Thursday, December 27, 2007
NBA ROUNDUP Wednesday’s games
Hornets 116, Grizzlies 98
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Chris Paul had 40 points and nine assists and New Orleans used a third-quarter spurt to beat Memphis. Paul shot 17-of-25 from the field, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range, as the Hornets won their third straight. It marked the second-highest point total in Paul’s career. Only his 43 points against the Grizzlies on Dec. 7 was better. Peja Stojakovic finished with 21 points and David West added 20 for the Hornets, who shot 56 percent. Rudy Gay and Mike Miller led Memphis with 19 points apiece, while Kyle Lowry finished with 15 on 6-of-8 from the field. Lowry also had eight assists. Pau Gasol, the Grizzlies’ second-leading scorer, finished with eight points, ending a streak of 81 games in double figures. That was the third-highest in the league behind Carmelo Anthony and Ray Allen.
Pistons 101, Nets 83
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Richard Hamilton scored 22 points and Detroit shot 78 percent in the third quarter in beating New Jersey Nets for its sixth straight victory. Hamilton hit all five of his shots and the Pistons connected on 14 of 18 from the field in turning a one-point halftime lead into a 14-point margin entering the final quarter. Chauncey Billups added 17 points and 10 assists and Antonio McDyess had 15 points and nine rebounds for Detroit, which has won 13 of 15. Rasheed Wallace added 13 points for the Pistons, who were 24-of-37 from the field in the second half. Vince Carter led the Nets with 21 points, but only six came in the second half when New Jersey was limited to 39 points on 12-of-32 shooting. Jason Kidd had 13 assists but missed all eight of his shots from the field. Richard Jefferson added 18 points.
Hawks 107, Pacers 95
ATLANTA — Joe Johnson scored the first two baskets in a 12-0 run and Atlanta beat Indiana for its first five-game winning streak in eight years. The Hawks are three games over .500 this late in the season for the first time since the 1998-99 season, the last time they made the playoffs. The Hawks’ last five-game winning streak came early the following season, from Nov. 27-Dec. 8 in 1999. Johnson had 26 points and 11 assists to lead six Hawks who scored in double figures. Smith added 16 points and seven rebounds. Marvin Williams had 14 points. Troy Murphy led Indiana with 19 points. Jermaine O’Neal had 16 points and 10 rebounds for Indiana. Tinsley had 16 points and 12 assists.
Magic 110, Knicks 96
ORLANDO, Fla. — Hedo Turkoglu scored 26 points, Rashard Lewis added 25 and Orlando broke a four-game home losing streak by beating New York. Orlando outscored the Knicks 60-45 in the second half to win at home for the first time in more than a month. Dwight Howard added 16 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks for the Magic, who shot 53 percent from the field. Jamal Crawford led New York with 29 points and eight assists, but had little offensive help in the second half. David Lee was the only other starter in double figures with 11 points. Reserves Zach Randolph and Nate Robinson added 22 and 16, respectively, for the Knicks, who lost their third straight.
Wizards 108, Bobcats 104
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Caron Butler returned from two sore ankles to score 25 points, and Washington rode big games from four players to beat Charlotte and snap a three-game losing streak. Antawn Jamison added 26 points and 14 rebounds, Roger Mason scored a career-high 24 points and Brendan Haywood had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Wizards, who gave coach Eddie Jordan his 200th career win. Butler, who missed Saturday’s loss to Indiana after injuring both ankles in a week, had a three-point play late in the third quarter to put Washington ahead to stay. Gerald Wallace scored 32 points and Jason Richardson added 27 for the Bobcats, who lost their second straight game.
76ers 96, Heat 85
PHILADELPHIA — Andre Iguodala scored a season-high 28 points, Kyle Korver and Lou Williams added 13 apiece and Philadelphia held off Miami. Andre Miller had 12 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds for the Sixers, who improved to 12-16 and defeated the Heat for the 13th time in the last 15 games in Philadelphia. The Sixers won their second game in a row before starting a six-game road trip beginning Friday night in Sacramento. Dwyane Wade scored 20 of his 27 points in the second half and Ricky Davis added 21 for Miami, which dropped its second in a row on back-to-back nights. The Heat (8-21), who lost 96-82 at Cleveland on Wednesday, fell to 4-12 on the road and remain mired in last place in the Southeast Division. Daequan Cook had 12.
Spurs 94, Bulls 79
SAN ANTONIO — Tony Parker scored 28 points as San Antonio easily beat Chicago in the Bulls’ first game since firing coach Scott Skiles. Michael Finley added 15 points for San Antonio and Tim Duncan had 11 rebounds. Joe Smith had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Ben Gordon added 18 points for the Bulls, who have dropped four of their last five. Assistant coach Pete Myers, who played in the league for eight years, served as interim coach for Chicago. Skiles was let go on Christmas Eve as the Bulls, who started with high hopes, continued to struggle this season. They lost 10 of their first 12 games and have a 9-17 mark, one of the worst in the East. The Spurs were up by double digits for the entire second half and led by as many as 25 points, despite the absence of the team’s No. 2 scorer, Manu Ginobili, who is out with a sprained left index finger.
Nuggets 125, Bucks 105
DENVER — Marcus Camby had a triple-double and Carmelo Anthony posted his fourth straight double-double as Denver beat Milwaukee. Anthony, who had four double-doubles last season and six so far this year, finished with 29 points and 10 rebounds in three quarters of work. He was 11-for-16 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line, continuing his recovery from a shooting funk earlier this month. Camby had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks for his third career triple-double. Allen Iverson added 24 points for the Nuggets, who led by 30 points at halftime and by as many as 39 in the second half before emptying the bench for the final quarter.
Associated Press