Nov

29

Pacers build big lead, hold off Trail Blazers 95-89

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Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger, left, shoots against Portland Trail Blazers forward Martell Webster, right, during the first half of the Indiana Pacers-Portland Trail Blazers game, played Wednesday night. Indiana beat Portland 95-89.

The Indiana Pacers in past years would, once they held a third quarter lead, more often than not emerge victorious. Tonight they almost let a big lead get away, as they built a sizable third period lead then held on for dear life as they slipped past the Portland Trail Blazers 95-89 at the Rose Garden in Portland.Portland went up by as many as 9 early in the game after guard Brandon Roy’s 3-pointer and consecutive layups by forward Travis Outlaw made it 22-13 in the first quarter. Indiana kept up with the Blazers and Pacers forward Mike Dunleavy tied it with a 3-pointer and G Jamaal Tinsley made a pair of free throws to put Indiana ahead. Both teams would trade leads until the Blazers’ Roy tip-in gave Portland a 44-40 lead. After the Pacers’ Dunleavy made a layup to narrow the gap, Portland F LaMarcus Aldridge hit a jumper to give the Blazers a 46-42 lead at halftime.

Indiana would begin the 3rd quarter with a 17-0 run that would give them a 57-49 lead; Pacers F Danny Granger made a 3-pointer, widening Indiana’s lead to 67-55 at the end of 3 periods. The Blazers’ Outlaw would help narrow the Pacers’ lead to 89-86 with a jumper with less than a minute left to go in the game, but the Pacers’ Tinsley would reciprocate with a jumper of his own with 24.9 seconds left, putting the Pacers up 91-86 and sealing the win.

Indiana was led by Granger with 23 points, while Dunleavy added 20 with 11 rebounds; Tinsley, despite going 4-for-16, contributed 15 with 6 rebounds and 10 assists. Jeff Foster had a nice game, pitching in with 11 points and grabbing 17 boards. Portland had 5 players in double-figures, led by Outlaw with 26 points; Aldridge added 22 with 9 rebounds, while Roy chipped in 10 and 10 boards. Indiana (8-8) travels north up Interstate 5 to take on the Seattle Supersonics on Friday night, while Portland (5-10) flies to Dallas to challenge the Mavericks, also on Friday.

Nov

29

Howard’s career-high 39 powers Magic over SuperSonics 110-94

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Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard reacts during the fourth quarter of the Orlando Magic-Seattle SuperSonics game, played Wednesday night. Howard scored a career-high 39 points as Orlando beat Seattle 110-94.

Earlier today, I wrote a piece titled, “Orlando Magic?s Dwight Howard - best center in NBA?”, stating why Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard could very well be the most dominant center in the NBA today. Tonight’s matchup between the Orlando Magic and the Oklahoma City Seattle SuperSonics, also titled “The Dwight Howard Show”, may be more proof that Howard is the top center in the league. Howard dominated Seattle’s frontcourt as the Magic easily beat the Sonics 110-94 at Seattle.The game was dominated by Orlando almost from the opening tip, although Seattle had some moments in the first half; The Magic led at halftime 57-45. For most of the game, Seattle played tired, settling for jump shots and just watching Howard dominate the paint. But the Sonics rallied, while pulling to within 93-92 on a pair of free throws by Seattle swingman Wally Szczerbiak with 4:35 left in the game. But 3 Orlando free throws and a 3-pointer by Magic reserve guard Keith Bogans pushed the lead back to 7, and the Sonics couldn’t recover.

Howard led all Magic scorers with a career-high 39 points, with 16 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. Hedo Turkoglu added 15 and 10 rebounds, while Bogans chipped in with 11. Rashard Lewis, a former Sonic, had a poor outing with 9 points on 3-of-19 shooting; however, he grabbed 10 boards. Seattle was led by rookie Kevin Durant with 22 points, while Szczerbiak added 20; Chris Wilcox recorded a double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 boards. Orlando (14-3), winners of 10 of their past 11, travels to Phoenix to take on the Suns on Friday. Seattle (2-14) continues their homestand when they host the Indiana Pacers, also on Friday.

Nov

29

Parker’s House; Spurs Throttle Wizards 109-94

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San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker put on quite a show as the Spurs whipped the Wizards Wednesday 109-94. Parker was just two rebounds short of a triple-double, ?as he scored a game high 29 points, dished off a game high 11 assists, 8 rebounds and 1 blocked shot in the rout. Parker went 12-18 from the field and 5-7 from the line.

When you break this game down quarter by quarter, it had a very bizarre consistency about it. Washington scored 23 points in each of the first two quarters, and 24 points in each of the last two quarters!?San Antonio was?almost as precise scoring 24 points, in the first quarter, 25 points in the second quarter, and then 30 points in each of the last two quarters! I don’t think you could do that if you tried!

Parker led six Spurs players in double figures, Manu Ginobili had 19, Tim Duncan had 16, Bruce Bowen in a rare offensive outburst had 12 points. Michael Finley, and backup center Francisco Elson each had 10 points for San Antonio. Washington?has done a nice job of playing since their leader Gilbert Arenas went down with knee surgery. But they were no match for the Spurs. Brendan Haywood led the scoring for the Wizards with 19 points, Caron Butler scored 16, Antawn Jamison scored 12 points, and had a game high 13 rebounds. Antonio Daniels scored 11, and DeShawn Stevenson scored 10 in the loss. Washington now falls to 7-8 while the Spurs sport an impressive 13-3 record.

? Copyright 2007 thesackattack.com?

Nov

29

Late 3-pointers fuel Warriors win over Kings 103-96

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Golden State Warriors guard Baron Davis (5) drives through Sacramento Kings defenders Ron Artest, left, and Mikki Moore, right, for a basket during the first half of the Golden State Warriors-Sacramento Kings game, played Wednesday night. Golden State defeated Sacramento 103-96.

The 3-pointers just weren’t falling for the Golden State Warriors tonight - except when they held the most meaning. Warriors forward Stephen Jackson’s two 3-pointers in a 20-second span late in the fourth quarter enabled the Warriors to sneak out of Arco Arena with a 103-96 victory the Sacramento Kings Tuesday night.Both teams exchanged several leads during the first half, with Sacramento holding a narrow 55-53 lead at halftime. Kings forward Ron Artest would catch fire during the third period, hitting a 3-pointer and scoring 11 points in the period, enabling Sacramento to take an 82-81 lead into the 4th quarter. The Warriors’ Jackson would be the difference maker as he would score consecutive 3-pointers with 1:21 left in the game, putting the Warriors ahead 98-96 with 1:11 remaining. Golden State guard Monta Ellis would make 2 free throws with 27.1 seconds left to extend Golden State’s lead to 100-96.

Golden State was led by Ellis with 22 points, while Jackson pitched in with 21. Baron Davis would have another strong night, scoring 19 with 4 rebounds and 6 assists. F/C Andres Biedrins had a double-double, adding 13 while grabbing 13 boards. Sacramento’s high scorer was Kevin Martin with 28 points and 7 rebounds. Artest added 21 with 9 rebounds, while Beno Udrih chipped in with 16. Center Brad Miller had a double-double, scoring 10 with 18 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Golden State (7-7) returns home to Oakland to host the Houston Rockets on Thursday, while Sacramento (5-10) remains home to face the Houston Rockets, as well; their game is on Saturday.

Nov

29

Mavericks Win Shoot Out With T-Wolves 109-103

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The Dallas Mavericks are now 7-1 at home, and ended a three game losing streak as they beat the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday 109-103. Dallas dominated the first half going into the locker room with a 58-45 lead, but the T-Wolves were able to reduce the lead to six at the end of the third quarter.

Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks scoring stampede with 27 points,?11 rebounds,?4 assists, 1 blocked shot. He shot 7-13 from the field and a perfect 13-13 from the charity stripe. Dallas point guard Devin Harris went 9-10 from the field for 22 points, he also had 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal. Brandon Bass, and Jerry Stackhouse both had big nights off the bench, Bass with 15 points, 3 rebounds, while Stackhouse had 10 points, 8 boards, 1 assist. Josh Howard and Jason Terry each scored 12 for the Mavericks.

Minnesota’s Al Jefferson who has been one of the few bright spots so far for Minnesota, led all scorers with a?season high 31 points, and a game high 14 rebounds.?Four other Timberwolves’ players scored in double figures, led by Rodney McCants with 21, Craig Smith with 17 points, 7 rebounds, Antoine Walker had 13, and Marko?Jaric scored 12 points, and had a game high 7 assists.??Dallas’ record is now 10-5, while Minnesota is now 2-11.

? Copyright 2007 thesackattack.com

Nov

29

Yao’s 31 boosts Rockets past Suns 100-94

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Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, of China, right, makes a shot over Phoenix Suns center Amare Stoudemire in the fourth quarter of the Houston Rockets-Phoenix Suns game, played Thursday night. Ming scored 31 as Houston beat Phoenix 100-94.

Houston Rockets center Yao Ming had an all-around, impressive effort tonight; it was sorely needed as he scored eight points during a key Rockets run late in the fourth quarter, allowing the Rockets to hold off the Phoenix Suns 100-94 at Phoenix. Oddly enough, it was a Rockets non-starter who provided the spark at key times during the game - guard Steve Francis.Francis helped Houston overcome a 1-point deficit to take an 11-point lead midway through the 2nd period. Francis led a 19-7 run during that period; he scored 7 points, 3 assists and a steal. But Phoenix would narrow the lead to 4 at halftime, with help from forward Shawn Marion’s 7 points and G Steve Nash’s two 3-pointers in the final 4:47 of the half.

The 3rd quarter was marred by sloppy play by both teams, with each team scoring only 19 points. After 3, Houston led 77-73. Phoenix, who trailed by as many as 8 points in the 4th period, closed the gap to 96-94 on Nash’s jumper with 50 seconds left. But the Rockets’ Francis scored on a drive to the basket with 29.9 seconds remaining then G Rafer Alston made a layup to cap the game’s scoring.

Houston’s high scorer was Ming with 31 points and 13 rebounds; swingman Tracy McGrady added a solid, albeit quiet effort with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Alston chipped in with 15. Phoenix was led by Nash with 29 points with 6 assists; Amare Stoudemire added 25 with 9 rebounds, while Marion contributed 18, grabbed 9 boards and blocked 4 shots. Houston (9-7), now on a 3-game winning streak, flies to Oakland to take on the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night. Phoenix (11-4) stays home to host the Orlando Magic; the game is on Friday night.

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