Nov

30

Wallace, Duncan Named NBA Players Of The Week

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The NBA, according to their website, has announced that Charlotte Bobcats swingman Gerald Wallace and San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan have been named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played from November 23 through November 29.

With weekly averages of 25.3 PPG, 13.7 RPG, 1.7 SPG and 1.0 BPG, Wallace led the Bobcats to a 3-0 mark. Wallace scored a season-high 31 points in consecutive wins over Toronto and Cleveland, marking just the fifth time in Bobcats history that a player recorded back-to-back 30-point games. Wallace pulled down double-digit rebounds in all three games.

Duncan led San Antonio to a 4-0 week, posting three double-doubles along the way. Duncan averaged 21.8 PPG on 58.3% shooting, to go with 10.0 RPG, 4.0 APG and 2.5 BPG. With 21 points in the Spurs’ 92-84 win over the Rockets on Nov. 27, Duncan passed Terry Cummings (19,460) for 39th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Here are some highlights for both Wallace and Duncan:

Gerald Wallace, Charlotte Bobcats

• Nov. 25 vs. Toronto: Posted 31 points, 13 rebounds, two steals and two blocks during a 116-81 win over the Raptors.
• Nov. 27 vs. Cleveland: Netted 31 points for the second straight game and added 14 rebounds in a 94-87 win over the Cavaliers.
• Nov. 28 @ Washington: Rounded out the week with his third double-double, tallying 14 points and 14 rebounds in a 92-76 victory over the Wizards.

Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs

• Nov. 23 vs. Milwaukee: Tallied 24 points and 12 rebounds in a 112-98 win over the Bucks.
• Nov. 25 vs. Golden State: Posted 20 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three blocks in a 118-104 win over the Warriors. Nov. 27 @ Houston: Collected 21 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks during a 92-84 win over the Rockets.
• Nov. 29 vs. Philadelphia: Recorded 22 points, six rebounds, five assists and three blocks in 97-89 win over the 76ers.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Cleveland’s LeBron James, Denver’s Carmelo Anthony, Golden State’s Monta Ellis, L.A. Clippers’ Marcus Camby, Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant, Orlando’s Dwight Howard, Phoenix’s Steve Nash and Sacramento’s Tyreke Evans.

Nov

30

Kings Rise To .500, Swat Hornets 112-96

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Sergio Rodriguez

One of the more surprising teams in the NBA at this stage of the NBA season has to be the Sacramento Kings. One must consider that their team is relatively young and experienced not to mention they have a new head coach in Paul Westphal; that combination usually means a young team that is slowly trying to get an identity and work through their growing pains. Yet here they are, prior to Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Hornets, at 7-8. The game itself allowed for a different hero for the Kings; usually it is either Tyreke Evans or Jason Thompson most nights. This night’s savior was Sergio Rodriguez as he scored 24 points, allowing Sacramento to reach the .500 mark in thrashing New Orleans 112-96 at Arco Arena.

The first quarter was very evenly played as the Hornets put together a quick 10-4 run, capped by a David West jumper with 9:03 left in the period; the Kings would remain close, ending the period tying the game at 26-all on a Beno Udrih jumper with one second left. The second quarter would be all Sacramento as they would build an 11-point  lead on an Andres Nocioni three-pointer with 1:34 left in the half; they would go into halftime with a 57-43 lead.

New Orleans would chip away as they reduced the Kings lead to 59-55 on a pair of Devin Brown free throws; the Kings would regain the double-digit lead at 82-70 on an Omri Casspi layup and would take an eight-point lead going into the fourth quarter. The Hornets managed to reduce their deficit to three at 86-83, but Evans’ jumper would give Sacramento a double-digit lead at 94-83 with 6:56 left in the game; a free throw by Jon Brockman with 4:09 left would ice the game for the Kings.

Six Kings scored in double-digits, led by Rodriguez from off the bench with 24 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals while Thompson added 22 with 14 rebounds and an assist; Evans pitched in 14 with a rebound and 4 assists. West led the Hornets with 24 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a block while Emeka Okafor chipped in 20 with 9 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Sacramento (8-8) plays again on Wednesday when they host the Indiana Pacers while New Orleans (7-10) travels to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers Tuesday night.

Nov

30

Nets Get New Boss; But Still Suffer Loss! Lakers Win 106-87!

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If the New Jersey Nets Management thought that they were sending a message to their players with the firing of head coach Lawrence Frank on Sunday morning then the New Jersey players either never received it or more likely totally ignored it. The Nets in their first quarter under the direction of fill-in head coach Tom Barrise scored a grand total of 12 points on the way to another humiliating beating this time by the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers 106-87.

New Jersey is now tied for the worst start in the entire history of the Association as they are now 0-17 matching the starts of the 1998-1999 Miami Heat and the following season’s edition of the Los Angeles Clippers. New Jersey will have a chance  to be all alone if they lose Wednesday night to the Dallas Mavericks.

The worst kept secret in the NBA was that Frank would be  dismissed after the Nets fell to the Lakers ending their West Coast trip 0-4. What possessed them to do it before the game is known only to those that make the decisions for the team. If they truly thought that the Nets with their current roster could have even competed with the Lakers was ridiculous. Devin Harris and Courtney Lee are just starting to get used to playing after coming back from injuries. The only true talent they have right now is their center Brook Lopez who led the club as he recorded a double-double with 26 points and 12 boards while Harris had 16 points and Lee came off the bench with 15 more.

Los Angeles barely broke a sweat in this game as they had only 3 players in double figures. How dominant were the Lakers in this game? Kobe Bryant scored 30 points in just 29 minutes on the floor; that tells you all you need to know! Pau Gasol was close to a triple-double as the big man had 20 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block and 1 steal. Jordan Farmar came off the bench with 15 points in the win.

Los Angeles would lead 27-12 at the end of the first quarter and the game became an official NBA blow-out at the half as they would walk into the locker room on top by a score of 59-34. New Jersey would outscore the Lakers 53-47 in the second half and still lost the game by 19 points.

Los Angeles with the victory improves to a 13-3 record and will host the New Orleans Hornets on Tuesday. New Jersey is 0-17 and have a date with history Wednesday night as the welcome the Dallas Mavericks to their home arena.

© Copyright 2009 thesackattack

Nov

29

Big Ticket Leads Celtics Offensive Charge; Boston Beats Heat 92-85!

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Sunday night the Boston Celtics shot a sizzling 52.2% (36-69) and the “Big Ticket” looked like he was back as Kevin Garnett led the team with 24 points as they defeated the Miami Heat 92-85. The Celtics had all five starters in double figures while Miami’’s All-Star Dwyane Wade was the game’s high scorer with 27 points. This contest would not be decided until the game’s final minutes as Boston would pull out of reach. The victory would be the Celtics fourth straight and the team is now 6-1 on the road this season.

The Heat would have the advantage at the end of the first quarter but it was slim as they were on top 31-29. The Celtics tied the game up with 5:15 to play in the second at 41-41 as Rajon Rondo knocked down a 24 foot trey. Boston would go to grab the lead by the end of the half and walked into the locker room with the score 55-48.

The Heat picked up their intensity on both ends of the floor in the third. They would hold the Celtics to just 12 points in the period and the Boston lead was just 67-65 as the two teams went into the fourth. The two opponents would volley the lead back and forth throughout the fourth quarter until Boston finally went ahead 89-83 with 1:38 to play as Ray Allen drained a 25 foot trey. Miami never would recover and the Celtics held on for the win.

Kevin Garnett shot 11-12 from the floor for the night for 24 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assists and 1 steal in the Celtics victory. Paul Pierce scored 15 points, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and 1 rebound while Kendrick  Perkins recorded a double-double with 14 points, 13 boards, 3 blocks and 1 assist. Rajon Rondo also had a double-double with 13 points, 11 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 steal while Ray Allen added 11 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 block.

Dwyane Wade was the game’s leading scorer with 27 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block. Michael Beasley added 18  points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals while Jermaine O’Neal had a double-double scoring 14 points and he had 10 rebounds in the loss. Boston improves to 13-4 and will be in Charlotte on Tuesday to tangle with the Bobcats. Miami is now 9-7 and will play in Portland Tuesday as they take on the Blazers.

© Copyright 2009 thesackattack

Nov

29

Reports State Nets Fire Frank Before End Of Road Trip!

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The “Associated Press“; “The Bergen County Record” and “ESPN.com” are all reporting that the New Jersey Nets have fired head coach Lawrence Frank after the team started out the season with an 0-16 record. Reports are that Frank was told by Team President Rod Thorn Sunday morning that he was being dismissed.

The Nets play the last game of a four game road trip Sunday night against the Los Angeles Lakers. Though rumors were consistent that Frank would be getting fired it was assumed that he would coach the game against the Lakers and that the dismissal would come once the team got back home. 

© Copyright 2009 thesackattack

Nov

29

Lakers Shoot 54%; Destroy Warriors 130-97

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Pau Gasol

One thing that the Los Angeles Lakers are not is offensively challenged. Granted they’re not the Phoenix Suns, but at the same time they’re certainly not the New Jersey Nets either.

Fortunately for Los Angeles, their opponent in Saturday night’s game – the Golden State Warriors – consider defense an afterthought for 48 minutes a night. Nonetheless, the Lakers were firing on all 8 cylinders as they shot a hot 54% from the floor, leading Los Angeles to a ridiculously easy 130-97 win over Golden State.

The Lakers were hot early as they raced to a 14-7 lead with 9:03 left in the first quarter; after a Golden State timeout, the Warriors would chip away, getting to within 14-12 on a technical free throw by Monta Ellis, courtesy of a technical foul assessed to Kobe Bryant. But Los Angeles would rebound as they increased their lead to double-digits, taking a 36-22 lead into the second quarter. The Lakers would up their advantage to 17 but the Warriors managed to decrease their deficit to ten at 60-50 going into halftime. With 3:30 left in the third quarter, Ron Artest’s layup would put Los Angeles up 89-68 and would take a 23-point bulge into the final period. Los Angeles would pile it on yet again as their lead would eclipse 30 and they would coast to the easy victory.

Seven Lakers scored in double-digits, led by Pau Gasol with 22 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks while Bryant added 20 with 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals; Artest poured in 19 with 5 rebounds and 4 assists while Shannon Brown scored 17 with 2 rebounds and an assist. Lamar Odom grabbed 10 boards for the victorious Lakers.

Monta Ellis led the Warriors with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal while Corey Maggette added 17 with 6 rebounds and an assist; Anthony Morrow chipped in 15 with 5 rebounds, an assist and a steal. Vladimir Radmanovic grabbed 10 rebounds in a losing effort.

Los Angeles (12-3) plays again on Sunday when they host the winless New Jersey Nets while Golden State (5-10) remains at home to host the Indiana Pacers on Monday night.

Nov

28

Wild West Shoot Out In Cleveland! Cavaliers Gun Down Mavs 111-95!

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NBA/

When you think back those daring days of yesterday and those great shoot-outs in the Old West the city of Cleveland does not readily come to mind. Somehow I don’t believe that Marty Robbins was ever tempted to write a song with the lyrics “Out In The Dusty Old Streets of East Cleveland…” However the Cleveland Cavaliers shot the lights out Saturday night at the Q Arena against the Dallas Mavericks bouncing back from their loss  Friday against the Charlotte Bobcats winning this contest 111-95.

Cleveland shot a torrid 57.7% ( 45-78) from the floor for the game and a scalding 69.2% (9-13) from outside the arc. LeBron James recorded a double-double with a team high 25 points and his partner in crime point guard Mo Williams would score 25 more. The Cavaliers also  had an appearance from the “Real” Delonte West who had his best game this season since his season debut as the guard came off the bench with a double-double 10 points and 10 assists. Dirk Nowitzki led all players as the Dallas big man put up 27 points in the loss.

In many ways the Friday night loss to the Bobcats by Cleveland was the club’s worst lost of the season. They allowed Gerald Wallace and the rest of the Charlotte squad to dictate the flow of that game. Saturday night the Cavaliers corrected those mistakes; this time they were the more aggressive  team they out-rebounded the Mavericks 39-24. They also shared the ball a lot more than Dallas did as they had 33 assists to just 20 for Dallas. Cleveland racked up the points in the first half and then shut the Mavericks down in the fourth quarter.

The Cavaliers basically put this game away in the first half and then allowed their lead to stay mostly intact for the balance of the game. Cleveland came out with guns blazing in the first and chalked up a 35- 26 advantage at the end of the quarter. The Cavaliers were able to expand on that in the second and they went into the locker room at half time on top 68-55.

Cleveland pretty much coasted through the third however their lead was still big enough that they were not really in any danger as they led 87-79 heading into the fourth. Any thoughts of a fourth quarter come back by Dallas were squashed as the Cavaliers picked up their defensive intensity in the final 12 minutes as the Mavericks scored a total of 16 points in the period.

LeBron James recorded a double-double  with 25 points, 12 assists and 5 rebounds while Mo Williams put up 25 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block. Anderson Varejao had a strong night off the bench with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal while Jamario Moon contributed 13 points, 9 rebounds and 1 assist. Delonte West got  well deserved applause and cheers from the Cleveland fans as he had a double-double with 10 points, 10 assists and 4 rebounds.

Dirk Nowitzki scored a game high 27 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 1 steal  while Jason Terry  came off the bench and added 25 points and 3 assists. Shawn Marion had 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 1 steal while Jose Juan Barea had 10 points and 3 assists. Cleveland after  is now 6-2 at home and 12-5 overall and will play Wednesday as they host the Phoenix Suns while Dallas is also 12-5 and will play host to Philadelphia on Monday.

© Copyright 2009 thesackattack

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