The 2012-13 Basketball Season Is Here

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James scores 38 in Heat's 113-110 win at Houston


HOUSTON (AP) -- LeBron James put on a second-half show and helped the Miami Heat finally put away Houston.

James scored 32 of his season-high 38 points after halftime, Chris Bosh had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Miami rallied to beat the Rockets 113-110 on Monday night.

Dwyane Wade added 19 points for the Heat, who shot 47.6 percent from 3-point range (10 of 21) and 51 percent from the field overall.

James went 12 for 20 from the field and 5 for 7 from 3-point range in the second half. He gave the Heat the lead for good with a driving layup with 19 seconds left.

"It's the zone you hear about," James said. "Certain players talk about getting into the zone. I wish I could get into it more. But when you're in it, you know how it feels, you know everything you put up and how you're going is pretty good."

Chandler Parsons scored a career-high 25 points and Omer Asik had a career-best 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Rockets, who led 110-106 with 90 seconds left.

James was the difference, though, and Miami beat Houston for the sixth straight time.

"I expected him to make every single shot he threw up," Bosh said. "I guess, after 30 points, you think everything is going in."

Jeremy Lin shot an airball from 3-point range with 10 seconds left, Wade caught it and the Heat bounced back from a 104-86 loss to Memphis on Sunday.

"We've been in this position before," James said. "Nothing we haven't seen before, just trying to get stops."

Lin, meanwhile, endured another humbling moment against the Heat. Last year, his amazing run with the New York Knicks hit a detour in Miami, where he went 1 for 11 from the field and coughed up eight turnovers.

"Obviously, it's my responsibility to hit that shot," Lin said. "It was a good shot for me, a quality shot and it didn't go in for me, unfortunately, in a crucial play of the game."

Rockets interim coach Kelvin Sampson likened the back-and-forth game to a fistfight, with the more experienced Heat delivering the final blow. Head coach Kevin McHale is on indefinite leave because of a family matter.

"They got the last punch in and I'm disappointed that we lost," Sampson said.

The Heat looked as though they might blow out Houston early when they opened the game with a 20-5 spurt. Miami started 8 for 12 from the field, while the Rockets missed nine of their first 11 shots.

Miami's shooting eventually cooled off and Houston started finding scoring opportunities inside. James had just six points on 2-for-6 shooting and missed his only 3-point attempt in the first half and the Heat led only 56-52 at the break.

James sank two 3s early in the third quarter to get himself going. But Lin hit a 3-pointer and then threaded a nifty bounce pass to Parsons for a fast-break layup as the Rockets rallied again. Carlos Delfino's 3-pointer from the wing with 5:03 left in the third quarter gave Houston its first lead at 70-69.

The Rockets continued to find holes in the middle of the Heat's defense to keep Miami at bay. James scored 16 points in the third quarter, but rimmed out a 3-pointer just before the buzzer and Houston led 85-82.

Marcus Morris sank two unlikely 3-pointers from the corner over James, and Houston seemed to be on its way to a big early-season win. But the Rockets' shooting touch left them just when they needed it most. Houston made a season-high 12 3-pointers, but missed its final three attempts from long range.

"We made some good plays toward the end of the game," James Harden said, "but some of the shots didn't fall."

Harden shook off a slow start to score 22 points. Lin had only nine points and six assists.

Notes: James scored in double figures for the 149th consecutive game for Miami, breaking a tie with Wade for the longest streak in franchise history. ... The Rockets were still uncertain when McHale would rejoin the team. "It's a tough time for his family," Sampson said. "Our thoughts and prayers are certainly with him." ... Houston Texans general manager Rick Smith and star receiver Andre Johnson, a Miami native, had a courtside seats next to prominent defense attorney Rusty Hardin, a regular at Rockets games. Houston running back Arian Foster sat behind them, and James ran over and greeted both players just before the tipoff. ...Shane Battier, who played for the Rockets from 2006-11, got a loud ovation when he was introduced in Miami's starting lineup. The Rockets played a tribute video after the first quarter and Battier acknowledged more applause with a wave.

 

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Rondo leads Celtics to 101-95 win over Bulls



CHICAGO (AP) -- Rajon Rondo extended his own pursuit of a record and helped the Boston Celtics reverse some recent history.

Rondo had 20 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Boston Celtics to a 101-95 win over the Chicago Bulls on Monday night. He stretched his streak of consecutive games with 10 or more assists to 31, the longest in the NBA since John Stockton had 37 straight from Feb. 27 to Nov. 29, 1989.

"We played pretty well offensively," Rondo said. "Besides the turnovers I had, we took pretty good care of the ball. We got out on the break, kept it simple offensively."

Rondo, who leads the NBA with an average of 12.9 assists per game, took advantage of Bulls point guard Nate Robinson by getting all of his scoring in the first three quarters to help the Celtics build a 12-point lead while shooting 56 percent.

"(Rondo) had an excellent game," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "He is starting to get comfortable with the players that are out there on the floor and what he can call with them there."

Brandon Bass led four other Celtics in double figures with 16 points as Boston held off a furious late Chicago rally to snap a five-game losing streak at the United Center. Kevin Garnett had 15 points.

Luol Deng led the Bulls with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Joakim Noah added 17 points and 11 boards and led Chicago's fourth quarter rally with nine points.

The Celtics became the first team to score 100 points against the Bulls since April 8 of last season, ending a streak that had reached 15 straight games.

"They scored 58 points in the first half," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "You give up 33 (points in the first quarter) to a team like that, you're giving them confidence and they're hard to slow down after that."

The Bulls held Boston without a point for 5:15 of the fourth quarter, scoring 10 straight pull to 87-84. Chicago had five straight possessions to close the gap further but couldn't, and Jason Terry finally snapped the Celtics' drought with a jumper with just under 5 minutes to play.

"They did make a good run at us," said Paul Pierce, who was held to 10 points on 4-for-13 shooting. "We just have to run to the finish line in games. There were a few times when I thought we were up 12 to 14 and could have gone to 20 and didn't."

Rookie Marquis Teague replaced Robinson in the fourth and helped curb Rondo's scoring. Noah outplayed Garnett during the Chicago spree, aggressively driving to the basket while Garnett missed three straight jumpers on the other end, including an air ball that landed out of bounds.

In the final minute, Deng made two free throws to cut the lead to three, but after a timeout Rondo passed to Garnett for an alley-oop dunk with 41.9 seconds to play.

"Actually we covered that play in the pregame," Thibodeau said. "They're good at it."

After Taj Gibson missed two free throws, Rondo then passed to Bass for a dunk to seal the win and extend his assists streak. The Celtics shot just 35 percent in the fourth after their strong start.

"We thrive in situations where it's a tight ballgame," Boston's Jason Terry said. "We've all been in that situation plenty of times--we know what to do."

The Celtics used a 10-0 run over a 3:45 stretch of the second quarter to establish its biggest lead of the first half at 51-38. Boston led 58-46 at the break, getting 59.5 percent shooting.

Rondo continued to take advantage of Robinson in the third quarter, scoring 10 points in the period as the Celtics maintained their shooting touch. Boston led 82-70 after three and appeared to be in good shape.

The Celtics have won their last 27 games when leading after three quarters, a streak more than twice as long as any other in the NBA.

"This is a competitive group of guys and they want to find a way to win," Rivers said.

Pierce and Rondo scored eight points apiece as the Celtics took a 33-27 lead after the first quarter, shooting 63.6 percent from the field and setting a new season high for points in a quarter.

"I don't know where to start," Gibson said. "There were a lot of things. They got a lot of confidence early."

NOTES: Chicago played without starting PG Kirk Hinrich, who sat out with a strained right hip. Hinrich suffered the injury in Saturday's win over Minnesota and is considered day to day. Robinson started in his place. ... Boston coach Doc Rivers called the news that the rival Los Angeles Lakers had hired Mike D'Antoni as their new coach "very interesting" and added that "I hope they don't do too well." . In what has become an annual ritual, the Bulls will play their next five games on the road over the next two weeks while a circus occupies the United Center. ... Carlos Boozer snapped out a recent shooting slump to score 10 points on 5 of 6 shooting in the first quarter for Chicago. Boozer finished with 15 points, but didn't play in the fourth quarter.

 

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Jefferson, Millsap lead Jazz over Raptors in 3 OTs


TORONTO (AP) -- The Utah Jazz didn't just work overtime to earn their first road win of the season. They worked three of them.

Paul Millsap scored seven of his 34 points in the third overtime, Al Jefferson had 24 points and 17 rebounds, and the Jazz beat the Toronto Raptors 140-133 Monday night.

"I can't say enough about how our team hung in there," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. "We kept fighting, we understood the importance of trying to get off the schneid and get a road win. It took us long enough tonight but we finally got it going."

Utah rallied after trailing by 11 with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, and no basket was bigger than Jefferson's 3-pointer with two seconds left in regulation, a shot that bounced around the rim before falling through.

"I knew we needed a 3," Jefferson said. "I just set my feet a let it go. The ball wanted to tease me for a while but it finally dropped. I knew then that if I hit a 3 to send us to overtime, we've got to go win it."

It was just the second 3-pointer of Jefferson's nine-year career. He came in 1 for 25 from 3-point range.

"Now he's talking about moving to the three spot," Corbin joked. "We've got to talk about that."

Jefferson said it had been a long time since his last late-game 3.

"I haven't done that since AAU days," he said.

Mo Williams had 17 points and 14 assists, Randy Foye scored 20 points and Marvin Williams had 17 as the Jazz opened a four-game trip by avoiding their first 0-5 start away from home since 1987. Derrick Favors scored 15 and Gordon Hayward added 12.

"We didn't want to lose," Foye said. "No matter if it took six overtimes, we wanted this game."

Millsap said the Jazz will be able to use this victory as inspiration in future road games.

"It feels good to get the monkey off our back," he said. "The first one seems like it's the toughest one but I'm glad the first one was as tough as it was today because we can learn from this."

DeMar DeRozan matched his career high with 37 points, Jose Calderon had 20 points and 17 assists, and Amir Johnson fouled out with 11 points and 14rebounds for the Raptors, who lost their fourth straight.

DeRozan, who played a career-high 59 minutes, had a message for Jefferson as the teams headed out to start the third overtime.

"I went up and told him it was his fault we were still playing," DeRozan said.

Linas Kleiza fouled out with 20 points and Andrea Bargnani scored 19 for the Raptors, who lost their eighth straight home game against Utah.

"It didn't go our way but our guys fought," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. "Anyone who says we didn't fight did not see that basketball game. It just did not go our way."

The Raptors won't have long to dwell on the defeat with a game looming at Indiana on Tuesday.

Utah trailed 97-86 with 7:02 to go before rallying. Johnson tipped in DeRozan's miss to give Toronto a 104-101 lead with 16 seconds left before Jefferson's rare 3-pointer sent the game to overtime.

"That was a huge 3," Foye said.

A driving dunk by DeRozan gave the Raptors a 115-113 edge with 23 seconds left in the first overtime but Jefferson tied it again, making a jump hook with 19 seconds to go. Toronto let the clock run down before DeRozan missed a jumper, sending it to a second extra session.

The Jazz led 125-122 with seven seconds left in the second overtime but backup guard John Lucas drained a 3 from the wing. Mo Williams drove for the winning basket but couldn't get his shot off as a trio of Toronto defenders closed in on him, setting up a third overtime.

A 3 by Calderon gave the Raptors a 130-129 lead at 3:19 of the third OT, but Favors made a layup and Millsap hit a 3 of his own, giving the Jazz a 134-130 lead with 2:16 left.

Jazz guard Mo Williams returned after sitting out Sunday's home win over Phoenix with a strained right adductor muscle.

Toronto guard Kyle Lowry (right ankle) missed his third straight game and swingman Landry Fields (right wrist) sat for the second straight game. Dominic McGuire made his first start of the season in place of swingman Alan Anderson, who left Saturday's loss to Philadelphia with a sprained left foot.

NOTES: Toronto's last home win over Utah was a 98-86 win on Dec. 22, 2004. ... Utah did not play in Toronto during the lockout shortened 2011-12 season. ... The Jazz are 24-8 all-time against the Raptors, including 12-4 on the road. ... It was Toronto's first triple-OT game at home since Feb 23, 2001 against Sacramento. The Raptors last played three overtimes in a loss to New Jersey in London on March 4, 2011. ... Utah will also visit Boston, Philadelphia and Washington on this trip.

 

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Short-handed Timberwolves beat Mavericks 90-82


DALLAS (AP) -- With a growing injury list and a patchwork lineup, the Minnesota Timberwolves relied on rugged defense to extend their early-season success.

Nikola Pekovic scored 20 points before leaving with an injury and the short-handed Timberwolves beat the Dallas Mavericks 90-82 on Monday night.

The Timberwolves dressed only 10 players. The 6-foot-11 Pekovic, the team's leading scorer, became the latest Minnesota player to get hurt when he exited late in the third quarter with a sprained left ankle and didn't return.

Even with the rash of injuries and the lineup in a state of flux, the one constant all season has been Minnesota's defense - which entered fifth in the NBA in points allowed.

The Mavericks shot a season-low 36.3 percent and never led after the opening 3 minutes.

"I credit our character," Minnesota forward Andrei Kirilenko said. "Nobody really looks down and nobody feels sorry. Everybody just keeps coming out and trying to give their best. I think as a team, we played good team defense."

Minnesota stars Kevin Love (broken right hand) and Ricky Rubio (torn left ACL) have yet to play this season.

On Sunday, the Timberwolves announced Chase Budinger will have surgery for a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee, an injury he sustained while filling in for Brandon Roy on Saturday night. Roy missed his second game Monday with a sore right knee.

Former Mavericks guard J.J. Barea (left foot sprain) did not travel with Minnesota and missed his third straight game.

Pekovic then turned his ankle when he stepped on the foot of Dallas guard Vince Carter running down the court with 2:46 left in the third.

Minnesota coach Rick Adelman said he didn't think Pekovic's injury was serious.

"I don't know when it's going to stop," Adelman said. "Hopefully we can get some guys back and maintain the same energy level we've had."

Minnesota's energy was evident from the start as it held Dallas to 17 points in the first quarter. The Mavericks missed 13 of their final 15 shots in the first quarter and then misfired on their first four attempts in the second.

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle was ejected after arguing a foul call with 5 minutes left. Assistant coach Jim O'Brien coached the team the rest of the way.

After a 4-1 start, the Mavericks have lost three in a row.

"We got carved up in the second half," Carlisle said. "Our effort wasn't where it needed to be. I thought we tried hard in the second half and the results were still not good."

Darren Collison had 21 points and O.J. Mayo added 18 for the Mavericks, who lost at home for the first time in four games.

Pekovic went 8 of 13 from the floor. Kirilenko and Alexey Shved each had 16 points for Minnesota.

Even with all the injuries, the Timberwolves (5-2) are off to their best start since 2001-02.

"Pretty gutsy performance by us," Minnesota guard Luke Ridnour said. "Everyone that came on the court for us just contributed."

Minnesota led by six at halftime and pushed its advantage to 64-51 on Kirilenko's dunk with 3:52 left in the third. Pekovic went down to the floor just more than a minute later and was helped off the court by a trainer.

Dallas was within 76-68 in the fourth when Carlisle was ejected. The coach stormed toward halfcourt after a shooting foul was called on Mayo, and official Jason Phillips quickly gave Carlisle consecutive technicals.

The Timberwolves went on a 9-4 run over the next 1:37, capped by Shved's 3-pointers that gave Minnesota an 85-72 lead.

Dallas cut its deficit to 85-78, but Minnesota went 5 of 6 on free throws in the final minute to put the game away.

"It's not the end of the world," Mayo said. "But at the same time, we have to get back to getting better."

Ridnour had 15 points and eight assists, and reserve Dante Cunningham chipped in 14 points for the Timberwolves.

The Timberwolves capitalized on Dallas' offensive struggles as Cunningham broke free for an easy dunk, putting Minnesota up 29-17 early in the second.

The Mavericks cut into Minnesota's lead late in the first half. They hit their final three shots to get within 45-39 at halftime.

NOTES: Dallas All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki said during an in-game television interview that his rehab from right knee surgery is going slower than he expected. He offered no timeframe for his return. Nowitzki is about halfway through the expected six-week recovery process. ... Minnesota won for only the fourth time in its last 23 games against the Mavericks.

 

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Rockets vs Heat highlights

LeBron has 38 points in Heat win.

 

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Bulls vs Celtics highlights

Rondo one rebound short of a triple double in Celtics win.

 

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Knicks hold off Magic 99-89 to improve to 5-0


ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- In their first four games, the New York Knicks surprised many by consistently performing above preseason expectations and jumping out to an unbeaten start.

Another night and another victory later, the Knicks' breakout beginning doesn't seem to have an end in sight.

Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points, J. R. Smith and Raymond Felton each added 21, and the New York Knicks held off the Orlando Magic 99-89 Tuesday night to improve to 5-0.

The victory extended New York's NBA-best start. The Knicks have won their first five games for the first time since opening the 1993-94 season 7-0 on their way to the NBA finals. The Knicks remain the league's only unbeaten team.

"Defense, we buckled down," Anthony said. "We kind of slowed them down, kept them off the glass rebounding. Once we had a chance to rebound the basketball, get out and make some shots, we didn't turn back from there."

J.J. Redick scored 18 points and Arron Afflalo added 13 for the Magic, who were stunted by 20 turnovers that led to 24 New York points. Orlando dropped its fifth consecutive game and continues to struggle without starters Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu.

"You have to want to win more, simple as that," Afflalo said. "There's not one man on this team that's going to do it, (we) pretty much have to want it more."

New York coach Mike Woodson has made no secret of the fact that for the Knicks to continue their recent output long-term, keeping his older team well-rested will be a necessity.

A three-day rest following their dominating win over Dallas on Friday was perfect timing for a Knicks squad that played its first three games in just four nights.

It showed against and Orlando team whose younger players were fearless attacking New York early on.

But so much youth on the floor also gave way to some careless mistakes late in the second half. Orlando pulled to 82-80 before the Knicks went on a 13-4 spurt to take a 95-84 lead with 2:36 to play and put the game away.

New York led by just a point at the break, Knicks coach Mike Woodson said that kind of effort wasn't there early.

"We weren't playing hard enough," Woodson said. "You can't just roll the ball out and think because their record indicates that they may not be good or they're struggling as a team - any team can beat you in this league ... We got a few stops, and scored a bucket and we were able to secure the win. But it was a tough victory tonight."

The Knicks will have another break from game action Wednesday before playing at San Antonio Thursday night.

Despite not scoring more than 75 points in none of their previous three losses, the Magic kept pace with the Knicks - who came in as one of the league's top scoring teams.

The Magic's younger players were right in the middle of the action, with rookies Maurice Harkless and Andrew Nicholson knocking down several big shots and making key defensive plays in the third quarter as the Knicks inched back in front and took a one-point lead into the final period.

The Knicks traded the lead with the Magic at the start of the fourth, with Orlando continually able to slip inside the paint.

But along with Anthony's big night, the Knicks were also able to sustain the Magic's efforts as Smith continued his hot streak from the 3-point line, connecting on both of his attempts. He is 13 of 18 overall for the season from behind the arc.

Even with the loss, Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said there still some positives for a team that piecing together lineups at the moment.

"We can't afford to make mistakes, but for me at the end of this game I was pretty proud of our guys and their effort tonight," Vaughn said. "That's a good ball club on both ends of the floor and we made them earn a win tonight."

Trailing 35-25 midway through the second quarter, the Magic used a 16-4 run to move ahead 41-39. Orlando carried that momentum into as 53-49 halftime lead.

In his fourth game of the season since returning to action from offseason sports hernia surgery, Harkless provided a lift off the bench with 10 points in the half.

It helped offset another big scoring half by Anthony, who topped the Knicks with 16 first-half points.

The Magic also outrebounded the Knicks 25-16 in the opening 24 minutes, while getting 34 points in the paint against a larger Knicks front court.

Orlando maintained its edge on the boards but didn't get nearly as many second-chance opportunities in the second half.

Smith said the Knicks are enjoying where they're at right now.

"It's great. It's a great feeling," he said. "We want to keep it going. So we can't get too lackadaisical like we did in that first half."

Notes: Nelson missed his sixth straight game with a strained right hamstring and groin. ...The game was stopped for about 10 minutes between the first and second quarter after Jamie Woode, a former college cheerleader and Magic Stunt Team member, fell during a routine and was wheeled off the floor on a stretcher. She was transferred to a nearby hospital where she was breathing on her own and moving her extremities, according to paramedics who attended to her.

 

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Sessions scores 21 as Bobcats beat Wizards 92-76


CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap talked throughout the offseason about changing the culture in the organization and building a winning atmosphere in Charlotte.

Apparently his players were listening.

Reserve Ramon Sessions scored 21 points and the Bobcats beat the winless Washington Wizards 92-76 Tuesday night to win back-to-back games for the first time since last December and even their record at 3-3.

"Any time in this league when you can get any type of win streak it is good," Sessions said. "Definitely for a young team like us trying to build things, I think that's a big plus. You know it's one of those games where you sit in the locker room (before the game) and you say, `Hey, we should go out there and get this one," and that's what good teams do. That just shows you the progress that we're making."

Said Dunlap: "That is just the NBA game. Players gain confidence with victories."

With Ben Gordon a late scratch due to a family emergency, Sessions picked up the slack and provided a much-needed boost off the bench for the Bobcats.

Coming off a career-high 25 points against Dallas on Saturday night, rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was strong again, chipping in with 15 points and eight rebounds before leaving in the fourth quarter to ice down a sore back. He said afterward he got hit in the back, but added "I'm fine."

Kemba Walker battled inconsistent shooting and finished with 17 points for the Bobcats.

It marked the first time the Bobcats have won two straight since taking the final game of the 2010-11 season and the first of last season.

The victory was especially sweet for Walker, who went through an entire rookie season without winning back-to-back games.

"You know, to get this win was huge and it gives us momentum, gives us confidence going into that game tomorrow against a good Minnesota team," Walker said.

Trevor Ariza scored 19 points for the Wizards, who fell to 0-6. He was the only Washington player to finish in double digits in scoring.

The Bobcats (3-3) limited the Wizards to 29.8-percent shooting and outscored them 46-24 in the paint.

Most of those came on drives to the hole by Walker, Kidd-Gilchrist and Sessions, who were a combined 15 of 18 from foul line.

"Coach Dunlap emphasized getting to the rim and getting foul shots," Sessions said. "You know we try to do that. At times it may not look like it but that's our game, getting to the rim and shooting threes."

Wizards coach Randy Wittman said his team lacked aggressiveness on defense, particularly in the paint, but attributed that to the team's apathetic play on the offensive end of the floor.

"When you stand around and watch a guy dribble and dribble and dribble and take a bad shot, it takes away that affect (on defense)," Wittman said.

Rookie Bradley Beal said he felt like the Wizards "gave up" down the stretch.

"We can't lose focus and today we weren't focused," said Beal, who was 1 of 11 shooting from the floor. "We came in lackadaisical, like we were 5-0 instead of 0-5. We didn't come in with the edge that we usually do."

Washington, still playing without John Wall and Nene, could never get closer than seven points in the second half after trailing by 13 at halftime. The Wizards connected on just 5 of 31 3-point attempts and had no flow whatsoever on offense.

The Bobcats took a 52-39 lead into halftime after outscoring the Wizards 30-12 in the paint.

Kidd-Gilchrist picked up where he left off Saturday night, driving aggressively to the hole in the early going. The No. 2 pick in the draft had 12 points at halftime on 5-of-8 shooting to go with five rebounds. Sessions had 11 points at the break.

Charlotte's aggressive defense gave the Wizards fits. Washington turned the ball over 17 times, leading to 19 Bobcats points.

Brendan Haywood had a solid eight points and 11 rebounds, while reserve Tyrus Thomas chipped in with 10 points and six rebounds for the Bobcats.

Charlotte won just seven games last season and finished with the worst winning percentage (.106) in league history. But this year's team is playing with hustle and heart and seems to have gained more confidence after beating Dallas on Saturday night to snap a 16-game losing streak against the Mavericks.

NOTES: It took the Bobcats 13 games last season to win three games. Once they won their third game in 2011-12 they went on to lose 16 straight. ... Washington's starters were 15 of 43 shooting from the field.

 

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Trail Blazers top Kings 103-86 to end 4-game skid


SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Modest and unassuming off the court, Damian Lillard has no problem taking charge when placed in a leadership role for the Portland Trail Blazers.

The rookie point guard led the way Tuesday night in a game the Blazers needed badly for morale purposes. Lillard had 22 points and nine assists to help Portland stop a four-game losing streak with a 103-86 victory over the short-handed Sacramento Kings .

"We had lost four games, so this one was really important," Lillard said. "It felt like a game we had to win."

Even though Lillard had a strong pre-draft workout for Sacramento, Thomas Robinson was chosen by the Kings at No. 5 overall and Lillard went to Portland as the sixth pick. Nicolas Batum is grateful that Lillard was still available.

"Damian is the perfect fit for us," said Batum, who had 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists. "He knows how to play and already plays like a veteran. He scores, he passes, he attacks, and he plays defense."

Against the Kings, patience in making the right play and taking the appropriate shot were the most noticeable aspects of Lillard's game. He shot 7 of 10 from the field, including 5 of 6 on 3-pointers.

"Last game I didn't shoot the ball so well, but I took the same shots. They just fell tonight," Lillard said. "I'm really comfortable. I have to give a lot of credit to them (his teammates) for allowing me to be comfortable because they've been in the league a few years."

Portland used a strong third quarter to build its lead to 16 points and pushed the cushion to 22 early in the fourth. The Blazers outrebounded the Kings 44-33 and connected on 14 of 27 attempts from 3-point range.

"This is a team that can make 3s. They take a lot of 3s," Kings coach Keith Smart said. "If they're hot and making shots, you're going to have a tough cover."

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 19 points for Portland and Wesley Matthews had 18. J.J. Hickson added 10 points and 13 rebounds.

James Johnson scored 16 and Marcus Thornton 14 for the Kings, who dropped their third straight. Jimmer Fredette had 13 points and a career-high six assists, while Robinson scored 12.

The Kings played their second consecutive game without leading scorer and rebounder DeMarcus Cousins, suspended following a verbal altercation last week with San Antonio Spurs television announcer Sean Elliott. Cousins lost an appeal Tuesday to reduce the suspension to one game.

It didn't help that the Kings were further depleted, missing starting point guard Isaiah Thomas and backup Aaron Brooks, who injured his left ankle in the first quarter and didn't return.

A rookie from Weber State, Lillard has scored 20 points or more in five of Portland's eight games.

"In college he was an aggressive player who was a high-volume scorer," Fredette said. "He's doing that here in this league as well. His game is translating very well to the NBA."

Portland opened the fourth quarter by outscoring the Kings 8-2, hiking its lead to 22 points on a pair of free throws by Matthews. The margin was never less than 17 the rest of the game.

Lillard continued to shoot well in the third quarter following a productive first half. He made all three shots, including a pair of 3s, and had eight points in the third for the Blazers, who outscored Sacramento 28-16 to assume a 74-58 lead heading into the fourth.

"Except for the beginning of the second half, it was a complete game," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "We got off to a good start in the first half and we did a lot of good things defensively. We moved the ball. It wasn't 48 minutes. But after we gave up those five easy baskets in the second half, we tightened things down and did a nice job defensively and we were able to get out and run."

Trailing by four, the Blazers took control with a 19-2 run over a 5-minute stretch in the third quarter. Batum had seven points, including a corner 3 that capped the spurt and put Portland in front 69-56 with 2:12 left.

Lillard got going early with a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter and had 14 points at halftime, helping the Blazers to a 46-42 lead. Fredette had 10 points and four assists for the Kings.

NOTES: Portland was 6 of 13 on 3-pointers in the first half and added four more in the third quarter. ... Thomas left the team following news that his grandmother had died. ... Portland reserves have been outscored 135-29. The Kings had 46 bench points to 19 for the Blazers. ... Robinson was back on the court after a two-game suspension for a vicious elbow to the throat of Detroit's Jonas Jerebko.

 

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DeRozan leads Raptors past Pacers, 74-72


INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The Toronto Raptors had all of the excuses in the world. The Indiana Pacers , on the other hand, didn't.

Jose Calderon scored with 4:05 left in the first quarter to give Toronto a 19-17 lead and the Raptors led the rest of the way, holding on to beat the Pacers 74-72 on Tuesday night to snap a four game skid.

DeMar DeRozan scored 15 points and Calderon had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists as Toronto had a franchise-low five points in the fourth quarter.

"We were tired," Calderon said. "I think that's why we started missing shots and making bad decisions. I think everybody started getting into a little bit of a rush because we were trying to win the game, but maybe the legs weren't there anymore."

The Raptors, on the back end of their third back-to-back of the season, lost to the Utah Jazz 140-133 on Monday and arrived in Indianapolis at 3 a.m. before playing the Pacers.

Toronto was also short-handed with injuries to Kyle Lowry (sprained right ankle), Landry Fields (right hand/wrist) and Alan Anderson (sprained left foot).

"We were exhausted," DeRozan said. "But it's about gutting it out. We had to rely on something, and it wasn't our offense tonight. It was all mental and heart."

DeRozan and Calderon each had 10 points in the first half for the Raptors, who led 69-58 heading into the fourth and hit only one field goal the rest of the way, also a franchise low.

"We were doing a good job for like three quarters, three quarters and a half," Calderon said. "There's always those few minutes, five, six minutes and the other teams make a huge run and just lose it."

Things were different against the Pacers (3-5).

George Hill scored 18 points, including eight in the fourth quarter, and Paul George had 12 points and nine rebounds to lead the Pacers, who have lost four of the last five.

Indiana went on a 9-0 run in the fourth and pulled to 74-72 with 1:02 left in the game. Neither team scored again.

"We got good looks at the end, but it was really frustrating that we couldn't get the ball to go down," Hill said. "Tonight it seemed like we were lacking energy, not as individuals, but as a group."

The Pacers missed five shots in the remaining 22 seconds with a chance to tie or take a lead.

"It was hard for us to put the ball in the hole," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "We've got multiple guys in shooting slumps right now. We're getting a number of open looks at the rim and they're not going down."

The Pacers shot 32 percent against the Raptors and were 5 for 24 in the fourth quarter.

The Pacers continue to struggle without forward Danny Granger, who is expected to miss up to three months with a left patellar tendinitis.

When it was over, Calderon threw his hands up in the air as the Raptors finally captured their second win of the season.

"I was really happy to get the win," Calderon said. "It was crazy. We were hitting people, but the ball always went back to the white team and I was like, `this cannot be possible."'

The Raptors went on a 15-4 run at the end of the first quarter to take a 29-21 lead.

The Pacers missed four shots and turned the ball over on an offensive foul by Roy Hibbert while DeRozan and Andrea Bargnani each hit two buckets to contribute eight points in the run.

That came after the Pacers jumped to a 9-2 lead at the start of the first quarter in what looked like a promising start. Lance Stephenson scored five points in the early spurt on a 3-pointer and a layup. David West scored and George hit two free throws.

The Pacers eventually a 13-4 lead before the Raptors went on a 10-0 run to regain the advantage.

Calderon hit a jumper, a technical free throw and a 3-pointer, and DeRozan scored back-to-back shots in the run that gave the Raptors their first lead of the game

And the Raptors never let up. While the Pacers were taking shots that hit the edge of the rim or that didn't hit the rim at all, the Raptors maintained the lead.

It was by far not a half the Pacers were looking for, but a half the Raptors could use to bounce back from a 140-133 loss in three overtimes the night before.

The Raptors led 46-36 at halftime and things didn't get any better for the Pacers in the second half.

Indiana missed four shots on the first three possessions of the second half and Dominic McGuire and Jonas Valanciunas scored to extend the Raptors' lead to 50-36 before George hit a 3-pointer to make it 51-39.

Then West hit two free throws and Hill hit a shot to cut the Toronto lead to 51-43.

But it didn't take long for the Raptors to take back the momentum.

Calderon and Bargnani hit back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 57-43.

DeRozan hit two free throws before the Pacers scored five consecutive points to pull to 59-50 with 4:20 left to go in the third quarter.

Hill scored a technical free throw and Stephenson and Hibbert each scored next to the basket.

But, again, the Raptors regained the momentum.

Amir Johnson was fouled with 4:20 left, made the first free throw and missed the second. Calderon grabbed the rebound and drove to the basket and was fouled and went to the free throw line to extend the lead to 64-52.

The Pacers committed turnovers on the next two trips down the floor and then Linas Kleiza scored on two free throws to make it 64-52 with 2:30 left in the third quarter.

NOTES: Pacers F Danny Granger remained out with left patellar tendinitis. ... Toronto G Kyle Lowry (sprained right ankle) and F Landry Fields (right hand/wrist injury) didn't travel with the Raptors and, instead, the two traveled to New York to see a specialist for another opinion on their injuries. ... Raptors G Alan Anderson was out with a sprained left foot.

 

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Green's 3-pointer pushes Spurs past Lakers 84-82


LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The San Antonio Spurs ' final offensive play was smartly drawn and precisely executed, ending in a clutch jumper by Danny Green.

The Lakers' final play? Well, 7-foot Pau Gasol ended up shooting a 3-pointer.

While coach Mike D'Antoni is on his way to Los Angeles with new schemes and strategies, Gregg Popovich and the Spurs are headed out of town with an outstanding start to the season.

Green hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 9.3 seconds left, Tony Parker scored 19 points and the Spurs beat Los Angeles 84-82 Tuesday night in the Lakers' first loss since firing Mike Brown.

Tim Duncan had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs, who improved the Western Conference's best record to 7-1 thanks to Green's third 3-pointer of the night. The Spurs executed perfectly when facing a one-point deficit, with Duncan helping Kawhi Leonard get the ball to Green.

"(Popovich) drew up a play and said, `If you're open, catch it and shoot it,"' Green said. "When he draws plays for the young guys like myself, it's very rare and very surprising. You don't expect it. It's only my third year here, so for him to draw up a play for me, there was a lot of pressure on me. But you take the shot with the confidence he gives you."

The Lakers are hoping to have that feeling when D'Antoni arrives, likely for practice Thursday. Interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff ran the team for the third straight game, but the final play went poorly when they couldn't get the ball to Kobe Bryant, who had 28 points and eight rebounds.

After Gasol unsurprisingly missed just the 117th 3-point attempt of his 12-year NBA career, Tiago Splitter's hustle prevented the Lakers from controlling the rebound before the buzzer sounded on Los Angeles' first game since hiring D'Antoni late Sunday night.

"It felt good when I released it, (but) it wasn't designed to go that way," Gasol said. "We're not discouraged by it in the situation we're in. We're looking forward to a new coach stepping in on Thursday and getting going. Hopefully I'll be closer to the basket next time."

Dwight Howard had 13 points and 15 rebounds for the Lakers, who dropped to 3-5 after committing 17 turnovers on a poor shooting night.

After the wholesale upheaval of the past five days, the Lakers found another kind of drama in their first game since the club surprisingly bypassed 11-time NBA champion Phil Jackson to hire D'Antoni, who is expected to arrive in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The Lakers' crowd cheered for Bickerstaff, but never broke out into the "We want Phil!" chants that occurred in their past two games.

The Lakers haven't said when D'Antoni will formally take over the team, and Bickerstaff could still be running the bench Friday when the Phoenix Suns visit Staples Center.

And though Jackson has criticized the Lakers' handling of his candidacy, the players who had been eager to play for the Zen Master seem equally eager to line up for D'Antoni. Bryant and Steve Nash enthusiastically endorsed D'Antoni's hiring at the morning shootaround, with Bryant downplaying the notion that the Lakers' defense would suffer during the offense-minded coach's tenure.

"We're playing much, much better," Bryant said. "We're being much more aggressive on both ends of the floor. We're doing a good job communicating during the game, pushing guys and making them take tough shots."

Both teams struggled with poor shooting until the final minutes, when Antawn Jamison's 3-pointer from the corner put the Lakers ahead 78-77 with 2:10 to play. Duncan reclaimed the lead with a jumper, but Gasol hit two free throws with 1:36 left and added an elbow jumper.

Duncan trimmed the lead to one point before Metta World Peace missed an open jumper in the final minute, leading to the timeout in which Popovich drew it up for Green.

"Pop ran a play for Danny, and I think that was a great call, because Kobe always has a tendency to stay in the paint and think it's a play for me or for Timmy," Parker said. "Then we finished it off with a great play defensively. Kawhi did a great job denying Kobe."

The Lakers played without point guard Steve Blake, who has a minor abdominal strain. Blake had started the Lakers' last five games in place of Nash, who will be out for another week or more with a small fracture in his leg.

Darius Morris had one point on 0-for-5 shooting in his first NBA start in Blake's place, while veteran backup Chris Duhon managed five points. The Lakers played without a point guard down the stretch, with World Peace defending Parker while Bryant largely orchestrated the Lakers' offense.

NOTES: The Lakers barely exceeded the 80 points they scored in February 1999 during their lowest-scoring performance ever in their first 146 meetings with the Spurs. ... World Peace celebrated his 33rd birthday. The eccentric forward said he has enjoyed multiple birthday parties over the past few days. ... Floyd Mayweather Jr., Minnesota Vikings lineman Matt Kalil and David Beckham attended the game.

 

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Williams, Johnson lead Nets over Cavaliers 114-101


NEW YORK (AP) -- Brooklyn's Backcourt broke out.

Deron Williams had 26 points and 10 assists, Joe Johnson scored 25 points, and the Nets beat the road-weary Cleveland Cavaliers 114-101 on Tuesday night for their third straight victory.

Expected to be one of the league's best guard tandems, Williams and Johnson are still trying to find their way together in a new home on a rebuilt team. They know games such as this one are expected, and both said they can be delivered regularly.

"It's probably the best game that we've had together," Johnson said. "It's still early in the season, but yeah, I'm sure that's the vision everybody had, that's the vision I had and I'm sure this won't be the last (big) game. Like I say man, we're just figuring things out."

Brook Lopez added 23 points for the Nets, who opened a 20-point lead at home for the third straight game, but this time barely let up and beat the Cavaliers for the sixth time in eight meetings after losing nine in a row, mostly during the LeBron James era.

Anderson Varejao scored a career-high 35 points and grabbed 18 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who were wrapping up a six-game, coast-to-coast trip and played much of the game with the urgency of a team that wanted to be home.

They haven't played there since Nov. 2, their second game of the season, and dropped the final four games of the trip to finish 1-5.

Williams and Johnson, perennial All-Stars who have been nicknamed "Brooklyn's Backcourt," put things together for the first time since the Nets acquired Johnson from Atlanta over the summer. Neither had a 20-point game before Tuesday, and Johnson had been shooting only 36.2 percent.

Williams shot 10 of 20, and Johnson was 9 of 16 while adding six assists and five rebounds.

"It definitely felt like we played better together today and like I said, we both got going today which was good, so hopefully we can continue to make improvements," Williams said. "Me and him have been talking a lot the last couple of days trying to get each other going and find out where, you know, our spots are on the court."

The Nets held Orlando below 20 points in a franchise-record seven straight quarters during a home-and-home sweep and were allowing 90.4 points per game, fourth-best in the NBA. But the offense had been spotty, particularly once they got ahead. They blew a 22-point lead last week in a loss to Minnesota and most of a 20-point advantage Sunday against the Magic.

This time, there was no letup, in part because they just ran by a Cleveland team that didn't have its legs. Brooklyn finished with a 23-8 advantage in fast-break points.

Kyrie Irving had 34 points and eight assists for Cleveland, which started its trip Nov. 3 in Milwaukee, went out to California for two stops, then hit Phoenix and Oklahoma City before wrapping up here. Cavaliers coach Byron Scott told his players Tuesday morning not to let their minds drift to thoughts about being back home, but their defense never showed up in Brooklyn.

"I don't want to talk about the defense. There was nothing there defensively," Scott said. "We've got to get more guys that are going to be competitive and passionate about the defensive end."

Cleveland led after one only because Varejao shot 7 of 8 for 17 points, his highest total in an NBA quarter, helping the Cavs to a 30-29 edge. But the Nets had already started blowing it open by the time he returned a little more than four minutes into the second.

He quickly scored upon re-entering, but the Nets responded with an 8-2 run to open a 48-34 lead. It was 64-42 by halftime. Brooklyn shot 62 percent in the second while holding Cleveland to 5 of 20 (25 percent) and outscoring the Cavs 35-12.

"They hit us in the mouth on both ends of the floor. We weren't executing. We got in a hole and it's hard to fight back against a good team such as Brooklyn," Irving said.

Rookie Dion Waiters missed his first eight shots, then threw up his arms as if to say "finally" when his 3-pointer popped out of the basket and then back in for his first field goal nearly midway through the third. Then it was Varejao's turn to look annoyed, tossing the ball off the backboard stanchion after Lopez beat the Cavs down the floor for a layup that made it 77-53 with 5:16 remaining in the third.

The Cavs finally made a dent late in the third, with Irving scoring 14 points in the period to trim it to 85-75. But he and Varejao started the fourth on the bench as Brooklyn quickly regained control. The Nets reopened a big cushion when Johnson hit two 3-pointers and three free throws in a nine-point flurry over 85 seconds midway through the period.

NOTES: Scott led the Nets to their greatest NBA success, trips to the NBA Finals in 2002 and `03 while compiling a 149-139 record from 2000-04. He remembered the move to Brooklyn being discussed when he was there, though delays and lawsuits held up plans to relocate sooner. ... Varejao's previous best quarter was 14 points in the second period against Orlando on Feb. 11, 2010, according to STATS LLC. ... Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, a frequent spectator at Knicks games, sat courtside.

 

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Spurs vs Lakers highlights

Duncan and Parker have 37 points for Spurs win

 

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Nets vs Cavaliers highlights

Deron Williams leads Nets to victory despite big game from Anderson Varejao.

 

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Grizzlies slug out 107-97 win over Thunder


OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Rudy Gay scored a season-high 28 points, Zach Randolph added 20 points and 11 rebounds before getting ejected along with Oklahoma City's Kendrick Perkins during a late-game altercation and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Thunder 107-97 on Wednesday night.

Marc Gasol chipped in 14 points as the Grizzlies continued the best start in franchise history by winning their sixth straight game. They took control by outscoring Oklahoma City by 21 in the second quarter, and never gave it up.

Kevin Durant scored a season-high 34 points and Russell Westbrook had 17 points and 13 assists as both Oklahoma City All-Stars logged more than 42 minutes for the second straight game while trying to lead a fourth-quarter comeback.

This time it fell short as the Thunder had their five-game winning streak snapped.

The Grizzlies went to their twin towers inside with Oklahoma City threatening to come back from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter for the second straight game. Coach Lionel Hollins called for a timeout after Perkins' two-handed slam got the Thunder within 97-89 with 4:18 to play.

He sent his team back out with Gasol isolated against Perkins, and Gasol twisted his way in for a layup. After a missed jumper by Serge Ibaka at the other end, Gasol set up Randolph for a layup off a designed play.

After a pair of empty trips by both teams, referee Ken Mauer tossed both Perkins and Randolph after the two confronted each other between a pair of free throws by Westbrook. After the ejections, Randolph and Perkins tried to approach each other while being restrained by teammates before finally heading out tunnels at opposite ends of Chesapeake Energy Arena.

By then, Memphis had all but locked up the latest in a series of testy games between the two young Western Conference playoff contenders who got to know each other all too well during a seven-game series in the playoffs two seasons ago.

Ibaka finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for the Thunder.

Quincy Pondexter contributed 13 points and Jerryd Bayless scored 12 as Memphis' bench outperformed the Thunder reserves. Both teams retooled their reserves during the offseason, with the Grizzlies letting O.J. Mayo leave in free agency and the Thunder trading Sixth Man of the Year James Harden to Houston.

Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks tightened his rotation in the second half, giving Durant and Westbrook no time off even after both had played 44 minutes in a come-from-behind win at Detroit on Monday night. In that game, the Thunder scored the first 13 points of the fourth quarter to immediately erase an 11-point deficit.

Not this time.

Pondexter and the second unit brought the Grizzlies back after they'd fallen behind 30-20 after the first quarter, getting held to just 32 percent from the field. Pondexter hit a pair of 3-poitners and a couple free throws during a 16-6 burst to start the second quarter, and Memphis kept rolling as the starters rotated back in.

Another Pondexter 3 put Memphis ahead 44-41 and the Grizzlies scored the final 10 points of the half, including a two-handed dunk by Gay off of Pondexter's alley-oop, to go up 56-45.

In all, the Thunder were outscored 36-15 in the second quarter while taking their turn making just 32 percent of their shots.

The deficit ballooned to 65-49 in the first 3 minutes of the second half, with Randolph converting putbacks on back-to-back possessions and Mike Conley following Gay's 3-pointer with a runner in the lane.

NOTES: Gasol also got a technical in the third quarter for taking the ball out of the net and raking it across Westbrook's face after a basket by Westbrook. ... The Grizzlies had just one turnover in the first half - when Bayless failed to connect with Gasol on a pass into the lane and Ibaka came away with it. ... Oklahoma City reserve Hasheem Thabeet spent a few moments at halftime chatting with ex-teammates and staff on the Memphis sideline. "I'm happy that he's still in the league and happy that he's doing well," Hollins said.

 

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Walker's jumper lifts Bobcats over Wolves, 89-87


MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Tie game, clock winding down, ball in his hands. It's been a while since Kemba Walker has been in that situation.

When he finally found himself there with the Charlotte Bobcats , the super-slick guard dipped into his UConn bag of tricks. Just like Villanova, Texas, Pitt and most other college teams he vanquished, the Minnesota Timberwolves had no chance.

Walker's jumper with 0.7 seconds left lifted the Bobcats to an 89-87 victory over the Timberwolves on Wednesday night, giving Charlotte its first three-game winning streak in nearly 20 months.

Walker finished with 22 points, five assists and four rebounds, and his 19-footer over the out-stretched arm of Alexey Shved before the young Bobcats mobbed him in the backcourt to celebrate a victory that was so difficult to come by last season.

"Tonight, you can say that," Walker said when asked if it felt like he was back in Storrs, Conn. "It felt like one of those days. I had a lot of game winners in my college career. It definitely felt like one of those days."

Byron Mullens had 12 points and 15 rebounds and Ramon Sessions had 18 points and six rebounds for Charlotte, which has won three straight games for the first time since March 2011.

Andrei Kirilenko had 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who used a 16-2 run to tie the game with 12.3 seconds left.

The Wolves were without six of their top seven players: Kevin Love (broken right hand), Ricky Rubio (left knee), Chase Budinger (left knee), Nikola Pekovic (left ankle), JJ Barea (left foot) and Brandon Roy (right knee). They were relegated to high-priced assistant coaches on Wednesday night, and their encouragement wasn't enough to help a plucky group of role players scratch together another win.

"Down the stretch it was like, `What are we going to do?"' coach Rick Adelman said. "Who are we going to go to?"

The Bobcats looked like they would cruise to the win when they led 85-71 with about four minutes to go.

But Minnesota's dormant defense came alive in the last four minutes and Kirilenko's layup trimmed it to 85-81 with just more than two minutes to play. Bobcats guard Reggie Williams then got a technical foul with 38.9 seconds left for calling timeout when they had none remaining, and Luke Ridnour knocked down the free throw to make it 87-86.

Derrick Williams made one of two free throws to tie it before Walker went with a lightning-quick stutter step to create a sliver of daylight between him and Shved. The ball swished through, just as it did so many times for him as a Husky.

Ridnour had 16 points and 10 assists and Shved scored 13 for the Timberwolves, who shot just 38 percent and missed 17 free throws.

"He hit a tough shot," Ridnour said. "That one stings."

It was a good lesson for the young Bobcats, who certainly can't be blamed for not knowing how to close games out.

The Bobcats slogged through a 7-59 season last year, the worst winning percentage in NBA history. They lost 23 in a row to close last season and never put two wins together. But new coach Mike Dunlap has infused the baby-faced roster with some confidence and the freedom to get out on the break and run and gun.

"It's because the guys have bought the message and they've worked hard on the wood," Dunlap said. "We've had some long practices and we've heard some squawking on that. Hopefully the volume gets turned down on that a little bit because they can see the benefit."

They shot 54 percent in the first half, using their young legs to overcome playing the second night of a back-to-back and take control of the game. Charlotte blocked 12 shots, making life extremely difficult for Williams (3 for 12), Greg Stiemsma (0 for 6) and Malcolm Lee (3 for 12) near the basket.

"It's a lot better learning in a win, I can tell you that much," Walker said. "But it's very important. There's going to be more games when we have that same situation. We've got to learn to take care of the basketball, make the right plays when we're up big."

NOTES: Bobcats G Ben Gordon missed the game for personal reasons. ... Love is scheduled to have an X-ray on his hand on Tuesday to see if he can start increasing his workload. He is expected to be back by the first week in December at the latest. ... Tyrus Thomas had 10 points and three blocks for Charlotte.

 

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Pierce scores 23 to lead Celtics past Jazz, 98-93


BOSTON (AP) -- The Boston Celtics like to have a lot of veterans for this very reason.

With point guard Rajon Rondo on the bench after injuring his right ankle, Leandro Barbosa sparked a third-quarter run and ran the offense in the fourth as the Celtics held off the Utah Jazz 98-93 on Wednesday night.

"That's what we brought him in here for," said Boston captain Paul Pierce, who led the way with 23 points, including a pair of key free throws with 19.5 seconds to play.

Reserves Jeff Green and Barbosa each scored 16 points for the Celtics, who won for the fifth time in six games. Kevin Garnett added 11 points and eight rebounds.

"That shows we are deep and we can have guys that can step up," backup center Chris Wilcox said. "Tonight we had it down the stretch."

Rondo left the game for good in the third quarter with the ankle injury after getting 10 assists - reaching double-digits for the 32nd straight game.

With Rondo sitting on the bench for the final quarter, Green and Barbosa each played the entire 12 minutes, with Green scoring seven points.

"Barbosa was terrific," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "I mean, he bailed us out."

Rivers said he "had no idea" if Rondo would play Thursday in Brooklyn.

When Avery Bradley returns from offseason shoulder surgeries, Barbosa will be in a mix of five guards along with Rondo, Jason Terry and Courtney Lee.

Paul Millsap led the Jazz with 20 points and 12 boards. Al Jefferson had 13 points and 14 rebounds.

"Tonight we proved that we can fight. Thats the difference between the Celtics and us right now. They know how to seal the game," Jefferson said. "That's what we've got to get to. Playing these type of teams, it's going to help us get there. Now we know what to do. So, we just need to go and try and take care of these next two games on the road."

Mo Williams missed three shots in the closing minute for Utah, which was coming off a triple-overtime win at Toronto on Monday but fell to 1-5 on the road.

The Celtics grabbed a 94-93 edge when Garnett hit the second of two free throws with 1:08 left. After Williams missed a long jumper and Gordon Hayward the follow on an attempted put-back, Garnett missed a jumper and Jefferson grabbed the rebound.

The Jazz called timeout with 33 seconds remaining and Williams missed on a left-handed scoop shot with 22 seconds to go.

"He made a good drive and took it to the basket, but lost his balance a little bit and tried to push it there at the end," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said.

The Jazz then fouled Pierce and he nailed both free throws, increasing the lead to three points.

Millsap then missed a drive, but Boston's Green was called for traveling after grabbing the rebound, giving the Jazz one last shot. Williams missed another long jumper.

Garnett sealed it with two free throws.

Boston led 93-88 after Green's three-point play with 3:40 left, but Jefferson scored the next five points, tying it on a jumper from the right wing with 1:21 to play.

Garnett's no-look, behind-the-back pass set up Barbosa for an easy layup midway into the final quarter, giving Boston an 80-74 lead. The teams then traded baskets before Green drove the lane for a dunk over Jefferson, bringing most of the crowd to its feet. He was given a technical, though, for taunting him on the play.

But despite the highlight baskets, the Jazz stayed close, narrowing it to 88-86 on Jefferson's layup with 4 1/2 minutes to play.

Rondo came up limping on a drive to the basket with 4:55 in the third, left the game and headed to the locker room about a minute later. He returned to the bench to loud cheers from the crowd with under a minute left in the third. The Celtics announced that he "rolled" his right ankle.

Pierce missed 10 of his initial 13 shots before hitting three straight 3s in a 1:17 span midway into the third quarter, with Rondo getting assists eight, nine and 10 on the baskets. Pierce scored 15 in the quarter on 5-of-9 shooting and Hayward scored 10 for Utah.

After Pierce's long-range shooting exhibit, Barbosa drove to the basket and scored six of the points in Boston's 8-0 run that gave the Celtics a 68-60 edge.

The Jazz then scored 10 of the final 15 points in the quarter, closing it to 73-70 at the break.

NOTES: Utah G Earl Watson, close to completing a six-month comeback from knee surgery, rejoined the team, but wasn't in uniform. "We'll see how he goes and how his body responds," Corbin said. "We're going to increase his activity a little bit and see how he responds to it." ... Jefferson, part of a deal that brought Garnett to the Celtics from Minnesota on July 31, 2003, received lofty pregame praise from Rivers. "He just keeps getting better and better," Rivers said. "The one thing I never thought I'd say about Al is: he's just becoming a better passer." ... The Celtics' next home game is a rare Saturday afternoon home contest against Toronto at 12:30. They face the Nets first, though, on Thursday. ... The Jazz play the third of a four-game road trip Friday at Philadelphia. ... Jefferson received a nice ovation in pregame introductions.

 

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Winless no more, Pistons romp past 76ers 94-76


PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Winless no more, the Detroit Pistons had good reason to break out the cheers in a locker room celebration.

The worst start in franchise history was over.

Greg Monroe had 19 points, 18 rebounds and six assists to help the Pistons beat the Philadelphia 76ers 94-76 on Wednesday night.

Kyle Singler scored 16 points in his first start of the season, and Tayshaun Prince and Brandon Knight each scored 15 points for the Pistons, who improved to a still-woeful 1-8. But they will take it.

"We're disappointed in our start, but it wasn't like we had any doubt we were going to win a game," coach Lawrence Frank said. "When we deserve to win, we'll win."

Gobbling rebounds with each Sixers miss, the Pistons deserved this one. Playing their seventh road game out of nine games this season, the Pistons controlled the lethargic Sixers from the opening tip. Four Pistons starters scored in double digits and forward Jason Maxiell had eight points and 12 rebounds.

"We felt like, as a team, this was long overdue," Monroe said.

The Pistons played so well they didn't even need both eyes on the ball from the free-throw line. Late in the second quarter, Monroe was fouled on a drive down the lane and had a contact shuffled around in the process. He touched his right eye, squinted, and buried the first shot. With his contact back in place, he clanked the second attempt. The moment was good for a chuckle in a game that turned into a laugher.

"My contact was just acting a little funny," Monroe said, laughing.

Monroe had a small shiner but blamed a hit from Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant in Monday's game.

The Sixers easily played their worst game of the season, making only 25 of 84 shots, for 30 percent. Lavoy Allen led them with 14 points, and Jrue Holiday had 12.

"When you see somebody beating up on you, you're supposed to hit back," Holiday said. "We didn't have that today. After a while, when we tried to, everything was going their way."

Without injured center Andrew Bynum, the Sixers continued to get dominated inside. They were outrebounded by 17 in Monday's loss to Milwaukee and got crushed on the boards 33-15 by halftime in this one. Monroe had nine at the break - or as many as the Sixers' starting lineup combined.

Philadelphia missed 30 of 43 shots in the first half and made only 5 of 10 free throws.

The few thousand fans that showed up made for a dreary preseason atmosphere and they all booed the Sixers off the court at the break.

Kwame Brown started at center after missing four games because of a strained left calf, picked up two quick fouls, and played only 8 minutes in the first half.

The Pistons had plenty of room to maneuver in the paint - Singler scored 13, Prince had 12, and Monroe added 11 points in the first half.

Detroit had most of its fun in the second quarter, stretching a two-point lead into 52-34 at the break. The Pistons made only three 3-pointers all game, scoring the bulk of their points on mid-range jumpers, and easy buckets around the basket.

The Sixers again struggled with their halfcourt offense, showing little ball movement and firing up long jumpers as the shot clock ticked down. Bynum hasn't played all season because of a bone bruise and isn't expected back until at least early January. It's clear they need help in the middle because the Brown-Spencer Hawes-Thaddeus Young combination has been a bust.

"It's not the end of the world," Hawes said. "We're going to get it right. We're going to get it back on track."

The Pistons led by as many as 23 points and had their way with the Sixers in the paint (42-28), on the fastbreak (17-11) and, most impressively, the glass, outrebounding the Sixers 57-38. The Pistons beat them 45-27 on defensive rebounds, just the kind of performance that will win a few more games.

"It shows what we're capable of doing," Frank said. "It's got to be a standard of how we play."

NOTES: 76ers F Dorell Wright briefly left the game and needed eight stitches on his chin. ... Frank started 0-16 with the New Jersey Nets in 2009 and was fired. ... The Pistons had never started worse than 0-7 before this season. ... On the plus side, the Sixers made only four turnovers. They had averaged 15.4. ... Dating to last season, the Sixers have lost seven of eight at home.

 

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Boozer helps Bulls outlast Suns 112-106 in OT


PHOENIX (AP) -- Carlos Boozer's latest big game against Phoenix came in handy when the Chicago Bulls blew an 18-point lead.

Boozer had 28 points and 14 rebounds, and the Bulls scored the first eight points in overtime to outlast the Suns 112-106 on Wednesday night.

Boozer, who scored 31 against Phoenix in the previous meeting last season, was a force at power forward again. He made 11 of 20 shots and had his way inside as the Bulls piled up 50 points in the paint. Luol Deng added 21 points and center Joakim Noah had 21 points and 12 rebounds.

"I just played off my teammates," Boozer said. "Rip (Hamilton) got me going in transition, Kirk (Hinrich) got me going with pocket passes."

Chicago scored six points on putbacks in a 10-0 run that gave the Bulls a 79-61 lead in the third quarter. But the Suns fought back in the fourth by being active on the offensive boards and defending with more energy.

"The lesson we have to learn is we have to play tough with the lead," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "I thought we got a little loose. We were throwing lobs and not strong with the ball."

Luis Scola had 24 points and 14 rebounds for Phoenix, while Sebastian Telfair scored 17 off the bench.

"We played extremely hard, we just couldn't come up with offense when we needed it," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "Defensively in the second half I thought we did a great job of just hanging in and shaving a few points here and there. The players are trying to learn each other. ... In the meantime, we just keep playing hard and keep competing, and somewhere along the line good things are going to happen for us."

Marcin Gortat banked in a hook shot to cut Chicago's lead to 91-88, and Shannon Brown made it 91-90 on a driving layup with 4:22 to play in the fourth.

Telfair's 3-pointer tied it at 93 with 3 minutes left, but the Bulls hit four of six free throws over the next 2 minutes to go up 99-95. Brown converted a three-point play and Boozer missed a jumper to give Phoenix another chance to take the lead, but Brown missed on a drive to the basket with 19 seconds to go.

Richard Hamilton hit one of two free throws to give the Bulls a 100-98 advantage before P.J. Tucker gathered in a loose ball and laid it in to knot the score at 100 with 9.4 seconds left.

Hamilton missed a chance for the lead, and Phoenix didn't have time to get off a shot before the buzzer to end regulation. The Suns found themselves in overtime for the first time since April 11, 2011, and it took them a little while to get acclimated.

"You get down like that and these teams are tough," Tucker said. "There's a lot of good players. It takes so much out of you to actually fight back, to come back."

The Bulls won their fourth straight game in Phoenix, tying Miami and Oklahoma City for the longest active winning streak by a visiting team.

"We have a lot of vets on this team and we did a good job of being calm and letting the game come to us," Deng said.

The Bulls led 29-27 at the end of a back-and-forth first quarter. Boozer scored 10 points and Chicago shot 62 percent from the field.

The Bulls led by as many as seven points in the second, 40-33, before Scola heated up. He scored eight points during a 13-6 run that gave the Suns a 46-42 lead with 4:45 left in the first half.

Chicago stormed back with a 13-0 run, led by Boozer and reserve Jimmy Butler. Boozer scored 16 points in the first half on 8-of-12 shooting and the Bulls went 4 of 7 on 3-pointers while shooting 58.5 percent in the first half to lead 57-51 at the break.

Scola shot 8 of 13 and scored 16 points in the first half to go with seven rebounds.

The Bulls jumped out to a 63-54 lead, matching their largest advantage of the game, in the first 3 minutes of the third quarter. Noah stole a pass and dribbled from beyond halfcourt for a dunk to cap a mini-run.

Suns forward Markieff Morris went down hard in the closing seconds of regulation and walked slowly off the court with a bag of ice on his backside. He didn't return and is day to day with a bruised lower back.

NOTES: Hinrich returned to the lineup after missing Monday's game against Minnesota with a strained right hip. He scored three points and had seven assists in 27 minutes. ... Suns C Jermaine O'Neal was activated before the game after missing the previous five to attend to a family matter. He did not play. O'Neal has not played since Nov. 4 at Orlando. ... Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp sat courtside.

 

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Barnes helps Warriors hold off Hawks, 92-88


OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Harrison Barnes ran for the rebound as soon as he saw Stephen Curry shoot from beyond the arc, corralling the ball in a crowd of defenders to give the Golden State Warriors a key possession in the final seconds.

The rookie's hustle highlighted his breakout performance and was the kind of play Golden State had struggled to make during a two-game skid.

Barnes also made a pair of critical free throws late to finish with 19 points and 13 rebounds as the Warriors held off the short-handed Atlanta Hawks 92-88 on Wednesday night. Golden State outrebounded Atlanta 44-29 to overcome 23 turnovers.

"I was reluctant to go to the board on that one," said Barnes, drafted seventh overall out of North Carolina. "When he shoots, not too many times he misses. I definitely wanted to get in that mix, and I knew if he missed we had to get that rebound."

After blowing a lead in a double-overtime loss to Denver on Saturday, Golden State did just enough this time.

David Lee added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Curry scored 12 to put the Warriors ahead by 13 points early in the fourth quarter. The Hawks hacked that lead to two but Barnes and Jarrett Jack each made a pair of free throws to seal Golden State's victory.

The Warriors improved to 4-4 heading into a difficult three-game road trip to Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Dallas.

"It's very big because we get back to 4-4," Lee said. "And just getting off a two-game losing streak is always huge. Now we go on a road trip with some tough stops and we're excited to have some momentum going for sure."

Atlanta's push just came too late.

Lou Williams scored 18 points, including three straight 3-pointers that whittled the Warriors' lead to a basket with 11.2 seconds remaining. Josh Smith added 16 points and 10 rebounds for Atlanta, which had Al Horford and Devin Harris out because of a stomach illness.

"It was a gutsy performance by my guys," Hawks coach Larry Drew said. "After going down by 12 at one point we fought back. A little short-handed tonight but still we had an opportunity."

The way the Warriors' defense finished was enough to make coach Mark Jackson sick.

Williams made the second of his three consecutive 3s to bring Atlanta within 90-85 with 21.8 seconds left. Curry, who had made a floating layup over Smith on the previous possession, missed a 3-pointer that Barnes tracked down.

Barnes was fouled and made both free throws. He had not had more than 14 points or five rebounds in his first seven games.

Williams made another 3-pointer to slice Golden State's lead to 90-88. Jack, who finished with nine points and four rebounds, was fouled and swished both free throws to secure the victory.

"You're going to have tough nights," Jackson said. "I don't care who you are. The best teams and the worst teams have to be able to respond."

Atlanta has had multiple players get sick during its West Coast trip, though they only missed practices until Wednesday. The latest bug sidelined Horford and Harris. Zaza Pachulia started at center in Horford's place, and even he had to overcome a setback.

Pachulia was cut above his right eye in the first quarter, with blood dripping down the side of his face. He received stitches in the locker room and returned.

With the Hawks hurting on the inside, the Warriors went to work.

Lee led the charge by going at Atlanta's depleted front line, allowing Golden State to play inside-out. He had 14 points and seven rebounds in the first half to help the Warriors take a 54-46 lead.

Golden State withstood several shots from Atlanta.

The Hawks started the third quarter on a 7-1 run to trim the Warriors' lead to two. Ivan Johnson then inadvertently elbowed Warriors second-round pick Draymond Green in the face while going for a rebound late in the quarter.

Green stayed down for a couple of minutes until walking gingerly to the locker room, with Johnson patting him on the chest on the way off the court. The team said X-rays on the right side of Green's jaw came back negative. He later returned.

In the meantime, another rookie helped the Warriors create some separation.

Barnes ignited an 18-7 spurt the lasted through the opening minute of the fourth quarter to put Golden State ahead 73-60. He threw down a put-back dunk that brought fans roaring to their feet, including Warriors owner Joe Lacob sitting in his usual courtside spot, and mixed in a turnaround jumper and a driving layup.

NOTES: The Warriors honored former coach Don Nelson at halftime for his Hall of Fame induction in September. The 72-year-old Nelson, who has an NBA-record 1,335 wins, said he has no plans to get involved in basketball again and is enjoying retirement at his home in Maui, Hawaii. ... The Hawks finish their four-game road trip Friday at Sacramento. ... Warriors C Andrew Bogut will rehab his surgically repaired left ankle in the Los Angeles area during the team's road trip.