Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Heat 91, Timberwolves 87
MIAMI — Dwyane Wade survived a horrendous shooting night to score 30 points, Udonis Haslem added 18 and Miami finally found a way to win at home. Shaquille O’Neal scored 15 points and added eight rebounds before fouling out for Miami (7-17), which won for only the third time in 11 home games — and was pushed to the brink by a Minnesota team that has the league’s worst overall record (3-20). Wade shot 6-for-22, including 10 straight misses in one stretch. But he had 14 points in the final quarter, when Miami needed him most. Al Jefferson had 22 points and 20 rebounds for Minnesota, his 17th double-double of the season. Sebastian Telfair finished with 17 points and a pair of reserves — Rashad McCants (19) and Craig Smith (11) — helped Minnesota outscore Miami’s bench 44-21.
Pacers 119, Knicks 92
NEW YORK — Mike Dunleavy scored 22 of his career-high 36 points in the third quarter and Jermaine O’Neal added 22 points for Indiana two days after sustaining a mild concussion. The highest-scoring team in the Eastern Conference, ran away from the Knicks after the game was tied at 64 midway through the third quarter. Troy Murphy had 17 points and Danny Granger 16 for Indiana, which has won two in a row for the first time since Nov. 27 and 28. The Pacers had alternated losses and wins in eight games since.
Hawks 116, Jazz 111
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Hawks overcame foul trouble, Carlos Boozer and five years of losing to Utah. Boozer scored a season-high 39 points and had 12 rebounds for Utah, but Joe Johnson scored 26 points to help Atlanta end a nine-game losing streak against the Jazz. Utah, which lost to Atlanta for the first time since Oct. 31, 2002, fell to 5-10 on the road this season, including six straight losses away from Salt Lake City. Marvin Williams scored 21 points and Josh Smith had 18 points and 12 rebounds for Atlanta. Al Horford and Anthony Johnson each had 17 points — and Johnson added 14 assists.
Warriors 125, Grizzlies 117
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Stephen Jackson had 28 points and 12 rebounds, and Monta Ellis added 23 points to help Golden State end a three-game road losing streak. The Golden State victory overshadowed 32 points from Memphis forward Rudy Gay, the second consecutive game in which he has surpassed 30. Baron Davis finished with 22 points and eight assists, and Al Harrington added 17 points. Kelenna Azubuike scored 15 for Golden State.
Suns 100, Spurs 95
SAN ANTONIO — Grant Hill had 22 points and the Phoenix Suns handed the San Antonio Spurs their first home loss of the season. Leandro Barbosa added 18 points for the Suns, whose win might have helped them get the bad taste out of their mouth they brought with them after losing a controversial and testy Western Conference semifinals series last season. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with a season-high 36 points and 17 rebounds in his second game back since sitting out for four with a sprained ankle, and Manu Ginobili added 18 points. But the Spurs were without Tony Parker, who sat out third straight game with a sprained left ankle. The Suns were up 74-67 going into fourth quarter after a late third-quarter burst. But the Spurs opened the final period with a 10-2 run capped by Duncan’s basket to put San Antonio up 77-76. After that it was back and forth, and the game was tied at 90 with 1:55 to play. Ginobili’s running jumper put San Antonio up by one, 95-94, but the Suns hit six free throws and the Spurs made mistakes that cost them the game. Bruce Bowen missed a corner 3-point attempt and the Suns’ Boris Diaw stole the ball from Ginobili after an inbounds pass, leading to a pair of free throws that made it a two-possession game with 6.8 seconds to go.
Mavericks 111, Magic 108
DALLAS — Dirk Nowitzki scored 11 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter and the Dallas Mavericks shut down Dwight Howard the final three quarters, giving them just enough to hold off the Orlando Magic. The Magic thought they’d tied the game at 109 when Keith Bogans nailed a long jumper over Nowitzki’s outstretched arm with 3.5 seconds left, but officials correctly ruled that his right toe was on the 3-point line, keeping Dallas ahead by a point. Jerry Stackhouse made a pair of free throws to stretch the lead back to three, but Orlando still had one last chance to tie it — a long, running 3-pointer from the right sideline by Keyon Dooling as time expired. The arena got real quiet as everyone watched the ball float toward the rim, but it banged between the iron and the backboard and popped out, giving Dallas its fifth win in six games and sending Orlando to a rare road loss. The Magic is 12-4, with the other defeats coming at San Antonio, Phoenix and Milwaukee. Howard finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block. Nowitzki hit 30 points for the third time in seven games.
Associated Press