Nov

30

Billups’ 11 Third Quarter Points Help Nuggets Defuse Rockets 104-94

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Typically, the Denver Rockets main source of offense is Carmelo Anthony; there was a change of plans on Sunday when the Houston Rockets came to take on the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center.  Anthony did play for a while until he had to leave the game in the second quarter because he reaggravated an elbow injury he has been dealing with the past couple weeks.  As it turned out, the Nuggets had a Plan B as Chauncey Billups manned up as he scored 11 of his 28 points in a pivotal third period, leading Denver to a 104-94 win over Houston.

Neither team shot especially well during the first half yet the Nuggets managed to take a 48-44 lead into their locker room at halftime; during the third quarter, Billups sank a pair of free throws that would give Denver a sizable 72-58 advantage; they would go into the final quarter with a 78-68 lead.  But the Rockets would chip away and get to within 89-84 with 7 1/2 minutes left in the game on a pair of baskets by Carl Landry; however, Denver’s Chris Andersen would end that run with a pair of free throws and a basket by Nene - which would make it a 97-86 cushion for the Nuggets.  The Rockets would get no closer.

Denver’s high scorer was Billups with 28 points (including 4 three-pointers), 4 rebounds, 10 assists and 2 steals while J.R. Smith from off the bench added 19 (including 5 treys) with 5 rebounds and 4 assists; Nene pitched in, scoring 17 with 10 rebounds, an assist and a steal while Kenyon Martin poured in 15 with 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 blocked shots.

Houston was led by Yao Ming with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocked shots while Rafer Alston added 16 (along with 3 treys) with 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and a blocked shot while Aaron Brooks pitched in, scoring 15 (including 3 treys) with 3 rebounds and 4 assists.  Denver (12-6) plays again on Tuesday when they host the Toronto Raptors while Houston (11-7) returns home to host the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

Nov

20

Salmons Pours In 29, Undermanned Kings Shock Hornets 105-96

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The Sacramento Kings, without a doubt, miss not having Kevin Martin (ankle sprain), Francisco Garcia (right calf) and Mikki Moore (ankle sprain) in their lineup.  In Wednesday night’s game against the New Orleans Hornets, they once again had to find their offense wherever they could.  Tonight’s power source happened to be John Salmons who as of late has been doing a good imitation of Martin; Salmons drained 29 points in leading Sacramento to a 105-96 win over New Orleans at New Orleans Arena.

The Hornets looked like their usual selves as they took an ewarly 9-2 lead, forcing the Kings to take a timeout; New Orleans’ Chris Paul scored 11 points, had 5 assists and 3 steals while the Hornets went ahead 29-20 in the first quarter.  But Sacramento would respond with a 7-0 run midway through the second period, getting to 41-39, thanks to a 3-pointer by rookie Donte Greene; neither team played defense as the Hornets shot 58.5% from the floor while the Kings shot 57.6%.  New Orleans would take a 54-51 lead into their locker room.

Ahead 77-76 after three quarters, the Hornets manufactured an 8-0 run to begin the fourth period; Salmons would lead a Kings charge as he scored 6 consecutive points to put Sacramento ahead 85-84.  Bobby Jackson would make a huge difference for the Kings as he drained a 3-pointer to give Sacramento the lead for good at 90-88.

Sacramento’s leading scorer was Salmons with 29 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal while Greene scored a career-high 15 (including three 3-pointers) with 2 rebounds and an assist.  New Orleans was led by David West with 22 points, a rebound, 3 assists and a steal while Paul added 20 with 3 rebounds, 15 assists and 4 steals.  Sacramento (5-8) returns home to host the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday while New Orleans (5-5) makes the short trip to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder - also on Friday.

Nov

18

Grizzlies Shoot 54%, Maul Kings 109-94

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The Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night flew into Memphis, in the hopes of receiving some Southern hospitality; what they received instead was a heapin’ helping of Rudy Gay and Hakim Warrick as they combined for 43 points, leading the Memphis Grizzlies to a relatively easy 109-94 win over Sacramento.  The Kings were without the services of Kevin Martin and Mikki Moore, both out with ankle sprains.

Hot shooting was what made the difference for the grizzlies as they shot for the vast majority of the game around 60%; the Kings were down by 10 late in the second period when the Grizzlies went on a 10-1 run, building their lead to 64-45.  Memphis would go into halftime leading 64-47.  Memphis would continue to build their lead, at one time sporting a 23-point cushion before taking a 90-71 lead going into the fourth quarter - a lead they would not relinquish.

Memphis was led by Gay with 22 points (including three 3-pointers), 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and a blocked shot while Warrick added 21 from off the bench with 10 rebounds and an assist; Marc Gasol chipped in, scoring 16 with 2 rebounds and 4 assists.  Sacramento’s leading scorer was John Salmons with 18 points and a rebound while Spencer Hawes added 14 with 4 rebounds and an assist.  Memphis (4-7) plays again on Friday when they travel to Texas to face the Dallas Mavericks while Sacramento (4-8) travels south to The Big Easy to take on the New Orleans Hornets Wednesday night.

Nov

13

Udrih’s 30 Helps Kings Hold Off Clippers 103-98

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The Sacramento Kings, before Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers, were 3-5; nothing unusual about that as the Kings tend to start off slow.  What is amazing is that the Kings are winning their games being short-handed as they are missing three injuries due to injury: Kevin Martin (sprained ankle), Quincy Douby (sore right ankle) and Francisco Garcia (strained right calf),  So naturally, they have to rely on other sources for their offensive output; enter Beno Udrih.  Udrih was the hero this game as he scored a career-high 30 points, leading Sacramento to a narrow win over Los Angles at Staples Center.

Speaking of Udrih, he got off to a hot start, scoring ten points as Sacramento took a 27-20 lead although they took zero free throw attempts; two consecutive baskets by Bobby Jackson gave the Kings a 34-24 lead early in the second quarter.  Sacramento was holding onto a 41-32 advantage when Los Angeles put together an 11-2 run which would tie the game; but the Kings would respond with 7 straight points before a basket by the Clippers’ Ricky Davis reduced Sacramentos’ lead to 50-45 at halftime.

The Kings would score the first 6 points of the third period to assume a 56-45 lead and would go into the final quarter with an 81-69 cushion.  A basket by Udrih and 4 straight points by Mikki Moore would give the Kings an 11-point lead with 4:48 left in the game; however, the Clippers would fight back, getting a pair of treys by Davis during a 13-4 run which would bring Los Angeles to within 99-97 with 1:52 remaining.

With just over a minute left to go and the Kings holding a slim 100-98 lead, Udrih made a jumper to give Sacramento a 4-point lead; unfortunately for Los Angeles, they would not score another point.  Sacramento was led by the aforementioned Udrih with a career-high 30 points, along with 5 rebounds, 7 assists,  and 2 steals while Brad Miller and Jason Thompson added 16 apiece - with Miller nearly getting a triple-double as he grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out 8 assists with a steal and a blocked shot while Thompson also grabbed 11 boards.

Los Angeles was led by Al Thornton with 20 points, 3 rebounds and 3 blocked shots while Davis from off the bench added 16 (including 4 treys) with 3 rebounds and 2 assists.  Sacramento (4-5) plays again on Friday when they host the Phoenix Suns while Los Angeles (1-7) stay at home to host the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.

Nov

13

Depleted Pacers Cut Down Nets 98-87

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A healthy T.J. Ford is a productive T.J. Ford these days for the Indiana Pacers; the 4th-year veteran thus far this season has helped the Pacers remain relevant in the NBA’s always-competitive Central Division and Wednesday’s game against the New Jersey Nets helped them to that end.  Ford nearly recorded a triple-double in leading Indiana to a convincing win over New Jersey 98-87 at Izod Center; the Pacers won despite being without their leading scorer Danny Granger (quadricep injury), Mike Dunleavy (knee) and Troy Murphy (flu).

The Pacers took control of the game in the second quarter with a huge 18-5 run, including seven points by Fordand 6 by reserve guard Jarrett Jack; they would go into halftime with a 7-point lead.  Entering the third period, Indiana would increase their margin to 10 and as many as 13 in the final quarter when Travis Diener drained a 3-pointer; New Jersey would return the favor with a 12-4 run, capped by a dunk by Sean Williams.  After a Pacers timeout, Jack would hit a trey and Marquis Daniels would slam a basket home to put Indiana up for good 81-71.

Indiana had six players in double-digits, led by Ford with a near triple-double, scoring 18 points with 8 rebounds, 9 assists,  and 3 steals while Jeff Foster and Daniels each scored 16 - with Foster grabbing 7 rebounds, dishing out 3 assists with 2 steals and 2 blocked shots while Daniels grabbed 6 boards, dished out an assist and notched a pair of steals.

New Jersey was led by Vince Carter with 28 points, a rebound and 7 assists while Jarvis Hayes added 15 with 7 rebounds, an assist and steals.  Indiana (4-3) plays again on Friday when they return home to host the Philadelphia 76ers while New Jersey (2-5) remains home to host the Atlanta Hawks - also on Friday.

Nov

12

Oden May Return To Play Wednesday

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In what has to be good news for fans of the Portland Trail Blazers as according to SportsTicker, center Greg Oden, who has been sidelined with a sprained foot for the past two weeks, could possibly return to the Trail Blazers’ lineup when they face the Miami Heat on Wednesday; Oden originally injured his foot on October 28 against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Trail Blazers’ season opener.

The initial medical reports had indicated that Oden may miss up to a month, but he practiced with the team on Sunday, and according to the Trail Blazers’ website, Oden was “explosive” and “dominant”.  The team currently has Oden listed as questionable for the game on Wednesday; however, Portland coach Nate McMillan said that even if Oden was healthy enough to play that he would not be in the starting lineup.

Nov

10

Kings Win 3rd Straight, Destroy Warriors 115-98

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The Sacramento Kings lost their first four games - all on the road; however, they’re unbeatable at Arco Arena these days.  Sunday’s game against the Golden State Warriors was a game in which after a first half of attrition, they managed to pull away in the second half as they defeated Golden State 115-98.

Kevin Martin helped the Kings during the first half, scoring 19 points as Sacramento took a 63-57 lead going into the second half; the Kings would continue the uptempo as they slowly pulled away from the Warriors.  Martin scored 8 points and John Salmons scored 7 as the Kings took a 90-74 lead into the fourth quarter.  The Kings would coast from there; Sacramento won the game, but they also lost Martin at the 2:39 mark of the third period when he drove to the basket then made two free throws.  Limping heavily on his left ankle, he went to the locker room and did not return.

Sacramento’s leading scorer was the aforementioned Martin with 27 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal while Salmons added 16 with 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal; Brad Miller and Spencer Hawes both recorded double-doubles while scoring 14 each - with Miller grabbing 10 rebounds, dishing out 6 assists with a steal and 2 blocked shots while Hawes grabbed 11 boards with a steal, 3 blocked shots but 5 turnovers.

Six Warriors scored in double-digits, led by Andris Biedrins with 16 points, 18 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocked shots but 5 turnovers while Stephen Jackson added 15 with 2 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal.  Sacramento (3-4) plays again on Tuesday when they complete a 4-game homestand as they host the Detroit Pistons while Golden State (2-5) plays again on Tuesday when they return home to host the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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