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.

Kidd, Mavericks overcome Heat-less Wade 97-91

DALLAS—Jason Kidd knew his Dallas Mavericks needed a jolt in the fourth quarter, so the pass-first point guard decided to take charge offensively.

Kidd scored 14 of his 21 points in the final quarter, Dirk Nowitzki had 28 points and the Dallas Mavericks held off the short-handed Miami Heat 97-91 Saturday night.

With All-Star game MVP Dwyane Wade missing his second consecutive game with a strained left calf, Kidd knocked down a 3-pointer with 4:21 left that gave Dallas the lead for good.

Kidd sees the season winding down and said it is time for the Mavericks, who have the fourth-best record in the West, to make a push.

"We had 30 games left after the All-Star break," said Kidd, who is second all-time in assists with 10,705. "Being a veteran ballclub, we understand what's at stake. So the dress rehearsal is over and we've got to get serious."

Wade, who was the NBA Finals MVP in 2006 when the Heat beat the Mavericks, was in a suit and a protective walking boot as he watched his team's five-game winning streak end. Without their star on Friday, the Heat beat the Memphis Grizzlies 100-87 in double overtime.

On Saturday, Miami fizzled offensively down the stretch. The Heat scored 12 points in the third quarter and couldn't match the Mavericks' offensive surge late.

"It's a lesson for us that regardless of whether Dwyane plays or not, our formula and game plan have to be the same," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Collectively, we can make each other better. But if the ball stops moving, it becomes a stagnant game for us."

Kidd scored 19 points in the second half as the Mavericks rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit to beat Miami for the 12th straight time in the regular season.

Caron Butler had 20 points and Kidd had 11 assists for the Mavericks, who have won three in a row. Kidd also had three steals and is one shy of tying Scottie Pippen for fifth place on the career list.

Kidd hit all three of his shots and six of seven free throws in the fourth.

"After the All-Star break, he's been phenomenal," Nowitzki said. "He's been pushing the ball and scoring."

Daequan Cook scored a season-high 22 points, and Jermaine O'Neal added 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Heat.

"I think overall we played well without Dwyane," Miami forward Udonis Haslem said. "We gave ourselves a chance to win. They just made plays and we didn't."

Kidd hit a 3-pointer that gave Dallas a 71-64 lead after three and then scored his team's first 11 points of the fourth. He was one point away from tying his season-high point total.

Miami's Mario Chalmers drove for a layup to make it 79-79 with 4:34 left.

Kidd followed with a 3-pointer, Nowitzki hit two free throws and Brendan Haywood put back a miss to make it 86-79 with 2:57 remaining.

The Mavericks hit 9 of 10 free throws in the final minute as they increased their lead in the Southwest Division to 2 1/2 games over the San Antonio Spurs.

"We had to fight and scrap to get the win," Haywood said. "We didn't have the energy we needed in the first half. Dirk and (Kidd) had a great game and they really pulled us through."

Miami jumped out to a 52-44 halftime lead before Dallas rallied with a 19-5 run over the final 8:07 of the third.

Shawn Marion, who scored six points in the spurt, drove for a layup to tie it at 60. Nowitzki hit a jumper to give Dallas a 66-64 lead, and Kidd connected on a 3-pointer to stretch the lead to seven with 1:53 remaining in the third.

The Heat went 5 of 13 from the floor in the third quarter and committed six turnovers.

source: mercurynews.com

Mavericks strong in defense to beat Magic

The Dallas Mavericks rode a surprisingly strong defensive effort to beat the Orlando Magic 95-85 in a clash of NBA divisional leaders on Friday.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 23 points and new additions Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood had 16 and 15 respectively for Dallas, which opened a two-game lead atop the Southwest Division.

Dwight Howard had 29 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks for Orlando, which could not improve on its 1-1/2 game advantage in the Southeast Division.

After allowing Orlando to shoot 65 percent and score 33 points in the first period, the Mavericks limited the Magic to just 34 percent shooting and 62 points the rest of the game.

Bobcats 110, Cavaliers 93

In Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte took advantage of Antawn Jamison's miserable debut for Cleveland in a result that sent the NBA-leading Cavaliers to back-to-back defeats.

Two days after being acquired from Washington in a key trade, Jamison came off the bench and promptly went 0 for 12 from the field. He was blocked five times and tossed up two airballs, while looking out of sync with his new teammates.

Stephen Jackson scored 29 points to lead the Bobcats, who used a big run to end the third quarter to beat the Cavaliers for a third straight time and take the season series 3-1 in a possible first-round playoff preview.

LeBron James had 22 points and nine assists for Cleveland. Read More

source:etaiwannews.net