by Paul Newberry(AP)
ATLANTA — Joe Johnson scored 25 points, Jamal Crawford got plenty of help off the Atlanta bench and the Hawks handed Los Angeles its second straight loss, breezing past the Lakers 109-92 Wednesday night.
Kobe Bryant scored 28 points but only eight in the second half as Los Angeles lost back-to-back games for just the fourth time this season. The Lakers won twice on a five-game road trip and missed a chance to possibly clinch the Pacific Division title before heading back home.
The Hawks, who came into the night tied with Boston for the third seed in the Eastern Conference, won their ninth straight at home — their longest such run since a 20-game streak at the old Omni during the 1996-97 season.
Johnson hit five 3-pointers but the bench did the best work. The always-reliable Crawford scored 14 points, Maurice Evans had 18 and the Hawks' reserves outscored the Lakers bench 48-22, also getting a double-double from Zaza Pachulia.
Atlanta went ahead for good on Crawford's 3-pointer with 1:35 left in the first quarter, stretched it out to 55-45 by halftime and was never seriously threatened over the final two quarters, pushing the margin as high as 18 points.
Evans went 7 of 9 from the field, his only two misses coming from outside the arc. Pachulia scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, his first double-double since March 29, 2009, also against the Lakers.
Bryant called it a night with 2 1/2 minutes to go, heading to the bench after a turnover and watching the rest of the game with a towel draped over his shoulders.
The attendance-challenged Hawks drew a full-house-and-then-some crowd of 20,190, a team record since their move to Philips Arena in 1999. Among those sitting courtside were Hall of Famer Julius Erving and Atlanta rapper T.I., who was recently released from a halfway house after serving prison time on a weapons charge.
Read more at http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jL1DrQYZumobgyFBt5-JfL5gGAdgD9EPVPDO1
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Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Raptors Unable To Extinguish Wade's Heat
Turkoglu Did Not Play; Miami 97 Toronto 94
The irony was awfully thick, and not lost on anybody.
As the Toronto Raptors' game wound down last night against the Miami Heat, their offence sputtered. They could have used somebody to deflect the attention from Chris Bosh. They could have used Hedo Turkoglu.
But Turkoglu, the under-achieving forward, did not play in the Raptors' 97-94 loss. He was in uniform, but he was on the bench.
"He was active, it was a coach's decision to not play him," Raptors coach Jay Triano said, adding he made that decision because Turkoglu was not healthy--and to send a message.
The message dates back to earlier last week. Turkoglu left midway through Wednesday night's game against Utah with a stomach virus. He did not play against Denver on Friday--another loss--but was seen out on the town following the game.
Earlier yesterday, Turkoglu insisted he was just grabbing a bite to eat after the game. Apparently, that is not how the club saw it. When pressed, Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo said the matter was handled internally.
Turkoglu, for his part, declined comment after the game. "I'm good, I'm good," he said.
"I don't make them decisions, man," swingman Antoine Wright said. "I think we need everything in this locker room to play basketball, in my personal opinion."
That was obvious. With Dwyane Wade routinely shredding the defence as the Heat came back from a deficit that was as large as 17 points, the Raptors could get nothing going offensively.
Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/sports/story.html?id=2738149#ixzz0jZx9EobD
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The irony was awfully thick, and not lost on anybody.
As the Toronto Raptors' game wound down last night against the Miami Heat, their offence sputtered. They could have used somebody to deflect the attention from Chris Bosh. They could have used Hedo Turkoglu.
But Turkoglu, the under-achieving forward, did not play in the Raptors' 97-94 loss. He was in uniform, but he was on the bench.
"He was active, it was a coach's decision to not play him," Raptors coach Jay Triano said, adding he made that decision because Turkoglu was not healthy--and to send a message.
The message dates back to earlier last week. Turkoglu left midway through Wednesday night's game against Utah with a stomach virus. He did not play against Denver on Friday--another loss--but was seen out on the town following the game.
Earlier yesterday, Turkoglu insisted he was just grabbing a bite to eat after the game. Apparently, that is not how the club saw it. When pressed, Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo said the matter was handled internally.
Turkoglu, for his part, declined comment after the game. "I'm good, I'm good," he said.
"I don't make them decisions, man," swingman Antoine Wright said. "I think we need everything in this locker room to play basketball, in my personal opinion."
That was obvious. With Dwyane Wade routinely shredding the defence as the Heat came back from a deficit that was as large as 17 points, the Raptors could get nothing going offensively.
Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/sports/story.html?id=2738149#ixzz0jZx9EobD
The National Post is now on Facebook. Join our fan community today.
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Thursday, March 25, 2010
NBA Round Up: Josh Smith buzzer beater
Josh Smith buzzer beater dunk carries Atlanta Hawks past Orlando Magic 86-84
Atlanta Hawks clinched their third straight trip to the playoffs. Thanks to the buzzer beater dunk of Josh Smith. Officialls review it and the dunk went in with 0.01 seconds remaining.
“I knew it was close,” Smith said. “I just crashed it. I looked and the ball was there. Joe’s a good shooter, and I knew it wouldn’t be much off.”
Atlanta snapped a six-game losing streak against the Magic dating back to the opener of the 2008-09 season.
Charlotte Bobcats rout Minesota Timberwolves 108-95
Jackson hit 4 of 6 from the three point line and scored 37 points to help the Bobcats. Jackson revealed that he was being bothered by a bruised ligament in his left index fingers.
Al Jefferson led the Timberwolves, 26 points and they end their road trip this season with a disappointing 5-32 record.
Wizards loss 13th straight
Danny Granger scored 31 points to help the Indiana Pacers hand Washington Wizards its 13th straight game loss. The last time the Wizards won was against New Jersey Nets last Feb 28, 2010.
Coach Flip Saunders response about their consecutive losses.
“I don’t think our guys are looking at that,” he said. “We’re looking at trying to be competitive and look ahead. The reason we’re getting beat right now is because other teams are better than us. We’re not very good right now.”
Utah Jazz beats Toronto Raptors 113-87
The Raptors experienced their second straight game blowout loss at home. Deron Williams helps the Jazz with his 18 points and 16 assists. Raptors missed the service of Hedo Turkoglo in the second half due to stomach virus.
Celtics back in the playoffs
The Boston Celtics beat the Denver Nuggets 113-99 and clinched their playoffs spot. Paul Pierce lead the Boston Celtics with 27 points. Pierce rebounded from the 5 points performance against the Denver last Feb. 21.
“The Paul Pierce you saw out in Denver wasn’t the Paul Pierce that usually shows up to play,” he said. “Right now I’m as healthy as I’ve been all year and this is our time to start playing well.”
New Jersey Nets Win
Lopez helps Nets in their quest to avoid the stigma as the NBA's worst team. Lopez scored 26 points and carried the team, beating the Sacramento Kings 93-79.
Philadelphia 76ers beats Milwaukee Bucks 101-86
Rokie Jrue Holiday scored 15 points and had seven assists as the Sixers stun the Bucks.
Thunder beats Rockets 122-104
James Harden returned in the lineup for the Thunder after two weeks of absence. He help the Thunder with his 23 points, together with Durant who scored 25 points carried the Thunder over the Rockets.
“I just wanted to come out and get my swag back like it was before I left,” said Harden, who had his fourth 20-point game of the season and his first since Dec. 7
Cavs slip past over Hornets 105-92
Behind the good performance of Lebron James, the Cavs beat the Hornest and stays at the top of NBA standing. James scored 38 points on 15 of 22 shooting. He even turned his left ankle in the final seconds of the first half. At the second half, he started and did not show any sign of ill effect.
“LeBron’s 6-8, and if you double team him, he’s going to throw over the defense. He can definitely see over the defense,” Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. “He can burn you either way. LeBron had an outstanding game but the guys around him played extremely well feeding off of the double teams … and the attention that he drew.”
Lakers won over Spurs 92-83
Behind Kobe Bryant 24 points, as the Lakers win seven straight. Artest also played a good defense in the second half that triggers the Lakers offense.
Manu Ginobili scored 24 points in a losing cause for the Spurs.
Warriors won over Grizzlies 128-110
Stephen Curry scored 30 points and the Warriors spoils Grizzlies bid of a playoff spot. He also had 11 assists. Grizzlies Zach Randolph scored 16 points but left the ball game in the third quarter with a sore ankle.
source
Atlanta Hawks clinched their third straight trip to the playoffs. Thanks to the buzzer beater dunk of Josh Smith. Officialls review it and the dunk went in with 0.01 seconds remaining.
“I knew it was close,” Smith said. “I just crashed it. I looked and the ball was there. Joe’s a good shooter, and I knew it wouldn’t be much off.”
Atlanta snapped a six-game losing streak against the Magic dating back to the opener of the 2008-09 season.
Charlotte Bobcats rout Minesota Timberwolves 108-95
Jackson hit 4 of 6 from the three point line and scored 37 points to help the Bobcats. Jackson revealed that he was being bothered by a bruised ligament in his left index fingers.
Al Jefferson led the Timberwolves, 26 points and they end their road trip this season with a disappointing 5-32 record.
Wizards loss 13th straight
Danny Granger scored 31 points to help the Indiana Pacers hand Washington Wizards its 13th straight game loss. The last time the Wizards won was against New Jersey Nets last Feb 28, 2010.
Coach Flip Saunders response about their consecutive losses.
“I don’t think our guys are looking at that,” he said. “We’re looking at trying to be competitive and look ahead. The reason we’re getting beat right now is because other teams are better than us. We’re not very good right now.”
Utah Jazz beats Toronto Raptors 113-87
The Raptors experienced their second straight game blowout loss at home. Deron Williams helps the Jazz with his 18 points and 16 assists. Raptors missed the service of Hedo Turkoglo in the second half due to stomach virus.
Celtics back in the playoffs
The Boston Celtics beat the Denver Nuggets 113-99 and clinched their playoffs spot. Paul Pierce lead the Boston Celtics with 27 points. Pierce rebounded from the 5 points performance against the Denver last Feb. 21.
“The Paul Pierce you saw out in Denver wasn’t the Paul Pierce that usually shows up to play,” he said. “Right now I’m as healthy as I’ve been all year and this is our time to start playing well.”
New Jersey Nets Win
Lopez helps Nets in their quest to avoid the stigma as the NBA's worst team. Lopez scored 26 points and carried the team, beating the Sacramento Kings 93-79.
Philadelphia 76ers beats Milwaukee Bucks 101-86
Rokie Jrue Holiday scored 15 points and had seven assists as the Sixers stun the Bucks.
Thunder beats Rockets 122-104
James Harden returned in the lineup for the Thunder after two weeks of absence. He help the Thunder with his 23 points, together with Durant who scored 25 points carried the Thunder over the Rockets.
“I just wanted to come out and get my swag back like it was before I left,” said Harden, who had his fourth 20-point game of the season and his first since Dec. 7
Cavs slip past over Hornets 105-92
Behind the good performance of Lebron James, the Cavs beat the Hornest and stays at the top of NBA standing. James scored 38 points on 15 of 22 shooting. He even turned his left ankle in the final seconds of the first half. At the second half, he started and did not show any sign of ill effect.
“LeBron’s 6-8, and if you double team him, he’s going to throw over the defense. He can definitely see over the defense,” Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. “He can burn you either way. LeBron had an outstanding game but the guys around him played extremely well feeding off of the double teams … and the attention that he drew.”
Lakers won over Spurs 92-83
Behind Kobe Bryant 24 points, as the Lakers win seven straight. Artest also played a good defense in the second half that triggers the Lakers offense.
Manu Ginobili scored 24 points in a losing cause for the Spurs.
Warriors won over Grizzlies 128-110
Stephen Curry scored 30 points and the Warriors spoils Grizzlies bid of a playoff spot. He also had 11 assists. Grizzlies Zach Randolph scored 16 points but left the ball game in the third quarter with a sore ankle.
source
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
NBA Round Up: Charlotte Bobcats set win record
NBA Round Up
Bobcats beat Wizards 95-87 to set a win record
Al thornton hit a game tying three with 8 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime. Stephen Jackson tried to win it but he could not make the game winning shot.
But the Bobcats outscored the Wizards 13-4 in overtime to set a franchise record for victories. The win was No. 36 for Charlotte. The Wizard drops its 12 straight loss.
Pacers sweep Pistons, 98-83
Danny Granger helps Pacers to sweep Detroit, he scored 32 points. With this win, the Pacers end their nine-game losing streak.
Detroit loss marks an ending of their eight-year post season run appearances.
Denver lost to Knicks, 109-104
Danilo Gallinari gave Carmelo Anthony a spirited duel, he scored 17 of his 28 points in the third quarter. And the Knicks beats the Denver Nuggets for the first time in 5 meetings.
Mavs win behind Kidd
Jason Kidd scored a season-high 26 points on his 37th birthday and carry the Mavericks over the Clippers to a 106-96 win. He scored 13 points during a 22-3 run that put the Mavericks ahead for good and tied the Denver Nuggets for the second-best record in the Western Conference.
Los Angeles Clippers lost for the 10th time in 11 games, and their 11 straight time on the road.
Bobcats beat Wizards 95-87 to set a win record
Al thornton hit a game tying three with 8 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime. Stephen Jackson tried to win it but he could not make the game winning shot.
But the Bobcats outscored the Wizards 13-4 in overtime to set a franchise record for victories. The win was No. 36 for Charlotte. The Wizard drops its 12 straight loss.
Pacers sweep Pistons, 98-83
Danny Granger helps Pacers to sweep Detroit, he scored 32 points. With this win, the Pacers end their nine-game losing streak.
Detroit loss marks an ending of their eight-year post season run appearances.
Denver lost to Knicks, 109-104
Danilo Gallinari gave Carmelo Anthony a spirited duel, he scored 17 of his 28 points in the third quarter. And the Knicks beats the Denver Nuggets for the first time in 5 meetings.
Mavs win behind Kidd
Jason Kidd scored a season-high 26 points on his 37th birthday and carry the Mavericks over the Clippers to a 106-96 win. He scored 13 points during a 22-3 run that put the Mavericks ahead for good and tied the Denver Nuggets for the second-best record in the Western Conference.
Los Angeles Clippers lost for the 10th time in 11 games, and their 11 straight time on the road.
Monday, March 22, 2010
NBA AM: Salmons Key To The Bucks Run
By: Steve Kyler
Change Is Good: Last year Bucks' guard John Salmons was traded from Sacramento to the Chicago Bulls and helped power their run into the playoffs.
The Bulls were hoping for big things from Salmons this year that never materialized and ultimately they decided to trade him and his $5.8 million player options for next season to the Milwaukee Bucks, who really couldn't be happier with the deal.
"When we were talking about making a move, we looked at him, and still do, as just a good, all-around pro guard," Bucks coach Scott Skiles said to Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel . "He can post up a little bit. He shoots the ball well enough. He can put it on the floor and get to the rim. He can dish it if necessary. He's a solid defender.
"He's a professional and has a real calm demeanor out there, and that has helped our guys."
Salmons has started 14 of the 16 possible games since arriving in Milwaukee and is averaging 19.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists. The Bucks are 13-2 since acquiring Salmons who has been the Bucks top scorer in 8 of his 16 games in Milwaukee.
Salmons' play has been so good, that there has been talk that he may opt-out of his $5.8 million contract year and test free agency in hopes of getting longer-term security and possibly a small pay raise, something the Bucks seem more than open to.
And from the gift that keeps on giving department; The Bucks received two future second-round picks from Chicago as part of the deal and the right to switch first-round picks with the Bulls this year if Chicago's pick is not in the top 10.
If the playoff started today, the Bucks would be the 5th seed in the East and would face the Atlanta Hawks in the first round. The Bucks have only seen Atlanta once in the regular season, but face them twice in the next 21 days.
The Bucks have 14 games remaining on the schedule, including 9 home games.
Read more NBA news and Insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?STORY_ID=15699#ixzz0iuyZSvQ9
Change Is Good: Last year Bucks' guard John Salmons was traded from Sacramento to the Chicago Bulls and helped power their run into the playoffs.
The Bulls were hoping for big things from Salmons this year that never materialized and ultimately they decided to trade him and his $5.8 million player options for next season to the Milwaukee Bucks, who really couldn't be happier with the deal.
"When we were talking about making a move, we looked at him, and still do, as just a good, all-around pro guard," Bucks coach Scott Skiles said to Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel . "He can post up a little bit. He shoots the ball well enough. He can put it on the floor and get to the rim. He can dish it if necessary. He's a solid defender.
"He's a professional and has a real calm demeanor out there, and that has helped our guys."
Salmons has started 14 of the 16 possible games since arriving in Milwaukee and is averaging 19.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists. The Bucks are 13-2 since acquiring Salmons who has been the Bucks top scorer in 8 of his 16 games in Milwaukee.
Salmons' play has been so good, that there has been talk that he may opt-out of his $5.8 million contract year and test free agency in hopes of getting longer-term security and possibly a small pay raise, something the Bucks seem more than open to.
And from the gift that keeps on giving department; The Bucks received two future second-round picks from Chicago as part of the deal and the right to switch first-round picks with the Bulls this year if Chicago's pick is not in the top 10.
If the playoff started today, the Bucks would be the 5th seed in the East and would face the Atlanta Hawks in the first round. The Bucks have only seen Atlanta once in the regular season, but face them twice in the next 21 days.
The Bucks have 14 games remaining on the schedule, including 9 home games.
Read more NBA news and Insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?STORY_ID=15699#ixzz0iuyZSvQ9
Friday, March 19, 2010
Lebron James is now the youngest player to reach 15,000 points
Lebron James becomes the youngest player to reach 15,000 points. He did it in a game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls. He surpass Kobe Bryant in this record. Lebron James reached the milestone at 25 years, 79 days in 506th games while Kobe Bryant was 27 years, 136 days and playing his 657th game, according to STATS LLC.
"There's not a milestone that I think he's going to attain that would shock me at all," coach Mike Brown said.
Lebron James missing milestone is getting the Championship ring. It's his ultimate goal. And come playoff time, we will see what will happen.
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