 8 1 3 0 6 13
JACKSON G 33 3-10 0-0 1 6 7 14 4 0 3 7
STITH G 31 3-9 4-4 3 4 7 3 2 0 4 10
THOMPSON 5 0-1 0-0 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 0
HAMMONDS 26 3-4 0-0 2 3 5 0 4 2 0 6
PIERCE 10 1-4 2-2 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 4
MURDOCK 11 1-2 0-0 0 2 2 1 1 2 3 3
MARCIULIONIS 18 3-9 0-0 2 2 4 2 3 0 2 7
HAM 8 1-2 2-2 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 4
MCINNIS 8 2-3 0-0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 6
TOTALS 240 33-72 13-14 13 30 43 28 26 5 24 86
(.458) (.929) TEAM REBS: 6 TOTAL TO: 25(33 PTS)
CLEVELAND
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
MILLS F 25 3-8 2-4 2 2 4 1 2 1 0 9
HILL F 29 3-9 1-3 2 3 5 2 3 3 2 7
WEST C 8 0-1 0-0 1 0 1 0 3 0 2 0
BRANDON G 30 7-16 3-3 0 4 4 8 1 1 1 19
PHILLS G 30 5-7 1-2 0 5 5 1 1 1 2 14
POTAPENKO 23 4-10 4-6 2 1 3 0 4 0 1 12
FERRY 31 8-11 0-0 1 1 2 4 2 1 0 20
SURA 24 5-7 3-4 1 5 6 9 0 1 4 14
GEARY 9 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
LANG 23 2-4 2-2 1 1 2 1 2 0 1 6
MARSHALL 4 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
THOMAS 4 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
TOTALS 240 37-76 16-24 10 22 32 26 20 9 14 101
(.487) (.667) TEAM REBS: 6 TOTAL TO: 14(16 PTS)
DENVER 23 15 24 24 - 86
CLEVELAND 22 31 20 28 - 101
BLOCKED SHOTS: DENVER - JOHNSON 2, MCDYESS, HAMMONDS. CLEVELAND - LANG
2, MILLS, BRANDON, PHILLS, FERRY, SURA.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: DENVER 7-15 (.467), D ELLIS 2-3, JACKSON 1-4, STITH
0-1, PIERCE 0-1, MURDOCK 1-1, MARCIULIONIS 1-3, MCINNIS 2-2. CLEVELAND
11-20 (.550), MILLS 1-1, BRANDON 2-5, PHILLS 3-4, FERRY 4-6, SURA 1-2,
GEARY 0-1, THOMAS 0-1.
TECHNICALS: DENVER - MARCIULIONIS.
OFFICIALS: RON GARRETSON, JOE DEROSA, SEAN CORBIN.
A - 13,921. T - 1:58.
DENVER (86) AT CLEVELAND (101)
Danny Ferry scored 20 points off the bench and Terrell Brandon
added 19 and eight assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers, off to
their best start in eight years, cruised to a 101-86 victory
over the Denver Nuggets.
Cleveland led 73-62 after three quarters and 79-69 with 9:58 to
play before Brandon and Bobby Sura each scored five points and
rookie Vitaly Potapenko and Antonio Lang had four apiece in an
18-0 run that gave the Cavs a 28-point lead with 4:43 to play.
Bobby Phills chipped in 14 points for Cleveland, which eclipsed
the century mark for the first time this season. The team is
4-1 for the first time since 1988-89.
"Defensively we had a couple of people who stepped up and did a
good job," said Cleveland coach Mike Fratello. "We mixed and
matched until we found a group that gave us enough energy and
gave us some stretches of outstanding defense. Danny Ferry came
back from a couple of tough games of shooting the ball. He
really had his stroke and confidence. Overall this is our best
team performance."
Dale Ellis tallied 18 points and Ervin Johnson had 13 and eight
rebounds for Denver, which began a five-game road trip. Bryant
Stith added 10 points, while Mark Jackson dished out 14 assists
as the Nuggets shot 93 percent (13-of-14) from the foul line,
but committed 24 turnovers.
Denver led 23-22 after 12 minutes and maintained a one-point
advantage before Sura hit two free throws to begin an 16-2 spurt
that gave Cleveland a 40-27 lead with 5:30 left in the first
half. Ferry had eight points in the run and 12 in the half.
"I just got a good rhythm going and got some good looks at the
basket," said Ferry. "Making three-pointers gives you momentum
because it spreads the floor and opens up the lanes for Brandon
and Sura. I just go out and play and try to think as little as I
can."
The Nuggets cut into a 15-point halftime deficit with a 17-4
burst to begin the third period. Ellis netted seven points and
Stith had four in the run that reduced the difference to 57-55
with 4:36 left in the quarter.
But the Cavs countered as Phills and Ferry each had five points
in a 16-7 spree that put the team up 73-62 heading into the
final period.
"We got back into the basketball games and we did what we've
been doing -- we turned it over," said Denver coach Bernie
Bickerstaff. "We fought all the way back within two points and
Dale (Ellis) went up for a shot and passed, which led to a
turnover. We inbound the ball and Ervin (Johnson) gets a
turnover, which is a five-point turnaround when Danny Ferry hits
a three."
Sura recorded 14 points, nine assists and six boards and
Potapenko had 12 points for Cleveland, which shot 49 percent
(37-of-76) from the floor. Denver was allowing a league-low
39.4 percent entering play.
The Cavs shot 55 percent (11-for-20) from three-point range, but
were outrebounded, 43-32. Cleveland has won six of the last
seven meetings at home against Denver.
"We had three straight turnovers when we got back into the
game," said Nuggets forward Antonio McDyess. "From there we
started going down hill and we couldn't get back into it. They
(Cleveland) have some pretty strong guys, plus their coach
rotates the guys in and out, so he brings new bodies out to you
every minute or so and that kind of wears the guys out who are
already out there."
nba.1401vpoznanovic,
MINNESOTA (70) AT LA CLIPPERS (81)
MINNESOTA
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
K GARNETT F 38 7-14 1-2 4 5 9 0 4 1 1 15
GUGLIOTTA F 39 4-17 10-14 3 8 11 2 2 1 6 18
VRANKOVIC C 21 2-6 0-0 1 4 5 0 4 1 2 4
WEST G 29 3-10 2-2 2 2 4 0 3 1 2 8
PORTER G 20 1-6 0-0 0 2 2 0 1 1 1 2
D GARRETT 18 0-1 2-2 1 2 3 0 2 0 0 2
CARR 16 1-3 0-0 0 3 3 0 1 0 0 2
MITCHELL 25 1-4 4-4 1 4 5 1 3 0 1 6
ROBINSON 18 3-10 3-4 0 2 2 2 2 1 2 9
HEAL 14 1-4 1-2 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 4
PARKS 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MARBURY DNP - SPRAINED RIGHT ANKLE
TOTALS 240 23-75 23-30 12 32 44 6 23 7 15 70
(.307) (.767) TEAM REBS: 9 TOTAL TO: 15(11 PTS)
LA CLIPPERS
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
VAUGHT F 29 2-7 0-0 3 5 8 0 4 2 2 4
ROGERS F 44 9-13 3-4 2 6 8 3 3 2 3 22
DUCKWORTH C 11 0-2 0-0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0
RICHARDSON G 27 1-10 0-0 1 3 4 4 0 1 1 2
SEALY G 24 1-10 4-4 1 2 3 0 1 2 2 6
D MARTIN 21 1-5 4-4 1 2 3 4 2 1 1 7
ROBERTS 32 7-17 5-6 4 10 14 0 5 0 1 19
OUTLAW 16 3-6 4-8 2 4 6 1 4 0 1 10
DEHERE 14 0-3 0-0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0
MURRAY 9 3-4 1-1 1 1 2 1 1 0 0 7
WRIGHT 3 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 2
PIATKOWSKI 10 1-4 0-0 1 1 2 1 2 0 1 2
TOTALS 240 29-82 21-27 16 36 52 14 26 8 14 81
(.354) (.778) TEAM REBS: 13 TOTAL TO: 16(9 PTS)
MINNESOTA 22 19 14 15 - 70
LA CLIPPERS 19 26 8 28 - 81
BLOCKED SHOTS: MINNESOTA - VRANKOVIC 3, K GARNETT 2, WEST, D GARRETT,
CARR, MITCHELL. LA CLIPPERS - SEALY, OUTLAW.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: MINNESOTA 1-5 (.200), GUGLIOTTA 0-1, MITCHELL 0-1,
ROBINSON 0-1, HEAL 1-2. LA CLIPPERS 2-7 (.286), ROGERS 1-1, RICHARDSON
0-4, D MARTIN 1-1, PIATKOWSKI 0-1.
TECHNICALS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: DAN CRAWFORD, TED BERNHARDT, JIM KINSEY.
A - 6,314. T - 2:09.
MINNESOTA (70) AT LA CLIPPERS (81)
Rodney Rogers scored 22 points and Stanley Roberts added 19 as
the Los Angeles Clippers used a decisive fourth-quarter run to
defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 81-70.
Los Angeles improved to 20-9 all-time against Minnesota, which
includes a 13-2 mark at home. The Clippers (3-2) have alternated
wins and losses in their first five games.
"It wasn't the greatest game, but a win is win," said Rogers,
who had totaled 28 points in his previous four games. "We could
have played a lot better. The guards did not shoot well, but
we'll take it. Sometimes you have bad days like that."
The Timberwolves, who have dropped two straight for the first
time this season, led 59-55 on James Robinson's jumper with
10:58 left.
Then Los Angeles went on a 15-0 run to take a 70-59 lead with
4:35 left to play. Ex-Timberwolf Darrick Martin had five points
in the run and Roberts and Charles Outlaw each added four.
"We came out of the blocks sluggish and did not get the job done
until the fourth quarter," said Roberts. "It was ugly, but it
was a win."
Tom Gugliotta had 18 points and led Minnesota in scoring for the
fifth time in five games. The 70 points tied a franchise-low
set January 9th, 1990 at Sacramento.
"I didn't think we gave the effort we needed to give. Our
execution was horrendous," said Minnesota coach Flip Saunders.
"One thing about the Clippers -- we've played them five games
(since taking over as coach) and they have played us harder than
anyone."
Minnesota held its biggest lead with 2:07 left in the first on
Chris Carr's slam dunk as the Timberwolves took a 22-19 lead.
The Clippers followed with a 9-4 run in a 4:17 span to start the
second quarter. Rogers hit a three-pointer and Roberts added
four points on a dunk and a jumper to give the Clippers a 29-24
lead with 7:43 left to play.
Minnesota outscored Los Angeles 14-8 in the third quarter. Loy
Vaught's hook shot tied the game at 51, but neither team could
score until Minnesota's Stojko Vrankovic hit a 10-footer to give
the Timberwolves a 53-51 edge with 64 seconds to play in the
third.
"That killed us," said Garnett. "When you're out there losing
like that, you're sort of brainlocked on what's going on. We
have been playing well, but this is a step backward."
nba.1402vpoznanovic,
NEW YORK (101) AT VANCOUVER (82)
NEW YORK
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
JOHNSON F 29 6-10 0-0 1 3 4 4 2 1 0 12
OAKLEY F 33 6-8 0-0 3 4 7 3 5 1 4 12
EWING C 35 8-16 5-8 6 10 16 2 0 2 3 21
HOUSTON G 19 3-8 1-2 0 0 0 1 5 0 1 9
WARD G 20 5-9 0-0 0 4 4 4 1 0 2 13
STARKS 32 3-11 2-2 1 4 5 4 3 0 3 8
WALLACE 23 3-5 1-2 2 6 8 4 4 1 3 7
BROOKS 22 3-5 0-0 0 0 0 3 1 1 0 7
B WILLIAMS 21 2-5 0-0 1 2 3 2 0 2 1 4
JENT 3 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 3
MCCARTY 3 2-3 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 5
H WILLIAMS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 42-82 9-14 14 33 47 27 24 8 17 101
(.512) (.643) TEAM REBS: 8 TOTAL TO: 17(13 PTS)
VANCOUVER
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
B EDWARDS F 30 2-8 4-5 2 3 5 1 3 0 2 8
ROGERS F 25 2-10 0-0 2 2 4 0 1 0 0 4
REEVES C 35 2-5 4-4 3 5 8 3 5 0 5 8
PEELER G 35 6-16 2-3 1 3 4 3 2 1 1 16
ANTHONY G 27 4-12 2-3 0 2 2 7 4 6 1 12
MAYBERRY 21 0-4 2-2 1 3 4 2 1 2 4 2
ABDUR-RAHIM 25 3-5 5-5 1 2 3 1 0 0 1 11
LYNCH 16 2-7 1-2 2 1 3 4 1 3 0 5
MOTEN 13 4-6 2-3 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 12
MOBLEY 11 2-3 0-1 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 4
MANNING 2 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
CHILCUTT DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 27-76 22-28 13 23 36 22 18 12 17 82
(.355) (.786) TEAM REBS: 9 TOTAL TO: 18(23 PTS)
NEW YORK 26 21 29 25 - 101
VANCOUVER 24 21 17 20 - 82
BLOCKED SHOTS: NEW YORK - B WILLIAMS 3. VANCOUVER - ROGERS 4, B EDWARDS,
REEVES, MOBLEY.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: NEW YORK 8-15 (.533), HOUSTON 2-3, WARD 3-4, STARKS
0-4, BROOKS 1-2, JENT 1-1, MCCARTY 1-1. VANCOUVER 6-17 (.353), B EDWARDS
0-1, PEELER 2-4, ANTHONY 2-6, MAYBERRY 0-2, ABDUR-RAHIM 0-1, LYNCH 0-1,
MOTEN 2-2.
TECHNICALS: NEW YORK - BROOKS.
OFFICIALS: BILL SPOONER, TOMMIE WOOD, HUE HOLLINS.
A - 17,356. T - 2:10.
NEW YORK (101) AT VANCOUVER (82)
Patrick Ewing recorded 21 points and 16 rebounds, while Charlie
Ward added 13 points to lead the New York Knicks to a 101-82
rout of the Vancouver Grizzlies.
The Knicks completed a sweep of their three-game West Coast
trip, but the first two games weren't as easy. They rallied
from a 10-point deficit to defeat the Golden State Warriors,
105-100, on Thursday and took the Los Angeles Clippers to
overtime before winning, 88-81, on Friday.
"I didn't think it was an easy game at all," said Knicks coach
Jeff Van Gundy. "I thought that the Grizzlies played
particularly well in the first half. I was very happy with the
Knicks performance in the second half. I felt they passed the
ball well, defended well and rebounded well."
Anthony Peeler scored a season-high 16 points and Greg Anthony
and Lawrence Moten had 12 apiece for Vancouver, which owns sole
possession of the worst record in the NBA (0-6).
"I know they are a tough team, but I was embarrassed by our
effort out there in the second half," said Anthony. "We weren't
competitive enough for our home crowd. We got into foul trouble
with some key guys and we didn't really get a chance to get into
the game. But they are a very talented team and we would have
had to have our best game to give them a run."
Ward scored 10 of his points in the first period as New York
opened up a 26-24 advantage. The margin was 47-45 at the half
in favor of the Knicks before they opened the gap in the third
quarter.
Ewing netted five points in a 13-2 run, capped by his free throw
with 4:32 left in the period that made it 67-53. Vancouver
closed within 69-60 on a dunk by Eric Mobley, but New York put
the game away with a 15-4 spurt.
Charles Oakley started the burst with a follow of a missed shot
and closed it with a tip-in to extend the lead to 84-64 with
7:08 to play. The Knicks took their biggest lead at 94-70 on a
three-pointer by rookie Walter McCarty in the final minutes.
"We're not playing together enough yet and we showed that
especially in the third quarter tonight," said Peeler. "You
can't get down if you miss shots. You have to work on boards.
We've got to do our own jobs, but work hard as a team to put our
game together. We're just not getting any easy baskets."
Larry Johnson and Oakley each contributed 12 points for New
York, which shot 51 percent (42-of-82) from the floor, including
8-for-15 from three-point range (53 percent). Every Knick
scored at least three points.
"I thought the difference between the first half and the second
half was that the Knicks got back on defense," said Ewing. "I
felt it definitely wasn't an easy game. Every game is tough in
the NBA."
Rookie Shareef Abdur-Rahim added 11 points off the bench for
Vancouver, which shot just 35 percent (27-of-76) from the field
and were outrebounded, 47-36.
nba.1403vpoznanovic,
SAN ANTONIO (81) AT PORTLAND (94)
SAN ANTONIO
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
D WILKINS F 35 9-20 0-0 7 4 11 2 1 0 0 18
ELLIOTT F 38 4-11 2-2 2 1 3 4 2 0 3 12
ANDERSON C 17 0-4 0-0 1 2 3 0 4 2 3 0
JOHNSON G 35 6-7 1-2 1 0 1 3 2 3 1 14
DEL NEGRO G 16 0-4 0-0 0 1 1 1 3 0 0 0
KEMPTON 18 0-1 0-0 1 1 2 1 0 1 2 0
MAXWELL 36 4-15 7-10 0 3 3 2 3 2 1 17
M WILLIAMS 26 6-7 2-3 1 3 4 0 4 0 0 14
ALEXANDER 13 0-5 2-2 1 1 2 2 1 0 0 2
HERRERA 6 2-4 0-0 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 4
W PERDUE DNP - FRACTURED LEFT THUMB
SMITH DNP - SWOLLEN RIGHT KNEE
TOTALS 240 31-78 14-19 15 17 32 15 21 8 10 81
(.397) (.737) TEAM REBS: 7 TOTAL TO: 10(13 PTS)
PORTLAND
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
C ROBINSON F 32 4-8 0-0 1 2 3 4 3 2 7 9
WALLACE F 26 5-7 2-3 1 3 4 0 4 1 1 12
SABONIS C 21 3-7 1-1 0 6 6 3 2 2 2 7
ANDERSON G 35 5-10 5-6 0 0 0 7 2 0 0 17
RIDER G 36 8-15 4-6 3 3 6 2 4 0 2 23
TRENT 14 2-7 2-2 4 4 8 0 2 0 1 6
DUDLEY 25 1-4 1-2 5 7 12 2 1 0 1 3
MCKIE 19 2-6 4-4 1 1 2 3 2 1 0 8
WINGFIELD 24 4-11 0-0 3 2 5 3 2 0 2 9
JORDAN 3 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
CHILDRESS 3 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0
BUTLER 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTALS 240 34-75 19-24 18 30 48 24 22 6 17 94
(.453) (.792) TEAM REBS: 11 TOTAL TO: 17(19 PTS)
SAN ANTONIO 19 27 16 19 - 81
PORTLAND 30 22 19 23 - 94
BLOCKED SHOTS: SAN ANTONIO - M WILLIAMS 3, D WILKINS. PORTLAND - C
ROBINSON, WALLACE, SABONIS.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: SAN ANTONIO 5-19 (.263), D WILKINS 0-2, ELLIOTT 2-5,
JOHNSON 1-1, DEL NEGRO 0-1, MAXWELL 2-7, ALEXANDER 0-3. PORTLAND 7-23
(.304), C ROBINSON 1-4, SABONIS 0-3, ANDERSON 2-3, RIDER 3-6, TRENT 0-1,
MCKIE 0-3, WINGFIELD 1-3.
TECHNICALS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: LUIS GRILLO, JOE CRAWFORD, GEORGE TOLIVER.
A - 20,111. T - 2:00.
SAN ANTONIO (81) AT PORTLAND (94)
Isaiah Rider scored 23 points and Kenny Anderson added 17 as the
Portland Trail Blazers starting backcourt dominated their San
Antonio Spurs counterparts in a 94-81 victory.
Rider hit 8-of-16 shots, including 3-of-6 from three-point
range, and Anderson added seven assists without a turnover. The
duo combined for 40 points, nine assists and six rebounds while
San Antonio's starting guards, Avery Johnson and Vinny Del Negro
were held to 14 points, four assists and two rebounds.
"I found my stroke again, I guess I came out feeling good and
felt like we did a good job of moving the ball on the double
teams," Rider said. "I got some easy shots and good looks.
That's always fun, instead of taking tough shots and trying to
create. We definitely felt good going into this game."
"We had to do it against a team that is struggling," Anderson
said. "We had to keep them down and we didn't that. I felt
good, I am going to try to adapt to certain things and try to
get my assists up."
Chris Dudley chipped in with 12 rebounds off the bench as the
Trail Blazers extended a six-point halftime lead with seven
consecutive points to start the third quarter.
Dominique Wilkins led the Spurs with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
The Spurs did receive solid bench play from Vernon Maxwell, who
had 17 points, and Monty Williams, who chipped in with 14.
"It was my best all-around game tonight, but I still am not
shooting well," Wilkins said. "Defensively, we could be doing
some better things, but with the group we have, we have done
very well. I still can do a lot of things that young guys can't
do. I still feel I am very competitive. Eventually, this team
will do better."
Rider scored 11 in the first quarter as the Trail Blazers raced
to a 12-4 lead and built the advantage to 30-19 after the first
period. Rider added eight in the second quarter as Portland held
on for a 52-46 halftime lead.
The Spurs managed to shoot just 39 percent (31-of-78) from the
field and 5-of-19 from three-point range in losing for the fifth
time in six games. The Spurs have managed to surpass 81 points
in just one of their six contests thus far.
"I thought we did a whale of a job for three quarters of a
game," Spurs coach Bob Hill said. "We played hard, particularly
late in the first half. If we continue to play with such
intensity, I feel we will be a good team when we get healthy."
Greg Anderson started at center for the Spurs in place of
injured superstar David Robinson, and was held scoreless in 17
minutes. He split time in the middle with Tim Kempton who
failed to score in 18 minutes of action.
"Whenever we don't have to worry about the Admiral, it makes it
easier," Rider added. "He is a shot-blocker and an offensive
force down there. Whenever you don't have David in there, is is
always easier and you have to take advantage of that."
nba.1404vpoznanovic,
Blue-collar Williams cleans glass for the Nets
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- He doesn't want his own show on MTV. He
doesn't want a multipage spread in GQ. Nor does he want to dye his
hair every color of the rainbow.
The one thing Dennis Rodman has that Jayson Williams wants is the NBA
rebounding crown.
"I'd like to lead the league in rebounding," says Williams, now in his
seventh NBA season. "I could have won the rebounding title last year,
if I played more."
The 6-foot-10 Williams might be right. Almost.
He grabbed 803 rebounds, averaging 10 per game last season, good for
10th in the NBA. But he played just 23.1 minutes per game.
League-leader Rodman, who claimed his fifth consecutive rebound title,
pulled down 14.9 boards per game and saw 33 minutes of action per
night.
Prorated over an entire 48-minute NBA game, Williams would have
averaged 20.7 rebounds per game. But that would still rank him second
to Rodman, who would have averaged 21.9 boards a game if he played the
full 48.
Despite his lack of minutes, Williams placed second to only Rodman in
total offensive rebounds last year, hauling in 342 (Rodman grabbed
356). David Robinson (319) was the only other NBA player to grab more
than 300 offensive boards last season.
However, besides fighting for playing time, Williams also had to fight
his teammates just to get the ball last year.
"I played on the best rebounding team in the NBA last season,"
Williams says of the Nets, who hauled down a league-best 3,853. "I had
to rebound against P.J. Brown, Eddie O'Bannon, Shawn Bradley and Armon
Gilliam. In Chicago, Rodman was the only rebounder on that team, so
his teammates let him grab the rebounds."
But this season Williams shouldn't have that problem. Both Brown and
Gilliam left New Jersey as free agents, going to Miami and Milwaukee,
respectively. New Nets head coach John Calipari has anointed Williams
a team captain and awarded him the starting power forward position.
This will give him the minutes to compete for the NBA rebounding
title.
"Both Jayson and Kendall Gill are our captains. They add leadership
and they know the NBA game," says Calipari. "Jayson's done a fine job
for us. He plays so hard and really believes in this organization."
Newfound leader
Not only is it the first time in his pro career that Williams will be
a starter, it'll also be the first time he's ever had a leadership
role on an NBA team.
"It's a good feeling to know that five years ago there were
(newspaper) articles saying I would not make the team," recalls
Williams. "Now I'm the captain. It has been a 360-degree turnaround."
"Five years ago there were articles saying I would not make the
team," Williams says. "Now I'm the captain. It has been a 360-degree
turnaround."
Williams' quick wit and easy-going nature make him one of the best
interviews in the NBA. But it wasn't always that way; throughout his
collegiate career at St. John's and his early years in the NBA,
Williams had picked up a reputation for being pompous, bold, and
brash.
Now that's behind him, and he feels he has to be a leader by example.
"In Philly, I was just reckless," says Williams, who was originally
drafted by Phoenix and then traded to the 76ers. "I was just immature.
Socially, I had to grow up.
"Now I'm my own man and I make my own decisions. Right now I'm happy
with myself, I've got it together. For me to be successful, we've got
to win games in New Jersey, and I've got to be a part of that."
Not just be a part, but the catalyst. The Nets are one of the youngest
NBA teams and Williams, 28, is the one of their oldest players; only
Tony Massenburg (29), Adrian Caldwell (30) and recent acquisition
Reggie Williams (32) are older.
In fact, prior to the acquisition of 10-year veteran Reggie Williams,
Jayson Williams was the team's most seasoned NBA player, with six
years under his belt. And in his fifth year in New Jersey, Williams is
amazed that he's a senior team member.
"Most of the time I have to show the new guys the ins and outs of the
Nets organization," he says.
"Big Jay has been here the longest," O'Bannon says. "The young guys go
to him when they want to know something."
And part of that responsibility includes breaking in the new coach,
Williams' third during his stint in New Jersey.
"I didn't expect coach Cal to be so cool," Williams says. "I didn't
think I'd like the way he would coach. I thought he'd come in yelling
and not be up on the NBA game. But I should have known better. He
brought UMass to a conference championship in just eight years, and
their program was down."
Williams serves as the buffer between the players and Calipari.
"As captain, the players come to me," says Williams. "I have to play
middle-man between them and coach Cal. I have to keep the peace and
build up the family we have here."
Second-year forward Ed O'Bannon knows when he has a problem or
question, Williams is the one to ask.
"Big Jay has been here the longest," says the former first-round draft
pick. "The young guys go to him when they want to know something."
With Calipari in charge, Williams thinks the Nets future is bright. He
feels that will help him earn a spot among the league's top power
forwards.
"I'm not just going to average 14 rebounds. I'm going to be putting in
13 or 14 points to go along with it," he says. "I'm going to be
scoring points too. I don't want to be known as just a rebounder."
nba.1405vpoznanovic,
Record-setting Bulls are at it again
CHICAGO (Nov 10, 1996 - 17:18 EST) -- Coming off the best season in
NBA history -- a record 72 regular-season victories followed by a
dominating championship run -- the Chicago Bulls couldn't possibly be
better.
Or could they?
"Last year, we had key guys get hurt and miss games. We expect the
same this year, but maybe it won't happen," Ron Harper said. "If we
can stay healthy, we might just be better.
"As long as we keep our intensity and enthusiasm, we have a chance to
win every game."
Every game?
You mean 82-0?
"Why not?" Harper said. Then he laughed.
The Bulls are 6-0 after beating Boston 104-92 Saturday. That betters
their team-record start of a year ago, when they won their first five
games before losing. Houston also won its first six games and is the
NBA's only other unbeaten team.
To a man, the Bulls say they have improved.
"We are better from a knowledge standpoint," Michael Jordan said.
"Physically, OK, we have that extra year of beating on our bodies, but
we only can get better because of playing together for a period of
time. We have a sense of expectation from each other, and our roles
are pretty much set, and that makes us a better team."
Coach Phil Jackson agreed. "We have a chance to be better," he said.
"Last year at this time, Dennis Rodman was missing 12 games with an
injury. Now he's here. Last year, we lost Scottie Pippen for a
stretch. Maybe that doesn't happen this year. We have more depth, with
everyone more confident in each other, and more shared experience."
Bill Wennington put it this way: "The only question is: 'Athletically,
can we sustain the grind of a whole season and keep winning?' Do I
have any doubts? No."
And Steve Kerr said, "I think back to last year, how perfect it went.
It was a dream season, really. And we've picked up right where we left
off."
The fast start has been somewhat surprising in that Pippen, Harper and
Luc Longley were coming off surgery.
"I didn't think we would be very conscious of our record the first
month or so," Pippen said. "But this team ... we can't do anything but
play to win."
The Bulls were helped by the schedule-makers, who gave them Boston,
Vancouver and Philadelphia -- three bad teams -- out of the gate.
Victories in those games preceded road wins over better teams, Miami
and Detroit, and got people talking about the 70-win mark again. Last
season, such talk didn't start until about the midway point.
"I don't want to start looking forward to winning 72-plus games or
whatever," Pippen said, "but if we're able to stay healthy, the sky's
the limit."
Opponents say the same thing.
"You saw greatness," Detroit coach Doug Collins said. "They are one of
the greatest teams of all-time, maybe the greatest. No team in the NBA
can play with them right now."
Said Boston forward Rick Fox: "They might be in for a better year than
last year, which is scary. For them, it's getting easier because they
know each other so well."
All 12 players who spent the entire 1995-96 season with the team are
back. Jordan is going for a ninth NBA scoring title; Rodman, for a
sixth straight rebounding crown; Pippen, for a seventh All-Star
selection; Toni Kukoc, for repeat Sixth Man honors.
The only newcomer is Robert Parish -- and calling him a new anything
seems wrong. He's 43 and has played more games than anyone in league
history.
The addition of Parish upped the average age of the NBA's oldest team
to 32.
"We're old, but we're not too old to win," Harper said. "I'm not
saying we'll win every game, but we go into every game thinking we're
going to win. Our team goal this year is the same as last -- to win
every time we take the floor."
nba.1406vpoznanovic,
NBA play has been a slam-dunk snooze
(Nov 10, 1996 - 20:18 EST) -- The NBA is fannnntastic? I love this
game?
Based on the first nine days of the season, it's time for the league's
marketing gurus to come up with a few new slogans. Perhaps: better
than warm milk. Or: more effective than counting sheep.
Play was so sloppy and offenses were so bad that fans did all they
could to keep from falling asleep. Of the 69 games played through
Saturday night, just six ended with both teams scoring more than 100
points -- and two of those went to overtime. One team won despite
scoring 74 points.
This is fantastic?
"The only ones who like it are the ones whose teams are winning," said
Phoenix Suns coach Cotton Fitzsimmons. "But it's still not very
entertaining.
"There are going to be (rule) changes. The trend is going too fast the
other way."
The league has changed things before in hopes of increasing scoring,
such as when it abolished hand-checking and adopted the three-pointer.
But Fitzsimmons says the league hurt itself a couple of years ago when
it moved the three-point line closer to the basket.
Teams now are so smitten with posting up players while spotting up on
the perimeter that games sometimes come to a virtual crawl. As for
other theories, some say defenses are better; others say clubs are
relying on two-man isolation sets. Injuries, bad shooting and younger
(read: unprepared) rookies all have played a part.
Another culprit is free agency. A majority of the league's 29 teams
have at least five new players since the end of last season.
"All the veteran teams that didn't have a lot of player movement are
scoring about the same," said Suns forward Robert Horry.
Au contraire. Utah didn't make any changes and it is scoring nearly 14
fewer points. Seattle lost no key players and added a shot-blocking
center, yet it is scoring nearly nine fewer points a game.
In fact, only the Knicks, Heat, 76ers, Bucks and T-Wolves entered play
Saturday night averaging more points than they did a year ago.
Milwaukee has made the biggest jump, from 95.6 to 107.3. The biggest
dropoff has been by the Spurs, who have fallen to 78.4 after averaging
103.4 last season. Of course, they're also without injured captain
David Robinson and his 25 points a game.
I love this game? Uh, no.
* * *
CAN'T SHOOT STRAIGHT
The Mavericks are off to a slow start, having lost four straight after
a season-opening win, and some are pointing to the personality
conflict between Jason Kidd and Jimmy Jackson. But closer to the truth
is that injuries and poor shooting have hampered the Mavs.
Dallas not only is shooting a meager 42 percent from the field, but
small forward Jamal Mashburn has yet to find his rhythm -- or defense
-- since returning from season-ending knee surgery a year ago, and
Kidd cannot consistently jump or put on a burst of speed because of
problems with his right knee.
Highlighting Kidd's struggles: He was outscored by Kings backup Tyus
Edney 24-3; by Raptors starter Damon Stoudamire 28-8; by Pistons
backup Lindsey Hunter 16-12, including 11-0 in the third quarter; and
by Heat starter Tim Hardaway 19-9.
As for the Kidd-Jackson feud, it reportedly was resolved in the
offseason, after Bulls star Michael Jordan requested a one-on-one with
Kidd during a promotional tour in Japan.
"He heard the rap about getting along with teammates a thousand times
before," said Kidd's agent, Aaron Goodwin ."But coming from Michael, I
guess it sunk in a little more."
* * *
STACKING THE DECK
Sixers guard Jerry Stackhouse opened a season in a slump for the first
time he can remember -- he was 17-of-57 from the field entering
Saturday night's game against the Suns -- and it was taking all the
self-control he could muster not to lose it.
"It's tough, but I'm trying to look at the big picture," he said. "I'm
trying to keep it all in perspective, reminding myself that it's
early, that there's time to correct whatever's wrong."
Apparently he has corrected the problem. Stackhouse went for a
career-high 36 points Saturday night in a 112-95 victory over the
Suns. The timing couldn't have been better, inasmuch as no other Sixer
had more than 14.
* * *
STILL A WISE GUY
Knicks guard John Starks lost his starting job this year but not his
volatile ways.
As he sat at the scorer's table late in the third quarter Thursday
night against the Warriors, Starks pointed his finger at the Golden
State bench and loud-talked in the team's direction.
A timeout delayed his entering the game, but did not prevent him from
picking up a technical for cursing at Warriors coach Rick Adelman.
When Starks got on the court, he attacked the basket and the Warriors'
pride.
"We weren't playing as hard as we're capable of playing," said Starks.
"I thought I just needed to come in and change the flow of things and
just get everybody pumped up to play a little harder. It was
controlled emotion. I knew exactly what I was doing."
Famous last words?
nba.1407vpoznanovic,
Six months after prom, Bryant a wallflower
(Nov 10, 1996 - 14:06 EST) - Kobe Bryant's eyes said it all.
He was staring at Shaquille O'Neal, looking like a child seeking a
autograph who can't believe Shaq is right in front of him.
The look was a mix of bewilderment, envy and idol worship. Call it the
"I can't believe Shaq is my teammate" stare.
It happened last Tuesday during a timeout in the Los Angeles Lakers'
third game of the season. O'Neal was on the bench during a huddle and
Bryant was standing on the perimeter, his disbelieving eyes riveted on
his $120 million teammate.
It was a brief snapshot of what life has become for the 18-year-old
rookie, the youngest player ever to appear in an NBA game.
"Daddy Shaq looks after him," coach Del Harris said. "But he doesn't
seem too aware of his age. Kobe seems like he's already seen it all at
age 18."
Harris said Bryant is having no trouble adjusting to the unsupervised
NBA lifestyle, and Bryant claims he is staying away from the
after-hours scene that many of the young Lakers players freely indulge
in.
"Kobe is pretty mature for an 18-year-old, pretty sophisticated,"
Harris said. "His dad (Joe "Jellybean" Bryant) spent eight years in
the NBA and eight years in Europe, and Kobe was with him. He's been
around the pro basketball scene, and that's one reason why it might
work out better for him than it would for some other 18-year-olds."
Bryant has been unable to make much of a dent in the Lakers' rotation.
He has averaged 5.3 minutes per game with almost as many turnovers
(five) as points (six).
Bryant missed much of training camp with a broken wrist, and Harris is
determined to bring him along slowly.
"He has seen very, very limited practice time, and anything I say
about his talent at this point is still based on what we saw before
the draft," Harris said. "He may have to get used to this kind of
limited playing time."
Bryant, for his part, is anxious to get on the court more often.
"I still don't know if I can play with these guys. I've got to get out
there and find out," he said.
Bryant's overseer has seen flashes of greatness already.
Said O'Neal: "I've seen him do some things that I haven't seen in a
long time. He's going to be nice."
SHAQ DADDY: The Los Angeles nightlife hasn't exactly impressed O'Neal.
"I haven't gotten out much. I have a kid now, so I change diapers,"
O'Neal said of his daughter, Tiahura, who was born the day after
O'Neal signed with Los Angeles over the summer.
O'Neal is living with his girlfriend in Los Angeles and has put his
Orlando mansion, complete with 10-car garage, up for sale.
"Rony Seikaly can have it for $10 million," O'Neal said of the new
center for the Magic.
O'Neal clearly had a strong opinion on the trade that sent Seikaly to
Orlando for Donald Royal, Felton Spencer and John Koncak's contract,
laughing out loud when alluding to it. But he wouldn't say who he was
laughing about.
"I'll get myself in trouble if I don't keep my mouth shut," he said.
UNEMPLOYED: Down in Dallas, a 5-foot-7 former slam dunk champion is
practicing his 44-inch vertical leap.
Spud Webb can still dunk, but he has no place to jam.
One of the free agents who was shut out of the lucrative spending
spree this summer, Webb is waiting for the phone to ring.
"He's patiently waiting, working out six days a week, bench-pressing
300 pounds," agent Jeff Blakely said. "We're hoping to have something
done by the end of the month."
The three most likely destinations for Webb are Houston, Charlotte or
Indiana. The Rockets, who offered Webb the NBA minimum salary of
$247,500 over the summer, have been using rookie Matt Maloney at the
point in starting the season 5-0. Brent Price is out with a broken arm
until January or February.
The Hornets expected to use Muggsy Bogues at the point this season,
but his surgically repaired knee remains heavily damaged -- "It's bone
scraping against bone," one team official said -- and he might be
headed back to the injured list or into retirement.
Tony Smith and Anthony Goldwire have been sharing Charlotte's point
guard duties, but the Hornets have enough salary cap room available to
win the bidding for Webb -- if they want to.
Indiana moved veteran Haywoode Workman into the starting lineup this
week, apparently abandoning the Travis Best experiment. The Pacers
also have Jalen Rose, whose questionable playmaking abilities have
left Larry Brown contemplating moving him to off-guard or small
forward.
Another possible landing zone for Webb could be Vancouver. The
Grizzlies are rumored to be shopping Greg Anthony.
ALSO WAITING: Also sitting at home pondering his future is
forward-center Brian Williams, who averaged 15.8 points and 7.6
rebounds for the Clippers last season.
The Clippers haven't budged off their original offer, and Williams
refuses to return to Los Angeles unless the offer is increased.
Utah and Indiana both have $1 million salary cap exceptions and a need
for a stopgap center. Greg Ostertag has struggled in the starting
lineup for the Jazz and Rik Smits is injured for the Pacers.
"When the salary cap increases (perhaps next week), perhaps those
teams will have a little more money to make an offer that might be
deemed acceptable for one year," agent Fred Slaughter said, adding
that six teams have expressed an interest in signing Williams.
RAPTORS OWNERSHIP: John Bitove and Allan Slaight are in an ownership
showdown in Toronto.
Each owns 39.5 percent of the team, and Slaight has exercised a clause
requiring Bitove to buy him out or be bought out himself by Nov. 14.
Bitove is expected to go the former route, and Toronto businessman
Joseph Rotman and Texas millionaire Gavin Maloof have emerged as two
leading contenders to be his new partner. Maloof's father owned part
of the Houston Rockets in the early 1980s.
The ownership situation has held back groundbreaking on the Raptors'
new arena. Bitove wants to go ahead with plans for a $200 million,
self-sufficient arena that's been in the proposal stage for more than
two years. Slaight is thought to want to join forces with the NHL's
Toronto Maple Leafs on a new facility.
"The ownership of the team and its direction is probably a more
important issue in the long run than the building issue," NBA
commissioner David Stern said. "So if there's a little bit more of a
delay, I'm not sure I can have the right to complain, although,
obviously, we'd like to see the building get under way as soon as
possible."
LOW SCORES: Of course it's early, but scoring in the NBA is way down
so far.
Through Thursday night, only four teams were averaging more than 100
points. Nine teams were averaging fewer than 90.
Last season, 13 teams averaged at least 100 points and only one,
Vancouver, averaged fewer than 90 points.
The Grizzlies' 1995-96 average of 89.8 points was the second-lowest in
NBA history, but their production was prodigious compared to that of
this season's San Antonio Spurs, who have reached 80 points only once
and are averaging 79.3 per game.
NEW HOMES: Of all the players who changed teams this summer, three who
have been particularly successful with their new teams are Charles
Barkley, Rasheed Wallace and Mark Jackson.
Barkley is leading the league in rebounding with 20 per game and his
Houston Rockets were 5-0 heading into the weekend. The man who said he
could out rebound Dennis Rodman "if I wanted to" had 33 rebounds in
his return to Phoenix on the second night of the season. Rodman
currently ranks second with 16.5 per game.
Wallace is leading the league in field goal percentage, going
36-for-52 (69 percent) in Portland's 3-2 start.
Jackson has averaged a league-leading 12.3 assists -- 3.8 more than
anyone else -- for the 1-3 Denver Nuggets.
nba.1408vpoznanovic,
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION - 1996/97
(Sunday, November 10 - 10 days, 74 games)
WESTERN CONFERENCE - PACIFIC DIVISION
TEAM TG TW TL HW HL AW AL TPA OPA % GB Str
Los Angeles Lakers 6 4 2 3 0 1 2 91.2 87.5 66.7 - W 1
Los Angeles Clippers 5 3 2 1 2 2 0 86.2 83.2 60.0 0.5 W 1
Seattle Supersonics 5 3 2 1 1 2 1 96.0 96.4 60.0 0.5 W 2
Portland Trail Blazers 7 4 3 2 1 2 2 97.9 93.4 57.1 0.5 W 1
Sacramento Kings 5 2 3 1 2 1 1 92.4 97.0 40.0 1.5 W 1
Golden State Warriors 5 1 4 0 3 1 1 94.8 100.4 20.0 2.5 L 3
Phoenix Suns 5 0 5 0 3 0 2 93.0 103.8 0.0 3.5 L 5
WESTERN CONFERENCE - MIDWEST DIVISION
TEAM TG TW TL HW HL AW AL TPA OPA % GB Str
Houston Rockets 6 6 0 2 0 4 0 97.3 87.5 100.0 - W 6
Utah Jazz 4 2 2 1 1 1 1 87.7 86.8 50.0 3.0 L 2
Minnesota Timberwolves 5 2 3 1 0 1 3 85.8 88.0 40.0 3.5 L 2
Denver Nuggets 6 2 4 1 3 1 1 90.8 92.5 33.3 4.0 L 1
Dallas Mavericks 5 1 4 0 2 1 2 90.0 98.4 20.0 4.5 L 4
San Antonio Spurs 6 1 5 0 2 1 3 78.8 85.8 16.7 5.0 L 3
Vancouver Grizzlies 6 0 6 0 3 0 3 82.7 101.5 0.0 6.0 L 6
EASTERN CONFERENCE - ATLANTIC DIVISION
TEAM TG TW TL HW HL AW AL TPA OPA % GB Str
New York Knicks 6 5 1 1 1 4 0 101.0 91.0 83.3 - W 3
Miami Heat 5 4 1 2 1 2 0 96.6 91.0 80.0 0.5 W 2
Orlando Magic 3 2 1 1 1 1 0 95.3 91.0 66.7 1.5 W 2
Washington Bullets 5 2 3 1 2 1 1 95.0 96.2 40.0 2.5 L 2
Philadelphia 76ers 5 2 3 1 2 1 1 99.4 101.8 40.0 2.5 W 2
Boston Celtics 5 1 4 1 2 0 2 98.2 106.8 20.0 3.5 L 2
New Jersey Nets 3 0 3 0 2 0 1 84.7 94.7 0.0 3.5 L 3
EASTERN CONFERENCE - CENTRAL DIVISION
TEAM TG TW TL HW HL AW AL TPA OPA % GB Str
Chicago Bulls 6 6 0 3 0 3 0 104.3 88.2 100.0 - W 6
Cleveland Cavaliers 5 4 1 2 1 2 0 89.0 81.0 80.0 1.5 W 2
Milwaukee Bucks 5 4 1 2 0 2 1 105.8 98.6 80.0 1.5 W 1
Detroit Pistons 5 4 1 2 1 2 0 90.2 86.0 80.0 1.5 L 1
Charlotte Hornets 5 3 2 2 1 1 1 96.6 95.2 60.0 2.5 L 1
Atlanta Hawks 6 3 3 0 1 3 2 91.0 89.0 50.0 3.0 L 1
Toronto Raptors 4 2 2 2 1 0 1 97.5 101.0 50.0 3.0 W 2
Indiana Pacers 4 1 3 1 1 0 2 92.7 96.5 25.0 4.0 W 1
WESTERN CONFERENCE
# TEAM TG TW TL HW HL AW AL TPA OPA % GB Str
1. Houston Rockets 6 6 0 2 0 4 0 97.3 87.5 100.0 - W 6
2. Los Angeles Lakers 6 4 2 3 0 1 2 91.2 87.5 66.7 2.0 W 1
3. Los Angeles Clippers 5 3 2 1 2 2 0 86.2 83.2 60.0 2.5 W 1
4. Seattle Supersonics 5 3 2 1 1 2 1 96.0 96.4 60.0 2.5 W 2
5. Portland Trail Blazers 7 4 3 2 1 2 2 97.9 93.4 57.1 2.5 W 1
6. Utah Jazz 4 2 2 1 1 1 1 87.7 86.8 50.0 3.0 L 2
7. Minnesota Timberwolves 5 2 3 1 0 1 3 85.8 88.0 40.0 3.5 L 2
8. Sacramento Kings 5 2 3 1 2 1 1 92.4 97.0 40.0 3.5 W 1
9. Denver Nuggets 6 2 4 1 3 1 1 90.8 92.5 33.3 4.0 L 1
10. Golden State Warriors 5 1 4 0 3 1 1 94.8 100.4 20.0 4.5 L 3
11. Dallas Mavericks 5 1 4 0 2 1 2 90.0 98.4 20.0 4.5 L 4
12. San Antonio Spurs 6 1 5 0 2 1 3 78.8 85.8 16.7 5.0 L 3
13. Phoenix Suns 5 0 5 0 3 0 2 93.0 103.8 0.0 5.5 L 5
14. Vancouver Grizzlies 6 0 6 0 3 0 3 82.7 101.5 0.0 6.0 L 6
EASTERN CONFERENCE
# TEAM TG TW TL HW HL AW AL TPA OPA % GB Str
1. Chicago Bulls 6 6 0 3 0 3 0 104.3 88.2 100.0 - W 6
2. New York Knicks 6 5 1 1 1 4 0 101.0 91.0 83.3 1.0 W 3
3. Cleveland Cavaliers 5 4 1 2 1 2 0 89.0 81.0 80.0 1.5 W 2
4. Milwaukee Bucks 5 4 1 2 0 2 1 105.8 98.6 80.0 1.5 W 1
5. Miami Heat 5 4 1 2 1 2 0 96.6 91.0 80.0 1.5 W 2
6. Detroit Pistons 5 4 1 2 1 2 0 90.2 86.0 80.0 1.5 L 1
7. Orlando Magic 3 2 1 1 1 1 0 95.3 91.0 66.7 2.5 W 2
8. Charlotte Hornets 5 3 2 2 1 1 1 96.6 95.2 60.0 2.5 L 1
9. Atlanta Hawks 6 3 3 0 1 3 2 91.0 89.0 50.0 3.0 L 1
10. Toronto Raptors 4 2 2 2 1 0 1 97.5 101.0 50.0 3.0 W 2
11. Washington Bullets 5 2 3 1 2 1 1 95.0 96.2 40.0 3.5 L 2
12. Philadelphia 76ers 5 2 3 1 2 1 1 99.4 101.8 40.0 3.5 W 2
13. Indiana Pacers 4 1 3 1 1 0 2 92.7 96.5 25.0 4.0 W 1
14. Boston Celtics 5 1 4 1 2 0 2 98.2 106.8 20.0 4.5 L 2
15. New Jersey Nets 3 0 3 0 2 0 1 84.7 94.7 0.0 4.5 L 3
TOTAL STANDINGS
# TEAM TG TW TL HW HL AW AL TPA OPA % GB Str
1. Chicago Bulls 6 6 0 3 0 3 0 104.3 88.2 100.0 - W 6
2. Houston Rockets 6 6 0 2 0 4 0 97.3 87.5 100.0 - W 6
3. New York Knicks 6 5 1 1 1 4 0 101.0 91.0 83.3 1.0 W 3
4. Cleveland Cavaliers 5 4 1 2 1 2 0 89.0 81.0 80.0 1.5 W 2
5. Milwaukee Bucks 5 4 1 2 0 2 1 105.8 98.6 80.0 1.5 W 1
6. Miami Heat 5 4 1 2 1 2 0 96.6 91.0 80.0 1.5 W 2
7. Detroit Pistons 5 4 1 2 1 2 0 90.2 86.0 80.0 1.5 L 1
8. Los Angeles Lakers 6 4 2 3 0 1 2 91.2 87.5 66.7 2.0 W 1
9. Orlando Magic 3 2 1 1 1 1 0 95.3 91.0 66.7 2.5 W 2
10. Los Angeles Clippers 5 3 2 1 2 2 0 86.2 83.2 60.0 2.5 W 1
11. Charlotte Hornets 5 3 2 2 1 1 1 96.6 95.2 60.0 2.5 L 1
12. Seattle Supersonics 5 3 2 1 1 2 1 96.0 96.4 60.0 2.5 W 2
13. Portland Trail Blazers 7 4 3 2 1 2 2 97.9 93.4 57.1 2.5 W 1
14. Atlanta Hawks 6 3 3 0 1 3 2 91.0 89.0 50.0 3.0 L 1
15. Utah Jazz 4 2 2 1 1 1 1 87.7 86.8 50.0 3.0 L 2
16. Toronto Raptors 4 2 2 2 1 0 1 97.5 101.0 50.0 3.0 W 2
17. Washington Bullets 5 2 3 1 2 1 1 95.0 96.2 40.0 3.5 L 2
18. Minnesota Timberwolves 5 2 3 1 0 1 3 85.8 88.0 40.0 3.5 L 2
19. Philadelphia 76ers 5 2 3 1 2 1 1 99.4 101.8 40.0 3.5 W 2
20. Sacramento Kings 5 2 3 1 2 1 1 92.4 97.0 40.0 3.5 W 1
21. Denver Nuggets 6 2 4 1 3 1 1 90.8 92.5 33.3 4.0 L 1
22. Indiana Pacers 4 1 3 1 1 0 2 92.7 96.5 25.0 4.0 W 1
23. Golden State Warriors 5 1 4 0 3 1 1 94.8 100.4 20.0 4.5 L 3
24. Dallas Mavericks 5 1 4 0 2 1 2 90.0 98.4 20.0 4.5 L 4
25. Boston Celtics 5 1 4 1 2 0 2 98.2 106.8 20.0 4.5 L 2
26. New Jersey Nets 3 0 3 0 2 0 1 84.7 94.7 0.0 4.5 L 3
27. San Antonio Spurs 6 1 5 0 2 1 3 78.8 85.8 16.7 5.0 L 3
28. Phoenix Suns 5 0 5 0 3 0 2 93.0 103.8 0.0 5.5 L 5
29. Vancouver Grizzlies 6 0 6 0 3 0 3 82.7 101.5 0.0 6.0 L 6
--------
TG - ukupan broj odigranih utakmica
TW - ukupan broj pobeda
TL - ukupan broj poraza
HW - broj pobeda na domaćem terenu
HL - broj poraza na domaćem terenu
AW - broj pobeda na gostujućem terenu
AL - broj poraza na gostujućem terenu
TPA - prosek postignutih koševa
OPA - prosek primljenih koševa
% - procenat pobeda
GB - broj zaostalih utakmica
Str - poslednja serija pobeda (W) ili poraza (L)
* - ekipa je već osigurala učešće u playoff-u
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(c) 1996 Vladimir Poznanović <vpoznanovic@sezam.co.yu>
nba.1409vpoznanovic,
DENVER (104) AT TORONTO (93)
DENVER
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
D ELLIS F 48 15-23 1-2 0 4 4 3 2 1 1 37
MCDYESS F 22 6-8 2-5 3 2 5 0 5 1 2 14
JOHNSON C 30 3-3 2-2 2 9 11 0 4 0 3 8
STITH G 35 6-12 3-3 0 7 7 2 1 0 1 15
JACKSON G 44 2-8 4-6 0 6 6 15 2 3 6 9
HAM 19 2-4 1-8 1 0 1 0 6 0 5 5
HAMMONDS 21 4-5 1-2 0 2 2 2 4 3 5 9
MARCIULIONIS 15 1-4 4-4 1 2 3 3 3 0 2 7
MURDOCK 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 0
THOMPSON 2 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0
MCINNIS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
PIERCE DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 39-67 18-32 7 33 40 27 29 8 26 104
(.582) (.563) TEAM REBS: 15 TOTAL TO: 28(28 PTS)
TORONTO
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
WILLIAMS F 37 0-8 2-2 0 6 6 4 5 1 2 2
CAMBY F 33 10-19 6-8 3 4 7 0 3 1 6 26
BENJAMIN C 6 0-0 2-2 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 2
CHRISTIE G 34 3-11 5-5 3 1 4 4 3 3 3 11
STOUDAMIRE G 36 4-13 2-2 2 2 4 6 2 4 2 13
ROGERS 30 6-13 4-7 5 4 9 0 4 1 1 17
DAVIS 25 3-8 1-1 0 1 1 0 4 0 4 9
WHITESIDE 12 1-3 1-2 0 2 2 3 1 1 0 4
JONES 19 1-3 1-1 1 1 2 1 4 0 2 3
WRIGHT 6 2-4 2-4 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 6
EARL 2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
TABAK DNP - SORE LEFT HEEL
TOTALS 240 30-83 26-34 16 22 38 18 27 11 21 93
(.361) (.765) TEAM REBS: 10 TOTAL TO: 22(25 PTS)
DENVER 31 22 24 27 - 104
TORONTO 17 17 33 26 - 93
BLOCKED SHOTS: DENVER - JOHNSON 3, STITH. TORONTO - CAMBY 2, ROGERS 2,
WILLIAMS.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: DENVER 8-20 (.400), D ELLIS 6-11, STITH 0-3, JACKSON
1-4, MARCIULIONIS 1-2. TORONTO 7-18 (.389), WILLIAMS 0-1, CHRISTIE 0-2,
STOUDAMIRE 3-6, ROGERS 1-2, DAVIS 2-5, WHITESIDE 1-2.
TECHNICALS: DENVER - D ELLIS, ILLEGAL DEFENSE.
OFFICIALS: JACK NIES, MONTY MCCUTCHEN, TOMMIE WOOD.
A - 17,132. T - 2:13.
DENVER (104) AT TORONTO (93)
Dale Ellis scored 21 of his season-high 37 points in the first
half, when the Denver Nuggets raced to a 19-point lead and held
on for a 104-93 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
Bryant Stith had 15 points and Mark Jackson added 15 assists for
the Nuggets, who have won three all-time meetings with Toronto.
Denver shot nearly 60 percent from the field and led by 23
points early in the third quarter.
"It was a good victory after a dissapointing loss in Cleveland,"
said Ellis. "I don't remember ever playing 48 minutes, but when
you are shooting well you never feel tired."
Rookie Marcus Camby, making his first NBA start, scored 20 of
his season-high 26 points in the second half for the Raptors,
who shot less than 26 percent in the first half and had a
two-game winning streak snapped.
"We'd came down and make a run and they would come right back,"
said Camby. "My job is to block shots and rebound and get the
ball to our scorers. I don't expect to lead the team in points."
Ellis shot 15-of-21 from the field, including 6-of-11 from
beyond the three-point arc. The NBA's all-time leader in
three-pointers has led the Nuggets in scoring four times in
seven games and had 33 in an overtime loss to Houston last week.
Ellis scored 12 points in the first quarter as the Nuggets raced
to a 31-17 lead. Toronto closed to 33-27 before Stith scored
five points and Ellis four in a 10-1 burst that made it 44-28
with 5:37 remaining in the second quarter.
The Raptors went scoreless for the final four minutes of the
first half, which Ellis closed with a jumper and a three-pointer
for a 53-34 lead. Denver shot 59.5 percent (22-of-37) and held
Toronto to 26 percent (11-of-43).
"He played a good game," Denver Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said of
Ellis. "He is a young buck, he was shooting the ball and he was
getting his breaks between timeouts."
A jumper by Ervin Johnson, who had eight points and 11 rebounds,
gave the Nuggets their largest lead at 57-34 with 10:41 left in
the third quarter. But Camby scored 11 points in the period and
the Raptors cut the deficit to 77-67 entering the final quarter.
A jumper by Hubert Davis pulled Toronto within 80-74 with 10:14
to go, but Jackson scored five points in a 14-5 run that sealed
the game. His two free throws made it 94-79 with 5:04 left.
"The story is that we shot 37 percent," said Raptors coach
Darrell Walker. "We had 21 turnovers and we didn't come to
play. It was a blessing in disguise that we lost this game
because we didn't show up."
Jackson added nine points and six rebounds and outplayed 1996
Rookie of the Year Damon Stoudamire, who had 13 points and six
assists. Jackson is averaging 15 assists over his last five
games.
Antonio McDyess added 14 points for the Nuggets, who shot 58
percent and overcame 26 turnovers. Carlos Rogers scored a
season-high 17 points and Doug Christie added 11 for the
Raptors, who shot 36 percent.
"We are still making a lot of crucial turnovers," said McDyess.
"We let them back in the game. They played good defense but our
turnovers kept the game close."
Vancouver forward Zan Tabak did not dress for the game and is
day-to-day with a sore left heel.
nba.1410vpoznanovic,
PHOENIX (79) AT CHICAGO (97)
PHOENIX
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
MANNING F 29 6-13 0-0 0 8 8 1 4 0 2 12
HORRY F 26 4-12 2-4 5 2 7 1 2 0 7 11
KLEINE C 23 1-3 0-0 2 3 5 0 2 0 1 2
CASSELL G 25 4-9 2-3 1 3 4 5 2 3 3 10
PERSON G 32 5-9 0-0 0 6 6 2 1 0 0 11
GREEN 8 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FINLEY 30 4-10 8-10 1 6 7 1 2 0 1 17
NASH 24 3-4 3-4 1 2 3 6 1 1 2 9
CHAPMAN 20 0-5 0-0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0
TISDALE 11 0-4 0-0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
BROWN 8 1-3 1-4 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 3
DAVIS 4 1-1 2-2 0 2 2 0 3 0 0 4
TOTALS 240 29-74 18-27 11 35 46 17 19 5 17 79
(.392) (.667) TEAM REBS: 11 TOTAL TO: 18(19 PTS)
CHICAGO
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
PIPPEN F 42 7-19 0-0 3 5 8 7 2 1 1 18
RODMAN F 37 3-6 1-2 6 16 22 4 2 0 2 7
LONGLEY C 10 0-2 1-2 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 1
HARPER G 27 3-6 2-2 0 2 2 4 3 3 0 8
JORDAN G 35 12-21 1-2 1 1 2 5 1 1 3 26
KERR 30 5-10 0-0 1 0 1 3 1 1 3 12
KUKOC 24 4-10 4-4 0 1 1 3 4 0 0 12
WENNINGTON 6 0-1 2-2 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 2
BROWN 12 2-7 0-0 3 1 4 1 1 2 1 4
PARISH 9 2-5 1-2 1 2 3 1 1 0 0 5
CAFFEY 4 1-1 0-1 0 2 2 0 2 0 1 2
BUECHLER 4 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTALS 240 39-90 12-17 15 33 48 28 19 8 11 97
(.433) (.706) TEAM REBS: 5 TOTAL TO: 11(12 PTS)
PHOENIX 23 18 14 24 - 79
CHICAGO 21 18 29 29 - 97
BLOCKED SHOTS: PHOENIX - MANNING 2. CHICAGO - PIPPEN, JORDAN, BROWN.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: PHOENIX 3-13 (.231), HORRY 1-3, CASSELL 0-2, PERSON
1-2, FINLEY 1-5, CHAPMAN 0-1. CHICAGO 7-24 (.292), PIPPEN 4-9, HARPER 0-1,
JORDAN 1-1, KERR 2-7, KUKOC 0-2, BROWN 0-2, BUECHLER 0-2.
TECHNICALS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: RON GARRETSON, BOB DELANEY, MARK WUNDERLICH.
A - 23,807. T - 2:03.
PHOENIX (79) AT CHICAGO (97)
Michael Jordan scored 26 points and keyed a pair of second-half
runs as the undefeated Chicago Bulls continued their best start
ever with a 97-79 victory over the winless Phoenix Suns.
Dennis Rodman grabbed 22 rebounds and Scottie Pippen scored 18
points for the Bulls, who shook off a sluggish first half and
improved to 7-0. Chicago won six of its first seven games last
season en route to a record-setting 72-10 mark and their fourth
NBA title.
"Mentally we're better than last year," said Jordan, who scored
17 points after halftime.
Michael Finley had 17 points for the Suns (0-6), who are off to
their worst start in 11 years and are one of three winless
teams. Phoenix lost its first nine games in the 1985-86 season.
"It's real special to come here and play in my hometown," Finley
said. "Hopefully, one day, I'll get a victory here. We knew we
had to come in here and respect the world champions. And they
are famous for their third-quarter runs. They did us in that
way tonight."
The Suns led 43-41 at halftime and still held a 47-46 edge after
Robert Horry made two free throws with 8:47 to go in the third
quarter. But Phoenix managed just two baskets by Sam Cassell
over the next 7 1/2 minutes.
"I told the guys after the game that even though we were up two
at the half, we shot only 39 percent," said Suns coach Cotton
Fitzsimmons said. "I knew the Bulls would shoot better and the
question was whether we would shoot better. We played with them
for 30 minutes after the Bulls showed their world championship
floor."
Jordan and Toni Kukoc scored four points apiece in a 17-4 burst
and a pair of foul shots by Kukoc gave Chicago a 64-51 lead with
1:10 left in the period.
"We have to make adjustments to these new teams," Jordan said.
"It appears right now we play better coming from behind. We
have been taking care of business, but it's a dangerous way to
live."
The Bulls led 68-55 entering the fourth quarter but the Suns
scored the first five points, closing to 68-60 on a bucket by
rookie Steve Nash with 11:10 remaining. Jordan scored 11 points
in a 17-7 spurt. Pippen's two free throws capped it and gave
Chicago its largest lead at 87-67 with 4:16 to play.
Kukoc and Steve Kerr scored 12 points apiece for Chicago, which
shot 43 percent (39-of-90) from the field but committed just 11
turnovers.
"It was cold in the building here tonight and it was a tough
night for us shooting the ball," Pippen said. "We're not really
putting a string of runs together right now. Hopefully that
will come with better execution."
Danny Manning scored 12 points and Horry and Wesley Person added
11 each for Phoenix, which shot 39 percent (29-of-74) and had 18
turnovers, leading to 19 Chicago points.
The Suns held their largest lead at 23-16 on a basket by Person
with 1:03 left in the first quarter.
nba.1411vpoznanovic,
San Antonio at Utah, Postponed
The game between the San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz was
postponed as the cold ice surface of the Delta Center warped
plastic rods connecting sections of the hardwood floor.
Official Jess Kersey made the decision to postpone the game at
9:50 p.m. EST, 50 minutes after the scheduled start. Kersey
spoke with Jazz officials and consulted with NBA vice president
of operations Rod Thorn before postponing the game.
"There's no way that the floor is playable tonight and for the
safety of the players in our league, we feel like it's necessary
to cancel the game," Kersey said.
According to a statement from the Jazz, Delta Center maintenance
personnel noticed this morning that portions of the floor where
sections meet were rising 1/16 inch. Those portions were sanded
and treated with varnish, but Kersey indicated that the court
was not drying quick enough.
The hardwood floor was bought this summer by the Delta Center.
It has a groove on its underside and plastic rods run the length
of the floor's sections. Apparently, the plastic rods could not
withstand the cold ice surface in isolated areas and warped,
causing the rise in certain sections.
"There's too many gaps in the floor and it's raised too high,"
Kersey said. "If a player were to go down, it's a possibility of
him cutting a leg, cutting an arm and that's something that we
don't want to do."
The Jazz have two home games this week and will use the old
floor from last season. The game was rescheduled for December
15th at 9 p.m. EST. Both teams have home games the previous
night and are off the following night.
"You know it is a break for us," Spurs coach Bob Hill said. "It
would be a break for anybody that's got a lot of injuries that
goes in to play a game and especially as beat up as we are."
San Antonio is without All-Star center David Robinson and
forwards Chuck Person and Will Perdue. Forward Charles Smith
sprained an ankle Sunday night and is questionable.
A handful of games were postponed last season by a snowstorm
along the Eastern seaboard in December. A game between the
Phoenix Suns and Washington Bullets at USAir Arena scheduled for
December 6th, 1994, was postponed by condensation on the court.
"In the history of the Jazz, both in New Orleans and in Utah,
I'm not aware of any game ever being canceled," Jazz media
relations director David Allred said.
The Delta Center also is home to the Utah Grizzlies of the
International Hockey League.
nba.1412vpoznanovic,
SEATTLE (110) AT SACRAMENTO (94)
SEATTLE
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
D SCHREMPF F 40 5-11 2-4 2 5 7 2 3 2 1 12
KEMP F 40 13-16 5-7 0 9 9 4 2 2 4 31
MCILVAINE C 22 2-2 0-0 1 1 2 0 2 2 1 4
HAWKINS G 29 6-10 4-4 1 3 4 4 1 1 2 19
PAYTON G 37 9-17 3-4 0 3 3 9 2 4 4 21
PERKINS 24 3-6 2-3 2 2 4 4 3 1 2 10
EHLO 21 3-6 0-0 1 5 6 0 3 0 1 7
SNOW 17 2-4 0-0 0 1 1 6 4 0 2 4
WINGATE 9 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2
STEWART 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MCMILLAN DNP - COACH'S DECISION
SPENCER DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 44-73 16-22 7 29 36 30 21 12 17 110
(.603) (.727) TEAM REBS: 6 TOTAL TO: 17(22 PTS)
SACRAMENTO
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
OWENS F 36 6-13 0-0 3 1 4 5 2 0 4 13
POLYNICE F 30 2-6 0-2 0 1 1 0 3 0 1 4
CAUSWELL C 26 3-5 2-2 1 1 2 0 5 1 2 8
RICHMOND G 36 10-18 6-7 0 4 4 5 1 2 1 28
ABDUL-RAUF G 30 3-8 1-1 0 1 1 4 2 2 1 7
EDNEY 16 3-6 2-2 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 8
SMITH 29 7-13 1-5 7 10 17 3 1 1 3 15
C WILLIAMSON 18 0-2 3-4 0 1 1 1 2 1 1 3
SIMMONS 18 2-8 2-2 0 2 2 3 1 0 2 8
HURLEY 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
GAMBLE DNP - COACH'S DECISION
GRANT DNP - STRAINED RIGHT SHOULDER
TOTALS 240 36-79 17-25 11 21 32 24 17 7 17 94
(.456) (.680) TEAM REBS: 12 TOTAL TO: 17(22 PTS)
SEATTLE 27 28 29 26 - 110
SACRAMENTO 22 22 24 26 - 94
BLOCKED SHOTS: SEATTLE - MCILVAINE 2, KEMP. SACRAMENTO - CAUSWELL 3,
SMITH, SIMMONS.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: SEATTLE 6-15 (.400), D SCHREMPF 0-2, HAWKINS 3-5,
PAYTON 0-2, PERKINS 2-4, EHLO 1-2. SACRAMENTO 5-13 (.385), OWENS 1-2,
POLYNICE 0-1, CAUSWELL 0-1, RICHMOND 2-5, SIMMONS 2-4.
TECHNICALS: SEATTLE - ILLEGAL DEFENSE, SACRAMENTO - ILLEGAL DEFENSE 2.
OFFICIALS: HUE HOLLINS, BILL SPOONER, TOMMIE WOOD.
A - 17,317. T - 2:04.
SEATTLE (110) AT SACRAMENTO (94)
Shawn Kemp scored 16 of his 31 points in the first quarter and
Gary Payton added 21 as the Seattle SuperSonics completed a
perfect three-game road trip with a 110-94 victory over the
Sacramento Kings.
Kemp added nine rebounds and Payton handed out nine assists for
Seattle, which defeated the Kings for the fifth straight time.
Hersey Hawkins scored 19 points and Detlef Schrempf added 12 and
seven rebounds for the SuperSonics, who won for the fourth time
in five games.
"Shawn Kemp had an unbelievable basketball game," Sonics coach
George Karl said. "He carried us tonight. In the second half,
we fortunately had a big enough lead to hold on. Shawn's
presence, his enthusiasm, his energy was very dominating out
there."
Mitch Richmond scored 28 points and Michael Smith added 15 and a
career-high 17 rebounds for Sacramento, which has lost 38 of the
last 50 meetings since the 1985-86 season. Forward Brian Grant
did not play because of a strained right shoulder for the Kings,
who fell to 1-3 at home.
The SuperSonics took a 27-22 lead entering the second quarter
before distancing themselves. After Sacramento's Lionel Simmons
hit a three-pointer to close within 44-39, Kemp made one free
throw to ignite an 8-0 run. Payton followed with a 20-foot
jumper, Hawkins nailed a three-pointer and Schrempf made a
15-footer to give Seattle a 52-39 advantage with 2:18 left in
the second quarter.
The Sonics settled for a 55-44 halftime lead behind Kemp's 25
points.
"The way Shawn was playing in the first half, we didn't have to
do much," Schrempf said. "We had to space the court, they didn't
double team him, and he was just killing them down low."
The Kings closed within 76-66 with 1:59 remaining in the third
quarter on a free throw by Smith. But Seattle put the game away
by scoring the next eight points. Consecutive three-pointers by
Sam Perkins and Craig Ehlo and a dunk by Kemp gave the Sonics an
84-66 bulge with 40 seconds left.
The Sonics led by as many 21 points midway through the fourth
quarter as Schrempf made a layup for a 99-78 advantage.
Perkins scored 10 points and Payton had four steals for Seattle,
which shot 60 percent (44-of-73) from the field and made 12
steals.
Billy Owens scored 13 points and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was held to
seven points in 30 minutes for Sacramento, which shot 46 percent
(36-of-79) and committed 17 turnovers.
"This was the best offense we have played all year," Karl added.
"Defensively, we were fine. Richmond is a great player, Owens
will help them this year more than he did last year."
"(The Sonics) shot well tonight, 60 percent from the field, but
we felt we had a chance to get in the game," Richmond said. "We
just missed shots or made turnovers. I think our defense wasn't
as intense as it was in the last two ball games, and that really
hurt us."
nba.1413vpoznanovic,
Childs close to making season debut
The New York Knicks could be on the verge of getting starting point
guard Chris Childs into action. He has been sidelined since
suffering a nondisplaced fracture of his right leg in a collision
with teammate Charlie Ward in practice on October 8th.
Childs has already been taking part in shooting drills and team
walk-throughs, and will be examined today or Tuesday to determine
whether he can be activated off the injured list for the Tuesday
night meeting with Philadelphia.
Childs joined the Knicks as a free agent in the off-season. He got
a six-year deal worth a reported 24-million dollars after averaging
12.8 points, seven assists and 3.1 rebounds a game for New Jersey
last season.
nba.1414vpoznanovic,
Kings' Grant to miss Sonics game
Sacramento Kings forward Brian Grant will miss Monday's game
against Seattle because of a strained right shoulder. He aggravated
the injury during practice on Sunday.
Grant missed much of training camp and the first five pre- season
games because of the same problem. He will be evaluated over the
next few days.
Grant, in his third season, is the team's second-leading scorer
through five games this season, averaging 12.8 points per game. He
has also grabbed eight rebounds per game and leads the team in
blocked shots.
Olden Polynice is expected to move from center to power forward,
with Duane Causwell starting at center.
nba.1415vpoznanovic,
KJ and Bryant could be back tonight
Phoenix, off to an 0-5 start, could get some added help tonight
against unbeaten Chicago. Starting guard Kevin Johnson and forward
Mark Bryant are expected to be examined to determine if they can
come off the injured list to face the Bulls. Neither player has
been available this season.
Johnson, plagued by injuries the past several seasons, underwent an
operation in September for an abdominal hernia after non-surgical
treatment did not correct the problem. Bryant is recovering from
arthroscopic surgery performed in early October after he tore
cartilage in his left knee during a workout.
Johnson is coming off a 1995-96 season in which injuries limited
him to just 56 games. He ended the year with averages of 18.7
points, 9.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds a game. Because of injuries,
Johnson has missed 114 games over the past four-plus seasons.
Bryant was acquired from Houston in the off-season deal that sent
Charles Barkley to the Rockets. In his 71 games with Houston last
year he averaged 8.6 points and 4.9 rebounds. It was Bryant's only
year in Houston after spending his first seven NBA seasons with
Portland.
nba.1416vpoznanovic,
Muresan may be ready to play
The Washington Bullets are expected to decide after today's
practice whether starting center Gheorge Muresan is ready to be
activated off the injured list for Tuesday's game against Detroit.
He has missed the opening five games of the season because of a
strained hip flexor that had bothered him since before training
camp.
Muresan's agent told the Washington Post the 7-foot-7 Romanian
doesn't have any pain in his hip and is "eager to start."
Muresan, considered a project when drafted in the second round of
the 1993 draft, won the NBA's Most Improved Player Award last year.
He set career marks with averages of 14.5 points and 9.6 rebounds
in 76 games. His career marks include averages of 10.5 points and
6.9 rebounds.
The news might not be as positive for Bullets' backup center
Lorenzo Williams. He went on the injured list last Friday because
of an irritated ligament in his left knee, and a decision is
expected by the middle of the week on whether he will need
arthroscopic surgery. That would sideline him for 3-to-4 weeks.
nba.1417vpoznanovic,
Rodman -- fashion starts here.
Being named one of the world's worst-dressed celebrities hasn't
stopped Dennis Rodman from being contacted by big-shot designers.
The Worm's people are reportedly talking with Italian designer Gianni
Versace's people about outfitting the NBA rebounder for various TV
appearances and having the flashy NBA rebounder appear in a Versace ad
campaign, says the New York Post.
No word yet on whether Rodman will model the men's or women's line.
nba.1418vpoznanovic,
Wolves' Marbury aims for Tuesday return
MINNEAPOLIS -- Rookie point guard Stephon Marbury, who missed
Minnesota's recent four-game road trip because of a sprained right
ankle, hopes to return Tuesday when the Timberwolves play host to the
Portland Trail Blazers.
Marbury continued to undergo treatment on the ankle Monday, and a
decision on his status is expected to be made Tuesday.
Marbury suffered the injury in the first quarter of Minnesota's season
opener against San Antonio on Nov. 1. He returned for a three-minute
stint in the third quarter of the Wolves' 82-78 victory but was forced
to leave due to soreness in the ankle.
A magnetic resonance imaging exam showed no damage to the ankle, but
Marbury did not accompany the team on a four-game road trip in which
the Timberwolves went 1-3.
Marbury, who led the Wolves in scoring (17.3) and assists (4.8) in the
preseason, was selected with the fourth overall pick by the Milwaukee
Bucks and traded to the Timberwolves on draft day last June.
nba.1419vpoznanovic,
Rockets C Hakeem Olajuwon named NBA Player of the Week
Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon was named the NBA Player of the
Week for the period that started the season until Sunday, November
10th.
Olajuwon averaged 28.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7
steals as he helped the Rockets to a 6-0 start, including a 4-0 mark
on the road. Olajuwon has averaged 36 points in his last three
contests.
He is shooting 49.2 percent from the field and 76.2 percent from the
foul line. Olajuwon also has a team-high eight blocked shots. He has
led the team in scoring the last five games.
Other players considered for the award were Chicago Bulls guard
Michael Jordan, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Terrell Brandon, Los Angeles
Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal, Milwaukee Bucks forward Vin Baker,
Orlando Magic guard Anferenee Hardaway, Philadelphia 76ers rookie
guard Allen Iverson, Seattle SuperSonics forward Shawn Kemp and
Toronto Raptors guard Damon Stoudamire.
nba.1420vpoznanovic,
Olajuwon's back sore; X-rays show no fracture
HOUSTON (Nov 11, 1996 - 13:48 EST) -- Hakeem Olajuwon made a trip to a
hospital after experiencing a sore back Sunday but X-rays showed no
fractures.
The Houston Rockets center had the tests after the left side of his
back began hurting the day after he scored 38 points to lead his team
to a victory over Utah.
Olajuwon was listed as probable for Tuesday's game against the Los
Angeles Lakers.
The soreness was traced to an incident between Olajuwon and Utah's
John Stockton late in the first half Saturday. Olajuwon was called for
a flagrant foul when he hit Stockton with his forearm, apparently a
reaction after Stockton laid an elbow into the left side of Olajuwon's
back.
Olajuwon said nothing about the injury following the game.
"He's probably got bruised ribs on his left side," team physician Dr.
Jim Muntz said Sunday. "There's no fracture. We got him on some strong
anti-inflammatory medication and some local treatment. I'd say he'll
probably be able to play Tuesday. He really wants to."
nba.1421vpoznanovic,
For Rockets, November means no losses
HOUSTON (Nov 11, 1996 - 17:06 EST) -- The Houston Rockets wish every
month was November.
They have had terrific starts in the four years they have begun the
season with Rudy Tomjanovich as coach, going 41-6 mark during the
month.
This season is no exception.
The Rockets and Chicago Bulls entered this week the only unbeaten
teams in the NBA, each 6-0, with four of Houston's victories coming on
the road.
In 1993, Tomjanovich's first full season behind the bench, Houston
started the year 15-0. In 1994, the team was 9-0, then 6-0 last year.
When asked to explain the November success, Tomjanovich, whose
birthday is Nov. 24, looked to the stars.
"I'm a Sagittarius," he said.
The Rockets are going with a new lineup this season following a
4-for-1 offseason deal that brought Charles Barkley from Phoenix.
"This is a different team from the others and we are building
character," says Hakeem Olajuwon, who leads the league in scoring at
28.7 points a game, including 38 in a victory Saturday night over
Utah.
"This team has a lot of guys who can do a lot of things," added Clyde
Drexler. "That's what makes us so dangerous. We don't have a
weakness."
Olajuwon anchors the scoring. Drexler is third in the league in steals
and Houston overall is tops in that category, averaging 12 a game.
Barkley leads the NBA in rebounds, nearly 20 a game.
Then throw in some key role players -- newly acquired Kevin Willis
spelling Olajuwon, re-acquired Matt Bullard hitting a clutch 3-point
shot and rookie point guard Matt Maloney filling in for injured Brent
Price.
"This team is proving its goal is very clear -- we just want to win,"
Olajuwon says. "Everybody is willing to take their role. I like the
chemistry we have."
The Los Angeles Lakers (4-2) come to town Tuesday, setting up a
showdown between the league's top centers -- Olajuwon and Shaquille
O'Neal.
"They made a major change with Shaq in the middle," Tomjanovich said.
"I expect them to be one of the powers in the West. They have great
young personnel. They are explosive and now they have a power game
inside with Shaq."
Olajuwon, however, certainly will not be at full strength and may not
even play at all. Drexler's sore knees kept him out of practice Monday
as well.
"It's a day-to-day deal," Drexler said. "Hopefully, this will pass."
Of more concern was Olajuwon, who woke up Sunday with a pain in his
left side, resulting from an elbow Saturday by Utah's John Stockton.
X-rays showed no fractures but Olajuwon missed practice Monday as the
Rockets made their first appearance at their new training center in
West Houston.
"I don't know," said Olajuwon, pointing to his sore ribs. "I just
can't turn. It's one of those games where I have to be able to move.
Right now I can't even move."
"I'm always concerned; that's my job," Tomjanovich said of Olajuwon's
health. "I'm not going to jump the gun. I just hope for the best. If
not, we'll deal with it the best we can."
Added Barkley: "If he can't play, the other guys are just going to
have to step up and play. I have great confidence in everybody. But we
can't go a long stretch without him."
nba.1422vpoznanovic,
Nuggets get up on wrong side of bed -- in Cleveland
CLEVELAND (Nov 11, 1996 - 11:42 EST) -- The Denver Nuggets are now 0-1
in morning games, and the way they played Sunday at Gund Arena, it's a
good thing they don't have any more of them this season.
Though Sunday's matinee began at 1:30 in Cleveland, for the Nuggets,
who arrived from Denver to a Lake Erie snowstorm Saturday night, it
was 11:30 a.m. They looked as if they would have been more comfortable
lounging at a brunch buffet than playing basketball.
They were in the game for a quarter, leading 23-22 after one on the
strength of solid shooting (.526) and patient defense, waiting out the
Cavaliers' soporific attack.
But they collapsed in the second quarter, losing the period 31-15,
then were embarrassed in the fourth on the way to a 101-86 loss.
It was actually worse than that. The Cavaliers led by 29 after an 18-0
run in the fourth quarter during which the Nuggets might as well have
taken seats and ordered drinks.
"We took a lot of pictures," coach Bernie Bickerstaff said. "Polaroid
would have been proud."
It's quite a feat to give up 100 points to the Cavaliers, whose game
plan is to use most of the clock on every possession and keep the
score down. They were averaging 86 coming into the game and had not
scored 30 points in any quarter.
The Nuggets were helpless against Cleveland's pick and roll. In the
first half, they switched on it, leaving Cleveland's All-Star point
guard, Terrell Brandon, with a tough choice.
He could abuse whatever big man had switched onto him, or he could
find 6-foot-10 Danny Ferry, defended by the 6-3 Mark Jackson. Didn't
matter which he chose. He scored or Ferry scored. Brandon finished
with 19 points, Ferry with 20.
"That's why they run the play, because they have the advantage,"
Jackson said.
"Your job is to make them take the toughest shot -- Terrell Brandon
taking a three with a big man's hand in his face. Tomorrow we could
play it the same way and look like world beaters."
Denver's Antonio McDyess fouled out after 22 minutes on the floor. One
was a foul Ervin Johnson admitted was his; another came on a play
McDyess was nowhere near.
"I was near half-court just running upcourt and they called the foul
on me," a bewildered McDyess said. In the replay, McDyess did not
appear in the picture. Despite vehement protests by the Nuggets bench,
referee Joe DeRosa insisted McDyess was the guilty party.
"Basically, I think what was done to McDyess was criminal,"
Bickerstaff said. "He was not allowed to play."
Trailing by 15 at halftime, the Nuggets roared back with a 17-4 run to
open the third. With his team down 57-55 with 4 minutes left in the
period, Dale Ellis passed up a shot at the top of the key to try to
hit Johnson under the basket.
The ball was intercepted, and Bobby Phills drained a three at the
other end. Two turnovers later, the Cavs' lead was back to 10.
"When we battled back to within two and they got it back to 10, it
just deflated us," captain Bryant Stith said.
The Nuggets went on to commit 25 turnovers, six by Johnson, who twice
gave it up trying to dribble. Cleveland scored 33 points off those
mistakes. Denver got just 16 off Cavs turnovers.
"We got back in the basketball game, and we did what we've been doing
-- we turned it over," Bickerstaff said. "When we get in a game, or a
have a lead, we don't milk it. We turn it off."
Fans might have done the same if this one had been on TV. Fortunately
for the Nuggets' struggling marketing department, it wasn't.
nba.1423vpoznanovic,
Rider's homecoming kicks off four-game trip
PORTLAND, Ore. (Nov 11, 1996 - 21:42 EST) -- The first extended road
trip for the Portland Trail Blazers should get off to a rousing start
Tuesday night in Minnesota, where Isaiah Rider could be in for a rude
return.
Rider had some unflattering comments about his former teammates after
he was traded to the Blazers this year, insinuating that the
Timberwolves were satisfied with losing.
Some Minnesota players responded by saying Rider was a big part of the
problem, and that the Timberwolves were well rid of him.
Rider's problems since he arrived in Portland -- failing to show up
for an exhibition game and being cited for possession of marijuana --
only adds to the fuel to his incendiary "homecoming."
Rider says the more hostile attention he gets Tuesday night, the
better.
"We've got a lot of people on our team who can play good ball and do a
lot of things, so I won't be the focal point," Rider said. "They can
stop me. I don't care. Kenny (Anderson) can get 20 and Rasheed
(Wallace) can get 20 and Cliff (Robinson) can get 20, and we win the
game. So if you want to concentrate on me, it doesn't matter at all."
And when he's showered with boos from the Target Center crowd, Rider
said, "that just causes adrenaline rather than discomfort or anything
like that."
Rider already has had one game against Minnesota. Last Thursday, he
was held to nine points and was benched by coach P.J. Carlesimo down
the stretch as the Blazers beat the Timberwolves in Portland 94-93 on
a desperation basket by Anderson at the buzzer.
Anderson insisted after the game that he wasn't upset about his
minimal playing time, because the team won.
After he scored a season-high 23 in Portland's 94-81 victory over San
Antonio Sunday night, Rider said he'd accept another low-scoring game
in Minneapolis.
"I'm not caught up in that Minnesota stuff," Rider said. "We're the
better team. We're going to go further in the playoffs. That's the
bottom line to me and that's the ultimate satisfaction."
The trip also includes stops in Cleveland Wednesday, New Jersey Friday
and Indiana Sunday. Given the erratic nature of Portland's play this
season, the Blazers could win all four or lose all four, Carlesimo
said.
With three new starters, Portland is off to a 4-3 start in what is
bound to be a sometimes ugly learning process.
"I think we're getting better," Carlesimo said. "At times, you see
glimpses of people getting comfortable with each other, moving the
ball and playing very well together."
At other times, the Blazers are more likely to turn the ball over than
score.
"Defense has still been a constant. Rebounding has been a constant,"
Carlesimo said. "Free throw shooting is much improved, which is
encouraging. The turnovers have been a disaster."
Portland is averaging 21 turnovers per game.
"We clearly need to sit down and talk more with the players as we go
along because I think it's tough for them," Carlesimo said. "There's
so much of a learning process going on, and it's a tough thing."
nba.1424vpoznanovic,
Kings now play against expectations, too
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Nov 11, 1996 - 11:06 EST) -- There was 3:28 left,
the Sacramento Kings had just fallen behind by nine points, and more
than a few of the 17,317 in the Arco Arena started to leave.
No surprise in most cases, really, except that this is Sacramento,
where the fans are legendary for their die-hardness, having sold out
all 457 games the Kings have played since moving to this city in 1985
in support of a team that has won exactly one playoff game in that
time.
Arco Arena will be sold out again Monday night when the Kings play
host to Seattle in a 7:30 game, the two teams' first meeting since
they faced off in the first round of the 1996 playoffs when the Kings
got that lone playoff victory representing Sacramento.
"I don't want to get on them," said guard Mitch Richmond about the
early-leaving fans. "Maybe they had to get up early and go to church."
What no one knew was whether the fans who were leaving had simply
given up hope, or instead have been so spoiled by the playoff
appearance last year -- the first by the Kings in 10 years -- that
they aren't going to put up with losing anymore.
"Our fans see us now as a playoff team and see us winning more games
and those are realistic expectations," said coach Garry St. Jean.
They also are now the expectations of the players, which is why there
was much consternation when the Kings lost three of their first four
games, including the first two in Arco. St. Jean felt compelled to
meet with his players and tell them it was too early to panic, what
with their being 78 games left on the schedule and all.
But when the Kings fell nine down after Kenny Anderson's 3-pointer,
there was a lot of nervousness knowing that Seattle was next in town
followed by 10 of 12 on the road. Then the Kings went on a 14-4 run,
hitting six consecutive free throws in the final 37 seconds, to pull
out a 103-102 victory.
"That was a much-needed win," St. Jean said.
Players acknowledged they were already starting to feel the heat.
"Everybody wants to get back to the playoffs so everybody was playing
tight instead of just getting into the flow," said forward Billy
Owens.
But there also have been some other problems. Foremost has been trying
to break in Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf as point guard. Abdul-Rauf, acquired in
a trade with Denver during the off-season, is shooting only 41 percent
and averaging only 8.8 points a game and sat out the victory over
Portland with a strained thumb, a game in which Tyus Edney and Bobby
Hurley played well in his place. Abdul-Rauf might be back Monday for
the game against Seattle.
There also have been other minor injuries to Owens and Edney, which
have hampered St. Jean's efforts in putting in some new offensive
wrinkles designed to take some of the scoring pressure off of All-Star
guard Richmond.
Some players have complained the team was trying to do too many new
things on offense, and St. Jean has apparently streamlined it some.
Richmond was back to his old dominating ways Saturday, scoring 29
points against Portland.
"Frankly, we haven't played as well as we did at the beginning or end
of last season," St. Jean said. "But I don't think this team has lost
confidence in itself."
Much of that confidence was gained in last year's run to the playoffs
and first-round performance against Seattle. Sacramento won Game 2 in
KeyArena to tie the series, which set off panic in Seattle among fans
who had seen the Sonics lose the previous two years in the first
round.
But the Sonics rallied from nine down in the fourth quarter to win
Game 3 in Arco -- a turning point for Seattle in its own run to the
NBA Finals -- then won Game 4 handily.
St. Jean said he doesn't dwell on how close the Kings came to
potentially knocking out a team that eventually made it to the NBA
Finals.
"They had the poise and the veterans to come back," St. Jean said. "I
thought we played pretty darn well. We didn't lose (Game 3), they took
it from us."
"The Seattle series was a good experience for us," said center Olden
Polynice, who played for the Sonics from 1987 to 1991. "I know I
learned a lot. They played the games the way they needed to be played.
They played defense when they needed to play defense. They won when
they needed to win."
That's what Polynice said the Kings now need to do.
"I know people are still questioning the Sacramento Kings," Polynice
said. "We want to let people know that we are not a fluke. That we got
into the playoffs because we won the games we needed to win and that
we are building a good team here."
Evidently, however, some fans in Sacramento are among those who still
aren't convinced.
nba.1425vpoznanovic,
Kings' team effort in comeback pleases St. Jean
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Nov 11, 1996 - 11:18 EST) -- Kings coach Garry St.
Jean saw a lot of positives in his team's victory over the Portland
Trail Blazers on Saturday night.
He also knows the Kings must develop a lot more before they can call
themselves a good team.
Monday night at Arco Arena, the Kings finish a four-game homestand
against an already developed squad: the 1996 NBA finalist Seattle
SuperSonics (3-2).
Afterward comes a stretch of 10 road games in 12 contests. Seven of
those road games come against 1996 playoff teams, including the first
Wednesday night in Salt Lake City against the Utah Jazz, which has
defeated the Kings 10 consecutive times.
The simplistic view suggests that the Kings (2-3) need every win they
can get. Yet gradual improvement is just as important.
St. Jean looked at his team's performance against Portland, and
despite the necessity of a late fourth-quarter comeback, he saw a
number of players who produced in key situations.
"We got a heck of a total team effort," he said. "There were a lot of
players who responded in a big way and in different ways. I can go up
and down the ladder and say something good about everybody."
Mitch Richmond was the offensive catalyst with a game-high 29 points,
but he also had a game-high six assists, five rebounds and two steals.
In addition, the All-Star played tremendous defense against Isaiah
Rider and helped force him into a 2-for-9, five-turnover, 10-point
night.
But Richmond is a relative constant on this team.
Billy Owens returned the starting lineup at small forward and ran a
sizable amount of the offense from the top of the floor. Center Olden
Polynice battled against the much taller and stronger Arvydas Sabonis
and provided an offensive lift with 15 points.
Point guard Tyus Edney was not 100 percent because of a groin injury,
but he started for the injured Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and supplied an
offensive boost in the first quarter. Defensively, Edney was tough
down the stretch against Kenny Anderson, who missed four shots in the
final three minutes.
Corliss Williamson stepped down into the second unit and gave that
group a badly needed chunk of scoring. Williamson did most of his work
in the low post and scored 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting. He also was 6
for 6 from the free-throw line.
"Corliss did not have to accept coming off the bench the way he did,"
St. Jean said. "But he did not let it affect him negatively and he
gave us a big boost. That is precisely the role I envisioned for him.
"When you've got Mitch and Brian (Grant) and Mahmoud and Olden on the
floor, it's just easier to find (Williamson) shots with the other
guys. He's a primary option on that unit."
Lionel Simmons came through with the big free throws at the end of the
game, but it was his knowledge of the system and overall poise that
prompted St. Jean to keep him on the floor after Owens and Polynice
fouled out.
Duane Causwell was scary at times with a couple of turnovers, but he
did grab four rebounds in 13 minutes and was a factor defensively down
the stretch.
Then there was Bobby Hurley, who received 17 minutes of playing time
and came up with six points, four assists, two rebounds and no
turnovers. Hurley made 2 of his 3 shots, including his lone
three-point attempt.
"I can't say enough about that guy," St. Jean said. "He did a terrific
job running the offense."
Hurley's minutes could be nipped because Abdul-Rauf said he would play
Monday. He did not practice Sunday in an effort to protect his sore
left hand.