Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
NBA: Shaq, Heat beat injury-riddled Blazers
By Anne M. Peterson, AP Sports Writer
Saturday, January 08, 2005 | No comments posted.
PORTLAND - Shaquille O'Neal downplayed whether injuries had any role in the Miami Heat's rout of the depleted Portland Trailblazers, who placed Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Darius Miles on the injured list earlier in the day.
"It would have made no difference," he said. "They're a tough team and it's a tough building."
Miami's superiority was made clear - along with the Blazers' struggles - in the Heat's 103-92 victory Friday night.
O'Neal had 28 points and 10 rebounds and Dwyane Wade had 25 points and 12 assists for the Heat, who led by as many as 22 in winning for the 16th time in 17 games.
Their only loss came Monday against the SuperSonics, and they can avenge it Sunday night in Seattle on the second stop of a five-game trip.
Miami has won eight straight road games.
"What we need him to do, he's doing it," Wade said about O'Neal. "He's being very dominant. We're looking for him as much as possible."
Ruben Patterson moved into the starting lineup and had 27 points for the Blazers, and Zach Randolph added 25 before fouling out. Portland has lost five of its last six.
O'Neal was coming off a 33-point, 18-rebound performance in Wednesday's 102-94 victory over the Knicks. He didn't need nearly the same energy against the hobbled Blazers and their limited lineup options.
Abdur-Rahim, who had missed seven games with loose particles in his right elbow, will have surgery that could sideline him for five weeks. He was averaging 15.7 points and eight rebounds in 23 games.
Miles, averaging 12.6 points and 5.1 rebounds, injured his left knee in the Blazers' 102-98 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. He is expected to be out for up to two weeks.
"We're going to have to piecemeal it together to scramble with guys playing out of position," Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks said.
After Seattle, Miami will play Phoenix - the team with the NBA's best record - then plays at Golden State and the Los Angeles Clippers before heading home.
"We haven't won in this building in two or three years, and we wanted to come and get a win and start our five-game road trip off on a positive note," O'Neal said.
Notes: The Blazers activated 7-foot-3 South Korean center Ha Seung Jin, a second-round pick, 46th overall, in last year's NBA draft. He is the first Korean to play in the NBA. The Blazers signed him on Dec. 26 and placed him on the injured list with lower back pain a day later. ... Before the game, Blazers guard Nick Van Exel guided Ha over to O'Neal, and the rookie shook Shaq's hand. But the on-court matchup between the two never happened, Ha entered the game in the final minute, as O'Neal left. ... The Blazers defeated the Heat 99-87 in Miami earlier this season.
Lakers 111, Rockets 104
LOS ANGELES - Kobe Bryant had 27 points and 10 assists and the Lakers defeated Houston to snap a two-game losing skid.
Four other Lakers scored in double figures, including Lamar Odom with 20 points and 12 rebounds and Caron Butler with 21 points.
Tracy McGrady led the Rockets with 26 points. Yao Ming scored 25 points before fouling out with 2:18 remaining.
Along with Bryant, McGrady and teammate Bobby Sura donated $1,000 per point to UNICEF to benefit children who survived the tsunamis in Southeast Asia. Sura added 20 points. In all, the three players contributed $73,000.
Grizzlies 84, Hornets 76
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Pau Gasol scored 20 points and Shane Battier added 19 to help Memphis extend its winning streak to six games.
Memphis outscored New Orleans 8-1 in the final 2:23 to improve to 18-17, the first time the Grizzlies have been above .500 this season. Baron Davis led the Hornets, an NBA-worst 2-29 after their 10th straight loss, with 19 points and eight assists.
Bulls 84, Jazz 78
CHICAGO - Rookie Luol Deng had 22 points and seven rebounds, and Eddy Curry added 21 points as the Bulls handed Utah its eighth consecutive loss.
Matt Harpring and Gordan Giricek both had 13 points for Utah, which hasn't won since beating the Philadelphia 76ers 103-101 on Dec. 20.
Kings 100, Hawks 97
ATLANTA - Mike Bibby scored 31 points, including a clinching jumper with 11.7 seconds remaining, and the Sacramento Kings handed Atlanta its sixth straight loss, 100-97 Friday night.
The Hawks (5-26) have lost 11 of 12. Only New Orleans has a worse record.
Al Harrington led the Hawks with 22 points.
Pistons 110, Celtics 104
BOSTON - Richard Hamilton scored 25 points, recovering from a dubious record-setting night by making two key baskets down the stretch to help Detroit beat the Celtics.
Paul Pierce scored 22 and Ricky Davis added 19 for the Celtics, who shot 59 percent from the floor compared to Detroit's 49 percent. Boston had won five consecutive home games.
Nets 82, Warriors 72
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Vince Carter scored 22 points, Richard Jefferson added 20 and New Jersey bounced back from two bad road losses to beat Golden State.
Jason Kidd added 13 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists as the Nets sent the Warriors to their fourth straight loss.
Mike Dunleavy, Calbert Cheaney and Mickael Pietrus scored 12 points apiece for the Warriors.
Magic 111, Bobcats 91
ORLANDO, Fla. - Hedo Turkoglu scored 22 points, fellow reserve Pat Garrity added 16 in a victory over Charlotte.
Grant Hill scored 16 points and Tony Battie added 13 on 6-for-6 shooting for the Magic, who on Nov. 6 became the first team to lose to the Bobcats.
In a matchup of the top two picks in last year's draft, Charlotte's Emeka Okafor had 15 points and six rebounds and Orlando's Dwight Howard's 10 and 12.
Bucks 107, Raptors 105, OT
TORONTO - Desmond Mason had 23 points and Michael Redd scored 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter as Milwaukee beat Toronto in overtime.
Jalen Rose sent the game overtime with a driving layup at the buzzer, but Mason had five points in the extra period and Toronto's Morris Peterson missed a potential tying jumper with one second left.
Timberwolves 89, 76ers 84
MINNEAPOLIS - Sam Cassell scored Minnesota's first 14 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 26 as the Timberwolves ended a four-game losing streak with a victory over Philadelphia, which played without guard Allen Iverson.
Iverson, the NBA's leading scorer, sat out the game with a sprained right ankle sustained Wednesday at Utah. Reserves Corliss Williamson and Marc Jackson led the Sixers with 21 and 17 points, respectively.
"It would have made no difference," he said. "They're a tough team and it's a tough building."
Miami's superiority was made clear - along with the Blazers' struggles - in the Heat's 103-92 victory Friday night.
O'Neal had 28 points and 10 rebounds and Dwyane Wade had 25 points and 12 assists for the Heat, who led by as many as 22 in winning for the 16th time in 17 games.
Their only loss came Monday against the SuperSonics, and they can avenge it Sunday night in Seattle on the second stop of a five-game trip.
Miami has won eight straight road games.
"What we need him to do, he's doing it," Wade said about O'Neal. "He's being very dominant. We're looking for him as much as possible."
Ruben Patterson moved into the starting lineup and had 27 points for the Blazers, and Zach Randolph added 25 before fouling out. Portland has lost five of its last six.
O'Neal was coming off a 33-point, 18-rebound performance in Wednesday's 102-94 victory over the Knicks. He didn't need nearly the same energy against the hobbled Blazers and their limited lineup options.
Abdur-Rahim, who had missed seven games with loose particles in his right elbow, will have surgery that could sideline him for five weeks. He was averaging 15.7 points and eight rebounds in 23 games.
Miles, averaging 12.6 points and 5.1 rebounds, injured his left knee in the Blazers' 102-98 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. He is expected to be out for up to two weeks.
"We're going to have to piecemeal it together to scramble with guys playing out of position," Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks said.
After Seattle, Miami will play Phoenix - the team with the NBA's best record - then plays at Golden State and the Los Angeles Clippers before heading home.
"We haven't won in this building in two or three years, and we wanted to come and get a win and start our five-game road trip off on a positive note," O'Neal said.
Notes: The Blazers activated 7-foot-3 South Korean center Ha Seung Jin, a second-round pick, 46th overall, in last year's NBA draft. He is the first Korean to play in the NBA. The Blazers signed him on Dec. 26 and placed him on the injured list with lower back pain a day later. ... Before the game, Blazers guard Nick Van Exel guided Ha over to O'Neal, and the rookie shook Shaq's hand. But the on-court matchup between the two never happened, Ha entered the game in the final minute, as O'Neal left. ... The Blazers defeated the Heat 99-87 in Miami earlier this season.
Lakers 111, Rockets 104
LOS ANGELES - Kobe Bryant had 27 points and 10 assists and the Lakers defeated Houston to snap a two-game losing skid.
Four other Lakers scored in double figures, including Lamar Odom with 20 points and 12 rebounds and Caron Butler with 21 points.
Tracy McGrady led the Rockets with 26 points. Yao Ming scored 25 points before fouling out with 2:18 remaining.
Along with Bryant, McGrady and teammate Bobby Sura donated $1,000 per point to UNICEF to benefit children who survived the tsunamis in Southeast Asia. Sura added 20 points. In all, the three players contributed $73,000.
Grizzlies 84, Hornets 76
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Pau Gasol scored 20 points and Shane Battier added 19 to help Memphis extend its winning streak to six games.
Memphis outscored New Orleans 8-1 in the final 2:23 to improve to 18-17, the first time the Grizzlies have been above .500 this season. Baron Davis led the Hornets, an NBA-worst 2-29 after their 10th straight loss, with 19 points and eight assists.
Bulls 84, Jazz 78
CHICAGO - Rookie Luol Deng had 22 points and seven rebounds, and Eddy Curry added 21 points as the Bulls handed Utah its eighth consecutive loss.
Matt Harpring and Gordan Giricek both had 13 points for Utah, which hasn't won since beating the Philadelphia 76ers 103-101 on Dec. 20.
Kings 100, Hawks 97
ATLANTA - Mike Bibby scored 31 points, including a clinching jumper with 11.7 seconds remaining, and the Sacramento Kings handed Atlanta its sixth straight loss, 100-97 Friday night.
The Hawks (5-26) have lost 11 of 12. Only New Orleans has a worse record.
Al Harrington led the Hawks with 22 points.
Pistons 110, Celtics 104
BOSTON - Richard Hamilton scored 25 points, recovering from a dubious record-setting night by making two key baskets down the stretch to help Detroit beat the Celtics.
Paul Pierce scored 22 and Ricky Davis added 19 for the Celtics, who shot 59 percent from the floor compared to Detroit's 49 percent. Boston had won five consecutive home games.
Nets 82, Warriors 72
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Vince Carter scored 22 points, Richard Jefferson added 20 and New Jersey bounced back from two bad road losses to beat Golden State.
Jason Kidd added 13 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists as the Nets sent the Warriors to their fourth straight loss.
Mike Dunleavy, Calbert Cheaney and Mickael Pietrus scored 12 points apiece for the Warriors.
Magic 111, Bobcats 91
ORLANDO, Fla. - Hedo Turkoglu scored 22 points, fellow reserve Pat Garrity added 16 in a victory over Charlotte.
Grant Hill scored 16 points and Tony Battie added 13 on 6-for-6 shooting for the Magic, who on Nov. 6 became the first team to lose to the Bobcats.
In a matchup of the top two picks in last year's draft, Charlotte's Emeka Okafor had 15 points and six rebounds and Orlando's Dwight Howard's 10 and 12.
Bucks 107, Raptors 105, OT
TORONTO - Desmond Mason had 23 points and Michael Redd scored 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter as Milwaukee beat Toronto in overtime.
Jalen Rose sent the game overtime with a driving layup at the buzzer, but Mason had five points in the extra period and Toronto's Morris Peterson missed a potential tying jumper with one second left.
Timberwolves 89, 76ers 84
MINNEAPOLIS - Sam Cassell scored Minnesota's first 14 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 26 as the Timberwolves ended a four-game losing streak with a victory over Philadelphia, which played without guard Allen Iverson.
Iverson, the NBA's leading scorer, sat out the game with a sprained right ankle sustained Wednesday at Utah. Reserves Corliss Williamson and Marc Jackson led the Sixers with 21 and 17 points, respectively.
The comments below are from users of theworldlink.com and do not necessarily represent the views of The World or Lee Enterprises. Participation Guidelines
Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Not already registered?
The World welcomes your comments about stories, and we encourage a robust dialogue on this site. All comments must meet reasonable standards of decency and civility.
Please follow these basic rules:
- No defamatory comments about individuals or businesses.
- No deliberately false information.
- No obscenity or racially offensive language.
- No harassment, verbal abuse, threats or personal attacks.
- No information that invades another person's privacy.
- No business solicitations or charitable solicitations.
Comments that violate these standards will not be posted. Users with repeated violations may be banned from future posting.Comments will be approved throughout the day during business hours. After hours and weekend comments may not appear until the following business day. It may take a couple of hours before comments are approved.
The World generally does not edit comments, but we reserve the right to edit any comment that does not meet our standards.
Close Guidelines