nba.1928nba.news,
PHILADELPHIA (103) AT SAN ANTONIO (113)
PHILADELPHIA
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
WEATHERSPOON F 35 4-9 2-2 5 6 11 2 1 0 1 10
COLEMAN F 37 8-18 4-4 4 8 12 3 5 0 5 21
WILLIAMS C 18 2-6 0-0 3 3 6 1 2 2 0 4
STACKHOUSE G 34 6-20 2-2 4 1 5 2 1 2 2 15
IVERSON G 42 7-21 12-15 1 2 3 11 5 1 5 26
DAVIS 23 6-8 0-0 0 2 2 1 6 4 3 15
CAGE 29 2-5 2-6 4 7 11 0 2 1 0 6
OVERTON 6 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
HARRIS 15 2-6 2-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6
WALTERS 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
BRADTKE DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 37-93 24-31 21 30 51 21 22 10 16 103
(.398) (.774) TEAM REBS: 11 TOTAL TO: 16(8 PTS)
SAN ANTONIO
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
ELLIOTT F 34 5-13 8-10 0 5 5 1 0 1 3 19
HERRERA F 15 1-2 0-0 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 2
W PERDUE C 35 5-5 2-2 3 4 7 0 5 1 0 12
DEL NEGRO G 24 5-7 0-0 0 1 1 4 2 1 1 12
JOHNSON G 36 8-14 8-10 0 1 1 11 3 2 2 24
MAXWELL 25 5-11 2-2 1 3 4 3 2 2 4 13
D WILKINS 33 9-18 3-6 2 8 10 4 3 1 4 24
ALEXANDER 12 2-4 1-4 1 1 2 2 5 1 0 5
ANDERSON 12 0-2 0-0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0
M WILLIAMS 14 1-2 0-0 1 3 4 2 1 0 0 2
KEMPTON DNP - COACH'S DECISION
SMITH DNP - INJURED KNEE
TOTALS 240 41-78 24-34 10 27 37 27 23 10 14 113
(.526) (.706) TEAM REBS: 11 TOTAL TO: 15(20 PTS)
PHILADELPHIA 30 15 28 30 - 103
SAN ANTONIO 30 21 31 31 - 113
BLOCKED SHOTS: PHILADELPHIA - WEATHERSPOON, COLEMAN, WILLIAMS,
STACKHOUSE, DAVIS, CAGE. SAN ANTONIO - W PERDUE 9, ELLIOTT 2, D WILKINS
2, HERRERA, JOHNSON.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: PHILADELPHIA 5-15 (.333), COLEMAN 1-1, STACKHOUSE 1-8,
IVERSON 0-1, DAVIS 3-4, HARRIS 0-1. SAN ANTONIO 7-15 (.467), ELLIOTT 1-3,
DEL NEGRO 2-2, MAXWELL 1-4, D WILKINS 3-6.
TECHNICALS: PHILADELPHIA - DAVIS, COLEMAN, ILLEGAL DEFENSE, SAN ANTONIO -
W PERDUE.
OFFICIALS: LUIS GRILLO, JIM CAPERS, STEVE JAVIE.
A - 12,968. T - 2:10.
PHILADELPHIA (103) AT SAN ANTONIO (113)
Avery Johnson recorded 24 points and 11 assists and Dominique
Wilkins added 24 and 10 rebounds off the bench as the San
Antonio Spurs snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 113-103
victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Sean Elliott chipped in 19 points and five rebounds for San
Antonio, which prevented its first nine-game skid since the end
of the 1988-89 campaign. Will Perdue contributed 12 points,
seven rebounds and a career-best nine blocked shots.
"No one expected to be 3-13 at this point," said Perdue. "My
last two games have been real good to me. I feel very good.
Coach Hill and I discussed my role in the rotation when David
(Robinson) comes back and I feel comfortable about my role on
this club. Tonight A.J., Dominique and Sean had great games. It
feels good to get a win."
Rookie Allen Iverson had 26 points and 11 assists, while Derrick
Coleman added 21 and 12 rebounds for Philadelphia, which was
kicking off a three-game all-Texas road trip.
"We didn't underestimate San Antonio," said Coleman. "They are
struggling, but they made the runs when they needed them. We
missed some shots and they capitalized."
The Spurs have won nine straight games from Philadelphia and 11
in a row at home. San Antonio's last home loss to the Sixers
came nearly a decade ago on January 6th, 1986.
"A.J. did as good a job defensively on Iverson as you can do,"
Spurs coach Bob Hill said. "Will was great, a real quality
game. Blocked shots were a real help. He didn't get any points,
but he helped a lot. This was a win we needed and we got it.
Tonight and Friday are real important. This month is a key
stretch for us. Some time soon we expect to see David
(Robinson) back."
San Antonio led 51-45 at the intermission and was tied at 57-57
before embarking on a 22-6 run. Monty Williams tallied seven
points, including a lay-in with 1:45 left in the third period
that made it 79-63.
The gap was cut to 82-73 after three quarters and Jerry
Stackhouse's three-pointer reduced the difference to 99-94 with
3:41 to play, but Wilkins, playing in his 1,000th career game,
responded with a three of his own and the Sixers would get no
closer.
San Antonio registered season highs in points, blocks (15) and
field goal percentage (52.6, 41-of-78), while making 7-of-15
three-point attempts (47 percent). The Spurs have eclipsed the
century mark in scoring in three of their last four games after
failing to do so in their first 12 tries.
Jerry Stackhouse and Mark Davis each added 15 points, while
Clarence Weatherspoon had 10 and 11 rebounds for the 76ers, who
shot 40 percent from the floor (37-for-93). Michael Cage snared
11 caroms, including the 8,000th of his career, as the team
outrebounded the Spurs, 51-37.
"We struggled tonight, no question," said Cage. "However, my
milestone is very special to me. Not too many players get 8,000
boards. We are learning. You have to beat a team that is not
on the elite level. They have been a great franchise over the
years, but we needed this one going into Dallas tomorrow."
nba.1929nba.news,
Admiral might return to active duty Friday
SAN ANTONIO -- San Antonio Spurs center David Robinson, who has not
played this season because of a lower back strain, could make his
return Friday against the Vancouver Grizzlies.
Robinson, 31, practiced Monday and Tuesday, his first practices of the
season. He didn't play Wednesday during a 113-103 victory over
Philadelphia.
Without Robinson -- the team's leading scorer, rebounder and
shot-blocker -- the Spurs (3-13) have been held to fewer than 100
points in all but two games and fewer than 80 points five times.
The Spurs also are mired in an eight-game losing streak, their longest
since dropping the last nine games of the 1988-89 season.
Last week, Robinson accompanied the team to Los Angeles and made his
second visit to the Kerlan-Jobe Clinic. He met with Dr. Robert
Watkins, who said Robinson's rehabilitation program is progressing and
that Robinson's strength and flexibility are improving.
Robinson has experienced back pain for the last couple of years and
arrived at training camp in October with lingering pain. He played
just one of eight exhibition games and met with Watkins prior to the
start of the regular season.
Robinson, the 1995 NBA Most Valuable Player and a seven-time All-Star,
led the Spurs to the Midwest Division title the past two seasons. He
averaged 25 points, 12.2 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game last season,
and this year he was voted one of the 50 greatest players in NBA
history.
nba.1930nba.news,
Penny might play when Magic visits Shaq
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Orlando Magic could have injured starters
Anfernee Hardaway, Nick Anderson and Dennis Scott back in action for
Friday night's matchup against former teammate Shaquille O'Neal and
the Los Angeles Lakers.
O'Neal left the Magic to sign a seven-year, $120 million contract with
the Lakers in July. Friday's game at Inglewood, Calif., will be
O'Neal's first against his former team.
Hardaway, Anderson and Scott are listed as questionable for Friday.
They missed Wednesday night's game with the Cleveland Cavaliers, an
84-57 loss in which Orlando tied the NBA record for the fewest points
scored in a game.
Hardaway, Orlando's All-Star point guard, had arthroscopic surgery on
his left knee Nov. 17 and was placed on the injured list. He played in
Orlando's first four games this season and averaged 21.3 points.
Anderson, who has averaged 15.8 points per game, sprained his right
wrist less than seven minutes into Tuesday's 108-102 home overtime
loss to the Dallas Mavericks. His hand was placed in a soft cast.
Scott has been limited to 28 minutes this season while battling a left
hamstring strain. Scott -- O'Neal's best friend on the Magic roster --
averaged 17.5 points per game last season and knocked down an
NBA-record 267 3-pointers.
nba.1931nba.news,
Foot sprain leaves T-Wolves' Garnett at home
MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett is listed
as day-to-day because of a sprained left foot and will not accompany
the team for the start of a three-game road trip in Seattle on
Thursday.
Garnett suffered the injury when he landed on another player's foot
after grabbing an offensive rebound in the second quarter of Tuesday's
96-89 loss to Sacramento. He was taken to a hospital for X-rays and
also underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam. The X-rays were
negative and the MRI revealed no damage to the ankle or foot.
After playing at Seattle Thursday, the Timberwolves will be in Utah
Friday and at Los Angeles to play the Lakers on Sunday.
Garnett, 20, is averaging 14.7 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocked
shots in 16 games this season. He averaged 10.4 points and 6.3
rebounds in 80 games as a rookie last year.
Garnett opted to skip college and enter the NBA draft straight out of
Farragut Academy High School in Chicago. He was selected fifth overall
by Minnesota in the 1995 draft.
nba.1932nba.news,
Suns ship Chucky Brown to Bucks
PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns, who have the NBA's worst record at 1-14,
sent veteran forward Chucky Brown to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday
for swingman Darrin Hancock and a conditional second-round draft pick.
"They came to me today and asked if I'd go on the injured list," Brown
said of the Suns. "I said no, I wasn't going to do it because I wasn't
injured. If we were a 14-1 team, maybe, but not when we're 1-14."
Phoenix improved to 2-14 with a victory over Golden State on Wednesday
night.
Phoenix acquired Brown, Sam Cassell, Robert Horry and Mark Bryant in a
traded that sent Charles Barkley to Houston. Brown played just 83
minutes in 10 games for Phoenix, averaging 3.4 points and 1.6
rebounds.
Milwaukee will be Brown's seventh NBA team. He has also played for
Cleveland, the Los Angeles Lakers, New Jersey and Dallas. He was part
of Houston's championship team in 1995, averaging 6.1 points and 4.7
rebounds.
"Everything happened so fast, I don't know what to expect," Brown said
of Wednesday's trade. "Hopefully, I'll get a chance to prove myself,
which didn't really happen here. And hopefully I'll be able to
contribute. That was the most frustrating thing here is that we were
losing and I couldn't help."
Hancock has totaled 39 minutes and six points in nine games for
Milwaukee this season. Originally a second-round pick of Charlotte in
1994, Hancock averaged 4.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 63 games for the
Hornets last season.
Hancock makes the league veteran minimum at $247,500 and Brown's
salary is $500,000. Both players will be free agents at the end of the
season.
nba.1933nba.news,
Same old Bull: Chicago activates Parish
CHICAGO -- Chicago Bulls center Robert Parish, the oldest player in
the NBA, was activated from the injured list Wednesday.
To make room for Parish, Chicago (16-1) placed starting center Luc
Longley on the injured list, nine days after he suffered a separated
left shoulder while swimming off the California coast.
Parish, 43, came off the bench to average 4.6 points and two rebounds
in the first five games before going on the injured list with back
problems.
Bill Wennington is the starter in Longley's absence. He has averaged
9.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 23 minutes per game in the three games
since Longley's injury.
Longley, 27, is expected to miss another six weeks of action. He
averaged 7.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game before the
injury.
nba.1934nba.news,
Olajuwon back in lineup
HOUSTON (Dec 4, 1996 - 21:24 EST) -- Hakeem Olajuwon returned to the
Houston Rockets' lineup Wednesday night after a recurrence of
irregular heartbeat forced him to miss Monday's game at Toronto.
Olajuwon, the NBA's third-leading scorer with a 25.8 points per game
average, was in the starting lineup as the Rockets played the Boston
Celtics.
The star center is taking medication to deal with the medical problem,
which has occurred twice this season and once in 1991.
He experienced the latest incident Saturday night after a game in
Washington and returned to Houston for hospitalization.
On Monday, after an overnight hospital stay, doctors repeated a
procedure they performed two weeks ago, using an electrical shock to
correct the arrhythmia, or abnormal heartbeat. Physicians say the
problem is not career- or life-threatening.
After the first episode Nov. 19, Olajuwon missed three games.
nba.1935nba.news,
In-season NBA coaching changes are nothing new
(Dec 4, 1996 - 06:36 EST) - Informed of the resignation of Bernie
Bickerstaff as Denver head coach last week, George Karl's face turned
to disgust.
"It's started already," Karl said. "You don't win, blame the coach."
Actually, it had already started, Danny Ainge having replaced Cotton
Fitzsimmons in Phoenix after only eight games.
Don't cry too much for Bickerstaff and Fitzsimmons, however, as each
retained jobs with the team and basically saved themselves the agony
of finishing up a season that's headed nowhere.
And, if the averages hold, it will happen again this season. Since the
1989-90 season, seven seasons ago, there have been 22 mid-season
coaching changes -- a high of six in '91-92, a low of one in '93-94.
And, in a curious way, Karl is as much to blame for many of these
coaching changes as is anyone else.
That's because in every instance, the team is hoping that a change in
coaches will spark a change in fortunes like happened in Seattle in
January of 1992 when K.C. Jones was fired and replaced by Karl.
The Sonics were 18-18 with Jones as coach, but went 27-15 under Karl
(they were 2-2 while Bob Kloppenburg was the interim coach) then beat
favored Golden State in the first round of the playoffs.
Maybe it's just Seattle, which had the most successful mid-season
coaching change ever during the 1977-78 season when Lenny Wilkens took
over for Bob Hopkins with the Sonics 5-17, led them to a 42-18 record
the rest of the way and into the NBA Finals.
But typically, in-season coaching changes don't make much of a
difference.
The combined record of those 22 teams before making coaching changes
was 291-455 (39 percent). After the change, the combined record was
431-537 (44) percent.
And only five of the changes could really be regarded as successes,
including the Jones-Karl move by the Sonics.
Others that worked at least momentarily were Richie Adubato for John
MacLeod in Dallas in the 1989-90 season (5-6 before, 42-29 after); Bob
Hill replacing Dick Versace in Indiana in '90-91 (9-16 before, 32-25
after); Larry Brown replacing Mike Schuler with the Clippers in '91-92
(21-24 before, 23-12 after); and John Lucas replacing the
fish-out-of-water Jerry Tarkanian with the Spurs in '92-93 (9-11
before, 39-22 after).
Again, only the Sonics' move to Karl could be classified as having
worked long-term as none of the rest of the "successes" are still with
that team.
And so far, neither of this year's moves have had much impact,
although it's obviously too early to judge.
Phoenix lost its first five games under 37-year-old Ainge, though the
change at least allows the team to start planning for the future --
the Suns will undoubtedly go under another major makeover this season,
when Kevin Johnson will likely retire and the team will have all sorts
of money to spend on free agents.
Harder to figure, however, Denver's turning things over to the
65-year-old Dick Motta, who despite claims to the contrary, seems like
little more than a transitionary coach until someone else can be
found.
In their second game under Motta on Wednesday, the Nuggets blew what
might be the biggest lead in NBA history (official records are
incomplete) losing a 36-point second-quarter lead in a defeat at Utah,
exactly the kind of scatter-shot play that marked the team under
Bickerstaff.
Denver and Phoenix don't figure to be alone in changing coaches this
season, however.
Here are some other situations worth watching:
San Antonio: The Spurs are 2-13, their worst start ever, due primarily
to the absence injured center David Robinson, who could be back in a
couple of weeks. Still, many in San Antonio are alarmed at how inept
the Spurs have been without the Admiral, and head coach Bob Hill was
on shaky ground even before the poor start, with this being the last
year on his contract -- an extension wasn't granted after the team
lost to Utah in the playoffs last year.
Sacramento: Garry St. Jean could be the undeserved victim of
Sacramento's injury-plagued poor start. The Kings run to the playoffs
and subsequent close call against the Sonics raised expectations and
shortened patience in Sacramento, which has also had one of the
tougher schedules so far. But the schedule eases a bit in December,
and most figure some wins had better follow.
Indiana: Again, there's a lot more reasons for the Pacers' bad start
than Larry Brown, chief among them an injury to center Rik Smits and
problems at point guard, where none of the replacements for the traded
Mark Jackson have panned out. But Brown has never been at any of his
professional jobs longer than three-and-a-half years and it's easy to
see him moving again soon.
Boston: The Celtics rarely look as if they have a clue, and fans are
staying away in droves from the FleetCenter as Boston was off to a
4-10 start before Tuesday despite 10 games at home. But head coach
M.L. Carr is also the team's executive vice president and director of
basketball operations, meaning he's basically his own boss. It could
take something drastic for Carr to give up on-the-floor control of the
team and hand it over to former Sonic and Celtic assistant Dennis
Johnson, as some have speculated.
nba.1936nba.news,
Fewest points game
(Dec 4, 1996 - 22:24 EST) -- The fewest points scored by one team in
an NBA game since the 24-second shot clock was introduced for the
1954-55 season:
57 -- Orlando vs. Cleveland, Dec. 4, 1996
57 -- Philadelphia vs. Miami, Feb. 21, 1996
57 -- Milwaukee vs. Boston, Providence, R.I., Feb. 27, 1955
59 -- Sacramento at Charlotte, Jan. 10, 1991
61 -- New York at Detroit, April 12, 1992
61 -- Indiana at Cleveland, March 22, 1994
62 -- Boston vs. Milwaukee, Providence, R.I., Feb. 27, 1955
63 -- Buffalo vs. Milwaukee, Oct. 21, 1972
63 -- Chicago vs. Cleveland, Dec. 19, 1994
64 -- Indiana at New York, Dec. 10, 1985
64 -- Golden State vs. Cleveland, March 30, 1996.
nba.1937nba.news,
Karl misses Lakers game
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (Dec 4, 1996 - 05:30 EST) -- Seattle SuperSonics
coach George Karl missed the game Tuesday night against the Los
Angeles Lakers with the flu, with assistant Terry Stotts filling in as
acting head coach.
Karl apparently became ill Monday but made the trip to Los Angeles
with the team later that night hoping to be able to coach. He didn't
ride either of the team buses to the game -- which typically arrive
about two hours before game time -- hoping some extra time might help.
He arranged for a car to drive him from the team hotel, about 15
minutes away, at 6:15 for the 7:30 p.m. start, but didn't make it.
Karl had oral surgery on Monday morning, but his illness didn't appear
related, Stotts said.
Karl had first contracted a touch of the flu last week during the
team's Eastern trip, during which many players and coaches became ill.
But he had said Sunday he was fine.
It was believed to be the first game Karl has missed since becoming
head coach.
Karl needs one more win to get to 400 for his career, and Stotts said
he figured if the Sonics beat the Lakers, it would count as a win for
Karl.
"That's a tough way to get it," Stotts said.
Being a head coach was a first at any level for Stotts, who played at
Oklahoma and then in Europe and in the CBA under Karl with the Montana
Golden Nuggets.
Stotts began his coaching career as an assistant under Karl with the
Albany Patroons in the CBA in 1990, then joined the Sonics as a scout
before becoming an assistant four years ago.
SHAQ TO REUNITE: There were several Florida-area reporters at the game
to do stories on Friday's matchup between the Lakers and the Orlando
Magic, which will be Shaquille O'Neal's first against his former
teammates.
"It's just another game," O'Neal said predictably. "I'm not going to
get caught up in it."
Asked if he had talked to any of his former teammates lately, O'Neal
said he hadn't, and added that he doesn't keep up with Orlando's
progress.
"I'm only concerned about what this team does," O'Neal said. "I like
to see every team but this team do bad. It's nothing personal, just
business."
O'Neal has been criticized by several former teammates, most vocally
by Nick Anderson, but said he harbors no ill will toward any Orlando
players.
"Players, no," O'Neal said. "Other people there, I don't know."
Shaq on other topics:
-- On whether he'd sell his Orlando house to Rony Seikaly, recently
traded there by Golden State: "He doesn't have enough chips (money),"
O'Neal said.
-- On whether he'd sell it to Tiger Woods: "I'd sell it to him for $8
million," O'Neal said. "I bought it for $3 million. See," he said,
pointing to his head, "I'm a business man."
-- On Sonic center Jim McIlvaine: "Who is his agent, anyway," Shaq
said, referring to McIlvaine's much-discussed seven-year, $35 million
deal. "He's got a good agent."
-- On Houston center Hakeem Olajuwon's recent trouble with a rapid
heartbeat: "If that happened to me, I would probably have to find
something else to do. Health is more important to me than anything
else."
nba.1938stukelj,
Da zakljucimo iz dosadasnjih rezultata:
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS ce sledece godine biti sampion!!!!
Znam da zvuci glupo, ali videcete...
The Evil awakens....
nba.1939acafaca,
-> #1815, schef-=> ĆŠ PORTLAND
-=>
-=> ĆŠ DJORDJEVIC 5 1-2 0-0 0 1 1
-=> 0 ĆŠ 0 0 0 2
Zar se Đorđević ni je vratio u Timsistem?
nba.1940dizel,
-> #1922, nba.news** CLEVELAND (84) AT ORLANDO (57)
Ili ovaj Cleveland ima fenomenalnu odbranu, ili je Orlando mnogo
zakazao. Izgleda da su se obe stvari dogodile...
nba.1941vpoznanovic,
Thursday, December 5
L.A. Clippers at Chicago 96:114
Minnesota at Seattle 86:117
Philadelphia at Dallas 102:106
Portland at Denver 115:104
Washington at Toronto 80:82
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
LA CLIPPERS 25 32 21 18 96
CHICAGO 35 27 19 33 114 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: LAC - POOH RICHARDSON 20, LOY VAUGHT 19, BRENT BARRY 17
CHI - SCOTTIE PIPPEN 25, JASON CAFFEY 23, MICHAEL JORDAN 20
HIGH REBOUND: LAC - LOY VAUGHT 14, LORENZEN WRIGHT 6
CHI - DENNIS RODMAN 14, SCOTTIE PIPPEN 8
HIGH ASSISTS: LAC - POOH RICHARDSON 6, TWO PLAYERS WITH 3
CHI - TONI KUKOC 12, TWO PLAYERS WITH 6
ATT: 23,687
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
MINNESOTA 19 17 18 32 86
SEATTLE 26 32 30 29 117 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: MIN - TOM GUGLIOTTA 27, TERRY PORTER 12, TWO PLAYERS WITH
11
SEA - SHAWN KEMP 21, LARRY STEWART 19, GARY PAYTON 18
HIGH REBOUND: MIN - TOM GUGLIOTTA 10, DEAN GARRETT 10
SEA - SHAWN KEMP 15, TWO PLAYERS WITH 5
HIGH ASSISTS: MIN - STEPHON MARBURY 6, TERRY PORTER 4
SEA - ERIC SNOW 9, GARY PAYTON 7
ATT: 17,072
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
PHILADELPHIA 29 18 26 29 102
DALLAS 24 26 20 36 106 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: PHI - ALLEN IVERSON 36, DERRICK COLEMAN 21, JERRY
STACKHOUSE 16
DAL - CHRIS GATLING 24, JIM JACKSON 21, DEREK HARPER 20
HIGH REBOUND: PHI - SCOTT WILLIAMS 14, DERRICK COLEMAN 11
DAL - ERIC MONTROSS 8, THREE PLAYERS WITH 6
HIGH ASSISTS: PHI - ALLEN IVERSON 11, DERRICK COLEMAN 5
DAL - JASON KIDD 14, JIM JACKSON 6
ATT: 13,443
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
PORTLAND 25 21 37 32 115
DENVER 26 25 22 31 104 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: POR - KENNY ANDERSON 26, ARVYDAS SABONIS 22, TWO PLAYERS
WITH 21
DEN - BRYANT STITH 37, DALE ELLIS 19, BROOKS THOMPSON 18
HIGH REBOUND: POR - ARVYDAS SABONIS 15, RASHEED WALLACE 9
DEN - BRYANT STITH 7, ERVIN JOHNSON 7
HIGH ASSISTS: POR - KENNY ANDERSON 9, CLIFFORD ROBINSON 4
DEN - DALE ELLIS 7, MARK JACKSON 6
ATT: 9,679
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
WASHINGTON 27 24 15 14 80
TORONTO 22 16 23 21 82 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: WAS - ROD STRICKLAND 17, CHRIS WEBBER 11, CALBERT CHEANEY
10
TOR - WALT WILLIAMS 29, DOUG CHRISTIE 19, DAMON STOUDAMIRE
12
HIGH REBOUND: WAS - JUWAN HOWARD 11, TWO PLAYERS WITH 5
TOR - POPEYE JONES 13, DOUG CHRISTIE 11
HIGH ASSISTS: WAS - JUWAN HOWARD 6, CHRIS WEBBER 5
TOR - DAMON STOUDAMIRE 9, DOUG CHRISTIE 7
ATT: 15,222
nba.1942nba.news,
LA CLIPPERS (96) AT CHICAGO (114)
LA CLIPPERS
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
VAUGHT F 40 9-18 1-1 3 11 14 3 3 0 2 19
ROGERS F 36 7-15 0-0 3 2 5 1 3 2 3 15
WRIGHT C 27 5-8 4-5 3 3 6 2 0 1 1 14
DEHERE G 22 1-5 0-0 0 1 1 3 3 0 3 3
RICHARDSON G 35 7-10 2-2 0 3 3 6 1 1 3 20
MURRAY 23 2-8 2-2 2 2 4 1 0 2 1 6
BARRY 26 6-15 4-4 2 0 2 0 1 2 0 17
OUTLAW 12 1-1 0-0 3 2 5 0 2 0 1 2
D MARTIN 13 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 0
DUCKWORTH 6 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ROBERTS DNP - RUPTURED DISK
SEALY DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 38-83 13-14 16 24 40 17 13 8 18 96
(.458) (.929) TEAM REBS: 4 TOTAL TO: 19(23 PTS)
CHICAGO
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
RODMAN F 39 0-3 0-0 7 7 14 3 4 0 2 0
PIPPEN F 32 12-23 0-1 4 4 8 5 0 4 2 25
WENNINGTON C 21 0-4 0-0 1 4 5 2 4 0 0 0
JORDAN G 31 9-21 2-3 1 3 4 6 3 2 1 20
KUKOC G 38 7-14 3-3 2 3 5 12 1 0 1 18
BUECHLER 2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0
KERR 30 7-8 0-0 0 3 3 6 0 1 0 15
CAFFEY 24 11-13 1-1 0 3 3 1 2 1 3 23
BROWN 21 6-8 1-2 0 1 1 4 2 2 0 13
SIMPKINS 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
HARPER DNP - FLU
PARISH DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 52-95 7-10 15 28 43 40 16 10 10 114
(.547) (.700) TEAM REBS: 5 TOTAL TO: 10(8 PTS)
LA CLIPPERS 25 32 21 18 - 96
CHICAGO 35 27 19 33 - 114
BLOCKED SHOTS: LA CLIPPERS - MURRAY 2, ROGERS, BARRY. CHICAGO - KUKOC.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: LA CLIPPERS 7-20 (.350), VAUGHT 0-1, ROGERS 1-2, DEHERE
1-3, RICHARDSON 4-5, MURRAY 0-2, BARRY 1-5, D MARTIN 0-2. CHICAGO 3-9
(.333), PIPPEN 1-3, JORDAN 0-3, KUKOC 1-1, KERR 1-2.
TECHNICALS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: JIM CLARK, JOE CRAWFORD, GARY BENSON.
A - 23,687. T - 1:52.
LA CLIPPERS (96) AT CHICAGO (114)
Jason Caffey scored 13 of his career-high 23 points in a 21-4
fourth quarter run as the Chicago Bulls got past the Los Angeles
Clippers, 114-96, to stay unbeaten in seven games at home.
Scottie Pippen scored 25 points and Michael Jordan added 20 for
the Bulls, who have won five straight games overall and have the
best record in the league at 17-1. Chicago led by 10 points
after one period and enjoyed a slim 62-57 lead at halftime.
Caffey topped his previous high of 13 points by shooting
11-of-13 from the field in 24 minutes off the bench.
"I think everbody has been waiting for him to show his talent on
the basketball court," Jordan said. "He has the ability to play
with that type of intensity."
Pooh Richardson scored 20 points, Loy Vaught had 19 and Brent
Barry contributed 17 for Los Angeles, which led early in the
third quarter but could not keep the Bulls down.
"My biggest disappointment is that we didn't play harder than we
did those last 10 minutes," Los Angeles coach Bill Fitch said.
"We accomplished a lot the first three quarters, playing their
starters even. Then their bench took the game away."
Vaught scored back-to-back baskets to trim Chicago's lead to
88-86 with 7:45 remaining before Chicago scored 21 of the next
25 points to seal the victory.
Toni Kukoc's 20-foot jumper at 7:27 and Randy Brown's layup with
1:57 remaining sandwiched the 21-4 spurt in which Caffey took
over, scoring 13 points.
"It seemed like Caffey just got in a zone there at the end,"
Vaught said. "We had a very difficult time trying to control
him. It shows you how much talent they have there on that
team."
Kukoc finished with 18 points and a season-high 12 assists as
the Bulls shot 54 percent (52-of-95) from the field, compared to
45 percent (38-of-83) by the Clippers.
Both Jordan and Pippen sat out the entire final quarter while
Caffey, Brown and Steve Kerr ran the offense. The trio shot a
combined 24-of-29 as Chicago's bench outscored Los Angeles'
51-25.
"That was a great surge that we had there off the bench," Bulls
coach Phil Jackson said. "They gave us a terrific lift,
especally Kerr, Brown and Caffey. We were floundering and they
gave us momentum. The second team played so well that I was
able to sit Pippen and Jordan for the entire fourth quarter."
"It was a good game for the second team," Jordan said. "They
came out and outplayed the first team. Nobody could have
predicted that Scottie and I would sit out the fourth quarter,
but our first team didn't play very good defense the whole
night."
Pippen grabbed eight rebounds and had four steals for the Bulls,
which forced 19 turnovers and turned them into 23 points. Pippen
led the team in scoring for just the third time this season.
Chicago played without guard Ron Harper, who was sidelined with
a combination of the flu and a dislocated finger.
nba.1943nba.news,
MINNESOTA (86) AT SEATTLE (117)
MINNESOTA
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
GUGLIOTTA F 33 10-14 7-7 4 6 10 2 4 1 2 27
WEST F 19 0-3 2-2 0 0 0 0 4 0 1 2
D GARRETT C 23 2-5 0-2 4 6 10 1 3 0 1 4
MARBURY G 40 3-18 0-2 1 1 2 6 3 0 4 7
PORTER G 30 4-11 3-3 1 0 1 4 1 0 1 12
CARR 22 4-12 1-2 2 3 5 1 4 2 3 11
MITCHELL 29 0-6 5-7 3 2 5 2 2 0 3 5
HEAL 11 0-3 1-1 1 1 2 1 2 0 3 1
VRANKOVIC 18 4-5 3-6 2 3 5 1 3 0 1 11
PARKS 15 2-6 2-4 2 2 4 1 0 0 0 6
K GARNETT DNP - SPRAINED LEFT ANKLE
ROBINSON DNP - BRUISED LEFT KNEE
TOTALS 240 29-83 24-36 20 24 44 19 26 3 19 86
(.349) (.667) TEAM REBS: 13 TOTAL TO: 20(26 PTS)
SEATTLE
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
KEMP F 30 6-13 9-10 6 9 15 1 4 0 1 21
D SCHREMPF F 25 4-9 3-4 1 3 4 3 3 1 1 13
MCILVAINE C 27 3-5 3-4 1 4 5 1 5 0 1 9
HAWKINS G 25 2-7 1-2 0 1 1 2 2 2 0 6
PAYTON G 31 8-15 2-2 2 3 5 7 0 5 3 18
EHLO 10 1-1 0-0 0 2 2 1 0 0 0 2
PERKINS 11 1-3 4-4 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 6
STEWART 25 6-10 7-7 1 2 3 2 2 0 3 19
SNOW 22 3-3 2-2 0 2 2 9 3 2 0 8
WINGATE 15 2-6 0-0 0 2 2 1 1 2 1 4
GRAHAM 12 3-6 0-0 0 2 2 1 0 0 1 7
HARVEY 7 2-2 0-0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 4
TOTALS 240 41-80 31-35 11 31 42 30 22 13 12 117
(.513) (.886) TEAM REBS: 10 TOTAL TO: 12(9 PTS)
MINNESOTA 19 17 18 32 - 86
SEATTLE 26 32 30 29 - 117
BLOCKED SHOTS: MINNESOTA - GUGLIOTTA, PORTER, VRANKOVIC. SEATTLE -
MCILVAINE 6, STEWART 2, HARVEY 2, KEMP, HAWKINS.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: MINNESOTA 4-21 (.190), MARBURY 1-8, PORTER 1-6, CARR
2-2, MITCHELL 0-2, HEAL 0-3. SEATTLE 4-16 (.250), D SCHREMPF 2-5, HAWKINS
1-3, PAYTON 0-2, PERKINS 0-2, STEWART 0-1, WINGATE 0-1, GRAHAM 1-2.
TECHNICALS: SEATTLE - PAYTON, ILLEGAL DEFENSE 2, D SCHREMPF, STEWART, HEAD
COACH KARL 2 (EJECTED), KEMP 2 (EJECTED).
OFFICIALS: BENNETT SALVATORE, TERRY DURHAM, TONY BROTHERS.
A - 17,072. T - 2:12.
MINNESOTA (86) AT SEATTLE (117)
Shawn Kemp scored 17 of his 21 points in the first half as the
Seattle SuperSonics raced to a 22-point lead and gave coach
George Karl his 400th win with a 117-86 demolition of the
Minnesota Timberwolves.
Kemp grabbed 15 rebounds, Larry Stewart scored 19 points and
Gary Payton had 18 and seven assists for Seattle, which defeated
Minnesota for the 23rd consecutive time and 12th straight at
home. Detlef Schrempf scored 13 points and Eric Snow handed out
nine assists for the SuperSonics, who have not lost to the
Timberwolves since March 15th, 1991.
Tom Gugliotta scored 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting and grabbed
10 rebounds for Minnesota, which played without injured forward
Kevin Garnett and guard James Robinson. Rookie Stephon Marbury
was held to seven points on 3-of-18 shooting in 40 minutes for
the Timberwolves, who trail the all-time series with the Sonics
27-3.
"We didn't stick with our game plan," Gugliotta said. "We
followed it for the first quarter. Then after that, we decided
to go on our own. You can't do that and expect to win."
Kemp had eight points to lead the SuperSonics to a 26-19 lead
after one quarter before widening their lead to 18 as Snow made
a layup to ignite a 14-3 run at the outset of the second period.
Payton and Kemp each scored four points during that span and
Craig Ehlo capped the burst with a layup, giving Seattle a 40-22
advantage with 7:22 remaining in the first half.
Seattle led 58-36 at the half and Minnesota could not pull
closer the rest of the way.
Behind eight points by Payton in the period, the SuperSonics
outscored the Wolves 30-18 in the third quarter to carry an
88-54 lead into the fourth quarter.
Seattle led by as many as 41 points, the last time at 106-65
with five minutes to go.
Kemp, who was on the bench, and Karl were both ejected with five
minutes left in the fourth quarter for arguing a call. Seattle
was whistled for seven technical fouls.
The referees stated both Karl and Kemp were ejected for
unsportsmanlike conduct for verbal abuse. The referess added
they are going to send a tape to the league office in New York
to decide whether Karl bumped an official.
"I was wrong for losing control, but I didn't think they called
a very good basketball game," Karl said. "It's a long season
and I usually lose it a couple of times a year and this is the
first time (this season)."
"We went to the (NBA) Finals last season and we don't get any
respect," Schrempf protested. "In games like this, it's
frustating. Even if we're up by 40, they're not supposed to
referee the score. They're supposed to referee the game."
Hawkins hinted that Karl may have over-reacted in retaliation.
"I think it was a physical game," Hawkins said. "We thought
some calls didn't go our way. It was just one of those games.
We don't know what the referee said to George, but I'm quite
sure it wasn't nice."
Payton had five steals and Jim McIlvaine had nine points and six
blocked shots for Seattle, which shot 51 percent (41-of-80) from
the field and outscored Minnesota 62-34 in the paint.
Terry Porter scored 12 points and Chris Carr and Stojko
Vrankovic each added 11 for Minnesota, which was held to 35
percent (29-of-83) accuracy from the floor and committed 20
turnovers.
The Sonics, who outscored the Wolves 27-7 on the fastbreak,
never trailed.
nba.1944nba.news,
PHILADELPHIA (102) AT DALLAS (106)
PHILADELPHIA
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
COLEMAN F 42 7-17 7-9 3 8 11 5 1 1 3 21
WEATHERSPOON F 35 6-12 0-1 3 7 10 0 1 0 2 12
WILLIAMS C 24 1-2 0-0 5 9 14 2 3 0 2 2
IVERSON G 45 12-25 8-9 2 2 4 11 5 1 7 36
STACKHOUSE G 34 6-17 3-3 3 2 5 3 4 2 1 16
CAGE 18 1-1 0-0 4 4 8 0 2 1 1 2
HARRIS 15 2-9 0-0 0 0 0 2 2 1 1 6
DAVIS 24 2-9 0-0 4 2 6 1 2 1 1 5
OVERTON 3 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 2
TOTALS 240 38-94 18-22 24 34 58 24 23 7 18 102
(.404) (.818) TEAM REBS: 9 TOTAL TO: 18(18 PTS)
DALLAS
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
MCCLOUD F 33 1-13 0-0 3 2 5 2 2 2 1 3
WALKER F 19 5-12 3-5 2 4 6 0 3 0 0 13
MONTROSS C 23 3-7 0-0 4 4 8 1 3 0 2 6
JACKSON G 37 6-11 8-10 1 5 6 6 3 1 0 21
KIDD G 43 2-7 5-8 0 3 3 14 1 5 0 11
GATLING 29 10-18 4-5 2 4 6 0 2 2 3 24
HARPER 32 8-16 3-4 0 3 3 2 3 2 2 20
MILLER 24 4-6 0-0 2 3 5 4 5 1 1 8
DREILING DNP - COACH'S DECISION
DUMAS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
MEYER DNP - COACH'S DECISION
ROBERTS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 39-90 23-32 14 28 42 29 22 13 9 106
(.433) (.719) TEAM REBS: 11 TOTAL TO: 9(6 PTS)
PHILADELPHIA 29 18 26 29 - 102
DALLAS 24 26 20 36 - 106
BLOCKED SHOTS: PHILADELPHIA - COLEMAN 2, WILLIAMS 2, WEATHERSPOON,
IVERSON, CAGE. DALLAS - MILLER 3, KIDD 2, WALKER 2, HARPER, GATLING,
MONTROSS, MCCLOUD.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: PHILADELPHIA 8-25 (.320), COLEMAN 0-2, IVERSON 4-10,
STACKHOUSE 1-5, HARRIS 2-3, DAVIS 1-5. DALLAS 5-18 (.278), MCCLOUD 1-7,
JACKSON 1-3, KIDD 2-4, HARPER 1-4.
TECHNICALS: PHILADELPHIA - OVERTON, ILLEGAL DEFENSE, DALLAS - HARPER,
ILLEGAL DEFENSE 2.
OFFICIALS: DAN CRAWFORD, DERRICK STAFFORD, MIKE SMITH.
A - 13,443. T - 2:14.
PHILADELPHIA (102) AT DALLAS (106)
Chris Gatling scored four of his 24 points during a late
fourth-quarter run as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the
Philadelphia 76ers, 106-102.
Jimmy Jackson scored 21 points and Derek Harper added a
season-high 20 for Dallas, which has alternated losses and wins
for the last six games. Jason Kidd played a sound game with 11
points and 14 assists without a turnover for the Mavericks.
Rookie Allen Iverson hada season-high 36 points and 11 assists
but committed seven turnovers for Philadelphia, which has
dropped four of its last five road games. Derrick Coleman had
21 points and 11 rebounds and Jerry Stackhouse added 16 points.
Kidd has handed out 56 assists over the last four games for the
Mavericks, who turned the ball over a season-low nine times.
Dallas beat the 76ers for just the fourth time in their last 12
meetings.
After Iverson hit a jumper to give the 76ers a 92-90 lead with
just under three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter,
Jackson made a reverse layup to tie the game and ignite a 9-0
run.
Oliver Miller followed with a dunk that put Dallas ahead for
good with 2:38 left before Gatling made consecutive baskets in
the paint. Kidd's free throw with 1:27 to go capped the burst
and gave the Mavericks a 99-92 lead.
Dallas opened a 103-94 lead, but Philadelphia refused to go
away, embarking on an 8-2 run. Lucious Harris hit a
three-pointer and Iverson sank a pair of free throws to draw the
76ers to 105-102 with 31 seconds left.
After George McCloud missed an open three-pointer, Mark Davis
missed a three-pointer with six seconds remaining. Harper made
one free throw to seal the game.
Samaki Walker scored 13 points and Eric Montross grabbed eight
rebounds for Dallas, which tied a team record with eight of its
11 blocks in the second quarter and matched the team standard
with 13 steals.
Clarence Weatherspoon had 12 points and 11 rebounds for
Philadelphia, which lost despite holding Dallas to 43 percent
shooting (39-of-90) from the field and outrebounding Dallas
58-42.
The game had 16 lead changes and as many ties.
nba.1945nba.news,
PORTLAND (115) AT DENVER (104)
PORTLAND
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
C ROBINSON F 44 9-22 2-3 3 0 3 4 4 2 1 21
WALLACE F 29 6-9 0-1 3 6 9 1 4 0 1 14
SABONIS C 29 6-11 8-9 2 13 15 3 0 0 1 22
RIDER G 27 9-16 1-3 2 1 3 1 5 1 2 21
ANDERSON G 42 8-17 7-8 1 4 5 9 2 2 1 26
TRENT 19 1-4 0-2 1 2 3 1 1 0 1 2
MCKIE 23 2-4 2-2 0 0 0 3 6 0 1 6
DUDLEY 19 0-0 1-2 2 4 6 0 4 0 1 1
DJORDJEVIC 4 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
ONEAL 3 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 2
CHILDRESS 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
WINGFIELD DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 42-85 21-30 14 30 44 23 27 5 11 115
(.494) (.700) TEAM REBS: 11 TOTAL TO: 12(15 PTS)
DENVER
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
D ELLIS F 44 5-17 7-9 0 1 1 7 4 0 2 19
MCDYESS F 34 5-9 5-8 0 5 5 2 5 0 1 15
JOHNSON C 20 0-0 0-2 1 6 7 0 3 0 0 0
STITH G 37 10-14 16-16 0 7 7 1 3 3 3 37
JACKSON G 26 1-3 0-0 0 1 1 6 1 1 4 2
L THOMPSON 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
HAMMONDS 32 3-7 0-0 0 3 3 0 2 0 0 6
MCINNIS 11 3-5 0-0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 7
B THOMPSON 22 7-11 2-2 0 2 2 2 4 1 1 18
HAM 8 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 2 0 1 0
L ELLIS DNP - SURGERY-LEFT KNEE
TOTALS 240 34-66 30-37 1 26 27 19 27 5 12 104
(.515) (.811) TEAM REBS: 9 TOTAL TO: 12(15 PTS)
PORTLAND 25 21 37 32 - 115
DENVER 26 25 22 31 - 104
BLOCKED SHOTS: PORTLAND - SABONIS, DUDLEY. DENVER - MCDYESS 5, JOHNSON
2, STITH 2.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: PORTLAND 10-25 (.400), C ROBINSON 1-6, WALLACE 2-2,
SABONIS 2-3, RIDER 2-6, ANDERSON 3-7, MCKIE 0-1. DENVER 6-21 (.286), D
ELLIS 2-9, STITH 1-3, JACKSON 0-1, MCINNIS 1-2, B THOMPSON 2-6.
TECHNICALS: PORTLAND - RIDER.
OFFICIALS: JACK NIES, DON VADEN, TIM DONAGHY.
A - 9,679. T - 2:10.
PORTLAND (115) AT DENVER (104)
Isaiah Rider scored 15 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter as
the Portland Trail Blazers overcame a career night by Bryant
Stith to down the Denver Nuggets, 115-104.
Portland rookie Jermaine O'Neal also became the youngest player
to appear in an NBA game when he checked in at 7:24 of the
second quarter. He made his only shot of the field, committed a
personal foul and committed two turnovers in three minutes.
Kenny Anderson scored 26 points, Arvydas Sabonis added 22 and
Clifford Robinson 21 for Portland, which has won seven of its
last 10 games.
Stith scored a career-high 37 points for Denver, which has lost
five straight games under new coach Dick Motta. The Nuggets
have lost nine of their last 10 games and have given up at least
104 points in their last 10 contests.
"This is a very tough loss," said Stith. "We made some mistakes
down the stretch that cost us the game. Things are not going
our way, but we have to be making our own breaks. It seems we
have players playing well but not a supporting cast each night."
Portland opened the second half with a 10-0 run to erase a 51-46
deficit take control of the game. Rasheed Wallace hit a
seven-footer before Anderson and Rider knocked down consecutive
three-pointers to make it 54-51 at the 10:25 mark. Sabonis
capped the run with a pair of foul shots to extend the lead to
56-51 with 9:12 remaining.
The Nuggets closed within 92-91 in the fourth quarter on two
free throws by Stith with 6:39 to play. But Wallace answered
with a three-pointer and Rider made consecutive baskets to push
the lead to 99-91 at the 5:27 mark.
"It's not easy to win when you don't defend," said Trail Blazers
coach P.J. Carlesimo. "They executed offensively. We executed
offensively ourselves and rebounded well. We took care of the
ball in the second half. We could do nothing with our guards."
Portland shot 49 percent (42-of-84) from the field and made
10-of-25 from three-point range. Sabonis pulled down 15
rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who outrebounded Denver 44-27
and held the Nuggets to one offensive rebound and got 19
second-chance points. Wallace finished with 14 points.
"We had only one offensive rebound and that hurt us," stated
Nuggets coach Dick Motta. "We just have to keep working. We
have a lot of sorting out to do."
Stith made 10-of-14 shots from the floor and all 16 of his free
throws. Denver shot 52 percent (34-of-66) from the field.
Brooks Thompson added 18 points off the bench and Antonio
McDyess scored 15 and blocked five shots.
nba.1946nba.news,
WASHINGTON (80) AT TORONTO (82)
WASHINGTON
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
HOWARD F 38 3-11 1-2 1 10 11 6 4 2 3 7
WEBBER F 38 5-13 0-0 2 3 5 5 4 0 5 11
MURESAN C 23 3-5 0-2 0 4 4 1 4 1 0 6
CHEANEY G 29 5-8 0-0 1 2 3 1 2 2 2 10
STRICKLAND G 37 6-13 4-5 2 3 5 3 2 1 2 17
GRANT 23 2-6 2-2 2 2 4 3 2 0 2 8
JACKSON 16 3-8 0-0 0 1 1 1 2 2 1 8
MURRAY 22 3-6 2-3 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 9
WHITNEY 14 2-6 0-0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 4
AMAYA DNP - COACH'S DECISION
FISH DNP - COACH'S DECISION
WALLACE DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 32-76 9-14 9 26 35 24 21 9 17 80
(.421) (.643) TEAM REBS: 10 TOTAL TO: 17(15 PTS)
TORONTO
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
WILLIAMS F 42 10-23 3-3 1 3 4 4 3 0 3 29
JONES F 45 0-5 0-0 6 7 13 1 4 0 0 0
WRIGHT C 26 4-13 0-0 2 4 6 0 2 0 1 8
CHRISTIE G 42 5-13 8-10 4 7 11 7 3 6 4 19
STOUDAMIRE G 40 5-14 1-3 1 3 4 9 2 1 6 12
DAVIS 18 2-6 0-0 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 4
EARL 15 1-2 2-2 1 2 3 0 2 1 2 4
CAMBY 5 1-4 0-0 3 0 3 0 0 0 2 2
LONG 7 2-3 0-0 1 3 4 0 0 0 0 4
CURETON DNP - COACH'S DECISION
WHITESIDE DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 30-83 14-18 19 31 50 21 17 8 18 82
(.361) (.778) TEAM REBS: 11 TOTAL TO: 19(24 PTS)
WASHINGTON 27 24 15 14 - 80
TORONTO 22 16 23 21 - 82
BLOCKED SHOTS: WASHINGTON - WEBBER 3, MURESAN, CHEANEY, GRANT, MURRAY.
TORONTO - JONES 2, WRIGHT, CHRISTIE.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: WASHINGTON 7-21 (.333), WEBBER 1-1, STRICKLAND 1-4,
GRANT 2-5, JACKSON 2-5, MURRAY 1-4, WHITNEY 0-2. TORONTO 8-30 (.267),
WILLIAMS 6-15, JONES 0-1, CHRISTIE 1-5, STOUDAMIRE 1-5, DAVIS 0-3, LONG
0-1.
TECHNICALS: WASHINGTON - HEAD COACH LYNAM, TORONTO - ILLEGAL DEFENSE.
OFFICIALS: RON GARRETSON, TED BERNHARDT, SEAN CORBIN.
A - 15,222. T - 2:06.
WASHINGTON (80) AT TORONTO (82)
Forty-year-old John Long hit a jumper with nine seconds left to
complete a comeback from a 17-point third-quarter deficit as the
Toronto Raptors rallied for an 82-80 victory over the Washington
Bullets.
Walt Williams scored 29 points and Doug Christie added 19 with
11 rebounds, seven assists and a career-high six steals for
Toronto, which won its third consecutive home game. Damon
Stoudamire had 12 points and nine assists and Popeye Jones
grabbed 13 rebounds for the Raptors.
"The guys scrapped and hustled," Raptors coach Darrell Walker
said. "This was a good win for us. We'll take it. We'll take
any win we can with this franchise. He's (Long) been around for
a long time. He's good for this team. I have no hesitation,
putting John Long in the game."
Rod Strickland scored 17 points, but Chris Webber was limited to
11 points and Juwan Howard was held to seven for Washington,
which lost its third straight game. Webber and Howard shot a
combined 8-for-24 from the field.
"You score 51 in the first half and 29 in the second, you don't
have to be a math major to figure that one out," Sixers coach
Jim Lynam said. "We've been involved in a lot of close games
lately and we're 1-of-6 (in those games). That's our challenge:
to do better in close games. Give Toronto credit, they always
battled us hard and we've had some trouble with them."
After Webber dunked to give the Bullets an 80-77 lead with 1:12
remaining in the fourth quarter, Christie sank a pair of free
throws to draw the Raptors within one point with 48 seconds
remaining.
Long, who was signed last week, put the Raptors ahead 81-80 by
drilling a jumper from the right corner. He last played in the
NBA during the 1990-1991 season and was playing with Magic
Johnson's traveling all-star team this year before being
acquired.
"Fortunately, it came to me, I had it and I made it," Long said.
"You always have to be mentally ready so when you get put into
that situation, you feel capable of making the shot."
"My main goal has been to learn the plays as fast as I can,"
Long added. "In any situation, you don't know what the coach
will want you for. You always have to be ready to come in and
play."
The Bullets did not expect the ball to go to Long.
"He's (Long) been hitting those kinds of shots for a long time,"
Webber said. "I'm a little surprised he got the ball, but I'm
not surprised he made it. You have to give Toronto credit. Most
teams put their head down and give up. They didn't."
The Bullets didn't come through in their opportunity to forge
ahead as Webber missed an open jumper from the left wing with
three seconds to go. Stoudamire made one free throw with 1.2
seconds left before missing the second.
Washington took a 57-40 advantage on Calbert Cheaney's jumper
with 8:31 left in the third quarter. But Christie got the
Raptors headed in the right direction with a three-pointer that
ignited a 13-0 run. Stoudamire's jumper capped the burst,
pulling Toronto within 57-53 with 3:47 remaining in the third
period.
"We dug a hole for us early, but we battled and got back into
it," Christie said. "I just try and go out and play as hard as
I can. I just make a conscious effort to come out every night
and play hard."
The Bullets regained a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter
as Strickland made a layup to cap a 9-2 spurt and hand
Washington a 75-65 lead with 7:01 left.
But Christie came up big again, hitting a jumper to start a 12-2
burst. Christie's dunk following a steal capped the run and
knotted the game at 77-77 with 2:22 to go.
"Besides Michael Jordan, Doug Christie is the best defender in
the east period," Walker added.
Toronto won despite shooting 36 percent (30-of-83) from the
field and committing 19 turnovers. Rookie forward Marcus Camby
left in the second quarter after reaggravating his back for the
Raptors, who outrebounded the Bullets 50-35. Camby will miss one
to two weeks.
Howard grabbed 11 rebounds and handed out six assists for
Washington, which outscored Toronto in the paint 42-22 but shot
42 percent (32-of-76).
nba.1947nba.news,
Back spasms interrupt Camby comeback
LANDOVER, Md. -- Toronto Raptors rookie forward Marcus Camby was
forced to the sideline with back spasms for the second time in as many
games and will be out one to two weeks.
Camby, 22, left in the second quarter of Thursday night's 82-80
victory over the Washington Bullets. On Wednesday night against the
Cleveland Cavaliers, he played just four minutes and departed with
back pain.
He was hospitalized Nov. 26 after injuring his back during warmups
before a game with Sacramento. He spent a few hours at the hospital,
where doctors found no neurological damage.
"I got twisted and felt a sharp pain in my back," Camby said of the
first injury, which caused him to miss four games. "I couldn't feel
anything. Everything went numb. When I got to the ambulance,
everything started to come back. My back's just sore right now."
When Camby fell to the SkyDome court before the game against
Sacramento, coach Darrell Walker thought something had gone wrong with
the rookie's heart.
Camby missed two games last season at Massachusetts after collapsing
before a game against St. Bonaventure. Extensive examinations at that
time revealed no heart defect, and the incident was attributed to the
flu and poor diet.
"When (assistant coach) John Shumate came to my office and said he was
down, I thought it was his heart," Walker said of Camby.
Two ankle sprains have hampered Camby's rookie campaign, but he had
been showing flashes of excellence. He is averaging 14.3 points and
4.2 rebounds a game.
nba.1948nba.news,
Magic activate Hardaway, waive Rozier; Scott, Anderson out
Orlando Magic star guard Penny Hardaway was activated from the injured
list today and could play in Friday night's showdown against former
teammate Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Hardaway, who missed 10 games after having arthroscopic surgery to
repair torn cartilage in his left knee on November 17th, is listed as
questionable for Friday night's game, which opens a five-game road
trip.
A roster spot for Hardaway was cleared when the Magic waived forward
Cliff Rozier, who was acquired along with Rony Seikaly from the Golden
State Warriors on the season's opening weekend. Forward Dennis Scott
and guard Nick Anderson, both injured, will accompany the team but are
not expected to play Friday.
During the off-season, the Magic lost a free-agent bidding war with
the Lakers for O'Neal, who signed a seven-year deal worth $120
million. Hardaway was expected to take over as Orlando's team leader
but the Magic have struggled in his absence, going 5-5.
The 6-7 All-Star averaged 21.3 points in Orlando's first four games.
He had been slowed by inflammation in his hamstring and continual
soreness behind the left knee.
Orlando tied an NBA record-low with just 57 points Wednesday in a
27-point home loss to Cleveland. Scott and Anderson combined to
average better than 32 points per game last season but have been
slowed by injuries this season.
Scott is on the injured list. He has been limited to 28 minutes this
season while battling a left hamstring strain. Last season, he knocked
down an NBA-record 267 three-pointers.
Anderson sprained his right wrist less than seven minutes into
Tuesday's 108-102 home overtime loss to the Dallas Mavericks. His hand
was placed in a soft cast but he is not on the injured list. Anderson
has averaged 15.8 points per game in 13 contests this season.
The 24-year-old Rozier just began his third NBA season. He was
acquired with pivotman Seikaly for centers Fleton Spencer and Jon
Koncak and forward Donald Royal.
Rozier played just one game for the Magic, going scoreless in five
minutes. His 1996-97 salary of $1.04 million is guaranteed and counts
against Orlando's salary cap.
nba.1949nba.news,
LaPhonso Ellis activated; Marciulionis to have surgery
Denver Nuggets forward LaPhonso Ellis was activated from the injured
list today, but may not play for another week as he continues
rehabilitation on his left knee.
Guard Sarunas Marciulionis, who tore a right knee ligament on Tuesday
at Golden State, was placed on the injured list and will undergo
arthroscopic surgery on Friday, the team said.
Ellis had successful arthroscopic surgery in the first week of the
season after experiencing pain in the knee during a game against the
Los Angeles Clippers on November 5th. An MRI the following day
revealed roughening of the articular cartilage and team physician Dr.
Steve Traina removed loose fragments from the knee.
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 season
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.
Marciulionis was hurt in the second quarter of Tuesday's 114-99 loss
at Golden State. He had played in all but one game this season and was
averaging 6.8 points per game.
The 6-5 Lithuanian was acquired from Sacramento in an off-season trade
that sent Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf to the Kings. While with the Warriors,
Marciulionis missed 52 games in the 1992-93 season due to a pair of
injuries and the entire following season with a torn anterior cruciate
ligament in his right knee.
nba.1950nba.news,
Trail Blazers F O'Neal becomes NBA's youngest player ever
Portland Trail Blazers 18-year-old rookie forward Jermaine O'Neal
became the youngest player in NBA history tonight when he saw his
first pro action against the Denver Nuggets.
The 6-11 O'Neal entered the game with 7:24 remaining in the second
quarter. He was born October 13th, 1978 and his debut came at the age
of 18 years, one month, 23 days. He made his only shot from the field
and committed two turnovers and a personal foul in three minutes.
Earlier this season, Los Angeles Lakers rookie swingman Kobe Bryant
became the youngest player in league history, making his debut at 18
years, two months, 11 days. Both Bryant and O'Neal were selected in
the first round of the 1996 draft directly out of high school.
O'Neal, the 17th overall pick, had spent the entire season on the
injured list after suffering a bruised left knee in the team's final
exhibition game. He was activated Tuesday but did not play in a 98-93
overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers.
Bryant, the 13th overall pick, made his debut on November 3rd.
O'Neal received a three-year deal worth $2.852 million after he was
named 3A South Carolina Player of the Year as a junior and senior at
Eau Claire High School.
nba.1951nba.news,
Stress fracture sidelines Reggie Williams
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New Jersey Nets swingman Reggie Williams,
coming off his best game of the season on Wednesday, was placed on the
injured list with a stress fracture of the left tibia.
An MRI performed Thursday revealed the stress fracture. Williams will
miss two to three weeks.
He is averaging 7.1 points in 10 games with the Nets since being
acquired from the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 4 for swingman Vincent Askew.
In Wednesday's 109-102 home loss to the New York Knicks, Williams came
off the bench to score a season-high 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting.
Williams, 32, was selected fourth overall by the Los Angeles Clippers
in the 1987 draft and also has played for Cleveland and San Antonio
before spending the previous five-plus seasons with Denver. The Pacers
acquired him in a four-player deal over the summer.
He has averaged 12.6 points in 597 career games. His best season was
1991-92, when he averaged 18.2 points and 5.0 rebounds for Denver.
nba.1952nba.news,
Pistons, Dumar turning heads in the NBA
(Dec 5, 1996 - 07:18 EST) -- Joe Dumars and Detroit have been throwing
a little surprise party this season.
After the Pistons lost emerging star guard Allan Houston as a free
agent to the Knicks in the offseason, many NBA observers felt Detroit
would fall back from last year's 46-36 mark. And coming off his lowest
scoring average since 1987, Dumars, 33, was expected to make this his
last season.
Surprise. Detroit was 12-3 going into Wednesday night's game with
Atlanta, and Dumars isn't about to retire now, leading the league in
three-point shooting (.543) and free-throw shooting (.917). Equally
important, he's enjoying himself again. While the Pistons may not be
at their championship form of the late 80s, they are vastly improved
from the doldrums of 20-62 in 1993-94.
"Two or three years ago, I didn't like the environment here and the
way the team was going," Dumars said Wednesday in a teleconference.
"But things have changed."
Have they ever. The Pistons have charged out of the gate while Dumars
has increased his scoring average from 11.8 last season to 16.7. But
he is quick to share the credit for the Pistons success, pointing to
All-Star Grant Hill and offseason acquisitions Rick Mahorn, Stacey
Augmon and Grant Long.
"When we lost Allan Houston, it was a big blow for us this summer,"
Dumars said. "But we bounced back. We've got some very good attitudes
on this team ... very professional attitudes."
Unknowingly, he could have been describing himself. Dumars, a
five-time All-Star, has long been regarded as one of the league's
classiest players. He won the NBA's Walter J. Kennedy Citizenship
Award in 1994 and last month received the first-ever NBA Sportsmanship
Award, given to the NBA player who best represents the classic ideals
of sportsmanship on the court.
So what does 12-year veteran Dumars think about the kids coming
straight out of high school to the NBA?
"It's tough to say what's right for these kids," he said. "I hope in
the long term they're doing the best thing for the themselves.
"They're very talented physically. But mentally are they ready to go
through the grind of an 82-game season? Mentally are they ready to
handle a five- or six game slump? Mentally are they ready to get
pounded every night? That's a lot to ask of an 18-19-year-old kid."
The Pistons are asking a lot of 24-year-old Hill, who leads the team
in scoring, rebounding, steals and assists. Dumars says Hill deserves
all the praise he's been earning, including some early talk of MVP
honors.
"He's the major reason why we're off to such a good start," Dumars
said. "He has an impact on the game every time he steps out there. I'm
fortunate enough catching the kid in the early part of his career when
I can really see him take off.
"If we continue to do well as a team, you definitely have put him in
there (for MVP consideration.) It's a long season, with a lots of ups
and downs, hopefully we can sustain the pace we're on. A 12-3 start is
not going to guarantee you a 50-win season and the NBA Finals."
Ever the savvy veteran, Dumars is realistic about the team's chances
to catch the 16-1 Chicago Bulls in the Central Division.
"It's too early for us to consistently compete with them night in and
night out."
Unless the Pistons pull another surprise.
nba.1953nba.news,
Long joins short list of geezer guards
If you can answer the following trivia question, you're entitled to a
symbolic Ph.D. in basketball history:
Q: What do John Long, Bob Cousy, and Nat Hickey have in common?
A: They're the only 40-year-old guards in NBA history.
You're familiar with Long, a Detroit Pistons mainstay in the '80s who
resurfaced this week with the Toronto Raptors. And you know about
Cousy, a Hall of Fame point guard.
But who was Nat Hickey?
In 1925, the 23-year-old Hickey joined the Cleveland Rosenblums in the
inaugural season of the American Basketball League. The ABL attracted
much of the top basketball talent in the country, and Cleveland drew
10,000 fans per home playoff game on their way to a sweep of the
Brooklyn Arcadians in the championship series.
A marvelous athlete who also played minor-league baseball for many
years, Hickey scored 10.6 points per game for the ABL's Boston Trojans
in 1934-35. That 10.6 might not sound like much, but it's roughly
equivalent to 30 points in today's game.
Hickey played most of the Depression with the Original Celtics,
basketball's best-known barnstorming team before the Harlem
Globetrotters.
Though a forward for most of his career, by 1944 Hickey was 42 years
old and spending most of his time in the backcourt. He played two
games with the National Basketball League's Pittsburgh Raiders in
1944-45. The following season, he coached the Indianapolis Krautskys,
and also played on occasion.
After player-coaching the Tri-Cities Blackhawks to a 9-12 record to
open the 1947-48 campaign, Hickey was fired. Still one of the
best-known figures in the game, he signed with the Providence
Steamrollers of the Basketball Association of America. The woeful
Steamrollers finished the season 4-25 under Hickey, and he played in
just one game (but didn't score).
So ended Nat Hickey's professional career.
Two years later, the BAA became the NBA, and BAA stats are now
considered official NBA stats. Hence, Hickey played one "NBA" game at
the age of 45 or 46 (his birthday came in midseason, and we couldn't
determine the exact date of his appearance with Providence).
When asked to name a 40-year-old guard, most diehard NBA fans over the
age of 30 will come up with Bob Cousy.
Seven years after his last season (1962-63) with the Boston Celtics,
Cousy was coaching the Cincinnati Royals, who were mediocre at best.
Cousy apparently figured -- as Hickey had 22 years earlier -- that he
could show these kids a thing or two, and activated himself.
Then 41, Cousy de-activated himself after scoring five points in seven
games. Of course, that was good enough to give Cousy the NBA scoring
record for 40-year-old guards ...
Until last Tuesday night, that is, when Toronto's John Long scored six
points against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Long, who turned 40 last
August, enjoyed a productive, 13-year NBA career, but has spent the
last four seasons touring the world with Magic Johnson's All-Stars.
Despite the game-winner Long hit against the Washington Bullets on
Thursday, he wasn't signed for his jump shot. Raptors executive Isiah
Thomas said last week, "I believe that experience was a missing
ingredient on our team. John has the ability to help give our team the
perspective it needs to successfully make it through the long NBA
season."
Thomas was a backcourt teammate of Long's for seven seasons in
Detroit. Too busy as the club's executive vice president of basketball
to activate himself -- a la Hickey and Cousy -- Thomas must figure
Long is the next-best thing.
Bob Cousy's a Hall of Famer, and Nat Hickey is reportedly a strong
contender. John Long? He has a chance. All he has to do is win a
starting job, then play for another six or seven seasons.
Hey, if George Foreman can keep going and going ...
nba.1954nba.news,
Knicks' big changes bring small results
NEW YORK -- It wasn't the loudest cheer of the night. Nor was it the
most inspirational. But when "Jeff must go!" echoed down from the
upper rafters of a nearly empty Madison Square Garden late in a recent
24-point loss to Miami, it signaled bad times for the New York Knicks.
Less than 20 games into the season, calling for coach Jeff Van Gundy's
dismissal is probably harsh, even by New York standards. However,
great things were expected from the Knicks after they obtained Larry
Johnson, Allan Houston and Chris Childs during the off-season -- and
great things haven't happened.
Those three newcomers -- along with the rest of the team -- have not
produced, especially at home, where New York is hovering around .500.
"That's unacceptable if you want to be a good team," Van Gundy said.
"They have to play better together. They have to take advantage of
each others' talents and work off each other better."
The Knicks were built to challenge the Bulls for supremacy in the
Eastern Conference. Instead, they find themselves in the middle of a
pack chasing not only the Bulls, but the Pistons and Heat, as well.
The acquisition of Johnson and Houston was supposed to give the Knicks
something they've been lacking since Patrick Ewing's arrival in 1985
-- additional scorers who can take the pressure off Ewing.
Just like in past seasons, though, when Ewing is taken out of the
offense, New York is unable to score. As a result, the Knicks -- among
the league leaders with more than 20 turnovers per game -- are
averaging nearly two points fewer than a year ago.
Although no single player can be blamed for New York's recent
struggles, a lack of production from the team's new stars provides an
easy target. All of the primary newcomers have fallen short of their
expected offensive goals: Johnson's scoring is down eight points from
last season, Houston's is also down eight and his 3-point field goal
percentage is less than 40 percent.
Childs, who missed the first nine games with a fractured right fibula,
is averaging three fewer assists per game than a year ago.
"I think people are kind of looking at this whole thing the wrong
way," Houston said. "L.J., me and Patrick, are not all going to
average 25-30 points. Each night, it's going to be something
different. That's why this team can have the potential to be a
dangerous team ... We all have to make adjustments.
"I think right now everybody's making that adjustment slowly but
surely."
"I don't think they're struggling offensively," said Heat coach Pat
Riley. "They've had a turnover problem. They've had more of a
transition than we've had -- adding two starters who averaged 20
points per game a year ago on different teams. I still think they're
very talented."
New faces mean new problems
Childs was supposed to be responsible for working the new stars into
the flow of the offense. His injury has slowed that progress, leading
many to believe it will just be a matter of time before New York gets
straightened out.
Van Gundy doesn't want to hear that excuse.
"I refuse to buy into the theory that it's time," he said. "We have to
believe wholeheartedly that we can get better. I believe that. But at
the same time, it's not going to happen as the calendar passes."
Houston is having trouble finding his groove in a new offense and with
new surroundings. Despite his scoring difficulties, the 25-year-old
shooting guard is out to prove there's more to his game than his
jumper.
"I'm in a situation where I'm just trying to be aggressive and
contribute in every way I can," Houston said. "I think a lot of people
say, 'Allan is just a shooter.' But I think, as you can see, I do more
than shoot the ball, because I try to contribute in other ways even
though I'm not shooting like I want to right now. When that comes,
I'll be that much more of a better player and be able to help this
team that much more."
Though Houston's assist, rebound and steal numbers are no better than
earlier in his career, his coach has noticed an improved all-around
game.
"I like the way Allan's played the last four or five games," Van Gundy
said. "He's been very aggressive -- making plays for other players."
No answers yet from L.J.
Johnson, the two-time All-Star, is willing to shoulder his part of the
blame. However, that doesn't mean he knows the answer to his problems.
The 6-foot-7 forward says it's not a result of sharing the low post
with Ewing or not being his team's No. 1 option.
"I just think I went through some periods where I've been kind of out
of it," Johnson said. "I can't go through those spells. I've got to be
able to persevere and overcome any type of adversity.
"Each player has to just take it upon himself to try to get better as
an individual. And as you start doing things better as an individual,
it's really going to help the team. So, Larry Johnson's really just
looking at Larry Johnson and trying to figure out what I can do to
help this ballclub and bring this ballclub up to where it's supposed
to be."
Van Gundy's taking as much heat as his players, but he's not ready to
point fingers at his stars.
"(With) Larry, there's going to be good nights and bad nights for him,
like anyone else," Van Gundy said. "We have to get better production
from our entire rotation. I don't just want to single out Allan and
Larry."
While the Knicks search for answers, the questions build. "If we think
we've reached our peak as far as effort, we're just fooling ourselves.
We've got a long ways to go," said forward Charles Oakley.
"We're at a point where we'll be a .500 team -- win 42 or 45 games,"
he said. "And I think that we have more talent and we can win more
games than that -- we can win 55 or 60 games. But we still have to do
it on the hardwood, because talk is cheap."
nba.1955nba.news,
Miami turning up the heat around the NBA
MIAMI (Dec 5, 1996 - 15:54 EST) -- With the clock stopped and the
Miami Heat on the verge of their latest victory, Alonzo Mourning
playfully sneaked up behind Dallas forward Chris Gatling and tugged on
the back of his shorts, as if to pull them down.
Lately the Heat have been undressing every team they play.
Miami (14-4) takes a franchise-record nine-game winning streak into
Friday night's home game with the New York Knicks. A 101-79 victory
Wednesday against Dallas increased the Heat's lead to three games over
second-place New York in the Atlantic Division.
"We've played well," said coach Pat Riley, who is beginning his second
season with Miami. "Guys have fit in and accepted roles. There's a lot
of confidence, and the team feels good about itself.
"It's a long season. Things can change quickly if the attitude changes
and you get full of yourself. Then you take one of the proverbial NBA
dives. But it's all good right now."
While this appears to be the best team in Miami's nine-year history,
that's not saying much. Last season's 42-40 record, by far the worst
of Riley's 15-year coaching career, matched the best ever for the
franchise.
If the Heat win Friday, they'll climb 11 games above .500 for the
first time in club history.
"We've made a statement," guard Tim Hardaway said, "but a lot of
people still think we're not for real."
The Heat's winning streak includes only one victory against a team
above .500 -- at New York on Tuesday. The other eight victims were a
combined 37-100 (.270) through Thursday.
"Hey, the league gave us this schedule," Hardaway said. "What do you
want us to do, lay down?"
It's better to beat bad teams than lose to them, and the Heat schedule
hasn't been entirely favorable. They've played on back-to-back nights
seven times, and the winning streak included six consecutive road
games.
The Heat have won mostly with the defense, long the key ingredient in
Riley's formula for success. Opponents are shooting less than 42
percent, and the past six foes have failed to score 90 points.
Miami has also shown a balanced offense, complementing Mourning's
inside threat by sinking 27 3-pointers in the past two games.
Newcomers Dan Majerle, P.J. Brown and Isaac Austin have been
effective, and Hardaway is averaging 18.3 points and 8.0 assists.
"What makes this whole thing so enjoyable is that everybody knows
their role and what their job is," said Mourning, who is in the first
year of a seven-year, $105 million contract. "There a lot of guys on
this team who are unselfish. Right now it is all about winning."
Two more wins this week would convince some skeptics. First, Miami
will try to beat the Knicks for the second time in four nights.
"It's going to be a hard-nosed game," Hardaway said. "We embarrassed
them Tuesday, and they're going to come in like a mad lion."
Then, Miami plays Saturday at Chicago. The Heat's all-time record
against the Bulls is 5-32.
The looming reality check serves as a reminder that success can be
fleeting.
"We're happy, but we can't get full of ourselves," Brown said. "As
easily as we made it to the top, we could just as easily fall back
down."
nba.1956nba.news,
Magic's offense vanishes with 57 points
ORLANDO, Fla. (Dec 5, 1996 - 17:18 EST) -- An injury list that seemed
to grow daily finally caught up to the Orlando Magic.
They equaled the NBA record for fewest points in a game during an
84-57 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
The result wasn't shocking, considering the Cavs have the league's
stingiest defense and the Magic played without leading scorers Penny
Hardaway, Nick Anderson and Dennis Scott.
However, coach Brian Hill spotted a change he hopes won't become
commonplace as the two-time defending Atlantic Division champions
continue to work through their problems.
"The thing that bothers me the most was I'm not sure we came out
really believing we could win," Hill said.
"If we make mistakes or get beaten by a better team, then we can
accept that. But we've got to believe that if we play hard and play
smart that we can always win, no matter who's out there."
Scoring has never been a problem for the Magic, who averaged a
league-leading 110.9 points a game two years ago and were second at
104.5 last season.
But when Shaquille O'Neal decided his future was in Los Angeles, not
Orlando, Hill was the first to recognize the team was going to have to
take on a new identity -- one based on defense rather offense.
Then came injuries to Hardaway, who was activated Thursday following
arthroscopic knee surgery; Scott, slowed since training camp by a
strained hamstring; and Anderson, who sprained his right wrist this
week.
That leaves Horace Grant as the only remaining starter from the the
team that won 117 regular-season games the past two years, went to the
NBA Finals in 1995 and reached the Eastern Conference finals last
spring.
Hill has used six different starting lineups in Orlando's 14 games,
none of them the regular unit of Hardaway, Anderson, Scott, Grant and
Rony Seikaly, who was acquired in a trade to fill the hole created by
O'Neal's departure.
"The bright spot is that we're 8-6 and not 2-12 right now," the coach
said after watching his team miss 10-of-11 shots and score just 11
points in the fourth quarter against Cleveland.
The schedule hasn't helped. Wednesday's game was Orlando's fifth in
eight nights, so there hasn't been much time for practice.
"Our unfamiliarity with one another was exposed," said Hill, who
started Grant, Seikaly, Gerald Wilkins, Brian Shaw and rookie Amal
McCaskill, a longshot to make the team when he was drafted in June,
against the Cavs.
"We didn't have enough shooters out there. They doubled everybody,
forcing us to throw it out to guys on the perimeter who don't even
look at shooting the ball," said Wilkins, who led Orlando with 10
points.
The Magic joined two other teams, the 1955 Milwaukee Hawks and last
year's Philadelphia 76ers, in being held to 57 points. Orlando's
previous franchise low was 76 in a victory at Indiana on Nov. 23.
"You have to take it personally, you have to take it professionally
and then you have to laugh it off," Wilkins said. "You can't beat a
dead horse. So why try?"
Even without Hardaway, Anderson and Scott, it's difficult to imagine
the Magic struggling more than they did Wednesday night. But that
doesn't mean things will get much easier.
Orlando faces O'Neal for the first time when the Magic begin a
five-game, nine-day West Coast trip Friday night in Los Angeles.
Hardaway has been sidelined for 10 games and is questionable for the
Lakers game. Other injured starters may return during the trip, but
it's unlikely any of them will play Friday.
Still, O'Neal's former teammates aren't conceding anything.
"I expect him to really come out at our big men because he wants to
show the organization and the fans that we should miss him. ... He
wants to show everybody he's the reason we won, which he's not,"
reserve guard Darrell Armstrong said.
"Penny, Nick, Horace, Dennis. All those guys had a lot to do with our
winning. We're tired of hearing Shaq this and Shaq that. Right now
it's Penny's team. When he gets back, we'll be all right."
nba.1957nba.news,
Polynice's statistics far below norm
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Dec 5, 1996 - 05:36 EST) -- Center Olden
Polynice's focus on statistics is well-known around the NBA, and that
is especially true at courtside.
Polynice's gesturing with stat crews in different arenas is partly
responsible for his reputation to some as a selfish ballplayer. He has
been known to argue with crews when he feels slighted after seeing a
halftime box score.
This season, Polynice may grow hoarse and fatigued attempting to get
his statistics up to par if his effort doesn't take a dramatic
upswing.
Consider his statistics on the recently completed road trip: He
averaged 34.1 minutes, 12.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 42.9
percent field-goal shooting and 51.9 percent free-throw shooting.
Through 18 games, he's averaged 34.1 minutes, 11.1 points, 7.5
rebounds and 1.7 assists, and he is shooting 43.8 percent from the
field and 49.2 percent from the line.
Compare those with last season's output in 30.1 minutes per game of
12.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 52.7 percent from the field
and 60.1 percent from the line.
Polynice rarely dunks and has shown the touch of Bluto around the
basket. He has missed layup after layup. He has not had a
double-figure rebound game in his past seven.
In Tuesday night's victory over Minnesota, he was outplayed by
Minnesota's Stojko Vrankovic, a player with limited skill. Polynice
could neither box out Vrankovic nor beat him to the ball.
Polynice's most valuable asset on the defensive end is as a rebounder.
So he has to either box out his man or get the rebound. He cannot fail
to do both.
HOW DID THEY WIN?: After assessing some statistics from the Kings road
trip, it's more amazing that they won two games than it is that they
lost four.
Mitch Richmond made just 35 percent of his shots over the past five
games. Billy Owens averaged 10.3 points on 40 percent shooting over
the past four. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf converted just 36 percent in the
past four. Lionel Simmons made 34 percent of his shots, 14.3 from
three-point range during the six-game trip.
The Kings averaged just 86.3 points on the trip and shot 39 percent
overall, 30 percent from beyond the three-point mark.
However, there were some positives. Corliss Williamson has scored in
double figures in eight of the past nine games and is shooting 51
percent from the field and 85 percent from the line in the past 11
games.
Abdul-Rauf is shooting 52 percent from three-point range and Richmond
has made 92 percent of his free-throw attempts over the past seven
games.
The Kings have corrected the turnover problem that plagued them early
in the season. Over the past five games, they are averaging just 11.6.
The Kings were among the league's worst through nine games with an
average of 19.3, but they now are among the top 12 with an average of
16.2.
Unquestionably, the Kings benefited in their victories from injuries
to Marcus Canby of Toronto and Kevin Garnett of Minnesota. Yet, it is
important for any team to take advantage of any opportunity.
NATIONAL TV HASN'T BEEN FUN: The Kings will make their lone
regular-season national television appearance Friday night at home
against the Phoenix Suns. However, the Kings have lost their past
three regular-season games on national television. Last season, they
lost by 33 points to the Lakers.
nba.1958nba.news,
Is the end near for Kings' coach?
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Dec 5, 1996 - 06:30 EST) --- For the first time in
five years, Kings coach Garry St. Jean is seriously vulnerable.
A couple of lopsided losses during the December homestands, a
breakdown on the road after Brian Grant returns from shoulder surgery,
more confusion in the backcourt -- those are the winter storms that
can sweep him out of a job and into the street.
The reason St. Jean is suddenly vulnerable is hard for outsiders to
understand. Many Kings fans wonder why the club has stuck with St.
Jean through four losing seasons.
The answer is Mitch Richmond. In many ways, St. Jean is a creation of
Richmond. When St. Jean was under consideration for the coaching job,
he received an unqualified endorsement from Richmond. The endorsement
still stands.
Richmond liked St. Jean because St. Jean knew how big stars expected
to be treated. Basically, big stars want deference and respect.
Richmond figured St. Jean could supply those qualities. Richmond was
right.
The relationship between Richmond and St. Jean hasn't been unique.
Many NBA coaches find it worthwhile to get along with their best
players. But it has been unique to the Kings.
The franchise has never had a player with so much authority, so much
responsibility, a player who makes his own decisions about when and
how to practice, who can get the ball into his hands simply by nodding
his head.
"The day I take the ball out of Mitch Richmond's hand will be a cold
day in hell," St. Jean said not long ago.
He wasn't joking.
When the Kings fell apart in past seasons, when they blew their
chances for the playoffs in 1995, when they threatened to collapse
last winter, people called radio talk shows to speculate about when
St. Jean would get fired.
In reality, the coach was never in danger. He had a full pardon signed
by Richmond. With Richmond riding high, winning most valuable player
honors at the All-Star Game, getting himself selected to the Olympic
team, the Kings couldn't risk upsetting him by firing his favorite
coach.
St. Jean was like a guy with diplomatic license plates. He could park
on the sidewalk in front of City Hall and not get a ticket.
Then a bad thing happened. Richmond lost his immunity. He got into a
nasty contract squabble with Kings vice president Geoff Petrie. The
squabble itself wasn't so bad -- those things happen all the time in
professional sports.
The bad part was Richmond went public with allegations that Petrie
flat-out lied about renegotiating the contract. The Kings could put up
with a lot from Richmond, but they couldn't have him going around
calling the team vice president a liar. The remarks made the dispute
bitter and personal. Two months later, Richmond and Petrie still
aren't speaking.
St. Jean did his best to stay out of the cross fire. He wanted to play
the middle, avoiding commitment, saying nothing, trying to ease
tensions on both sides.
The middle was a slippery slope. The players sided with Richmond. They
wanted to know where St. Jean stood. Management wondered the same
thing. There stood St. Jean, feet planted on both sides of the
argument, exposed and alone.
Now it doesn't matter. The players have pretty much stopped listening
to St. Jean. His threats about benching people are tiresome.
Management still worries about Richmond, but not like in past seasons.
The Kings are trying to promote Tyus Edney and Corliss Williamson.
Advertisements that 12 months ago would have featured Richmond now
feature actors.
One good excuse will be all the Kings need to fire St. Jean. It won't
be fair, because St. Jean isn't an incompetent coach. He's still the
same guy he was five years ago, only more experienced, more cynical
and a lot wealthier.
The Kings made St. Jean a millionaire, so when he goes, his anger and
frustration will quickly give way to relief.
Why fire St. Jean at all? The answer is as old as sports. The way the
club is going, the way defeats are piling up, the Kings will have to
rattle the squad and boost ticket sales.
Like so many easy victims before him, St. Jean will be sacrificed
because mediocrity demands something, anything.
nba.1959lexus,
-> #1938, stukelj=> GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS ce sledece godine biti sampion!!!!
=> Znam da zvuci glupo, ali videcete...
Golden State je u prethodnih 5-6 godina imao sastav koji je
mogao da udje u finale konferencije. Nažalost, stalno su bili
povredjeni te im to nije uspelo. Sada definitivno nemaju
šanse...
nba.1960vpoznanovic,
Friday, December 6
Charlotte at Portland 93:97
Cleveland at Detroit 81:93
Indiana at Golden State 86:71
Minnesota at Utah 95:106
New Jersey at Boston 110:108
New York at Miami 103:85
Orlando at L.A. Lakers 81:92
Phoenix at Sacramento 101:95
Vancouver at San Antonio 105:89
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
CHARLOTTE 29 26 20 18 93
PORTLAND 24 25 25 23 97 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: CHA - VLADE DIVAC 29, ANTHONY MASON 23, GLEN RICE 14
POR - ARVYDAS SABONIS 22, ISAIAH RIDER 18, KENNY ANDERSON
16
HIGH REBOUND: CHA - ANTHONY MASON 17, VLADE DIVAC 7
POR - ARVYDAS SABONIS 10, GARY TRENT 8
HIGH ASSISTS: CHA - TYRONE BOGUES 5, ANTHONY GOLDWIRE 5
POR - KENNY ANDERSON 9, CLIFFORD ROBINSON 4
ATT: 20,034
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
CLEVELAND 24 21 17 19 81
DETROIT 19 24 24 26 93 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: CLE - TERRELL BRANDON 17, CHRIS MILLS 16, TWO PLAYERS WITH
14
DET - TERRY MILLS 23, OTIS THORPE 19, GRANT HILL 14
HIGH REBOUND: CLE - TYRONE HILL 13, CHRIS MILLS 9
DET - OTIS THORPE 6, THREE PLAYERS WITH 5
HIGH ASSISTS: CLE - TERRELL BRANDON 8, BOB SURA 6
DET - TERRY MILLS 9, GRANT HILL 8
ATT: 17,806
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
INDIANA 23 25 25 13 86
GOLDEN STATE 22 19 15 15 71 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: IND - REGGIE MILLER 16, DALE DAVIS 12, THREE PLAYERS WITH
11
GSW - JOE SMITH 15, LATRELL SPREWELL 12, TWO PLAYERS WITH 8
HIGH REBOUND: IND - ANTONIO DAVIS 12, DALE DAVIS 11
GSW - FELTON SPENCER 7, CHRIS MULLIN 6
HIGH ASSISTS: IND - TRAVIS BEST 7, DERRICK MCKEY 6
GSW - MARK PRICE 5, LATRELL SPREWELL 3
ATT: 14,164
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
MINNESOTA 36 20 12 27 95
UTAH 29 17 25 35 106 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: MIN - TOM GUGLIOTTA 28, SAM MITCHELL 15, STEPHON MARBURY 15
UTH - KARL MALONE 34, JEFF HORNACEK 23, ANTOINE CARR 13
HIGH REBOUND: MIN - DEAN GARRETT 11, TOM GUGLIOTTA 6
UTH - GREG OSTERTAG 8, KARL MALONE 7
HIGH ASSISTS: MIN - TOM GUGLIOTTA 6, STEPHON MARBURY 6
UTH - JOHN STOCKTON 16, TWO PLAYERS WITH 4
ATT: 19,911
NBA FINAL IN OT 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH OT TOTAL
--- --- --- --- --- -----
NEW JERSEY 26 21 34 21 8 110
BOSTON 33 29 14 26 6 108 FINAL IN 1ST OT
HIGH SCORERS: NJN - KERRY KITTLES 30, JAYSON WILLIAMS 23, ROBERT PACK 18
BOS - DINO RADJA 22, ANTOINE WALKER 18, TWO PLAYERS WITH 13
HIGH REBOUND: NJN - JAYSON WILLIAMS 19, SHAWN BRADLEY 12
BOS - DINO RADJA 15, ANTOINE WALKER 12
HIGH ASSISTS: NJN - ROBERT PACK 12, KERRY KITTLES 5
BOS - DAVID WESLEY 10, DANA BARROS 7
ATT: 15,815
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
NEW YORK 21 21 32 29 103
MIAMI 27 19 20 19 85 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: NYK - PATRICK EWING 26, JOHN STARKS 21, ALLAN HOUSTON 19
MIA - TIM HARDAWAY 28, DAN MAJERLE 15, SASHA DANILOVIC 13
HIGH REBOUND: NYK - THREE PLAYERS WITH 7
MIA - ALONZO MOURNING 16, ISAAC AUSTIN 7
HIGH ASSISTS: NYK - CHRIS CHILDS 5, JOHN STARKS 4
MIA - TIM HARDAWAY 9, PJ BROWN 2
ATT: 15,200
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
ORLANDO 25 17 12 27 81
LA LAKERS 21 21 23 27 92 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: ORL - GERALD WILKINS 21, BRIAN SHAW 17, RONY SEIKALY 16
LAL - SHAQUILLE ONEAL 25, NICK VAN EXEL 20, JEROME KERSEY
11
HIGH REBOUND: ORL - DEREK STRONG 10, RONY SEIKALY 10
LAL - SHAQUILLE ONEAL 18, ELDEN CAMPBELL 12
HIGH ASSISTS: ORL - BRIAN SHAW 5, HORACE GRANT 5
LAL - NICK VAN EXEL 11, EDDIE JONES 4
ATT: 17,505
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
PHOENIX 20 28 23 30 101
SACRAMENTO 24 19 25 27 95 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: PHO - DANNY MANNING 19, WESLEY PERSON 13, MICHAEL FINLEY 13
SAC - MITCH RICHMOND 22, CORLISS WILLIAMSON 14, MICHAEL
SMITH 14
HIGH REBOUND: PHO - JOHN WILLIAMS 10, DANNY MANNING 8
SAC - BILLY OWENS 16, OLDEN POLYNICE 7
HIGH ASSISTS: PHO - KEVIN JOHNSON 12, JOHN WILLIAMS 3
SAC - MITCH RICHMOND 7, BILLY OWENS 3
ATT: 17,317
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
VANCOUVER 22 29 23 31 105
SAN ANTONIO 22 18 25 24 89 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: VAN - BRYANT REEVES 29, ANTHONY PEELER 19, GEORGE LYNCH 15
SAS - DOMINIQUE WILKINS 24, SEAN ELLIOTT 22, WILL PERDUE 14
HIGH REBOUND: VAN - GEORGE LYNCH 8, SHAREEF ABDUR-RAHIM 8
SAS - WILL PERDUE 11, DOMINIQUE WILKINS 9
HIGH ASSISTS: VAN - LEE MAYBERRY 10, ANTHONY PEELER 7
SAS - VINNY DEL NEGRO 7, SEAN ELLIOTT 6
ATT: 13,646
nba.1961nba.news,
CHARLOTTE (93) AT PORTLAND (97)
CHARLOTTE
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
MASON F 42 7-18 9-13 6 11 17 3 3 0 3 23
RICE F 41 6-16 0-0 0 2 2 0 3 0 4 14
DIVAC C 42 13-24 3-4 5 2 7 2 5 2 3 29
BOGUES G 28 2-4 0-0 1 1 2 5 3 1 0 4
CURRY G 31 6-10 0-0 2 2 4 1 2 3 2 12
SMITH 11 1-1 0-0 0 1 1 1 1 2 0 2
GOLDWIRE 20 1-2 0-0 0 2 2 5 4 0 1 2
ROSE 19 1-3 5-8 2 2 4 2 2 3 1 7
BURRELL 6 0-2 0-0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
DELK DNP - COACH'S DECISION
ZIDEK DNP - COACH'S DECISION
GEIGER DNP - SORE LOWER BACK
TOTALS 240 37-80 17-25 16 24 40 20 23 11 14 93
(.463) (.680) TEAM REBS: 6 TOTAL TO: 14(14 PTS)
PORTLAND
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
C ROBINSON F 39 5-9 0-2 1 1 2 4 3 0 2 11
WALLACE F 33 5-9 5-5 1 4 5 3 5 1 2 15
SABONIS C 24 8-11 4-4 3 7 10 1 4 1 1 22
ANDERSON G 36 5-14 5-10 2 5 7 9 4 0 4 16
RIDER G 40 8-14 0-2 0 2 2 3 0 1 2 18
DUDLEY 20 1-6 1-4 4 3 7 0 3 1 2 3
TRENT 19 1-6 1-2 2 6 8 3 2 2 1 3
MCKIE 8 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
DJORDJEVIC 12 2-3 2-2 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 7
ONEAL 9 1-4 0-0 2 2 4 0 2 0 2 2
CHILDRESS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
WINGFIELD DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 36-77 18-31 15 30 45 25 23 7 17 97
(.468) (.581) TEAM REBS: 14 TOTAL TO: 17(19 PTS)
CHARLOTTE 29 26 20 18 - 93
PORTLAND 24 25 25 23 - 97
BLOCKED SHOTS: CHARLOTTE - DIVAC 3. PORTLAND - DUDLEY 3, TRENT, WALLACE.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: CHARLOTTE 2-9 (.222), RICE 2-5, DIVAC 0-1, CURRY 0-1,
GOLDWIRE 0-1, BURRELL 0-1. PORTLAND 7-12 (.583), C ROBINSON 1-1, WALLACE
0-1, SABONIS 2-2, ANDERSON 1-4, RIDER 2-3, DJORDJEVIC 1-1.
TECHNICALS: CHARLOTTE - DIVAC, PORTLAND - DUDLEY.
OFFICIALS: RUSH, JOE DEROSA, SCOTT WALL.
A - 20,034. T - 2:06.
CHARLOTTE (93) AT PORTLAND (97)
Arvydas Sabonis totaled 22 points and 10 rebounds and Isaiah
Rider added 18 points as the Portland Trail Blazers posted a
97-93 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
Kenny Anderson added 16 points and nine assists for Portland,
which has won four of its last six games and improved to 6-2 at
home. The Blazers have won eight of 10 home games against the
Hornets and lead the all-time series, 15-4.
Vlade Divac scored 29 points, while Anthony Mason had 23 points
and 17 rebounds for Charlotte, which fell to 1-4 on its
seven-game road trip.
"They hit shots in the second half, and that was the
difference," said Divac. "We came here and played hard, but they
are one of the best teams in the league. We stayed in the game
but we hurt ourselves scoring on second shots."
"Maybe we aren't ready to win on the road," said Hornets coach
Dave Cowens. "We've won games on our defense, but we just aren't
hitting on all cylinders right now. One stretch we lost four in
a row, and now we've lost three in a row."
Portland trailed 55-49 at the half, but used a 9-2 run to even
the score, 69-69, on a jumper by Clifford Robinson with 3:23
left in the third quarter. The Hornets managed a 75-74 advantage
after three.
Rider's three-pointer with 10:26 remaining gave the Blazers an
81-79 lead and, after a jumper by Glen Rice, Sabonis hit a hook
shot to put Portland ahead for good with 9:19 to play.
The margin remained between two and four points until Rasheed
Wallace's three-point play made it 94-87 with 3:16 to go. The
Hornets rallied with a jumper by Dell Curry and a layup by Mason
with 1:39 remaining, but Robinson nailed an open jumper to up
the gap back to five points with 35.9 seconds left.
Wallace had 15 points and Robinson added 11 for Portland, which
shot an impressive 58 percent from three-point range (7-for-12)
and a poor 58 percent from the foul line (18-of-31).
Rice scored 14 points and Curry had 12 for Charlotte, which
converted on just 2-of-9 (22 percent) three-point attempts.
"I feel good about the job Isaiah and Clifford did defensively
with Glen and Dell, but we didn't defend very well as a team in
the first half," said Blazers coach P.J. Carlesimo, who recorded
his 100th NBA win. "The second half we defended and our
rebounding kind of got us (back in the game)."
nba.1962nba.news,
CLEVELAND (81) AT DETROIT (93)
CLEVELAND
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
MILLS F 43 7-14 0-0 1 8 9 2 2 1 2 16
HILL F 41 3-10 8-9 4 9 13 3 4 0 2 14
WEST C 21 2-4 0-0 1 2 3 0 5 0 2 4
SURA G 40 3-7 0-0 1 1 2 6 3 0 3 7
BRANDON G 40 6-17 5-5 0 7 7 8 2 0 1 17
FERRY 20 2-6 0-0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 5
LANG 25 7-10 0-0 2 1 3 1 1 0 1 14
POTAPENKO 9 1-2 2-2 1 1 2 0 4 0 1 4
MARSHALL 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
GEARY DNP - COACH'S DECISION
THOMAS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
PHILLS DNP - SPRAINED LEFT FOOT
TOTALS 240 31-70 15-16 10 30 40 20 23 1 12 81
(.443) (.938) TEAM REBS: 2 TOTAL TO: 13(15 PTS)
DETROIT
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
HILL F 40 5-13 4-9 1 4 5 8 3 2 3 14
LONG F 18 1-2 1-4 1 2 3 0 1 0 0 4
THORPE C 37 9-16 1-1 2 4 6 2 5 0 1 19
DUMARS G 42 4-8 1-2 0 2 2 2 0 1 0 11
HUNTER G 40 2-7 2-4 0 2 2 0 4 1 0 6
MAHORN 10 1-1 2-2 0 5 5 1 3 0 0 4
CURRY 21 4-6 3-4 0 3 3 0 1 0 0 12
MILLS 28 7-9 3-3 0 5 5 9 3 1 1 23
GREEN 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
AUGMON DNP - COACH'S DECISION
RATLIFF DNP - COACH'S DECISION
REID DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 33-62 17-29 4 27 31 22 21 5 6 93
(.532) (.586) TEAM REBS: 8 TOTAL TO: 6(5 PTS)
CLEVELAND 24 21 17 19 - 81
DETROIT 19 24 24 26 - 93
BLOCKED SHOTS: CLEVELAND - HILL 2. DETROIT - THORPE 4, HILL 2, HUNTER 2,
MILLS.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: CLEVELAND 4-11 (.364), MILLS 2-4, SURA 1-1, BRANDON
0-4, FERRY 1-2. DETROIT 10-14 (.714), LONG 1-1, DUMARS 2-3, HUNTER 0-2,
CURRY 1-2, MILLS 6-6.
TECHNICALS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: JOE CRAWFORD, JIM CLARK, GARY BENSON.
A - 17,806. T - 2:07.
CLEVELAND (81) AT DETROIT (93)
Terry Mills sank all six of his three-point attempts and
finished with 23 points and Otis Thorpe added 19 as the Detroit
Pistons won their third straight game, 93-81, over the Cleveland
Cavaliers.
Mills, who also dished out a career-high nine assists, has
connected on his last 12 three-pointers, one away of the NBA
record set last January 15th-19th by Washington's Brent Price.
The Pistons were 10-for-14 (71 percent) from three-point range
as a team.
"I was aware I needed one more for the record, but I didn't
care," said Mills. "I won't even be thinking about tomorrow
night (at New Jersey). All I care about is that I am finally
assuming the kind of role I wanted on this team. My confidence
is at an all-time high."
"I was in Washington when Brent set the record and it was the
same type of thing," said Detroit forward Michael Curry. "For
both of them, it looked like everything they took was going to
go in."
Terrell Brandon had 17 points, eight assists and seven boards,
while Tyrone Hill contributed 14 points and 13 rebounds for
Cleveland, which had a two-game winning streak halted. The Cavs
have dropped both meetings with the Pistons this season and six
straight at Detroit.
"We played a terrific game for 40 to 43 minutes," said Cavs
coach Mike Fratello. "There were three key areas tonight -- one,
the three-point line; two, free throws, 29 is too many and that
means we're fouling and not playing good team defense; and
number three, the bench, Mills and Curry. We had real big
defensive breakdowns and they took advantage of those
breakdowns."
After Cleveland's Danny Ferry hit a three-pointer to tie the
game, 74-74, with 7:13 remaining, Mills answered with a three to
ignite a 12-3 run. He added a long jumper and capped the burst
with another three-pointer to make it 86-77 with 2:22 to play.
A driving basket by Brandon cut the difference to seven points,
but Joe Dumars nailed a three-pointer and Thorpe made a layup to
put the game away.
Grant Hill chipped in 14 points and eight assists, Curry had 12
points and Dumars 11 for Detroit, which wrapped up a 4-1
homestand. The Pistons' 14-3 start is the best in franchise
history.
"Anytime we play Cleveland, it's like we are playing ourselves,"
said Pistons coach Doug Collins. "We're so identical in so many
ways, every game is a game that goes right to the wire. The
last two times we have beaten them, the difference has been our
timely shooting. We're making the extra pass and against
Cleveland, you have to make the extra pass."
Chris Mills recorded 16 points and nine rebounds, while Antonio
Lang netted 14 for Cleveland, which lost despite making 15-of-16
free throws and outrebounding Detroit, 40-31.
"We depend so much on helping out," said Ferry. "When a guy is
shooting like that, I can't help as much as I'm used to and then
other people hurt us."
nba.1963nba.news,
INDIANA (86) AT GOLDEN STATE (71)
INDIANA
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
D DAVIS F 27 5-12 2-6 7 4 11 2 3 0 3 12
MCKEY F 28 1-7 0-0 3 5 8 6 3 0 1 2
DAMPIER C 17 1-3 0-0 0 2 2 0 5 1 5 2
BEST G 26 4-13 1-1 1 1 2 7 3 2 2 9
MILLER G 35 6-13 3-3 0 1 1 4 1 1 4 16
ALLEN 12 0-2 0-0 0 1 1 2 1 1 1 0
A DAVIS 26 4-9 3-5 4 8 12 0 2 2 0 11
ASKEW 24 3-6 4-4 0 2 2 1 2 1 0 11
ROSE 13 5-7 0-1 0 2 2 1 3 0 1 11
FERRELL 30 5-10 0-0 1 6 7 1 2 0 2 10
HOIBERG 2 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2
JOHNSON DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 35-83 13-20 16 32 48 24 25 8 20 86
(.422) (.650) TEAM REBS: 11 TOTAL TO: 20(15 PTS)
GOLDEN STATE
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
MULLIN F 36 2-10 4-5 1 5 6 1 2 3 3 8
SMITH F 37 5-11 5-6 1 2 3 2 1 3 2 15
SPENCER C 25 2-2 2-6 3 4 7 0 4 0 2 6
PRICE G 21 1-8 1-2 0 2 2 5 0 0 1 3
SPREWELL G 40 5-13 2-4 1 4 5 3 4 1 3 12
ARMSTRONG 26 2-9 4-4 0 2 2 2 0 1 2 8
DECLERCQ 18 2-5 0-0 1 4 5 0 4 0 0 4
ROYAL 14 2-3 2-2 1 1 2 0 1 0 1 6
OWES 8 1-3 3-4 1 4 5 0 2 0 0 5
MARSHALL 8 1-4 0-0 1 2 3 1 1 0 0 2
FULLER 5 1-2 0-0 3 0 3 0 1 0 1 2
ROE 2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
TOTALS 240 24-71 23-33 13 30 43 14 20 9 15 71
(.338) (.697) TEAM REBS: 10 TOTAL TO: 17(20 PTS)
INDIANA 23 25 25 13 - 86
GOLDEN STATE 22 19 15 15 - 71
BLOCKED SHOTS: INDIANA - MCKEY, DAMPIER, FERRELL. GOLDEN STATE - SMITH,
SPENCER, OWES, MARSHALL.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: INDIANA 3-15 (.200), BEST 0-4, MILLER 1-4, ALLEN 0-2,
ASKEW 1-3, ROSE 1-1, FERRELL 0-1. GOLDEN STATE 0-15 (.000), MULLIN 0-3,
PRICE 0-4, SPREWELL 0-4, ARMSTRONG 0-3, MARSHALL 0-1.
TECHNICALS: INDIANA - MILLER.
OFFICIALS: BILL OAKES, DAVID JONES, MARK WUNDERLICH.
A - 14,164. T - 2:06.
INDIANA (86) AT GOLDEN STATE (71)
Reggie Miller scored 16 points and keyed a run that spanned the
second and third quarters as the Indiana Pacers won their fifth
straight game, 86-71 over the Golden State Warriors.
Dale Davis scored 12 points while Jalen Rose, Vincent Askew and
Antonio Davis each added 11 apiece for Indiana, which remained
perfect halfway through its six-game road trip. The win enabled
the Pacers to reach the .500 mark for the first time this season
following a 3-8 start.
The Pacers held the Warriors to 15 points each in the third and
fourth quarters.
"We defended great," Pacers coach Larry Brown said. "That's
probably as good as we can defend in the second half."
Joe Smith scored 15 points and Latrell Sprewell was held to 12
for Golden State, which fell to 4-7 at home. The Warriors have
dropped five of their last six meetings with the Pacers.
"I wish I had an answer," Warriors coach Rick Adelman said. "I
think a large part of what happened tonight was due to their
defense. They're probably the most physical team we've played.
They put good pressure on the ball. We just couldn't find
anybody to make a shot for us, and as the game wore on, it got
tougher and tougher."
"I think that they have a good team defensively," Sprewell said.
"On my post-ups, they double-teamed me and when you penetrate,
they have people to come over and help. They did a good job
closing down the lane."
After Mark Price made one free throw to draw the Warriors within
40-39 with 2:55 left in the second quarter, Antonio Davis tipped
in a miss to ignite a 14-3 run. Duane Ferrell followed with
consecutive jumpers and Miller nailed two of his own during the
stretch. Travis Best nailed an 18-footer to cap the burst,
giving the Pacers a 54-42 advantage with 9:28 left in the third
quarter.
Golden State drew within 54-48 on a 15-footer by Smith 1:11
later, but Indiana regained control with a 10-2 run. Antonio
Davis scored four points and Miller added three during the
spree. Best's dunk capped the burst and gave the Pacers a 64-50
lead with 4:44 remaining in the third.
Antonio Davis grabbed 12 rebounds and Dale Davis hauled down 11
for Indiana, which won despite committing 20 turnovers.
Sprewell, Mark Price, Chris Mullin and BJ Armstrong combined to
shoot 10-for-40 from the field for the Warriors, who were
0-for-15 from three-point range.
"We are playing pretty well right now, and this has probably
been the best this year," Miller said. "Tonight was a great
defensive effort teamwise. Understanding that Sprewell is a big
part of their offense as well as Mullin and Price, and we kind
of shut those three guys out."
nba.1964nba.news,
MINNESOTA (95) AT UTAH (106)
MINNESOTA
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
WEST F 32 2-9 2-2 1 2 3 1 2 0 0 6
GUGLIOTTA F 35 9-13 10-11 1 5 6 6 5 1 5 28
D GARRETT C 34 3-6 2-4 3 8 11 2 3 0 3 8
MITCHELL G 39 5-13 5-6 1 4 5 1 4 0 0 15
MARBURY G 40 6-13 3-4 0 1 1 6 3 1 3 15
PORTER 21 3-6 5-6 0 2 2 3 2 0 3 13
PARKS 15 1-1 0-0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 2
CARR 7 2-2 0-0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 4
VRANKOVIC 14 1-1 2-2 1 3 4 0 1 0 1 4
HEAL 3 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
K GARNETT DNP - SPRAINED ANKLE
ROBINSON DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 32-65 29-35 7 27 34 21 22 3 16 95
(.492) (.829) TEAM REBS: 6 TOTAL TO: 16(22 PTS)
UTAH
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
RUSSELL F 35 2-6 7-8 3 3 6 1 4 1 2 12
MALONE F 43 15-24 4-4 1 6 7 4 5 1 4 34
OSTERTAG C 25 1-4 5-6 2 6 8 0 2 0 0 7
HORNACEK G 34 9-15 3-3 2 3 5 4 4 2 1 23
STOCKTON G 38 2-7 2-2 0 4 4 16 2 3 3 6
ANDERSON 7 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0
EISLEY 10 1-4 2-3 1 0 1 2 2 0 0 4
MORRIS 15 3-7 0-0 4 1 5 0 1 0 0 7
CARR 23 5-11 3-3 1 1 2 0 2 2 2 13
FOSTER 2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
KEEFE 8 0-0 0-0 0 3 3 0 1 0 0 0
WATSON DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 38-81 26-29 14 27 41 27 26 9 12 106
(.469) (.897) TEAM REBS: 4 TOTAL TO: 12(12 PTS)
MINNESOTA 36 20 12 27 - 95
UTAH 29 17 25 35 - 106
BLOCKED SHOTS: MINNESOTA - D GARRETT 2, MITCHELL, VRANKOVIC. UTAH - CARR.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: MINNESOTA 2-7 (.286), WEST 0-1, MITCHELL 0-1, MARBURY
0-2, PORTER 2-3. UTAH 4-12 (.333), RUSSELL 1-4, OSTERTAG 0-1, HORNACEK
2-3, STOCKTON 0-2, MORRIS 1-2.
TECHNICALS: MINNESOTA - ILLEGAL DEFENSE 4.
OFFICIALS: HUE HOLLINS, HANK ARMSTRONG, KEN MAUER.
A - 19,911. T - 2:11.
MINNESOTA (95) AT UTAH (106)
Jeff Hornacek scored 11 of his 23 points in the decisive third
quarter as the Utah Jazz used a 22-8 run to record their 13th
straight win, 106-95 over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Karl Malone had a game-high 34 points for Utah, which is one win
shy of tying the franchise record for consecutive victories.
The Jazz have won 16 of the 18 all-time meetings between the
teams in Utah.
"You don't even realize it when you're out there," Hornacek said
about the winning streak. "You just go out there and play. I
think the only time we think about it is when one of you guys
mention it. But it's a streak; you win games and there are 82
games."
Minnesota led 62-50 with 7:45 to play in the third quarter.
After Greg Ostertag and Malone scored the next five points,
Hornacek sank a free throw following an illegal defense
technical and added a jumper.
Malone capped the 11-0 burst that started the 22-8 run with a
basket to draw Utah within one.
Stephon Marbury's basket gave the Timberwolves a 64-61 lead, but
Hornacek drilled a pair of long jumpers. After a 4-0 Minnesota
run, Howard Eisley sank a basket and Hornacek stole the ball
from Terry Porter on consecutive possessions and scored both
times to give Utah a 71-68 lead after three.
The Jazz outscored the Timberwolves in the third quarter, 25-12.
"We tried, we tried," said Marbury. "You know they are a great
teams pull off wins when they're not supposed to win. I mean,
tonight we really should have had that game, but they showed a
little bit more composure on their part and they showed why they
are one of the best teams in our league."
Minnesota, which played its second straight game without injured
forward Kevin Garnett, was led by Tom Gugliotta's 28 points.
Marbury and Sam Mitchell added 15 apiece.
"I can live with an effort like that," said Minnesota head coach
Flip Saunders. "For the most part, we controlled tempo. In
the third quarter, we lost Gugliotta. They were smart and went
at him and got into foul trouble. Without Kevin and the way we
were playing in the third quarter, we didn't have a lot of
bullets left in our guns and so we had problems scoring in the
third quarter."
The Timberwolves were called for five illegal defenses.
nba.1965nba.news,
NEW JERSEY (110) AT BOSTON (108) - FINAL IN OT
NEW JERSEY
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
GILL F 41 7-19 2-4 2 3 5 3 2 3 3 16
J WILLIAMS F 45 10-15 3-7 3 16 19 0 4 0 3 23
BRADLEY C 33 4-9 2-2 4 8 12 1 1 1 1 10
PACK G 44 7-16 1-2 1 3 4 12 3 1 10 18
KITTLES G 48 9-18 8-9 3 4 7 5 3 5 0 30
OBANNON 12 1-5 0-0 1 2 3 1 3 1 0 3
MASSENBURG 26 2-6 4-6 3 2 5 1 3 0 1 8
REEVES 14 1-3 0-0 0 1 1 3 2 0 2 2
CALDWELL 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DARE DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 265 41-91 20-30 17 39 56 26 21 11 20 110
(.451) (.667) TEAM REBS: 7 TOTAL TO: 20(26 PTS)
BOSTON
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
WALKER F 37 8-15 2-7 6 6 12 3 5 1 5 18
WILLIAMS F 28 5-8 1-1 3 1 4 1 2 3 1 11
RADJA C 48 10-23 2-2 3 12 15 1 3 1 4 22
BARROS G 34 4-9 4-4 0 4 4 7 3 2 2 13
FOX G 37 4-13 5-6 2 1 3 3 4 2 0 13
BRICKOWSKI 16 2-4 0-0 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 4
MINOR 19 5-9 2-2 0 2 2 1 1 1 1 12
DAY 8 1-3 1-2 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 4
WESLEY 37 5-12 0-1 0 2 2 10 2 4 3 11
SZABO 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
CONLON DNP - SORE LOWER BACK
TOTALS 265 44-96 17-25 14 30 44 27 24 14 16 108
(.458) (.680) TEAM REBS: 13 TOTAL TO: 16(18 PTS)
NEW JERSEY 26 21 34 21 8 - 110
BOSTON 33 29 14 26 6 - 108
BLOCKED SHOTS: NEW JERSEY - BRADLEY 5, J WILLIAMS 2. BOSTON - RADJA 4,
WALKER, MINOR.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: NEW JERSEY 8-20 (.400), GILL 0-2, PACK 3-5, KITTLES
4-8, OBANNON 1-3, REEVES 0-2. BOSTON 3-8 (.375), BARROS 1-3, FOX 0-2,
BRICKOWSKI 0-1, DAY 1-1, WESLEY 1-1.
TECHNICALS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: HUGH EVANS, MONTY MCCUTCHEN, BERNIE FRYER.
A - 15,815. T - 2:41.
NEW JERSEY (110) AT BOSTON (108) - FINAL IN OT
Rookie Kerry Kittles scored a career-high 30 points and Jayson
Williams added 23 points and 19 rebounds as the New Jersey Nets
posted consecutive road victories for the first to time this
season with a 110-108 overtime triumph over the Boston Celtics.
Robert Pack had 18 points and 12 assists as New Jersey won
back-to-back road games for the first time since defeating the
Washington Bullets and Milwaukee Bucks last February 19th and
21st. Kittles had seven rebounds, five assists, five steals and
did not have a turnover. New Jersey outrebounded Boston, 56-44.
"There was just some great ball movement on our team," Kittles
said. "We got out on transition and we made a few things
happen. Our play out there was just aggressive. We just tried
to play defense. We know we could go out and score before the
game started. As a team we try to get everybody involved in our
offense. We figure we can score some points, it's just a matter
of us trying to stop them, and limit them offensively. We're
still growing as a team. We're young and we're trying to get
ourselves together. Once we get everything rolling we're going
to ba a good team down the road."
The game was delayed for 21 minutes in the third period due to a
power outage.
"We didn't know if Red (Auerbach) was in the building and did
that or who did it but we figured it was a Celtic trick," joked
New Jerseu coach John Calipari. "One of those turn up the heat
or leave the windows of the locker room open. I told M.L. (Carr)
this was a Celtic trick. But remember they had to deal with it
too."
Dino Radja had 22 points and 15 rebounds and Antoine Walker
added 18 points for the Celtics, who suffered their fifth
straight loss. The Celtics and Nets split a pair of overtime
games in Boston last season.
"We've got to understand that we're on our home floor," said
Walker as teh Celtics fell to 4-7 in Boston. "Teams are going to
make their runs and it's going to take a whole team effort. I
can't speak for everyone but we execute down the strecthj anmd
that hury us.
Boston was trying to take the lead but Shawn Bradley blocked a
short jumper by Eric Williams with 35 seconds left in overtime.
Kendall Gill, who had 16 points, made a layup to give the Nets a
110-108 advantage with 19 seconds left.
"The people who run that organization are very good friends of
mine," said Calipari about Boston. "I know those guys. I like
M.L. this win had nothing to do with that. It was an
opportunity to come back to the city of Boston and enjoy myself.
I'm the same guy I was at U Mass, getting on guys, telling them
when they do good."
Dana Barros, who had 13 points and seven assists, made a layup
to cap a 6-0 burst and give the Celtics an 89-87 lead with 8:03
left in the fourth quarter. The lead changed hands six time
before Walker's jumper from the left wing tied it 102-102 with
34 seconds to go.
Radja started and ended a 19-2 burst that gave the Celtics a
58-40 advantage with 1:57 left in the second quarter. Radja had
14 points and Rick Fox added 11 of his 13 as the Celtcis took a
62-47 lead at halftime.
Jayson Williams made a layup to cap a 24-4 burst and give the
Nets a 71-66 advantage with 5:58 left in the third. The Nets
held an 81-76 lead at the end of the third as Boston shot just
6-for-23 from the field in the session.
"We were passive in the third quarter, we weren't aggressive the
way we were in the first half," walker said. "They wanted it
more than us in the third quarter. They came out and took
control of the game. We're playing well in stretches but in the
NBA you have to play the whole 48 minutes."
nba.1966nba.news,
NEW YORK (103) AT MIAMI (85)
NEW YORK
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
JOHNSON F 23 5-8 2-3 4 0 4 1 5 0 1 13
OAKLEY F 37 2-4 2-3 3 4 7 1 3 3 1 6
EWING C 36 10-20 6-7 2 5 7 2 4 1 3 26
HOUSTON G 39 8-17 1-4 0 5 5 2 3 0 1 19
CHILDS G 25 5-7 0-0 0 1 1 5 5 1 3 13
STARKS 33 5-13 7-9 1 4 5 4 2 1 2 21
B WILLIAMS 22 1-4 0-0 2 5 7 1 5 0 1 2
WARD 18 0-3 1-2 0 3 3 3 3 0 1 1
WALLACE 6 1-2 0-0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 2
MCCARTY 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
BROOKS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
H WILLIAMS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 37-78 19-28 12 28 40 19 32 6 14 103
(.474) (.679) TEAM REBS: 13 TOTAL TO: 14(16 PTS)
MIAMI
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
MAJERLE F 45 4-13 6-9 2 4 6 1 1 1 0 15
BROWN F 33 2-3 0-1 1 3 4 2 6 1 0 4
MOURNING C 35 3-10 4-6 4 12 16 0 6 0 4 10
DANILOVIC G 38 4-8 3-6 1 1 2 1 4 0 2 13
HARDAWAY G 41 9-19 8-10 0 3 3 9 2 2 7 28
ASKINS 15 2-5 1-1 2 1 3 0 1 2 1 6
AUSTIN 23 1-4 3-4 1 6 7 1 5 0 2 5
GRANT 9 1-4 2-2 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 4
LENARD 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
PINCKNEY DNP - COACH'S DECISION
SCOTT DNP - COACH'S DECISION
STRICKLAND DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 26-67 27-39 11 31 42 14 26 6 16 85
(.388) (.692) TEAM REBS: 8 TOTAL TO: 16(15 PTS)
NEW YORK 21 21 32 29 - 103
MIAMI 27 19 20 19 - 85
BLOCKED SHOTS: NEW YORK - EWING 3, OAKLEY 2. MIAMI - MAJERLE 2, MOURNING
2, BROWN.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: NEW YORK 10-19 (.526), JOHNSON 1-2, HOUSTON 2-2, CHILDS
3-3, STARKS 4-11, WARD 0-1. MIAMI 6-24 (.250), MAJERLE 1-7, DANILOVIC 2-5,
HARDAWAY 2-7, ASKINS 1-2, GRANT 0-2, LENARD 0-1.
TECHNICALS: NEW YORK - ILLEGAL DEFENSE 2, JOHNSON 2 (EJECTED), MIAMI -
ILLEGAL DEFENSE 5, MOURNING.
OFFICIALS: BRUCE ALEXANDER, ED MIDDLETON, BLANE REICHELT.
A - 15,200. T - 2:27.
NEW YORK (103) AT MIAMI (85)
Patrick Ewing scored seven of his 26 points in a late
fourth-quarter run and John Starks added 21 as the New York
Knicks snapped the Miami Heat's nine-game winning streak with a
103-85 victory.
Allan Houston had 19 points and Chris Childs and Larry Johnson
added 13 apiece for New York, which exacted revenge for
Tuesday's 99-75 home loss to the Heat on Tuesday. The Knicks,
who improved to 7-2 on the road, lead the all-time series 29-9.
"Our team has taken, and unjustifiably so at times, a lot of
heat; no pun intended," Knicks Jeff Van Gundy said. "I thought
we showed a lot of character in New Jersey the other night when
we came back."
Tim Hardaway had 28 points and nine assists and Dan Majerle
added 15 for Miami, which lost for the first time since a 91-89
home loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on November 16th. Alonzo
Mourning was held to 10 points before fouling out, but grabbed
16 rebounds for the first-place Heat, who lead New York by two
games in the Atlantic Division.
"We have had a good run, but we don't want to stop here," Heat
coach Pat Riley said. "We've got to put this behind us amd move
on."
"We pretty much had control of the game," Mourning said. "Then
we stopped executing and they stepped up a notch defensively and
we did not do anything to counter that."
After Majerle made two free throws to close Miami within 85-80
midway through the fourth quarter, Childs ignited an 18-3 run
with a three-pointer and a running jumper.
Ewing highlighted the burst by converting a three-point play,
making two free throws and dunking to draw Mourning's sixth
foul. Starks capped the spurt with a three-pointer, giving the
Knicks a 103-83 bulge with 2:21 left in the fourth quarter.
"Patrick's a true warrior," said Riley, who coached Ewing for
four years in New York. "He showed his mettle tonight."
The Heat went the last 7:57 without a field goal. Miami, which
outscored New York 52-37 in the second half on Tuesday, was
outpointed 61-39 over the final 24 minutes tonight.
Hardaway scored the first seven points of the game as Miami
raced to a 25-14 lead on a three-pointer by Sasha Danilovic with
2:53 left in the first quarter. Miami settled for a 27-21
advantage behind 16 points from Hardaway.
The Heat settled for a 46-42 advantage at the half behind
Hardaway's 20 points. Mourning sank a pair of free throws to
give Miami a 66-65 lead with 1:53 left in the third quarter. But
the Knicks responded with a 13-0 surge as Houston began the run
with a jumper that gave New York the lead for good at 67-66.
Starks followed with a four-point play before Houston nailed a
three-pointer at the buzzer for an eight-point lead entering the
fourth quarter. The Knicks also scored the first four points of
the fourth quarter as Charlie Ward made one free throw and
Starks drilled a three-pointer for a 78-66 advantage.
"They kicked our butts royally in New York and we came out and
kicked their butts tonight," Ewing said.
"They came down and gave us an old-fashioned whipping in New
York," Starks said. "We knew what we had to do."
New York's Johnson was ejected with 7:37 remaining in the fourth
quarter for punching Keith Askins.
Ewing grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots for New
York, which made 10-of-19 three-point attempts.
Hardaway, who entered the game with the third-best
assist-to-turnover ratio in the league, committed seven
turnovers for Miami, which was held to 39 percent shooting
(26-of-67) from the field. Danilovic, who had 21 points on seven
three-pointers in Tuesday's game, finished with 13 points.
nba.1967nba.news,
ORLANDO (81) AT LA LAKERS (92)
ORLANDO
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
GRANT F 41 4-13 1-1 0 6 6 5 3 1 1 9
STRONG F 38 2-9 2-4 2 8 10 0 1 0 1 6
SEIKALY C 34 6-15 4-5 5 5 10 4 5 1 4 16
WILKINS G 36 8-18 3-8 1 2 3 1 4 0 0 21
SHAW G 36 7-16 1-2 1 3 4 5 4 1 2 17
ARMSTRONG 27 4-13 0-0 2 0 2 2 6 1 2 10
SCHAYES 14 0-3 0-0 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 0
VAUGHN 13 1-1 0-0 1 4 5 1 3 0 1 2
DEMPS 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
ANDERSON DNP - LIGAMENT INJURY RIGHT WRIST
HARDAWAY DNP - SURGERY-LEFT KNEE
MCCASKILL DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 32-88 11-20 13 28 41 19 29 4 11 81
(.364) (.550) TEAM REBS: 15 TOTAL TO: 11(10 PTS)
LA LAKERS
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
CAMPBELL F 39 3-13 4-4 6 6 12 1 4 1 2 10
KERSEY F 36 4-10 3-4 2 4 6 3 4 2 2 11
ONEAL C 41 9-18 7-10 5 13 18 2 4 5 2 25
JONES G 35 2-5 2-4 0 3 3 4 2 0 3 6
VAN EXEL G 40 7-15 4-4 0 4 4 11 2 0 3 20
KNIGHT 15 1-3 0-0 3 3 6 1 2 1 0 2
FISHER 7 1-2 4-6 0 1 1 0 2 0 1 6
SCOTT 20 3-8 0-0 0 1 1 2 2 0 0 7
BLOUNT 7 1-1 3-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5
BRYANT DNP - COACH'S DECISION
ROBINSON DNP - COACH'S DECISION
ROOKS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 31-75 27-36 16 35 51 24 22 9 13 92
(.413) (.750) TEAM REBS: 11 TOTAL TO: 16(16 PTS)
ORLANDO 25 17 12 27 - 81
LA LAKERS 21 21 23 27 - 92
BLOCKED SHOTS: ORLANDO - SCHAYES 2, GRANT, STRONG, VAUGHN. LA LAKERS -
ONEAL 7, CAMPBELL 3, KERSEY 3, JONES, KNIGHT, BLOUNT.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: ORLANDO 6-18 (.333), STRONG 0-1, WILKINS 2-7, SHAW 2-4,
ARMSTRONG 2-6. LA LAKERS 3-9 (.333), JONES 0-1, VAN EXEL 2-4, SCOTT 1-4.
TECHNICALS: LA LAKERS - ILLEGAL DEFENSE.
OFFICIALS: ED F RUSH, BENNETT SALVATORE, TONY BROTHERS.
A - 17,505. T - 2:22.
ORLANDO (81) AT LA LAKERS (92)
Shaquille O'Neal had 25 points, 18 rebounds, six blocks and five
steals in his first game against his former team as the Los
Angeles Lakers handed the injury-plagued Orlando Magic their
third straight loss, 92-81.
O'Neal, who signed as a free agent with the Lakers after
spending his first four seasons in Orlando, scored eight points
as Los Angeles closed the third quarter with a 17-2 run to take
control.
"It wasn't really emotional at all," O'Neal said of facing his
former team. "We just wanted to come out and play. It was just
another game. This wasn't going to make or break either team.
Orlando got off to a quick start. They hit everything they threw
up and we shot 25 or 26 percent. We were able to tie it up at
halftime and do a better job in the second."
Nick Van Exel added 20 points and 11 assists for the Lakers, who
have won four of their last five games and lead the all-time
series with the Magic, 13-4.
"I think Shaq inspired everybody to play hard," Van Exel said.
"He wanted to win this game really badly because it was against
his old team. We just tried to follow suit. It took us a
little while to get going but once we got it going we looked
pretty good."
Gerald Wilkins scored 21 points and Brian Shaw had 17 for
Orlando, which played again without injured starters Nick
Anderson, Dennis Scott and Penny Hardaway.
"This game would have been so hyped if we were all healthy,"
said Hardaway. "It would have been a great game and a great
matchup. And had I played, I would have been determined not to
let us lose this game. But without me, Nick, and Dennis out it
was a totally different game."
The score was tied at halftime, 42-42, and the Magic went ahead,
52-48, on Horace Grant's layup with 7:30 to go in the third
quarter. But Orlando managed just one more field goal the rest
of the period.
O'Neal scored eight points and Jerome Kersey had five of his 11
during the 17-2 spurt that put the Lakers ahead entering the
fourth quarter, 65-54. The Magic shot 37.5 percent in the third
quarter, while Los Angeles was making 50 percent of its
field-goal attempts.
"I was trying too hard at the start," said O'Neal. "I got a
call from Sarg (his father, Phillip Harrison) at halftime. He
told to me to settle down, stop (horsing around) and go play. He
talked to me in army drill sergeant talk. Thank God for Sarg."
Rony Seikaly was hampered by foul trouble, but contributed 16
points and 10 rebounds for Orlando, which broke a team record by
holding its 15th straight opponent under 100 points.
"We came out early and played good defense on them," said
Orlando head coach. "They're a great team. They have all their
players and we don't have all of our players. I think it would
have been a lot better game had we had all of our players
healthy.
"I would much rather have Shaq in pinstripes than Laker purple
and gold," Hill said. "Shaq is a great player. He was a great
player with us and he's still a great player. I was proud of
the way my team played. We played as hard as we could but I
just don't know whether we played as smart as we could."
nba.1968nba.news,
PHOENIX (101) AT SACRAMENTO (95)
PHOENIX
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
FINLEY F 24 5-6 2-2 0 2 2 1 1 0 3 13
GREEN F 21 3-6 0-0 0 4 4 0 0 0 1 6
WILLIAMS C 31 3-6 2-3 2 8 10 3 2 0 0 8
PERSON G 29 4-10 1-2 0 5 5 0 1 1 2 13
JOHNSON G 37 3-9 4-6 1 0 1 12 2 1 6 10
CASSELL 14 2-8 5-5 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 9
CHAPMAN 21 2-3 2-4 0 4 4 2 3 2 2 6
MANNING 27 9-14 1-5 5 3 8 2 3 0 5 19
HORRY 20 3-4 3-3 1 1 2 2 4 3 1 10
BRYANT 16 1-2 5-6 0 1 1 1 2 1 1 7
KLEINE DNP - COACH'S DECISION
NASH DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 35-68 25-36 9 28 37 25 18 8 23 101
(.515) (.694) TEAM REBS: 9 TOTAL TO: 23(22 PTS)
SACRAMENTO
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
OWENS F 43 6-12 0-2 7 9 16 3 3 2 7 13
C WILLIAMSON F 22 6-10 2-2 3 3 6 1 4 2 1 14
POLYNICE C 41 5-10 3-4 1 6 7 2 4 0 4 13
RICHMOND G 46 8-18 5-7 1 1 2 7 4 2 5 22
ABDUL-RAUF G 22 4-12 0-0 0 2 2 1 4 1 0 11
EDNEY 24 2-7 0-0 1 1 2 2 1 0 1 4
SMITH 28 6-10 2-2 2 4 6 1 1 2 0 14
CAUSWELL 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
SIMMONS 11 1-5 2-2 2 1 3 0 3 0 1 4
DANIELS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
GAMBLE DNP - COACH'S DECISION
HURLEY DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 38-84 14-19 17 27 44 17 26 9 19 95
(.452) (.737) TEAM REBS: 5 TOTAL TO: 20(27 PTS)
PHOENIX 20 28 23 30 - 101
SACRAMENTO 24 19 25 27 - 95
BLOCKED SHOTS: PHOENIX - WILLIAMS, CASSELL, HORRY. SACRAMENTO - C
WILLIAMSON.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: PHOENIX 6-11 (.545), FINLEY 1-1, PERSON 4-6, CASSELL
0-1, CHAPMAN 0-1, HORRY 1-2. SACRAMENTO 5-13 (.385), OWENS 1-1, POLYNICE
0-1, RICHMOND 1-5, ABDUL-RAUF 3-5, EDNEY 0-1.
TECHNICALS: SACRAMENTO - ILLEGAL DEFENSE.
OFFICIALS: DICK BAVETTA, TOMMY NUNEZ, TOMMIE WOOD.
A - 17,317. T - 2:25.
PHOENIX (101) AT SACRAMENTO (95)
Danny Manning scored 19 points and Wesley Person and Michael
Finley added 13 apiece as the Phoenix Suns won consecutive games
for the first time this season, defeating the reeling Sacramento
Kings, 101-95.
Manning made 9-of-14 shots and keyed a 9-2 run that ended the
third quarter as Phoenix opened a 71-68 lead. The Suns have won
three of four after dropping the first 13 games of the season.
"My teammates made some great passes tonight," Manning said. "I
had to make a lot of hard cuts and my teammates found me on some
backdoors. It's nice to get a win on the road, but we can't be
satisfied with it."
"We're sacrificing stats and individual agendas for the sake of
the team right now in order for us to win," said Suns coach
Danny Ainge. "I think at the end of this month we'll see if
making the playoffs is a realistic goal or not."
Mitch Richmond led Sacramento with 22 points and seven assists
while Corliss Williamson and Michael Smith added 14 points
apiece. Billy Owens had a season-high 16 rebounds for the
Kings, who have dropped four of five and seven of nine.
"We just turned the ball over too many times late in the game,"
Owens said. "I think the big thing was turnovers, and not
really boxing out on the defensive end."
The Suns closed the second quarter with a 14-6 run, highlighted
by Robert Horry's five points. Manning had nine in the first
half as Phoenix built a 48-43 advantage.
The Kings opened the second half with a 21-13 spurt and took a
64-61 lead with just under five minutes left in the third
quarter.
But the Suns responded with their best basketball of the
contest, closing the period with eight straight points. John
"Hot Rod" Williams, who grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds, had a
pair of baskets during the burst.
Leading 71-68 to open the final period, the Suns put the game
away with a 9-0 burst. Kevin Johnson, who had a season-high 12
assists, keyed the surge with a pair of baskets.
The Suns' bench outscored the Kings' reserves, 51-22.
nba.1969nba.news,
VANCOUVER (105) AT SAN ANTONIO (89)
VANCOUVER
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
LYNCH F 40 5-9 5-8 2 6 8 3 3 1 1 15
ABDUR-RAHIM F 32 4-9 1-4 2 6 8 1 3 1 1 9
REEVES C 31 12-16 5-6 1 6 7 1 4 1 5 29
PEELER G 39 8-19 1-3 0 5 5 7 2 2 1 19
MAYBERRY G 41 4-6 0-0 0 2 2 10 3 1 1 10
ROGERS 17 3-5 0-0 1 1 2 1 2 2 2 6
ROBINSON 24 4-11 0-0 4 3 7 2 1 1 1 10
MOTEN 16 2-3 2-2 2 1 3 1 2 0 0 7
ANTHONY DNP - SORE BACK
CHILCUTT DNP - COACH'S DECISION
MANNING DNP - COACH'S DECISION
MOBLEY DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 42-78 14-23 12 30 42 26 20 9 12 105
(.538) (.609) TEAM REBS: 14 TOTAL TO: 12(11 PTS)
SAN ANTONIO
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
ELLIOTT F 41 8-18 4-6 1 6 7 6 4 1 4 22
HERRERA F 24 4-8 0-1 3 0 3 0 4 0 1 8
W PERDUE C 32 5-8 4-7 6 5 11 0 0 1 1 14
DEL NEGRO G 30 1-6 1-2 0 1 1 7 1 0 0 3
JOHNSON G 34 1-8 1-2 0 2 2 4 1 1 1 3
D WILKINS 30 10-17 2-2 4 5 9 3 4 0 2 24
MAXWELL 27 6-11 0-1 1 1 2 5 1 1 2 13
ANDERSON 9 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
ALEXANDER 5 1-3 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 2
M WILLIAMS 7 0-3 0-0 2 0 2 1 2 0 0 0
KEMPTON 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
SMITH DNP - RIGHT KNEE
TOTALS 240 36-83 12-21 17 20 37 26 20 5 12 89
(.434) (.571) TEAM REBS: 8 TOTAL TO: 13(15 PTS)
VANCOUVER 22 29 23 31 - 105
SAN ANTONIO 22 18 25 24 - 89
BLOCKED SHOTS: VANCOUVER - ROGERS 2, REEVES, LYNCH, MOTEN. SAN ANTONIO -
W PERDUE 3, ELLIOTT, HERRERA, MAXWELL.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: VANCOUVER 7-13 (.538), PEELER 2-4, MAYBERRY 2-4,
ROBINSON 2-4, MOTEN 1-1. SAN ANTONIO 5-13 (.385), ELLIOTT 2-4, DEL NEGRO
0-3, D WILKINS 2-4, MAXWELL 1-2.
TECHNICALS: VANCOUVER - ILLEGAL DEFENSE, HEAD COACH B WINTERS, SAN ANTONIO
- ILLEGAL DEFENSE.
OFFICIALS: DON VADEN, JACK NIES, MIKE SMITH.
A - 13,646. T - 2:05.
VANCOUVER (105) AT SAN ANTONIO (89)
Bryant Reeves scored 29 points, including a jumper in the second
quarter that put the Grizzlies ahead for good and iginted a 14-1
run that helped Vancouver to a 105-89 victory over the San
Antonio Spurs.
The Grizzlies broke a five-game losing streak with their first
road win of the season. Two of Vancouver's three wins have come
against San Antonio and the other against the equally hapless
Phoenix Suns.
"We have lost to them twice this season," Spurs forward Sean
Elliott said. "People say they are the worst team in the NBA,
but what does that say about us?"
Dominique Wilkins scored 24 points and Elliott added 22 for San
Antonio, which has been without injured center David Robinson
all season and fell to 3-14. The Spurs were trying to win
consecutive games, but lost for the eighth time in nine tries.
"This is hard for all of us ... very unacceptable ... we need to
show up and play," Elliott admitted. "The difference without
David is that we need every person to contribute, not just three
four or five guys. Without that, we continue to struggle."
Reeves, who missed the previous three games with a strained
patella tendon in his left knee, hit a jumper to give the
Grizzlies the lead for good at 37-36 with 5:05 left in the
second quarter. The bucket began a 10-0 burst that was the
start of the game-breaking 14-1 run.
"We played great as a team tonight," said Reeves, who had lofty
accolades for Vancouver. "This was the best game in the history
of the franchise. We outrebounded and outhustled them. When I
came back after my fourth foul, the team really stepped up. My
baseline jumper was key for me. Fortunately, it was going in."
Shareef Abdur-Rahim followed with a breakaway slam, Chris
Robinson hit a layup and Reeves hit a pair of free throws to
extend the lead to 43-36. Abdur-Rahim hit a jumper before Vinny
Del Negro stopped the 10-point run with a free throw. George
Lynch and Anthony Peeler hit jumpers to close the run and give
the Grizzlies a 49-37 edge with 59 seconds left in the first
half.
The win came just two days after the Grizzlies lost by 47 points
at Indiana.
"We needed to really produce to play a team like Indiana,"
Peeler said. "Tonight, we did a great job and matured as well as
gained a lot of confeidence with this win."
Peeler scored 19 points and Lynch added 15 points and eight
rebounds for Vancouver, which closed the game with a 10-0 run.
Wilkins got San Antonio's final points on a layup with 3:50
left, but Robinson hit a three-pointer, Reeves added a jumper,
Lee Mayberry hit a three-pointer and Peeler hade a pair of free
throws.
Robinson, a rookie from Western Kentucky, came off the bench and
scored 10 points with seven rebounds, including four on the
offensive side.
"I was a rebounder in college, so I can crash the boards, but I
guess I surprised some people tonight," Robinson said.
One of the surprised people was Spurs point guard Avery Johnson,
who said, "Who is Chris Robinson, anyway? I've never heard of
him.
"Tonight was disasterous. We made some stops, but they made big
threes. Everyone played great."
Mayberry had 10 assists, Abdur-Rahim added eight rebounds and
Reeves pulled down seven boards for the Grizzlies, who got 18
points, nine rebounds and nine assists from Abdur-Rahim in a
96-91 win over San Antonio November 24th.
"We have a lot of young guys on this team and that will allow us
to grow together," Abdur-Rahim said. "We can jell as a team,
but tonight was a big win for this organization."
Will Perdue had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Wilkins added
nine boards for the Spurs.
nba.1970nba.news,
Sixers get Hendrickson back
The Philadelphia 76ers have activated rookie forward Mark
Hendrickson off the injured list, where he had been since November
26th with a lumbar spine strain and sprain.
Hendrickson, who has averaged three points and two rebounds over
three games this season, was a second-round draft choice (31st
overall) in the NBA draft.
The 76ers have just one player remaining on the injured list, as
forward Don MacLean is sidelined with a strained hip flexor.
nba.1971nba.news,
Admiral slated for Monday back exam
SAN ANTONIO -- San Antonio Spurs All-Star center David Robinson, who
has not played this season because of a lower back strain, will fly to
Los Angeles on Monday for additional testing.
His status will be evaluated after Monday's examination at the
Kerlan-Jobe Clinic in Inglewood, Calif., a team spokesman said Friday
night.
Robinson, 31, practiced for the first time this season Monday and
Tuesday, but sat out Wednesday night's game against Philadelphia.
There was speculation he would play Friday night against Vancouver,
but he missed that game, too. The Spurs (3-14) went on to lose 105-89
to the lowly Grizzlies, San Antonio's ninth loss in the past 10 games.
Without Robinson -- the team's leading scorer, rebounder and
shot-blocker -- the Spurs have been held to fewer than 100 points in
all but two games and fewer than 80 points five times.
"The difference without David is that we need every person to
contribute, not just three four or five guys," Spurs forward Sean
Elliott said after the loss to Vancouver. "Without that, we continue
to struggle."
Robinson has experienced back pain for the last couple of years and
arrived at training camp in October with lingering pain. He played
just one of eight exhibition games and met with Watkins prior to the
start of the regular season.
Robinson, the 1995 NBA Most Valuable Player and a seven-time All-Star,
led the Spurs to the Midwest Division title the past two seasons. He
averaged 25 points, 12.2 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game last season,
and this year he was voted one of the 50 greatest players in NBA
history.
nba.1972nba.news,
Hardaway may return to action tonight for Orlando
Orlando Magic star guard Penny Hardaway, activated from the injured
list Thursday, could play in tonight's showdown against former
teammate Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Hardaway, who missed 10 games after having arthroscopic surgery to
repair torn cartilage in his left knee on November 17th, is listed as
questionable for tonight's game, which opens a five-game road trip.
Forward Dennis Scott and guard Nick Anderson, both injured,
accompanied the team but are not expected to play tonight.
During the off-season, the Magic lost a free-agent bidding war with
the Lakers for O'Neal, who signed a seven-year deal worth $120
million. Hardaway was expected to take over as Orlando's team leader
but the Magic have struggled in his absence, going 5-5.
The 6-7 All-Star averaged 21.3 points in Orlando's first four games.
He had been slowed by inflammation in his hamstring and continual
soreness behind the left knee.
Orlando tied an NBA record-low with just 57 points Wednesday in a
27-point home loss to Cleveland. Scott and Anderson combined to
average better than 32 points per game last season but have been
slowed by injuries this season.
Scott is on the injured list. He has been limited to 28 minutes this
season while battling a left hamstring strain. Last season, he knocked
down an NBA-record 267 three-pointers.
Anderson sprained his right wrist less than seven minutes into
Tuesday's 108-102 home overtime loss to the Dallas Mavericks. His hand
was placed in a soft cast but he is not on the injured list. Anderson
has averaged 15.8 points per game in 13 contests this season.
nba.1973nba.news,
Suns activate FC Bryant, place G Hancock on injured list
The Phoenix Suns today activated forward-center Mark Bryant from the
injured list and placed newly acquired guard Darrin Hancock on the IL
with bilateral knee contusions from a Thursday night auto accident in
Milwaukee.
Bryant underwent arthroscopic surgery October 8th to repair torn
cartilage in his left knee and was expected to be sidelined from four
to six weeks. Bryant was one of four players acquired in the deal that
sent Charles Barkley to the Houston Rockets on August 19th.
The 31-year-old Bryant appeared in 71 games for Houston last season
and averaged 8.6 points and 4.9 rebounds after signing as a free agent
in September 1995. He played his first seven seasons with the Portland
Trail Blazers after being chosen with the 21st pick in the 1988 draft.
Hancock was acquired Wednesday with a future second-round draft pick
from the Milwaukee Bucks for forward Chucky Brown. He will be treated
with rest and physical therapy and his return date is undetermined.
Hancock totaled 39 minutes and six points in nine games with the
Bucks. Originally a second-round pick of the Charlotte Hornets in
1994, he averaged 4.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 63 games for the
Hornets last season.
nba.1974nba.news,
Pistons activate G Green; place F Williams on injured list
The Detroit Pistons activated guard Litterial Green from the injured
list tonight and placed rookie forward Jerome Williams on the IL after
he aggravated a sprained left wrist.
Green had been on the injured list since October 31st with a strained
right hamstring and right knee tendinitis. He suffered the injuries in
a collision with Orlando's Dennis Scott in a pre-season game on
October 25th.
The 26-year-old Green averaged 3.8 points in 81 games with the Magic
from 1992-94. He played for Quad City of the Continental Basketball
Association the past two years.
Williams was the Pistons' first-round pick, 26th overall, in the 1996
draft out of Georgetown. He had two points and four rebounds in five
games this season. The 6-9 Williams also on the IL from November
12th-21st with the same injury.
nba.1975nba.news,
NBA reviewing Karl's Sonic boom
SEATTLE -- The NBA will announce Monday if SuperSonics coach George
Karl will be punished for his tirade during Seattle's 117-86 rout of
the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night.
The officials who worked the game sent a tape to the league office in
New York to decide whether Karl bumped referee Bennett Salvatore.
Karl sought an explanation from Salvatore after Seattle's Antonio
Harvey was called for a flagrant foul on Stojko Vrankovic with five
minutes left in the game. Seattle led by 40 points at the time.
Then Karl, apparently not satisfied with Salvatore's explanation,
charged after the official. Sonics forward Shawn Kemp and assistant
coach Terry Stotts restrained Karl, eventually pinning him against the
scorer's table.
Before Kemp arrived to help, Karl repeatedly shoved Stotts as the
coach tried to get to Salvatore.
"I was wrong for losing control, but I didn't think they called a very
good basketball game," said Karl, who picked up his 400th career
coaching victory. "It's a long season and I usually lose it a couple
of times a year and this is the first time (this season)."
Karl and Kemp were ejected, although Kemp was trying to play the role
of peacemaker. Kemp wasn't in the game when the incident occurred, so
he was ejected for leaving the bench.
After the game, the Sonics did not hold back when asked about the
officiating.
"We went to the NBA Finals last season and we don't get any respect,"
Sonics forward Detlef Schrempf said. "In games like this, it's
frustrating. Even if we're up by 40, they're not supposed to referee
the score. They're supposed to referee the game."
"We're trying to get our team to play with a little spice, and the
referees change the way they're refereeing the game once we got up
20," Karl said.
"I think it was a physical game," Sonics guard Hersey Hawkins said.
"We thought some calls didn't go our way. It was just one of those
games. We don't know what the referee said to George, but I'm quite
sure it wasn't nice."
For the Sonics, Karl's explosion was nothing out of the ordinary.
"It was no big thing," Sam Perkins said. "It happens all the time in
practice."
nba.1976nba.news,
Miami Heat: Major Surprise Of Young NBA Season
There weren't many feeling sorry for Pat Riley after his Miami
Heat drew the Chicago Bulls in last season's first-round of the
playoffs. Even fewer were upset after the coach and part-owner
watched his Heat suffer a three-game sweep. Even less shed a
tear during a tumultuous off-season.
Nobody cried because Riley is the winningest coach in pro sports
and America roots for the underdog. But Riley and the Heat are
enjoying the last laugh.
After the NBA reversed the Heat's acquisition of free-agent
Juwan Howard for over $100 million due to salary cap violations,
the Heat looked like a .500 club at best.
Miami was left with nothing -- no Howard, no cap room and no
chance of contending for a title. Or so it seemed.
"It definitely changes our whole direction," Riley said. "That
was the team we planned to build. It was a distraction, because
after all of those things came down, the players that we wanted
to sign were no longer there."
On paper, Miami didn't look much better than it was last season
when it won 42 games. The Heat added free agent forwards P.J.
Brown and Dan Majerle and were looking to take full advantage of
a healthy Sasha Danilovic, who spent the majority of the 1995-96
campaign on the injured list.
Without a true high-scoring forward -- Kurt Thomas and Majerle
were the opening night's starting forwards -- the Heat appeared
to be lacking at the forward spot and seemed more intent on
appealing the Howard decision than on training camp.
Think again.
Riley hasn't compiled an 812-343 coaching record for a winning
percentage of .703 by quitting. He didn't direct the Los
Angeles Lakers to four NBA championships in the 1980s by
throwing in the towel.
The Heat are not just playing over .500. They are atop the
Atlantic Division by three games for the first time in the
team's nine-year history and are sporting a 14-4 record,
fifth-best in the league.
Miami is not slowing down either as it carries a franchise-best
nine-game winning streak into tonight's home game against the
New York Knicks.
And after winning just 16 road games all of last season, the
Heat is an impressive 9-2 away from South Florida, including a
club-record seven in succession -- also a club mark.
Majerle is working out well (14.8 points, 5.3 rebounds) although
he spends a lot more time behind the arc than in the paint.
Brown is picking up Majerle's rebounding with an average of 7.0,
but is scoring just 8.2 points.
Star center Alonzo Mourning has his own reasons for the success.
"It's because of hard work," said Mourning, who is averaging
19.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks. "It started in
training camp when guys came in and came in in shape. People
worked hard all summer. We had a great training camp, maybe the
best I've ever been a part of, a great pre-season and started
the season off on the right foot."
Mourning is also looking to make amends for last season's
playoff exit.
"I was blamed by everyone for last season's performance against
Chicago (in the playoffs) and I accept it," admitted Mourning,
who was held to a combined 24 points over the first two games
playing against a center, Luc Longley, he should have dominated.
"I can't change the past, but I'm working real hard to see it
doesn't happen again."
The Heat raced out of the gate by winning five of their first
six games before losing three straight to fall to 5-4. But
Miami responded by winning all six games on a West Coast road
swing by an average of 13 points. The team had never won more
than two games on any previous six-game trip.
"We relaxed a little and then really looked at our West Coast
road trip as a challenge and did well out there," said Mourning.
After returning home and beating the Boston Celtics by one point
for its seventh straight win on November 30th, doubters
explained Miami's success with a lack of competition. A test
came Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden against another
winning team, the Knicks, and the intimidating New York crowd.
Riley, who directed the Knicks within one game of an NBA title
in 1994 and resigned via a fax following the 1994-95 season,
directed the Heat to a 99-75 demolition of New York to silence
the critics. The win marked just the second win in 19 all-time
meetings in New York for Miami.
The Heat has all the signs of a Riley-led team, boasting a
team-first mentality and an understanding of what it takes to
win.
"This is not a one-man team," repeated Mourning, who held
opposing center Patrick Ewing to 12 points. "The key to our
success is our hard work and determination. We are not selfish
and we have great tenacity. It was just a big divisional win
for us. For (Riley), it might have been more personal."
The Heat are doing it with defense and three-point shooting.
Miami is allowing just 88.1 points per game and holding
opponents to a field-goal percentage of 41.7 percent. Both
figures are fourth-best in the league.
"We're a solid defensive team," Riley pointed out. "We've got
defensive-minded players. Tim Hardaway has become one of the
best defensive players on the team."
Miami has responded to teams constantly double-teaming Mourning
by not forcing the issue. Instead, the Heat is content with the
outside shot, leading the NBA with 146 three-pointers made in
393 attempts.
Danilovic nailed all seven of his three-point attempts as the
team made 12-of-22 treys in New York. The trio of Danilovic,
Majerle and Hardaway are a combined 118-for-302 from three-point
range for the season.
The Heat used the same formula in a 101-79 against Dallas on
Wednesday.
Hardaway, acquired in a brilliant deal engineered by Riley last
February, took full advantage of the extra man on Mourning,
nailing all six three-pointers and scored a season-high 33
points. Hardaway helped the Heat tie a club record with 15
three-pointers and shattered the previous team mark with 35
attempts.
"We are going with whoever is hot right now," Hardaway said.
"(On Tuesday), Sasha and Dan were hot, (Wednesday) it was me.
(Nobody on this team) is worried about their own stats; it's
just team-oriented and the camaraderie here is great."
The Lakers of the 1980s had the same attitude.
nba.1977nba.news,
Savvy vets key Rockets blast off
(Dec 6, 1996 - 07:36 EST) - Take a guy with bad knees, another with a
bad heart, and a third who loves to be "bad," and what do you get? The
16-2 Houston Rockets.
The creaky three-headed monster of Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwon and
Charles Barkley has led Houston to the NBA's best record this side of
Chicago, and made the Rockets a favorite to reach the NBA Finals for
the third time in four years.
Provided they make it that far. Drexler missed 30 games with knee
problems last year; various ailments have sidelined Barkley for 42
games the past three seasons and Olajuwon was recently hospitalized
with a rapid heartbeat for the second time in two weeks.
"We could drop dead any day, as old as we are," Barkley said after a
recent win over Washington, but before Olajuwon's second heart
episode. "I never know what's going to happen around here. I get
excited just to see Clyde and Hakeem in practice."
Opponents don't share Sir Charles' enthusiasm. When the Rockets are
healthy, they have arguably the most formidable one-two-three punch in
the NBA. So far they've lost only to the Lakers in double overtime and
to Toronto Monday without Olajuwon. Their first showdown with the
Bulls is Jan. 11 in Chicago.
Hakeem, 33, returned Wednesday and played 40 minutes in the Rockets'
94-89 victory over Boston. He's now taking medication and his doctors
say the problem is not career- or life-threatening.
"I try to look at it on the bright side," Olajuwon told reporters
after the game. "The doctor says if you have to have a heart problem,
this is the one to have."
Averaging 25.1 points and 9.4 rebounds, the Dream's performance is
critical to the Rockets, whose three stars are an aggregate 100 years
old. But he's thankful that he's not flying solo.
"It's a blessing to have this much talent," he said. "Usually when you
get older, it means it more difficult. But in this case it's much
easier."
The Rockets are proving there are intangible advantages to having a
veteran-led team, especially when the game is on the line. The Rockets
have won five games with margins of four points or fewer.
"When you look in your team's eyes, and you see they aren't giving up,
that's a hell of a feeling," said coach Rudy Tomjanovich.
Barkley says this is only the second team in his 13-year career where
everyone has had the same goal -- winning the NBA title.
"My first year in Phoenix, everyone had the same motivation," he said.
"But everyone's agenda changed the next year.
"You can't have one guy trying to have a big year as a free agent. You
can't have one guy who wants to be an All-Star. You can't have one guy
who's trying to get his name in the paper."
Since being traded from Phoenix in the offseason, Barkley's scoring is
down (20.8 vs. his career average of 23.3), but his rebounding is up
-- way up. Barkley leads the league at 16.4, up nearly five boards
from his career average.
"When I came here, I could have scored 25 points a night, but they
didn't need that," Barkley said. "I had to do something to cooperate.
"It's going to come down to us, Seattle and Utah. They're the only
three teams in the West that have a shot at it. The rest of them are
just wasting their time."
nba.1978nba.news,
Scoring is way, way down in NBA
(Dec 6, 1996 - 13:12 EST) -- One NBA fan nudged another fan during the
Timberwolves' game at Target Center on Tuesday night and pointed to
one of the auxiliary scoreboards carrying updates and results of
out-of-town games. It read: "Chicago 26, Milwaukee 23 -- 3."
In any other season, that immediately would have registered as a
mistake. No way the Bulls and the Bucks could be scoring in the 20s in
the third quarter. (The board was, in fact, wrong. It was a
first-quarter score of what would become a 107-104 Bulls victory.)
Still, the point is: This season, fans could look at that kind of
score and, at least for a few seconds, actually believe it.
As point totals drop, experts and casual observers are monitoring and
analyzing a trend that has seen scoring decline in past years. And
then, this season, plummet.
Through Monday, the 29 NBA teams were averaging only 94.3 points per
game, compared to 99.5 last season. In 1995-96, 13 teams averaged 100
points or more, and the Vancouver Grizzlies became only the second
team in league history to average less than 90. This season, however,
four teams are averaging fewer than 90 points and 17 aren't cracking
95. Five years ago, only three teams averaged fewer than 100 points.
Ten years ago, every team averaged at least 103.8 points.
With the exception of one season, scoring has dropped every year since
the 1984-85 season, when teams averaged 110.8. Orlando scored only 57
points in its loss to Cleveland on Wednesday, tying the post-24 second
clock league record for fewest points in a game.
Milwaukee scored 65 one night, the Hawks 63. The Wolves twice have
scored 82 points or fewer, yet won.
Everyone has an opinion. No one has a cure.
"Not a lot of good players and not a lot of good teams," Houston's
Charle said.
There are a number of theories for the dropoff:
Expansion: The league is diluted with so many teams, which has reduced
the firepower.
Superior scouting: "Every game is televised, so the scouting you have
can tell you that a team is going to run 26 pick-and-rolls and when it
is going to run them," said Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders.
Dunk-o-mania: Players have grown up watching highlight reels, which
show a lot more dunks than 18-foot jumpers. So that is what they've
emulated.
"You don't have pure shooters in the league anymore or true point
guards," said Denver sharpshooter Dale Ellis. "You have guys who want
to get to the hole and dunk. Kids grow up watching Michael Jordan and
just want to be able to get to the hole."
Raw talent: Skipping college hoops entirely, or even a few seasons of
it, means that NBA newcomers bring less developed skills into the
league. That includes shooting and passing.
Sideline Napoleons: Coaches have become control freaks who more
comfortable coaching hard work (defense) than God-given skills
(offense). They truly play not to lose, rather than to win.
Shortened three-point line: Now that the arc is so close, the wrong
players are trying to score from there. Plus, that packs the defense
more tightly into the higher-percentage areas.
Free agency: So many teams are stocked with five or six new players,
they still need nametags to get acquainted. And to learn each other's
game.
The NBA, while denying any outright panic, has taken notice of its
grinding product.
"More than anything else, it's a product of regular-season games being
played like playoff games," said league vice president Rod Thorn.
"Teams are playing more in the halfcourt offense, they're utilizing
the shot clock more and teams are better-prepared from a coaching
standpoint to find ways to shut the other team down."
Then there is the officiating. The NBA can hammer any team or
individual who gripes about it, but the fact is, with three all trying
to justify themselves there are way too many whistles. Watch a game
closely and you can see traveling called almost every time an
offensive player starts with a quick first step.
"The biggest problem in our game right now are the referees," one team
official said. "People don't want to see them blowing whistles all
night."
There have been plenty of suggestions to unleash the offenses, ranging
from a faster shot clock (18 seconds) to ridding the game of illegal
defense rules.
Said Saunders, a member of the rules and competition committee: "We
are concerned. Fans like to see the dunks and the running, but they
like to see teams play hard and compete. There's a lot more trapping
and rotating going on defensively, so from a pure basketball
standpoint, it's still entertaining."
nba.1979nba.news,
Magic get first shot at Shaq as Laker
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (Dec 6, 1996 - 10:48 EST) -- After the Orlando Magic
tied a modern-day NBA record for fewest points in a game on Wednesday,
guard Darrell Armstrong was asked what it meant not to have Penny
Hardaway, Nick Anderson, Dennis Scott and Shaquille O'Neal in the
line-up.
Armstrong didn't have a problem with the first three names; Hardaway,
Anderson and Scott all are out with injuries. But the fourth named
angered him as much as the 84-57 loss to Cleveland.
O'Neal? He's now in Los Angeles, where he plays for the Lakers. When
are people going to accept that?
"We're tired of hearing Shaq this and Shaq that," said Armstrong.
"Right now, it's Penny's team."
Armstrong might want to wear earplugs tonight (12/6) when he and the
Magic arrive at the Forum, because virtually every question will begin
and end with Shaq this and Shaq that.
After squaring off for nearly five months in the press, O'Neal and the
Magic are about to do battle on the hardwoods for the first time since
their messy divorce.
The matchup appeared to lose its luster early in the week, when
Hardaway, Scott and Anderson all were out. But Hardaway Thursday was
placed on the active list, fueling speculation that he would play
tonight. And Anderson was upgraded to questionable.
"If I get up (this morning) and go through the shootaround and feel
good," Hardaway said earlier in the week, "I might tell (coach Brian
Hill) I feel good and want to play."
Basketball fans have been pointing to this date since that humid
Atlanta morning in July, when O'Neal signed a seven-year, $120 million
free-agent deal with the Lakers. The fallout was predictable. The
Magic charged O'Neal and his agent with broken promises and alleged
that the Lakers tampered with O'Neal before the date teams could talk
with free agents. O'Neal countered that the Magic failed to step up in
a timely manner and showed him little respect during his final season.
Now the sides will step into the rectangular circle.
"I don't want to say anything to give anybody motivation," said
O'Neal. "It's just going to be another game to me. I just have to come
out and play well and not get caught up in whatever, whatever. I just
have to go out and play. Hopefully, I can have a dominant game."
O'Neal later admitted that the game has meaning to him. In his four
seasons in Orlando, he helped take the Magic from the lottery to the
NBA Finals, where they were swept by the Houston Rockets two seasons
ago. Orlando was to be the team of the decade, with O'Neal and
Hardaway, a '90s version of Magic and Kareem. He called his Magic
teammates his soul mates.
Then he met with Lakers vice president Jerry West in Atlanta. The rest
may have changed the fate of two franchises. The Lakers became instant
contenders despite their 13-7 record, and the Magic became a
second-tier club, deserving respect but not inspiring awe. In fact,
with Hardaway, Anderson and Scott out, they almost inspire pity. Their
57 points on Wednesday tied the league record for fewest in a game
since the 24-second clock was adopted in 1954.
No one was more hurt by Shaq's departure than Hardaway. He believed
the team had something special, that he and Shaq had something
special. They were young, talented and still blossoming.
Yet when O'Neal made his decision to go to L.A., Hardaway was not
among those he told. The two were in Atlanta together as teammates on
the Olympic team, but seemingly everyone else knew before Hardaway.
"Reggie Miller got on the bus when we were going to the
(pretournament) press conference and said, 'Shaq is a Laker now."'
said Hardaway. "I thought he was joking.
"When we got to the arena, the first question a guy asked me was, 'How
does it feel not having Shaquille as a teammate?' Instead of me
embarrassing myself, I just said, 'If that's the case, I wish him good
luck.' But I was shocked."
No more shocked than Anderson was to hear how O'Neal had singled him
out for criticism after leaving. O'Neal complained that Anderson was
not content with being a role player, to deferring to him and
Hardaway. He said Anderson wanted more touches of the ball and more
recognition.
Asked on Tuesday if he had talked to Anderson since, O'Neal said, no.
Asked if he would speak to him before the game, he said: "Probably
not. Hi, maybe. But that's it. I never had no hard feelings. I just
said what I had to say. I never have hard feelings toward another
man."
Unless that man is Anderson. Shaq's true feelings came out later
Tuesday, when asked if he's leading as much with his voice as his play
this season.
"I used to be a lead-by-example guy, but now I'm doing a little bit of
both," he said. "We agreed that if we got on each other, nobody would
take it personal. I've been on teams where you would yell at somebody
and they would take it personal. They would go crying to coach."
Despite saying he didn't want fan any flames of emotion, O'Neal
offered the following:
--Is he still friends with Magic players and management? "Some
players, yeah. The management, who cares? As long as Jerry West likes
me, fine."
--Does he follow the Magic from afar? "I'm just concerned about this
team, what this team does ... Being a player -- and being a selfish
player -- I want to see all other teams do bad except this team.
Nothing personal. Just business."
--Any regrets about his decision? "I think I did a professional job
while I was in Orlando. I realize that when I get older, I probably
won't get this opportunity again. So, in life, you have to take
advantage of the good opportunities. That's what I did. I took the
best deal."
--Will Forum fans boo the Magic? "I would like them to."
Though tonight's game offers a legitimate story line, the real story
will come March 23, when O'Neal plays in Orlando as a Laker for the
first time.
"I'll probably get booed, get ice thrown at me, tissue thrown at me,"
he said. "But I'm used to it."
For now, though, fans will have to settle for Act I. But with or
without Hardaway ... and Anderson?
"It would have been so hyped if I played," said Hardaway, on Monday.
"It would have been unbelievable. This would have been one of the
greatest games and greatest matchups ever.
"If I had played, I would have been determined not to let us lose that
game. I just would not let us lose. But with me, Dennis and Nick out,
it's not going to be the same type of game."
That was before the Magic scored 57 points. The next day, Hardaway was
placed on the active list. The next day? Perhaps the Magic finally
becomes Penny's team.
nba.1980nba.news,
Scheffler wishes he was on the court
SEATTLE (Dec 6, 1996 - 06:24 EST) -- Steve Scheffler watched the
Seattle SuperSonics lose to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, with
Jim McIlvaine and Shawn Kemp fouling out in the final five minutes,
and pondered his fate.
"You watch the Lakers game and (the Sonics) are definitely depleted
foul-wise and it's frustrating," said Scheffler, the 6-foot, 9-inch
reserve center who has been on the injured reserve list all season
with a damaged plantar faciaitis of his right foot, the tendon that
connects the heel to the rest of the foot.
Sonics coach George Karl has mentioned several times that the timing
couldn't be worse for Scheffler, who would probably be seeing some
regular, though limited, playing time for the first time in his career
due to the team's lack of depth up front.
But Scheffler said his religious faith has him realizing that he could
be a lot worse off.
"It's more peaceful when you step back and say 'I'm not in control of
it,' and give it over to do and say, 'here's what I'm supposed to do
as far as treatment,' and then let it go," Scheffler said.
So that's what Scheffler has done, showing up early for every game for
treatment and shooting practice, then putting on street clothes come
game time, unsure when he will come back.
"It's still a wait-and-see thing right now," said Scheffler, who last
summer signed a two-year contract with the Sonics, the first
multi-year deal of his seven-year NBA career.
KARL BETTER: Karl returned to the Sonics bench Thursday night after
missing the loss to the Lakers with the flu.
"I'm over the symptoms, although I'm still a little weak," he said. "I
don't have much energy. But all the drugs are out of me and I'm
focused and ready to go."
Karl was forced to listen to the Lakers game on radio because the team
hotel didn't get the cable station that carries all Lakers home games.
"I got up out of bed when we got that one-point lead right at the
end," Karl said. "I really wanted to see the next possession or two."
MCMILLAN UPDATE: Guard Nate McMillan missed his 15th game Thursday
with a pulled groin, but might be able to return for the Sonics'
three-game road trip that begins Monday in Philadelphia.
There has been some sports radio speculation that McMillan ought to
sit out the season and get ready for the playoffs, but Karl said
"that's not even a question in my mind."
KEEP THE KNIVES AWAY: Karl has shaken his head at many things he's
seen so far in this strange NBA season, most recently Orlando managing
only 57 points in a loss to Cleveland Tuesday night.
"If my team scored 57 points, I'd be suicidal," Karl said. "I don't
care how good a defense you are playing against. You've got to
penetrate the ball and rebound the ball and get some turnovers at some
point in the game."
nba.1981vpoznanovic,
Saturday, December 7
Charlotte at Seattle 94:92
Detroit at New Jersey 95:69
L.A. Clippers at New York 80:89
Miami at Chicago 83:80
Milwaukee at Washington 126:118
Philadelphia at Houston 108:123
Toronto at Atlanta 75:101
Utah at Denver 104:91
Vancouver at Dallas 85:96
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
CHARLOTTE 29 29 20 16 94
SEATTLE 27 31 24 10 92 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: CHA - GLEN RICE 22, DELL CURRY 21, ANTHONY MASON 17
SEA - SHAWN KEMP 28, GARY PAYTON 25, DETLEF SCHREMPF 11
HIGH REBOUND: CHA - ANTHONY MASON 10, VLADE DIVAC 9
SEA - SHAWN KEMP 10, DETLEF SCHREMPF 8
HIGH ASSISTS: CHA - ANTHONY MASON 7, ANTHONY GOLDWIRE 5
SEA - GARY PAYTON 9, HERSEY HAWKINS 5
ATT: 17,072
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
DETROIT 20 24 29 22 95
NEW JERSEY 21 15 17 16 69 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: DET - LINDSEY HUNTER 17, TERRY MILLS 16, JOE DUMARS 13
NJN - SHAWN BRADLEY 22, KENDALL GILL 14, KERRY KITTLES 11
HIGH REBOUND: DET - THEO RATLIFF 8, TERRY MILLS 6
NJN - JAYSON WILLIAMS 17, KERRY KITTLES 5
HIGH ASSISTS: DET - GRANT HILL 6, TWO PLAYERS WITH 3
NJN - ROBERT PACK 11, THREE PLAYERS WITH 2
ATT: 12,018
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
LA CLIPPERS 8 33 27 12 80
NEW YORK 25 27 12 25 89 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: LAC - LAMOND MURRAY 18, MALIK SEALY 13, RODNEY ROGERS 12
NYK - PATRICK EWING 28, ALLAN HOUSTON 14, BUCK WILLIAMS 12
HIGH REBOUND: LAC - LOY VAUGHT 7, MALIK SEALY 6
NYK - CHARLES OAKLEY 14, PATRICK EWING 13
HIGH ASSISTS: LAC - FOUR PLAYERS WITH 3
NYK - CHRIS CHILDS 5, TWO PLAYERS WITH 4
ATT: 19,763
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
MIAMI 22 16 27 18 83
CHICAGO 19 17 25 19 80 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: MIA - ALONZO MOURNING 20, TIM HARDAWAY 16, PJ BROWN 14
CHI - MICHAEL JORDAN 37, SCOTTIE PIPPEN 14, TONI KUKOC 11
HIGH REBOUND: MIA - PJ BROWN 14, ALONZO MOURNING 9
CHI - DENNIS RODMAN 18, MICHAEL JORDAN 9
HIGH ASSISTS: MIA - TIM HARDAWAY 5, DAN MAJERLE 3
CHI - SCOTTIE PIPPEN 5, MICHAEL JORDAN 3
ATT: 23,861
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
MILWAUKEE 33 26 33 34 126
WASHINGTON 30 24 23 41 118 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: MIL - GLENN ROBINSON 44, VIN BAKER 36, SHERMAN DOUGLAS 15
WAS - CHRIS WEBBER 26, CALBERT CHEANEY 21, TRACY MURRAY 16
HIGH REBOUND: MIL - VIN BAKER 12, GLENN ROBINSON 7
WAS - CHRIS WEBBER 9, GHEORGHE MURESAN 7
HIGH ASSISTS: MIL - SHERMAN DOUGLAS 7, GLENN ROBINSON 6
WAS - ROD STRICKLAND 14, JUWAN HOWARD 5
ATT: 18,756
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
PHILADELPHIA 32 21 18 37 108
HOUSTON 35 25 25 38 123 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: PHI - ALLEN IVERSON 35, JERRY STACKHOUSE 22, DERRICK
COLEMAN 15
HOU - CHARLES BARKLEY 21, MATT MALONEY 21, KEVIN WILLIS 16
HIGH REBOUND: PHI - SCOTT WILLIAMS 11, MARK DAVIS 10
HOU - KEVIN WILLIS 11, TWO PLAYERS WITH 9
HIGH ASSISTS: PHI - MARK DAVIS 6, TWO PLAYERS WITH 4
HOU - CHARLES BARKLEY 10, MATT MALONEY 9
ATT: 16,285
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
TORONTO 19 19 18 19 75
ATLANTA 21 20 26 34 101 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: TOR - WALT WILLIAMS 17, DAMON STOUDAMIRE 14, POPEYE JONES
10
ATL - STEVE SMITH 22, CHRISTIAN LAETTNER 21, MOOKIE BLAYLOCK
15
HIGH REBOUND: TOR - POPEYE JONES 10, WALT WILLIAMS 6
ATL - IVANO NEWBILL 15, CHRISTIAN LAETTNER 9
HIGH ASSISTS: TOR - DAMON STOUDAMIRE 3, DOUG CHRISTIE 3
ATL - STEVE SMITH 5, MOOKIE BLAYLOCK 5
ATT: 11,422
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
UTAH 30 25 31 18 104
DENVER 23 25 17 26 91 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: UTH - KARL MALONE 21, JOHN STOCKTON 18, JEFF HORNACEK 18
DEN - DALE ELLIS 19, ANTONIO MCDYESS 16, TWO PLAYERS WITH
14
HIGH REBOUND: UTH - KARL MALONE 9, BRYON RUSSELL 7
DEN - DALE ELLIS 8, TOM HAMMONDS 8
HIGH ASSISTS: UTH - JOHN STOCKTON 12, KARL MALONE 5
DEN - MARK JACKSON 13, BROOKS THOMPSON 5
ATT: 12,837
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
VANCOUVER 27 22 17 19 85
DALLAS 31 23 24 18 96 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: VAN - ANTHONY PEELER 16, GEORGE LYNCH 15, LEE MAYBERRY 11
DAL - DEREK HARPER 20, JIM JACKSON 16, CHRIS GATLING 15
HIGH REBOUND: VAN - GEORGE LYNCH 9, SHAREEF ABDUR-RAHIM 7
DAL - OLIVER MILLER 10, ERIC MONTROSS 8
HIGH ASSISTS: VAN - BRYANT REEVES 4, FIVE PLAYERS WITH 2
DAL - JASON KIDD 9, JIM JACKSON 6
ATT: 15,102
nba.1982nba.news,
CHARLOTTE (94) AT SEATTLE (92)
CHARLOTTE
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
MASON F 48 8-15 1-2 5 5 10 7 3 1 3 17
RICE F 40 8-16 2-2 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 22
DIVAC C 44 4-10 5-8 1 8 9 2 3 5 5 13
GOLDWIRE G 22 2-7 2-2 0 1 1 5 3 1 2 8
CURRY G 40 8-17 1-2 2 1 3 2 3 3 0 21
BURRELL 17 1-3 0-0 0 3 3 1 2 0 0 2
SMITH 26 4-6 1-1 0 0 0 2 3 1 3 11
ZIDEK 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
BOGUES DNP - LEFT KNEE TENDINITIS
DELK DNP - COACH'S DECISION
GEIGER DNP - SORE RIGHT HEEL
ROSE DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 35-74 12-17 9 19 28 21 20 13 14 94
(.473) (.706) TEAM REBS: 6 TOTAL TO: 15(10 PTS)
SEATTLE
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
KEMP F 42 9-12 10-11 0 10 10 0 5 1 2 28
D SCHREMPF F 36 4-9 2-2 2 6 8 3 3 2 4 11
MCILVAINE C 23 4-5 0-0 1 6 7 0 4 0 0 8
PAYTON G 41 10-21 4-4 1 0 1 9 0 4 1 25
HAWKINS G 33 3-9 2-3 2 3 5 5 2 1 5 8
PERKINS 25 3-11 0-1 1 1 2 4 0 2 3 6
STEWART 8 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0
EHLO 18 2-4 0-0 1 2 3 0 0 0 2 4
SNOW 14 1-2 0-0 2 1 3 4 1 1 1 2
GRAHAM DNP - COACH'S DECISION
HARVEY DNP - COACH'S DECISION
WINGATE DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 36-73 18-21 10 30 40 25 16 11 18 92
(.493) (.857) TEAM REBS: 10 TOTAL TO: 20(22 PTS)
CHARLOTTE 29 29 20 16 - 94
SEATTLE 27 31 24 10 - 92
BLOCKED SHOTS: CHARLOTTE - MASON. SEATTLE - D SCHREMPF, MCILVAINE,
STEWART.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: CHARLOTTE 12-24 (.500), RICE 4-5, DIVAC 0-2, GOLDWIRE
2-5, CURRY 4-10, SMITH 2-2. SEATTLE 2-13 (.154), D SCHREMPF 1-2, PAYTON
1-3, HAWKINS 0-3, PERKINS 0-5.
TECHNICALS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: JESS KERSEY, SCOTT FOSTER, RON OLESIAK.
A - 17,072. T - 2:13.
CHARLOTTE (94) AT SEATTLE (92)
Tony Smith's steal and breakaway layup with 4.3 seconds left
lifted the Charlotte Hornets a 94-92 victory over the Seattle
SuperSonics and a sweep of the season series for second time in
three years.
With seven seconds left, Seattle forward Detlef Schrempf tried
to inbound from midcourt to Gary Payton, but Smith stole the
pass and cruised in for the go-ahead basket.
"When Detlef threw the ball in, I didn't even think he was going
to throw it because I was on him so tight," Smith said. "He
probably thought we were not going to gamble, it really wasn't a
gamble."
"I was just trying to get Gary the ball in the middle and have
him run a play down the middle," Schrempf said. "I thought he
was open, but apparently he wasn't. We just didn't come to the
ball, it's that simple. The last minute, we need to get the
ball inbounds and then worry about what play we are going to
run."
After a timeout, the SuperSonics again tried to inbound from
midcourt, but were twice forced to call timouts as the Hornets
denied the pass. Shawn Kemp finally took a pass and Charlotte's
Anthony Mason committed a non-shooting foul with 3.1 seconds to
go. Detlef Schrempf received a second inbound pass but his
corner jumper was long and time expired.
"I just think the passing decisions in the fourth quarter killed
us," Seattle coach George Karl said. "We gave them the lead back
with our bad decisions."
Smith scored 11 points for Charlotte, which held Seattle without
a point for the final 3:47 and ended a three-game losing streak.
The Hornets, who beat the Sonics on November 26th, also swept
the two-game series in the 1994-95 season.
Kemp had 28 points and 10 rebounds for Seattle, which has lost
three of its last four overall and dropped to 5-3 at home. Last
season, the Sonics were 38-3 at home.
A jumper by Kemp with 3:47 to go gave Seattle a 92-87 lead, but
Glen Rice dunked with three minutes left and Vlade Divac had a
three-point play that tied it with 2:34 remaining. Rice scored
22 points and Divac had seven of his 13 in the final period.
"You win with your defense and lose with your defense," Divac
said. "We knew that this game was critical and we decided at
halftime that we had to step it up a notch."
Gary Payton scored 14 of his 25 points in the third quarter as
Seattle opened an 82-78 lead. But Charlotte scored the first
five points of the fourth quarter, taking an 83-82 edge on two
free throws by Anthony Goldwire with 10:11 left. A jumper by
Craig Ehlo reclaimed the lead for Seattle, which didn't trail
again until Smith's basket.
Dell Curry scored 21 points and Anthony Mason added 17, 10
rebounds and seven assists for the Hornets, who shot 47 percent
(35-of-74) from the field and 12-of-24 from three-point range.
Detlef Schrempf scored 11 points and Payton handed out nine
assists for the Sonics, who shot 49 percent (36-of-73) and held
a 40-28 rebounding advantage. Seattle scored just 10 points in
the fourth quarter.
"Holding a team like Seattle to 10 points in the fourth quarter
is pretty amazing," Hornets coach Dave Cowens said.
Rice scored 17 points in the first half, which ended in a 58-58
tie.
nba.1983nba.news,
DETROIT (95) AT NEW JERSEY (69)
DETROIT
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
HILL F 32 5-11 2-2 0 4 4 6 3 1 1 12
LONG F 18 2-8 0-0 2 3 5 0 1 2 1 4
THORPE C 26 3-8 0-0 4 1 5 0 2 0 3 6
DUMARS G 26 4-6 1-2 2 0 2 1 0 2 3 13
HUNTER G 30 7-15 2-2 2 3 5 3 1 0 0 17
RATLIFF 16 1-2 3-4 3 5 8 0 1 0 0 5
CURRY 24 4-7 0-0 0 2 2 0 2 1 0 9
MILLS 22 6-11 0-0 1 5 6 2 1 1 2 16
GREEN 19 2-4 0-4 0 0 0 3 1 2 0 4
REID 9 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2
MAHORN 11 0-3 0-0 0 2 2 0 1 0 1 0
AUGMON 7 2-5 3-3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 7
TOTALS 240 37-82 11-17 14 26 40 15 14 9 11 95
(.451) (.647) TEAM REBS: 9 TOTAL TO: 11(9 PTS)
NEW JERSEY
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
J WILLIAMS F 36 2-11 1-2 7 10 17 1 3 1 1 5
GILL F 35 7-11 0-0 0 4 4 2 3 2 5 14
BRADLEY C 34 9-16 4-4 0 4 4 0 1 0 4 22
PACK G 35 1-5 0-0 0 1 1 11 4 3 5 3
KITTLES G 42 4-11 2-4 1 4 5 2 1 0 2 11
MASSENBURG 19 3-4 1-2 2 1 3 0 3 0 3 7
OBANNON 12 2-7 0-0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 5
REEVES 15 1-4 0-0 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 2
CALDWELL 7 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0
DARE 5 0-2 0-0 1 2 3 0 2 0 0 0
R WILLIAMS DNP - LEFT ANKLE STRESS FRACTURE
TOTALS 240 29-72 8-12 11 29 40 19 19 6 20 69
(.403) (.667) TEAM REBS: 9 TOTAL TO: 20(15 PTS)
DETROIT 20 24 29 22 - 95
NEW JERSEY 21 15 17 16 - 69
BLOCKED SHOTS: DETROIT - RATLIFF 2, REID, HILL, HUNTER. NEW JERSEY -
BRADLEY 5, GILL, KITTLES, DARE.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: DETROIT 10-20 (.500), LONG 0-1, DUMARS 4-4, HUNTER 1-2,
CURRY 1-3, MILLS 4-8, GREEN 0-1, MAHORN 0-1. NEW JERSEY 3-13 (.231), GILL
0-1, BRADLEY 0-1, PACK 1-3, KITTLES 1-3, OBANNON 1-4, REEVES 0-1.
TECHNICALS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: RON GARRETSON, TED BERNHARDT, KEVIN FEHR.
A - 12,018. T - 1:52.
DETROIT (95) AT NEW JERSEY (69)
Terry Mills tied an NBA record for consecutive three-pointers
and keyed a first-half run as the Detroit Pistons shut down the
New Jersey Nets, 95-69, for their fourth straight win.
Mills made his first three-pointer to extend his streak to 13,
matching the record set last season by Brent Price, who played
for the Washington Bullets. Mills was 4-of-8 from beyond the
arc, including two during a 19-2 burst across the first two
quarters that gave the Pistons the lead for good.
"I just wanted to continue to play the way I was playing," Mills
said. "If I hit it, I hit it. I didn't feel any pressure."
Lindsey Hunter scored 17 points and Mills added 16 for Detroit
(15-3), which extended the best start in franchise history.
Shawn Bradley scored 22 points and Kendall Gill added 14 for the
Nets, who have lost seven straight games to Detroit. New Jersey
was limited to 33 points in the second half and their lowest
total since a franchise-low 68 points against Utah on November
27th, 1989.
"There are barriers we have to break," Nets coach John Calipari
said. "One of them are road games and close games. We played an
outstanding team. It's a process, how we are going to play
against the league's top teams."
Mills entered the game with 2:31 left in the first quarter and
tied the record 21 seconds later. He began the streak Wednesday
when he made his last six three-pointers against Atlanta and was
6-of-6 against Cleveland on Friday. Price made 13 consecutive
three-pointers from January 15th-19th, 1996.
"Coming off the bench, I'm one of the main guys to get things
going," Mills said. "I figured if I was going to make it, why
not shoot from the old line."
Mills missed his next attempt from behind the arc and a jumper
by Jayson Williams gave New Jersey a 21-17 lead. But Mills
triggered Detroit's decisive run with his second three-pointer.
Another three-pointer by Mills gave Detroit a 26-21 lead and
Grant Hill made three straight baskets, boosting the lead to
30-23. A layup by Litterial Green capped the burst at 36-23
with 5:29 left in the first half.
"We trust one another on defense," said Mills, a former Net. "If
a guy steps up, I'm going to take his man. We're playing help
defense. In the past, I played on teams where the attitude was,
'I'm not leaving my man, he might score.'"
The Nets closed to 44-36 at halftime and pulled within two
points on a jumper by Bradley with 8:05 left in the third
quarter. But New Jersey managed just seven points the rest of
the period while Dumars had 10, helping Detroit open a 73-53
lead entering the fourth quarter.
The Pistons opened their largest lead at 95-65 on a basket by
Stacey Augmon with 1:15 remaining. Tony Massenburg had a pair
of baskets in the final 48 seconds as the Nets avoided their
worst offensive game since joining the NBA in 1976.
Hill had 12 points and six assists for the Pistons, who were
10-of-20 from three-point range and a sizzling 32-of-54 (59
percent) from behind the arc in their last three games.
"What a great feeling it is to watch your players, regardless of
who you play, (play) with this energy," Pistons coach Doug
Collins said. "Congratulations to Terry Mills. Our guys had a
great week."
Rookie Kerry Kittles scored 11 points and Robert Pack handed out
11 assists for the Nets, who were 3-of-13 from three-point
range. Williams grabbed 17 rebounds and has 71 in his last four
games.
nba.1984nba.news,
LA CLIPPERS (80) AT NEW YORK (89)
LA CLIPPERS
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
VAUGHT F 22 3-9 2-2 5 2 7 0 4 0 2 8
ROGERS F 44 4-16 4-6 1 4 5 3 3 0 2 12
WRIGHT C 14 2-5 0-0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 4
RICHARDSON G 42 5-15 0-0 2 1 3 3 2 3 1 11
DEHERE G 8 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0
SEALY 40 3-13 6-7 0 6 6 1 2 1 1 13
MURRAY 33 6-10 4-8 0 5 5 3 1 1 4 18
OUTLAW 30 4-6 3-4 2 2 4 0 6 2 1 11
D MARTIN 6 1-2 1-2 0 1 1 3 0 0 0 3
BARRY 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DUCKWORTH DNP - COACH'S DECISION
ROBERTS DNP - RUPTURED DISK IN LOWER BACK
TOTALS 240 28-78 20-29 11 21 32 13 22 7 12 80
(.359) (.690) TEAM REBS: 17 TOTAL TO: 15(15 PTS)
NEW YORK
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
WALLACE F 16 3-3 0-2 2 3 5 0 3 1 1 6
OAKLEY F 42 2-7 0-0 6 8 14 4 3 1 1 4
EWING C 40 12-19 4-6 3 10 13 0 3 0 7 28
HOUSTON G 33 4-16 6-6 2 3 5 4 5 0 0 14
CHILDS G 34 3-10 1-2 0 0 0 5 3 1 3 7
MCCARTY 19 3-6 1-1 2 3 5 2 0 0 2 7
STARKS 19 3-6 0-0 0 1 1 1 3 0 3 8
WARD 14 1-3 1-1 0 1 1 3 4 0 2 3
B WILLIAMS 23 5-9 2-4 4 6 10 2 1 1 2 12
BROOKS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
H WILLIAMS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
JOHNSON DNP - SUSPENDED BY LEAGUE
TOTALS 240 36-79 15-22 19 35 54 21 25 4 21 89
(.456) (.682) TEAM REBS: 6 TOTAL TO: 21(26 PTS)
LA CLIPPERS 8 33 27 12 - 80
NEW YORK 25 27 12 25 - 89
BLOCKED SHOTS: LA CLIPPERS - MURRAY 2, OUTLAW, ROGERS. NEW YORK - EWING,
HOUSTON, MCCARTY, B WILLIAMS.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: LA CLIPPERS 4-15 (.267), ROGERS 0-2, RICHARDSON 1-5,
DEHERE 0-2, SEALY 1-4, MURRAY 2-2. NEW YORK 2-17 (.118), OAKLEY 0-1,
HOUSTON 0-5, CHILDS 0-4, MCCARTY 0-1, STARKS 2-4, WARD 0-2.
TECHNICALS: LA CLIPPERS - OUTLAW, NEW YORK - ILLEGAL DEFENSE, STARKS.
OFFICIALS: BILL SPOONER, SEAN CORBIN, MIKE MATHIS.
A - 19,763. T - 2:19.
LA CLIPPERS (80) AT NEW YORK (89)
Patrick Ewing scored 28 points and converted a key three-point
play with just over two minutes left as the New York Knicks
squandered a huge first-half lead but rallied to defeat the Los
Angeles Clippers, 89-80.
Allan Houston, who had 14 points, snapped a 78-78 tie with a
jump shot with 2:46 to play. Ewing followed with a driving
basket and was fouled. He converted the free throw for an 83-78
lead with 2:01 to go.
Loy Vaught hit a pair of free throws with 98 seconds left, and
after a Knicks' miss, Malik Sealy missed a three-point attempt
that would have knotted the score. Chris Childs then hit a
basket with 50 seconds left to seal the win.
"They had a big stop and then Houston hit the jumper that took
the wind out of us," Sealy said. "We just needed to carry it
out and we weren't able to do it."
"We didn't have the killer instinct tonight and didn't challenge
their shots like we did earlier in the game," said Childs. "We
played the last five minutes real well."
The victory allowed New York, which has won three straight
games, to avoid the embarrassment of blowing a 23-point
second-quarter lead. Charles Oakley added 14 rebounds for the
Knicks, who have won five straight against the Clippers.
Lamond Murray scored 18 points and Sealy added 13 for Los
Angeles, which led 78-76 in the final four minutes but saw New
York close the game with a 13-2 run.
"It was a tough game for us because we were playing for the
fourth time in five days," Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "I
was proud of my team, the way we hung in there against a team
that played very hard. A lot of teams would have folded down
25-8. That is a credit to their team and coach (Bill) Fitch."
"They made five of their last six shots," Fitch said. "If
Sealy's three-pointer goes in, it's a tie game and everybody is
happy. So it misses and we still have 59 seconds to go. That
broke our backs."
New York held Los Angeles to eight points in the opening
quarter, the lowest point total in any quarter by any opponent
in the history of the current Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks led 34-11 with 9:09 to go in the first half, but the
Clippers rallied within 11 by halftime. Los Angeles turned up
the defense in the third quarter, limiting New York to just 12
points.
Leading 68-64 entering the fourth quarter, the Clippers actually
extended their lead to 75-68 with 9:13 left in regulation. But
the Knicks used a 10-3 run to knot the game, 78-78.
nba.1985nba.news,
MIAMI (83) AT CHICAGO (80)
MIAMI
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
MAJERLE F 42 5-15 0-0 3 3 6 3 4 0 0 13
BROWN F 43 3-12 5-6 8 6 14 2 3 1 0 11
MOURNING C 33 5-15 10-14 3 6 9 0 4 1 4 20
ASKINS G 33 1-5 0-0 0 3 3 0 3 0 0 3
HARDAWAY G 38 7-18 0-0 0 5 5 5 0 0 2 16
AUSTIN 23 5-6 0-0 3 2 5 0 2 0 1 10
LENARD 18 2-6 2-2 0 1 1 1 2 3 0 7
GRANT 10 1-2 1-1 0 2 2 1 1 0 1 3
DANILOVIC DNP - STRAINED RIGHT CALF
PINCKNEY DNP - COACH'S DECISION
SCOTT DNP - COACH'S DECISION
STRICKLAND DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 29-79 18-23 17 28 45 12 19 5 8 83
(.367) (.783) TEAM REBS: 9 TOTAL TO: 8(10 PTS)
CHICAGO
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
PIPPEN F 40 5-12 2-2 0 4 4 5 4 1 2 14
RODMAN F 38 2-7 0-0 7 11 18 2 5 1 1 4
WENNINGTON C 13 2-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 4
HARPER G 20 2-5 0-0 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 6
JORDAN G 42 16-30 5-6 1 8 9 3 1 0 0 37
KUKOC 27 4-13 2-2 3 1 4 1 0 0 1 11
CAFFEY 18 0-3 0-0 2 3 5 0 4 1 3 0
BROWN 12 1-3 0-1 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 2
KERR 19 1-3 0-0 1 0 1 2 1 0 1 2
PARISH 11 0-1 0-0 1 1 2 0 0 0 1 0
BUECHLER DNP - COACH'S DECISION
SIMPKINS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 33-79 9-11 15 29 44 17 19 3 10 80
(.418) (.818) TEAM REBS: 5 TOTAL TO: 11(14 PTS)
MIAMI 22 16 27 18 - 83
CHICAGO 19 17 25 19 - 80
BLOCKED SHOTS: MIAMI - MOURNING, AUSTIN. CHICAGO - CAFFEY 3, PIPPEN 2,
RODMAN, KUKOC, KERR, PARISH, BUECHLER.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: MIAMI 7-21 (.333), MAJERLE 3-10, ASKINS 1-2, HARDAWAY
2-6, LENARD 1-2, GRANT 0-1. CHICAGO 5-15 (.333), PIPPEN 2-4, HARPER 2-2,
JORDAN 0-3, KUKOC 1-5, KERR 0-1.
TECHNICALS: CHICAGO - RODMAN.
OFFICIALS: JIM KINSEY, DAN CRAWFORD, BOB DELANEY.
A - 23,861. T - 2:11.
MIAMI (83) AT CHICAGO (80)
Dan Majerle drilled a three-pointer with 1.9 seconds remaining
to lift the Miami Heat to their 10th win in 11 games, an 83-80
victory over the Chicago Bulls in a showdown of division
leaders.
Michael Jordan tied the game at 80-80 on a jumper with 2:02 to
go, preceding Majerle's heroics. Miami's Tim Hardaway received
the inbounds pass and penetrated the lane to draw defenders
before kicking the ball out to the left wing to Majerle, who hit
the jumper from 24 feet.
"It was a great call by coach (Pat) Riley (because) he thought
their defense would key on Alonzo and Hardaway and they did,"
Majerle stated. "Timmy started out with the ball...kicked it
back to me and I was wide open. That's how I've made my living
in the NBA. If I have an open shot, I'm going to take it."
Alonzo Mourning scored 20 points, Hardaway added 16 points and
P.J. Brown had 11 and 14 rebounds for Miami, which improved to
10-2 on the road and beat Chicago for the second time in the
last seven meetings.
"This was a huge game for us," Mourning said. "It proved if you
worked hard, good things are going to happen to you. We just
outworked the world champions tonight, that's why we won."
Majerle finished with 13 points for the Heat, who maintained
their two-game lead over the New York Knicks in the Atlantic
Division.
Jordan made 16-of-30 shots from the field and scored 37 points.
Scottie Pippen was held to 14 and Toni Kukoc had 11 for Chicago,
which had a five-game winning streak snapped and dropped to
17-2.
"We had our chances to win, but we never really got into the
flow of it tonight," Jordan said. "We haven't had a game like
this all year. What it shows is that we have a lot of room for
improvement. There are no excuses. We didn't play well and we
were the better rested team. They just had more intensity than
us and wanted it more than we did."
"We just can't stand around and watch Michael play," added Steve
Kerr of his mesmerizing teammate. "That's what we did tonight.
The bench didn't do anything and when we get into a game like
this, there is a chance we'll lose. There was no flow to our
game."
Dennis Rodman grabbed 18 rebounds for the Central
Division-leading Bulls, who lost just two home games all last
season.
The Bulls lost for just the sixth time in 33 regular-season
meetings with the Heat. Chicago also is 6-0 against Miami in a
pair of playoff series.
Mourning made one free throw to give Miami a 76-69 lead midway
through the fourth quarter before the Bulls began chipping away.
Jordan hit a 19-footer and sank a pair of free throws to ignite
a 9-1 run. Kukoc added a three-pointer and Jordan's 15-footer
allowed Chicago to overtake Miami at 78-77 with 3:27 to go.
But Majerle provided a preview of things to come with a
three-pointer for an 80-78 lead with 3:02 to go.
The Bulls, who entered the game averaging a league-best 104.3
points, were held to 42 percent shooting (33-of-79) from the
field and outscored 32-18 in the paint. Pippen and Kukoc were a
combined 9-of-25 from the field.
Isaac Austin scored 10 points for Miami, which won despite
shooting 37 percent (29-of-79). The game included just 19
turnovers.
nba.1986nba.news,
MILWAUKEE (126) AT WASHINGTON (118)
MILWAUKEE
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
BAKER F 43 12-17 12-12 5 7 12 3 3 1 7 36
ROBINSON F 40 16-23 10-11 1 6 7 6 3 1 5 44
LANG C 21 3-9 0-0 1 5 6 1 1 0 0 6
ALLEN G 29 4-11 4-4 3 3 6 3 3 0 1 12
DOUGLAS G 39 7-10 0-0 5 1 6 7 4 1 4 15
NEWMAN 24 1-3 3-5 0 1 1 0 2 2 1 5
BROWN 16 3-4 0-0 2 2 4 2 3 0 0 6
GILLIAM 19 1-4 0-1 0 4 4 1 3 1 0 2
PERRY 9 0-3 0-0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
WOLF DNP - COACH'S DECISION
WOOD DNP - COACH'S DECISION
RESPERT DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 47-84 29-33 17 29 46 25 22 6 18 126
(.560) (.879) TEAM REBS: 6 TOTAL TO: 18(28 PTS)
WASHINGTON
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
HOWARD F 38 4-12 4-4 3 3 6 5 4 2 2 12
WEBBER F 40 13-22 0-5 3 6 9 1 5 0 2 26
MURESAN C 24 3-4 2-3 0 7 7 0 2 0 1 8
CHEANEY G 36 8-13 5-5 0 1 1 2 4 2 2 21
STRICKLAND G 37 6-17 3-4 2 0 2 14 1 2 0 15
GRANT 21 2-4 3-4 2 2 4 2 4 2 1 8
WHITNEY 15 3-4 0-0 0 0 0 3 1 2 1 8
MURRAY 21 6-8 1-1 1 0 1 1 4 0 1 16
JACKSON 8 1-1 2-2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 4
FISH DNP - COACH'S DECISION
WALLACE DNP - COACH'S DECISION
AMAYA DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 46-85 20-28 11 19 30 28 25 11 11 118
(.541) (.714) TEAM REBS: 6 TOTAL TO: 11(16 PTS)
MILWAUKEE 33 26 33 34 - 126
WASHINGTON 30 24 23 41 - 118
BLOCKED SHOTS: MILWAUKEE - LANG 2, BROWN, NEWMAN, ROBINSON. WASHINGTON -
WEBBER 2, MURESAN, CHEANEY, WHITNEY.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: MILWAUKEE 3-12 (.250), BAKER 0-1, ROBINSON 2-4, ALLEN
0-3, DOUGLAS 1-2, PERRY 0-2. WASHINGTON 6-10 (.600), CHEANEY 0-1,
STRICKLAND 0-2, GRANT 1-1, WHITNEY 2-2, MURRAY 3-4.
TECHNICALS: WASHINGTON - ILLEGAL DEFENSE.
OFFICIALS: ED MIDDLETON, BRUCE ALEXANDER, BLANE REICHELT.
A - 18,756. T - 2:09.
MILWAUKEE (126) AT WASHINGTON (118)
Glenn Robinson poured in a career-high 44 points and Vin Baker
added a season-best 36 to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 126-118
victory over the Washington Bullets.
Sherman Douglas chipped in 15 points and seven assists for
Milwaukee, which had dropped seven of its last 10 games after a
5-1 start. The Bucks won for just the second time in the last
six meetings with the Bullets and triumphed at Washington for
the first time in four trips.
"They (Bullets) didn't pressure them (Robinson and Baker) and
gave them shots," said Bucks coach Chris Ford. "They solidified
the win for us. They just didn't miss."
Chris Webber recorded 26 points and nine rebounds and Calbert
Cheaney added a season-high 21 points for Washington, which has
lost four straight games. Rod Strickland contributed 15 points
and a season-high 14 assists.
Baker and Robinson each scored 19 points as Milwaukee led 59-54
at the half. The margin was still five points with 6:10 left in
the third quarter before the Bucks closed the period with a 16-6
run. Douglas netted six points and Robinson had five in the
spurt that made 92-77 heading into the fourth.
"This is the first time we (he and Robinson) ever played like
this that I can remember," said Baker, who made all 12 free
throw attempts. "It was scary. Something was bound to happen
tonight, that's what I felt. We just stuck together in the
fourth. I think the bench played excellent, they backed us up
big time."
Washington responded with a 15-2 burst to start the quarter.
Tracy Murray had 11 in the run, including a three-pointer with
9:26 remaining that cut it to 94-92.
A three-pointer by Chris Whitney closed the gap to 105-104 with
6:07 to play, but Baker would have five points in a 9-1 surge
that boosted the score to 119-109 with 2:31 left.
"We played incredibly hard trying to get back into this game,"
said Washington coach Jim Lynam. "We have to focus on the
rebounds. We did not do that tonight. Those two guys (Robinson
and Baker) offensively are very, very good. We have experienced
the one-two punch before and they did a fantastic job."
Baker grabbed 12 rebounds and Robinson had seven as the Bucks
won the battle of the boards, 46-30. Milwaukee shot 56 percent
(47-of-84) from the floor and 88 percent (29-of-33) from the
foul line.
Robinson misplaced his jersey before the game and had to wear
one without his name on it.
"I was nervous, I never wore another jersey number since high
school. Our momentum was good, we never put numbers up like
that. It was nice. I just hope this isn't the first time this
is going to happen. Our defense slacked late, but give credit
to Sherman for getting this team going again."
nba.1987nba.news,
PHILADELPHIA (108) AT HOUSTON (123)
PHILADELPHIA
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
WEATHERSPOON F 36 2-8 7-7 1 4 5 1 1 1 0 11
COLEMAN F 31 4-9 6-9 2 3 5 4 3 2 2 15
WILLIAMS C 25 2-6 0-0 4 7 11 1 4 2 0 4
STACKHOUSE G 33 8-20 4-4 2 4 6 2 4 0 2 22
IVERSON G 39 11-25 7-12 2 5 7 4 4 0 5 35
CAGE 20 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0
DAVIS 28 6-13 1-2 6 4 10 6 4 2 2 14
WALTERS 22 2-4 1-2 3 1 4 1 1 0 1 7
OVERTON 4 0-3 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 0
HENDRICKSON 1 0-2 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
BRADTKE 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
HARRIS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 35-92 26-36 21 29 50 19 22 9 14 108
(.380) (.722) TEAM REBS: 9 TOTAL TO: 15(14 PTS)
HOUSTON
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
ELIE F 36 4-11 5-6 2 2 4 5 4 1 1 15
BARKLEY F 34 9-12 1-3 1 6 7 10 4 1 2 21
OLAJUWON C 29 4-11 5-9 1 8 9 0 1 1 6 13
DREXLER G 26 6-11 1-2 2 7 9 4 2 0 0 14
MALONEY G 37 8-15 0-0 0 4 4 9 1 3 1 21
WILLIS 25 6-8 4-5 2 9 11 1 4 0 1 16
BULLARD 22 2-5 0-0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 6
MOORE 12 4-6 0-0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 12
LIVINGSTON 11 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 4 0 2 0
HARRINGTON 5 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2
BENNETT 3 0-0 3-4 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 3
MACK DNP - SORE LEFT FOOT
TOTALS 240 44-82 19-29 8 37 45 33 23 8 14 123
(.537) (.655) TEAM REBS: 11 TOTAL TO: 15(18 PTS)
PHILADELPHIA 32 21 18 37 - 108
HOUSTON 35 25 25 38 - 123
BLOCKED SHOTS: PHILADELPHIA - WEATHERSPOON 4, COLEMAN, CAGE, WALTERS.
HOUSTON - OLAJUWON 2.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: PHILADELPHIA 12-28 (.429), COLEMAN 1-2, STACKHOUSE 2-5,
IVERSON 6-13, DAVIS 1-3, WALTERS 2-3, OVERTON 0-2. HOUSTON 16-26 (.615),
ELIE 2-5, BARKLEY 2-5, DREXLER 1-1, MALONEY 5-7, BULLARD 2-3, MOORE 4-5.
TECHNICALS: HOUSTON - ILLEGAL DEFENSE.
OFFICIALS: PAUL MIHALAK, JOE BORGIA, RONNIE NUNN.
A - 16,285. T - 2:10.
PHILADELPHIA (108) AT HOUSTON (123)
Matt Maloney had career highs of 21 points and nine assists and
Charles Barkley added 21 points to lift the Houston Rockets to
their seventh straight home win, 123-108 over the Philadelphia
76ers.
The Rockets defeated the 76ers for the 10th consecutive time and
tied Chicago for the best record in the league at 17-2. Houston
notched its fourth game of 120 or more points and has won seven
straight home games from Philadelphia.
Maloney, a rookie point guard from Pennsylvania, made 5-of-7
three-pointers despite a sprained ankle.
"I just wanted to block it out of my mind and not think about
it," said Maloney, who scored 11 points in the first quarter.
"It's not as bad today as it was yesterday. It's a lot better.
Getting off to a good start just gave me the confidence that it
wasn't going to bother me.
"I thought he was fantastic," Drexler said. "He was very solid,
as he has been all year long."
Rookie Allen Iverson scored 35 points for the Sixers, who went
0-3 on their "Texas Triangle" road trip. Iverson had 97 points
and 26 assists in the three losses. The points allowed were a
season high for Philadelphia.
"They are a very good basketball team," 76ers coach Johnny Davis
said. "They have three players you have to deal with and they
use them very effectively. We got beat by a good team tonight.
You can certainly see why they are 17-2 at this point."
The 76ers were clinging to a 51-49 lead, but the Rockets closed
the half with an 11-2 run, featuring five points apiece from
Barkley and Mario Elie.
Two three-pointers by Iverson pulled Philadelphia within 64-61
before Clyde Drexler scored nine of his 14 points in a 13-3
burst that gave Houston control for good at 77-64 with 3:43 to
play in the third quarter.
"They were executing their offense and we had some breakdowns on
defense," Iverson said. "They took advantage of those
breakdowns. They played a good game tonight and we didn't play
all that well."
"I got some opportunities and the pace of the game picked up,"
Drexler said. "I like it when the pace is quicker. The defense
was a lot better during that span and that let us spurt to a
comfortable lead."
Barkley and Drexler sat most of the fourth quarter, but Hakeem
Olajuwon scored seven of his 13 points in the period as Houston
allowed Philadelphia to get no closer than 10 points.
Kevin Willis had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Elie added 15
points for the Rockets, who shot 54 percent (44-of-82) from the
field. Barkley handed out 10 assists.
"We didn't come out any differently tonight, but I want to run
every night," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "That is one
of the goals we have not reached this year. If we can get a
running game going and keep everything else the same, I think
we're going to roll. It makes life so much easier when you can
get the easy baskets."
Jerry Stackhouse scored 22 points and Derrick Coleman added 15
for the Sixers, who shot 38 percent (35-of-92) and held a 50-45
edge in rebounds. Mark Davis had 14 points and 10 boards.
nba.1988nba.news,
TORONTO (75) AT ATLANTA (101)
TORONTO
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
WILLIAMS F 38 6-17 2-2 2 4 6 2 2 2 5 17
JONES F 35 5-6 0-0 4 6 10 1 5 0 0 10
WRIGHT C 25 2-10 2-3 1 2 3 1 3 0 3 6
STOUDAMIRE G 32 5-16 2-2 0 1 1 3 1 2 2 14
CHRISTIE G 35 3-9 1-4 0 5 5 3 4 1 3 7
DAVIS 16 1-4 0-0 0 2 2 0 0 2 0 2
EARL 19 1-4 2-6 1 1 2 2 3 0 3 4
WHITESIDE 8 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2
CURETON 13 3-5 0-1 2 0 2 0 2 0 1 6
LONG 19 2-6 2-2 1 3 4 2 2 1 3 7
CAMBY DNP - SPRAINED BACK
TOTALS 240 29-78 11-20 11 24 35 15 22 9 20 75
(.372) (.550) TEAM REBS: 13 TOTAL TO: 23(22 PTS)
ATLANTA
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
CORBIN F 38 4-12 4-4 1 6 7 2 4 2 0 13
LAETTNER F 35 8-13 5-7 3 6 9 3 4 2 3 21
NEWBILL C 44 3-4 0-4 5 10 15 2 4 0 5 6
SMITH G 37 7-13 5-6 1 1 2 5 2 2 4 22
BLAYLOCK G 39 6-18 1-3 0 4 4 5 2 3 1 15
NORMAN 13 4-7 0-2 2 1 3 0 0 0 1 9
RECASNER 12 2-3 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 4
LAUDERDALE 7 2-3 0-0 0 5 5 0 3 0 3 4
BARRY 6 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 4 0 1 1 0
BOYCE 5 1-1 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
BURTON 4 2-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 4
MUTOMBO DNP - FLU
TOTALS 240 39-76 16-28 12 34 46 22 22 11 19 101
(.513) (.571) TEAM REBS: 13 TOTAL TO: 19(18 PTS)
TORONTO 19 19 18 19 - 75
ATLANTA 21 20 26 34 - 101
BLOCKED SHOTS: TORONTO - CHRISTIE, EARL. ATLANTA - LAETTNER, BLAYLOCK,
LAUDERDALE, BARRY.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: TORONTO 6-17 (.353), WILLIAMS 3-6, STOUDAMIRE 2-6,
CHRISTIE 0-2, DAVIS 0-1, LONG 1-2. ATLANTA 7-20 (.350), CORBIN 1-2, SMITH
3-6, BLAYLOCK 2-10, NORMAN 1-2.
TECHNICALS: TORONTO - HEAD COACH WALKER 2 (EJECTED).
OFFICIALS: TOMMIE WOOD, JOE FORTE, TOM WASHINGTON.
A - 11,422. T - 2:05.
TORONTO (75) AT ATLANTA (101)
Steve Smith scored 22 points and Christian Laettner added 21 as
the Atlanta Hawks remained unbeaten against the second-year
Toronto Raptors with a 101-75 victory.
Atlanta has won all six meetings against Toronto, including a
pair this season.
Mookie Blaylock scored 15 points and Tyrone Corbin added 13 for
the Hawks, who won for the sixth time in eight games overall and
improved to 6-1 at home.
"We feel we're going in the direction we wanted to go," Hawks
coach Lenny Wilkens said. "Toronto beat some pretty good teams
last year. You can never take them for granted. At halftime, I
say we can't let them hang around. In a way, I'm just anxious
to see if we can get everyone healthy."
Ivano Newbill, starting for flu-ridden center Dikembe Mutombo,
grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds for Atlanta, which won its
sixth straight at The Omni.
"This was a very good game," Newbill said. "I would say this is
the best game I have played, especially on the defensive end."
His teammates felt the same way.
"It's good to get a win like this," Blaylock said. "Without
Dikembe, Newbill came in and did a great job. It's a good win
at home. It improved our record here and it gives us a lot more
confidence at home."
"I think the key was Newbill," Smith said. "He came in and did
a Dikembe Mutombo job. He stepped up at the center spot."
Walt Williams scored 17 points, Damon Stoudamire added 14 and
Popeye Jones had 10 and 10 rebounds for Toronto, which was held
to a franchise low in points. The Raptors, who were held to 37
percent shooting (29-of-78) from the field, have yet to shoot 50
percent this season.
The Raptors remain one of two teams in the league without a road
win. The Boston Celtics are also 0-6 away from home.
"We just didn't execute," Stoudamire said. "It's the story of
our year...on both ends (of the court)."
After Acie Earl's layup closed Toronto within 55-50 midway
through the third quarter, Laettner made a layup to ignite a
12-3 run. Laettner added another basket and Smith dunked to cap
the spurt, giving the Hawks a 67-53 advantage with 34 seconds
remaining in the period.
Toronto never got closer than 11 points thereafter. The final
score represented Atlanta's largest lead.
Laettner grabbed nine rebounds and Blaylock made three steals
for Atlanta, which outrebounded Toronto 46-35 and scored 22
points off 23 forced turnovers.
Toronto coach Darrell Walker was ejected with 5:39 left in the
fourth quarter after receiving two technical fouls.
nba.1989nba.news,
UTAH (104) AT DENVER (91)
UTAH
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
RUSSELL F 27 3-4 3-5 2 5 7 0 3 0 0 10
MALONE F 40 8-20 5-6 1 8 9 5 1 1 2 21
OSTERTAG C 29 4-8 2-2 2 4 6 1 3 0 0 10
STOCKTON G 37 7-12 3-3 2 3 5 12 2 3 0 18
HORNACEK G 38 7-11 3-3 0 1 1 2 4 3 1 18
EISLEY 11 3-4 0-0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 7
CARR 17 3-6 1-2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 7
FOSTER 10 1-3 2-2 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 4
ANDERSON 10 2-5 0-2 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 4
MORRIS 3 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
KEEFE 18 1-2 3-6 1 1 2 0 2 0 1 5
WATSON DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 39-76 22-31 10 24 34 23 17 7 5 104
(.513) (.710) TEAM REBS: 7 TOTAL TO: 6(8 PTS)
DENVER
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
D ELLIS F 38 5-16 7-7 3 5 8 2 5 1 1 19
MCDYESS F 32 8-16 0-0 1 3 4 0 6 0 3 16
JOHNSON C 17 3-3 0-0 1 3 4 1 0 0 1 6
JACKSON G 43 6-11 0-0 1 3 4 13 2 0 2 14
STITH G 35 5-10 0-0 3 2 5 1 4 0 2 11
L ELLIS 28 5-15 4-6 3 2 5 0 3 0 3 14
HAMMONDS 28 2-4 4-4 2 6 8 0 4 0 0 8
B THOMPSON 15 1-3 0-0 0 2 2 5 2 0 3 3
MCINNIS 3 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
HAM 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
L THOMPSON DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 35-80 15-17 14 26 40 22 27 1 16 91
(.438) (.882) TEAM REBS: 12 TOTAL TO: 16(19 PTS)
UTAH 30 25 31 18 - 104
DENVER 23 25 17 26 - 91
BLOCKED SHOTS: UTAH - MALONE 2, RUSSELL, OSTERTAG. DENVER - MCDYESS 2,
JOHNSON, HAMMONDS, STITH.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: UTAH 4-6 (.667), RUSSELL 1-1, STOCKTON 1-2, HORNACEK
1-2, EISLEY 1-1. DENVER 6-17 (.353), D ELLIS 2-8, JACKSON 2-3, STITH 1-3,
L ELLIS 0-1, B THOMPSON 1-1, MCINNIS 0-1.
TECHNICALS: UTAH - MALONE, OSTERTAG, DENVER - HAMMONDS, L ELLIS, D ELLIS.
OFFICIALS: STEVE JAVIE, ED F RUSH, GEORGE TOLIVER.
A - 12,837. T - 1:56.
UTAH (104) AT DENVER (91)
The red-hot Utah Jazz tied a franchise-record with their 14th
consecutive win, defeating the struggling Denver Nuggets,
104-91, as Karl Malone scored 21 points.
John Stockton had 18 points and 12 assists and Jeff Hornacek
also scored 18 for Utah, which tied the club mark set during the
1994-95 season. The Jazz improved to 12-1 at home and remained
one-half game behind the Houston Rockets for the Midwest
Division lead.
"I told our guys we have to be able to play on the road like we
do at home," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "Our young guys have
to have energy on the road. We did a good job executing and got
good shots."
"Nobody on this team is focused on the streak," Stockton said.
"We are not worried about it. We hope we get an edge somewhere
in a game and build up on it."
Dale Ellis scored 19 points, Antonio McDyess added 16 and Mark
Jackson contributed 14 and 13 assists for Denver, which lost its
sixth straight game. The Nuggets have dropped the last five
meetings with the Jazz, including a pair this season.
"They're (Utah) a tough team and they take advantage of a
mistake," Nuggets coach Dick Motta said. "They are kind of fun
to watch. They play the way it is supposed to be
played...Stockton always finds the open man."
After Dale Ellis hit a three-pointer to give the Nuggets a 43-40
lead midway through the second quarter, Adam Keefe made one free
throw to ignite an 8-0 run. Stockton followed with a jumper,
Malone hit a jumper and Keefe capped the spurt with another free
throw for a 48-43 advantage with 3:45 left in the first half.
Denver pulled within 61-54 five minutes into the third quarter
on a pair of free throws by Tom Hammonds before Bryon Russell
made a layup to ignite a 26-11 surge that helped strengthen
Utah's hold.
Russell had nine points, including a three-pointer, during the
stretch and Antoine Carr sank one from the line to cap the spree
that gave Utah an 87-65 bulge entering the fourth quarter.
Denver closed within 98-87 on Ellis' second three-pointer before
Utah sealed the game with a 6-0 run that included four points by
Hornacek.
LaPhonso Ellis, who was activated on Friday, scored 14 points in
his return from a 16-game stint on the injured list for the
Nuggets, who have lost 10 of their last 11 games and have given
up at least 104 points in their last 11 contests.
"It felt good and fun," said LaPhonso Ellis, who had
arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on November 8th and has
missed 128 games over the last three years. "I just tried to do
as much as I could to help the team. I was hustling at the
start because I knew my legs were going to go later."
Utah held Denver to 44 percent shooting (35-of-80) from the
field and scored 19 points off 16 turnovers.
nba.1990nba.news,
VANCOUVER (85) AT DALLAS (96)
VANCOUVER
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
ABDUR-RAHIM F 21 3-7 3-7 3 4 7 0 3 0 2 9
LYNCH F 31 7-11 1-4 3 6 9 2 2 5 1 15
REEVES C 37 2-15 4-4 4 2 6 4 3 0 2 8
PEELER G 36 6-17 1-1 0 3 3 2 2 1 4 16
MAYBERRY G 36 4-11 1-1 1 0 1 1 3 0 1 11
ROBINSON 27 2-5 0-0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 5
ANTHONY 6 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
MOTEN 18 1-4 5-6 0 2 2 2 1 0 2 7
ROGERS 20 4-8 1-2 2 2 4 0 3 1 2 9
CHILCUTT 8 2-3 0-0 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 5
MANNING DNP - COACH'S DECISION
MOBLEY DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 31-82 16-25 13 21 34 15 18 9 14 85
(.378) (.640) TEAM REBS: 8 TOTAL TO: 14(9 PTS)
DALLAS
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
MCCLOUD F 39 4-13 0-0 2 4 6 4 4 0 0 9
WALKER F 23 5-11 1-4 3 4 7 1 2 0 3 11
MONTROSS C 16 1-4 0-0 2 6 8 0 3 0 0 2
KIDD G 37 3-10 4-4 0 5 5 9 1 3 5 10
JACKSON G 35 7-10 1-1 1 6 7 6 2 3 3 16
MILLER 29 5-7 0-0 1 9 10 4 3 3 0 10
GATLING 24 6-9 3-6 2 5 7 1 2 0 5 15
HARPER 27 8-11 0-0 1 1 2 2 3 0 1 20
DUMAS 5 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
DREILING 5 1-1 1-2 0 2 2 0 2 0 0 3
MEYER DNP - COACH'S DECISION
ROBERTS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 40-77 10-17 12 42 54 27 22 9 19 96
(.519) (.588) TEAM REBS: 8 TOTAL TO: 20(22 PTS)
VANCOUVER 27 22 17 19 - 85
DALLAS 31 23 24 18 - 96
BLOCKED SHOTS: VANCOUVER - ABDUR-RAHIM, REEVES, ROBINSON, ROGERS. DALLAS
- WALKER 3, MONTROSS, JACKSON, GATLING.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: VANCOUVER 7-22 (.318), LYNCH 0-1, PEELER 3-8, MAYBERRY
2-5, ROBINSON 1-4, ANTHONY 0-1, MOTEN 0-2, CHILCUTT 1-1. DALLAS 6-14
(.429), MCCLOUD 1-5, KIDD 0-2, JACKSON 1-2, HARPER 4-5.
TECHNICALS: VANCOUVER - , DALLAS - GATLING.
OFFICIALS: HUE HOLLINS, WOODY MAYFIELD, MIKE CALLAHAN.
A - 15,102. T - 2:01.
VANCOUVER (85) AT DALLAS (96)
Derek Harper came off the bench to tie his season high of 20
points and Jim Jackson added 16 as the Dallas Mavericks posted a
96-85 victory over the Vancouver Grizzlies.
Chris Gatling chipped in 15 points for Dallas, which has won
consecutive games for the first time this season. The Mavericks
allowed less than 100 points for the first time in eight games.
"We played well in spots and we need to put those spots closer
together for a longer period of time," said Dallas coach Jim
Cleamons.
Anthony Peeler netted 16 points and George Lynch had 15, nine
rebounds and five steals for Vancouver, which has dropped six of
its last seven games. The Grizzlies have lost all five meetings
with Dallas.
Lynch's layup with 2:09 left in the second quarter gave
Vancouver its last lead at 49-48, but the Mavericks scored the
last six points of the half, including a three-pointer by
Jackson at the buzzer to move ahead 54-49.
Dallas led 78-66 after three periods and took its largest lead
at 82-66 on Gatling's dunk with 10:59 to play.
The Grizzlies rallied with a 10-2 run, which was capped by Chris
Robinson's three-pointer with 6:43 remaining that cut it to
86-80. But Harper would sink a pair of three-pointers and George
McCloud hit a hook in an 8-0 spree that opened the gap to 94-80
with 3:43 to go.
"We made a run to come back in the fourth, but it wasn't quite
enough and our shot selection wasn't the greatest at that
point," said Vancouver coach Brian Winters.
Oliver Miller registered 10 points and 10 rebounds to spark a
bench effort that included 48 points and 21 rebounds. Jason Kidd
contributed 10 points and nine assists, while rookie Samaki
Walker had 11 points and a season-high seven boards.
"I feel good about where we are right now," said Harper. "It
means nothing if we rest on it. We cannot afford to become
complacent."
"We are trying to find the right pieces at the right time and
Samaki is giving us a lift," Cleamons said. "I'm not trying to
rely on just one or two players to win games for us, they are
learning they that can step up at appropriate times for us."
Vancouver was outrebounded, 54-34, and shot just 38 percent
(31-of-82) from the floor. Bryant Reeves made his first two
shots and then missed his next 13.
"This was a bad night for me all around," said Reeves, who had
scored 29 points in his last game. "It's something I'm going to
have to forget about and keep going."
The Mavericks' rebound total was a season high, as was their
rebound margin. They improved to 4-0 when shooting over 50
percent from the field and are off to their best home mark (5-4)
after nine games since the 1989-90 campaign.
nba.1991nba.news,
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION - 1996/97
(Saturday, December 7 - 37 days, 264 games)
WESTERN CONFERENCE - PACIFIC DIVISION
TEAM TG TW TL HW HL AW AL TPA OPA % GB Str
Seattle Supersonics 21 15 6 6 3 9 3 102.4 95.1 71.4 - L 1
Los Angeles Lakers 21 14 7 8 2 6 5 95.9 94.2 66.7 1.0 W 1
Portland Trail Blazers 20 12 8 6 2 6 6 97.3 92.7 60.0 2.5 W 2
Los Angeles Clippers 19 7 12 3 6 4 6 90.5 93.8 36.8 7.0 L 2
Golden State Warriors 19 6 13 4 7 2 6 98.9 103.9 31.6 8.0 L 2
Sacramento Kings 19 6 13 2 5 4 8 90.7 99.2 31.6 8.0 L 1
Phoenix Suns 17 3 14 2 6 1 8 95.1 100.3 17.6 10.0 W 2
WESTERN CONFERENCE - MIDWEST DIVISION
TEAM TG TW TL HW HL AW AL TPA OPA % GB Str
Houston Rockets 19 17 2 9 1 8 1 104.3 96.4 89.5 - W 2
Utah Jazz 18 16 2 11 1 5 1 100.8 91.2 88.9 0.5 W14
Dallas Mavericks 18 7 11 5 4 2 7 94.7 99.0 38.9 9.5 W 2
Minnesota Timberwolves 18 7 11 5 2 2 9 91.0 95.6 38.9 9.5 L 3
Denver Nuggets 20 5 15 2 8 3 7 94.0 100.4 25.0 12.5 L 6
San Antonio Spurs 17 3 14 2 8 1 6 88.0 94.6 17.6 13.0 L 1
Vancouver Grizzlies 20 3 17 2 7 1 10 86.2 98.1 15.0 14.5 L 1
EASTERN CONFERENCE - ATLANTIC DIVISION
TEAM TG TW TL HW HL AW AL TPA OPA % GB Str
Miami Heat 20 15 5 5 3 10 2 93.6 88.4 75.0 - W 1
New York Knicks 18 12 6 5 4 7 2 96.5 93.4 66.7 2.0 W 3
Orlando Magic 15 8 7 5 5 3 2 87.5 89.4 53.3 4.5 L 3
Washington Bullets 17 7 10 4 6 3 4 95.6 97.1 41.2 6.5 L 4
Philadelphia 76ers 18 7 11 4 5 3 6 97.2 100.9 38.9 7.0 L 3
New Jersey Nets 15 4 11 2 6 2 5 94.1 100.5 26.7 8.5 L 1
Boston Celtics 17 4 13 4 7 0 6 95.2 101.5 23.5 9.5 L 5
EASTERN CONFERENCE - CENTRAL DIVISION
TEAM TG TW TL HW HL AW AL TPA OPA % GB Str
Chicago Bulls 19 17 2 7 1 10 1 103.1 88.6 89.5 - L 1
Detroit Pistons 18 15 3 9 2 6 1 92.8 84.3 83.3 1.5 W 4
Cleveland Cavaliers 17 11 6 6 3 5 3 87.8 80.8 64.7 5.0 L 1
Atlanta Hawks 19 11 8 6 1 5 7 88.5 85.8 57.9 6.0 W 1
Milwaukee Bucks 17 9 8 5 4 4 4 98.3 95.8 52.9 7.0 W 1
Charlotte Hornets 18 9 9 5 2 4 7 93.6 94.7 50.0 7.5 W 1
Indiana Pacers 16 8 8 3 4 5 4 93.5 89.0 50.0 7.5 W 5
Toronto Raptors 18 6 12 6 6 0 6 90.2 95.1 33.3 10.5 L 1
WESTERN CONFERENCE
# TEAM TG TW TL HW HL AW AL TPA OPA % GB Str
1. Houston Rockets 19 17 2 9 1 8 1 104.3 96.4 89.5 - W 2
2. Utah Jazz 18 16 2 11 1 5 1 100.8 91.2 88.9 0.5 W14
3. Seattle Supersonics 21 15 6 6 3 9 3 102.4 95.1 71.4 3.0 L 1
4. Los Angeles Lakers 21 14 7 8 2 6 5 95.9 94.2 66.7 4.0 W 1
5. Portland Trail Blazers 20 12 8 6 2 6 6 97.3 92.7 60.0 5.5 W 2
6. Dallas Mavericks 18 7 11 5 4 2 7 94.7 99.0 38.9 9.5 W 2
7. Minnesota Timberwolves 18 7 11 5 2 2 9 91.0 95.6 38.9 9.5 L 3
8. Los Angeles Clippers 19 7 12 3 6 4 6 90.5 93.8 36.8 10.0 L 2
9. Golden State Warriors 19 6 13 4 7 2 6 98.9 103.9 31.6 11.0 L 2
10. Sacramento Kings 19 6 13 2 5 4 8 90.7 99.2 31.6 11.0 L 1
11. Denver Nuggets 20 5 15 2 8 3 7 94.0 100.4 25.0 12.5 L 6
12. Phoenix Suns 17 3 14 2 6 1 8 95.1 100.3 17.6 13.0 W 2
13. San Antonio Spurs 17 3 14 2 8 1 6 88.0 94.6 17.6 13.0 L 1
14. Vancouver Grizzlies 20 3 17 2 7 1 10 86.2 98.1 15.0 14.5 L 1
EASTERN CONFERENCE
# TEAM TG TW TL HW HL AW AL TPA OPA % GB Str
1. Chicago Bulls 19 17 2 7 1 10 1 103.1 88.6 89.5 - L 1
2. Detroit Pistons 18 15 3 9 2 6 1 92.8 84.3 83.3 1.5 W 4
3. Miami Heat 20 15 5 5 3 10 2 93.6 88.4 75.0 2.5 W 1
4. New York Knicks 18 12 6 5 4 7 2 96.5 93.4 66.7 4.5 W 3
5. Cleveland Cavaliers 17 11 6 6 3 5 3 87.8 80.8 64.7 5.0 L 1
6. Atlanta Hawks 19 11 8 6 1 5 7 88.5 85.8 57.9 6.0 W 1
7. Orlando Magic 15 8 7 5 5 3 2 87.5 89.4 53.3 7.0 L 3
8. Milwaukee Bucks 17 9 8 5 4 4 4 98.3 95.8 52.9 7.0 W 1
9. Charlotte Hornets 18 9 9 5 2 4 7 93.6 94.7 50.0 7.5 W 1
10. Indiana Pacers 16 8 8 3 4 5 4 93.5 89.0 50.0 7.5 W 5
11. Washington Bullets 17 7 10 4 6 3 4 95.6 97.1 41.2 9.0 L 4
12. Philadelphia 76ers 18 7 11 4 5 3 6 97.2 100.9 38.9 9.5 L 3
13. Toronto Raptors 18 6 12 6 6 0 6 90.2 95.1 33.3 10.5 L 1
14. New Jersey Nets 15 4 11 2 6 2 5 94.1 100.5 26.7 11.0 L 1
15. Boston Celtics 17 4 13 4 7 0 6 95.2 101.5 23.5 12.0 L 5
TOTAL STANDINGS
# TEAM TG TW TL HW HL AW AL TPA OPA % GB Str
1. Chicago Bulls 19 17 2 7 1 10 1 103.1 88.6 89.5 - L 1
2. Houston Rockets 19 17 2 9 1 8 1 104.3 96.4 89.5 - W 2
3. Utah Jazz 18 16 2 11 1 5 1 100.8 91.2 88.9 0.5 W14
4. Detroit Pistons 18 15 3 9 2 6 1 92.8 84.3 83.3 1.5 W 4
5. Miami Heat 20 15 5 5 3 10 2 93.6 88.4 75.0 2.5 W 1
6. Seattle Supersonics 21 15 6 6 3 9 3 102.4 95.1 71.4 3.0 L 1
7. Los Angeles Lakers 21 14 7 8 2 6 5 95.9 94.2 66.7 4.0 W 1
8. New York Knicks 18 12 6 5 4 7 2 96.5 93.4 66.7 4.5 W 3
9. Cleveland Cavaliers 17 11 6 6 3 5 3 87.8 80.8 64.7 5.0 L 1
10. Portland Trail Blazers 20 12 8 6 2 6 6 97.3 92.7 60.0 5.5 W 2
11. Atlanta Hawks 19 11 8 6 1 5 7 88.5 85.8 57.9 6.0 W 1
12. Orlando Magic 15 8 7 5 5 3 2 87.5 89.4 53.3 7.0 L 3
13. Milwaukee Bucks 17 9 8 5 4 4 4 98.3 95.8 52.9 7.0 W 1
14. Charlotte Hornets 18 9 9 5 2 4 7 93.6 94.7 50.0 7.5 W 1
15. Indiana Pacers 16 8 8 3 4 5 4 93.5 89.0 50.0 7.5 W 5
16. Washington Bullets 17 7 10 4 6 3 4 95.6 97.1 41.2 9.0 L 4
17. Philadelphia 76ers 18 7 11 4 5 3 6 97.2 100.9 38.9 9.5 L 3
18. Dallas Mavericks 18 7 11 5 4 2 7 94.7 99.0 38.9 9.5 W 2
19. Minnesota Timberwolves 18 7 11 5 2 2 9 91.0 95.6 38.9 9.5 L 3
20. Los Angeles Clippers 19 7 12 3 6 4 6 90.5 93.8 36.8 10.0 L 2
21. Toronto Raptors 18 6 12 6 6 0 6 90.2 95.1 33.3 10.5 L 1
22. Golden State Warriors 19 6 13 4 7 2 6 98.9 103.9 31.6 11.0 L 2
23. Sacramento Kings 19 6 13 2 5 4 8 90.7 99.2 31.6 11.0 L 1
24. New Jersey Nets 15 4 11 2 6 2 5 94.1 100.5 26.7 11.0 L 1
25. Boston Celtics 17 4 13 4 7 0 6 95.2 101.5 23.5 12.0 L 5
26. Denver Nuggets 20 5 15 2 8 3 7 94.0 100.4 25.0 12.5 L 6
27. Phoenix Suns 17 3 14 2 6 1 8 95.1 100.3 17.6 13.0 W 2
28. San Antonio Spurs 17 3 14 2 8 1 6 88.0 94.6 17.6 13.0 L 1
29. Vancouver Grizzlies 20 3 17 2 7 1 10 86.2 98.1 15.0 14.5 L 1
--------
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.1992nba.news,
Mills sets record for consecutive treys
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Detroit Pistons forward Terry Mills made his
first two 3-point attempts against New Jersey on Saturday night,
giving him an NBA record 14 in a row.
After setting the record, Mills missed his next 3-point attempt early
in the second quarter.
Mills broke the old record of 13, set last January by Brent Price when
he played for the Bullets.
"I was in Washington when Brent set the record and it was the same
type of thing," Detroit forward Michael Curry said Friday after a
victory over Cleveland. "For both of them, it looked like everything
they took was going to go in."
Mills started out 1 for 2 from beyond the arc before hitting six in a
row Wednesday night during a 100-90 victory over Atlanta.
He made all six of his attempts against Cleveland.
"I was aware I needed one more for the record, but I didn't care,"
Mills said Friday. "I won't even be thinking about it at New Jersey.
All I care about is that I am finally assuming the kind of role I
wanted on this team. My confidence is at an all-time high."
nba.1993nba.news,
Shaq: If I were Hakeem, I would retire
Shaquille O'Neal has some advice for Dream Team III teammate Hakeem
Olajuwon: retire.
O'Neal, the Los Angeles Lakers All-Star center, said he would retire
if he were Olajuwon, who has been hospitalized twice in the last month
for treatment of an irregular heartbeat.
"Health is the most important thing to me," O'Neal said Tuesday. "I
don't want to see nothing bad happen to him. If I was him in this
position -- 12 years in the league, he is a great player, a legend
already -- I would (retire)."
Olajuwon returned to the Houston Rockets' lineup Wednesday and had 16
points, seven rebounds, seven assists and five blocks in 40 minutes in
a 94-89 victory over Boston. He was released from Houston's Methodist
Hospital two days earlier after being treated for a recurrence of
atrial fibrillation. Olajuwon is taking Lanoxin, a drug that controls
heart rate.
The 33-year-old Olajuwon also was hospitalized after a November 19th
game against Minnesota. He underwent an exercise stress test and an
echocardiogram and was released two days later after both were normal.
The 11-time All-Star rested for a week and missed three games, all
Houston wins. Olajuwon returned November 26th and scored 21 points in
a 102-101 overtime victory over Portland.
"I know it's not life-threatening, that's a comfort," Olajuwon said in
an interview with Turner Network Television that aired after Friday
night's game between the Lakers and Orlando Magic. "It's like flying
on an airplane. The plane may crash, but you don't know."
O'Neal, who is nine years younger than Olajuwon, said he is not sure
whether doctors and team officials are being candid about Olajuwon's
condition. While reiterating he would leave the game in Olajuwon's
position, O'Neal also said he supports whatever course Olajuwon takes.
"Your health is important. If that happened to me, I would find
something else to do. Retire? Hell yeah," O'Neal said. "I don't want
to see nothing happen to him because he is my favorite player.
Whatever he decides to do, I'm with him."
nba.1994nba.news,
Veterans a key to Rockets blast off
(Dec 7, 1996 - 08:30 EST) -- Take a guy with bad knees, another with a
bad heart, and a third who loves to be "bad," and what do you get? The
16-2 Houston Rockets.
The creaky three-headed monster of Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwon and
Charles Barkley has led Houston to the NBA's best record this side of
Chicago, and made the Rockets a favorite to reach the NBA Finals for
the third time in four years.
Provided they make it that far. Drexler missed 30 games with knee
problems last year; various ailments have sidelined Barkley for 42
games the past three seasons and Olajuwon was recently hospitalized
with a rapid heartbeat for the second time in two weeks.
"We could drop dead any day, as old as we are," Barkley said after a
recent win over Washington, but before Olajuwon's second heart
episode. "I never know what's going to happen around here. I get
excited just to see Clyde and Hakeem in practice."
Opponents don't share Sir Charles' enthusiasm. When the Rockets are
healthy, they have arguably the most formidable one-two-three punch in
the NBA. So far they've lost only to the Lakers in double overtime and
to Toronto Monday without Olajuwon. Their first showdown with the
Bulls is Jan. 11 in Chicago.
Hakeem, 33, returned Wednesday and played 40 minutes in the Rockets'
94-89 victory over Boston. He's now taking medication and his doctors
say the problem is not career- or life-threatening.
"I try to look at it on the bright side," Olajuwon told reporters
after the game. "The doctor says if you have to have a heart problem,
this is the one to have."
Averaging 25.1 points and 9.4 rebounds, the Dream's performance is
critical to the Rockets, whose three stars are an aggregate 100 years
old. But he's thankful that he's not flying solo.
"It's a blessing to have this much talent," he said. "Usually when you
get older, it means it more difficult. But in this case it's much
easier."
The Rockets are proving there are intangible advantages to having a
veteran-led team, especially when the game is on the line. The Rockets
have won five games with margins of four points or fewer.
"When you look in your team's eyes, and you see they aren't giving up,
that's a hell of a feeling," said coach Rudy Tomjanovich.
Barkley says this is only the second team in his 13-year career where
everyone has had the same goal -- winning the NBA title.
"My first year in Phoenix, everyone had the same motivation," he said.
"But everyone's agenda changed the next year.
"You can't have one guy trying to have a big year as a free agent. You
can't have one guy who wants to be an All-Star. You can't have one guy
who's trying to get his name in the paper."
Since being traded from Phoenix in the offseason, Barkley's scoring is
down (20.8 vs. his career average of 23.3), but his rebounding is up
-- way up. Barkley leads the league at 16.4, up nearly five boards
from his career average.
"When I came here, I could have scored 25 points a night, but they
didn't need that," Barkley said. "I had to do something to cooperate.
"It's going to come down to us, Seattle and Utah. They're the only
three teams in the West that have a shot at it. The rest of them are
just wasting their time."
nba.1995nba.news,
Almost like old times for Shaq against Magic
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (Dec 7, 1996 - 12:18 EST) -- It was like old times
when friends Shaquille O'Neal and Dennis Scott had lunch together and
hung out before the Orlando Magic game.
Then they arrived at the Forum and headed to separate locker rooms --
O'Neal to the Lakers and Scott to the Magic.
O'Neal faced his former team Friday night for the first time since
bolting last summer for a $120 million deal in Los Angeles. He started
0-for-4 before finishing with 25 points, 18 rebounds and a career
high-tying five steals in the Lakers' 92-81 victory.
"Maybe I was just trying to do too much," O'Neal said of his slow
start. "I wasn't looking to showcase, just come out with a win."
The reunion was missing Orlando stars Penny Hardaway and Nick
Anderson, who didn't dress because of injuries. Scott didn't play
because of a strained hamstring. Very little on the Magic is the same.
Half of its 14 players weren't around last season with O'Neal.
Brian Hill is still the caoch, however, and O'Neal doesn't appear to
like him any more now that he's a Laker. They did not speak.
"All of us weren't playing and that was one of the main reasons that
he was downplaying it," Scott said. "The big game he wants is in
March."
Magic fans are circling March 23 on their calendars, the date O'Neal
is sure to hear boos when he returns to Orlando for the first time as
a Laker.
O'Neal had downplayed Friday's game, claiming the Magic was just
another opponent. For a while, he even had Scott convinced.
"On a couple of plays, he didn't give any expression so I know he
wasn't as hyped as he normally is," Scott said. "But I think March is
when he's going to really come out and show all his emotions and be
the Shaq I know."
Scott's needling didn't faze O'Neal at the line, where the 7-foot-1
center is notoriously shaky. He made 7-of-10 free throws before
leaving with 42 seconds remaining.
"I kept teasing him when he shot free throws in the second half
saying, 'Gimme those, gimme those,"' Scott said. "One time he made the
first one, then looked up at me and I said, 'Gimme this one.' And he
said, 'All right, I'll give it to you.' And he made it again."
O'Neal's absence created a void at the center position that Orlando
has yet to fill. Rony Seikaly started strongly while O'Neal struggled,
but Seikalyl got in foul trouble and finished with 16 points and 10
rebounds.
"Shaq wanted to do extremely well against us, and you don't blame
him," Seikaly said. "Everybody that goes against his old team wants to
kill them, so we anticipated that."
The Magic led by 11 points in the second quarter, when scattered
booing erupted from the sellout crowd of 17,005.
O'Neal helped the Lakers get untracked with a three-point play that
sparked an 11-0 run over the final 3:59 of the second. O'Neal's hook
shot and fastbreak layup forged a 42-42 halftime tie.
"Shaq inspired everybody to play hard," Nick Van Exel said. "He wanted
to win this game real badly because it was against his old team. Guys
really took it to heart."
Orlando never got closer than 6 points in the fourth quarter.
O'Neal spent his first four NBA seasons in Orlando before the Lakers
lured him away as a free agent with a seven-year, $120 million
contract.
He has had hostile things to say about Magic management since then,
but he was all smiles before tipoff. He hugged and joked with Horace
Grant during warmups, then chatted with Brian Shaw in the center
circle.
O'Neal and Scott didn't waste time gossiping about the injury-riddled
Magic over lunch at O'Neal's house.
"Everything else was about things that we've talked about every day
over the phone since his departure," Scott said. "We're like family. I
miss him more like a brother off the court than throwing lobs to him
and him setting picks to me."
nba.1996nba.news,
Brown is Bucks versatile insurance policy
(Dec 7, 1996 - 12:42 EST) -- It was the spring of 1995 and the Houston
Rockets were in trouble in their National Basketball Association
playoff series against the Phoenix Suns.
The Rockets trailed the Suns, 3-1, in the Western Conference semifinal
series with Game 5 to be played in Phoenix. But the Rockets not only
won that game, but also took Game 6 in Houston and the deciding
seventh game in Phoenix.
The Rockets went on to defeat San Antonio for the Western Conference
title and swept Orlando for their second straight NBA championship.
On a team that included Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and Robert
Horry, forward Chucky Brown -- the newest member of the Milwaukee
Bucks -- was not the star of that Houston team. But he certainly had
an integral role in the Rockets' success.
"He ended up guarding Charles Barkley down the stretch in that
(Phoenix) series," said Bucks assistant coach Bob Weinhauer, who was
then the Rockets' vice president of basketball operations. "He was
instrumental in holding Charles down.
"One game Clyde (Drexler) had a 101-degree fever and Chucky ended up
scoring 12 or 14 points."
A little scoring, some rebounding and plenty of defense. That's just
what the Bucks will be looking for out of Brown, a 6-8 forward
acquired Wednesday in a trade with the Phoenix Suns for Darrin
Hancock.
Plus there are the intangibles.
Brown is an eight-year NBA veteran who knows what making a
championship run is all about.
"Here's a guy who's been in a championship rotation, from an attitude
standpoint," Weinhauer said. "He recognizes this is a young
up-and-coming team and, like a lot of people, sees improvement for the
future."
Playing for Houston's 1995 championship team has been the highlight of
Brown's career. He was a second-round draft choice of the Cleveland
Cavaliers in 1989 out of North Carolina State. He played two-plus
seasons in Cleveland and, prior to joining the Rockets in 1994, he
also played with the Los Angeles Lakers, in Italy, with New Jersey and
Dallas of the NBA, and with Grand Rapids and Yakima of the Continental
Basketball Association.
After spending two seasons in Houston, he was dealt to Phoenix as part
of the blockbuster trade that sent Barkley from Phoenix to Houston
last August.
Now he brings his no-nonsense approach to the game to Milwaukee. "He's
like a blue-collar worker," Weinhauer said. "He's a hard-nosed,
physical, defensive player. He's big enough to play the fours (power
forwards) and agile enough to play the threes (small forwards).
"He comes to work every day. There are very little frills to his game.
He's a solid, hard-working, unselfish individual.
"He'll be able to help; he's another big body when we get in foul
trouble. He understands defensive rotations and has a nice 17- or
18-foot jump shot."
Bucks coach Chris Ford said, "He's able to defend the strong threes
that post and try to wear you down physically."
That would be players such as New York's Larry Johnson, Indiana's
Derrick McKey and Washington's Juwan Howard, who have given the Bucks
fits at times in the past.
Hancock had been kept on the Bucks' roster as a backup to small
forward Glenn Robinson. But Hancock became expendable as Ford decided
to go primarily with a three-man rotation of Robinson, Johnny Newman
and Ray Allen at the small forward and shooting guard positions.
With Robinson averaging 38.8 minutes per game, Newman 27.4 and Allen
26.9, that didn't leave much time for Hancock. He had played in only
nine games for a total of 39 minutes.
"As much as we liked Darrin and his skills -- he was perfect for what
we were looking for at the time -- with Johnny and Ray and Glenn at
two and three there wasn't any time for him," Weinhauer said.
Brown played in 10 games for the Suns, averaging 3.4 points, 1.6
rebounds and 8.3 minutes.
"Chucky will be a real nice insurance policy for us," Weinhauer said.
nba.1997nba.news,
Trade winds sweep through desert
(Dec 7, 1996 - 06:48 EST) - Look for the first big trade of the season
to come out of Phoenix.
That seems to be the assumption among general managers, players and
agents, who expect a brief flurry of deals to commence once the Suns
decide how quickly they'll begin their rebuilding process.
Phoenix has 10 players in the final year of their contracts, and the
Suns will have $10.6 million in cap room next summer if all 10 players
are renounced.
With next summer's free agent market expected to be slim, the Suns
would prefer to acquire younger players and a first-round draft choice
to replace the likely lottery pick they sent to the Cleveland
Cavaliers in the Hot Rod Williams deal.
Phoenix can get Milwaukee's pick next summer if the Bucks make the
playoffs. The Suns acquired that pick in the Elliot Perry trade.
The Suns made a minor deal this week, trading Chucky Brown to
Milwaukee for Derrick Hancock and a second-round pick in a move that
cleared roster room for Mark Bryant. Hancock will be waived.
Among the Suns players most likely to be traded next: Robert Horry,
A.C. Green and Sam Cassell.
"Teams are looking for point guards, but they're trying to steal
Cassell," one Suns source said. "We're not going to get rid of him
just for the sake of making a trade."
Phoenix has been talking with the Portland Trail Blazers about
acquiring Clifford Robinson, whose $2.9 million contract expires at
the end of this season. The Blazers turned down the Suns' offer of
A.C. Green.
The Suns would like to get one of Boston's two No. 1 picks, but the
Celtics want Michael Finley or Wesley Person in return.
The Indiana Pacers aren't fully sold yet on Travis Best as their
full-time point guard and are trying to land a veteran playmaker.
Indiana is rumored to have offered Derrick McKey and Jalen Rose to
Golden State for Mark Price and another player -- an offer the
Warriors turned down.
Other point guard options for the Pacers include Greg Anthony, still
being shopped by Vancouver, and free agents Kenny Smith, Eric Murdock
and Spud Webb.
Miami seems a perfect fit for Smith, who was waived by the Detroit
Pistons two weeks ago. The Heat have been vulnerable to traps and
presses when Tim Hardaway has been getting his 11 minutes of rest per
game.
Webb is mulling offers from teams in the Italian and Spanish leagues.
He also is waiting to hear whether the NBA grants the Pacers a
$540,000 injury exception for Haywoode Workman's contract.
Shawn Bradley's name has been mentioned all season in trade rumors out
of East Rutherford, even more so in the past 10 days. But his early
season lack of production has kept other teams' offers low.
Bradley is averaging 10.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.07 blocks and has
been publicly ridiculed by his Nets teammates for his lack of
offseason conditioning. Coach John Calipari on Thursday ordered
Bradley to stay an extra 15 minutes after each non-game day practice
to work on his stamina.
Meanwhile, the status of Brian Williams remains dumbfounding, as agent
Fred Slaughter has been incommunicado for 2 1/2 weeks.
The Pacers and Jazz are the only teams that still have the $1 million
salary cap exception, and Indiana would sign him in a heartbeat if
Slaughter could find the time to contact the Pacers.
Utah, apparently pleased with centers Greg Ostertag and Antoine Carr,
seems unlikely to take a chance on Williams.
DUNCAN DREAMS: The Suns are crossing their fingers that the pick they
sent to Cleveland in the Hot Rod Williams trade won't end up becoming
Tim Duncan.
The Wake Forest center is a sure thing to be chosen No. 1 in next
summer's draft, and the Cavs have another factor working on their side
-- Toronto and Vancouver are prohibited from picking first overall, so
if the Suns finish with one of the three worst records in the NBA, the
Cavs will basically have three times as good of a chance at ending up
with the No. 1 pick.
If Cleveland somehow ends up with Duncan, it won't be the first time a
team has landed a bonanza by acquiring a future No. 1 pick.
In 1976, the New Orleans Jazz gave the Lakers a No. 1 pick for Gail
Goodrich, and Los Angeles used the pick on Magic Johnson.
In 1982, the Cavs dealt the overall No. 1 pick to the Lakers, which
turned out to be James Worthy. Cleveland also acquired the No. 1
overall pick in 1986 from the 76ers and used it on Brad Daugherty.
APTLY NAMED: A Raptor is a dinosaur, so it was strangely appropriate
that Toronto general manager Isaiah Thomas dug up two fossils last
week.
The Raptors signed 40-year-old John Long and 39-year-old Earl Cureton,
a pair of former Pistons who had been playing for Magic Johnson's
travelling All-Star team.
Long, 13-year veteran who had been out of the NBA since 1990-91, hit
the game-winning jumper in Toronto's victory over Washington on
Thursday night.
Cureton, who last played in the NBA for the 1993-94 Houston Rockets,
was signed just before the travelling All-Stars left for South Africa.
"John and myself broke into the league with veteran teams," Cureton
said. "I came in with Philadelphia with Julius Erving and Caldwell
Jones and people like that. Things they taught me stayed with me to
this day."
The Raptors waived Brad Lohaus to make room for Cureton.
"We need some old guys the players can talk to," coach Darrell Walker
said. "Players have to be able to talk to players, sometimes the
coaches are too emotional after the games."
OLD ROOKIE: The league is flush with 18, 19 and 20-year-old rookies --
and a 65-year-old rookie assistant coach.
Pete Carril, whose 30-year career at Princeton ended last spring after
a first-round upset victory over defending champion UCLA, is a
first-year assistant to Garry St. Jean with the Sacramento Kings.
He is learning how to deal with players who don't listen quite as
closely as his Ivy Leaguers used to.
"I don't feel like anything, a rookie, an old guy," Carril said. "I
know basketball. I know I can help the guards, the centers, I know I
can help anybody who wants help. But I wish I could contribute a
little bit more. I wish that some of the things that I've been working
on would have a little bit more impact."
Carril shunned a trip back to campus when the Kings were on an East
coast road trip.
"I don't want to be one of these guys that goes back, 'the grand old
... here he is again, the old guy.'
"I think I had been at Princeton too long. I was looking for something
different and yet not have the headaches.
"I don't have to worry about that anymore. Being an assistant coach,
you don't have the grind, your stomach doesn't churn. You don't suffer
with every pass that is thrown away. You are a lot calmer. The head
guy, that's the infantry."
REMEMBER BOBBY HURLEY?: Down the bench from Carril is another
ex-Jersey guy whose heyday may have passed.
Bobby Hurley, 25, is the last man off the bench for Sacramento.
The former Duke playmaker and No. 1 draft choice is averaging only 5.0
minutes, 1.5 points and 0.3 assists for the Kings.
"I have to feel that my NBA career has really been unfulfilling.
That's not really pleasant for me to think about. But that's the
reality of it,,' Hurley said.
Hurley's demise can be traced to a near-fatal auto accident during his
rookie season with Sacramento.
"It really affected my timing as far as coming into the league, just
being on a certain pace to do certain things. It just threw that
timetable really out of whack. I definitely had to start over."
BOOK NOOK: Just out is Harvey Pollack's annual NBA statistical
yearbook, with 140 pages of fascinating minutiae.
For instance, Pollack charted every basket Shaquille O'Neal made last
season. Included are 168 layups, 167 dunks and just six baskets from
outside of 12 feet.
Among some of the odd statistical leaders from last season:
--Most Dunks: Shawn Kemp, 197.
--Most Times Having Shot Blocked: Cedric Ceballos, 121.
--Most Turnovers: Jason Kidd, 328.
--Most Traveling Violations: Kemp, 56.
--Most Double-Figure Scoring Nights: Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, 82.
--Most Fines: Dennis Rodman, $30,000.
--Most Technical Foul Fines: Seattle, $46,000.
--Most Technical Foul Ejections: Dick Motta, 4.
--Most Career Games Without a Technical: Duane Ferrell, 463.
--Most Common Injury: Knee, 98.
--Most Offensive Fouls: Alonzo Mourning, 44.
--Most Goaltending Calls: Dikembe Mutombo, 44.
--Most Common Surname: Williams, 12; Smith, 8; Johnson, 7.
--Most Opening Taps Won: Elden Campbell, 56.
--Worst 3-Point Shooter: Oliver Miller, 0-for-11.
--Worst FG Percentage (Minimum 100): Bobby Hurley, 28.3.
nba.1998nba.news,
Knicks avenge earlier loss to Heat
MIAMI (Dec 7, 1996 - 12:24 EST) -- Round 3 is just 50 days away.
The New York Knicks salvaged a split of their first two games against
Miami, snapping the Heat's franchise-record nine-game winning streak
with a 103-85 victory Friday night.
New York avenged an embarrassing 99-75 loss at home to Miami on
Tuesday.
"Our team was taking a lot of heat -- no pun intended," coach Jeff Van
Gundy said.
Miami still leads the second-place Knicks by two games in the Atlantic
Division, and the teams next meet Jan. 26 at Madison Square Garden.
"I think the intensity and sparks will fly just about every time we
play against them now," Heat coach Pat Riley said of his former team.
Patrick Ewing won the battle of premier centers in the rematch,
scoring 26 points to go with seven rebounds. Miami's Alonzo Mourning,
who played only two minutes in the fourth quarter because of foul
trouble and was disqualified with 4:05 left, had 10 points and 16
rebounds.
"They kicked our butts royally in New York, and we came out and kicked
their butts tonight," Ewing said. "The other night they did anything
they wanted. Tonight we did a good job stopping them."
The game had plenty of pushing and shoving, and the Knicks' Larry
Johnson was ejected for a punching foul with 7:37 remaining.
Johnson scored 13 points. John Starks had 21 and Allen Houston 19 for
the Knicks, who outscored Miami 13-0 midway through the second half.
"We wanted to come here and redeem ourselves," Houston said. "We made
a step forward as a team."
Tim Hardaway had 28 points and nine assists for the Heat, who play at
Chicago tonight.
Houston hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cap a 9-0 run by the Knicks
to end the third period, giving them a 74-66 lead. The spurt also
included a four-point play by Starks.
Starks then converted a three-point play as New York scored the first
four points of the final period.
Miami closed to 79-76, but Ewing scored 12 points down the stretch to
help hold off the Heat.
"This team has had a good run," Riley said. "We don't want it to stop
here. We've got to put this behind us and move on."
The Heat had made 27 3-pointers in the previous two games, but were
just 6-for-24 against New York.
"They had some good looks and missed," Van Gundy said. "The other
night they were making them, even the tested shots."
The Knicks hit 10 of 19 3-pointers. The trip to Miami was just what
they needed, forward Charles Oakley said.
"It was 85 degrees," he said. "We rejuvenated ourselves."
nba.1999nba.news,
One punch costs Johnson a one game suspension
NEW YORK (Dec 7, 1996 - 12:18 EST) -- One punch cost Larry Johnson of
the New York Knicks a game's pay plus a $5,000 fine on Saturday.
Johnson was suspended and fined by the NBA for throwing a punch at
Keith Askins of the Heat in the final quarter of the Knicks' 103-85
victory in Miami Friday night.
The punch to the face resulted in an immediate ejection, and the fine
was imposed by Rod Thorn, the league's disciplinarian.
Johnson sat out the Knicks' home game Saturday night against the
Clippers and will not be paid for the game.
Jeff Van Gundy, the Knicks' coach, said he didn't know what triggered
the punch, but said he saw Askins elbow Johnson as the two battled for
a rebound.
Right after the incident, and Johnson's ejection, the Knicks went on a
24-10 run.
"I'd do it every night if I we'd go 24-10," Johnson said Friday night.
nba.2000nba.news,
NBA reviewing Karl's outburst in Minnesota game
SEATTLE (Dec 7, 1996 - 06:24 EST) -- If Sonics head coach George Karl
is to be further disciplined for his outburst in the fourth quarter of
Thursday's win over Minnesota, it won't happen until Monday.
The NBA started its review of the incident Friday, but decided to hold
off until after the weekend to decide if Karl will be further fined or
suspended.
Karl was ejected with five minutes left in the 117-86 win over the
Timberwolves on Thursday night at KeyArena when he stormed after
official Bennett Salvatore and had to be restrained by assistant Terry
Stotts and Shawn Kemp. Kemp was also ejected, which carries an
automatic $1,000 fine.
Karl will be back on the bench Saturday night as the Sonics host the
Charlotte Hornets at 7 p.m. PST at KeyArena.
On Friday, Karl repeated his statements of Thursday night that he
didn't think he had done anything, such as bumping Salvatore, that
might bring about any additional penalty. However, he also said he is
uncertain as to the NBA's thinking on such incidents.
"The last five, six years, it seems every year they have different
guidelines and interpretations," Karl said. "The unfortunate thing is
this is kind of the first blowup of the year (in the NBA) -- no one's
kind of gone crazy except for me."
Karl also again refused to go into the specifics of what it was that
set him off.
Karl became enraged while arguing a flagrant foul call on Antonio
Harvey, the latest in a stream of calls that upset the Sonics -- Gary
Payton, Detlef Schrempf and Larry Stewart were also assessed
technicals on the night.
However, Karl did say that he thinks Salvatore didn't do his best to
defuse the situation.
"This year, it seems I've had more players come to me about the
referees getting after them a little bit," Karl said. "The league has
kind of spoken that they want the referees to talk more and relate a
little more than they have in the past.
"I thought (Salvatore) came to me a little bit. In the beginning, he
came after me and then I went crazy and as I was walking away, he came
back toward me and I lost it."
Karl also said the flare up might have been the unleashing of some
pent-up frustrations.
"I don't want to say you need it or that it is necessary," Karl said.
"But this game has a lot of pressures to it, and once you get it out,
it stabilizes it. I'm not sure it was something that was good or bad
or right or wrong. I'm pretty sure when it happens, you have built up
anger, frustration and animosity, and then it gets out and you feel
better."
Karl said he'd had five or six similar situations during his NBA
career. "I don't know if it was the worst, but maybe it was the
longest," Karl said.
The ejection overshadowed a win that was Karl's 400th of his career.
"It will be one I will remember," Karl said.