Nov

27

Pacers Rally In Fourth Quarter, Edge Rockets 91-90

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under NBA Game Recap
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For three straight games, the Indiana Pacers had blown second-half leads to lose; however, against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night at Toyota Center, they would mount a comeback in the fourth quarter with Danny Granger tipping in the game-winner with 13 seconds left in the game, enabling Indiana to nip Houston 91-90.

Houston’s cold shooting caught up to them as they shot 7-of-23 in the second quarter while Indiana sparked a 17-8 run which allowed them to take a 47-44 lead into halftime.  The Rockets opened the third quarter with 8 straight points, capped by a layup and 3-pointer by Shane Battier; they would extend their lead to 13 before Battier landed awkwardly on his ankle after blocking a shot by Granger. 

Fast-forwarding to the fourth period, Houston’s Carl Landry grabbed an offensive board and dunked with 6:28 remaining in the game, but Indiana’s Troy Murphy would lead their comeback with consecutive 3-pointers.  Indiana trailed 90-89 when Granger drove to the basket from the corner but missed; however, he tipped in the missed shot with 13 ticks left on the clock; after a timeout, Houston’s Yao Ming got the ball down low but missed.  Ron Artest got the offensive rebound but his fadeaway shot missed.

Indiana’s high scorer was Murphy with 21 points (including 4 treys), 14 rebounds, 2 assists and a blocked shot while Granger added 16 with 6 rebounds, 5 assists, a steal and 6 blocked shots.  Houston was led by Ming and Artest with 19 points each - with Ming grabbing 10 rebounds along with a blocked shot while Artest grabbed 5 rebounds, dished out 4 assists with a steal and a blocked shot; Luis Scola and Landry added 15 apiece - with Scola grabbing 18 boards, dishing out 4 assists with a steal while Landry grabbed 10 rebounds.  Indiana (6-8) plays again on Friday when they return home to host the Charlotte Bobcats while Houston (10-6) remains at home to host the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night.


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Nov

26

Hot Scoring Pistons Make Light Work Of Knicks Win 110-96

Posted by Jeff Sack under NBA Game Recap
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Witness if you will the Detroit Pistons and the New York Knicks, two teams who have radically changed their rosters since opening day. The Pistons traded Chauncey Billups to the Denver Nuggets, and since the deal have been inconsistent. At times they have looked terrific (defeating the Cavaliers and the Lakers) and other times have looked horrific (losing to the Timberwolves.) The Knicks on the other hand have been consistent since trading Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph last Friday. That would be consistently bad, as they lost Wednesday night to Detroit 110-96. The Pistons shot 51.6% (47-91) from the floor for the game and had eight players score in double figures.

Detroit jumped out on top in the first taking a 29-20 lead at the end of the quarter. They would increase their lead in the second quarter, walking into the locker room at the half with a 59-43 advantage. Things got no easier for New York in the third, as they trailed at the end of the period 86-68. New York never presented a challenge in the final 12 minutes of action.

Richard Hamilton led the way with 17 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, Iverson added 16 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals. Tayshaun Prince scored 15 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, Rodney Stuckey recorded a double-double as he came off the bench, 13 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal.  Aaron Afflalo also had 13 points, 5 rebounds, Amir Johnson also came off of the pine and registered a double-double, 12 points, 13 boards, 3 blocks, 1 assist. Rasheed Wallace put in 12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal, Jason Maxiell contributed 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks.

Al Harrington was the game’s leading scorer as he dropped 25 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block. David Lee recorded a double-double, 17 points, 15 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, Wilson Chandler scored 15 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 assists, 1 steal.  Chris Duhon added 13 points, 9 assists, 1rebound, 1 block, Tim Thomas had 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal. Detroit is now 9-5 while New York falls to 7-8.

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Nov

26

Cavaliers Steal Oklahoma City’s Thunder Win In Rout 117-82

Posted by Jeff Sack under NBA Game Recap
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The Cleveland Cavaliers let their fans celebrate Thanksgiving Wednesday night, as the Cavaliers shot an astronomical 60.8%  (45-74) from the floor for the game as they totally embarrassed the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-82. Both teams playing in the second of back to back games were a study of contrasts on the floor. Cleveland looked, totally in charge, where as the Thunder looked lost from the opening seconds of the game.

This one could have easily been called after the first 12 minutes, as it was a perfect barometer on both teams. The Cavaliers were ahead at the end of the first 33-14, and things did not get a whole lot better for OKC the rest of the game. The second quarter was much like the first as the score was 66-32 at the half. Interim head coach Scott Brooks still in search of his first win, apparently thought that he was better off bringing his team back out to play in the third quarter, rather than staying in the locker room. Bad decision, by Scott as the Thunder trailed at the end of three quarters 92-52. The fourth quarter was just more garbage time as Oklahoma City were able to shave five points off the lead for the final score.

Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas was the game’s leading scorer, even though he only had to play 13 minutes in the contest. Z scored 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, in the Cleveland victory. Daniel Gibson added 15 points from the bench, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, LeBron James put in 14 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 steal. Rookie forward J.J Hickson had another good night coming off the pine, 14 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks, 1 assist. Wally Szczerbiak put in 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, Tarrence Kinsey had his best night in a Cleveland uniform as the guard had 11 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound.

Chris Wilcox led the Thunder with 14 points, 5 rebounds, as he came off the bench. Kevin Durant scored 13 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound, rookie Russell Westbrook also added 13 points, 5 steals, 5 assists, 4 rebounds. Cleveland now has a record of 12-3, Oklahoma City now is 1-15.

© Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net

Nov

26

Cavaliers Prowess Pounds Thunder Into Early Submission In 117-82 Win

Posted by Matt Loede under NBA Game Analysis
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For the second straight night, the Cavaliers took care of business so early in the game, it seemed more like a preseason game than a game a month into the season. Pounding the young and over matched Oklahoma City Thunder into early submission, the Cavaliers improved to 12-3 with an impressive 117-82 win.

And it wasn’t even that close.

The team jumped out to a 13-0 advantage before some of the 19,753 at the Q even got into their seats. They led by as many as 21 in the first quarter before ending the quarter up 33-14.

The beating continued in the second quarter, a Wally Szczerbiak jumper at 4:58 made it 56-23, and then a J.J. Hickson slam at 1:23 put the Cavs up 35 at 64-29. They would lead 66-32 at the half.

The five starters took most of the night off, as LeBron James didn’t play at all in the second or fourth quarters, and he still ended the night with 14 points in 17 minutes. Zydrunas Ilgauskas led the Cavs with 17 points in 13 and a half minutes.

Dainel Gibson led the bench crew with 15 points, as all the bench players scored, and every active player on the roster had at least three points. Hickson continued to impress, as the rookie had 14 points on 6-of-12 from the field. Even little used Tarrence Kinsey had 11 points in 9 and a half minutes.

The Thunder, who drop to 1-15 on the season, were led by Chris Wilcox who had 14 points off the bench. Oklahoma City is a team that offers little, and against the Cavs the game was a laugher most of the night, as it became apparent from about the first five minutes when the Cavs led 17-2 that it was going to be an easy night.

The 12-3 record for the Cavs is the best to start a season in franchise history. They are the only Eastern Conference team to be undefeated at home, now sitting at 8-0. They will enjoy the holiday with a day off before they host the Golden State Warriors Friday night at 7:30.

Nov

26

ESPN: NBA Daily Dime

Posted by Jeff Sack under ESPN DAILY DIME
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Nov

26

LeBron Maintains Calm In Eye Of Media Storm As Cavaliers Take Manhattan

Posted by Matt Loede under NBA Game Analysis
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All the talk entering Tuesday nights game with the Knicks was about 2010 and LeBron James jumping ship to play in the Big Apple. For now, James is and will remain a member of the Cavs, and he and his teammates continue to play championship basketball, dominating the Knicks 119-101 at Madison Square Garden to improve to 11-3 on the season.

Yes, James was forced as usual to talk about July 1st, 2010, when he can become a free agent, but on this night, he was more at ease hitting three’s early, and then taking almost an entire quarter off as he scored 26 points to lead all scores in just over 30 minutes. The balanced Cavs had seven players in double-digits, as four players off the bench were able to score over 10 apiece.

The team shot 52 percent from the field, while the woeful Knicks, playing with just eight players after their latest deal last week to free up cap space, shot just over 41 percent. Cleveland forced 17 Knicks turnovers as well, as they went on an early run to put the game basically out of reach well before halftime.

The Cavs went up 34-22 at the end of one, and then put on a display on both sides of the ball in the second quarter, outscoring the Knicks 33-14 to make it a laugher by half, leading 67-36. Most of the faithful at Madison Square Garden were there for one reason anyway, and that was to see James, a player they can only hope to be in the running to have in two years, so in that sense, they got their moneys worth.

Delonte West had 16 for the Cavaliers, while Wally Szczerbiak added 15 off the bench, including 3-for-6 from three-point range. Ben Wallace had a fun time playing defense against the Knicks, blocking five shots and being a man among boys out there in 22 minutes of action.

You get a sense that this was a Cavs team that toyed with the Knicks all night long, and if they wanted to make it even more of a laugher, they could have. The Knicks never led by a single point, while the Cavs biggest lead of the night extended all the way out to 34. Even the youngsters got in the action for the Cavs, as rookie J.J. Hickson added 10 points in 17 minutes.

The Cavs return home for another struggling team on Wednesday night, as they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at 7pm at Quicken Loans Arena.

Nov

26

Barnes Hits Trey To Complete Suns Come Back As They Squeeze By Thunder 99-98

Posted by Jeff Sack under NBA Game Recap
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The run and gun fast break version of the Phoenix Suns were back on the hardwood in the second half of Tuesday night’s match-up between Phoenix and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Phoenix playing without injured center Shaquille O’Neal staged a furious comeback in the fourth quarter to spoil the debut of interim Thunder coach Scott Brooks in Oklahoma City winning 99-98. The Suns led by Steve Nash threading the needle, shot 53.4% (39-73) from the floor for the game with 58 points, in the second half. They overcame an 11 point deficit heading into the last 12 minutes to come away with the victory. Matt Barnes hit the game winning shot, a trey with 25.7 seconds left to play.

The Suns would be on top by a razor thin margin at the end of the first quarter with the score 26-25. The Thunder reigned in the second quarter and would hold a 54-41 lead as the two teams went to their respective locker rooms at the half. Phoenix was able to shave a little off the deficit in the third as they trailed at the end of the quarter 81-70. After trailing the entire period Steve Nash hit an outside jumper with 48 seconds left to tie the game at 96-96. With 34 seconds remaining Chris Wilcox drove the lane for OKC and put the ball up and in, putting his team ahead 98-96. The raucous crowd at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City were silenced when Barnes completed the Phoenix come back with his game winning 25 foot three point shot.

Amare Stoudemire led Phoenix with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block. Nash recorded a double-double, 20 points, 15 assists, 8 rebounds, Matt Barnes scored 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block. Rookie center Robin Lopez added 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals, Boris Diaw came off the bench and had 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists.

Oklahoma City guard Kevin Durant was the game’s leading scorer as he would drop 29 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 steal. Chris Wilcox scored 18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, rookie guard Russell Westbrook put in 15 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals. Jeff Green added 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, Damien Wilkins had 10 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals. Phoenix is now 10-5 after the win, the Thunder now have a 1-14 record.

© Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net

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