Warriors rally from 14 down, top Pistons

February 28, 2010

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)—Stephen Curry(notes) scored 27 points and the Golden StateWarriors used the hack-a-Ben strategy to finish their rally from a 14-pointdeficit in the second half to beat the Detroit Pistons 95-88 on Saturday night.

Anthony Tolliver(notes) added 19 points and 14 rebounds, and C.J. Watson(notes) scored 17points in place of injured leading scorer Monta Ellis(notes) as the Warriors snapped afive-game losing streak against the Pistons.

Golden State held Detroit without a field goal for the final 3:52, with thePistons only point in that span coming on a free throw by Ben Wallace(notes) on one ofthree trips to the line after intentional fouls by the Warriors. Wallace missedfive of his six attempts late in the game, including consecutive air balls inthe final minute.

Detroit Detroit Pistons' Ben Gordo… AP – Feb 28, 1:49 am EST Detroit Pistons' Jonas Jer… AP – Feb 28, 1:39 am EST Golden State Warriors' Ste… AP – Feb 28, 1:35 am EST Detroit Pistons' Rodney St… AP – Feb 28, 1:35 am EST Golden State Warriors' Ron… AP – Feb 28, 1:27 am EST Golden State Warriors' Ant… AP – Feb 28, 1:27 am EST Golden State Warriors' Ste… AP – Feb 28, 1:21 am EST Golden State Warriors' Ste… AP – Feb 28, 1:20 am EST Detroit Pistons' Rodney St… AP – Feb 27, 11:49 pm EST Golden State Warriors' Ste… AP – Feb 27, 11:49 pm EST Detroit Pistons' Tayshaun … AP – Feb 27, 11:48 pm EST Detroit Pistons' Jonas Jer… AP – Feb 27, 11:48 pm EST YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index = 11; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_lazy_images = [http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.e7340429a1854ed4bf04a553498478a2.pistons_warriors_basketball_oas112.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=279&hc=310&q=70&sig=PIkWtLFxsTsykwyxHNeltg--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.27352661a1e142069c730706dcd9fad8.pistons_warriors_basketball_oas109.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=331&hc=368&q=70&sig=yxXEhmF.gb80VtTzl5C8hQ--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.d421846d3b084200b9ed0ee54a93dfb4.pistons_warriors_basketball_oas110.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=32&yc=1&wc=347&hc=385&q=70&sig=9xdw.pN1pJiCIsG143jFWg--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.902618ac72a54ae9a7cba5aff0477373.pistons_warriors_basketball_oas107.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=291&hc=323&q=70&sig=PPUXWkbbRKnLSM8W86vnkw--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.eb4fcfa8154d43bca55ee800728044fc.pistons_warriors_basketball_oas108.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=337&hc=374&q=70&sig=UPavJMif7fVdX9eFKXlYJQ--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.d40953d501a940eba42a346e833c42e4.pistons_warriors_basketball_oas105.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=265&hc=294&q=70&sig=g80X8G5bD4pETaconjLphw--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.5c0a179593cc4a44beb6dd4340ea4434.pistons_warriors_basketball_oas106.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=56&yc=1&wc=300&hc=333&q=70&sig=XlXatti8F8zrRZuR8FsB4g--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.b3b9252cdaca4c659a21fab7ec0d6786.pistons_warriors_basketball_oas101.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=274&hc=304&q=70&sig=z7pLgszdVo0qmsV6A0FKJA--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.cea3b82b30734051be996a18beaee9e3.pistons_warriors_basketball_oas102.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=44&yc=1&wc=323&hc=359&q=70&sig=JdT4zvhArUmhJSd5TbSHsw--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.b60452d3e92f47b0866c7d4e1149a5b1.pistons_warriors_basketball_oas103.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=341&hc=379&q=70&sig=kDSGCwV.H49QBsVWMPGJ5w--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.bc4b56ba48584c1992778403a5fd3bf0.pistons_warriors_basketball_oas104.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=330&hc=367&q=70&sig=cKL4dTT8XZqfMdHW7FpNjg--]; YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(window,load,YAHOO.Sports.articleLazyLoadCarousel.init); 1 of 12 Det-GS Gallery function prev_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index > 0) { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index – 1); } else { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index); }}function next_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index 0) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next); }*/}function goto_photo(p) { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { for(i = 0; i < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos.length; i++) { if (i == p) { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, ); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, none); } } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page) { YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page.innerHTML =(p + 1); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = p; } } update_buttons();}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init = function () { YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_prev, click, prev_photo); YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_next, click, next_photo); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = 0; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page = YAHOO.util.Dom.get(carousel_page); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos = YAHOO.util.Dom.getElementsByClassName(item, div, leadphoto); if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { goto_photo(0); }}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init();

The Warriors played the game short-handed with Ellis sitting out with a soreback. They had just eight healthy players dressed for the game and then lostAndris Biedrins(notes) to a strained right groin in the third quarter. But they tookadvantage of 11-for-26 foul shooting by Detroit to pull out their third win inthe last four games they have played without Ellis.

The Warriors trailed by 14 points early in the third before rallying. Theyscored nine straight points in one stretch and cut the deficit to 69-66 onWatson’s 3-pointer in the final minute of the period. Watson scored GoldenState’s first seven points of the fourth quarter, giving the Warriors a 73-72lead with a 3-pointer just more than 2 minutes into the period.

Golden State hacked Wallace, fouling him on purpose on successive trips latein the quarter. Wallace, a 43 percent foul shooter coming into the game, missedthree of the four free throws before coach John Kuester called a 20-secondtimeout to remove Wallace.

Anthony Tolliver’s basket down low gave Golden State an 89-88 lead with justunder 2 minutes remaining. With the Pistons down by two in the final minute, BenGordon(notes) missed a long jumper and Tolliver deflected the long rebound to Watson,who made one free throw with 25.2 seconds left to make it 91-88.

Wallace was fouled again when he got the inbound pass and shot consecutiveair balls to drop to 1 for 9 from the line for the game. Anthony Morrow(notes) made twofree throws at the other end to make it a five-point game with 22.7 seconds togo.

Tayshaun Prince(notes) scored 18 points to lead Detroit. Rodney Stuckey(notes) added 17and Richard Hamilton(notes) had 16 as the Pistons dropped their third straight game.

The arena was barely half-filled at the start for this matchup between twoof the league’s worst teams. The fans who didn’t show up didn’t miss much. Theteams combined to hit less than one-third of their shots in the opening quarter.

Dunks by Ben Wallace and Tayshaun Prince in the final minute gave thePistons a 50-37 lead at the half. Detroit held the Warriors to their lowestfirst-half total of the season.

NOTES: Pistons F Jonas Jerebko(notes) limped off the court in the fourth quarterwith a sprained left ankle and did not return. … Pistons F Chris Wilcox(notes) wasinactive with a sore back. … Warriors big man Ronny Turiaf(notes) got a technicalfoul after scoring a basket early in the fourth quarter.

Written by chris · Filed Under Basketball | Comments Off

Williams’ 35 lift Jazz over Rockets

February 28, 2010

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)—Deron Williams(notes) scored 20 of his 35 points in the firstquarter and the Utah Jazz routed the Houston Rockets 133-110 on Saturday night.

Williams was 13 of 17 from the field, and had 13 assists and seven reboundsto help the Jazz set a season high for points.

Utah Utah Jazz guard Deron Williams… AP – Feb 27, 11:57 pm EST Houston Rockets guard Aaron Br… AP – Feb 27, 10:51 pm EST Houston Rockets forward Chuck … AP – Feb 27, 10:45 pm EST Houston Rockets teammates Luis… AP – Feb 27, 10:44 pm EST Houston Rockets guard Kevin Ma… AP – Feb 27, 10:43 pm EST Houston Rockets guard Garrett … AP – Feb 27, 10:43 pm EST Houston Rockets guard Kevin Ma… AP – Feb 27, 10:42 pm EST YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index = 6; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_lazy_images = [http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.17e4ba3af0ac4dc0876fd9247366ae1e.rockets_jazz_basketball_utsw106.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=293&hc=326&q=70&sig=fhnithlp6mMCSneLaJpnLQ--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.e367444f34ae4a558cf594c5aca4e5d7.rockets_jazz_basketball_utsw105.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=299&hc=332&q=70&sig=FLKeFB.X2H1xS1m_sOtU9w--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.d21e821ee4c244e38a70cd4d29b8a039.rockets_jazz_basketball_utsw104.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=301&hc=334&q=70&sig=v_lnL6oIJgj1gMiONz7PrA--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.f2d34b560e4a4f63814f6a5f7e7d3db8.rockets_jazz_basketball_utsw103.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=289&hc=321&q=70&sig=meTV61y8JGssmTWXRfQ4Yg--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.8d8e11177daf49b1879af54d8f753f73.rockets_jazz_basketball_utsw102.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=279&hc=310&q=70&sig=HvNR_lr330SaoWxtmkzUAQ--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.eff37c4fc755401895769e2c40a47ebd.rockets_jazz_basketball_utsw101.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=264&hc=293&q=70&sig=bke5ii75RG0H_a1vU1tT8A--]; YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(window,load,YAHOO.Sports.articleLazyLoadCarousel.init); 1 of 7 Hou-Uta Gallery function prev_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index > 0) { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index – 1); } else { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index); }}function next_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index 0) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next); }*/}function goto_photo(p) { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { for(i = 0; i < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos.length; i++) { if (i == p) { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, ); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, none); } } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page) { YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page.innerHTML =(p + 1); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = p; } } update_buttons();}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init = function () { YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_prev, click, prev_photo); YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_next, click, next_photo); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = 0; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page = YAHOO.util.Dom.get(carousel_page); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos = YAHOO.util.Dom.getElementsByClassName(item, div, leadphoto); if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { goto_photo(0); }}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init();

Carlos Boozer(notes), Paul Millsap(notes) and Wes Matthews each added 18 points and theJazz made a season-best 14 3-pointers against the slumping Rockets.

Kevin Martin(notes) scored 32 points, and Aaron Brooks(notes) had 19 for the Rockets.

Houston played without Shane Battier(notes) (flu-like symptoms) for the first timethis season, and Trevor Ariza(notes) (hip) sat out his third straight game.

Williams was 4 for 4 from 3-point range and the Jazz finished 14 of 25.

Both teams played Friday night and arrived in Utah early Saturday. ButWilliams, who has battled nagging wrist and thigh injuries, was ready to go fromthe tip.

Williams, averaging 14.3 points on 31.1 percent shooting over his last fourgames, had a career-best 20 points in the first quarter and the Jazz took thelead for good. He also had six assists in the opening period as the Jazz shot 85percent.

Utah, which lost to Sacramento on Friday night hasn’t lost consecutive gamessince the first two games of the 2010. The Rockets, coming off a win in SanAntonio on Friday night, are 2-7 in their last nine games.

NOTES: The Jazz are 8-1 when playing in their green throwback jerseys. …The Jazz are 16-13 when Williams fails to reach 20 points. … The Jazz have wonfour of their last five games against the Rockets.

Written by chris · Filed Under Basketball | Comments Off

Randolph’s 31 and 25 power Grizzlies

February 28, 2010

NEW YORK (AP)—Zach Randolph(notes) overwhelmed them with his scoring and rebounding.Tracy McGrady(notes) lasted 15 minutes before calling it a night.

Good thing all the New York Knicks’ moves are for the future. Because ifthey were about the present, all of them backfired Saturday night.

Randolph had 31 points and a career-high 25 rebounds against his formerteam, and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Knicks 120-109 to tie a franchiserecord with their fourth straight road victory.

Memphis Memphis Grizzlies' Rudy Ga… AP – Feb 27, 10:59 pm EST Memphis Grizzlies' Marc Ga… AP – Feb 27, 10:58 pm EST Tennis player Kim Clijsters sm… AP – Feb 27, 10:37 pm EST Memphis Grizzlies' Zach Ra… AP – Feb 27, 10:32 pm EST New York Knicks' Wilson Ch… AP – Feb 27, 9:00 pm EST Memphis Grizzlies' Marc Ga… AP – Feb 27, 9:00 pm EST New York Knicks' David Lee… AP – Feb 27, 8:59 pm EST New York Knicks' Wilson Ch… AP – Feb 27, 8:56 pm EST YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index = 7; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_lazy_images = [http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.c659f84c218e4408a0f797559837524c.grizzlies_knicks_basketball_msg117.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=212&hc=236&q=70&sig=V0_436tOtEO8zIljHxB9lA--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.b9c2d135fa054ae895669b6676333a67.grizzlies_knicks_basketball_msg115.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=307&hc=341&q=70&sig=JChqP7zTD1p1qCPii64p_Q--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.70e8bc36f94f4b658e91e3e8aececac4.grizzlies_knicks_basketball_msg113.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=240&hc=267&q=70&sig=A3Ts3S8kcH7wfFLLXnBDIA--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.587a472d67004bbe9bf334ba70e853ec.grizzlies_knicks_basketball_msg111.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=79&yc=1&wc=254&hc=282&q=70&sig=ZMBgbJzpk37YTUX.G4Hcmg--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.47051f602d1b4348ae0da056bb3e7110.grizzlies_knicks_basketball_msg112.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=213&hc=237&q=70&sig=8Ya0xT6CKNB2e3..YrtpuA--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.ad3223d6c9274d41aa5687b4a3348bb3.grizzlies_knicks_basketball_msg109.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=248&hc=276&q=70&sig=3mTzuNo60cg7_HVrQONqvQ--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.ce57d7ec2d2a4291b9dff818be57559a.grizzlies_knicks_basketball_msg110.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=206&hc=229&q=70&sig=NmIYf35Zw35Gfiqn0Cxk4w--]; YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(window,load,YAHOO.Sports.articleLazyLoadCarousel.init); 1 of 8 Mem-NY Gallery function prev_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index > 0) { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index – 1); } else { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index); }}function next_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index 0) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next); }*/}function goto_photo(p) { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { for(i = 0; i < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos.length; i++) { if (i == p) { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, ); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, none); } } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page) { YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page.innerHTML =(p + 1); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = p; } } update_buttons();}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init = function () { YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_prev, click, prev_photo); YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_next, click, next_photo); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = 0; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page = YAHOO.util.Dom.get(carousel_page); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos = YAHOO.util.Dom.getElementsByClassName(item, div, leadphoto); if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { goto_photo(0); }}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init();

“Feels good,” Randolph said. “In the Garden, come back, get a win, playgood against your old team.”

Marc Gasol(notes) added 25 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists as the Grizzliesoverwhelmed the Knicks’ frontcourt. Rudy Gay(notes) scored 27 points for Memphis, whichoutrebounded New York 52-32.

“I just thought we got wore down by their strength and their height andtheir weight, and we paid for it a little bit,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antonisaid.

Randolph made the tiebreaking free throws with 3:45 remaining, starting adecisive spurt in which he seized control of the game with his scoring andrebounding. His basket with a minute left essentially put it away at 116-107.

Al Harrington(notes), playing more after McGrady departed with a sore left knee,scored 31 points for the Knicks. David Lee(notes) added 21 but had only seven reboundswhile battling Randolph and Gasol.

Randolph could have been the inside presence the Knicks lack, but theytraded him and Jamal Crawford(notes) on the same day early last season, moves thatjump-started New York’s plan to free salary cap space for this summer’s freeagency class.

The Knicks started 6-3 that season, and Randolph said before the game hebelieved a lineup with he, Crawford and Lee would be tough, especially in theEastern Conference. He also said he thinks New York has a shot to land LeBronJames(notes), which would make the trades worthwhile, even though the Knicks havestruggled since.

New York picked up McGrady last week in another move that was salary driven,and he is still playing his way back into shape after microfracture knee surgerylast February. He went 25 minutes Friday night in a win at Washington, andD’Antoni said before the game he hoped McGrady could go that long again, butwould leave it up to the player.

Instead, McGrady didn’t play in the second half, going scoreless and missingall three shots. He said the knee was nothing to worry about, just that herealized early on it wasn’t going to be his night.

“I just don’t want to have any setbacks,” McGrady said.

Memphis last won four straight road games in January 2005, and the timing ofthis streak couldn’t be better, because the Grizzlies suddenly can’t win athome. They have dropped six straight in their own building after reeling off afranchise-record 11 straight home wins in December and January.

“First we had the problem that we were winning at home and we couldn’t winaway from the FedEx,” Gasol said. “Now we have the opposite problem, so we’llsee how it goes.”

Gay scored 10 points in the first 3 minutes of the fourth, and the Grizzliesopened an eight-point lead midway through the period. New York ran off eightstraight to tie it at 107 on Danilo Gallinari’s(notes) 3-pointer with 4:04 to play.

That’s when Randolph took over, preventing the Grizzlies (30-29) fromfalling below .500 for the first time since they were 15-16 to end 2009.

“That’s how scary we can be, anybody can take over at any point in time,”Gay said.

Memphis scored the first six points and twice led by 14 in the firstquarter, the second time when Randolph’s tip made it 23-9 with 4:20 remaining inthe period. Randolph had 12 rebounds in the first 12 minutes, helping Memphisopen a 31-23 lead.

Harrington replaced McGrady in the lineup to start the second half andscored 14 points in the third quarter. The Knick scored the final seven pointsto take an 88-85 edge to the fourth.

NOTES: Asked before the game his strategy on whether to foul when up bythree points in the closing seconds, D’Antoni said, “Everybody who’s never losta game says foul. Well, it’s not that easy.” The Knicks have been forced toovertime twice in the last week after a tying 3-pointer in the closing secondsof regulation. D’Antoni said he believes in giving his players the option tofoul, but did say he’d foul every time when the clock gets below 5 seconds. …The Knicks are 2-12 in the second game when playing back-to-back nights.

Written by chris · Filed Under Basketball | Comments Off

Blazers win 12th straight over Wolves

February 28, 2010

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)—Nicolas Batum(notes) scored a career-high 31 points, LaMarcusAldridge(notes) added 21 and the Portland Trail Blazers cruised to another easy victoryover the Minnesota Timberwolves, 110-91 on Saturday night.

The Blazers have won 12 straight over the Wolves, including four victoriesthis season by a combined 93 points.

Portland Trail Blazers' Ru… AP – Feb 27, 8:59 pm EST Portland Trail Blazers' Ru… AP – Feb 27, 8:55 pm EST Minnesota Timberwolves' Da… AP – Feb 27, 8:50 pm EST Minnesota Timberwolves' Al… AP – Feb 27, 8:48 pm EST YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index = 3; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_lazy_images = [http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.9dc4008cd7c14d0a9ece748eb73c1a2f.trail_blazers_timberwolves_basketball_mnjm103.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=283&hc=314&q=70&sig=rHPR_gO.iGm0Fcsw0Z5QAQ--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.ba933d809b1740ab96b6cdb481de8b8c.trail_blazers_timberwolves_basketball_mnjm102.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=276&hc=307&q=70&sig=ZD9z8Jdhq4nCpieGUkDFmA--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.9ec95de2e92049bf8b02f6e0835f508a.trail_blazers_timberwolves_basketball_mnjm101.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=344&hc=382&q=70&sig=4MOW6XcnggqY7IOQo7yFPg--]; YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(window,load,YAHOO.Sports.articleLazyLoadCarousel.init); 1 of 4 Por-Min Gallery function prev_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index > 0) { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index – 1); } else { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index); }}function next_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index 0) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next); }*/}function goto_photo(p) { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { for(i = 0; i < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos.length; i++) { if (i == p) { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, ); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, none); } } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page) { YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page.innerHTML =(p + 1); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = p; } } update_buttons();}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init = function () { YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_prev, click, prev_photo); YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_next, click, next_photo); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = 0; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page = YAHOO.util.Dom.get(carousel_page); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos = YAHOO.util.Dom.getElementsByClassName(item, div, leadphoto); if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { goto_photo(0); }}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init();

Batum hit a career-high five 3-pointers and added a season-high sevenassists and seven rebounds in his best game since returning from a torn labrumon Jan. 25. Batum had never scored more than 20 points in his career.

Al Jefferson(notes) led Minnesota with 19 points, his highest total since scoring18 six games ago against Washington.

Portland closed the first half on a 16-4 run to grab a 47-33 lead. TheBlazers led by 30 in the third quarter.

Portland is allowing the fewest points of any team in the Western Conferenceand flexed its defensive muscle in the second quarter by holding the Wolves to10 points in the quarter and 33 in the half, both season lows.

Rudy Fernandez(notes) added 18 points the Blazers.

The Blazers didn’t even need much from leading scorer Brandon Roy(notes) againstthe Wolves. Roy was held to seven points after scoring 20-plus in his last fourgames.

There weren’t many bright spots for the Wolves, but the play of DarkoMilicic(notes) continues to be a positive. Milicic blocked three shots for the thirdtime in five games since coming to the Wolves in a trade from New York.

Ramon Sessions(notes) scored 13 points for Minnesota, and Corey Brewer(notes) and KevinLove(notes) each had 10. Jefferson also had 11 rebounds for his 28th double-double.

Minnesota has lost nine of its last 10 since winning four straight anddoesn’t face a team with a losing record until mid-March.

Despite an impressive 35-27 record, the Blazers are stuck at No. 8 in theWest. Portland has had to overcome injuries to Greg Oden(notes) and Joel Przybilla(notes) andhas used 14 different starting lineups this season.

NOTES: Brewer hit two 3-pointers to extend his franchise-best 3-point streakto 25 games. … The Blazers are an NBA-best 12-3 on the second night ofback-to-back games. … Jefferson has attempted only 50 free throws in his last24 games. He was 1 for 5 against Portland. … Portland’s Marcus Camby(notes) played 25minutes in his second game back after missing one game with a sprained ankle. Healso received a technical foul in the third quarter.

Written by chris · Filed Under Basketball | Comments Off

No. 6 K-State starts slow, beats Mizzou

February 28, 2010

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP)—Curtis Kelly had a double-double, Jamar Samuels scored 14points and No. 6 Kansas State overcame an ugly first 15 minutes to pull out adefense-dominated 63-53 victory over Missouri on Saturday night.

Kansas State (24-4, 11-3 Big 12) buckled under Missouri’s pressure early,putting together its worst shooting half in 14 years (18 percent). The Wildcatsused defense to shake the funk, took control with a 13-4 run early in the secondhalf, and held on to keep alive their slim hopes of tying rival Kansas for theBig 12 regular-season title.

Missouri (21-8, 9-5) won the first meeting on Jan. 9 with gritty defense andhad Kansas State on its heels early. The Tigers just couldn’t sustain it orshake the Wildcats’ relentless pressure to lose its sixth straight in the LittleApple.

Kim English had 13 points and J.T. Tiller added 11 for Missouri, which was 4for 18 from 3-point range and shot 31 percent overall.

Kelly had 10 points and 10 rebounds for Kansas State, which was 4 of 17 from3-point range and shot 33 percent from the floor.

Yeah, it was ugly.

Missouri typically causes problems with its full-court pressure, forcingopponents to speed up and play out of control in what it calls “The Fastest 40Minutes in Basketball.”

An underrated part of the Tigers’ defense is in halfcourt sets. They’requite good there, too, as Kansas State found out.

The Wildcats had trouble getting anywhere near the basket early, the ball inthe hands of guards dribbling along the perimeter or high post players like LuisColon, who didn’t seem to want any part of it.

That left Kansas State to force shots up inside against two and threedefenders or hoist long jumpers. The Wildcats missed the few open looks they gotas well, opening the game 2 for 22—with 18 straight misses—as Missouri builtan 18-10 lead.

Kansas State’s frustration grew with each miss, leading to more forcedshots. Coach Frank Martin almost turned purple in anger, both at his players andthe officials for the car-crash action under the baskets. The fans got caught upand carried away with the intensity, twice tossing objects onto the floor.

Then, almost in the snap of a fingers, the game took a 180-degree turn.

Kansas State started finding seams in Missouri’s defense, reeling off a 10-2half-closing run started by Jacob Pullen’s 3-pointer with just under 6 minutesleft. The Tigers also got a dose of Kansas State’s suffocating halfcourt D andtook their turn forcing shots, closing the half with nine straight misses.

By the time the ugliest 20 minutes of basketball was done, the teams hadcombined to miss 49 of 64 shots and scored 46 total points. Kansas State andMissouri had at least 46 points in a half by themselves 26 times this season.

And, you guessed it, it was tied, setting up 20 more minutes of physicalbasketball.

Written by chris · Filed Under NCAA | Comments Off

Vasquez’s 41 lift Maryland in 2OT

February 28, 2010

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP)—Greivis Vasquez scored a career-high 41 points and EricHayes hit five critical free throws in two overtimes Saturday night to leadMaryland to a 104-100 victory over Virginia Tech.

Maryland (21-7, 11-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) scored the first four pointsof the second overtime and never trailed again in solidifying its hold on secondplace in the league with two games to play.

Virginia Tech (21-7, 8-6) lost for the first time at home in 15 games thisseason, and for the third time in a row overall, damaging its NCAA tournamentcredentials. The Hokies lost despite 27 points from Malcolm Delaney and JeffAllen’s 25 points and 15 rebounds.

Hayes, whose two free throws with 41 seconds left in the first OT forced thesecond, hit a pair with 21.3 seconds left and another with 15.2 seconds left.

Vasquez scored 33 of his points after halftime. Sean Mosley added 17 points.

Written by chris · Filed Under NCAA | Comments Off

Granger leads Pacers past Bulls 100-90

February 28, 2010

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—Danny Granger(notes) had 30 points and eight rebounds to help theIndiana Pacers beat the Chicago Bulls 100-90 on Saturday night.

Dahntay Jones(notes) and Troy Murphy(notes) each had 17 points, and Roy Hibbert(notes) had 12 forIndiana. The Pacers snapped a three-game losing streak and won for just thesecond time in nine games to improve to 20-39.

Indiana Indiana Pacers' Danny Gran… AP – Feb 27, 8:30 pm EST Chicago Bulls' Derrick Ros… AP – Feb 27, 8:30 pm EST Chicago Bulls' Taj Gibson(… AP – Feb 27, 8:30 pm EST Chicago Bulls' Hakim Warri… AP – Feb 27, 8:28 pm EST YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index = 3; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_lazy_images = [http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.e9a7944142a347b889c81c7f1e591026.bulls_pacers_basketball_ints103.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=278&hc=309&q=70&sig=4DCgn5et4p5jjsXQYdaMRA--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.9861f18f40724050af3b9a7e7bead613.bulls_pacers_basketball_ints102.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=265&hc=294&q=70&sig=MnU_bXqipdOjuJEZO_XZjA--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100228/capt.857a5daec4084cfaa2c129342ea68a24.bulls_pacers_basketball_ints101.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=317&hc=352&q=70&sig=Cizy_USTRhZ_P._PjqOWFA--]; YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(window,load,YAHOO.Sports.articleLazyLoadCarousel.init); 1 of 4 Chi-Ind Gallery function prev_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index > 0) { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index – 1); } else { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index); }}function next_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index 0) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next); }*/}function goto_photo(p) { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { for(i = 0; i < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos.length; i++) { if (i == p) { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, ); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, none); } } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page) { YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page.innerHTML =(p + 1); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = p; } } update_buttons();}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init = function () { YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_prev, click, prev_photo); YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_next, click, next_photo); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = 0; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page = YAHOO.util.Dom.get(carousel_page); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos = YAHOO.util.Dom.getElementsByClassName(item, div, leadphoto); if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { goto_photo(0); }}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init();

Derrick Rose(notes) had 27 points, and Luol Deng(notes) added 13 points and 18 reboundsfor the Bulls (31-28). Chicago won the first three games against the Pacers thisseason.

Indiana pushed a 12-point lead in the third quarter to 94-78 on Hibbert’stwo free throws with less than 5 minutes left in the game. James Johnson’s(notes)3-pointer got the Bulls to 96-88 with 2 minutes left, but four straight freethrows by Granger and Murphy sealed the victory.

The first half featured seven ties and two lead changes and neither team ledby more than nine points. The Pacers took their biggest advantage of the half,50-41, on Brandon Rush’s(notes) jumper late in the second quarter.

Indiana stretched its lead to 12 on numerous occasions in the third quarter,including Murphy’s jumper to end the period.

NOTES: Pacers C Jeff Foster(notes) (back) and F Tyler Hansbrough(notes) (ear infection)did not play. … Deng was given a technical foul for arguing a call in thefourth quarter.

Written by chris · Filed Under Basketball | Comments Off

Knicks F McGrady suffers sore knee

February 28, 2010

NEW YORK (AP)—Knicks guard Tracy McGrady(notes) was not expected to play in thesecond half against Memphis on Saturday night because of a sore left knee.

Playing for the second time in two nights, McGrady logged 15 minutes in thefirst half, going scoreless while missing all three shots. Coach Mike D’Antonisaid before the game he hoped McGrady could go 25-30 minutes, but would leave itup to the player.

McGrady is still working his way back into shape after microfracture kneesurgery last February. He played six games for Houston in December, then wasn’tactive again until last Saturday, two days after the Knicks acquired him at thetrade deadline.

Written by chris · Filed Under Basketball | Comments Off

No. 22 Texas A&M tops No. 21 Texas 74-58

February 28, 2010

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP)—Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon had been on his teamabout rebounding since a loss to Baylor earlier in the week where they wereoutrebounded by seven.

On Saturday, the No. 22 Aggies answered his call, outrebounding No. 21 Texasin a 74-58 win that saw Longhorns guard J’Covan Brown injured after a hard falllate in the game.

Donald Sloan had 19 points to lead the Aggies, whose rebounding advantagewas 40-29.

Texas A&M (20-8, 9-5 Big 12) never trailed and went up 10 points beforescoring six in a row to push the lead to 66-50 with about three minutesremaining.

“That’s all I showed our guys on film was us getting our tails kicked atBaylor on the boards and said if we did it again we were going to lose toTexas,” Turgeon said. “They responded. Rebounded well on both ends and playedwith a lot of toughness.”

The Longhorns (22-7, 8-6) finished with their lowest scoring output of theseason. Leading scorer Damion James, who entered the game averaging 17.7 pointsand 10.7 rebounds, finished with 12 points and one rebound.

Brown was taken off the court on a board with his neck stabilized afterfalling hard on a drive to the basket late in the game. He was conscious as hewas wheeled out of the arena on a stretcher about 20 minutes after the end.

About four hours after the game, Texas trainer Eric Fry called Brown’sinjury a “neck strain” and he’d been evaluated at a College Station hospitaland released. Fry said Brown’s status was considered “day-to-day.”

Texas A&M led 72-58 when Brown collided with Texas A&M’s B.J. Holmes as hewent to the basket. Both players were injured in the collision, but Brownremained on the court after Holmes was carried off with sprained right foot.

Play was stopped for about 10 minutes while Brown was looked at. Medicalpersonnel were called to the court after a couple of minutes and he was taped tothe board and taken off.

Sloan, who has known Brown since middle school, was concerned for hisfriend.

“It was kind of hard,” he said. “I hope there isn’t anything major wrongwith him.”

The injury to Brown, who started at point guard Saturday, comes on the heelsof Monday’s announcement that point guard Dogus Balbay is out for the rest ofthe season with a torn ACL in his left knee.

Barnes noted his team’s injuries, but said his veteran players need to stepup to get the team past them.

“I’m disappointed,” he said. “I’m just really disappointed in a lot ofthings, somewhat embarrassed to be honest with you. We are better than we areplaying.”

Barnes said his team’s trouble rebounding and in transition on Saturday werenot acceptable.

“I look at it and it’s probably one of the—for whatever reason—as poora coaching job as I’ve ever done, because I haven’t been able to get the messageacross consistently,” he said. “There’s nobody to blame for that but me. I canonly tell you that I’m not going to quit trying because I do think that we’vegot the ability to put some things together and do what we think that we cando.”

Loubeau added 15 points for the Aggies, who improved to 17-1 this season ingames where they held an opponent to less than 70 points.

Texas A&M fought off a rally by Texas by scoring five straight points toextend its lead to 58-46 with seven minutes left. The Aggies led by 16 pointsbefore Texas went on a 10-1 run, highlighted by a four-point play by Brown, toget within 53-46 about a minute earlier.

The Aggies were up by five points before going on a 16-5 run that includingthree 3-pointers to extend their lead to 52-36 with about 10 minutes remaining.A highlight of that run came on a two-handed putback dunk by Loubeau thatbrought the Reed Arena record crowd of 13,717 to its feet.